A couple of years ago, on Valentine’s Day, I gifted Rumeysa this little book that lists 50 reasons why she’s my best friend. Now when I think about it, I find that I have more than 50 things that I like about Rümeysa. So, here is the story of our friendship during times of hardship and ease…
We stand in solidarity with the current student body at Tufts, and other alumni, in condemning the lack of due process in the detainment of Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk. The rise of authoritarian attitudes in recent months has manifested in troubling ways, including attacks on the integrity of government institutions, outrageous threats to the sovereignty of other nations and the inhumane deportation and detainment of immigrants living in the United States to foreign prisons without judicial oversight.
Typically, society associates vegans with the classic stereotype of preachy, accusatory environmentalists and animal rights defenders. Still, some sources estimate that the number of vegans in the United States has increased. While it’s difficult to determine the exact rise in veganism, a few factors can aid in illustrating the increase in veganism across the United States. Retail sales of plant-based foods are a primary indicator of the jump in veganism. In the past six years, plant-based food companies in the United States have experienced an approximately 5 billion dollar increase in retail sales. Further, from 2020–23, they’ve raised more money from investors than they did in the 14 years prior. Although veganism seems to be becoming more popular, the stigma associated with it has not dissipated.
These are dark times in our community, our city, our state, our nation and our world. Wars rage across the globe, economic uncertainty looms and our basic freedoms are under assault.
President Donald Trump has been on a DEI purge since taking office — removing almost any content that remotely resembles support for diversity from government websites. Many aspects of life, from science to performing arts, have been affected. Now, to be sure, I expected a lot of vital data to disappear under the DEI banner. I did not expect the removal of data concerning murder and missing persons.
It is now several days following the arrest, and the statements received from the university to date concern its lack of “pre-knowledge” of ICE’s actions, its support for Muslim students and campus resources for international students. What we have not heard — and what we hope to hear — is an unequivocal public statement by Tufts leadership affirming its absolute commitment to protecting academic freedom, a free press and the First Amendment.
Dear Tufts unions, as we know, President Donald Trump’s administration’s horrific attacks on immigrants and its repression of the antiwar movement have only escalated in the wake of the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia University. After being abducted near her home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Tuesday, Tufts graduate student and member of Service Employees International Union Local 509 Rümeysa Öztürk has been locked in a Louisiana ICE detention facility and is threatened with deportation.
On Tuesday, masked federal agents in an unmarked vehicle abducted Tufts doctorate student Rümeysa Öztürk off the street in Somerville. She was transported to a detention center in Louisiana, despite a court order ruling that she be kept in Massachusetts. This incident not only presents a grave physical danger to Tufts students but also a chilling effect on free speech as a whole. The Tufts administration must take action to mitigate the impacts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s activities targeting Boston to ensure the security of both U.S. citizens and international students.
In the wake of the detainment of Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk, we would like to emphasize our commitment to the safety of our writers and reaffirm our values as a publication.
In the wake of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat in the 2024 presidential election, Democrats throughout the country have been playing the blame game. With the party unable to develop a coherent message to oppose President Donald Trump’s policies, many prominent Democrats have developed varying strategies to help their prospects in future elections. While some Democrats are using Trump’s policies as fuel to rally their base, others are attempting to moderate their image. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are holding joint rallies across the country to stand up against Elon Musk and the billionaire class. In contrast, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, has started his own podcast where he features many prominent right-wing figures such as Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk. While Newsom stated that he started this podcast to engage with more conservative voters, he has instead given the far right a free platform to speak with little pushback and even went so far as to agree with their attacks on transgender athletes. This podcast serves as a perfect metaphor for how Democrats are fumbling the hand they’ve been dealt, as Trump’s policies continue to increase prices and take away jobs. Instead of sitting back in the shadows and hoping voters will see them as more moderate than the Republicans currently in power, Democrats need to go on the offensive and prove that they do have a policy agenda that’s better than the status quo.
We write as alumni of Tufts University and members of the Class of 1989, urging the Tufts administration, faculty and students to be steadfast in demanding the immediate release of Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk. History has shown us that authoritarian regimes target academics first, fearing ...
