Opinion | Guest - The Tufts Daily

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Op-ed: Tufts’ campus climate is unsustainable for Jewish and pro-Israel students

By Tufts Friends of Israel | November 8

On Oct. 7, the worst terror attack in the history of the State of Israel occurred. What took place on this day was devastating and horrific. This indescribable massacre affected so many — innocent women, children and elderly civilians. If we truly value moral clarity, humanity and decency, condemning these attacks should not be controversial. Calling out these attacks for what they were — barbaric and atrocious — is a must. As of Thursday, there were still over 240 innocent Israelis being held hostage by Hamas terrorists, about 30 of whom are children. We are praying for their safe return.

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Op-ed: An uphill battle in the fight for fossil fuel divestment at Tufts

By Tufts Climate Action | November 3

For over a decade, the Tufts community has called for the university’s divestment from fossil fuels. For over a decade, we have met with administrators, hosted sit-ins and rallies and unanimously voted for a TCU Senate resolution calling for divestment. But even today, an estimated $90+ million of our tuition still lines the pockets of fossil fuel billionaires. All the while, Tufts prides itself on its standing as a progressive institution that prioritizes students’ voices and our ability to ask bold questions. It highlights its work in “creating a sustainable path to a brighter future.” Today, we ask this bold question: How is that possible while Tufts actively funds the destruction of our planet, fueling ecological disasters and massive injustice? Sometimes, this work feels like pedaling a bike we didn’t realize was bolted to the ground.

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Op-ed: Russian Program at Tufts needs to be decolonized

By Artem Dinh | November 2

Let’s imagine a hypothetical world where I was a Tufts freshman aspiring to become a diplomat and save the world. I immediately enrolled in classes offered by the Chinese Program in the Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies on Chinese language, culture and history. I believed that knowledge of Chinese language and culture would help me to one day secure a dream job at the state department.

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Letter to the Editor

November 2

Dear Editor, I was deeply disturbed reading Professor Emeritus Gary Leupp’s recent letter to the Daily. It is astounding that a professor of history could either be so ignorant to the real and legitimate fears of Jewish students on campus, or so callous that he does not care. Leupp claims that ...

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Letter to the Editor

November 2

Dear Editor, On Oct. 25, The Tufts Daily published my letter to the editor in which I asserted that an op-ed by the “Revolutionary Marxist Students,” submitted in response to the recent Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, violated Tufts’ standards on free expression and constituted prohibited ...

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Op-ed: It’s time to acknowledge antisemitism on campus

By Elijah Fraiman and Micah Gritz | October 30

More Jews were killed on Oct. 7, 2023, than on any day since the Holocaust. Innocent Israeli civilians were kidnapped, sexually assaulted and violently slaughtered by Hamas in a massacre some are calling Israel’s “9/11 moment.”

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Letter to the Editor

October 30

Dear Editor: I’d like to comment on the response of alum David Spalter LA’89 to the op-ed by the Revolutionary Marxist Students published last week in the Daily. His letter matches a national template, as pro-Israel forces in this country, stunned by the manifestations of local support for the Palestinian national cause, struggle to control the narrative. The gist is that students should not be allowed to voice support for the Palestinian people violently resisting occupation, or to refer to Israel as a colonial settler state, as such statements constitute “hate speech.”

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Letter to the Editor

October 25

Dear Editor, The Tufts Daily has recently published an op-ed titled “Looking toward Palestinian liberation and the death of imperialism,” authored by a group calling itself “Tufts Revolutionary Marxist Students.” Just a bunch of students exercising their right to the free expression of ...

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Op-ed: Looking toward Palestinian liberation and the death of imperialism

By Tufts Revolutionary Marxist Students | October 24

An open letter to The Tufts Daily, the Tufts Board of Trustees, President Sunil Kumar and the Tufts community: We must first commend the statements of both Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine and the coalition of anonymous South Asian students and alumni in their willingness to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine in the face of backlash from a unified coalition of universities — including our own — the media and government perpetrators of genocide. These students have rightfully indicted Israel’s war of eradication on Palestine as well as the campaign being waged both locally and around the world, to silence those who stand against it.

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Op-ed: The Indian judiciary’s self-restraint is bad for marriage equality

By Padmini Das | October 24

The Supreme Court of India recently rejected a petition to legalize same-sex marriage, setting back the goal of marriage equality in the country even further. In a country estimated to have at least 2.5 million LGBTQ+ people (as of government figures from 2012), the realization of same-sex couples entering into legally recognized marriages or gaining adoption rights remains at large.

