Opinion

Viewpoint

Speech is free on college campuses — unless the administration doesn't like it

By Liam Chalfonte | November 21

I vividly remember last semester’s protests. I remember the encampment first appearing on the Academic Quad in early April just as I remember the messy aftermath of the Tufts Community Union Senate resolution votes. But most of all, I remember the chill in the air that came after Tufts’ administration first threatened to send in police to arrest the protestors — that icy April night on the eve of finals, being filled in my bones with the fear that many of my classmates would be leaving our campus in the back of cop cars.

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Viewpoint

The intersection of AI and the downfall of long-form literature

By Max Lerner | November 21

Although it seems to be the argumentative equivalent of spilling a glass of water into the Pacific with the goal of flooding Sydney, I’m voicing my concern for the humanities in the ever-expanding face of artificial intelligence. The arguments against AI’s encroachment in academic settings, though prolific, have done nothing to mitigate it. A similar source of adversity facing English departments in particular, is the growing inability of college students to read long-form literature. Note my usage of the word in ability; students are not expressing boredom or a lack of time in response to being assigned novels, but rather a complete inability to read them.

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Column

The Death of Education: Morning prayer for Trump in public schools?

By Evan Wang | November 20

Recently, Ryan Walters, the state superintendent of public instruction of Oklahoma, announced that he had purchased over 500 copies of the Bible to be taught in high schools and sent videos of himself praying for President-elect Donald Trump to be shown to public school students. This is in addition to a previous program that sought to purchase some 55,000 Bibles to be distributed to every public school classroom in the state of Oklahoma. Not only is this a travesty and mockery of the American education system and the separation between church and state, which is enshrined in our Constitution, but it is also a slap in the face to Christianity, which should not be taught by teachers who are wildly unprepared for the job.

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Viewpoint

There is no one reason Harris lost

By Keshav Srikant | November 19

On Nov. 5, 2024, Democrats were handed their worst defeat in a presidential election since 2004. Donald Trump decisively defeated Kamala Harris, winning the popular vote by around two points and sweeping every swing state. The “tipping point” state in the election was Pennsylvania, which Harris lost by two points, roughly the percentage by which she lost the national vote. This was not a close election and Harris’ loss cannot be attributed to Electoral College bias or depressed voter turnout. On Election Day, American voters sent a loud and clear signal they wanted Donald Trump back in the White House.

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Editorial

Editorial: Standing up for trans rights in response to Rep. Seth Moulton

By The Editorial Board | November 19

Since Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, the Democratic Party has searched for answers to explain Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat, pointing to the Democrats’ weak economic agenda, Harris’ failure to address voters’ concerns in the Middle East and Biden’s initial reluctance to leave the race. On Nov. 7, The New York Times published an article analyzing the Democrats’ defeat, in which Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat who represents Massachusetts’ 6th congressional district, criticized the party’s stance on transgender rights.

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Guest

Op-ed: Why did Trump really win? Zooming in on the fundamentals

By Alex Landy | November 19

Despite legal troubles and persistent personal scandals, former President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris at the ballot box —and it wasn’t as close as the polls had projected. Ultimately, Trump won the national popular vote — the first Republican to do so since 2004 — and secured a commanding Electoral College victory. The avalanche of op-eds and post-mortems explaining Trump’s victory will no doubt continue to circulate in the months ahead. These well-informed perspectives should not obscure the fundamentals of the 2024 election. While we cannot put ourselves in the mind of every Trump voter to explain his victory, here is what we do know: Voters’ perceptions of the state of the economy and the direction of the country tilted this race in Trump’s favor from the onset.

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Guest

Op-ed: Institutional ‘neutrality’ is institutional cowardice

By Antero Mejr | November 18

The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President announced in an email to students on Friday afternoon that Tufts is exploring the option of a university-wide “Statement of Neutrality,” in which the university will attempt to distance itself from “taking positions on geopolitical or social matters.” Such an action would reflect poorly on the university, its administration, its alumni and the students. It demonstrates the worst tendencies of current-day institutions and should be opposed and scrapped for the following reasons. 

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Column

Forgotten Fronts: The United States is about to abandon another ally

By Alexander Degterev | November 18

Following the recent election, the upcoming Trump administration has been discussing their plans to address various key issues in current American policy. Perhaps the least attention has been given to recent comments relating to American action in Syria, more specifically action as it relates to the various groups which make up the Syrian Democratic Forces. 

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Viewpoint

It’s time to cut the cord with your helicopter parents

By Bela Silverman | November 15

There’s a point in many people’s lives that we deem our parental “cut off” date — an official end to our reliance on our parents and their support. Some say it’s when we blow out the candles on our 18th-birthday cakes, others claim it’s when we walk across the stage at college graduation and some even declare independence when our parent’s medical insurance kicks us off the policy at age 26. For my family, there wasn’t a precise date on our calendars when my bags had to be packed and out on the front porch. Rather, my parents’ progressive withdrawal of themselves as my constant safety net through adolescence left me ready for college without the baggage of parental dependency.

