"It's a great day for the university," President Lawrence Bacow said yesterday at the Community Day celebration that attracted over 1,000 people, many of them Medford and Somerville residents.
The event, which was held on the Academic Quad, came at a time when the off-campus behavior of some students has been putting a strain on town-gown relations, and Tufts Community Union (TCU) President Neil DiBiase said it was a step toward closing the divide.
"This was a chance to show off the best of the student body and demonstrate what Tufts brings to the community," he said.
From a cappella groups to mime acts and pumpkin-painting stations to children's theater performances, the programming was diverse and family-friendly.
Ben Orcutt, a Medford resident, brought his children to the event.
"I think it's fantastic," he said. "It's really, really nice."
In particular, he was impressed by the event's organization.
"[People] are all over the place asking me if I need any help," he said. "Somebody gave me a schedule, somebody did a magic show for my kids, the food is great - everything is great."
Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn was also present.
"This is an idea that has really blossomed," he said of the event.
McGlynn was taken aback by the size of this year's Community Day, recalling that the first annual event around five years ago saw a crowd of only 30 or so.
"As I was sitting in my car ... I could see the families streaming in," he said. "They're Medford and Somerville families who Tufts is showing their appreciation for, and kids are benefiting from everything they're doing here, so it's great."
Junior Damaris Graves, who was involved in organizing the event, said that the community turnout exceeded expectations.
"It's a lot of people - more than we expected - but it's going really well and we're really glad," she said.
At the event, a large stage featured 20-minute performances from ten student groups, among them the Jackson Jills, sQ!, HYPE! and BEATS.
Also, many booths manned by representatives from student organizations and local groups surrounded the perimeter of the quad.
Representatives of the Sharewood Project, a free healthcare organization in Malden run by physicians and Tufts medical students, distributed packets to students with condoms and information on free HIV, STI and pregnancy testing procedures.
In the spirit of improving the university's standing with Medford and Somerville residents, the TCU Senate will hold a community relations town hall meeting on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Sophia Gordon Hall.
"I think students and neighbors just need to hear what their complaints are from one another," DiBiase said. "Anytime we can bring students and neighbors together face-to-face in a formal setting, it alleviates problems later on."