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Op-ed: One Jew’s view on the problems of Israel and Palestine

By Joel Rosenberg | October 19

I know this is overdue — but my hesitation is part of the story. As director of the Tufts program in Judaic Studies, I’ve been puzzling for some time over an appropriate response to the horrific events that have befallen those who live at the juncture of three continents at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. That realm has long been a preoccupation of mine — both in my biblical studies courses and in my film studies courses, where (in the latter, at least) a central preoccupation is what I’ve called the Era of Catastrophe (1914–45), regarding especially the perils of human rights and the plight of stateless persons and peoples.

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Op-ed: Leaving Medford

By Makram Bekdache | October 17

Freshly landed in Boston, I was sitting in an Uber heading for Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus on move-in day in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic was seemingly finally starting to recede after more than a year of being mostly stuck at home, and there I was halfway across the world on the cusp of starting my college education in the United States. Tufts had not been part of my initial shortlist, but I kept hearing increasingly good things about it. I felt it was starting to gain name recognition at my school and in my home country of Lebanon.

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Op-ed: Women legislators are working together to support women across the Commonwealth

By State Representative Christine Barber | September 5

We are facing many challenges in Massachusetts. I continually hear from families and individuals around Somerville and Medford who are having trouble affording basic needs, worrying about health care and fearing their rights for themselves or their children.

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Op-ed: The importance and virtue of reserving judgment

By Kyongbum Lee and James M. Glaser | July 14

A story last fall in the Daily reported on anonymous allegations about the admissions office and its leadership, including allegations of a “toxic” admissions workplace and questions of alleged bias and discrimination. The story also disclosed the existence of an investigation into the complaints. The story was deeply troubling to our community and to us as deans. And it was especially devastating to JT Duck, dean of admissions and enrollment management for the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, with whom we share a commitment to making Tufts a diverse and welcoming community for all — as evidenced by the admission under his leadership of the most diverse classes in the university’s history.

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Letter from the Editor in Chief: Congratulations, Class of 2023

By Julia Shannon-Grillo | May 21

Dear Class of 2023 and the Tufts community,

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Op-ed: Tufts Burlesque needs a reset — the community deserves more

By Felipe Campano | May 20

Felipe Campano is a sophomore studying environmental studies. Felipe has been a dancer with the Tufts Burlesque Troupe for two semesters.

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Op-ed: Arielle Galinsky for TCU President

By Natalie Rossinow and Krystal Mutebi | April 27

As the ballots open for Tufts Community Union Senate president, it is time to consider who will best support you and the Tufts community during the 2023–24 school year. One candidate in particular stands out: Arielle Galinsky, who has the experience, dedication and passion needed to be an excellent leader for Tufts.

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Op-ed: Tufts graduate workers need a just contract

By Tufts University Graduate Workers Union Bargaining Committee | April 27

On April 10, over 100 graduate workers filed into the Alumnae Lounge to meet with Tufts administrators and lawyers. As members of the SEIU 509 Tufts University Graduate Workers Union, it is our right to negotiate with Tufts Management over a new collective bargaining agreement — the contract that sets the terms of our working conditions. Our proposal is grounded in essential principles: We deserve fair compensation and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. We need a just contract with wages, benefits and workplace protections that meet our basic needs.

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Op-ed: It's time democratic governments fight for all political prisoners

By Aisha Catena | April 25

Last week, Russian authorities unlawfully sentenced dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison. Kara-Murza has been incredibly brave in the name of freedom, and his arbitrary detainment should be widely condemned. The news of his arrest made it to the front page of the Financial Times and several other well-respected news sources. Considering this media spotlight on Kara-Murza, I think it’s time we bring attention to the millions of other political prisoners around the world.

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Op-ed: Dear EPA, keep your paws off Americans’ cars

By Kevin Golub | April 25

In 2022, electric cars made up 7% of all new car sales in the United States. Furthermore, the average new electric vehicle costs nearly $59,000 in March 2023, about $11,000 more than the industry average, according to Kelley Blue Book. Yet, despite these low numbers, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to tell you and your family what type of car to buy — and it’s not one from the 93%. Just a few days ago, the EPA announced new regulations for a massive reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks sold after 2027, effectively mandating that over half of all new vehicles in 2032 be electric. The announcement has leading automakers putting pedal to the metal to shift their vehicle portfolios to electric. What does all of this show? Just how radical Biden’s environmental, social and governance agenda really is.