Opinion
The public editor explained
November 15The public editor is supposed to enlighten campus controversies, but this semester perhaps my most meaningful contribution has instead been to start one.
Opinion
Opinion
Tufts spirit should extend to sporting events
November 15This past weekend Tufts had the honor of hosting not one but two NCAA Tournaments: the New England Regional Volleyball Tournament and the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament. To top it off, the women's volleyball team won the regional tournament, defeating Williams, a team that had taken down Tufts in the NESCAC finals. The women's field hockey team, ranked fourth in the nation, reached the final four in their own tournament.
Opinion
Letter to the Editor
November 15Dear Editor, I want to express my disappointment that the Daily's Nov. 12 article "Senate denies funds for public editor" and related editorial showed little sympathy toward the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate for choosing the fiscally and morally sound position relative to paying student stipends with the Student Activities Fee.
Opinion
Jacob Kreimer | The Salvador
November 11T he last few days have been a mixed bag for the people of El Salvador. When air temperatures and pressures from Hurricane Ida swung into the Gulf of Mexico, El Salvador seemed to have gotten off more or less unharmed — perhaps a benefit of being the only Central American country without an Atlantic shoreline. But three days later, before residents could breathe a sigh of relief, a nameless tropical storm from the Pacific drenched the country, causing massive flooding and landslides and over 120 casualties.
Opinion
For ombudsman, it pays to pay
November 11The media's job is to serve as a vigilant watchdog for its community by covering stories overlooked by the public. But reporters face everyday challenges to adhere to a professional journalistic code of ethics while also competing against rival news outlets to be the first to break a story. So what happens if a journalist or a media group defies the accepted ethical standards that promote accuracy, objectivity and fairness?
Opinion
Veterans Day at Tufts
November 11Wednesday, Nov. 11 was Veterans Day, a day to honor our soldiers both past and present that have sacrificed so much in order to protect the rights that we have as Americans. Veterans Day grew out of Armistice Day, which President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed America would celebrate on Nov. 11, 1919. This date was the one-year anniversary of the official end to the hostilities of World War I. With time, people began to argue that not just World War I veterans, but all veterans of all American wars and conflicts should be honored. In 1954 Congress passed a bill making Armistice Day into Veterans Day. It has been a national holiday ever since, and with the exception of the period from 1971 to 1978 when it was observed on the fourth Monday of October, it has been observed on Nov. 11 or the weekday that falls closest to it.
Opinion
Engineering psychology and the Rape Steps
November 11Since I entered Tufts University two years ago, the Rape Steps behind Wren Hall have continuously puzzled me. Admissions officers say that the steps were designed for women, and the theory goes that a woman should be able to climb the steps faster than a male attacker. Even as a female, I don't understand how these awkwardly long yet short steps are supposed to rescue me from impending doom. I guess that feminine stride ain't no stride-o-mine.
Opinion
The reality of recognition
November 10Anybody eavesdropping on a campus tour will hear the tour guide mention the multitude of unique student groups that exist at Tufts University, intending to appeal to potential applicants who might be interested in joining those groups or even starting one of their own. It is true — Tufts has a lot of student groups and many are certainly unique. Given the recent Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) recognition of Discourse, which highlighted students' abilities to create a new group, it seems appropriate to clarify exactly how the process works. The new group recognition process, though not familiar to many Tufts students — even current Tufts Community Union (TCU) senators — is one taken seriously by the elected members of the TCUJ.
Opinion
Colossal college costs: a frustrating fact of life
November 10As tuition continues to rise at Tufts, students start to ask themselves what they are paying for. Tufts students are now facing a price tag of $51,088 for tuition, fees and room and board, making Tufts the most expensive school in Massachusetts and the 20th in the nation. But Tufts' high tuition price is not arbitrary. Students pay high tuition in order to receive a top-quality, private education from a university with an elite reputation, and Tufts' tuition prices are consistent with the market price for such a college experience.
Editorial
Health care reform not a referendum on abortion
November 9The health care reform bill that the U.S. House of Representatives passed on Saturday acts to restrict women's access to abortion. An amendment tacked onto the bill at the last minute will prevent women who receive a health care tax credit from purchasing an insurance plan that covers abortion. Ironically, a bill meant to expand Americans' access to health care is restricting a procedure that women have a Constitutional right to access. Anti-abortion advocates cannot justly use the health care reform bill as a means to limit access to a legal medical procedure. As President Obama said yesterday in an interview with ABC, "This is a health care bill, not an abortion bill."
Editorial
Humanist chaplain could play important role
November 9Adolescents often find themselves being pulled in two opposing directions: one toward belonging to a group and the other toward establishing a unique sense of self. In addition to academics, finding the correct balance between those two desires is an important part of a college student's education.
Opinion
Maine was asking the wrong people
November 8Little in this world is as true as the old adage, "History is bound to repeat itself." This was evidenced in the severe incidence of déjà vu that was Maine's referendum vote last week to repeal a law allowing gay marriage.
