Author: Cara Paley

Ruth Tam As the new semester begins, students purchasing piles of heavy books  may have noticed a new option: digital textbooks. Carolyn LaQuaglia, store manager of the Tufts University Bookstore, says that the bookstore has actually offered these high-tech digital versions for the past three years.  But as students start to trade their back-breaking backpacks

As high school students pursue their college searches these days, they often turn to online message boards, where current university students can provide valuable insider answers to their questions. So what is one of the most pressing insider issues that these prospective students ask about on websites like “College Confidential”? None other than the intense and ongoing debate about wireless Internet access—or lack thereof.

It is no secret that cultivating a commitment to the global community is among the many hallmarks of a Tufts education. Here in Medford and Somerville, students take full advantage of the resources that allow them international engagement on campus.  But the general consensus among upperclassmen is that being abroad is what solidifies that sense of globalism.

Most twenty-somethings are battling the insecurities of after-college life, agonizing over how to apply that impressive degree to the, gasp, real world. But Fletcher student Dory Gannes replaced post-grad confusion with a steadfast mission and, by the ripe age of 24, fully achieved it.

As the United States’ oil supply dwindles and our carbon footprint grows, many look to the wind as the answer to our energy problems. Rhode Island and Massachusetts can now count themselves among the growing number of wind energy proponents as they compete to be the first state with a large-scale offshore wind farm.

You may have heard of microfinancing, but not a lot of people know exactly what it is, or how it could involve the average college student.

Minnesota Governor and potential 2012 presidential nominee Tim Pawlenty called it an “unprecedented overreach by the federal government.”  Georgian Congressman Paul Broun called it “a war of Yankee aggression” (really).  But Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma put it in terms everyone can understand: “To our seniors, I have a message for you: you’re going to die sooner.”

All of us probably know someone who has taken Plan B (levonorgestrel), better known as the morning-after pill. Available in hospitals, pharmacies, and college health services across the country, Plan B is instrumental in protecting women from becoming pregnant after a forgetful night, a condom mishap, or even a sexual assault, It is such a common medical treatment in our culture(especially on college campuses) that it comes as a shock to many that the morning-after pill was not available to female soldiers on military bases until just a month ago.

Without question, Barbie is a cultural icon. Her perfectly pointed feet and impossibly shiny hair have been barometers for girls to measure themselves against since 1959. She comes complete with a dream-house, a pink convertible, and a teeny-weeny bikini for her vacations in the tropics. Now, trying to usher their doll out of the standards of the previous generation, Mattel Toystore is trying to appeal to the Gen-X, millennial set of consumers with Barbie’s newest career: computer science engineer.

We’ve all seen them; they peer bleary-eyed into incomprehensible textbooks, cursing the 3 a.m. on their computer screen clocks. They skip frat parties and free time for Tisch and a latte, heavy on the sugar. Being pre-med sure ain’t easy.

Imagine not knowing something. Simple, you think, I’ll google it. For Chinese citizens, this is not as easy as it sounds. What happens when a search engine limits the extent of its searches? What happens if you can’t google? This question might become a harsh reality, as Google has recently threatened to leave China altogether after the Chinese government enforced strict censorship policies and breached privacy agreements between the company and its clients.