Opinion | Column

Column

Ukraine at War: Russia purposefully bombs Ukrainian schools, but schools like KSE grow despite the attacks: The case of the Kyiv School of Economics (Part 2)

By Mariia Kudina | November 4

One out of every seven schools in Ukraine has been destroyed by Russians since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, leaving over 5 million Ukrainian children deprived of a traditional education. Statistics for higher educational institutions are even more depressing with one out of five universities and colleges in the country having suffered physical blows to their infrastructure as a result of the bombings. Despite these attacks, the Ukrainian educational system continues to develop, with schools adding opportunities to their institutions.

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Forgotten Fronts: Why British colonial policy was the bane of Muslims in Myanmar

By Alexander Degterev | November 4

Last week I wrote about the Rohingya, an ethnic group in Myanmar who have undergone intense persecution from both the military and local Buddhist nationalist groups, concluding my article with what could be done to help lessen the burden on these civilians. To fully understand the situation, though, we need to consider the premodern history of Muslim groups in Myanmar, acknowledging that British colonialism is the primary cause of the tensions that are present today.

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Rooted Reflections: We can't all go vegan

By Justin Solis | October 30

In recent years, a global movement towards vegan diets has risen to prominence, driven by the idea that going vegan can help save the planet. Researchers have identified that vegans produce an environmental footprint that is at least one-third lower than those who eat meat. They are also responsible for 93% less methane, a greenhouse gas responsible for 25% of global warming.

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Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Upward mobility is becoming obsolete

By Linda Huang | October 29

Upward mobility has long been held up as a defining factor of generational success, especially in the U.S., where the notion of rising above one’s parents in socioeconomic status is central to the “American Dream.” Traditionally, this concept meant climbing the social stratum — gaining wealth, status or both, often through education or hard work. In practice, upward mobility is sometimes reduced to a simple metric: whether the next generation earns a higher income than the previous one.

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A Jumbo’s Journey: Being nonchalant in Dewick (I’m 6 feet, 2 inches btw)

By Ben Rachel | October 22

This article has taken me unprecedentedly long to write. Normally, I can sit down, write a publication in less than an hour and then send it to the editors to clean up my inordinate amount of grammatical errors. This one, however, took me a long time to write. At first, when I came up with the title, I just wanted to let my fans know that I am 6 feet, 2 inches. However, I felt like that wouldn’t be up to par with my other publications. (My fanbase needs to be satisfied.) It was not until I was back in my hometown of Chicago (ranked by Condé Nast as the best big city in the United States for eight consecutive years) that I was struck with inspiration.

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Rooted Reflections: What Tufts isn’t teaching (and what it should)

By Justin Solis | October 17

Every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., I lead groups of prospective students around Tufts as a tour guide. Last week, I was asked “If you ran Tufts, what would you change?” At the time, I responded with a surface-level answer: streamlining class schedules. Yet this question sat with me throughout the rest of the week.

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The Death of Education: Bring back PE classes

By Evan Wang | October 16

It is not a mystery that childhood obesity has become a crisis within the United States. With increased screen time, unhealthy foods and high levels of stress, America’s children are becoming increasingly at risk of obesity from a younger and younger age. Indeed, this public health crisis has evolved and compounded into many more issues. From mental health to student test scores, childhood obesity is now posing a serious threat to America’s future; however, it is a crisis that could have simple solutions if the government is ready to act quickly.

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Ukraine at War: How Ukrainian universities and students adjust to the war: The case of the Kyiv School of Economics (Part 1)

By Mariia Kudina | October 15

The full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine has brought plenty of challenges for schools throughout the nation. In 2022, institutions had to rapidly switch to online classes, adjusting programs for temporary remote teaching while helping their now geographically scattered students navigate a dire new reality. At the same time, to prepare for a future return, these schools had to build shelters or equip already existing basements for hiding during missile and drone attacks.

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Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Why you should care

By Linda Huang | October 15

I have been putting this off for a while, but this semester I’ve finally decided to start my long-overdue column on socioeconomics. I decided to write this column because too many people at Tufts seem to be confused or completely unbothered by the impacts of our economy and how it’s intertwined with social issues. Socioeconomics, by definition, is a branch of economics that explores the relationship between social behavior and economic activity. My goal with this column is to break down these concepts and show how economic forces shape everything from education and inequality to social justice and identity. In this introductory piece, I hope I can convince you of why you should start caring.

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Forgotten Fronts: Cox’s Bazar and the flight of the Rohingya

By Alexander Degterev | October 15

The Rohingya people have long been inhabitants of the Rakhine State, also known as Arakan, in present-day Myanmar. Throughout their winding history in the region, the Rohingya have routinely faced discrimination and aggressive opposition from both the Myanmar military and Buddhist nationalist groups. The Rohingya, amongst other minority groups, have also been denied citizenship since the country’s independence, reinforced by a 1982 Citizenship Law.

