Opinion | Viewpoint

Viewpoint

We need to say goodbye to DEI

By Kevin Golub | March 29

The U.S. is no stranger to political polarization. Polarization has grown over the last several decades and shows no signs of stopping. Though much of this polarization is fueled by divided opinions on recent presidents, I believe there is another major culprit: diversity, equity and inclusion. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the job market, corporate DEI positions increased by 123% between May and September 2020, seemingly in response to the tragic death of George Floyd. Since then, DEI has been injected into many facets of life, from medicine to artificial intelligence.

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It’s time to be honest about my time at Tufts

By Justin Hong | March 28

Content warning: This article contains mentions of suicide. I struggled with whether to write this piece. I write this not as a sign of disrespect towards anyone, but to express my disappointment that this year’s Wendell Phillips Address, the speech at the Baccalaureate Ceremony given by the winner of the Wendell Phillips Award, won’t highlight a story that reflects my experiences at Tufts.

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State politics has a dark money problem — Gavin Newsom is just the beginning

By Dylan Tanouye | March 28

Fast food labor unions scored a major victory in California when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act in September 2022. This bill created a statewide council to determine the minimum wage for employees of large chain restaurants, which the bill itself has already raised to $20 an hour. However, the bill notably exempted restaurants with bakeries from this wage increase. While the reasoning behind this exemption was initially unclear, a report from Bloomberg revealed thatNewsompushedits inclusion to benefit the popular chain Panera Bread.

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The compromised ethics of the TCU Senate, Part 2: What it means

By Kevin Golub | March 13

As the “main governing body for Tufts undergraduate students,” the Senate has an obligation to uphold proper procedure, ensure equal treatment of all speakers and guarantee the factual accuracy of the proposed resolutions to facilitate representative and respectful dialogue. March 3 proved that the Senate is nothing more than an ethically bankrupt cohort of students.

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The compromised ethics of the TCU Senate, Part 1

By Kevin Golub | March 12

On March 3, I watched in horror as students packed into the Joyce Cummings Center ballrooms to support the vehemently antisemitic resolutions proposed by the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts before the Tufts Community Union Senate.

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Alabama’s IVF saga illuminates GOP hypocrisy

By Reya Kumar | March 12

Last Monday, France became the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in their constitution. Here in the United States, we are regressing on women’s rights following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision which found that the U.S. Constitution “does not confer a right to abortion.” In the aftermath of this decision, 14 U.S. states with Republican-controlled legislatures have passed laws banning abortion in all or most circumstances, while an additional seven have placed gestational limits.

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The Policy Perspective: Don’t fall for degrowth

By Keshav Srikant | March 11

The idea behind the degrowth movement is simple: Economic growth and increased consumption is fueling the climate change crisis and to truly tackle climate change we need to decrease our levels of production and consumption. Though degrowth can be intuitive, the movement’s fundamental premise lacks evidence and the actions it advocates for are completely unfeasible.

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The overdiagnosis and overmedication of ADHD: Shortage or shortcut?

By Gretta Goorno | March 8

When I was five years old, I would climb onto my family’s circular oak table and hoist myself into the air, miraculously dangling – and swinging – from the faux-crystal chandelier. My third grade teacher can thank me for her fashionable rubber-band “bracelets.” She tallied my “blurt-outs” on them, granting me a prize if I was under ten by the end of the week. 

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The MBTA deserves a true investment

By Kunal Botla | March 7

“Boston doesn’t work if the T doesn’t work;” the title of a single Boston Globe article echoes the critical importance of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to Boston and its surrounding metropolitan area.

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To the Tufts administration: Do you think we’re stupid?

By Liam Chalfonte | March 6

Early Monday morning, the Tufts Community Union Senate voted to pass three resolutions pertaining to the Israel-Hamas war, calling for divestments from many companies with ties to Israel, an apology and a change in rhetoric from the administration.

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Nex Benedict and Tufts’ next steps toward true inclusion

By Alex Lin | March 4

The tragic death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary high schooler from Oklahoma, has ignited national conversation on the safety and rights of LGBTQ+ students. Benedict passed away on Feb. 8 following an altercation with classmates in a school bathroom. The altercation, detailed in a police-released video interview with Benedict, involved a physical confrontation initiated after Benedict retaliated against mockery from three girls.

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Capitol Hill is turning into an assisted living facility and Biden is the most ‘senior’ resident

By Kevin Golub | February 29

Voters in America are complacent. For years, we have elected and reelected politicians who, despite their supposed experience, are far too old to be serving at the highest levels of politics. Senior politicians have devolved into senior citizens. 

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Copyright protections are too strict

By Rory Myers | February 29

With the addition of Disney’s 1928 short “Steamboat Willie” into the public domain, discussions surrounding copyright law have once again become relevant. A large point of debate is over the necessity of restrictions on the public domain.

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Recent strikes show need for change within rideshare, food delivery industries

By Matthew Rampe | February 29

As a college student, food delivering services and rideshare apps have become essential to daily life. Although these apps are convenient and make life for the people using them easy, we must examine the human cost these apps have had on the people providing these services.

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How polarization kills progress — and wolves

By Liam Chalfonte | February 28

In today’s America, polarization is seemingly everywhere: in a gridlocked congress, in knock-down drag-out election campaigns, in city council meetings. While ideological divides will always exist, the level of vitriol aimed at the political other can conceal the fact that Americans are often more closely aligned on issues — such as gun rights and abortion — than we are led to believe. Why, then, do we feel so divided?

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What is diversity, anyway?

By Alex Lin | February 28

Today, diversity has become a buzzword, tossed around in corporate boardrooms, university public commitments and one of the latest opinion articles in the Daily. But when educational institutions tout their commitment to diversity, what does that mean? A closer examination reveals a complex and historically rooted issue.

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SIS needs a major overhaul

By Kevin Golub | February 26

The frustration associated with the Student Information System is universal for Tufts students. Students wanting to update personal information or modify their course enrollment are likely to encounter numerous technological issues.

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Biden, the ball is in your court

By Gretta Goorno | February 23

On Feb. 8, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a “historic partnership” with 14 professional sports leagues and player associations across the United States. The partnership features commitments to food provisioning, education and physical activity. It is part of a slate of commitments in the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities.

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Lebanon's inevitable war?

By Sam Habib | February 23

As jets burst across the sky, a residential building in Nabatieh, Lebanon was crushed, destroying the life of a family inside — history repeats itself. On Feb. 14, Israel carried out a drone strike operation in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh, a densely populated area with a population of 120,000.

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Judge Biden based on his accomplishments, not his age

By Evan Wang | February 23

We are three years into Joe Biden’s presidency, and Americans are not exactly happy about his performance so far as a chief executive. His approval rating has been consistently poor with an average of 39.8% in his third year in office, the second lowest only to Jimmy Carter for first-term presidents in the same period.

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