Opinion

Opinion

Editoral | Leaked war video raises questions of concealment, accountability

April 6

Wars are never fought entirely cleanly or easily, and this is especially true in the modern era of conflict in urban areas with disguised combatants and a constant media presence. A video taken in Baghdad in 2007 that was recently leaked illegally by WikiLeaks, a Web site that works to publish classified information from governments around the world, has created controversy due to its graphic illustration of how chaotic war can become in such an environment. The video shows the pilots of two U.S. Army helicopters monitoring a group of men — some of whom were armed — standing in a square, shooting them down from the helicopter and then opening fire on a van that came to rescue survivors.

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Editorial

Abstinence-only education harmful to students

April 5

President Barack Obama and Congress recently passed health care reform legislation that seeks to extend medical care to all Americans. While the passing of the legislation represents a victory for many Americans who require affordable health care, certain elements of the legislation are not in the best interest of Americans' public health. The legislation includes a renewal of $50 million of federal funding per year for abstinence-only sex education. It is inappropriate for policy intended to improve public health in the United States to fund programs that have been repeatedly proven to not prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancies among teenagers. As mentioned in a recent CNN.com article, the programs that can apply to receive this funding must "teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems," according to the Department of Health and Human Services. What's more, the programs must also teach that premarital sex is "likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects." Programs that comply with these standards withhold important health information and should not be sponsored by federal health care funds. In order to maximize their health and safety, young people should be provided with full disclosure about the different ways to protect their sexual health. While students should know that abstinence is the only 100-percent guaranteed way to avoid STDs and pregnancy, it is also necessary for them to know that condoms, birth control pills and other contraceptives, when used properly, are highly effective in preventing STDs and pregnancy. In funding abstinence-only education programs, the health care legislation is ignoring the empirical evidence on the efficacy of sex education programs. A 2007 study by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that "there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners" among teens. This finding has been reiterated again and again in various studies. Since evidence shows that abstinence programs do not positively impact teens' sexual health choices, there is no place for the programs in federal health care reform. The idea of postponing sexual activity should be part of sex education, but it is unfair to young people to exclude information about practicing safe sex. Public opinion research has shown that a majority of Americans favor programs that include both abstinence and contraceptive education. The conclusions of both the American public and research studies support comprehensive sex education; why then is federal legislation providing $50 million of tax-payer money for abstinence-only programs? Legislation reforming health care in the United States should fund programs that are the most effective in promoting sexual health among young people. Abstinence-only programs exclude important health-related information about contraception and have been repeatedly proven ineffective in changing teen sexual behavior. Educators should receive funding for programs that provide students with as much information as possible so that students can make fully informed decisions that protect their health and safety.

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Opinion

Response to 'Israeli insubordination'

April 4

Teddy Minch's column published in The Tufts Daily on March 17, 2010, expressed that "the United States should have instilled great fear in the Israelis and made sure they understand who dictates policy in this international relationship" after Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Israel mid-March. Yet, with a sharp understanding of the international arena, it is clear that the United States-Israel relationship that has been cultivated for decades is vital to both sides, and it is not Israel but rather the United States that is tearing the alliance apart in the past few months. The United States and Israel face many of the same threats, including Iranian nuclear proliferation and state-sponsored terrorism. Many claim that Israel is the only true, stable democracy in the Middle East and has worked with the United States to overcome aggressors in the region and to support moderate regimes.

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Opinion

Finding principles: self, school, president

April 4

Shortly before spring, a small yet exquisite example of intellectual exploration took place on this very campus — a symposium analyzing the presidency of Barack Obama and the state of democracy, race relations, social inclusion and national identity. A group of experts, intellectuals, authors and activists gathered at Tufts to help speak to the complex events that have occurred in America these past 16 months. I attended this event not as a particularly active member of this conversation at Tufts, but more as a student and citizen hoping to reexamine this particular political figure who once ignited so much excitement and hope in me, but was beginning to leave me with more questions and confusion.

