In the wake of the disaster that was this fall's inaugural Senior Pub Night, many were skeptical about the decision to schedule a similar event last week. Halloween Club Night, however, defied expectations as a showcase of exemplary behavior — on the part of college students, at least.
In terms of the world of prejudice and racism, much has happened in the last 40 years. The development of minorities in the education system and political process has improved greatly, and we have gone from a time when it was hard for blacks to put a vote in the ballot box to a time when a black man can be in the White House. Some might think that the effect the black population has on the community is only spontaneous, with great leaders and thinkers appearing from decade to decade. However, the impact blacks have can be seen every day. This is what Black Solidarity Day was created to express. Black Solidarity Day was created in 1969 as a day nationally observed by African-American men, women and students. It always occurs the Monday before elections take place; this year it falls on Nov. 2. Originally, the event brought black people together to discuss their political status and the direction in which their future was going. The day also focused on the value and goals of education within the black community. It was, and still is, a day of discussion and a time for everyone, no matter of what race or education, to discuss how we all affect each other's lives. Discussion is important to Black Solidarity Day, as well as the concept of it as a day of absence, during which black people do not attend school or work and try to avoid making purchases and spending money throughout the day. These actions only further demonstrate the impact the black community has on the workplace and its stimulation of the nation's economy. So what does the black community add to the classroom and the workplace? Mainly, perspective. No matter what social class, city or personality someone comes from in the black community, their perspective always can add to a classroom discussion, university policies and faculty meetings. Other people don't have to feel obligated to understand the pressures and experiences that are shared, but at least they will know. Knowledge is the first step to understanding. I am a half-black, half-Puerto Rican male who, on the outside, mostly comes off as black. I went to a predominantly Caucasian private high school in downtown Chicago and had a very eye-opening experience. I volunteered with a group of fellow students at a homeless shelter during my junior year. We were cleaning out a large closet of toys and supplies and organizing its items in the basement. While doing so, many of the children who lived at the homeless shelter, predominantly black, started to take toys and we told them they couldn't take them away. The Caucasian supervisor of the shelter helped us make sure the kids stopped taking toys away. Moments later, while I was taking a box of toys down to the basement, the supervisor stopped me and asked, "Where do you think you're going with those?" "To the basement," I said. "And why is that?" he asked me angrily. "Um, because, uh, that's what you wanted us to do right?" I asked worriedly. I had no idea what I was doing wrong. "Oh, you're with the school group," he said. It took me a couple of seconds to answer, but I mouthed, "Yes." The supervisor walked away and I stood in place, frozen. All my fellow classmates were frozen as well, digesting the event. One broke the silence and said, "That was the most racist thing that I've ever seen." If you haven't realized it, the supervisor believed that I lived in the homeless shelter. The only reason for which I think he could have possibly thought that was the color of my skin. What does this experience have to do with anything? Well, it was more for my classmates than for me. My classmates became aware of the blatant racism that even kids their own age experience, and they became more vocal when it came to conversations about diversity and prejudice. This is what Black Solidarity Day hopes to instill. While celebrating our own culture and history, the black community wants to express how our experiences impact the experiences that we have in the classroom and workplace. The black community has a voice in this nation, and the nation has not yet fully realized how large that voice is. So to help support making this voice known, join the Pan-African Alliance in celebrating Black Solidarity Day. It will be held on Nov. 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the lower patio of the Mayer Campus Center. There will be performances by Tufts student groups, a student speech and a faculty speech by new black history professor Peniel Joseph, as well as the opportunity for students to express themselves through spoken word. To show even more support, wear all black or the colors of the Pan-African flag (red, black and green). Please come and support, and just remember the effects our actions have on others.
October is a busy month. The calendar bursts with events devoted to raising awareness, showing appreciation and emphasizing issues on a national scale. October is dedicated to many serious issues: It is Latino Heritage Month, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Gay and Lesbian History Month, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and National Crime Prevention Month, to name a few. The month is also pledged to a number of much less solemn topics. October is Eat Better, Eat Together Month; National Roller Skating Month; Spinach Lovers Month; and National Sarcastic Awareness Month. Just one day in October boasts a whole host of scheduled observances. For instance, Oct. 30 is deemed Checklist Day, Create a Great Funeral Day, Devil's Night, Haunted Refrigerator Night, International Bandanna Day, National Candy Corn Day and National Forgiveness Day. Even though the month has only 31 days, the Daily found 84 different official and unofficial full-month observances, 54 weekly observances and 121 single-day observances. The sheer quantity of these events is overwhelming, and leads us to wonder whether many of the activities, topics and objects deserve as much recognition as some of the others in the first place. Moreover, who actually celebrates all of the observances? One can only hope that not too many actually participate in Create a Great Funeral Day. While "national" days are literally acts of Congress, others are created by companies, special interest groups, sports teams or other bodies that simply devote one day to something. Official or not, these accumulate. Bombarded with so many options for observances, most of us do not have time to acknowledge or devote attention to many of the issues raised, whether they are serious or humorous. We become jaded by all the advertisements and announcements. One day should not be dedicated to seven unrelated, variously esoteric events with unpredictable degrees of seriousness; this barrage detracts from the issues that really deserve our consideration. We are distracted from subjects that merit great attention by a certain product, pop-culture phenomenon or random object that someone once fancifully thought to commemorate. We should put our energy toward concentrating on prominent national issues, not haunted refrigerators or bandannas. While celebrating such items can undoubtedly be entertaining, they hardly merit public endorsements. Congress recognizes October as both National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and National Roller Skating Month. Surely, these two do not deserve the same amount of attention. Our government has failed to distinguish between gravity and triviality. With Halloween and daylight-saving time fast approaching, October is winding down. The Daily urges all to take note of the more important issues highlighted during the last 29 days. We ought to give the legitimate issues raised during the course of this month their due, and let the true message of these "days" and "months" seep in: to be aware of them not only for 24 hours or 31 days, but throughout the course of our daily lives.
