Administrative changes
The beginning of the semester saw new Provost and Senior Vice President David Harris' arrival on the Hill, coming off his work as the interim head of Cornell University's Africana Studies and Research Center and as an advisor for the Obama administration. As provost-the chief academic officer at Tufts-Harris replaced interim Provost Peggy Newell and former Provost JamshedBarucha, who left Tufts in March 2011.
Newell accepted the position of Harvard University's first deputy provost, leaving the Hill last month. Having worked at Tufts since 1982, Newell spent the last nine years of her time here as vice provost and interim provost.
Linda Snyder assumed the position of vice president for operations on Oct. 9, held since Jan. 2010 by Dick Reynolds (A '67). Snyder previously served as vice president for campus planning and facilities at Dartmouth College.
LouAnnWestall was named associate provost of academic planning, a new position created to facilitate the university-wide strategic plan. Westall has extensive experience in academic planning, including at Harvard Medical School.
The university spent much of the semester searching for replacements for several key positions, including dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, a search that was meant to start last year but was delayed in the absence of a permanent provost and senior vice president. Interim Dean of the Friedman School Robin Kanarek will continue to hold her position until the search is completed by the end of the academic year.
The search for a new dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, which was originally suspended in March 2011, was also delayed until this year. The post is currently held by Nancy Wilson ad interim, and the search is set to continue through the academic year.
A new search also began for chair of the Department of Drama and Dance, after Downing Cless announced his retirement from the post at the end of this academic year. Cless has served 33 years in the department, including as chair from 1995 to 2001, and since 2009.
Election buzz
Election frenzy took over campus this fall as student groups' semester-long efforts to register voters and garner support culminated with Election Day on Nov. 6.
Members of Tufts Democrats canvassed, made phone calls and held volunteer recruitment drives in support of President Barack Obama and Massachusetts senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren, both of whom were elected. The group teamed up with a number of student-run organizations, most notably Tufts Votes, to increase voter registration numbers.
Tufts Republicans focused mainly on re-electing senator Scott Brown (R-Mass, LA '81) and teamed up with statewide organization Students for Scott Brown to support the campaign in different areas of Massachusetts by canvassing and phone banking. They also worked with Tufts Votes, which served as an umbrella group for campus get-out-the-vote efforts.
The Office of the Provost held "Engage the Debate", a faculty panel and community forum prior to a live viewing of the second presidential debate to educate attendees about the election's key issues.
Election Day did not come without problems, as many students who attempted to cast ballots at the Gantcher Center polling location were told their names were not on registration records for that polling area. Those who were turned away were, reportedly, eventually allowed to cast provisional ballots instead.
That night, students filled HotungCaf?© in the Mayer Campus Center for the Experimental College's Election Night Extravaganza. Multiple television screens and emcees entertained and informed the audience with live election results.
New university programs
The university launched a minor in Asian American studies this fall in response to growing interest and concern among students that a program for Asian American students did not exist. The six-credit, interdisciplinary minor is housed under the American Studies program.
22 freshmen participated in the pilot of Bridge to Liberal Arts Success (BLAST) at Tufts over the summer to ease their transition into university-level coursework. BLAST mirrors Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts (BEST) and allows incoming freshmen to take two university classes in a six-week summer session before matriculation.
The Africana Studies major and minor arrived on the Hill after years of negotiations between students and the administration. Faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences last May voted to move forward with the proposal to create an Africana Studies major and minor.
A film studies major may soon debut at Tufts, due to the efforts of faculty in the Communications and Media Studies program, the Department of Drama and Dance and the International Letters and Visual Studies program. Dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and Sciences Nancy Bauer aims to hire a tenure-track professor to help jumpstart creation of the major.
Next semester the university will commence the Tufts Effectiveness in Administrative Management project, working with University President Anthony Monaco's 10-year strategic plan. The project aims to analyze and improve the administrative structure at Tufts.
Monaco this semester initiated a 10-year strategic plan to refresh and redefine the Tufts experience. Along with Provost and Senior Vice President David Harris, Monaco has created committees and working groups to shape the content of the plan.
Construction zones
The Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center opened Sept. 1, completing the first of several phases to overhaul the Medford/Somerville campus' athletic facilities. The three-story building features over 70 new exercise machines.
Tufts' School of Medicine announced plans to build a biosafety level 3 laboratory in the existing Arnold Wing of the Biomedical Research and Public Health Building. Students and faculty will use the area specifically for tuberculosis research and the new lab will include state-of-the-art equipment such as an air filtration system and backup generators.
Renovations to Tisch Library will take place after focus groups announce their proposed changes to the building. Suggestions so far include a system to reserve group study rooms, as well as adding more desktop computers.
Cohen Auditorium will undergo renovations this summer, including the installation of a new projector and lectern and more wheelchair accessable seating.
The administration began writing a five-year capital plan to outline future maintenance and construction projects at each school. Plans include upgrading existing athletic facilities and constructing a science building on the Medford/Somerville campus.
Activism on the Hill
The Responsible Endowment Collective, a student group concerned with the university's endowment investment profile, met with members of the administration to discuss the possibility of ceasing investment in companies on the Carbon Tracker Initiative's list of 200 publicly traded oil, gas and coal companies. The group has met with difficulty, as the university invests the endowment through fund managers and is unable to name the carbon companies in which it invests.
The Sustainable Action Squad, a branch of the Tufts Sustainability Collective, is submitting a proposal for an Environmental House on campus. If the Office of Residential Life and Learning accepts the proposal, the house will be used to show films and host environmentally themed events.
