On behalf of the masthead of the Tufts Daily, I would like to welcome you to the Hill for the next, and perhaps biggest, adventure of your life. While some of you just landed in Boston today, some of you are still probably trying to rid yourselves of a Wilderness stench six showers later. Whether you participated in a pre-orientation program or you are just arriving on campus, the Matriculation Ceremony marks the new beginning of your journey together as the Class of 2020.
Throughout the next week, you'll see the O-Shows, storm the nearby Target and discuss the Common Reading book (which I predict only 20 percent of you actually read), all of which are a few of the many things upperclassmen have done on our journeys to becoming Jumbos. As the semester progresses, maybe you'll paint the cannon or watch the sunrise on Tisch Roof. Maybe you'll look forward to sledding down the President's Lawn on cardboard boxes or trick-or-treating at President Monaco's house on Halloween.
However, these are not the only traditions that define the Jumbo. The Jumbo's legacy is defined by the combined actions and stories of the student body. While we at the Daily happily welcome you into the Jumbo family as you join in on all of our traditions, we also look forward to seeing you go beyond these practices to create new definitions for what it means to be a Jumbo.
College provides an exciting opportunity to engage with the community and environment around you like never before. So, we encourage you to look deeply and listen attentively to one another, because you might end up pursuing a Jumbo legacy that you would have never thought of this morning, sitting on those sweaty fold-out chairs on the Academic Quad. Your beliefs will definitely be challenged, and if they’re not, you’re probably not speaking with enough people. Engage deeply with this community while you have the chance so that you make being a Jumbo something you are personally proud of.
Tufts is the smallest university in America that produces a daily newspaper. Regardless of our university's size, the Daily staff feels that daily production and constant coverage are essential to the cohesion of our Tufts community. We aim to have our newspaper reflect the issues that define the students at Tufts on any given day. Whether it be keeping updated on the progress of a new student initiative, checking on sports scores or reading opposing opinions in the pages of the Daily, we hope you utilize this paper as a way to understand the various stories and perspectives of members of the community as they strive to create their own definitions of Jumbo.
We promise to do our part in this by seeking out the truth so we can write about the things that make you proud to be a Jumbo, and just as importantly, the things you might not appreciate about the university. We’ll do our best to share as many perspectives as we can to make the Daily a place where every Jumbo can see a bit of themselves and of each other.
Tonight, you will all illuminate the Hill with the flames of your candles. Continue to keep those flames burning by teaching each other and creating new history for all of us Jumbos.
So, what is your story going to be? I can't wait to find out.
Best,
Arin Kerstein
Editor-in-Chief
