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."
Last Tuesday morning, with my head still buried under the pillow, I groped for the blaring phone on my desk. Upon finally reaching it, I flipped it up and pressed it against my ear, ready to grumble at a friend for interrupting my deep slumber. I was rudely awakened, however, when I heard a man with a British accent begin, "Hi Prashanth, I'm calling from the BBC and…"
Tufts' Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine stands to face funding cuts from the commonwealth of Massachusetts as state officials debate next year's budget. Though it is a private school, it has always maintained a strong relationship with the state and has received supplementary funds over the years. Now, budgetary aftereffects from the recession have forced the government to reconsider its commitment to the Cummings School. The Cummings School may eventually be better off autonomous from government funding, but Massachusetts should refrain from cutting the school's funding in the short term.
This semester I've tried to expose the Tufts community to various aspects of queer issues and politics with which the majority probably never engages. I touched base with both theory and lived experiences through topics ranging from semiology and transfeminism to hate crimes legislation (HCL) and the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). My intention was to bring attention to relegated voices and offer their perspectives and viewpoints as alternatives to the mainstream narrative, which didn't even really exist for some topics (i.e., biphobia, transphobia, prison industrial complex, transfeminism). And in the instances that my chosen topic was already mainstream (i.e., same−sex marriage, DADT, HCL), I tried to present it in a new light. I opened an inquiry on these topics with the intent to share ideas and standpoints that are radical in the sense that they are not given the space to be deployed within the larger space of public discourse. I did this because I firmly agree with Audre Lorde's wise words: "Difference must be not merely tolerated but seen as a fund of necessary polarities between which our creativity can spark like a dialectic."
Ben ran for senate freshman year because he wanted to make a difference and he felt that he represented the average student at Tufts, not the 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. There is a time and a place for groups like that, but it is not at the center of our student body's voice. It is time that we restored our campus voice to that of the majority of our students and not just those who yell the loudest and make the most threats. I think we all started off wanting to make change at some point in our lives. The big difference is that I know Ben still has that will to make changes where others have fallen complacent in preserving the status quo.
I've been around for two presidential campaigns and active in both of them. Now, as I approach my third, I'm seeing something unique among all of them. I've had the opportunity to support some great people over the years, like Chas Morrison and Sam Wallis, and, as it was with those candidates, I'm happy to see that Tomas Garcia has been running a solid campaign worthy of this university.
Watching the behavior of the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) during last week's short−lived 4/20 celebration on the Tisch Library roof, I couldn't help but be reminded of a vaudevillian song and dance. Like a well−choreographed performance, TUPD surrounded revelers, and at the strike of 4:20 p.m., as joints were lit, they promptly moved in. The atmosphere was almost calm as TUPD officers summarily collected IDs from smokers, all the while ignoring the prodigious amount of smoke emanating from crowds around, near but not on top of, Tisch Library. Such a spectacle highlights the ludicrous state of Tufts' drug and alcohol policy and its effects on students. As the year winds down and Tufts prepares to find a new president at its reins, it is hard to see the current administration's drug and alcohol policies as anything but a failure. University President Lawrence Bacow's administration has pursued policies that encourage a damaging relationship with the student body and obscure the actual problems that exist in Tufts' drinking and drug culture. The motivations for these policies are difficult to square with an earnest and primary concern for students' welfare. Moreover, in the process of legitimizing these failed policies, Bacow and his administration have devalued essential student organizations like the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and the Daily.
The Watergate Scandal marks one of the most shameful events in the history of the United States government. Yet as shocking and disappointing as the episode was, it taught us an important lesson: to look beyond the surface and question everything. Bob Woodward, one of the two journalists who played a crucial role in exposing the scandal, spoke at Tufts yesterday to remind us that although Watergate occurred over 30 years ago, it is imperative that the spirit of investigation, of finding out the truth no matter how difficult that may be, survives in the modern world.
No, the political unrest in the Middle East has not stopped. And yes, the domino effect might just keep on going. On Saturday, the president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, stated that he would relinquish power to his deputy 30 days after signing a hypothetical agreement that would give him, his family and his political allies immunity from prosecution.
