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Opinion

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Racial disparity among Tufts faculty and students must be addressed

By Faye Shen Li Thijssen | November 12

Tufts University has longtaken pride in the racial and ethnic diversity of its student populations. Diversity among incoming classes hasincreased steadily over the past several years. Nearly half of students in the Class of 2025, for example,identify as students of color. The value of a diverse student body is indisputable, but a topic often lost within these conversations of diversity is the discussion of faculty diversity. 

The Setonian
Editorial

Editorial: Ending the Portuguese minor goes against Tufts' values

By The Tufts Daily | November 10

The Tufts School of Arts and Sciences recently announced the decision toend the Portuguese minor, placing the ability to learn the Portuguese language at Tufts in jeopardy. Current students who have already begun the minor sequence will be able to finish, and the department will continue to offer Portuguese language classes through the 2022–23 academic year. However, with the elimination of the minor, the Portuguese program as students know it will soon cease to exist, depriving members of the Tufts community of meaningful opportunities to engage with the language.

A-Better-Consensus
Column

A Better Consensus: Expand the Child Tax Credit into a basic income

By Jacob Fridman | November 10

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin’s concerns about the labor participation and budgetary costs of the Child Tax Credit have forced lawmakers to consider extending it for only one more year, not to 2025 as the Biden administration had proposed. Manchin’s demands would cap recipients’ earnings just $60,000 in income and add work requirements.

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Sudan’s military coup and the emptiness of Biden’s democracy abroad policy

By Daniel Chung | November 9

In an earlier opinion article for the Daily, I argued that the Biden administration has an empty foreign policy when it comes to uniting prominent democracies around common interests, as exemplified by the fallout over AUKUS’ betrayal of France in a submarine missile deal. Recent events in Sudan, and the lack of a coherent response thus far, highlight how the emptiness of Biden’s ideological commitments extends not only to unifying established democratic nations but to protecting fledgling democracies as well.

The Setonian
Guest

Op-ed: End the legacy supremacy

By Christoph Baker | November 8

The past year has welcomed remarkable changes to Tufts. From the unfurling of its anti-racism initiative to its test-optional diverse applicant pool, the academic landscape is shifting more rapidly than students, and probably faculty, can remember. On April 14, another milestone was reached when the Tufts University School of Medicine eliminated legacy status from consideration in its 2021 application. While anti-racism commitments and surging applicant diversity have been noted at scores of institutions across the United States, the decision to drop legacy considerations from admissions distinguishes TUSM from the vast majority of medical schools.

The-Journey-2
Column

The Journey: Fraternal

By Elizabeth Buehl | November 8

Growing up as a twin, often the first question my brother, Matt, and I would be asked is, “Are you fraternal or identical?” Logically, as biologically boy-girl twins, the answer is fraternal. Nonetheless, as we matured, we learned to answer this question with more understanding, recognizing that not everyone could relate to the experience of being born just six minutes apart.

BigLieVoting-AsliKocak
Viewpoint

The 'Big Lie': How the crusade against the 2020 presidential election threatens our democracy

By Reya Kumar and Sara Kessel | November 2

After days of counting and nail biting, President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election last November. Two months later, on Jan. 6, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of the election results, following a “Stop the Steal” rally held by Trump nearby.

The-Journey-2
Column

The Journey: Autumn

By Elizabeth Buehl | November 1

A few days ago, I awoke to a crisp Medford fall morning and heard a rumble from the corner of my dorm room; there’s nothing quite like the annual activation of the heating system to bombard you with thoughts of the upcoming winter. As a native Floridian with only one New England winter under my belt, the anticipation of the coming season is daunting. Even with a closet shoved full of sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves and boots, I know that the changing seasons will inevitably bring a lack of sunshine, more time spent indoors and bone-chilling walks up and down the hill. Although we didn’t have to spend this Halloween with snowfall, as we did last semester, impending below-freezing days loom in our near future.

oilspillf
Viewpoint

Transitioning to renewable energy: The real price tag

By Henry Murray | October 28

On Oct. 2, an oil spill off the coast of southern California was reported. According to Coast Guard officials, the spill came from a leak in a pipeline owned by Amplify Energy Corp, a Texas oil and natural gas company. The spill is said to have released around 25,000 gallons of oil, more than five times lower than what was previously estimated. Although this is the first major oil spill of 2021, as oil spills have decreased over the last few decades, we are still sitting at an average of about two per year in the U.S. While many people are concerned about the cost of making a national switch to renewable energy, it is time that we consider what oil drilling is costing us right now. 

