Opinion
Four years, one home
By Reya Kumar | May 18When I arrived at Tufts in September 2020, I was alone, attempting to get my two large suitcases from Gantcher Field House to Tilton Hall. I didn’t recognize campus — when I toured in February 2019, a layer of barren, snow-covered trees created an entirely different landscape than the one I’d just arrived in.
How to make history when you can’t even read it
By Justin Hong | May 18What’s in a name? I was never taught Taiwanese, but I’ve known how to write my family name, 洪, since my mom taught it to me for a second grade art project. A few years later I finally learned what it meant: flood. Beyond that, I had never engaged with my family’s history. That changed this year.
Final meditations from the Opinion section's conservative
By Kevin Golub | May 18My journey at Tufts these past four years has had an outstanding impact on my life: I met people in Miller Hall on day one who I know will be my lifelong friends; I took unique and insightful courses with amazing professors whom I can confidently call mentors; and I was able to study two vastly different academic subjects — economics and Latin. Now that four years have passed, it is time to say goodbye. I’d like to offer some final thoughts to close this chapter of my life.
Letter from the Editors: The Tufts Daily Diversity & Inclusion Report, 2023–24
By The Tufts Daily | May 17The 2023–24 Diversity & Inclusion Report continues The Tufts Daily’s effort to gather insights into the composition of our staff and their experiences in our organization. The report was created by a group of Daily student leaders under the purview of the paper’s Intentionality & Inclusivity Committee.
Paying for Tufts needs to be easier to navigate
By Kunal Botla | May 17For the 2024–25 academic year, Tufts’ undergraduate tuition will increase, making the estimated cost of attendance a staggering $92,167. Although 38% of the class that matriculated in the fall of 2023 doesn’t pay that full ‘sticker price,’ the cost itself is shocking. Even so, over 60% of students pay that full sticker price; over the course of a four-year degree, that sums to over $350,000.
It’s time to level the playing field between athletics and academics
By Liam Chalfonte and Sadie Roraback-Meagher | May 17Undoubtedly, the American college experience is unique compared to other countries. Besides crippling student loan debt, frat parties and wearing shower shoes, perhaps the most distinctive element of attending college in America is the country’s unwavering love for collegiate sports. Between the 9.86 million viewers of March Madness and the $7.67 billion of revenue collegiate sports merchandise brings in, it’s clear that America cherishes college athletics. But hidden by our jerseys and bustling stadiums is a ugly problem: From admissions to finances, athletics has made college an unfair game.
Editorial: Tufts’ summer glow up
By The Editorial Board | May 16With the surplus of time on our hands during final exams, the Daily’s Editorial Board sat down to dream up a list of small changes that could upgrade the Medford/Somerville campus. From facilities to dining to technology, these improvements seek to improve various aspects of student life.
Editorial: Reevaluating course registration transparency
By The Editorial Board | May 15As most Tufts undergraduates can attest to, the registration process is not exactly a smooth one. Students prepare themselves days in advance; trying to ascertain as much information as possible about their options, they meet with their advisers, check Rate My Professors, read the short bios of each class on the Student Information System and then choose their classes. On the day of registration, they watch as their classes slowly but surely fill up, and finally, during their allotted time slot, they pick from what classes are left.
Letter to the Editor
By Guy Gottlieb and Hannah Ascher | May 6On April 24, the Daily published a student’s op-ed regarding the March 28 panel titled “The Israel-Hamas War and Jewish Life on Campus” sponsored by the Tufts Hebrew Program. While the subtitle asserts that “Tufts must ensure that academic dialogues remain productive and accountable,” the author ironically refuses to adhere to that aspiration and instead employs a steady stream of unfounded assertions, logical fallacies and double standards. The effect is a classic gaslighting of those who believe Israel has a right to exist and defend itself and undermines those who believe Jews and Israelis deserve an opportunity to present their views on the conflict openly. We were in the audience that night and would like to correct the record regarding the event and contest a misrepresentative op-ed.
Op-ed: Tufts administration should respect protesters, not silence them
By Corby Griffin | May 4To the Tufts community:I sent the following to the Tufts administration after receiving their email regarding the student protests on campus, published here with a few revisions:
Op-ed: Today’s Jewish life remains connected as ever to the past
By Andrew Stein | May 4I attended my first Passover Seder in four years on April 22 with Chabad and 200 other Tufts students. Jews have attended Passover Seders every year since at least 90 BCE, and I celebrated the holiday every year up until college with my grandparents. Passover, like many Jewish holidays (i.e.Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Shmita, Tisha B’Av and TuBiShvat), is directly tied to our claim of indigeneity based on a continuous 3,000-year-old history to the land of Israel, as it celebrates the arrival of the Jewish people to Israel from slavery in Egypt. Today, the “world’s oldest hatred” continues to be influenced by its past and morphs to fit the present social fabric. Simultaneously, we are connected to each past generation of Jews who each faced different challenges.
Letter to the Editor
By Tufts Friends of Israel | April 30In journalism, facts matter. In its latest editorial, The Tufts Daily’s editorial board distorted the facts beyond recognition.
Unions are on stage at Tufts and SMFA
By Kunal Botla | April 29The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts saw negotiation between SMFA’s part-time lecturers and the university this past fall. The Professors of the Practice, SMFA’s full-time faculty, are now beginning bargaining sessions for a set of contract improvements through posters and a banner draped on Bessie, the rhinoceros mascot of SMFA.
Stop denying women their bodily autonomy
By Linda Huang | April 29I want to write this piece to express my disappointment in the regressive state of laws regarding women in the U.S. Three weeks ago, on April 9, the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated a Civil War-era near-total abortion ban that makes the procedure illegal except when the mother’s life is in danger.
Climate change in the Middle East: The spoiler of plans and planets
By Kaashvi Ahuja | April 29Summer in Qatar is unbearable; most days reach a high of at least 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The air feels void of vapor, the land is arid and cracked, but most of all, the heat from the sun is unforgiving. Every summer, I remember accompanying my mom to the nearest auto repair shop to replace our leather car seats, which melted from the scorching heat of the metallic seatbelts. It was quite an inconvenient endeavor. When the temperature is high enough to irritate your skin, there isn’t much to do during the day, unless your idea of fun is visiting the same handful of indoor malls the country has to offer.
Op-ed: ‘The Better Choice’ — Why you should vote Joel Omolade for TCU president
By Alexander Vang, Tolulope Adewumi and Brendan French | April 26Joel Omolade has never been known to settle for anything less than great. He seeks to improve every system, organization, and space that he’s a part of. When he says “Better starts now,” he means it. When casting your vote for the next Tufts Community Union president, take a second to consider the candidate who turns words into action.
Editorial: On supporting Palestinian journalism in Gaza
By The Editorial Board | April 25Journalists play a crucial role in documenting humanitarian catastrophes by holding truth to power and telling stories when there is no one else to tell them. For over six months, while facing unimaginable challenges, Palestinian journalists in Gaza have been telling the world the truth about Israel’s actions in Gaza — actions which, as described by UN experts, constitute genocide.