Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Scott Geldzahler and I am the opinion executive editor for this semester. Truth be told, Opinion is comprised of two sections: Editorial and Op-Ed. To explain the difference briefly, the Editorial page represents the views of "The Tufts Daily" and the editorial board, while the Op-Ed page consists of opinion pieces written by contributing writers and students interested in publishing their views.
As is always the case, anyone can submit an Op-Ed piece to the Daily as long as it conforms to our policy for acceptance (nearly every submitted article does). Yet, when submissions lack, we've published a large amount of content from other school papers -- labeled in the print edition of the paper as Off-the-Hills -- about issues echoed in the discussions occurring on our campus. While Off-the-Hills certainly have their place, and can be quite relevant to our community, they are not actually the words of Tufts students, the primary voices we wish to publish.
So, this semester, we are making some changes to the way we fill the Opinion section.
The Daily has hired seven fantastic Tufts students to serve as Op-Ed contributor. These writers will focus on a specific topic and regularly offer their personal opinions and arguments through the Op-Ed page. To complement our (similarly fabulous) editorial staff, the submissions of the Op-Ed contributors will form a more diverse chorus of Tufts student voices, and while their work is not a reflection of the views of the Daily, they are indeed more reflective of campus views than articles from other papers. Here's a quick introduction to the Op-Ed contributors and their "beats."
Jamie Neikrie will be writing about the social and ethical aspects of politics at home and abroad. Zach Shapiro will discuss various issues facing the Middle East, while Diane Alexander comments more locally, presenting her view on campus life and Tufts-specific issues. Madeline Bacchus will be writing about feminism on Tufts campus and college culture, and Alex Dorfman takes up the sexuality and gender beat. Finally, Sam Berzok will focus on domestic politics, but with the unique perspective of being abroad for the semester.
Throughout the semester, we hope you find yourself thinking critically about what these writers choose to discuss, and the arguments they make. You may agree with them on some things, disagree on others and perhaps they may present an argument you hadn't even considered before. All of this is excellent.
The Daily wants to hear from you. We want to publish what Tufts students think is important, and serve as a forum for a higher level of debate. If you personally find yourself outraged, miffed, disheartened or excited about anything, we can publish your views, and we want to hear from you.
Without perspective, without interpretation, framing, judgement and without Opinion, news is incomplete. Together, we can raise the level of discourse and debate on this campus. If you don't speak up, there's no way to be heard.
Cheers,
Scott H. Geldzahler