The Western world has a widespread culture of apathy which allows for a callous separation from global events. This apathy is facilitated through a variety of methods, including a lack of proximity to those in faraway countries and a feeling of being overwhelmed by personal issues that ...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is ablaze once again, and like many times prior, it is Rwanda and their network of Tutsi militants at the helm of this chaos. The history between the Congo and Rwanda has long been fraught with some of the most destructive violence since World War II, and the recent offensives spearheaded by the March 23 Movement militia and their sponsors, the Rwandan Defense Force, in the eastern reaches of the Congo are clear indicators that the region may be entering yet another horrific period of conflict.
Sadie Roraback-Meagher: Heya Evan! How was your spring break? Evan Wang: Hey Sadie! Mine was good, I went to D.C. and saw a major protest on the National Mall. Sadie: Wow, a protest? In D.C.? Never heard of that happening. Wonder what they’re all riled up over. Evan: I ...
“A workaholic will die before an alcoholic,” said Christina Maslach, professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, whose research laid the foundation for the World Health Organization to declare burnout as an occupational phenomenon in 2019. While alcoholics endure a gradual, long-term deterioration of the liver, workaholics face the immediate risk of stress-induced blood clots or heart attacks — potentially striking just when life seems to be going well.
There are some aspects of campus lore that are simply iconic, like Jumbo’s tail, Professor David Proctor and a capella riff-offs. The cannon, for one, is probably the most interactive piece of Jumbo life students have. The times I’ve painted the cannon have been some of the most fun I’ve ever had at Tufts. Listening to music with your club friends, looking up at the stars, trying to write neat letters in paint without getting any on your clothes — painting the cannon is a great bonding activity as well as a nice pastime. The messages on the cannon are constantly changing, with student organizations advertising their events or writing political calls to action. The cannon is a physical object that displays what students are engaging in on campus. So, when the cannon is reset to dull, basic gray over the summer, it’s a reminder of the painting that is yet to come. And the second students come back to campus, the color gray is nowhere to be found. Or so I thought.
As a child, I was frequently labeled a “social justice warrior” and often told I would “make a good lawyer” by random adults. These designations stemmed from both my loudly vocalized views and my tendency to correct any comments that I deemed offensive or not politically correct. Evidently, I have retained my label of passionate verbalization, given that I am the executive opinion editor of the Daily. Yet, over the years, I have drifted away from my strong moral convictions. Nowadays, I often find myself torn between two extremes, taking a moderate stance on issues. I even justify reasoning that ridicules the very identity groups that I am a part of. I try to understand religious justifications against gay marriage. I take a step back, wondering why people believe in a Jewish conspiracy. My tolerance for other views often leads me to question my morals. Perhaps I am too flexible.
A campus bar is a staple of any university — a special place where students can celebrate a big game, grab a beer with an advisor or put their karaoke skills on full display. At Tufts, the MacPhie Pub was once a thriving part of campus life. Following its inception in the ’70s, the pub staged musical performances, organized special comedy acts and hosted trivia nights. While most of the acts were led by Tufts students, the venue occasionally featured outside performances including shows from Tufts alum Tracy Chapman (J’86), who played at the pub for “$5 and a free meal.”
Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine despite the attempts of peace talks. Meanwhile, the rocky relationship between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin diverts the media’s and, consequently, the international public’s attention from the ongoing war. At the same time, Ukrainians continue to adjust to the dreary realities, finding ways to go on with a semi-normal life. In the realm of education, one example of such an adjustment is a charitable initiative by the venture builder CLUST, focused on creating smart shelters for students at Ukrainian universities.
I, along with many other left-of-center individuals, am deeply worried about President Donald Trump’s administration’s recent actions which smack of anti-democratic inclinations. Today, however, I want to touch on a very disturbing aspect of authoritarian regimes that I don’t think people adequately address: the sheer feeling of alienation that comes from living in them. By alienation I do not mean physical isolation from others, but rather the feeling of loneliness that arises from the inability to trust anyone, including oneself.
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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