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Opinion

Internships not an excuse for unpaid labor

April 4

In an increasingly competitive job market, it seems that internships are becoming an essential facet of every qualified candidate's résumé. As such, college students as well as a number of recent college graduates are jumping at the chance to take advantage of the ever−growing number of unpaid internships offered. Recently, however, there have been questions raised about the legality of certain unpaid internships, specifically whether interns are being treated more as free labor as opposed to being given the learning experience and training that internships are supposed to offer.

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Opinion

Reentry is not the solution for Spring Fling

March 30

In the wake of the Tufts Alcohol Task Force's recent decision to make Spring Fling dry this year — not allowing attendees of any age to bring in alcohol — many students have voiced frustration, skepticism or alternative suggestions. Yes, people are disappointed that they can't get absurdly drunk during the concert. Yes, people are upset that they can't even sip a beer or two at the show. And no, the current policy is not flawless. But we must remember that Spring Fling is still a school event, and safety must come first. Binge drinking is dangerous, as evidenced by last year's "mass casualty incident," and the administration cannot be expected to sit back and simply hope that such an occurrence doesn't repeat itself. Despite its potential problems, the new policy is defensible. One of the popular suggestions on campus, voiced recently in graduate student Karen Gerlach's Tufts Daily op−ed from March 29, is to permit students to leave and then reenter the concert. However, reentry is not possible due to logistics, safety concerns and cost. It would not complement the existing policy, nor would it work toward a long−term goal of reduced alcohol consumption at Spring Fling.

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Opinion

Clearly defined sexual assault policy imperative

March 30

Tufts' administration has seen recent criticism regarding the university's sexual assault policies. Some students and various campus organizations have chastised the current policies, under which students rarely face serious repercussions for sexual assault and harassment on campus, and the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is working with Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) to make changes to the policies that are currently in place. Efforts to increase the severity of repercussions for sexual assault violations are extremely important, and the regulations need to be revised. However, in addition to efforts to create stricter penalties for perpetrators of sexual assault, it is equally important that the administration addresses the issue of the clarity of sexual assault policies.

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Editorial

Climate change legislation should be next on agenda

March 29

With the passage of the health care reform bill last week and today's signing of a student loan bill that will remove commercial banks from the student loan market, President Barack Obama has a lot to celebrate. With these recent successes, Obama is making some of his campaign promises real, and it is clear that his administration is able to pass sweeping reform bills through the current Congress.

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Opinion

Alcohol Task Force should try 'reentry' for Spring Fling

March 28

Tufts' Spring Fling decision is more than disappointing; it's dangerous. Spring Fling will now be a dry event; that is, no alcohol will be allowed on the premises. This is a direct result of last year's catastrophe: at least 10 Tufts students were hospitalized and there were thirty calls to Tufts Emergency Medical Services for excessive alcohol consumption, according to Ben Gittleson's April 27, 2009 Tufts Daily article, "Spring Fling leads to mass casualty incident." Although I'm sure that the new policy came out of the desire to help students and prevent the disaster of last year, I think this policy is at best useless, and at worst actively dangerous.

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Editorial

Health care coverage changes need clarification

March 28

Despite health care reform's prominence in the federal government's agenda and the public arena, the outcomes on the Tufts community of the bill recently signed by President Barack Obama remain unclear. The legislation contains significant improvements for health care coverage for young adults, such as the ability for children to stay under their family's insurance plan until the age of 26.  Despite the positive changes for students that will come out of the legislation, the convoluted language of the lengthy bill has led to confusion about how it will affect Tufts' student health insurance. Tufts students need to be properly informed of how the health care system supported by the university will be affected by the legislation.

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Opinion

The dangers of partisan history

March 28

As a history major, I often get asked questions about what practical impacts my studies will bring, as if my education is devoid of meaning without problem sets or beakers. For most students, History was a class they took in high school as a teenage version of Social Studies (or in college if they had to fill a requirement). For those who cannot sit through a lecture on the Industrial Revolution or the Great Leap Forward, I am not here to preach. I understand not everyone can share my love of history. However, the recent changes in the Texas history curriculum, decided by the State Board of Education (SBOE), are absurdly upsetting and overwhelmingly detrimental to the intellectual development of the children of Texas.

