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Opinion | Viewpoint

Virginia
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A divided house in need of big repairs

By Trent Bunker | November 23

As the night of the Nov. 2 election progressed and it became clear that Republican candidate and businessman Glenn Youngkin would defeat former Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe in the race for governor of Virginia, talking heads and pundits were instantly tasked with diagnosing our tumultuous political moment. After all, the state has been relatively blue since the Obama presidency and yet a candidate with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, whom the state rejected in the 2020 election, was able to scrape together a winning coalition of rural Republicans and suburban Democratic defectors.

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Glenn Youngkin’s win in Virginia should be a wake-up call to Democrats

By Faye Shen Li Thijssen and Lily Langrind | November 23

On Nov. 2, Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin was declared the new governor-elect of Virginia with just over 50% of the vote.Youngkin’s victory marks a notable moment in the state’s political history, as he'll be Virginia’s first Republican governor in over a decade.In the wake of this historic election and political polarization of the past several years, this election may set an important precedent for the tone of national politics in upcoming election cycles. 

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The unnerving implications of Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘metaverse’

By Gian Luca Di Lenardo | November 22

Mark Zuckerberg has changed Facebook’s corporate name to Meta to reflect the company’s growing focus on creating an all-encapsulating virtual reality known as the “metaverse,” a decision that has elicited a wide array of reactions. For those who consider themselves technologically inclined, Zuckerberg’s decision may be in line with that of a visionary, a progenitor of a new, exciting era of tech. For others, myself included, Zuckerberg’s decision reflects a growing gap between the world of everyday Americans and the world of people like Zuckerberg. In a world where lockdowns and social distancing have become realities, the last thing many of us desire is to live in a world mediated by holograms and finely tuned avatars. Zuckerberg is calling for nothing less than a reimagination of our relationship with technology and this should make us, at the very least, uneasy.

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Managing expectations: How we can see hope in global climate summits

By Henry Murray | November 19

From Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, took place in Glasgow, Scotland. After years of climate summits filled with unkept promises and a worsening global climate crisis, many were skeptical that this climate conference would be any different. Amidst the summit, popular environmental activist Greta Thunberg called COP26 a failure.However, it is important to try to think about the effort in its entirety and to find a more positive attitude about these meetings. While I agree with Thunberg’s sentiment and exhaustion following speech after speech filled with claims and commitments that we can’t help but question, I believe COP26 offered promising outcomes. 

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Boston’s new mayor Michelle Wu: A historic win for Boston and progressive politics

By Reya Kumar | November 18

On Nov. 2, Michelle Wu was elected mayor of Boston. This result was predicted — Wu was leading the polls for weeks — but it represents a historic achievement for the city of Boston. The outcome of this election would have been historic regardless of the winner, as both Wu and her opponent, Annissa Essaibi George, are women of color in a city that has only ever elected white men. In fact, all of the top four candidates in the primary election were women of color, illustrating the growing voice of minority populations that make up over 50% of Boston’s populace. 

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Reclaiming the Jamahiriya

By Makram Bekdache | November 17

A decade ago, following in the footsteps of its Tunisian neighbor, Libya revolted against the decades-long dictatorship of Muammar Gadhafi. The self-proclaimed “king of kings” of Africa responded in a typically bloody fashion by firing on demonstrators and imposing harsh repression. Bolstered by its European allies, notably Nicolas Sarkozy’s France, the U.S. assembled a wide-reaching NATO operation in support of the rebellion. The UN declared Libya a total no-fly zone, and months of round-the-clock aerial bombings quickly tilted the advantage into the rebellion’s hands. Gadhafi’s Jamahiriya (which, ironically, translates to “state of the masses”) fell in late 2011, and the dictator was captured and killed in October of that year.

The Setonian
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The arrest of a houseless person in Harleston Hall: Moving toward a more restorative approach

By Sara Kessel | November 16

On Sept. 7, a houseless manentered Harleston Hall behind two students, looking for a place to stay for the night. When residents on the fourth floor found him asleep on a common room couch, they turned to the Tufts University Police Department to address the situation. However, the outcome of their concern was more severe than they likely expected. After being called, TUPD chose to arrest and charge the man with trespassing. He now awaits a criminal case in court.

