It may sound counterintuitive, but nuclear weaponry has been crucial in preventing major warfare since World War II. The threat of mutually assured nuclear destruction deters countries from engaging in total interstate wars and gives countries incentive to strengthen international institutions through arms control treaties and collective security measures.
We must begin by creating new disciplinary policies within our schools. Rather than excessive suspensions and expulsions, we must create educational, empathetic avenues that give students the room to grow as individuals.
If we as Tufts students are to live up to the principles of active citizenship that our university so frequently espouses, it is our responsibility to learn about the history infused into the land of our community. Taking part in these activities is a powerful way to study that history.
For President Biden’s first 100 days, I will be covering this seemingly unworkable dynamic: a sclerotic Senate that caters to more conservative Democrats like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, an increasingly populist, left-wing House caucus and a president whose campaign relied heavily on the notion that he could get things done.
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.
Proponents of standardized tests tout them as the fairest way to measure merit, serving as an impartial assessment of how hard students work. But, in reality, standardized tests are epicenters for cruel optimism and self-fulfilling prophecies.
For a community that often feels silenced, erased and rendered invisible, I demand that the university visibly and meaningfully support Asian students, educators and staff during these traumatic times.
Some professors and the university assure us that they value our mental health, yet demonstrate the opposite when they set the impossible expectation for us to complete a similar amount of work as in a previous, pre-pandemic semester.