There’s a quiet grace in the evenings, when the auburn sun gently rests on the horizon, casting the fields in a dusky glow. Every hour or so, the rustling of crops in the wind is disturbed by the sound of a passenger train in the distance, cutting swiftly through the fields.
For students at many universities, the first week of a new semester is often filled with exhilaration and curiosity. Students add all the classes that interest them to their schedule, sometimes enrolling past the credit limit temporarily to figure out which ones suit them the most. For students at Tufts, however, the scene is quite different. The first week of school is stressful and hectic: Students worry about finding the best combination of classes, maneuvering through plans to drop unwanted classes and add new classes, all while trying to fit into an 18-credit limit and not lose a vital position on a waitlist.
One of the more dystopian aspects of the beginning of this semester has been learning professors’ policies on artificial intelligence. The development of these new policies follows that of AI itself, as generative models like DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT have exploded into the public consciousness.
COVID-19 has forever changed the world. Many people have fallen victim to the virus, with many of them dying as a result. Children were sent home from school and didn’t return for many months.
The week after winter break marks the start of the notorious “syllabus week,” better known as ‘sylly week,’ a time for students to ease into their early morning lectures after a month of oversleeping, catching up with friends and going out. Many students party without worrying about doing homework with a hangover the next day. But for others, syllabus week is the only rest they get after finals season, having spent their breaks working minimum-wage jobs to save up for holiday season gifts and, more importantly, their college tuition.
“Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?” That’s the question President Joe Biden posed to the nation in a speech on Jan. 5 which commemorated the third anniversary of the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But how much should the events of that Jan. 6 attack be the focal point of a presidential election? Should ordinary Americans care about an event from three years ago?
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is not as progressive as many would assume. Recently, he has been outspoken about his unwavering support for Israel, the need for a border wall and tougher immigration laws. Many have attacked Fetterman, calling his behavior out of character for someone who is supposed to be a Democrat. However, I believe that Fetterman has finally realized that his fellow Democrats are lost at sea.
Morgan Wallen was caught on video saying a racial slur. Oliver Anthony’s song “Rich Men North of Richmond” (2023) became a conservative anthem for right-wing politicians. Jason Aldean’s music video for “Try That in a Small Town” (2023) drew clear references to lynchings. For a genre called “country music,” it certainly does not live up to its name. Rather than being representative of our country, country music seems to be a stronghold of racists, misogynists and right-wing ideals.
If the past several months have shown anything, it is the shocking extent to which antisemitism has revealed itself on college campuses throughout the country. Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been the most visible, opting to accommodate — and thus tacitly endorse — antisemitic behaviors. Despite receiving less attention regarding antisemitism, Tufts is sadly no better.
Every spring, millions of high school students hunker down in classrooms as they prepare to take Advanced Placement exams. With the ability to award college credit at many universities with a score of three or above, AP exams — which are the culmination of an entire year of college-level coursework — have high stakes and often serve as a major source of stress for students who are preparing to apply for college.
On Nov. 30, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faced off in what Fox News billed as the “Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.” Moderated by conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity, the debate drew 4.75 million viewers. But only one of the men in the debate is running for president, so what was the point?
On Sept. 11, 1973, the U.S. overthrew the democratically elected socialist government of Chile. In its place, fascist military officers led by Augusto Pinochet took power, crushing opposition and infamously throwing political dissidents out of helicopters. The regime also brought in a group of American economists, known as the Chicago Boys, who immediately privatized much of Chile’s economy and created one of the first neoliberal economies in the world.
A couple of weeks ago, I opened my phone to a message from one of my best friends that made my stomach drop. “The debt collectors called,” she said. Last year, she went through family-related financial difficulty and was unable to pay for her spring semester tuition in full.
Tufts Climate Action has been urging Tufts to completely divest from fossil fuels, including all indirect investments. Their plea has been criticized within this publication; some believe a complete divestment is impractical and will burden Tufts’ endowment. On the contrary, it is in the interest of both our planet and our university if Tufts wholly divests from this detrimental industry.
Though the digital age has certainly changed the style in which American politicians, or their communication directors, relate to younger voters, the practice of satirizing the opponent while bolstering oneself via imagery has always been a fundamental part of American politics.
U.S. automakers have faced significant challenges in recent months. Meanwhile, consumers still feel squeezed even though inflation and gas prices have gone down in recent months. These factors have disrupted the electric vehicle market where sales have slowed despite price cuts. Recently, 3,900 U.S. car dealers wrote a letter to President Biden informing him that electric vehicles are “stacking up on [their] lots.” Evidently, Biden’s executive order that 50% of all car sales by 2030 be electric or hybrid cars and the Environmental Protection Agency’s new rule that all cars should have a fuel efficiency of 52 mpg by 2026 are not resonating with consumers, something that reflects general opinion on Biden’s environmental legislation. Polling has shown that much of Biden’s agenda has not gone over well with the American people, as highlighted by his 37.9% approval rating. This letter proves that consumer upset is trickling up to producers, whose bottom lines are suffering.
The question of Taiwanese independence has long been one of the most contentious matters in U.S.-China relations. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would have the highest likelihood of embroiling China and the U.S. in war, which would have disastrous effects on theAsia-Pacific region and the international legitimacy of either China or the U.S.On Nov. 14, Xi Jinping arrived in San Francisco to discuss bilateral relations with Joe Biden.
On Monday, a federal appeals court dealt a grievous blow to the Voting Rights Act, which has protected the voting rights of minorities since it was passed in 1965. The VRA has faced many challenges through the years and was considerably weakened in 2013. The Shelby County v. Holder decision ended the preclearance provision in Section 5 of the VRA — which required states to receive approval for new voting laws from the Department of Justice if they had a history of discriminatory voting practices. Preclearance was first upheld by the Supreme Court in 1966 and has been called the “heart” of the VRA.
Earlier this month, DoorDash announced upsetting news to all of us avid delivery app users: if you don’t tip your dasher, expect a longer wait. While DoorDash has provided the rationale that this new tipping mechanism allows for a triple-win situation, promising faster deliveries for consumers, higher rewards for delivery workers and increased repeat orders for restaurants, the consequences of such policies become apparent in consumer dissatisfaction.
I’m a first-semester undergrad in the five-year combined degree program with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. In my time at Tufts, I’ve noticed that registering for courses is made difficult by a significant factor — not knowing the specifics of how the classes I’m enrolling in are taught until the class’ first meeting or when the syllabus is posted on Canvas. From what I’ve heard, I’m far from the only one being impacted.