Opinion
Show me the money
November 8The great American writer Mark Twain often warned to not let school come in the way of education. Unfortunately, Tufts University and many other institutions of education are not heeding Twain's words as they profit on the backs of the nation's brightest. This past week, the Chronicle of Higher Education released a study that revealed that Tufts is the most expensive school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. With a staggering cost of $51,088 for tuition, fees and room and board, Tufts' price tag exceeds that of Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University and Harvard University. In fairness to Tufts, it is just one of the 58 schools that are members of the 50k Club. Yet, Tufts proves to be a quintessential example of what is wrong with the American collegiate educational system.
Opinion
Jumbo pride: multimedia on campus
November 8Have you ever had a moment when you were incredibly impressed by the work your peers were doing on the Tufts campus?
Editorial
A call to reconsider enforcement of BYOB policy
November 4Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman, who currently oversees the Greek community at Tufts, released a statement last weekend asserting his intention to more strictly monitor and enforce national fraternity guidelines regarding alcohol at Greek social functions.
Opinion
In Defense of Sen. Kerry
November 4What? You mean a lot of Democrats think little of Sen. John Kerry? I know people had problems with Kerry, but surely we can get over them and appreciate the good, right? A friend informed me the other day that in fact, no, Kerry is still on quite a few folks' s--t list; or at least on their meh list. Come now, homies. I am certainly biased in my opinion; after all, I do have quite a few man-crushes on the men of Massachusetts, such as John Adams and the dead Kennedys. Regardless, I feel it's my duty as a native to remind everyone of some of the accomplishments Kerry has achieved in his lifetime.
Opinion
Honoring our true American heroes
November 3It seems odd that the administration has decided that classes should be held on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, a national holiday that recognizes all the people who have been or are currently in the military. Tufts administrators realized earlier this year that they had to add one more day to the academic calendar because this semester began particularly late in the year. So why did the Tufts administration choose to hold classes on Veterans Day, a holiday that commemorates fallen heroes, over a holiday such as Columbus Day, which is of significance mainly for its commemoration of a false hero? For over 200 years, millions of citizens have given their time, and often their lives, to defending our country. We owe so much to the military personnel who faithfully put their lives on the line when we are threatened. When they come home, they are welcomed as heroes but often left without the health and monetary benefits they deserve. Tufts is not acknowledging the importance of the work that the military does, and is not drawing attention to the need for sufficiently funding of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. What has Christopher Columbus done for the United States? Sure, he has been falsely accredited with discovering the country over 500 years ago. And yes, he may have been the first recognized European to set foot in the Americas (Norse sailors made a trans-Atlantic journey of their own centuries earlier, but apparently they don't count), but does that really deserve more reverence than the people who have actively worked to protect the United States and its citizens? Should Christopher Columbus deserve any respect at all? He forced the land's original inhabitants into slavery and led a misbegotten quest for scarce gold. Columbus eventually set up a provisional colony on the island of Hispaniola, mostly by telling apocryphal tales to European elites convincing them that his New World was a glorious place begging for "civilized" settlers. Columbus used violence liberally while governing Hispaniola. This American hero was little more than a charlatan who was out to make money and a name for himself, and who administered his middling colony so poorly that he was eventually thrown into prison and shipped back to Spain. Veterans, on the other hand, often find more sentimental appreciation than tangible assistance upon their return home. According to a 2008 RAND Corporation study, one out of every five American veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 131,000 military veterans are homeless, and has announced a plan to confront this problem. Surely we ought to set aside a day to promote awareness of the issues plaguing those who make sacrifices for our country and come home deeply affected by their service, if not dead. When the administration is putting together the 2010 academic calendar, it should reconsider its choice of holidays. Veterans Day has a worthy purpose and should be observed by Tufts students. In opting to celebrate Columbus rather than U.S. military veterans, the university is trivializing the sacrifices of our true heroes.
Opinion
Mitigating the clash
November 3Religion is like science: It has the power to change the world in both wonderfully profound and highly divisive ways. Religion has been the catalyst for many of the great social movements of this past century. A pastor, Martin Luther King, Jr., led the nonviolent civil rights movement, while a devout Hindu, Mahatma Gandhi, led the nonviolent Indian independence movement. Furthermore, religious institutions are a major provider of social capital for active citizenship. With that being said, it is undeniable that people are murdered daily in the name of religion and that even more people face bigotry because of their faith or beliefs. So, how can we approach these problems?
Editorial
Tufts supports students through major decisions
November 2As Tufts sophomores begin to contemplate declaring a major, many struggle to find a faculty advisor. With only two full semesters of courses behind them, sophomores have limited experience talking to professors, and only a fraction of the professors they have taken classes with would qualify as potential advisors for their major. Many students find themselves at a loss as to whom they can ask, and they often are in the somewhat uncomfortable position of sending an e-mail to a professor whom they have never met in person.
Editorial
Representation, not token inclusion
November 2Ask any high school senior to talk about diversity at the colleges she is applying to and she could list some pretty accurate percentages on ethnic groups. Many colleges, including Tufts, are able to boast some attractive numbers in terms of diversity. But community representatives serving on the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate are feeling unheard and unsure of their role in the body. There is concern over how to attain a sensitive balance between adequately representing student groups in the Senate while still ensuring that those groups do not override Senate members who are meant to stand for a broader constituency of students.
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 MoreTrending
The Print Edition