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Opinion

McCarthyite Zionism: Part three

March 17

I was concerned by Ibrahim Khwaja's March 10 op−ed regarding the supposed oppression of opposing viewpoints by "neoconservative, pro−Zionist" groups with accusations of anti−Semitism. Yes, Norman Finkelstein's views are not anti−Semitic as much as anti−Zionist. But Khwaja portrays groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Bak Shalom as paranoid suppressors; Finkelstein is the victimized seeker of truth and justice. Taking a quick look at Finkelstein's Web sites or key points from his publications reveals otherwise. This scholar is an enormously biased, disrespectful piece of work. He looks to undermine the State of Israel at any and all turns while supporting and/or conveniently overlooking the crimes of terrorist groups committed to its destruction.

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Opinion

Letter to the Editor

March 17

Dear Editor, Teddy Minch's March 17 column "Israeli Insubordination" tells the reader about an announcement from the Israeli government. He shows us how this announcement had implications for the diplomatic process in the ongoing conflict. He spends most of the piece discussing these diplomatic results. He concludes that the United States should be tougher with Israel and not allow the Israeli government to act as they had intended. So essentially, he tells us what Israel did, how the United States responded and what he thinks about that response.

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Opinion

Elisha Sum | Our Genderation

March 17

Tori Amos once sang, "Maybe she's just pieces of me you've never seen well."

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Opinion

Gittleman appointment underwhelms

March 17

The announcement of Professor Sol Gittleman as this year's commencement speaker will likely inspire an array of mixed reactions and some reservations among seniors. There are undoubtedly reasons to be excited about Gittleman's selection. An engaging lecturer and professor, Gittleman's classes continue to be some of the most popular on campus, and there is no question that he is an entertaining and likable speaker. But in spite of his ability to charm and engage a crowd, Gittleman's appointment may remain questionable in the eyes of many seniors.

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Opinion

Bounded by geographical lines

March 16

Since coming to America for university, I have experienced a number of cultural quirks that took some getting used to. For example, having grown up with British English in India and England (I was not aware of how many different versions of the language there were until I heard a distinctly different vocabulary on this side of the pond), I was met with looks of bewilderment when I called the "sidewalk" a "pavement" or an Oreo a "biscuit." But these were trivial issues that only really mattered during a game of Taboo.

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Opinion

Tufts going green requires reducing paper usage

March 16

Tufts has made a considerable effort to enhance its environmental policies in recent years. From installing energy-efficient technology like occupancy sensors for lights in buildings and testing out the controversial trayless initiative, the administration and student body have firmly demonstrated their commitment to "going green." Environmental sustainability was even the theme of this year's Parents Weekend.

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Opinion

In response to Nonie Darwish

March 16

Last Thursday, March 11, Arabs for Israel founder Nonie Darwish spoke on campus about Islamic law and the Arab−Israeli conflict. After the lecture and the subsequent question and answer session, Conversation, Action, Faith and Education (CAFÉ) — Tufts' student interfaith group — felt that it was necessary to respond to Ms. Darwish's claim that her remarks support and encourage interfaith activities. On behalf of CAFÉ, while we do not question Ms. Darwish's right to speak on campus, and in fact we commend Rabbi Jeffrey Summit and the sponsoring groups for providing the audience with a time for responses, we believe that Ms. Darwish's remarks ultimately undermined the key tenants of interfaith work by generalizing and attacking the Islamic faith.

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Editorial

Proper implementation of education reform needed

March 15

President Barack Obama yesterday announced his plan to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Rather than continuing the previous act's emphasis on students passing national standardized exams for reading and math comprehension, Obama's plan will focus on preparing students for college and careers. With this goal in mind, the president will encourage schools to broaden their curricula beyond just emphasizing reading and mathematics, the areas that No Child Left Behind tracked. Obama's proposed overhaul of education policy contains many much−needed improvements. However, the Obama administration's execution and timing of this plan may end up actually hurting its goals.

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Opinion

Can Tufts pass the trayless test?

March 15

In this economy, I think all colleges are looking to cut costs. We are already experiencing a sense of conservative spending at Tufts. In addition, one lesson that seems to be emerging is that "green" campus initiatives are really gaining momentum precisely because they can help improve a university's spending efficiency.

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