Opinion

Viewpoint

Inflation is pretty much fake

By Rory Myers | October 9

Corporate America wants people to believe that they are the victims of the terrifying monster known as inflation. This monster was born in the basement of the U.S. Department of Treasury and brought to life by the terrifying machine known as the currency printing press. It’s this monster that forces them to raise prices on everyday items. Companies such as Crest and Colgate had no choice but to raise the price of toothpaste by 45% last year. In 2022, innocent retail chains such as Target and Walmart didn’t want to increase the prices of their food products by over 10%, but their hands were forced.

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Column

The Death of Education: Affirmative action is taking up too much of our time

By Evan Wang | October 8

As some readers might know, I have a weekly column titled “The Death of Education” in which I recently published an article defending the Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw affirmative action in college admissions. A few days later, the Daily published a Letter to the Editor that responded to my argument. The letter argued that affirmative action was still important to help underprivileged students catch up to more well-off students who might not suffer from the same social disadvantages. Since receiving criticism and having a healthy debate is important, I decided to write this response to address some of the points brought up and expand upon my original argument.

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Column

Forgotten Fronts: Welcome to the frontlines

By Alexander Degterev | October 8

A report published by The Institute for Economics and Peace concluded that at the end of 2023, there were 56 ongoing conflicts in the world — most of which are still ongoing in 2024. In addition, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project concluded that over 170,000 lives were tragically lost in 2023, and nearly one in five of these casualties was classified as civilian.

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Viewpoint

Eric Adams: The failed promise of an underdog

By Gian Luca Di Lenardo | October 7

Eric Adams’ rise to political prominence, from transit cop to New York City mayor, has all the hallmarks of a rags to riches story. As a teenager in Brooklyn, Adams found himself squarely in the crosshairs of the justice system when he was arrested for criminal trespass at the age of 15. In a 1999 New York Times profile, he recalls being beaten so badly by the arresting officers that he urinated blood for a week afterward. He cites this experience as one of the formative factors that motivated him to join the force and reform it from within. 

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Guest

Op-ed: Oct. 7: A day for humanity

By Tufts Friends of Israel | October 7

Today, our humanity must unite us more than our political views and tribalism divide us.

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Opinion

Handicapping the violence in Sudan

By Alexander Degterev | October 3

Having already covered how outside powers could aid civilians amidst the ongoing conflict in Sudan, it is time to talk about what should be done to ensure a swift end to the conflict itself from the perspective of the U.S. government.

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Column

Rooted Reflections: Not all conservation is equal

By Justin Solis | October 3

In a previous Tufts Daily article, I advocated for summer jobs that are intrinsically linked to the local community and ecosystem. This was not merely out of a desire to create a generation of fishermen and farmers. In isolation, it is too easy to believe idealistic rhetoric that disregards practical solutions to tackling environmental issues. I believe that those emotionally removed from the land around them place undue value on preservation rather than conservation.

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Viewpoint

Stop denying women’s bodily autonomy, Part 2

By Linda Huang | October 2

With the presidential election approaching, the topic of abortion has drawn increased concern from voters, particularly from young female Americans. A New York Times/Siena College poll from August shows that abortion is the most crucial issue for women under 45 to consider when casting their vote. At the same time, a Guardian poll indicates that 67% of women under 30 plan to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris likely due to her commitment to expanding reproductive rights. As a woman living in the U.S., I share these concerns about the future of abortion access and its potential impact on women's autonomy.

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Viewpoint

The Amazon is ablaze: It's been anything but short n’ sweet

By Kaashvi Ahuja | October 2

As the Amazon, the lungs of our Earth, currently burns with an intensity far surpassing the infamously devastating fires that took place in 2019, the world watches in unsettling silence — a dangerous reflection of our diminishing sense of climate urgency at a time when critical elections could shape the future of our planet.

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Column

The Death of Education: In defense of the humanities

By Evan Wang | October 2

When I first began to apply to college, one seemingly easy question haunted me for many nights: What do you intend to major in? Even from a young age, I was drawn to the allure of history. From the tales of knights in shining armor to the details of gruesome diseases that ravaged the land hundreds of years before me, history was my passion. But when it came time to pick a major, I was hesitant.

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Viewpoint

Unevenly flooded: How redlining and the Boston storm season intertwine

By Monica Reilly | October 1

Boston held its first-ever Deployables Day on Friday. The day focused on education and training for flood control. The day was sunny with a slight breeze, making discussion about fluid control and floodbreaks seem out of place. But for Boston, a year out from last year’s flooding-turned-state of emergency, nothing could be more relevant.

