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Sorsha Khitikian

Sorsha Khitikian is an opinion writer/columnist at the Tufts Daily. Sorsha is a sophomore studying history, civic studies, and clinical psychology, and can be reached at sorsha.khitikian@tufts.edu.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Indigenous education

By Sorsha Khitikian | April 17

On March 27, the Rapid City Area Schools district in South Dakota received a letter from the Trump administration’s Office of Civil Rights. Having concluded a 14-year investigation into school-based racial discrimination about a year ago, the district had finally agreed to provide equitable access to education for Indigenous students, who had disproportionately high disciplinary rates compared to their white peers. A civil rights agreement was settled, and an action plan was implemented to combat Indigenous discrimination. Now, President Donald Trump has nullified this agreement due to “DEI” and the district is no longer obliged to treat students equitably.

The Cambridge Public Library is pictured on August 31, 2024.
Viewpoint

The attack on libraries is an attack on knowledge

By Sorsha Khitikian | April 11

My local library was my favorite place as a kid. I would climb the stairs to the second floor children’s section, making a beeline for The Boxcar Children books that were shelved in a model boxcar. I would check out audiobook CDs to listen to while I fell asleep. I read every Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Magic Tree House book the library had. Now at Tufts, Tisch Library, Boston Public Library and Somerville Library have all been mainstays of my college career, where I check out books for both research and leisure reading. But libraries serve many more purposes than just having books to be checked out. For example, the Boston Public Library provides free Wi-Fi to patrons and a safe space for kids. The library itself is a community space, with staff dedicated to knowledge dissemination and creating a safe and welcoming environment that anyone can depend on. However, right now, libraries are under attack by President Donald Trump and his administration.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Indigenous invisibility is once again the norm

By Sorsha Khitikian | April 3

President Donald Trump has been on a DEI purge since taking office — removing almost any content that remotely resembles support for diversity from government websites. Many aspects of life, from science to performing arts, have been affected. Now, to be sure, I expected a lot of vital data to disappear under the DEI banner. I did not expect the removal of data concerning murder and missing persons.

Gray Cannon
Viewpoint

And we’re back to gray

By Sorsha Khitikian | March 14

There are some aspects of campus lore that are simply iconic, like Jumbo’s tail, Professor David Proctor and a capella riff-offs. The cannon, for one, is probably the most interactive piece of Jumbo life students have. The times I’ve painted the cannon have been some of the most fun I’ve ever had at Tufts. Listening to music with your club friends, looking up at the stars, trying to write neat letters in paint without getting any on your clothes — painting the cannon is a great bonding activity as well as a nice pastime. The messages on the cannon are constantly changing, with student organizations advertising their events or writing political calls to action. The cannon is a physical object that displays what students are engaging in on campus. So, when the cannon is reset to dull, basic gray over the summer, it’s a reminder of the painting that is yet to come. And the second students come back to campus, the color gray is nowhere to be found. Or so I thought.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: What’s in a name?

By Sorsha Khitikian | March 6

For weeks, a battle between the administration of President Donald Trump and The Associated Press has raged over Trump’s executive order that changed the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.” The AP has stated that it would continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as such and has since been barred from White House press briefings. Now, the issue is being brought to court, with the AP suing Trump administration officials for violating the First and Fifth Amendments. But in that same executive order, another name was changed — one that the AP Stylebook has been updated to reflect.

A reporter scribes in their notebook
Viewpoint

The good, the bad and the ugly state of journalism today

By Sorsha Khitikian | February 25

For the past several weeks, I have gotten countless notifications from news outlets detailing the newest action from the Trump administration that systematically discredits news sources. From targeting the Associated Press for referring to the Gulf of Mexico as such — instead of President Donald Trump’s newly minted “Gulf of America” — to investigating NPR and PBS with the goal of ending their government subsidies, the Trump administration is interfering in the press’ ability to report critically on his policies.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: The colonial history of Greenland and why it matters

By Sorsha Khitikian | February 21

Greenland is a relatively new player on the global stage. Only gaining autonomy from Denmark in 1979, the region is known for fishing, ice and being the largest island that isn’t considered a continent. However, the history of colonialism and the Indigenous fight for sovereignty in Greenland is largely unknown outside of Greenland and Denmark. While this serves historically colonial powers, examining Greenland as a case study is vital to contextualizing Indigeneity within global politics. As U.S. President Donald Trump explores buying Greenland, it’s important to not only consider the opinion of European powers, but also the Indigenous people Trump’s proposal would immediately affect.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Trump, birthright citizenship and the Indigenous exception

By Sorsha Khitikian | February 6

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump announced an executive order ending birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to formerly enslaved Black people after the Civil War. Almost immediately, the executive order was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. Attorneys general from 22 states agreed that the order is unconstitutional and violates the 14th Amendment. Even so, Trump is arguing that the exceptions in the 14th Amendment, such as the Indigenous exception, don’t allow for birthright citizenship.

Trader Joe’s
Viewpoint

How Trader Joe’s branding style made the grocery chain beloved

By Sorsha Khitikian | February 4

Trader Joe’s is beloved by all. By all, I mean students, soccer moms, snack fanatics — and me. I’ve been to every single Trader Joe’s you can get to by the T. The best: the one in Allston, where you cross the bridge and walk by the HarvardStadium. It’s giant, has countless products and features a beautiful walk that guides customers into its wonderful doors. The worst: the one off of Copley, which happens to be the smallest Trader Joe’s in the U.S. Guess why it’s the worst!

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Viewpoint

American Girl dolls taught us how to be girls. Who's teaching us to be women?

By Sorsha Khitikian | December 4

American Girl dolls were the center of my elementary school life. I remember owning two, both the ‘make your own’ dolls. I named them both after Francis Hogden Burnett’s characters: Emily, after the doll in “A Little Princess,” and Mary, after the main character in “The Secret Garden.” I remember being so emotionally tied to my dolls, reading every American Girl book, watching the associated movies and playing the online games. I was truly obsessed with American Girl. And then, as every girl does, I grew up. I donated one of my dolls to my younger cousin and stored the other in the garage.

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