Opinion
Opinion
Israel is more than just a political debate
March 9An initiative launched last year by a group of students from five American and Canadian universities, Israel Peace Week seeks to inform college students about Israel's democratic character and efforts at forging peace with its neighbors. Israel Peace Week also strives to highlight the multicultural, multiethnic and multi−religious aspects of Israeli society to students who may otherwise only associate Israel with the turmoil of the region or who may never even think about Israel at all. More than 20 different campuses successfully executed the campaign last year and, one year later, 50 campuses nationwide have adopted the educational initiative — including Tufts University.
Editorial
Tufts should sign with union contractor
March 9Tufts' janitors are in limbo as a new contract negotiation could either ensure the security of their futures at Tufts or put their jobs in jeopardy. Tufts is in the midst of searching for a new janitorial services provider following the expiration of the university's contract with ABM Janitorial Services over a year ago. The university's justification for finding a new provider is to update the current contract and come up with one that is "more efficient," according to Dick Reynolds, vice president for operations.
Opinion
Gospels and geology books
March 8For most students who were raised in religious households, arriving at Tufts represents a unique fork in the road. Gone are the watchful eyes of parents and the familial pressure to attend religious services and live devoutly. We are left with a newfound freedom in which we encounter troves of new ideas and new people. We can abandon the ideas we grew up with if we come to the conclusion that they were imposed on us. On the other hand, some of us might realize at college that our faiths are more than just rituals and we might become more interested in deepening our understanding. Students who don't come from religious backgrounds might find that college raises a new set of questions about life, and they too might be interested in exploring faith.
Opinion
Advocacy through the arts more important than ever
March 8As Tufts students we understand that it is possible to feel overwhelmed with the sense of obligation to actively support social justice issues and how difficult it can be to find an issue which truly resonates with you. Whether you believe there are too many causes to choose from or not enough that align with your values, it can be difficult to find ways to meaningfully dedicate your time to a cause you truly care about. Although we don't purport to have the ability to solve this problem entirely, the Tufts Social Justice Arts Initiative (SJAI) is actively seeking a solution through Issue as Muse, an event designed to bring local and international issues to the awareness of Tufts students through the performing arts.
Opinion
Guantanamo about-face a necessary concession
March 8President Barack Obama on Monday rescinded his two-year-old directive banning military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay. In a new executive order, Obama clears the way for resuming military trials at the naval base. This is regrettable, considering the president campaigned on — and committed to, once taking office — closing Guantanamo within a year of his inauguration. Still, the concession is a prudent one. Guantanamo is a nearly impossible issue, one that may be black-and-white in moral terms but is very gray in practice, and the reforms that the president has included in his most recent order alleviate much of what Americans have found so distasteful regarding the military base.
Opinion
Elisha Sum | InQueery
March 7For this week, I'd like to focus again on silenced queer voices, this time vis-à-vis the military service. But before I talk about "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) and queer criticisms, let's briefly look at queer activism's history.
Opinion
Shedding light on child sex slavery
March 7"Child trafficking" is a dangerous euphemism for one of the most unexposed yet horrific forms of modern slavery. As the student-run Love146 concert cafe night highlighted Saturday evening, the real issue is sex slavery — now the second-most lucrative crime in the world. Every year, it is estimated that at least 1.2 million children are sexually exploited. The sickening tragedy is that children are sold into prostitution every minute, and most people have absolutely no idea this is happening.
Opinion
University's marijuana policy already sensible
March 7The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate on Sunday passed a resolution that called for Tufts' disciplinary policy on marijuana usage to mirror recent changes to Massachusetts' drug laws. Drafted in part by members of the student organization Tufts Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), the resolution seeks to mitigate the university's penalty for being caught with marijuana.
Opinion
The chaos that is our fitness center: A solution
March 7I would like to begin with a quote from the "Athletics and Fitness" section on Tufts' undergraduate admissions website: "If you are looking to keep up with (or start!) a fitness routine, you will certainly be motivated by the university's extensive athletic facilities." To whoever wrote this, here is my response:
Opinion
Leave McCarthyism in the past
March 6McCarthyism has made a comeback, this time with a new target. Congress on Thursday will begin hearings to assess the threat of the radicalization of American Muslims. Democratic lawmakers and Muslim advocates have condemned the hearings as discriminatory by limiting their focus to Muslim−bred extremism. Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Peter King (R−N.Y.) argued that the hearings are necessary because Muslim radicalization poses a particular threat to American public safety.
