Opinion

Editorial: University financial support proves vital in response to COVID-19 economic crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges for our world, university and peers. Against the backdrop of an emerging economicrecession and widespreadunemployment, many Tufts students and families will experiencefinancial hardship. Students that did not qualify for financial aid prior to the crisis could have need in the near future, and those currently receiving aid may face holes in financial support while not on campus. Further, access to academic resources is extremely limited while confined to our homes, with cost-saving alternatives, such as selling back books to the Tufts Community Union Textbook Exchange, not available at the moment. Even after students can safely return to campus, the effects of the crisis will linger; some students may no longer be able to afford tuition, living, academic or travel costs. 

Letter from the News Editor: Why we report

I confess: This letter was difficult for me to write. It is extremely rare for the Daily to publish a letter from the executive news editor, especially so in our final issue of the year. The turbulence of this semester, however, prompts me to break from this precedent.

Cartoon: 2019–20 in review

Cartoon: It might be stormy now, but it can't rain forever

Correction: A previous version of this cartoon misattributed the cartoonist of this piece. The cartoon has been updated to reflect this change. The Daily regrets this error.

Editorial Cartoon

Letter from the Editor in Chief: Celebrating our community

Dear Tufts community,

Editorial: 2019–20 in review

As the 2019–20 academic year comes to a close, we recognize the change, passion and advocacy of our community’s responses. The Daily seeks to reflect this spirit throughout its pages and specifically within the Opinion section. We aim to capture the vibrant conversations and important issues on our campus, painting a comprehensive picture of how life on the Hill should be.

Op-ed: A thank you note to the administration

I was relieved when, in late April, University President Anthony Monaco, Provost and Senior Vice President Nadine Aubry, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser, Dean of Student Affairs ad interim Nancy Thompson and Dean of the School of Engineering Jianmin Qureleased a statement expressing their strong disapproval of the Office for Campus Life Student Organization Collaboration Award going to Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Op-ed: University politics when it’s convenient

OnWednesday, April 22, the Office for Campus Life (OCL) awarded Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) the Student Organization Collaboration Award in recognition of the multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-racial coalition of activists we built as part of our campaign to end the Deadly Exchange at Tufts. We are deeply disappointed that instead of celebrating SJP’s coalition building, activism and fight for social justice across cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic and international boundaries, the Tufts administration, in astatement by University President Anthony Monaco, Provost and Senior Vice President Nadine Aubry, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser, Dean of Student Affairs ad interim Nancy Thompson and Dean of the School of Engineering Jianmin Qu, launched a disparaging, shameful smear campaign. In their statement, they stated that they “strongly disapprove of this award in light of SJP’s concerning policy positions, including its association with the [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)] movement, elements of which [they] view as anti-Semitic.” We embrace the call for BDS; therefore, by describing BDS as antisemitic, the university is also accusing SJP of antisemitism.

Op-ed: Can public health and politics be balanced in the WHO?

I will start off by stating that I disagree with Trump’sdecision to withdraw American funding from the World Health Organization (WHO). I believe the world must be united in combating COVID-19. However, I want to provide some context on the current director-general of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, and how he and the WHO have made certain missteps inresponding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Op-ed: Why I soar with Sarah

I first got to know Sarah when we were partners for an oral presentation in Spanish 21 our first year at Tufts. Sitting next to her at the high top tables in Tisch, I vividly remember thinking, "dang, this girl can get stuff DONE." Since that day, Sarah has become one of my closest friends. 

Op-ed: Grant Gebetsberger for TCU President

While sitting in my off-campus house in Medford this afternoon and thinking about how the semester is coming to a close, I received a message from a friend and fellow student who expressed uncertainty about who to vote for in the Tufts Community Union (TCU) presidential elections. To them and to anyone reading this, I want to voice why I believe you should vote for Grant Gebetsberger for TCU president on April 23 and 24. As Grant’s friend for three years and fellow TCU senator for two, I have seen the dedication, hours and hours of work and truly inspiring amounts of energy he has put into pushing for the needs of students on campus. Here is what I think sets him apart.

Editorial: Tufts must adopt alternatives to full-time online learning if fall semester proves unsafe

The COVID-19 pandemic plunged the world into strange and unprecedented circumstances that have demanded immense changes, including the radical transition to online learning. Given the lack of a COVID-19 cure or vaccine and the seemingly indefinite nature of the crisis, uncertainty surrounds the future, including the upcoming fall semester and prospects of returning to campus. 

Shades of Gray: Evolving perspectives

I was around 12 years old, sitting outside at a restaurant in Santana Row with my parents when a woman in high heels and a black mini skirt walked past, and I said “And that’s why women get raped.” My parents nodded in agreement. 

Cartoon: The new reality

Editorial: Tufts sets moral example by providing full wages amid COVID-19 pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak,wage, health and other uncertainties plague our Tufts and global communities; in consequence, supporting all community members proves more vital than ever. As a result of most universities’ decisions to move to distance learning for the remainder of the semester, an increasing number of workers on college campusesface financial uncertainty and instability. 

Primary Colors: Where’s Biden?

As the United States enters a new phase of this global pandemic, the Democratic Party needs a leader. Even though Joe Biden became the presumptive nominee for president last week, he seems to be missing from the conversation. Instead of looking to Biden’srecreation room satellite callsas the party’s foil to Trump’s daily briefings, somevoters seem to bepaying more attention to Governor Andrew Cuomo. So, what can Biden do to regain his upper hand?

Op-ed: By us, for us

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Tuftsannounced its transition to online learning, sending shockwaves through the community as students grappled with the new reality of leaving campus. We believe that the decision to get as many students off campus as possible was absolutely necessary. For many students, the decision felt rash and unnecessary; but as cities enter lockdown, the United States leads as a country with the most reported COVID-19 cases, and the death toll rises globally, we stand even more by this public health decision.  

Shades of Gray: When appreciation becomes appropriation

Appropriation remains one of the hardest-to-talk-about phenomena in pop culture, which is, fundamentally, a hodgepodge of widely circulated ideas that originated in specific subcultures. 

Editorial: Tufts must continue trend of empathy for students in face of new academic challenges

Since the university’s March 10decision to suspend in-person classes for the remainder of the semester, our community dispersed across the globe to commence online learning. As a result, our academic and social environments immensely changed, thus requiring rapid adaptations from students, faculty and the administration. As our community enters the final month of classes, we must acknowledge the university’s important work to respond to student input and efficiently move our university online while remaining empathetic to the ongoing issues of the new system.