In his Oct. 21 op-ed, "Be in fewer clubs," Alex Baskin exhorted students to increase the quality of their dedication to extra-curricular activities by decreasing the quantity of groups they join. In contemporary society, particularly within the culture of Tufts University, this is not a particularly feasible suggestion. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes once suggested that individual rationality leads to collective irrationality, which in turn creates a terrible state of nature. Not to spend a lot of time interpreting Hobbes, but for the purpose of this argument, the idea is that if each person does whatever is best for him- or herself, it will be detrimental to society. I scored the idea when I was first introduced to it in class. I excluded myself, along with others who shared my paradigm, from the classification of people who put their own interests before those of society. I truly believed that there could be a large enough body of people who understand that compromising on social issues would be better overall, since when the collective benefits, all of its members are able to reap the benefits as well. Baskin's op-ed demolished my unmerited self-righteousness; he caused the façade of idealism that I set up around myself to disintegrate. I realized that I was in no way above submitting to my own individual desires without even considering their impact on a greater community.
Despite the economic recession, college tuition fees continue to rise at an alarming rate. According to a recent report issued by the College Board, tuition costs in the last year jumped 6.6 percent at public institutions and 4.4 percent at private ones. Colleges and universities keep hiking up the cost of education, in spite of a 2.2 percent decline in the Consumer Price Index over the past year. This is not only appalling on the surface; it is also the result of uncreative thinking on the part of colleges and universities, which have not taken advantage of this opportunity to implement better infrastructures for the future.
Universities both public and private are struggling to deal with the financial realities of this national recession without compromising their commitment to education. Economic constraints have made budget cuts unavoidable for most universities, and the California State University (CSU) system, hamstrung by a particularly tight state budget, has cut costs in ways that directly harm student education. The CSU's decision was unwise, but all the blame cannot be placed on the schools, subject as they are to California's capricious state funding.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month, October, is geared toward spreading awareness that domestic and sexual assault and violence are serious societal concerns that can affect everyone, regardless of stratifying categories such as race, class, gender, religion, political beliefs and sexual orientation. They are issues that must be addressed. By us. Right here. And right now.
Tufts' new alcohol policy sparked an immediate reaction across campus. Some lamented how it would impact their Saturday night activities, while others were quick to point out its dangerous implications for students in need of medical attention due to alcohol consumption. Still others, most notably Tufts Community Union (TCU) President Brandon Rattiner, attacked the university's decision to implement the policy without consulting the student body or its leaders. Now, however, the debate is moving beyond fault-finding and finger-pointing into the realm of solutions. TCU Senate has submitted a plan to the newly formed Alcohol Task Force enumerating steps to both lower the amount of alcohol consumption on campus and address the issue of students binge drinking to the point of needing medical care.
As the debate around alcohol consumption and policy continues here at Tufts, it is essential that the agenda, strategies and desired outcomes of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate remain transparent to the student body. Transparency is needed to ensure that all students at Tufts feel confident that the Senate is representing their best interests and are comfortable contacting the Senate with their own opinions. With that in mind, the aim of this op-ed is to highlight the basic plan that the Senate, and specifically the Administration and Policy Committee, has developed to ensure Tufts' new direction on alcohol is both fair and effective.
Whenever I see a Tufts tour guide in the Mayer Campus Center, perched on the stairs above a pack of prospective Jumbos, saying how easy it is to start a new group, I feel like I'm watching a wolf lead a pack of sheep into her den. The incoming freshmen, baited, can't wait to put "founder" on their resume. That's why we now have over 150 student groups, each trying to meet once a week.
"Freshman 15" is the first term that appears on the list of suggested search inquiries when one types the word "freshman" into Google. The infamous expression refers to the 15-pound weight gain that supposedly afflicts so many college freshmen. But many colleges and universities now work to ensuring that dining hall options encourage students to maintain healthy eating habits and fend off that extra heft.
