Generation Z craves community. It’s why we almost exclusively prefer relatable content curated specifically for us — tailored to our interests, dislikes and opinions. In fact, the majority of Gen Z gets news at least daily from social media platforms that capitalize on our desire for this community, in place of traditional news sources.
Dear readers, Welcome back to another semester on the Hill! My name is Arghya Thallapragada, and I am the Editor in Chief of The Tufts Daily for the spring 2025 semester. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Daily and tell you about our intentions for reporting this semester.
“Auld Lang Syne,” we sing as we clink champagne flutes and bid each other a happy new year; “Old Long Since” — when translated — suggests one final recognition of and reflection upon the year past. And yet, even before the cheers die down and the clock strikes 12:01 a.m., we turn our attention to the year ahead and make our New Year’s resolutions, pledging to change ourselves for the better.
At Tufts, I am surrounded by curious students and knowledgeable professors. I have never been more cognizant of the inner dynamics of American politics, the countless Constantines of Byzantium, or the various dynasties of pre-modern China. Outside the classroom, I have long conversations with my friends about politics and social dynamics.
In recent weeks, the H-1B visa program has faced an onslaught of criticism. Intended to encourage skilled immigration to the United States, H-1B visas allow companies to hire temporary foreign workers in specialized occupations. Today, most H1-B visa holders hail from India or China and the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa program are tech companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft.
The year is 1960. In a blur of Cold War anxieties and lunch counter sit-ins, viewers await the presidential debate with bated breath. The assertion that this was the first televised presidential debate is technically false — that distinction belongs to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Sen. Margaret Chase Smith in 1956. Nevertheless, it is true that Americans in 1960 saw, for the first time in the nation’s history, two presidential candidates arguing important issues on live television.
If you’re like me, you’ve never thought much about baby carrots. At most, you’ve contemplated why they’re so small: Was it by natural design? Or was it something more heinous, like chemical mutilation? But the extent of your curiosity probably ends there. Until recently, I’ve never paid much attention to carrots, regarding them as a mere vehicle for hummus and not much else. But when dozens became sickened by carrots contaminated with E. Coli, I suddenly became fearful of those 4-inch orange sticks. What other innocent foods are Trojan horses for bacteria?
The United States stands as the world’s largest economy by gross domestic product and a leading force in technology, mass media and the protection of free speech. For decades it has also been at the forefront of space innovation, sending humans to the moon and dispatching robotic explorers to Mars. It truly seems no frontier is beyond its reach. Yet, for all its remarkable achievements beyond Earth’s atmosphere, the United States remains the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world. As the wounds of the climate crisis deepen, the onus will fall onto the next generation to bridge this paradox and push for climate reform through innovation, bold actions and urgently needed accountability.
With December coming to a close and the headlights of 2025 racing toward us, many are beginning to think about their New Year’s resolutions. Some of us will be vowing to hit the gym, eat healthier or spend less time on social media. While these common goals are valid and attainable, the idea that we should transform ourselves into our ‘best possible versions’ is both damaging and impossible. This mindset of “personal optimization” is not just an issue during New Year’s. We live in an age where self-improvement is seemingly everywhere. An atmosphere of optimization feels as if it’s closing in, attempting to morph us into something we believe we should become.
This year, a famous Ukrainian rock band, Okean Elzy, celebrated its 30-year anniversary. The group has become a symbol of resistance for all generations of independent Ukraine. For my parents, Okean Elzy became an integral part of the Orange Revolution in 2004 and 2005, when Ukrainians protested against election fraud, and Euromaidan in 2013 and 2014, when the citizens objected to pro-Russian governmental policies. I strongly link the band’s music with those events as well, but mainly with Ukraine’s counteroffensive and defense during Russia’s full-scale invasion. This October, Okean Elzy performed in Boston as part of its global tour. The day after the concert, I had a chance to listen to a talk by the lead singer Svyatoslav Vakarchuk at Harvard.
