Opinion

Opinion

Our humanity transcends constitutions

October 2

This week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spoke as a guest of the Snyder Presidential Lecture Series — a privately funded initiative “intended to invigorate the intellectual environment on campus by providing a forum for the presentation of provocative points of view.” While Justice Scalia’s personal success as a lawyer and judge, his familiarity with the law and judicial procedure and his insight into landmark cases of our time cannot be denied, neither can his personal involvement in the adjudication of cases that have had dire consequences for the quality of life of millions of people. Simply put: the fact that Tufts hosted this man on the same campus as thousands of students whose bodies and communities have been targeted by his decisions is indefensible, and speaks volumes about this institution’s disregard for students of marginalized social identities and the communities they come from.

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Editorial

Opportunity amid justified anger, controversy

October 2

Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spoke on the Hill for the 17th annual Richard E. Snyder President's Lecture Series. His lecture, "Interpreting the Constitution," drew over one thousand members of the Tufts community. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Scalia is the longest-serving sitting member of the court, and his originalist interpretation of the Constitution has been influential in many controversial decisions in cases related to marriage equality, gay rights, abortion and affirmative action. Consequently, the selection of Scalia as this year's speaker was not without backlash among members of the Tufts community.

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Opinion

Op-ed: Fund your weekend: five ways to keep your bank account afloat

October 1

Between your SoHi, Chipotle and The Woods habits, all the money you made this summer might seem like it's seeping into a black hole. So for those of you looking to put some weight back in your wallets, kick back for a minute and jot a couple of notes down. Without further ado, here are "Five Ways to Fund Your Weekends."

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Opinion

Op-ed: An excessive attachment

October 1

Perhaps one of Dartmouth's greatest strengths is its sense of community. Students have a propensity to make strong and lasting connections over their undergraduate careers. Some of this may be borne out of necessity - the limited opportunities to escape our tiny campus both facilitates and necessitates plentiful intercommunity interaction. Alternately, we may just get close as a way to keep warm.

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Opinion

Benefits of new room reservation system

October 1

The once infuriating process of making a room reservation on campus has finally been made simple thanks to the implementation of the new Tufts Space and Resource Management System. The new system this summer replaced Tufts’ outdated R25 room reservation system, which was limited in functionality and full of glitches. Students and faculty alike often complained of rooms getting double-booked and appearing available when they were not. The system change, which took under a year to complete, represents the university’s efforts to improve the efficiency of its many services for students.

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Opinion

Evidence shows divestment is the smart and right thing

October 1

In 1978, when Columbia University became one of the first major universities to divest from companies profiting from apartheid South Africa, the trustees gave part of their reasoning as "to maintain educational leadership," which demanded "ethical and humane positions that give effective expression to our highest national ideals."

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Opinion

Take advantage of flu shots this week

September 30

With leaves changing color and the weather getting chillier, many students eagerly anticipate the arrival of fall. But for Tufts Health Service, these indicate a different type of change: the flu season is upon us.

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Editorial

The student-athlete dilemma

September 29

For years, various sports commentators, newspaper columnists, players and fans have been trying to crack the student-athlete conundrum. The issue is figuring out a way for college students who participate in high-revenue Division I sports to be treated as students, with academics being their No. 1 priority, without being taken advantage of as they bring in billions of dollars to their schools.

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Opinion

Op-Ed: There’s more than STEM research

September 29

For those in higher education, research can feel like something they own. It becomes a calling card, central to one’s career. With the new trend of open access gaining ground, research accessibility can be a tricky issue in academic politics.

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Opinion

Op-ed: Chipotle harms farmers, agriculture

September 29

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a worldwide restaurant chain known for both its burritos and its message. According to their mission statement, Chipotle “promotes food with integrity, serving the best sustainable food and using ingredients that are raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers.” Recently, however, Chipotle has, in this humble farmer’s eye, lost their integrity and is sending the wrong message.

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Opinion

Op-Ed: There's more than STEM research

September 29

For those in higher education, research can feel like something they own. It becomes a calling card, central to one's career. With the new trend of open access gaining ground, research accessibility can be a tricky issue in academic politics.

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Editorial

Progress toward combating plagiarism

September 29

This year, Tufts has integrated Turnitin, an Internet-based plagiarism detection service created by the company iParadigm, with Trunk. 

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Opinion

Get ready for your close-up, Tufts

September 25

Medford, Mass. is not a common place for celebrity sightings, but Tufts was set abuzz yesterday when an email to the Tufts community announced that a Hollywood movie crew would be coming to campus on Monday, Sept. 30 to film scenes for an upcoming film. Rumored to be Columbia Pictures’ “Sex Tape,” starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, and set for a 2014 release, this film is no small-screen production.

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Opinion

Teaching requires intellectual preparation

September 25

I read the Sept. 19 Daily article about Tufts students and Teach for America with a mixture of pride and concern. On the one hand, Tufts is a place where social justice, commitment to community and education are taken seriously. Graduates are leaving the Hill with a desire to make the world better; I am proud that my institution fosters a belief that teaching is an opportunity to make change. As a colleague and 30-year veteran of the profession said, "Teaching has enabled me to meet my lifelong need to feel useful and appreciated." So, bravo to Tufts and to the graduates of this fine place for fostering commitment to the profession of teaching and the fulfillment it brings.

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Editorial

Safety comes first

September 24

Last week, the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) released news of two armed robberies carried out near campus. These incidents add to the increasing number of safety alerts - five in total since the start of the term - that have been sent out, raising concerns for student safety. 

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Opinion

Letter to the Editor

September 24

Dear Editor,

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Opinion

Op-Ed: Putin's op-ed shows leadership

September 24

It is not often that a leader of a well-known and well-respected country makes a point to address the American public directly, let alone by the medium of an editorial in The New York Times. Vladimir Putin's stark message to the American people did not go unnoticed. Read by regular readers of the Times as well as people less attuned to political news, the harsh criticisms made by Putin have established him as perhaps the greatest political genius of our time. Putin's plan and its result were multifaceted: He embraced an aura of superiority, diminished American hypocrisy with a cloaked hypocrisy of his own, and established himself as a place holding leader for the American people, who lacked a clear leader on the issue of Syria. His greatest success was in playing on the already weary opinion of the American people while plopping himself into a leadership position, showing both a clear direction on the Syria issue and pointing out the flaws of the caustic nature of exceptionalism.

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Opinion

Op-Ed: Cultural reversion

September 24

This fall, many upperclassmen return to campus with more familiarity than novelty, in part by the momentous decision passed by the Greek Leadership Council (GLC) near the end of spring. Members of the Class of 2017 are not permitted at Greek parties until the Monday following Homecoming. While the weekend's implications are fairly obvious, with basements full of more familiar faces than new, it is worth noting the marked effects on campus culture, specifically the cultural divide so perfectly portrayed by the small groups loitering about Russell Sage residence hall.

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Opinion

Awareness of time-management tools

September 23

As the fourth week of classes begins, students are becoming progressively busier. Professors expect students to have obtained their required books and materials by this point in the semester and are looking to hold more meaningful classes than the introductory lectures of the past few weeks — a shift reflected in the larger homework load many students are already experiencing. The sheer number of students in the reading room at Tisch Library on Sunday nights is a testament to that.

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Opinion

Mail Services shows impressive recovery

September 22

It is very common for a huge volume of textbooks, supplies and other goods to cycle through Tufts University’s Mail Services at the beginning of the year. While the service sometimes becomes backed up and fails to notify students of packages that have already been delivered, more often than not, the system functions without a hitch, with several thousand packages flowing in monthly.

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