At the end of this year, I sat down with the three retiring seniors in the Opinion section and decided to feature each in one article. I thought it was condensed to save time. In our group interviews, we learned a lot about each senior's time at Tufts and at the Daily, but what happened between the questions was far more valuable in the end.
Interspersed between the serious and truly impactful answers were jokes, references, asides, and quite a few silly facial expressions. As an interviewer who scheduled this appointment right before lunch, you might imagine that a drawn-out meeting might be frustrating. But at the end of the day, I don't think I could have painted this portrait of the opinion section without it. I wish I had asked more questions.
Of course, it is important to understand the seniors in each section and their unique stories. Reya Kumar, who became Executive Opinion Editor-in-Chief in fall 2022, has been with the section for a long time. She enrolled in her second semester of college in spring 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown and has remained involved in one way or another ever since. She is currently in her second term as Associate Editor. Although her consistency is admirable, her story is far from conventional. As a result of her not being added to the email list, she joked that direct messages she sent to the Daily's Instagram account can still be read on Instagram.
Kevin Golub, the current opinion editor, started writing op-eds in the spring semester of his junior year, and was, as he quipped, more of a “late bloomer.” He then returned to Tufts and joined the section as a staff writer, contributing a “significant amount” of articles. This comment drew laughter from the rest of the audience, considering the writer had accumulated nearly 30 bylines in his one year as a staff member.
Like Golub, Justin Hong, now an associate editor, joined the section relatively late, his first semester as a staff writer being in the spring of his junior year. Similarly, his involvement began with an op-ed on a bill that was defeated in the Massachusetts state legislature. Since then, his writing has focused primarily on issues in Tufts and Massachusetts because, in his words, “Joe Biden doesn't read the Tufts Daily.” In other words, he believes it's best to appeal to the Daily's readers, who have the power to effect change. But he claimed that California Governor Gavin Newsom reads the Daily, and that the satirical letter to the editor that Hong wrote for the Daily's April Fool's edition echoed .
Yet, despite the differences between our seniors, their ways of engaging, and their goals as writers, each reflects on how important the Opinion Section is to them, demonstrating the section's cohesiveness. Ironically, the sections containing the most controversial articles are where the tightest ties emerge. All commented on the impact COVID-19 has had on their Tufts experience and expressed gratitude for the community the section has created.
“We have a built-in sounding board in this section,” Kumar said, noting the frequent and often heated debates about opinion pieces at section meetings.
The Opinions section has provided a welcoming environment for writers of all opinions. Golub said, “Although I am in the minority, I have had a very rewarding time and have made many friends, even though most of them have different political views than mine.'' …The fact that we not only have daily discussions, but we're friends and have civil discussions, that's the main reason I stayed at the Daily.”
Mr. Kumar and Mr. Hon also spoke about how this section of the community has progressed throughout their tenure at the Daily. Hong detailed in the Daily that in the first semester, meetings typically lasted 10 minutes and there was really no sense of community. However, he said this semester was so different that he really enjoyed it and said it was the first time he felt like he was attending a conference because even without writing he wanted to attend the conference. .
Golub added that this year's Daily allowed for “a whole other side.” [his] 'Social Life', highlighting the 'peculiar meeting place' of Kumar's house where the bonds of almost every section are held (and where, of course, this interview took place).
It's hard to outline the months of jokes and references they dished out on Sunday afternoon at that “peculiar gathering place.” But between questions, comments about vocabulary, serious and unserious demands for off-the-record statements, and frequent and perhaps unapologetically used profanity, this dialogue It represents what an opinion means to me. Beyond the questions and stories and incredibly unique lived experiences, there are three of his seniors who will be greatly missed in this section.
