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Owen Bonk

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Features

English professor and students create a college literary canon

By Owen Bonk | April 19

Do you remember the books you read in high school English? If you grew up in the United States, chances are your reading list bears striking resemblance to the syllabi of students across the country. It’s also likely that titles like “The Great Gatsby” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” bring back not-so-fond memories of color-coded annotations and slideshow presentations put on by apathetic classmates. 

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Features

The winter 2023 edition of The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs covers sustainability, energy policy

By Owen Bonk | March 10

Founded in 1975, The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs has published cutting-edge scholarship on contemporary issues in foreign diplomacy for almost 50 years. Past contributors and interviewees are a distinguished bunch: prime ministers, ambassadors and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright can be counted among their ranks. Esteemed by the Fletcher community but somewhat unknown among undergraduates, the Forum could be considered the university’s hidden gem.

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Features

Tufts Green Dot, Sex Health Reps provide education with CARE

By Owen Bonk | January 30

Established in April 2014, the Tufts Center for Awareness, Resources and Education has been a campus resource for topics like sexual health and consent for almost nine years. In CARE’s near decade serving the Medford/Somerville campus, its initial office of one has transformed into a collective of more than 150 people. Green Dot and Sex Health Reps, CARE’s two sibling programs, have reached ubiquity at Tufts, cropping up everywhere from stickers on people’s laptops to high-profile, thoughtfully curated programming at first-year student orientations. 

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Features

Despite changing structures, foreign language education at Tufts remains strong

By Owen Bonk | December 12

Language programs have always played a curious and multifaceted role in academics at Tufts University. As a foundational requirement for School of Arts and Sciences students who don’t test out through a language proficiency evaluation, they could be considered the closest thing to a universal experience at a school with more than 70 undergraduate majors. Also noteworthy is the extent of the language requirement: The six semesters Tufts students must spend studying another language and/or culture is unusually rigorous for universities of its kind. Language education is also a key part of the international relations major and international literary and visual studies major, both of which require eight semesters of commitment to studying a single language. In this sense, learning a foreign language is quintessential to a Tufts education. 

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Features

New study abroad winter program starting this year in Aix-en-Provence

By Owen Bonk | October 13

Studying abroad is a widely popular opportunity at Tufts University, a school well-known for its internationally minded student body. Every year, 40–45% of Tufts undergraduates participate in a year- or semester-long program in a foreign country. As impressive as this statistic is, Tufts Global Education is seeking to bring even more students abroad with a newly minted program that will take place over this academic year’s winter break. Taught by Bruce Hitchner, professor and chair of the classics department, the Greeks, Romans, and Celts in France program will take a group of students to significant archaeological sites in and around the city of Aix-en-Provence in southern France.

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Features

Students reflect on creation of center for Indigenous and Native students

By Owen Bonk | December 9

In October 2021, the Division of Student Diversity and Inclusionannounced its plans to create a new identity center for Indigenous and Native American students. This center will join the seven currently established identity centers: the Africana, Asian American, FIRST, LGBT, Latinx and Women’s Centers and the Center for STEM Diversity. The plans have been both celebrated and criticized by Indigenous students, who see the center as the most significant move the university has taken to show its support. Below, students share their experiences with Indigeneity at Tufts, as well as their thoughts about the university’s places for the new center.

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Features

TUSC, OCL discuss changes in social life for 2021–22 school year

By Owen Bonk | September 28

On June 1, Tufts University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan sent out an email describing much-anticipated changes in health guidelines for the fall 2021 semester. Among them were the addition of a vaccination requirement and the removal of outdoor mask mandates and physical distancing protocols. The changes were indicative of the potential for a socially safe semester. Naturally, those working for the Office for Campus Life and Tufts University Social Collective became optimistic about a return to near-normal social life at the university.

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Features

Technological Tools for Playful Learning introduces coding to children

By Owen Bonk | April 26

In the class, students are tasked with creating a curriculum around ScratchJr — a coding software that Bers helped develop — and using those lesson plans to teach children ages four to seven to code. Bers redesigned the curriculum to have her students teach over Zoom, using resources from the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School and DevTech, a Tufts-based research group for which Bers serves as the director.

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Features

Q&A: Dr. Michael Jordan discusses Tufts’ COVID-19 response

By Owen Bonk | March 15

Dr. Michael Jordan was appointed as the university's infection control health director in August 2020. n this position, Jordan has spearheaded the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing testing, vaccination and contact tracing programs. The Daily interviewed Jordan over email to discuss his role in Tufts' COVID-19 response.

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Features

Jesse Mermell, Dave Cavell discuss congressional campaigns, new Tisch College course

By Owen Bonk | February 18

Before joining together to teach a course in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life for the spring 2021 semester, longtime friends Jesse Mermell and Dave Cavell (LA'06) were competitors in Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District Democratic primary. Their course, "Talking Points, Tweets, and TikTok: Modern Political Communications and Message Development," reflects their experiences on the virtual campaign trail.

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