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Viewpoint

Europe’s tourism problem

By Daniel Chung | November 15

2024 has been one of the biggest years for tourism in history. As of September, 790 million people had traveled abroad, 96% of 2019’s numbers, signaling that tourism has recovered from both COVID and inflation. In southern Europe, tourism has boomed, with tourist spending in Portugal forecast to be 20% higher than 2019. This has led to recent efforts by European countries to dial back on tourism.

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Editorial

Editorial: An open letter to Dean Bárbara Brizuela

By The Editorial Board | November 14

Tufts has undergone numerous changes since its founding. The next phase of Tufts’ largest academic program, led by Bárbara Brizuela, the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, sets the stage for the future of a liberal arts education as Tufts heads toward its 175th year and beyond.

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Viewpoint

Redefining the Tufts community

By Dylan Tanouye | November 14

If I had to describe why I chose to attend Tufts in one word, I would say it was for the community. I’m confident I’m not alone in this answer either; I hear the word “community” tossed around all the time when students or faculty are asked to describe Tufts. In fact, the first descriptor of the student experience at Tufts on the school’s website is the “welcoming and multidimensional community.” While I’m personally very happy with the community I’ve found here, I think that we need to redefine what the Tufts community entails. 

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Viewpoint

The Green Line should be extended — again

By Liam Chalfonte | November 14

When the Medford/Tufts stop opened in December 2022, it marked the end of an almost 30-year project to extend the Green Line into the Medford and Somerville communities. Since then, the MBTA has had its fair share of problems — such as a plague of slow zones and even issues with the tracks that run through Medford and Somerville — that current CEO Philip Eng has mostly managed to navigate the T out of. Now, as the T looks forward, beginning new initiatives rather than fixing old mistakes and extending the Green Line to the West Medford Commuter Rail stop could be a great place to start.

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Column

Rooted Reflections: The importance of showing up

By Justin Solis | November 14

This past weekend, I attended a concert in the Crystal Ballroom of Somerville with a friend. Much to my chagrin, he elected to leave before the opener even stepped foot on stage, citing other commitments. It was then that I knew I had a topic for my column.

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Viewpoint

Study Abroad: The denouement

By Talia Wilcox | November 13

When I considered studying abroad in Paris, I pictured cafes, a trip to Dior, sightseeing and, somewhere lower down the list, my French university experience. As I prepared to depart, Tufts Global Education provided insight into immersing oneself into a new culture, seizing new opportunities and managing finances with too many spending opportunities and limited cash. Yet, what I wasn’t as well prepared for was a return to university life at Tufts and a rigorous academic schedule. Both proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated.

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Column

The Death of Education: Where has the accountability gone?

By Evan Wang | November 13

The focus of our education system often places tangible results above all else. What letter grade can a student get? What is the average GPA? What is the graduation rate? These are the tangible factors that are discussed when implementing school policies. However, in placing so much trust in these seemingly irrefutable numbers, we are forgetting that schooling is a community effort. The environment in which students are taught will influence students as much as the grades they get on their algebra exams. The environment of our schools has increasingly drifted towards a sense of complacency and a lack of responsibility.

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Viewpoint

Congrats, your degree is harder than mine!

By Linda Huang | November 12

I’ve lost count of how many times I have been “STEM-splained” by an engineer with a condescending undertone of how hard their degree is — a degree they chose entirely of their own free will. Each time, I am forced to entertain calculated complaints about their workload, fully aware that it’s a thinly veiled attempt to prove they have a more challenging degree than me.

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Column

Forgotten Fronts: Hey President Biden, do something about the UAE

By Alexander Degterev | November 12

Before getting into my argument, I must point out that I am far from a supporter of the Sudanese Armed Forces. Despite this, recent atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces after the defection of one of their commanders have reinforced my opinion that it would be best for the country ...

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Viewpoint

Getting real: An honest consideration of the college experience

By Max Lerner | November 7

College, as we think we know it before attending, is nothing more than the thirst-driven mirage leading us through the exhausting traverse of high school. It guides us through our teens to what is made out to be “the best four years of our lives.” Once we arrive, our own experiences inevitably fail to live up to the impossibly high standards that we have been conditioned to set.

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Viewpoint

We need to say ‘No’ to a ‘Just Say No’ drug education approach

By Rowan Chetner | November 7

Dying, nearly dying or jail — these were my only outcomes, I was told, if I were to have a sip of alcohol or experiment with any other drug. In high school health class, I remember playing an online simulation in which I was a high schooler attending a house party. Every time I decided to drink, the simulation would either flash forward to my avatar rotting in jail or lying in the hospital on death’s door. Everyone in my class was told this. All our unique identities, backgrounds and futures — all reduced to the consequence of one “idiotic” decision.

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