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Viewpoint

Three jobs, one very small apartment

By Bela Silverman | October 1

In March 2023, after an unrelenting internship application season, I received a research position at a small non-profit organization in Boston. Desperate for any form of résumé-boosting work, I gladly accepted and planned my summer in the city. However, as my housing search began, my urban summer started to lose its appeal. Looking to sublet in Back Bay for a minimal commute, I quickly understood why it follows Seaport as one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. My rent filter on housing sites quickly jumped from “under $1,500” to “under $3,000,” and after months of searching, I finally secured an apartment in Back Bay for $2,500 — and a roommate to split the cost.

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Viewpoint

Should the Olympics ignore international conflict?

By Gretta Goorno | September 30

From Aug. 4 to 6, I was in Paris, watching some of the most talented athletes in the world compete at the33rd Olympiad. As someone who loves watching sports as much as she loves people-watching, I found the Games thrilling. On the streets of Paris, hundreds of thousands of fans sang their countries’ fight songs. Royal orange filled up each stadium — evidence that the Dutch had arrived. Each French athlete — from the unranked sprinter to the record-holder swimmer — was greeted with passionate shrieks from the home crowd. I, of course, rooted for my fellow Americans, waving my flag proudly until my arms burned. But amid this sea of national pride, there was one huge demographic missing: the Russians.

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Guest

Letter to the Editor

By Justin Hong | September 30

I used to write for this paper. It was the pride and joy of my last few semesters at Tufts. As an alumnus, I’m still an avid reader of the paper, and I was drawn to what one columnist had to say about education. In the latest edition of “The Death of Education,” the author expressed his support for the end of affirmative action and posited that a slew of other problems ought to be addressed to close the achievement gap.

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Viewpoint

The soft power of female pop

By Theodorus Ng | September 27

Lest we forget the distinctive lime green shade and low-res, Arial-font words plastered across everyone’s social media feeds this summer, Charli XCX released her sixth studio album, “Brat” in June to resounding acclaim and commercial success. It instantly canonized “brat summer” as an epoch in the pop bible, making her just one of the many female artists who have made a mark in 2024’s pop culture. 

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Viewpoint

Towards effective fire management in California

By Aaron Bolonick | September 27

In recent years, massive wildfires in the western United States have captured national attention. In California, all but one of the 20 largest wildfires in the state’s history have occurred after the year 2000, with this year’s Park Fire ranking as the fourth largest in the state’s history. These wildfires come with large economic costs, with estimated losses reaching $117.4 billion annually between the years 2017 and 2021 and $5 billion in annual state fiscal loss.

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Viewpoint

The specter of isolationism

By Evan Wang | September 26

As the American presidential election heats up and both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris begin to announce their policies, one major point is conspicuously absent: America’s role on the global stage. Trump is likely to favor his America First strategy, which would see America give up its position as the defender of democracy on the world stage and retreat into its own isolated pocket.

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Column

Ukraine at War: Russia attacks hospitals in Ukraine

By Mariia Kudina | September 26

When I was leaving Boston this May to spend the summer break back home in Ukraine, I was certain that there would be opportunities for me to visit various Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Odesa. However, the Russian offensive severely intensified, making these trips far too dangerous. Even staying in Kyiv, which is typically considered a relatively safe city compared to other places in Ukraine due to its air defense systems, I experienced a few dire attacks.

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Column

The Death of Education: The final defeat of affirmative action

By Evan Wang | September 25

Ever since the Supreme Court struck down the use of affirmative action in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, colleges and universities across the country have been scrambling to address the fallout of this decision. Major newspapers and non-profits decried the decision as disastrous for diversity and inclusion in America’s higher education system. Yet, after the release of admission data for the year 2024, it has become abundantly clear that the dismemberment of affirmative action has not proven to be damaging for diversity in most colleges and will allow Americans to put a divisive issue behind them. 

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Viewpoint

Amid civil strife, what can be done to help Sudanese civilians?

By Alexander Degterev | September 24

Throughout the early half of the decade, the world has felt like a powder keg which is one spark away from a catastrophic explosion. In many parts of the world, said keg has already exploded, and while many of these conflicts seemingly only ‘went hot’ in the past few years, they have really been simmering in the background long before the 2020s. This is the case with the current civil war in Sudan, which only began gaining widespread attention in mid-April in 2023 and is steadily approaching its two-year mark. Since Sudan’s foundation in 1956, the state has sadly been marred by civil conflicts brought on by post-colonial division and religious tensions. These conflicts have repeatedly devolved into genocidal retributions against civilian populations. The roughly one and a half years that the current conflict has drawn on have also been marked by horrific human rights abuses, in the form of rampant sexual abuse, exacerbated situations of famine and genocidal actions. Nearly eight million people have now been internally displaced, with a further two million fleeing abroad, primarily to countries in Central and Northeastern Africa.

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