The Tufts Daily

The housing system on campus and its various issues have long been a source of frustration for students. However, the effects of COVID-19 have only exacerbated the problems students have experienced with the system. The pandemic introduced barriers to building friendships and expanding social connections, placing unique pressures on the housing process for rising sophomores. The level of anxiety and frustration students have toward the system will not change unless Tufts actively makes strides to improve the housing process. 

We must make it clear to our representatives in Congress and our state legislatures that this issue is important, and that we must enact change now. Many legislators repeatedly send prayers and share poignant rhetoric, but do nothing to address the issue. Even as some lawmakers and lobbyists attempt to deflect blame and frame gun violence as a series of isolated, individual tragedies, we must remember that the problem is an institutional one.

Despite the very real effects of this crisis, the internet was flooded with memes about the Ever Given. I saw a meme about the situation before I saw a headline, even though I receive New York Times notifications. When the ship was freed, the internet cried out for them to “put it back.” So why did the internet react with such delight to a giant container ship stuck in a canal in Egypt? 

Last summer, SpaceX made history when it launched the first manned mission to space on a privately owned spacecraft, the Crew Dragon. What does this mean for the future of space travel? Private companies have more capital to work with, and often more ambitious ideas. One of SpaceX’s current projects is Starship, a massive reusable spacecraft, which Musk has claimed is intended to aid in the human settlement of Mars — a much more ambitious goal than that of NASA’s Artemis program. 

As we acknowledge that this infrastructure collapse stems from policy choices and the nature of the system, we must hold Republican politicians accountable for how they are framing the issue and distorting public understanding of the roots of the problem. Instead of accepting what happened and making sure it doesn’t happen again, many Texas lawmakers turned to shifting the blame.

When thinking about our futures, we must consider whether it is even ethical to have children in a world with increasingly hostile environments and overburdened resources. Tufts must understand that this issue is not simply important to students — it is existential.

It is important that we unite against the conspiracy theories permeating American society. Even if government institutions are unable to build a consensus to condemn elected officials’ roles in spreading blatant, violence-provoking misinformation, we must set standards of accountability within our own communities.