In his recent piece, “Democrats, Let’s Get Real About Why Harris Lost,” former The New York Times Opinion columnist Frank Bruni admits that his bubble of liberal peers found it shocking that President-elect Donald Trump won the election, given his erratic behavior and inflammatory comments. At the tail end of his campaign, Bruni notes, Trump suggested we place former Rep. Liz Cheney in the line of fire with “nine barrels shooting at her,” called Democrats “demonic” and declared that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House — a clearly undemocratic message.
How does a state or country navigate the complicated process of ethical prison management? As students at Tufts, we’re exposed to rehabilitative programs like Tufts Prison Initiative Program of the Tisch College of Civic Life, which provides incarcerated individuals with access to higher education. In El Salvador, however, a new mass imprisonment confinement center — Terrorism Confinement Center — has been designated as the optimal way to minimize crime.
During the early days of his term, some compared President Joe Biden’s goals to those of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat who enacted progressive legislation thats impacts are still visible today. But Biden had to contend with a different political landscape than Roosevelt, who enjoyed large Democratic congressional majorities. In contrast, during the 2021–23 legislative session, the Democratic majority in the Senate was so slim — split 50–50, with Vice President Kamala Harris acting as the tie-breaking vote — that two conservative Democrats successfully challenged efforts to introduce progressive legislation.
About a week after various armed groups began to move against the Syrian government’s forces in Aleppo, the conflict is spiraling into a befuddling mess of frontlines, with some rebel groups now turning their attention towards one another. It seems that the recent violence has been brought ...
In less than one hundred days, President Joe Biden will leave office, passing the baton to President-elect Donald Trump, who will reassume control of the presidency with Republicans in charge of both chambers of Congress. This governmental trifecta means the incoming Trump administration will have a significant amount of power with which to enact their economic agenda — an agenda that could both raise prices and increase deficits.
Lane Hall often goes unnoticed, tucked on the northeastern side of the Hill. While currently home to the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, Lane has an uncertain long-term future as the department is slated to relocate to Bromfield-Pearson Hall and the renovated Bacon Hall. Per Tufts’ Director of Campus Planning, Lane’s “condition will be evaluated to determine whether it should be renovated or potentially demolished to make way for new development.”
President-elect Donald Trump proposed an economy that demonstrated his rather skimpish knowledge of economics. Despite being perceived as a financial wizard and gritty negotiator from his time on “The Apprentice,” Trump has famously filed for business bankruptcy at least four times, even managing to bankrupt his own casino.
After Nov. 5, the Democratic Party was quick to point fingers at who lost them the election, with their targets ranging from vice-presidential pick Tim Walz to current President Joe Biden, to racist and sexist Americans. While the Democrats continue their endless blame game, it has become apparent to the rest of America that citizens are tired of Democratic governance.
Seasonal fashion is no longer a way to express individual identity for women. Instead, it has largely become a competition to see who can emulate the chic, unique, “it girl” aesthetic the best. Often, this requires rapid accumulation of new clothing. Some pieces and materials are classic: suede, the ‘little black dress’ and ballet flats. Others aren’t: studded denim, Adidas Sambas and leopard print. While the definition of “classic” is fleeting, consumers often use it to label fashion that transcends time and is simple enough to be worn in a myriad of situations. A microtrend is the opposite: clothing that surges in popularity, is rapidly consumed and falls out of the trend cycle mere months later. Large corporations take advantage of microtrends to increase their sales by flooding the fashion market with replications of a few trending clothing items. The latter are the trends that large corporations have commercialized. I would say the popularization of these once-unique clothing pieces is charming, if not for the fact that they threaten to destroy our individuality.
American Girl dolls were the center of my elementary school life. I remember owning two, both the ‘make your own’ dolls. I named them both after Francis Hogden Burnett’s characters: Emily, after the doll in “A Little Princess,” and Mary, after the main character in “The Secret Garden.” I remember being so emotionally tied to my dolls, reading every American Girl book, watching the associated movies and playing the online games. I was truly obsessed with American Girl. And then, as every girl does, I grew up. I donated one of my dolls to my younger cousin and stored the other in the garage.
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.
Read More