Opinion
On Snyder v. Phelps
March 6On March 2, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Snyder v. Phelps et al. The media, numerous pundits and politicos have already begun picking apart and commenting on Chief Justice John Roberts' majority opinion. This op−ed hopes to add to that debate by shining a light on the lone dissent, written by Justice Samuel Alito.
Opinion
Ashish Malhotra | Follow the Leader
March 6The Maldives is an island nation off the southwest coast of India. Despite its geopolitical insignificance, the country's president, Mohamed Nasheed, has perhaps one of the hardest jobs in the world. This is because the Maldives is the lowest country in the world, and many experts have declared that it will literally sink into non−existence by 2100.
Opinion
A humble suggestion: A satire
March 6Most people already know it, so it might as well be stated publicly. The only true way to raise a child - that is, the only way to ensure that a child has a proper upbringing and will be well−adjusted - is to have the mother and father raise the child. Now, that is not to say that it is impossible for a person to be maladjusted with a mother and father; rather, the only way to have a chance at being well adjusted is if a child has both a mother and father. It is with this premise in mind that I humbly suggest that the following laws be applied to every citizen in the United States who has at least one child under the age of 18.
Opinion
Protests should be protected, hateful or not
March 2Yesterday, our freedom of speech was put to the test. In an eight-to-one vote, the Supreme Court ruled that hateful protests at military funerals are protected under the First Amendment. The decision came following a suit by Albert Snyder, the father of a deceased Marine, against protesters who were picketing outside of his son's funeral. The protesters — members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. — have staged demonstrations at hundreds of funerals across the country, promoting the message that God is killing U.S. troops because the country is tolerant of homosexuality.
Opinion
From The Public Journal: Thoughts on anonymity
March 2This semester, for the first time, the Tufts Public Journal has decided to implement a completely anonymous submissions process. In the past, when the Journal editorial staff urged students to submit, those students often cited concerns about anonymity and were thus reluctant to share the kinds of personal anecdotes that the Journal publishes. Until this semester, submissions were sent to the Public Journal's Gmail account, accessible only by the editors−in−chief of the journal who would then remove any names or e−mail addresses attached to the submissions before sharing them with the rest of the Journal's staff to be edited. This system wasn't totally anonymous, but it came pretty close. As editors−in−chief we were concerned with protecting the anonymity of submissions and made sure to do so. Sometimes we had to scramble a bit to get together enough submissions, but with contributions from the staff we always ended up with enough material to publish the Journal.
Opinion
Union workers are wrong target to fix budget
March 1The drama surrounding public unions in Wisconsin has spilled over into yet another state. On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers in Ohio released a new version of a bill that would severely curb the ability of public unions to protect their workers. The amendments to the bill include eliminating public unions' right to strike and sharp limitations on their collective?bargaining power.
Opinion
Hold the celebration: Egypt's future still uncertain
March 1The revolution in Egypt for three weeks dominated headlines, television and political discussion worldwide. To all watching, it seemed that fundamental change was in the air and that a people oppressed for decades was finally getting a chance at liberty. Indeed, the protests centered in Tahrir Square were fueled by a deep disgust with the regime that has ruled Egypt since 1981 and by the desire for a fair, representative and responsible government. After 18 days of demonstrations it seemed that the protesters had achieved their goal: Hosni Mubarak resigned as President and the military that replaced him pledged to carry the country toward democracy. It's probably a little too soon, however, to pop the champagne and start celebrating the birth of representative democracy in Egypt. Revolutions don't always turn out as their participants hope.
Opinion
Ad-free entertainment: a satire
February 28Nearly two weeks after the event, journalists are just now beginning to uncover some of the hidden truths behind "An Evening with The Onion."
Opinion
Elisha Sum | InQueery
February 28Is it a bird, is it a plane? A simple question that's simply answered. But what about: Are you a boy, or are you a girl? This might seem like another simple inquiry, but it can prove complicated for those identifying as genderqueer. As a general term that refers to gender identities that do not fit into the traditional understanding of gender as either man or woman, genderqueer is a catch-all label that can encompass other constructions, such as third-gendered, androgyne, intergendered, gender-fluid, and agendered. This label has, of late, been gaining momentum as an alternative, and its viability relies on the idea that sex and gender aren't the same.
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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