Opinion

Guest

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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Viewpoint

Social media’s dangerous role in the Israel-Hamas conflict

By Sadie Roraback-Meagher | October 27

If you’ve been on social media lately, there’s a good chance your feed has become flooded by posts surrounding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Whether it be a flashy infographic or images of gut-wrenching violence, social media platforms have once again become a stage for people to vocalize their rage and feelings. But amongst the posts, tweets and footage that have proliferated, misinformation has created murky waters, making it increasingly difficult for users to discern what is real and what is fake.

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Viewpoint

The US needs to improve foreign language education

By Matthew Rampe | October 27

Only 10% of people in the U.S. speak a foreign language proficiently. In comparison, in Europe, 65% of people can speak a second language other than their native tongue. Although the difference is drastic, these numbers should not come as a surprise. For many years, American public schools have been completely lacking when it comes to language education. For a country that used to hail itself as a cultural melting pot, the U.S.’ foreign language education programs are greatly impaired. Foreign language education has been shown to be beneficial in enhancing memory, problem-solving and even aptitude in other subjects. In addition, foreign language increases a student’s knowledge of the world, allowing them to be informed about different cultures. It goes without saying, therefore, that American foreign language education needs improvement.

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Viewpoint

Biden’s hypocrisy is enabling war crimes

By Ben Choucroun | October 26

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. Though the reasons for Russia’s invasion were complex, the offensive constituted an illegal attack on a sovereign nation. The U.S. government immediately and strongly condemned the invasion and began sending billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, with President Joe Biden stating, “If we abandon the core principles of the United States to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected?” 

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Column

Ukraine at War: Promoting Russian culture means supporting the genocide of Ukrainians

By Mariia Kudina | October 26

Scrolling through chats on WhatsApp the other evening, I saw a poster advertising a Russian tea drinking ceremony that is to be hosted on campus on Friday. The next morning, my mom texted me that she and my younger brother heard explosions caused by a Russian missile during their mid-afternoon walk with our dachshund. While Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian cities, towns and other localities daily, Tufts’ Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies sponsors an event to promote the culture of a nation that commits genocide.

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Guest

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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Guest

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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Guest

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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Column

The Budget Line: That little treat you just bought doesn’t count, right?

By Justin Hong | October 23

With the semester finally setting in, we’re all falling right back into our addictive relationship with coffee. I, for one, love this magical bean juice, and need a cup almost every day. The only problem is that coffee can be expensive. Buying coffee every day can really add up, but fear not: Turning your dorm or apartment into a full-functioning coffee bar isn’t your only alternative. By making informed decisions, even someone who buys coffee every day can save.

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Viewpoint

The tragedy of Kevin McCarthy

By Maxwell Shoustal | October 23

Hyper-partisan politics have become very strongly entrenched in our nation’s political system. Still, some events manage to display just how shockingly fractured party loyalties are. The most recent example is the removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives. McCarthy was ousted as speaker by far-right members of his party after McCarthy negotiated with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. For McCarthy, it was only a matter of time until he was removed as speaker, given that to appease the so-called “Freedom Caucus” enough to win the position in the first place, he reinstated a House rule that would require only one member to call for a vote for the speaker’s removal.

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Viewpoint

When the crisis on the border moves past the border

By Evan Wang | October 23

When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent busloads of asylum seekers up to New York last April, I doubt even he could have predicted how his plan would have unfolded. Since 2014, more and more migrants have crossed the U.S.’ southern border, seeking entry and a better life. It has become evident that this nation’s judicial and welfare systems can no longer handle the massive amounts of undocumented immigrants migrating into the nation every year.

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Column

From Classroom to Clinic: Rethinking the name ‘heart failure’

By Deeksha Bathini | October 20

I looked at my patient’s wistful brother as he asked, “How long does he have left?” We had just told him that our patient, his brother, was experiencing “heart failure.” I stood there as a medical student, wishing I could tell him that, despite its name, heart failure is not necessarily a death sentence. But that’s the thing about “medicalese”: The language we use doesn’t always directly translate into what we mean. There is nothing hopeful or optimistic about hearing that your heart “failed.” For most people, that sounds like you’re already dead.

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Column

Antisemitism Unpacked: Solidarity is the key to collective liberation

By Ben Choucroun | October 19

As a pernicious threat to our communities, antisemitism demands resistance wherever it appears. However, true liberation from antisemitism will only occur when we acknowledge racism and colonialism within our communities and stand in solidarity with other oppressed groups.

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Viewpoint

The MBTA’s most important projects are also its least talked about

By Liam Chalfonte | October 19

Recently, much of the discussion around the MBTA has been focused on its numerous issues, especially its slow zones. Though it’s certainly an important discussion to have, it’s also important to ask what happens after these slow zones are fixed. There are a couple of projects that have ...

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Guest

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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Columns

MisCONceptions: To be strong abroad, we need to be strong at home

By Trent Bunker, Nicholas Rishi, João Ribeiro and Katherine Brown | October 17

The attacks last week in Israel are likely to drag the U.S. into another prolonged proxy war. President Biden has already indicated that the U.S. will provide ‘unwavering’ support for Israeli security. Before Hamas’ attack last week, the U.S. had already provided nearly $3 billion to fund Israel’s iron dome defense system. And with the war in Ukraine still showing no signs of ending soon, it is likely the U.S. will find itself further entangled with allies across the world. A growing number of Americans of various political affiliations have begun to question U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine, arguing the money could be better spent at home, closing our own border, reducing crime and uplifting the U.S. economy. If the U.S. government is serious about confronting threats abroad, it must maintain a united front at home and secure support for foreign aid by tackling the pressing issues that are at the forefront of many Americans’ minds.

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Guest

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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Column

The Policy Perspective: Designing effective climate policy

By Keshav Srikant | October 16

On Saturday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared thatSeptember 2023 saw the hottest global temperatures for any September everon record. This shift was partly due to El Niño, but also largely due to climate change. This heat negatively affected people across the world. Although July and August were not as hot statistically, record heat alsocaused many deaths and hospitalizations in the U.S. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effect of human-caused climate change.

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Viewpoint

It’s Tufts’ turn to catch up; Tufts should offer students more than loans

By Kunal Botla | October 13

Tufts University is an expensive place to get your college degree — the fifth most expensive in the U.S. as of August 2022. Tuition is set at just over $66,000. After including the fees and expenses of being a student here, the estimated cost of attendance is a little over $88,000, becoming more than $90,000 for students in their third and following years. Tufts offers its students financial aid and states that in “making education affordable for exceptional students from all backgrounds, Tufts meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduates.” Tufts’ aid includes grants and loans, federal grants and loans and work-study awards.

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Viewpoint

Not-so uncharted waters: The frontline battle for the South China Sea

By Justin Solis | October 13

In 1942, General Douglas McArthur uttered the famous quote, “I shall return.” With that line, he left the Philippines. Following the U.S. retreat, the Philippines continued to resist the Japanese during the first half of World War II. This came at the cost of one of the least discussed, yet bloodiest prisoner-of-war events in history: the Bataan Death March. An estimated 20,000 Filipinos were killed in a brutal forced march of about 62 miles. The U.S. government waited almost two years to criticize the Bataan Death March, quickly referencing it in rousing propaganda. The repercussions of this decision are still felt today. Unless they are particularly interested in Filipino history, talking about the March to my peers often results in blank stares.

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