Since Scotsman Robert Bruce discovered tea bushes growing along the banks of the Brahmaputra river in 1823, India has gone on to become the world's leading tea producer and consumer. So the fact that Starbucks, the globe's leading specialty coffee retailer, is even thinking of entering the world's largest tea−drinking nation may seem somewhat far−fetched.
After reading the Tufts Daily's editorial on Feb. 14 regarding the senior class's "100 Days Until Graduation" celebration, I was stricken by the inadequacy of the reasons presented as to why the event was held in a venue that was knowingly too small for the number of students invited. The reasons for the Alumni Association's decision to hold the event in Dewick−Macphie Dining Center, as explained to the Daily by Senior Class Council President Lindsey Rosenbluth, were not strong enough to justify knowingly denying two−thirds of seniors entrance to a celebration in their honor.
The latest sex-related scandal from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is hardly surprising. In a decision handed down yesterday, Berlusconi will stand trial in April for allegedly paying an underage belly dancer for sex, then abusing his power to help release her from jail on theft charges.
In Friday's article "Advocacy group: Tufts one of worst colleges for free speech," the Daily cited the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's (FIRE) condemnation of Tufts as one of the 12 worst colleges for free speech. The article quotes the president of FIRE, Greg Lukianoff, arguing that Tufts "has consistently adopted policies and practices that censor student speech".
The admirable Style section of the New York Times — let's face it, those asinine trend pieces really understand what's in vogue — ran an article last December, confirming that, yes, in fact, 2010 will be considered the year of the transsexual. How quaint. But will that make 2011 the year of transphobia awareness and activism advocating for the trans community? I doubt it.
Most universities welcome the news that they have landed in the top 10 or 20 in a set of national rankings. But these days, Tufts is topping all of the wrong charts, ranking as one of the 12 worst schools for free speech in an article printed last month in the Huffington Post by Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).
Seniors on Friday night celebrated the beginning of their last 100 days as undergraduates at Tufts with cocktail attire and champagne in Dewick−MacPhie Dining Hall. Four hundred soon−to−be Tufts graduates enjoyed free drinks, hors d'oeuvres and even a toast by University President Lawrence Bacow.
I know I wrote about him last week, but a follow up on Hosni Mubarak is necessary. After all, I did waste my Thursday afternoon waiting for this man to announce his resignation after over two weeks of vociferous protests against him. Of course, he took his own sweet time to show up. When he finally did, he shocked everyone, including the Egyptian army, by not stepping down. These world leaders really can be stubborn sometimes can't they?
Tufts College was founded on a doctrine of illumination. When Charles Tufts declared that he would "put a light on" Walnut Hill, he was likely referring not only to improving nighttime vision, but improving vision in all walks of life, dispelling ignorance and intolerance, and upholding inclusivity and diversity.
State Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) and State Rep. Michael Moran (D-Brighton) on Jan. 25 introduced legislation called the Higher Education Transparency Bill that would require private universities in Massachusetts to increase their financial transparency. The new legislation, which would apply to colleges and universities with holdings of over $10 million, calls for the disclosure of individual conflicts of interest of trustees and directors, information about staff members who earn over $250,000 and information regarding financial arrangements over $150,000 with outside parties.
Over break, I traveled to Israel on Taglit−Birthright, living on a bus for 10 days with approximately 40 Tufts students and eight Israeli soldiers. Fighting the increasingly compelling urge to fall asleep on long bus rides, I devoted my time to learning everything I could about those around me.
During the course of the debate last year over the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act — which would have allowed for a path to citizenship for those immigrants without legal status who acquire a college degree or serve in the armed forces — many students came out in support of its passage. A large number of these students "came out" in another sense as well: They revealed their illegal status.
As protests rocked Egypt and reverberated throughout the Arab world in the past weeks, I asked my Yemeni friend at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Hazim Al−Eryani, why his countrymen seemed to lack the revolutionary zeal to overthrow their strongman−president Ali Abdullah Saleh. "Khat," he replied, mimicking the softball−shaped bulge that forms in one's cheek when chewing wads of the leafy narcotic commonly found in the Horn of Africa and the Arab world.
It's strange to start a column without Tori Amos, but it's time for a change. I've enjoyed writing "Our Genderation" for the past two semesters, but this spring I will focus on queer politics and issues. Though the subject matter will differ, the feminist perspective will not, so let's dive into the wreck à la Adrienne Rich and see what we find.
Next fall will begin a year of change for Tufts. University President Lawrence Bacow will leave in June, and Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha just announced Sunday that he, too, will depart Tufts at the end of this academic year to serve as president of The Cooper Union in New York City.
I am writing in opposition to yesterday's editorial titled "Students have right to choose where they vote." To begin with, the authors of the editorial demonstrate their complete lack of knowledge about the Granite State, expressing concern about the level of income tax that a college student would face in New Hampshire. Fortunately, New Hampshire does not have an income tax on wages, salaries and tips, only taxing income from interest on dividends. In addition, I fail to see the connection between the cost of university [on−campus] housing and the local property tax rate in the case of public institutions of higher education, of which close to two−thirds of New Hampshire students attend, as those institutions do not pay property tax.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you have heard about the unrest that has been going on in Egypt. Over a million Egyptians have flooded the streets, demonstrating, rioting and clashing with police forces, their anger directed at one man, their president for the past 30 years, Hosni Mubarak.
The New Hampshire state legislature last month introduced a bill that would prevent college students in the state from voting there unless they were residents before enrolling. New Hampshire law currently allows college students to choose either their home address or their local address as their permanent residence. Thus, college students in New Hampshire, like those in Massachusetts, can choose to vote either in their home or college state.
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