Reya Kumar is a Tufts alum and former Executive Opinion Editor. She can be reached at reya.kumar@tufts.edu.
Mere weeks before the 2024 election, several major newspapers, including The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, have announced that they will not be endorsing a presidential candidate this cycle. This flies in the face of tradition for both of these widely read publications and was met with consternation and resignations from their own organizations.
When I arrived at Tufts in September 2020, I was alone, attempting to get my two large suitcases from Gantcher Field House to Tilton Hall. I didn’t recognize campus — when I toured in February 2019, a layer of barren, snow-covered trees created an entirely different landscape than the one I’d just arrived in.
While engagement with the Israel-Palestine conflict has increased dramatically since the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7, 2023, it is far from a new topic at Tufts University. The Daily’s website includes articles on the subject dating back to 2000, and I am sure that many more exist in the physical archives of the Daily and other Tufts publications. Since at least 2000, the terms “pro-Palestine” and “pro-Israel” have graced the pages of the Daily and existed within the discourse on our campus.
When I applied to Tufts, the Daily was not even remotely on my radar. In my application essays, I indicated interest in a few different clubs and organizations. I thought: Maybe I’ll join an a capella, musical theater or Indian dance group, all of which I’d done in high school.
A recent article published in the Daily argued that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts are detrimental in a variety of ways. Particularly, it argued that DEI in the medical field prioritizes diversity over merit, disadvantaging patients. However, evidence indicates that DEI improves medical care for minority communities without affecting the overall quality of care. Furthermore, DEI initiatives across all professions work to create more equitable outcomes and combat systemic biases inherent in society.
Last Monday, France became the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in their constitution. Here in the United States, we are regressing on women’s rights following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision which found that the U.S. Constitution “does not confer a right to abortion.” In the aftermath of this decision, 14 U.S. states with Republican-controlled legislatures have passed laws banning abortion in all or most circumstances, while an additional seven have placed gestational limits.
By the end of this year, the U.S. will have lost one-third of the news publications it had in 2005. Major publications such as Time Magazine and the Los Angeles Times laid off scores of journalists last month, an event journalist Paul Farhi called “especially ominous.” Farhi himself was laid off by the Washington Post last year. Most of the defunct publications, however, are smaller weekly newspapers that are often the only source of reporting for local communities.
In the U.S., we have nearly as many acres of lawn as we do acres of national parks — 40 to 50 million. Green grass lawns were first popularized in Europe, in the landscaping of elegant properties such as the palace of Versailles. These lawns were mirrored by American elites like Thomas Jefferson, who had turfgrass installed at his Monticello estate in Virginia.
Last year, $13 billion was pulled from Environmental, Social and Governance funds, marking a significant downturn in contributions to these ‘sustainable’ investment options. ESG investing targets companies that value environmental awareness, social impact and effective governance. They rely on the idea that these companies involve less long-term risk than companies deemed most profitable by traditional investment analysis.
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?
