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Study abroad programs return in fall 2021 amid pandemic

As prospective students make the rounds of endless campus visits, a common topic in each presentation are study abroad programs. It can sound very exciting to travel abroad as a college student, and yet, it can be frightening at the same time. Some students may not be concerned with exploring study abroad options, while others listen intently with a desire to experience another country. Others may need more information in order to take that leap of faith.


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Columns

Tales from the T: The ghost trains of Davis Square

For my last column, we’ll talk about the station nearest and (questionably) dearest to all of us: Davis Square. Today, it’s the most convenient place to catch a train to downtown (at least before the GLX opens in 2050). But before there was the Red Line, you could catch other trains at Davis: luxury sleeper trains, mile-long freight trains and even Green Line trains. Let’s talk about these long gone trains of Davis Square. 



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Community members explore the intersection of queerness and faith

The Tufts LGBT Center and the COFFEE Interfaith Student Coalition hosted a Queerness and Faith event and dinner in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room on Nov. 10. The discussion group was open to queer people and allies coming from all faith backgrounds, bringing together about 40 participants to grapple with the intersection of queerness and faith. University chaplains also attended the event to support any students who wished to debrief during or after the conversation. 


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Columns

Spoonfuls: Out and About in Somerville

I found myself in the company of an old friend this past Sunday. After he transferred from my high school during his first year, I’d really only seen him grow up via Instagram, and now, here we were: two fully formed handsome humans armed with the recollections of 15-year-olds. This felt like it should’ve been stranger than it actually was. Once we stopped trying to map out every year since then, all that was left was now and next.


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Students reflect on creation of center for Indigenous and Native students

In October 2021, the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusionannounced its plans to create a new identity center for Indigenous and Native American students. This center will join the seven currently established identity centers: the Africana, Asian American, FIRST, LGBT, Latinx and Women’s Centers and the Center for STEM Diversity. The plans have been both celebrated and criticized by Indigenous students, who see the center as the most significant move the university has taken to show its support. Below, students share their experiences with Indigeneity at Tufts, as well as their thoughts about the university’s places for the new center.




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Potty Talk: The last lavatory

It seems, fellow potty talkers, that our semester together must now draw to a close, and with it, our exploration of the annals of Tufts’ historied restrooms. Much like the conclusion of any good mid-lecture bathroom break, we meet this moment with a mixture of melancholy and relief. 


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Columns

Tales from the T: A silver lining

In my last column, I talked about the Silver Line, the black sheep of the T. To recap: The Silver Line was designed as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) — buses providing subway-like service using several key design features, including high-capacity stations and dedicated lanes. What we got instead was a haphazard cocktail of overpriced construction, slow speeds and broken promises, an embarrassment of a BRT system. But that would change in 2018, when the SL3 line opened. 




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Cognitive and brain science: A primer

Most liberal arts colleges have psychology, computer science and philosophy majors. Few, however, have cognitive and brain science (CBS) or similar majors, which are often more simply called cognitive science. These courses of study give students the opportunity to analyze different parts of each of the three fields with the lens of trying to understand the human mind. With a mashup of required courses offered by the computer science and psychology departments, along with electives in philosophy, child studies and education, some students go through the major wondering what exactly CBS is and where they might go with a degree in it. The Daily set off on a mission — guided by faculty from various departments — to answer these questions.



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Social media: Our frenemy

Social media has been integrated in our lives for so long that sometimes we forget just how much it influences us. Whether it’s a quick scroll through Facebook between classes, a glimpse at a friend’s private Snapchat story for the latest updates on their life, or an hour-long TikTok binge watching people from around the world do the same 60-second dance, we’ve become accustomed to connecting with others instantaneously — for better or for worse.


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Columns

Spoonfuls: Soup Shack

When I was a first-year, I wasn’t comfortable eating alone in dining halls. It terrified me. I didn’t want to be seen overloading my plate, or appear lonely and friend-less. Often, I just didn’t eat because of it. I kept crackers and granola bars in my room to satiate myself, or planned meals days in advance to ensure I wouldn’t be alone. Thankfully, I grew out of this — slowly. I still avoid dining halls, but only because I no longer want to be in a place where I don’t enjoy food as much. Hence, the restaurant column.


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After the storm: Environmental injustices in Massachusetts' sewage system

After a storm, sewage systems can get overwhelmed with water. Instead of pouring excess sewage into basements, the system is designed to discharge sewage into nearby rivers — the same bodies of water that are used for drinking and recreational purposes. The contaminated water has been linked to an increase of various diseases. Due to redlining and systematic racism, these contaminated waters are more likely to run through low-income populations and communities of color.



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Potty Talk: New potty on the block

Having formed some of our most cherished childhood memories at Jewish Community Centers (JCC) throughout the country (but really just Northern New Jersey, the most densely JCC-ed region of our great nation), we were excited to hear that Tufts was getting our very own JCC. Given the prevalence of IBS within the Jewish community (including among yours truly), we knew this building would be home to powerful bathrooms for sure!


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Winter term provides students with unique opportunity to take courses over winter break

Tufts University has had a winter term in place for three years, in which students take credit classes for three weeks in January. With some international students not being able to return home for holiday break and some students wanting opportunities to continue their education, winter term has gained considerable attention. In the past, these courses have been unique to winter term and are not available to students during a normal semester.


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Tales from the T: A Silver Line hate piece

Today’s topic is a laughable excuse of a project, a dumping ground of wasted potential and crushed dreams, a mere shadow of what it should have been. No, not you, the Silver Line. The Silver Line was envisioned as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a transit mode that uses design features like off-board fare payment and dedicated bus lanes to provide subway-like service using buses. BRT has been successfully built worldwide in cities like Guangzhou, Bogota and Albuquerque. It has not been successfully built here in Boston.