A recent study by Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy discovered a widespread trend in the food industry of significantly underreporting the amount of calories on nutrition labels. Specifically, the actual calorie count surpassed the stated count by an average of 18 percent, with some counts surpassing up to 200 percent on restaurant dishes and fast food.
It's hard to start an article about a very sensitive issue. You may go against the world and be right, but still people will get angry. Then how can I approach this? Outright denial is never constructive, even when you have enough solid evidence to know that what you believe is the truth. I am writing because I feel the responsibility to represent a different angle to Tufts students: one that is being ignored, either deliberately or out of ignorance.
Tufts counts. All students, both citizens and non-citizens, should fill out and return a 2010 Census questionnaire when it is delivered to their mailboxes this month for residential addresses or in April or May for on-campus housing.
As a university, Tufts prides itself on its acceptance and encouragement of diversity. With nearly a quarter of the class of 2013 identifying as "students of color" and a strong international representation, Tufts is widely recognized as a diverse school. Indeed, university President Lawrence Bacow's appointment to President Obama's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) seems not only to be an acknowledgment of his achievements in promoting diversity during his tenure as president of the university, but also the strengths of Tufts as a school in supporting and recognizing diversity. The university's two−day symposium entitled "Barack Obama and American Democracy" over this past weekend also afforded further opportunity for Tufts to highlight and promote dialogue around racial and ethnic diversity.
One of the most admirable attributes of Tufts University is the student body's push for acceptance and open mindedness. We strive to end ignorance and bias on our campus, we strive to provide fair representation to minority groups in our multicultural population and we have a large and vocal queer community: all aspects that bring unique and refreshing perspectives to Tufts.
The ebb and flow of higher education has caused many changes to Tufts University. YouTube.com video submissions are the newest addition to Tufts' unique application process, fiscal responsibility has become a watchword due to the present economic climate and Dave's Fresh Pasta might be added to Meals on Points (MOPS), a move that would probably be universally applauded. Firmly planted among the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities, Tufts' situation presents an ideal opportunity to analyze the realities of our school on the hill. Tufts rests on a precipice — the school can continue to lead the way as one of the top universities in the country, or all the changes that are occurring simultaneously can cause the school to stagnate. With the looming departures of Tufts University President Larry Bacow and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Robert Sternberg, the impending arrival of a Green Line MBTA stop on Boston Avenue, tuition costs that are the most expensive in Massachusetts and applicant pools that increase in size every year, there is no better time to take a look at our present crossroads and forecast our unclear future.
Tufts students are greeted early on in their time on the Hill by an extensive sexual assault prevention program, from the blue light telephones introduced on campus tours, to presentations during orientation week, followed by the array of sexual crime prevention posters displayed in virtually every dorm on campus. However, incidents of sexual assault, unfortunately, do occur. The university maintains an official policy on sexual assault that allows a victim to pursue four different courses of action to be taken against his or her assailant: mediation between the victim and perpetrator, a campus stay-away order, a university hearing or the accused person leaving the university. These consequences have varying degrees of disciplinary action associated with them — the campus stay-away order, for example, is not a disciplinary measure.
The U.S. Senate has been criticized heavily of late for allowing partisanship and bitterness between factions to prevent important decisions from being made. Many in the country argue that while senators are busy bantering about personal opinions and there is increasing animosity between parties, important issues are not being resolved. Most Republicans and Democrats, however, were finally able to see eye−to−eye on one recent controversy that has been causing contention within the body.
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate on Feb. 21 passed a resolution calling for a change in the course credit system in order to award an extra half credit for labs that exceed two-and-a-half hours in science courses; the resolution refers specifically to biology classes, as physics and chemistry lab sections are shorter. The student sentiment that generated this resolution is indicative of the greater issue surrounding the way that course credits are assigned at Tufts. The administration should reconsider its "one course, one credit" policy in light of the different time commitments and workloads associated with different courses.
It is standard procedure that, during the last few classes of the semester, students fill out handwritten course evaluations, rating their experiences with both the professor and the material covered. This process, however, may change in as little as two years as the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is currently working on plans to put all course evaluations online. By putting course evaluations online, the Senate and the administration hope to significantly decrease the turnaround time between when evaluations are filled out and when professors are actually able to access them and take comments and perspectives into consideration for future classes. The evaluations would still be mandatory, with students' grades potentially being withheld for a week if they fail to fill them out — a penalty that those working on the new system hope would be enough of an incentive to encourage all students to complete them.
Dear Editor, This letter is in response to David Heck's Feb. 25 column "The tragically ignored." As a wrestling fan, I knew about the death of Umaga this past year (although I'm 22, not 13 as the article suggests). Although tragic and more than likely linked to steroids, what Heck did not mention was that Umaga had failed tests for the World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) Wellness Policy on two separate occasions, and refused to enter rehab on his second failure in June 2009, which led to his release from the company.
On the first day of classes this semester, one of my professors warned our class that he was not a fan of laptops in the classroom.
Tori Amos once sang, "Now, you've cut out the flute from the throat of the loon."
With this year's Spring Fling on the horizon, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and the Alcohol Task Force are busy deliberating on one of the perpetual sources of concern surrounding Tufts' major events: how to regulate and moderate student alcohol use. Following last year's disaster of mass underage drinking and subsequent medical issues, a steering committee is seeking to make changes to the structure of the event in order to reduce such incidents and to increase Spring Fling's potential for being a fun, safe event.
Saturday night at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., Glenn Beck declared that "it is still morning in America, it just happens to be kind of a head−pounding, vomit−for−four−hours morning in America." Beck echoed that same note throughout his speech and concluded his keynote CPAC remarks by reaffirming that "we know tomorrow it will again be morning in America."
On Wednesday night, Feb. 17, a talk moderated by David Coleman, the director of Tufts University's Third Day Gospel Choir, and featuring social historian Anne C. Bailey, aimed to answer the above question. I believe that the answer comes down to how we conceive religion, and it must focus on one concept — as the world of monotheistic theology agrees, God is love.
After a record number of students showed interest in the Office of Residential Life and Learning's (ResLife) Healthy Living Program this year, the number of those who will actually be participating has fallen to new lows. Of the 122 students who applied, a 47 percent increase from last year, only 26 ultimately chose to take part. Many students have named ResLife's decision to house healthy living upperclassmen in Lewis Hall next year rather than Carmichael Hall as largely responsible for this discrepancy.
This August, major publishing house Macmillan will introduce new software that allows individual professors to edit digital textbooks. With the software, called DynamicBooks, professors will be able to upload syllabi, notes, videos and related materials to the digital file, but they will also be able to edit specific paragraph content, equations and diagrams. The textbooks will be completely customizable, and Macmillan will not require that professors' changes and additions be approved by the publishers or the textbook authors.
The future Class of 2014 is currently doing one of two things: either eagerly perusing the Tufts Class of 2014 group on Facebook.com or anxiously awaiting May 1 and filling out financial aid paperwork. We all went through the infuriating maze of fees, tests and supplementary essays that eventually landed us at Tufts. However, imagine this: Somewhere in the tangled process, you realize that you weren't actually born in the United States. Your parents brought you over as a child, and there is no independent method for undocumented children of immigrants to become citizens. Thus, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) papers in your hand are useless, and the prospect of a college education has disappeared.
Neil Young, after the Kent State shootings in 1970, penned the lyrics: "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming/ We're finally on our own/ This summer I hear the drumming/ Four dead in Ohio."
Op-ed submissions are an integral part of our connection with you, our readers. As such, we would like to clarify our guidelines for submitting op-eds and what you can expect from the process.
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