Hot topics on the Hill
An external attorney was hired by the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) to investigate claims that Tufts students yelled sexist insults during a Sept. 21 women's volleyball game against Smith College. The OEO opted for an external attorney, given the situation's gravity and the involvement of another university.
Tufts Christian Fellowship's (TCF) recognition was temporarily suspended by the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Judiciary in September under the stipulation that TCF change its constitution so as not to exclude students from leadership based on their beliefs. TCF submitted a revised constitution in October, but the Judiciary still found it to be discriminatory and the group lost its recognition. TCF brought the case to the Committee on Student Life (CSL), which this month ruled that TCF will remain "conditionally recognized." The CSL developed a new policy that allows student religious groups to apply for exemption from the university nondiscrimination policy.
The Board of Trustees revoked Lance Armstrong's honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in light of the United States Anti-Doping Agency's findings that he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. The university awarded Armstrong the degree at Commencement in 2006.
TCU Senate brings new initiatives to the table
Tufts Community Union (TCU) President Wyatt Cadley, a senior, this semester developed a new Community Outreach Liaison position within the Senate to facilitate communication between students living off campus and the local community and city governments.
The Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of the new Africana studies major. The resolution includes a series of recommendations for the development of the major, including an introduction course and additional funding.
The body passed a resolution that recommends additional safety measures at the intersection of Packard Avenue and Powderhouse Boulevard after a student was hit by a motor vehicle at the intersection in November.
The Senate also unanimously passed a resolution in support of need-blind admissions, although acknowledging that prospects for such a policy are low at this time.
Cage Rage held, cancels WinterFest
The indie-rock band Cold War Kids headlined the third annual Cage Rage Concert on Saturday, with Guards performing as the opening act.
WinterFest, which was held for the first time last year as a replacement for Naked Quad Run (NQR), did not take place due to a lack of student interest. WinterFest last year featured inflatable attractions and food trucks, with $24,000 of funding allocated toward the weekend-long event.
Going digital on the Hill, new plans for SIS
The Integrated Student Information System (iSIS) Project, which will replace the current SIS, entered its second of three phases this February.
The new system is slated for completion in time for course registration next fall. It is indended to feature a more modern interface.
The university made the switch from paper to online course evaluations this semester, a process that has been in the works since the 2009-2010 academic year.
Although the online evaluations contain the same questions as the paper evaluations, the move is expected to increase the efficiency of processing and accessing of data.
Emphasis on safety
This semester marked the debut of a revamped safety escort service on the Medford/Somerville campus. The Department of Public and Environmental Safety introduced GoSafe, an updated version of the former Safe Ride, to focus on students concerned about their safety between destinations, rather than students seeking alternative transportation.
Public Safety made public its plans to install a video security system on all three Tufts campuses, beginning in January 2013. The cameras, to be installed in plain sight, are aimed at crime deterrence. Community meetings held by DPES revealed some students' opposition to the system's implementation for privacy reasons.
This September, a Tufts student was sexually assaulted upon exiting the Jackson Photo Lab in the Aidekman Arts Center at a late hour. Tufts University Police Department officers that night apprehended the assailant in South Hall. The Somerville resident, unaffiliated with the university, was charged with indecent assault and battery and trespassing by Somerville Police. The incident brought renewed community focus on sexual assault prevention.
Hurricane Sandy caused minor wind and flood damage to the Tufts campuses because of administrative preparedness and abated storm conditions upon arrival in the region. The university canceled classes for one day due to unsafe weather conditions. The Grafton campus lost power for two days, but the Medford/Somerville campus only experienced minor electricity loss and a number of fallen tree limbs.
There was increased attention to pedestrian safety on and around campus after a student was struck by a car and hospitalized on Nov. 8 at the intersection of Powderhouse Boulevard and Packard Avenue. The City of Somerville, with input from Tufts Public Safety, responded to the accident by placing a speed radar sign, pedestrian crossing signs and a new LED traffic light at the intersection. The incident was the most recent of several pedestrian accidents at the intersection over the past several years.
Policy revisions
The university this summer revised the Sexual Misconduct Adjudication Process and created a new Sexual Misconduct Policy. The new policy uses gender-neutral and sexual orientation-neutral language and includes definitions of stalking, relationship violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault.
The Department of Public and Environmental Safety updated its disaster preparedness guidelines, creating protocols for dealing with hurricanes, extreme heat and winter storms. The new guidelines devote an entire section to power outages, rather than counting them with other natural disasters.
The university enacted its new Policy to Protect Children and Prevent Abuse, which codifies the university's response to suspected child abuse. The policy will ensure compliance with Massachusetts regulations by routing abuse reports through the Tufts University Police Department and by having student volunteers sign a policy form before working with children.
Renowned speakers visit the Hill
Mel King, senior lecturer emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former candidate for Boston Mayor, visited the Hill to talk about his experience as a social activist.
As part of the Tufts Lecturtainment Weekend, speechwriter Jon Lovett discussed his time working for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama, as well as his new NBC sitcom "1600 Penn."
Journalist and author of "America's Other Army" Nicholas Kralev delivered a speech at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on the U.S. Foreign Service.
Jared Sexton, director of African American Studies at the University of California, Irvine, delivered the inaugural lecture for Tufts' new Africana studies major and minor housed under the Africana Studies Program.
Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union Anthony Romero visited campus to discuss freedom of speech for the 16th Richard E. Snyder President's Lecture.
United Nations Special Rapporteur Olivier De Schutter spoke on food security and global hunger.
Author of "Fast Food Nation" Eric Schlosser came to the Hill to speak on the mistreatment of laborers in the food industry as a part of Tufts Hillel's Moral Voices Merrin Distinguished Lecture Series.
