Returning students may notice some changes on campus aside from the obvious new construction. It's all in the details:
A Positive ID
New identification cards were unveiled this year and distributed to all incoming freshmen.
The cards feature a photo of the Jumbo statue located outside the library and the new lowercase Tufts logo. They also act as replacements for the JumboFob for several dorms, including new Sophia Gordon Hall, where the cards allow residents to access their suites and rooms.
The scope of the new ID card, however, is limited compared to the original vision of one card that allows access to every dorm, a plan that 86 percent of students supported in the last Senate poll in 2005.
Returning students may be further disappointed to learn that the new ID cards cost $20 to replace and still do not offer an opportunity for retaking ID pictures.
Au Revoir to Spam
Tufts Computing and Communication Services (TCCS) has included a new spam-blocking system in Tufts e-mail which filters suspected spam from legitimate e-mail and quarantines the questionable messages.
The system, which is provided by Proofpoint, Inc., draws from a base of over 200,000 indicators of spammed messages to identify spam. These messages will be included in a daily e-mail that will allow users to be sure that no mail has been mistakenly blocked.
Director of University IT Infrastructure Lesley Tolman wrote in a university-wide e-mail that Proofpoint will "drastically reduce the amount of spam Tufts e-mail users receive."
Late(r) Night Eats
Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie dining halls will now be open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
The efforts of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate's Services Committee and, specifically the initiative of then-freshman Senator Neil DiBiase, helped make the change.
The shift was "a pretty long process" that began in October last year and involved much discussion between the Senate, Dining Services, and student body polls, DiBiase said.
"It was a problem the students had," he said. "The dining hall hours didn't meet their schedules."
This change, said Senate President Mitch Robinson, is "part of the Senate trying to be receptive to what students asked for."
-Zosia Sztykowski
CORRECTION: In the Sept. 5 issue of the Daily, the news brief titled "Late(r)night eats" on page two incorrectly listed the dining halls' new expanded hours. Carmichael Dining Hall will be open until 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall will be open until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The brief incorrectly listed Dewick-MacPhie's expanded hours as being open until only 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