TheStrikeZone
Column

The Strike Zone: Critical art as resistance in Syria

By Eli Striker | October 28

The Assad dictatorship in Syria — led for 50 years by Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar — has been brutal, long-lasting and authoritarian. Even movements such as the 2011 Arab Spring revolts, which dethroned dictators in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, did little to dislodge Assad's iron grip on its civilians. The revolts prompted a still-ongoing civil war in Syria, in which millions of Syrians were forced to seek refuge, were externally displaced or perished from the violence. Tragically, the Assad regime has been the main perpetrator of human rights abuses throughout the war, abandoning its obligation to protect Syrian citizens. In her book, “Ambiguities of Domination,” Lisa Wedeen illustrates how this phenomenon reflects the politics of “as if."Per Wedeen, the Assad regime does not care about Syrian citizens, but it acts as if it cares in order to appear legitimate.Conversely, many Syrians do not necessarily support the Assad regime, but act as if they do to escape persecution.

image_from_ios
Editorial

Editorial: Tufts’ illness policies unfairly burden students and faculty

By The Tufts Daily | October 25

This illness policy is fundamentally flawed, and leaves students without sure alternatives or recourse to continue their education in isolation. The Tufts short-term illness form does not excuse students’ absences, missed coursework or exams they may be too sick to take, and without a convenient way to request medical excuse notes, students are now reliant on professors to understand and judge their situations despite largely lacking health care training.

The-Journey-2
Column

The Journey: The power of the Tufts community

By Elizabeth Buehl | October 25

When coming to Tufts, I never envisioned life as a student-athlete. I spent my first year here on the treadmill masked in the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center, and I never imagined myself sporting team-labeled apparel. Yet, earlier this semester, after seeing an advertisement for walk-on women’s rowing tryouts, I decided to step completely out of my comfort zone and show up in pursuit of a position as a coxswain.

PandoraPapers-01
Viewpoint

The impunity of the wealthy: The Pandora Papers

By Makram Bekdache and Faye Shen Li Thijssen | October 14

Last week, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published its largest global investigation to date: the Pandora Papers. More than 600 journalists from 117 countries have spent the past several months reading through almost 12 million documents including images, files, emails and spreadsheets collected from 14 sources which reveal the hidden assets, tax evasion and money laundering of some of the world’s richest people. Among the myriad groups and high-profile figures implicated, the United Kingdom’s property market and the tax policies of several U.S. states proved to be global hotspots for wealthy individuals to hide their assets. 

The Setonian
Viewpoint

The strength of a mezuzah

By Jake Blum | October 14

When thefirst mezuzah was ripped from a Harleston Hall resident’s door frame, I had multiple conversations with my editor, considering an article in response to the heinous act of cowardice. However, due to Tufts’ swift response to the action, and my unfortunate status as a busy second-year biomedical engineer, I eventually decided that, although it may have been valuable, an article would have simply stated the obvious.

will-mbah-scaled
Guest

Op-ed: The progressive leader Somerville needs: Will Mbah for mayor

By Caro Fett | October 13

I moved back to Somerville to make it my home about a year after graduating from Tufts in the COVID-19 Class of 2020. I came back for the colorful three-story houses, the little libraries, the community gardens, the small businesses and the public art. More than all that, though, I came back for the progressive values and community care that I sensed in the Somerville air during my four years at Tufts. 

Op-Ed Submission Guidelines

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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