Opinion

Opinion

Campus post office should stay open

September 13

For the second time in two years, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is threatening to close its Tufts branch.

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Opinion

For Love of the Game

September 11

Clear the mechanism," says a weary Billy Chapel for the last time in his illustrious 19−year career. Suddenly, he no longer hears the grinding of the D Train that rumbles through the Bronx, nor the thundering echoes of the 56,000 New Yorkers that populated Yankee Stadium on that historic September night. Chapel was chasing perfection. For the final time, the tall, slender 40−year−old grips the fastball that had brought him within reach of baseball's most prized pinnacle. He records the final out of the game and for the first time in its history, the Cathedral in the Bronx falls silent.

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Opinion

Fall Ball formula still needs tweaking

September 11

For incoming freshmen, Fall Ball is a Tufts rite of passage. The event has the potential to be a blast, but there's just one problem: actually getting into the venue.

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Opinion

Why comparative studies matter: a perspective on Sept. 11

September 11

A curious thing happened while I was ordering a book for my Classics class, "Latin, Greek, and Arabic." When I order books online, I tend to look at the reviews. This particular book, "Greek Thought, Arabic Culture," focuses on the medieval period when Islamic Arabs in Baghdad translated countless books on science and technology from the ancient Greeks; this knowledge then spread to medieval Europe, which sparked the Renaissance. The book, however, received some extremely negative reviews not because it had been written poorly or inaccurately, but because the author had made some controversial comments at the outset of the Iraq War several years ago. In fact, it is important to note that the two worst reviews of this book were written in 2004, a time when anti−Islamic emotions reached a pinnacle.

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Opinion

Reflections on Fall Ball

September 11

The beginning of the new school year means that those of you in the Class of 2015 must begin to think about not only what you want to be, but also who you want to be. For our returning students, it provides an opportunity to reflect on your previous years and to make adjustments both in your coursework and also in your decisions about your life in the community. For most of you, this is a fine−tuning process; pushing yourself to pursue something you have wanted to try and maybe finding the willpower to avoid something that has caused you concern. For new students, this is inevitably a time for experimentation. This was the first big social weekend of the year. It seems to me that the experimentation didn't go so well for too many new students, and that there are some things for all of us to reflect upon.

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Opinion

Ten years later

September 7

It's all too tempting to think of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as a closed chapter in our history.

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Opinion

When the world's problems bring you down, help your community

September 7

Sometimes the problems facing our country seem despairingly large and complicated without any feasible solutions in sight. The gap between the wealthy and the impoverished relentlessly grows as more than 15 percent of citizens are unable to find a full-time job. Small businesses face rising rents, growing health care costs and heavy competition from "big-box" and Internet retailers who offer cheaper prices to consumers while failing to pay a living wage to their workers. At the same time, "70 percent of school districts nationwide endured budget cuts last year [and] 84 percent anticipate cuts this year," according to the Center on Education Policy.

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Opinion

Welcome, Class of 2015

September 5

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Welcome to Tufts, Class of 2015! I'm proud to be able to call each and every one of you a fellow Jumbo.

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Opinion

An Englishwoman abroad

September 5

I have just arrived freshly scrubbed and clear−headed in the United States, ready to start a graduate degree at Tufts. Despite having flown nearly 4,000 miles from my native London, I am confident that fitting in should be easy. After all, I am from a Western culture permeated with American fashion, music and consumables. Indeed, were it not for this fashion influence, our British boys might still be wearing their trousers over their underwear rather than perched below their buttocks wedges. If I were a student of physics, I might be tempted to examine this gravity−defying fashion statement further, but I digress.

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Opinion

The last straw

September 5

It's no secret that WikiLeaks is one of the most controversial organizations in the world. "We publish material of ethical, political and historical significance while keeping the identity of our sources anonymous, thus providing a universal way for the revealing of suppressed and censored injustices," reads the first paragraph of the group's website.

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Opinion

Stuck in the middle with you

August 30

My summers tend to be boring and work-filled, so I try to eke entertainment from wherever I can find it. One unexpected source of excitement came from the debt-ceiling crisis and the run up to the presidential election in 2012. I would not categorize myself as particularly politically active other than when I drunkenly voice my opinions with friends at 2 a.m. I did vote in the last election for John McCain and for a while considered myself a Republican. My opinions changed this summer with the unfolding of the standoff between Democrats and Republicans.