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Racial disparity among Tufts faculty and students must be addressed

By Faye Shen Li Thijssen | November 12

Tufts University has longtaken pride in the racial and ethnic diversity of its student populations. Diversity among incoming classes hasincreased steadily over the past several years. Nearly half of students in the Class of 2025, for example,identify as students of color. The value of a diverse student body is indisputable, but a topic often lost within these conversations of diversity is the discussion of faculty diversity. 

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Sudan’s military coup and the emptiness of Biden’s democracy abroad policy

By Daniel Chung | November 9

In an earlier opinion article for the Daily, I argued that the Biden administration has an empty foreign policy when it comes to uniting prominent democracies around common interests, as exemplified by the fallout over AUKUS’ betrayal of France in a submarine missile deal. Recent events in Sudan, and the lack of a coherent response thus far, highlight how the emptiness of Biden’s ideological commitments extends not only to unifying established democratic nations but to protecting fledgling democracies as well.

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The 'Big Lie': How the crusade against the 2020 presidential election threatens our democracy

By Reya Kumar and Sara Kessel | November 2

After days of counting and nail biting, President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election last November. Two months later, on Jan. 6, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of the election results, following a “Stop the Steal” rally held by Trump nearby.

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Viewpoint

Transitioning to renewable energy: The real price tag

By Henry Murray | October 28

On Oct. 2, an oil spill off the coast of southern California was reported. According to Coast Guard officials, the spill came from a leak in a pipeline owned by Amplify Energy Corp, a Texas oil and natural gas company. The spill is said to have released around 25,000 gallons of oil, more than five times lower than what was previously estimated. Although this is the first major oil spill of 2021, as oil spills have decreased over the last few decades, we are still sitting at an average of about two per year in the U.S. While many people are concerned about the cost of making a national switch to renewable energy, it is time that we consider what oil drilling is costing us right now. 

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The impunity of the wealthy: The Pandora Papers

By Makram Bekdache and Faye Shen Li Thijssen | October 14

Last week, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published its largest global investigation to date: the Pandora Papers. More than 600 journalists from 117 countries have spent the past several months reading through almost 12 million documents including images, files, emails and spreadsheets collected from 14 sources which reveal the hidden assets, tax evasion and money laundering of some of the world’s richest people. Among the myriad groups and high-profile figures implicated, the United Kingdom’s property market and the tax policies of several U.S. states proved to be global hotspots for wealthy individuals to hide their assets. 

The Setonian
Viewpoint

The strength of a mezuzah

By Jake Blum | October 14

When thefirst mezuzah was ripped from a Harleston Hall resident’s door frame, I had multiple conversations with my editor, considering an article in response to the heinous act of cowardice. However, due to Tufts’ swift response to the action, and my unfortunate status as a busy second-year biomedical engineer, I eventually decided that, although it may have been valuable, an article would have simply stated the obvious.

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We have ignored the nuances of government, and people at the border are suffering as a result

By Andres Borjas | October 8

Before being elected into office, President Joe Biden promised to bring urgent change to America’s broken immigration and asylum system. In short, our current president pledged to the public that within his first 100 days, he could undo the cruel and senseless policymaking of the prior four years. Very high on his laundry list of commitments was the termination of the Migrant “Protection” Protocols, better known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which bars many asylum seekers from entering the United States while waiting for their cases to be processed. The implementation of Remain in Mexico in 2019 resulted in nothing short of a crisis — a constant state of affairs the Trump administration seemed more than happy to create — as asylum seekers packed into unsafe, unsanitary and inhumane tent cities at the border. At the same time, the cogs of law and bureaucracy determined the fates of these migrants.

The Setonian
Viewpoint

Intersectionality in the face of tragedy

By Faye Shen Li Thijssen | October 8

InJune, 22-year-old Gabby Petito and her fiance Brian Laundrie embarked on a cross-country road trip. For the majority of the trip, Petito maintained regular contact with her friends and family, but her communication abruptly stopped at the end of August. Laundrie returned home from the road trip alone on Sept. 1, offering no mention of the whereabouts or conditions of his fiance. Ten days later, Petito was reported missing by her parents.

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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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