Internationally minded universities like Tufts pride themselves on diversity. Students are encouraged to share their own cultures and experiences with those of their peers. Such exchanges can often be of a sensitive nature: When is this sort of discussion appropriate? In what context? Who decides?
Since the infamous murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964, the bystander effect has been a recognized psychological phenomenon that occurs when one or more individuals do not intervene in a dangerous or emergency situation.
While freedom of speech is a civil right accepted beyond question, it becomes problematic to have only one public opinion among an unfamiliar audience. AnjaliShankar'sop-ed "On Holi and the Color Run" (Oct. 29) is an opinion well expressed. I thank her for bringing this important issue to light. While her voice is certainly valid, we need to look at the counter-arguments too in order to ensure a balanced discussion on the topic. In this op-ed, I aim to nuance the terms Shankar uses and warn against certain unintended consequences of her article, which may have a great degree of collateral damage in days to come.
As the Boston Red Sox celebrated their World Series title among millions of fans at this Saturdays duck boat parade in Boston, a phrase that didnt really exist seven months ago echoed throughout the region. Its a ubiquitous term that is plastered on T-shirts, coffee mugs, street signs, status updates, newspapers you name it. Boston Strong, which initially served as a rally call to honor and support those affected by the Marathon bombings, reminding everyone how resilient the city and its people are, has since extended beyond the context of the tragedy to serve as a symbol of strength for every aspect of the city.
As the Boston Red Sox celebrated their World Series title among millions of fans at this Saturday's duck boat parade in Boston, a phrase that didn't really exist seven months ago echoed throughout the region. It's a ubiquitous term that is plastered on T-shirts, coffee mugs, street signs, status updates, newspapers - you name it. "Boston Strong," which initially served as a rally call to honor and support those affected by the Marathon bombings, reminding everyone how resilient the city and its people are, has since extended beyond the context of the tragedy to serve as a symbol of strength for every aspect of the city.
Would such a brazen act be even remotely possible today?For baseball fans everywhere who will be watching Game 4 of the 2013 World Series, scheduled to be played Sunday night in St. Louis, the first instinct is probably: There is no way any team could come close to getting away with it.The 1919 Chicago ...
Have you ever wondered, in those moments when the world seems especially hateful, how humanity as a race keeps going, not just on, but forward? We often seem to inhabit a world full of people whose empathy comes with an off switch when it comes to anyone outside their ‘tribe’ (race, ethnicity, nation ...
The recent ‘deweaponisation’ advertisements by the Sindh government provide a classic case study of how one can ‘appear’ to be executing a task, without actually wanting or intending to do it. Spread over 12 days, these quarter-page ads, which cost some 20-25 million rupees, resulted in the ...
Over the years, I often have found myself wanting to point out to young women that if they get blind drunk they run a very serious risk of being raped. But I know that the advice will be misunderstood and misused.So I leave it unsaid because some listeners will inevitably conclude that I am blaming ...
But that is exactly what I got last week by traveling to the China-Myanmar border area to visit Chinese village schools with the leaders of Teach for All, the network of 32 countries that have adopted the Teach for America model of recruiting highly motivated college graduates to work in their country’s ...
MY son is 13 and already cultivating an eclectic sense of himself. His friends span the American rainbow, and taken together, look like an ad for Gap Kids. I once heard him tell a group of giggling teenage girls, “You’re the first girls from Georgia” — the country, not the state — “I’ve ...
Enzi, the conservative senator from Wyoming who’s trying to fend off a carpetbagger challenge from Liz Cheney, is lucky he wasn’t hunting buddies with the trigger-happy former vice president.Then he might not be in the race at all.One of the best things about the 2008 race was ushering out the incalculably ...
It is not every day that America finds itself facing open rebellion from its allies, yet that is what is happening with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel. The Obama administration has denied there are serious problems. But there are clearly differences, some perhaps irreconcilable.Here’s a quick summary: ...
Consider this: If every human being on earth lived and consumed as Americans do, we would need over four earths to support ourselves. This is called global overshoot, and it is like living off our ecological credit card. Our current unsustainable way of life is borrowing from the future. Is this sustainable? Hardly. So, as Tufts students, as young people coming of age at a time of deep social and environmental injustices, what should we do? We didn't create these problems; we inherited them. Yet the responsibility to act falls squarely on our shoulders.
Given the overwhelmingly college-centric lives we lead, it is easy to forget that, as Tufts students, we are also residents of Medford and Somerville. The university has therefore embarked on a new partnership with the two cities in an effort to bolster relations with the surrounding community. With a donation of $1.375 million over a five-year period a portion of which will go toward local police and fire departments the university hopes to build a mutually beneficial relationship with our local governments and communities. This partnership is a commendable one, as it is necessary for Tufts to give back to and maintain a good standing with the community.
Last spring, the Tufts administration made the decision to allow American Sign Language (ASL) to fulfill Part I of the foreign language requirement for students. After a perennial debate as to whether the requirement should be revised to include ASL, university faculty voted to approve the proposal. Now, the three available ASL classes included within the Eliot Pearson Department of Child Developments course listings can be taken to count toward either Part I or Part II of the requirement.
Being born and raised in the Hindu tradition, all the stories I have learned growing up are very different from western fairytales. A lot of the cultural traditions are fiercely integral to the religion itself, and instead of first hearing the story of Rapunzel's very long hair, I learned about how a young boy managed to survive being burned alive. It's some heavy stuff. But, like any good story, it operates within the culture it is written or spoken in. We see how these kinds of parables shape everyday thinking in many ways. David and Goliath, for example, is an Abrahamic story that doesn't just make us feel good about the underdog, but it shows us that greater intellect and technology (in the form of a slingshot) can triumph over brute force alone. It also shows us that, with faith, one can overcome monstrous adversity. The story of Prahlada, and subsequently, the story of Holi, is very similar.
The Primary Source is returning to Tufts, and Tufts should be thankful for that.
The Primary Source is returning to Tufts, and Tufts should be thankful for that.
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