Sunny Study Spaces

If you're one of my residents, you know that after 11:00pm on weeknights, it's quiet hours. That means that you're going to be dead silent, respecting the rights of your hall-mates to sleep, study, and sort out their schedules without interruption. If you're unfortunate enough to live in some other hall, however, or (heaven forbid) an unstaffed residence, you might be the victim of some noise pollution. Or, perhaps it's the middle of the day, quiet hours haven't yet set in, and you need some solitude. If the Boston skies haven't opened up to release a torrent of rain and snow, take advantage of the outdoors. Simply seek a sunny study space; see subsequent selection.

Tisch Patio Survey

Look on any map of the Tufts campus and you'll notice one large, oddly-shaped building, fairly centrally located. This building is the Tisch Library, an expansive structure complete with natural sky-lighting, a rooftop garden, and a gorgeous rooftop view of the Boston skyline (surprisingly magnificent both during the day and at night, reminiscent of the Day and Night Pixar sketch).

Speaker for the Dead

Wednesday, 7:39pm: "Imagine how apprehensive you get before a presentation, or an interview. Your heart beats quickly, you take a deep breath, and tell yourself, "I got this!" - Imagine feeling that, knowing that at 7:00, you had a big thing to do. You had to walk into a room, sit down, take a needle in the arm...and die. Forever. There's no way in hell the death penalty is right. #iamTroyDavis" - post I left on a friend's Facebook wall.

Return of the Referendum

Last semester, I read an article in the Tufts Daily regarding a newly proposed $20,000 text-messaging system. In response, I wrote an opinion editorial to the Daily entitled "Nonstandard text-messaging rates will apply", which they published, arguing against this purchase on the grounds that it was too expensive, unneeded, and potentially bothersome. Thanks to technicalities, the proposal never even came to a vote. This year, it's back - and so is the opposition.

Scott Tingley / Tufts Daily | Election Day: 9/20/2011

What Has Obama Done for Me Lately?

With presidential campaigns taking place only (not to say infrequently!) every four years, we sometimes get the feeling that the administration cares a lot about us when it's election time, and then forgets about the people altogether. I would argue, however, that this isn't the case. Rather, the people are bombarded with campaign messages and political debate during those election times, and then the people tune out when the commercials stop running. But the politics goes on, and a lot more gets done than most Americans bother to read about...unless you like to watch C-SPAN. Let's take a look.

Arts Credit

In reality, I still have one more arts credit to take for school. I sometimes wonder, though, if I'm not already fulfilling an aspect of that requirement; somehow, the beginning of this year is already filled with art projects. Let's take a look at some of the courses I might have accidentally fulfilled:

Nothing says "Wet Floor" like some ResLife construction paper and a stick figure

Restless

I recently observed a friend explain Shabbat to a guest a Hillel's first Havdalah service of the year. "On the seventh day of creation," she recited, "G-d rested, and so Shabbat is a day of rest." I agreed with her, of course, and added a few details about the week beginning on Sunday and whatnot. For me, Shabbat is indeed a break from the week, at least during Friday-night services. There's singing, and talking, and eating, and it's all very relaxing and meditative. Later this month, however, Hillel will be co-sponsoring an event just before Shabbat which I think actually highlights a more important meaning for the weekly holiday.

When It's Not Unacceptable

Perhaps Pink Floyd "don't need no education," but for those of us in academia, the question is sometimes asked: Can we use double negatives? (Aside: English majors also wonder if my use of passive voice a moment ago is appropriate. Having such thoughts, however, does not make you an English major; that fallacy is called "affirming the consequent." See: computer science or philosophy majors.)

Wake Up and Smell The Decaf Chai

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." It's a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin, by far one of my favorite historical figures. The man was one of this country's founding fathers, lived, served, and died in my home-state of Pennsylvania, and is responsible for everything from bifocals, to the volunteer fire department, to the free library. Oh, and electricity was important, too.

Illustration: Michelle Lana