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The Death of Education: Affirmative action is taking up too much of our time

By Evan Wang | October 8

As some readers might know, I have a weekly column titled “The Death of Education” in which I recently published an article defending the Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw affirmative action in college admissions. A few days later, the Daily published a Letter to the Editor that responded to my argument. The letter argued that affirmative action was still important to help underprivileged students catch up to more well-off students who might not suffer from the same social disadvantages. Since receiving criticism and having a healthy debate is important, I decided to write this response to address some of the points brought up and expand upon my original argument.

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Forgotten Fronts: Welcome to the frontlines

By Alexander Degterev | October 8

A report published by The Institute for Economics and Peace concluded that at the end of 2023, there were 56 ongoing conflicts in the world — most of which are still ongoing in 2024. In addition, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project concluded that over 170,000 lives were tragically lost in 2023, and nearly one in five of these casualties was classified as civilian.

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Rooted Reflections: Not all conservation is equal

By Justin Solis | October 3

In a previous Tufts Daily article, I advocated for summer jobs that are intrinsically linked to the local community and ecosystem. This was not merely out of a desire to create a generation of fishermen and farmers. In isolation, it is too easy to believe idealistic rhetoric that disregards practical solutions to tackling environmental issues. I believe that those emotionally removed from the land around them place undue value on preservation rather than conservation.

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The Death of Education: In defense of the humanities

By Evan Wang | October 2

When I first began to apply to college, one seemingly easy question haunted me for many nights: What do you intend to major in? Even from a young age, I was drawn to the allure of history. From the tales of knights in shining armor to the details of gruesome diseases that ravaged the land hundreds of years before me, history was my passion. But when it came time to pick a major, I was hesitant.

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Hey Wait Just One Second: Desire paths

By Max Turnacioglu | October 1

“Step outside but not to brawl,” Anthony Kiedis croons in my ear, and I oblige. The midnight wind is cold, not chilling, drifting across the Wren bridge. Light orange, brown leaves pepper the sidewalk, still soft underfoot — “Autumn’s sweet, we call it fall.” I wander in the general direction of Haskell Hall, dodging construction zones — “I’ll make it to the moon if I have to crawl” — with only a gentle glow to guide me. Past Fletcher, I round an arcing stretch of well-trodden grass, fading yellows drowned out by freshly exposed dirt, down the hill towards the Courts. I diverge from the pavement, freeing myself from its rigid hold as I follow in the footsteps of my peers. My path, imprinted in gentle footfalls, overlays hundreds and thousands of others before it, constructing a collective path of passion — otherwise known as a desire path.

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Ukraine at War: Russia attacks hospitals in Ukraine

By Mariia Kudina | September 26

When I was leaving Boston this May to spend the summer break back home in Ukraine, I was certain that there would be opportunities for me to visit various Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Odesa. However, the Russian offensive severely intensified, making these trips far too dangerous. Even staying in Kyiv, which is typically considered a relatively safe city compared to other places in Ukraine due to its air defense systems, I experienced a few dire attacks.

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The Death of Education: The final defeat of affirmative action

By Evan Wang | September 25

Ever since the Supreme Court struck down the use of affirmative action in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, colleges and universities across the country have been scrambling to address the fallout of this decision. Major newspapers and non-profits decried the decision as disastrous for diversity and inclusion in America’s higher education system. Yet, after the release of admission data for the year 2024, it has become abundantly clear that the dismemberment of affirmative action has not proven to be damaging for diversity in most colleges and will allow Americans to put a divisive issue behind them. 

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Hey Wait Just One Second: Dreams

By Max Turnacioglu | September 24

Every night I dream of Jumbo. The “Everything Dreams Book” tells me that these lurid, pachydermic visions portend “wealth, honor, and a steadfast character.” However, when I bring my good fortunes up in conversation, people seem to look at me strangely. Dreams are uniquely “intimate and decidedly singular,” yet we all inevitably succumb to them. They are an intensely personal experience but simultaneously universal, a form of a sleeping contradiction.

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A Jumbo’s Journey: We are SO Back

By Ben Rachel | September 11

In short, we are SO back. Actually, we have never been more back than we are right now. As a newly christened sophomore, I can officially say that I am back. Whether you are like me and have one year under your belt and are still forced into a meal plan or you just had your last FDOC, we are BACK!! Freshies, you all have a lot to learn.Coming back to campus in late August was surreal. Driving through the Cummings intersection and around Professors Row was a wash of nostalgia. A four-month break from Dewick and overpriced coffee changed me as a person. At least for me, the summer was a refreshing, relaxing and grounding experience — a detox. It was so much so that toward the end of July, Tufts started to feel like a fever dream. All those parties, brutally boring lectures and quirky people seemed like a figment of my imagination. It seemed all too fanciful to be real.

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GC in DC: Living through (and living up to) the burden of history

By Guillem Colom | September 9

To say that the past 100 days transformed the trajectory of American history would be a gross understatement.Our generation has experienced significant upheavals merely in the past few years: the desolation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing threats against elected officials and the rollback of legal precedents, ranging from abortion rights to long-standing environmental regulations.

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