Getting this issue in your hands wasn't easy. Hurricane Irene stranded much of our staff around the world right as production went into full swing. One of us was, I kid you not, trapped in the Bermuda Triangle. But here it is, the Class of 2015 Matriculation Issue, in all its glory.
When I first heard of the renewed interest in establishing an Africana studies department at Tufts, I was rather skeptical. I found highly dubious the claim that a department dedicated to the African diaspora and African-American history would help to heal the racial tensions on campus. After all, Harvard established a department for African and African-American studies more than 40 years ago. Yet when I visited the school during their April open house as a prospective student, I realized the school still has a distinct racial divide. An op-ed by rising senior Jacob Schiller in the Daily last month endorsing Ben Richards, also a rising senior, for Tufts Community Union President briefly mentioned "fringe minority groups that dominate our school, that take their causes and launch them onto every student as if they are issues of life or death."
From the obnoxious frat-boy shrieks overheard at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on the night of May 1 to the outpouring of patriotism that swept many parts of the United States over the days that followed, it is clear that the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a defining moment in American history. Less clear and more contentious, however, is what exactly this means for the future of the U.S.-led fight against terrorism and al-Qaida as an organization.
Every so often, a particularly contentious issue arises in our coverage and the comments section of the Daily's website is flooded with angry criticisms assailing the quality of our reporting.
When President Barack Obama announced on May 1 that Osama bin Laden had been killed, there was much rejoicing around America and by some at Tufts. Personally, however, I felt a little uncomfortable about the festive atmosphere surrounding bin Laden's death. While I understand the perspective of those who celebrated bin Laden's death, personally I have spent the past few weeks grappling with what it was exactly that bothered me about the celebrations. It turns out there are multifarious reasons for my discomfort.
Congratulations, class of 2011. When you think about it, we've been here a long time. A lot has happened both at Tufts and off the Hill since the last time we all sat together at Matriculation in 2007. As I began brainstorming with my friends, I started developing a list of things that many, if not all of us, can remember. Some of these things put in perspective the time we've spent together on the Hill. This list is by no means comprehensive but rather some of the first that came to mind.
I'd like to begin by taking the time to thank and congratulate the class of 2011. I count many of you as my friends, peers and mentors, and while I am sad to see you end your time on the Hill, I know that you will make those of us still at Tufts proud with whatever you choose to do next in your lives. Know that we at Tufts will always be here to support you in your endeavors and hope to remain connected into the future. It is my goal as the newly elected Tufts Community Union (TCU) president to continue the extraordinary effort and work that each of you has put into this university.
Waking up in Dakar, Senegal, to the news of Osama bin Laden's death has sparked a whirlwind of emotion and confusion for this young American. Living for the past four months with a devoutly Muslim family in a country that is more than 90 percent Muslim, my opinion of Islam and of religion in general has shifted greatly throughout my time here in Senegal. Arriving as a self-prescribed atheist, I viewed the idea of religion in general in a less-than-positive light; it was easy for me to see religion as something that only created conflict and led to fanaticism, as seen in the likes of Osama bin Laden's distortion of Islam for his own political purpose and his grave distortion of the notion of jihad as a vehicle for politically motivated violence.
As seniors leave the Hill this spring, new opportunities for transformation, growth and improvement of the ever-changing Tufts community are bestowed upon their successors. Nowhere on campus are these opportunities more present for students than within the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate.
Throughout University President Lawrence Bacow's tenure, Tufts has experienced enormous change and growth. Since Bacow took the reins a decade ago, he has led the campus through periods of student-body growth, an increase in university prestige and, most recently, national economic uncertainty. While lauding his accomplishments, however, we must be mindful of his shortcomings and urge President-elect Anthony Monaco to address these issues as Tufts moves into a new era of leadership.
After a nearly year−and−a−half−long effort to obtain more power for community representatives in the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, individuals elected to the position finally are on par with senators in their voting rights. Referendum 3, following a year's worth of debate, passed by a single vote this fall. Now that the contention is over and the Senate has spent this semester working to codify the process, it is disappointing that two of the four seats open for community representatives remain unfilled. Blame has been pointed at various organizations, but it seems that the real problem goes far beyond one or two student groups not pulling their weight in advertising and instead highlights a case of unrealized potential across student government.
Business tycoon Donald Trump has been dominating the latest news cycle with his potential presidential aspirations and his incessant pestering of President Barack Obama to prove his citizenship. Obama eventually succumbed to Trump's demands, releasing his long−form birth certificate last Wednesday after requesting it from the state of Hawaii five days earlier.
Tufts has been far ahead of other institutions in supporting the service of our Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. Harvard made big news a few weeks ago when it announced changes to its ROTC policy that merely brought it in line with what Tufts has been doing for years. For example, Tufts supports the program monetarily by paying for student attendance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where the current program is taught. Tufts also hosts a commissioning ceremony for cadets and supports ceremonies on Veterans Day and other events that recognize the commitment of those who serve in uniform.
Every year around April both Armenian and Turkish communities relive the same set of events. As April 24, the day of commemoration for Armenians, comes and goes, the struggle to legitimize the Armenian genocide claim gets another boost by the Armenian diaspora. Some parliament of some country will pass an Armenian bill as if it were an authority on matters of history, and somewhere in Armenia a Turkish flag is burned. It's a vicious cycle for those who endure the same play every year.
The Tufts community earlier this week received an email announcing the launch of a search committee to find a permanent replacement for outgoing Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha. As white students, we have found from our own experiences that the Tufts community generally avoids race as a topic and therefore chooses to actively ignore how race operates within all of our lives at Tufts. Currently, we see the social and academic climate at Tufts characterized by a defensive and hostile racial environment resistant to change. With the arrival of a new president and the ongoing search for a new provost, the administration has the opportunity to shift the campus to one that actively engages racial issues.
I found Molly Wallace's review of ABC's "Happy Endings" ("No happy ending in sight for ABC's latest," April 25, 2011) incredibly offensive. In particular, the description of Adam Pally's character, Max, rubbed me the wrong way. For those who did not read the review, it read, "[Adam] Pally steals the show with his nonstereotypical depiction of a gay character. Max is Dave's bro−ish and sloppy best friend, an incredibly refreshing departure from the flamboyance so often seen in primetime (a la Chris Colfer in ‘Glee' or Eric Stonestreet in ‘Modern Family'). I would go so far to claim that Pally gives the most realistic portrayal of a gay character on television …"
Each year on April 20, Tufts students gather on the Tisch Library roof to engage in the annual "4/20" celebration, an unofficial holiday in which many people engage in marijuana use. Some students came to the roof this year with the expectation of smoking marijuana, others attended to watch the event and socialize, but no students headed to the roof with the expectation that they would be handcuffed and tackled to the ground by Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) officers. Unlike in previous years, this spring's 4/20 celebration was marked by intense enforcement from TUPD officers, the presence of administrators and one instance of physical force and handcuffing that left students, many of whom had experienced a peaceful event for the past few years, flabbergasted.
After the 2010 Tufts Community Union Senate (TCU) presidential election, most of the criticism was directed not toward either candidate but toward the TCU Elections Commission (ECOM). Headlines in the Daily have read, "Hold ECOM officials accountable," "ECOM handled TCU election poorly," "ECOM: Wallis overspent," and, most recently, "Once again, ECOM flouts its responsibilities."
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.
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