If you get the chance to swing through El Salvador while on the Pan-American Highway, you might notice that you won't need to change your currency from what was sitting in your wallet north of the border.
On Oct. 13 the Daily published an editorial titled "Pledge a commitment to philanthropy." The piece criticizes the Greek community, stating that "aside from the provision of music, dance floors and beer, little is known about what fraternities and sororities do to help the community."
I cannot count the number of times students have come up to me asking me where they can cook. It is true that some dorms have better kitchens than others; South and Metcalf Halls seem to be the favorites among student chefs, while the kitchen in Lewis Hall is at the bottom of the cuisine food chain. Seniors living off campus do not have to ask their friends to fob them into other dorms' kitchens, but freshmen and sophomores are often deterred from developing their cooking skills due to mediocre facilities.
I recently attended a student-run program here at Tufts. I expected to be edified about a topic, but I left incredibly disappointed. The entire thing was sloppy, disorganized and amateurish. Do not bother guessing what the event was because it is irrelevant. Unfortunately, there are tons of events on campus that are run in equally disorderly fashion. So I ask myself: What gives? I go to an exceptional school, and the people here are genuinely intelligent and motivated. How could it be that students could so epically drop the ball? Why was the time and effort not put in to make this event (and the many others like it) a success? I think the answer is so obvious that no one notices it. Those who were running the program simply had too much to do. They had too much on their plates. How could you be expected not only to run a program, but also run it well, when you have so many other extracurricular responsibilities to worry about? There are only so many hours in the day, right? I know that I am just a lowly freshman and that it might seem really presumptuous of me to be writing a piece like this. I know that I will come to learn that there are so many great student groups here, and everyone wants to be a part of everything. I understand that it is difficult to resist your urge to do all those great things. Nevertheless, I think that an outsider perspective is allowing me to give a more objective analysis than those mired in the conflict. Here is my advice to the Tufts community: Do less stuff. Be in fewer clubs. It needs to be understood that you are doing no one any favors by biting off more than you can chew. By trying to do more, you are doing less. Instead of committing to so many things and then doing them all half-assed, why not pick one or two things and then do them amazingly? Why not become the expert on one topic? Wouldn't our community be served better if we all were individually awesome at something instead of being individually pretty good at a million things? Every time I hear someone rattle off a laundry list of their extracurricular activities, all I can think is, "Wow, you dedicate a half-hour of your week to a lot of different things." What if there was one thing that you put as much time into as all of those combined? You would obviously be way better at it. You would be the king or queen of that thing. There are nearly 5,000 undergraduates at Tufts. We could literally take over the world if everyone here chose one thing on which to become the authority. Think about it this way if you're still unconvinced: I understand that you may really be passionate about eight different causes, but you are not helping those causes by trying to campaign on behalf of all of them. In fact, you are hurting your many causes because you are not doing them justice. You could impact the world more if you focused all your energy on the genocide in Darfur instead of spending a little time on cancer research, putting in some effort to improve local schools, occasionally rallying against economic inequity in South America and then dedicating a few minutes to the genocide in Darfur. Basically, there is a threshold that you have to cross if you want me to care about what you are talking about. You have to prove to me that I should donate to your cause. When you try to do too many things, you will not cross my threshold for caring on any of them. All your programs will come off as sloppy, disorganized and amateurish, just like the one I described at the beginning of this piece. But if you were putting the real time and effort into one or two things, then you fly right by the finish line for my attention. I would be all ears and emptying out my pockets. So remember kids, less is more.
After Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) was finally seated in July, the Democrats were optimistic about the possibilities of the 111th Congress. Since taking control of Congress in 2006, the Democrats have struggled with a Republican president and filibusters in the Senate. Whenever questioned about their failure to legislate campaign policies, Democrats lectured about their need for 60 Senate seats in order to enact any sort of legislative agenda. In July, the time finally arrived with the all-powerful supermajority. The opportunities seemed endless for drastic shifts in foreign, environmental and health care policy.
My constituents will abandon me. They say this plan smacks of socialism. They're afraid it will force them to lose their coverage. They are sure the president is going to destroy private industry.
In the Daily's Oct. 13 editorial, "Pledge a commitment to philanthropy," sweeping assumptions and factual inaccuracies depicted the Greek community as lacking dedication to charitable causes. This is not the case. Fraternities and sororities have never been "simply social organizations," and it is unfounded and callous to generalize them as such. If indeed, "little is known about what fraternities and sororities do to help the community," as the editorial states, perhaps the Tufts community should focus more energy on supporting Greek philanthropic causes, which are well publicized and often reported in this newspaper.
It's that time of year again. It's time for pumpkin pie, apple cider, changing leaves and, of course, the mad dash for the perfect Halloween costume. While a white sheet with two eye holes may have been a sufficient outfit a generation ago, these days finding the right costume is a little more complex.
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