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Opinion

Jobs takes a bite out of Apple

August 30

By now you must have heard that Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc., has decided to resign from the post of CEO. If you haven't, you should be checking the New York Times on your iPad a little more often — welcome to the modern world. Over the past 15 years most have showered Jobs with superlatives like innovator, visionary, genius. None of these can be denied. I, more than anyone else, believe in the fact that Jobs has reshaped not just the tech industry but also the music, movie, cell phone and cloud computing industries. I personally believe the tech industry at its core is about making lives easier. No one has done that better than Steve Jobs.

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Opinion

You're in a new place, so try something new

August 30

You, new Jumbo, are probably reading this with a mixture of emotions. There's a bit of fright, as many of you have never left home and traveled tens, hundreds, or even thousands of miles to begin a new chapter of your life. There's suspicion and a touch of nervousness that comes from the thought of living with completely new people and taking courses in subjects that you never would have thought to explore before, but for these very reasons, you should be excited.

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Opinion

Keeping up with the times

August 30

Getting this issue in your hands wasn't easy. Hurricane Irene stranded much of our staff around the world right as production went into full swing. One of us was, I kid you not, trapped in the Bermuda Triangle. But here it is, the Class of 2015 Matriculation Issue, in all its glory.

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Opinion

Dismantling diversity

May 19

When I first heard of the renewed interest in establishing an Africana studies department at Tufts, I was rather skeptical. I found highly dubious the claim that a department dedicated to the African diaspora and African-American history would help to heal the racial tensions on campus. After all, Harvard established a department for African and African-American studies more than 40 years ago. Yet when I visited the school during their April open house as a prospective student, I realized the school still has a distinct racial divide. An op-ed by rising senior Jacob Schiller in the Daily last month endorsing Ben Richards, also a rising senior, for Tufts Community Union President briefly mentioned "fringe minority groups that dominate our school, that take their causes and launch them onto every student as if they are issues of life or death."

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Opinion

Prashanth Parameswaran | The Asianist

May 19

From the obnoxious frat-boy shrieks overheard at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on the night of May 1 to the outpouring of patriotism that swept many parts of the United States over the days that followed, it is clear that the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a defining moment in American history. Less clear and more contentious, however, is what exactly this means for the future of the U.S.-led fight against terrorism and al-Qaida as an organization.

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Opinion

A mouthpiece for the student body

May 19

Every so often, a particularly contentious issue arises in our coverage and the comments section of the Daily's website is flooded with angry criticisms assailing the quality of our reporting.

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Opinion

Ashish Malhotra | Follow the Leader

May 19

When President Barack Obama announced on May 1 that Osama bin Laden had been killed, there was much rejoicing around America and by some at Tufts. Personally, however, I felt a little uncomfortable about the festive atmosphere surrounding bin Laden's death. While I understand the perspective of those who celebrated bin Laden's death, personally I have spent the past few weeks grappling with what it was exactly that bothered me about the celebrations. It turns out there are multifarious reasons for my discomfort.

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Opinion

Class of 2011: Bringing change to Tufts since 2007

May 19

Congratulations, class of 2011. When you think about it, we've been here a long time. A lot has happened both at Tufts and off the Hill since the last time we all sat together at Matriculation in 2007. As I began brainstorming with my friends, I started developing a list of things that many, if not all of us, can remember. Some of these things put in perspective the time we've spent together on the Hill. This list is by no means comprehensive but rather some of the first that came to mind.

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Opinion

Ever onward

May 19

I'd like to begin by taking the time to thank and congratulate the class of 2011. I count many of you as my friends, peers and mentors, and while I am sad to see you end your time on the Hill, I know that you will make those of us still at Tufts proud with whatever you choose to do next in your lives. Know that we at Tufts will always be here to support you in your endeavors and hope to remain connected into the future. It is my goal as the newly elected Tufts Community Union (TCU) president to continue the extraordinary effort and work that each of you has put into this university.

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