The past few years have been tumultuous ones for the Greek system at Tufts. Fraternities have been shut down and re-opened, a Greek director came and went, and in June 2005, the school commissioned an outside report to identify major problems with the frats and sororities on campus.
The Think Outside the Bottle campaign by Corporate Accountability International brings to the Tufts campus a hot topic addressed recently by other publications and municipal governments: smart consumption of bottled water. Given Tufts' environmentally friendly attitude, it is no surprise that Corporate Accountability International is recruiting Tufts students to aid its campaign.
The pages of this publication have lately been a forum for discussion of that other media outlet, The Primary Source. Not only have members of the Tufts community debated what free speech truly entails, but parents and alumni have also questioned the very monetary lifeblood of the Source. When students and their families pay $258 into a large student activities jackpot, this financial investment increases everyone's connection to the products and activities of Tufts' student groups.
Former Office of Residential Life and Learning (ORLL) employee Kenneth Hall was convicted of sex offenses against a minor this past June. Tufts hired Hall prior to his conviction, and the Daily does not wish to use this editorial to allege any wrongdoing on the university's part.
An article in today's paper brought considerable controversy to the Daily office yesterday afternoon. When Tufts students find themselves in compromising situations, we often find ourselves with a newsworthy story. As a college newspaper, however, we are acutely aware of the impact that our pages have in a small community. When peers request to be quoted anonymously in articles, we find ourselves having to balance their concerns with the journalistic standards we strive to uphold. Juggling these competing values is never fun, but it is necessary if we are to maintain a reputation as a reliable news source with integrity.
Ten months after the Primary Source's publication of its infamous Christmas carol, the campus and administration are still talking. Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser's ruling and the subsequent e-mail from President Lawrence Bacow bring a breath of fresh air and some degree of clarity to a debate which has brought considerable rancor to the Hill.
That The Primary Source will be brought before the Committee on Student Life (CSL) today for harassment and fostering a hostile on-campus environment is hardly surprising. The hearing represents what many students have been calling for since last semester: accountability.
Students at Tufts are now receiving contradictory messages when it comes to sexual health and birth control. On one hand, stacks of pamphlets at Tufts Health Service inform college students about the benefits and proper use of different contraceptive methods. On the other hand, easily accessible and cheap birth control packs, formerly offered by college health centers across the country, are no longer available due to a cut enacted in the 2005 federal budget.
As final exams near, the federal government wants to make sure college administration and faculty are not left out of the examination mix. A Sunday Boston Globe article highlighted the Department of Education's attempts to introduce accountability standards into higher education in order to determine just how well and how effectively students are learning.
Two days ago Hotung re-opened to great fanfare for throngs of excited students waiting to get a panini and a bottle of Sam Adams to slake their thirst and fulfill all their fantasies of an on-campus pub.
The results of a new survey highlighting the potential benefits of a hotel in Davis Square may contribute to the ongoing development of the Tufts, Davis Square and Somerville communities. This advance is an opportunity to assess the potential benefits of a new hotel project to a vibrant and changing area.
It is disappointing to see Governor Deval Patrick's first term get off to such a rough start. After an uproar over the Democrat's opulent spending on office furniture, a suspicious telephone call during which Patrick offered himself as a character reference for a company subject to Massachusetts state regulation, and the announcement of his wife's worsening depression, the new executive is now facing charges of putting the welfare of administration insiders before that of the Commonwealth.
News of Massachusetts state Senate President Robert Travaglini's resignation to pursue private interests highlights the central role money plays in politics as well as the human scale and reality of a system that often seems larger than any one individual.
It is with high expectations that we welcome the news that the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is building a committee on student diversity.
Coming on the heels of the university's recent plans to better Tufts residential life with Stratton, this year's housing lottery was quite the disappointment, particularly for some of Tufts' rising sophomores, a group that has historically been, and is currently, guaranteed on-campus housing.
Massachusetts Senator Patricia Jehlen's bill to reduce health care administrative costs addresses a serious problem, but ultimately is not the best way to achieve her desired end. Though Jehlen's bill identifies a key problem with the American health care system, we must consider the ramifications if its passes.
Yesterday, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright gave the Issam M. Fares Lecture in the Gantcher Center before an enthusiastic audience of students, faculty and alumni. Albright, who at the time of her unanimous confirmation by the Senate was both the first female Secretary of State and the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States government, gave an interesting and spirited lecture on the past, present, and future of conflict and resolution in the Middle East. An overarching theme was the need for increased diplomacy in managing such conflict.
It looks as if there won't be any smiling photos of the President posing with recovering soldiers published in the near future. The Commander-in-Chief has his work cut out for him after a series of articles printed last month in the Washington Post revealed squalid conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The problems unveiled by the Post's reporting - from black mold and rodents in recovery rooms to inadequate medical care - will not be solved by some glossy publicity and a few photo-ops.
Despite chalkings outside Fletcher, rumors of protest, and the presence of a metal detector and bag check, Saturday evening's EPIIC panel, "Global Governance and the Multinational Corporation," progressed unmarked by the high level of conflict anticipated. The event, a discussion of corporate responsibility, should be regarded as a success and a model for further discussion on campus.
At this time of year, there are a multitude of factors that make Tufts students anxious. Bad weather, worse midterm exams, and study abroad applications all combine to stress out Jumbos as they navigate the perilous slog to summer. Yet residents of Carmichael Hall have one more concern, one that won't go away until the summer: the holes in their dorm's roof.
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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