Next year's Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate president will be the first to work with University President-elect Anthony Monaco. He will not only help shape the agendas of both Monaco and a new group of high-level administrators but will also set a crucial tone for the relationship between the Senate and an incoming university administration. This makes tomorrow's election a particularly important one; it is essential that the student body take advantage of the opportunity to make an impression on Tufts' new appointees. Tomas Garcia is the right choice for such a task.
Atheism, more often than not, extends far beyond merely not believing in gods. A common misconception exists that atheists are merely intellectuals unconcerned with activism and community service. To the contrary, many atheists count themselves among the Humanist movement, dedicated to empathy and compassion as well as reason and evidence. Thus, a significant aspect of the life of a Humanist is a dedication to charitable giving and enthusiastic service: doing good for goodness' sake rather than supernatural appeasement.
Last Wednesday marked the fourth year in a row in which I have attended the informal Tisch Library roof gathering on April 20, or "4/20" as it is affectionately called by those familiar with its distinguished status as the international holiday of the marijuana counterculture. Like each of the previous years, the minutes approaching 12 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. saw a massive influx of students proudly displaying their knitted ponchos, Bob Marley T-shirts and glossy red eyes. But unlike each of the previous years, also in attendance this year were various administrative deans and a large Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) contingency. IDs were taken, joints were stomped out and, in at least one instance, a student was tackled and forcibly restrained (for reasons, I may add, which entirely avoided me as I watched on in surprised disbelief).
Are you worried about your privacy on Facebook? Currently, 85 percent of college students have a Facebook account. Many employers check potential employees' Facebook profiles to get an idea of what kind of people they are. Compromising pictures and comments left by friends can ruin job opportunities and consequently change your life. Many graduates in the job market have learned the hard way that it might be a good idea to put concerns of personal privacy above the social-networking aspect of Facebook.
Following a lack of administrative communication that resulted in a failure to properly allocate funds to club sports, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate on April 10 passed a resolution calling for the university to appoint an administrator who would oversee the finances of the Athletics Department. The miscommunication — which occurred over the past two years and involved confusion between the Senate and athletics administrators regarding which funds went to Tier I and Tier II club sports — resulted in $10,000 of the club sports budget remaining overlooked and unused.
On April 22, which happens to be Earth Day, the Tufts Eco-Reps will be hosting the second (hopefully annual) clothing swap. You're excited, I know. A chance to get rid of those old clothes taking up drawer space and maybe pick up a few "new" items. But a clothing swap has more value than a fun, free way to spruce up your wardrobe. The benefits fit into two categories: before and after.
One of Tufts' most alluring qualities for me (as I'm sure it was for many of you) as a high school senior was its reputation as a globally conscious institution whose highest goals were to be a "model for society at large," to further human equality, to fight for the undeniable rights of all human beings, to maintain peace and to increase environmental sustainability. But two weeks ago when Jumboleaks published a list purported to be the university's outdated investment holdings, I was thoroughly disillusioned with the contradiction of these high standards and disturbed to find what companies we were allegedly connected with. With drastically increasing populations, society needs agricultural companies that can provide the products needed for increased food production without damaging the environment or the health of peoples. Monsanto, who was listed on Jumboleaks.org as one of Tufts' investments, is not this kind of company. In fact, the Monsanto Company embodies the exact opposite of the principles that our Tufts community so ardently values; Monsanto is a corporation that will do anything, often at the cost of polluting the environment, endangering health and violating rights, in order to increase personal gain and company profit.
The Daily last month revealed that Charles Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering and president emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will deliver this year's commencement address. Vest does not boast rock−star fame; he made his name mainly in academia. But we should not shun him out of hand.
As thousands of representatives convene in Phnom Penh today for a donor conference, Cambodia is mulling a draft NGO law that forces associations and non−governmental organizations to undergo an onerous registration process. While the government says the bill aims to stem crime and promote transparency within these institutions, it doesn't take a lawyer of Atticus Finch's acumen to grasp this as another veiled attempt by Prime Minister Hun Sen to curb dissent and destroy the fabric of civil society in the country.
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.
Read More
