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Features

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Columns

Tales from the T: A new station for a new Allston

By Kevin Zhang | October 12

Anyone who’s traveled to the neighborhood of Allston knows how difficult it can be, requiring a trek from the Green Line, a bus ride through traffic or a drive along twisting highways. But a massive new project is promising to change all this by bringing a frequent rail service from South Station, Worcester and Kendall Square to a new West Station in Allston, alongside a brand-new highway and urban neighborhood on former industrial land. What’s the story behind this megaproject? 

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Columns

Spoonfuls: Dakzen

By Sonia Richter | October 8

I had a mixed experience at Dakzen, a Thai street-food restaurant in Davis Square. Still, I’m reluctant to describe it as such. I think it’s important to explore why this is.  

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Features

Let's get crafty at the Crafts Center

By Jillian Collins | October 7

Welcome to the Crafts Center, a maker space on campus where students are given the freedom to create whatever their hearts desire, free of charge. Housed in the basement of the infamous Lewis Hall is a space filled with all the arts and crafts supplies you can imagine. To be honest, it is like a mini Michaels, except better. 

Potty-Talk
Columns

Potty Talk: Toilet philosophers

By David Wingens and Sam Russo | October 6

Philosopher Robert Pirsig famously asked, “What is quality?” Clearly, the Tufts University Department of Philosophy does not care. Its headquarters, Miner Hall, houses two options for bathroom goers — or students tired of hearing about Marxism (kidding, kidding, Tufts students never tire of that). The two spaces offer a study in contrasts.

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Features

SMFA at Tufts: A history of experimentation and collaboration

By Ari Navetta | October 6

A spirit of experimentation permeates the history of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, formerly named School of Drawing and Painting, since its inception in 1876, just 22 years after Tufts enrolled its first class. Collaboration between the schools has embodied this spirit from 1945 through their merging in 2015, offering valuable lessons on the importance of experimentation and adaptability at a critical reflection point in higher education.

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Features

Q&A: Christopher Barbour, Tisch Library's curator of rare books, on making the past accessible

By Chris Duncan | October 5

Christopher Barbour is the curator of rare books at Tisch Library. During his years at Tufts University, he has preserved and considerably expanded the university’s collection of rare books, allowing it a level of care and attention not previously received. Barbour said his work has changed the way that he thinks about the history of books and writing, but more than anything, it has been a tool to connect with others from the past and present. 

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Columns

Tales from the T: MBTA-0001

By Kevin Zhang | October 5

The T, greater Boston’s transit system, is one of the quickest, cheapest ways to get around the city — but it can certainly be confusing for first-time riders. Maybe you’re from the suburbs and are too used to driving everywhere. Or maybe you’re from outside the U.S. and are too used to trains that actually run logically. In any case, here’s a brief, by no means comprehensive, guide on how to use the T. 

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Columns

Blind Luck: Date No. 1

By Emika Brown and Nick Januario | October 4

Welcome to Blind Luck,  your new favorite dose of drama and source of vicarious living. Your scheming hosts, Nick and Em, have turned their attention to all the potential loves and connections on the Tufts campus. Every week, we will set up two people on a blind date from sources of our own notes, our little birdies and YOU. If you have a pairing in mind or just a friend who’s down, send them along to nicholasjanuario@gmail.com. 

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Features

Women of color take center stage in Boston mayoral race

By Saya Ameli Hajebi | October 1

After a long line of uncontested white male mayors for the city of Boston, the first Black mayor and first woman, Kim Janey, was sworn in as mayor of Boston in March 2021. Though Janey will not be mayor next year, the final frontrunners competing for the Nov. 2 seat are two women of color, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George, ready to continue carrying their torch and lead Boston out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Columns

Spoonfuls: Guru the Caterer

By Sonia Richter | October 1

I grew up eating Rhode Island fried seafood dipped in white chowder, my mother’s hearty Russian borscht and my French-Canadian mémère’s meat pie — homey, no-frills food made from unwritten recipes with no want of potatoes. When COVID-19 began, I knew places like our favorite clam shop were just inching by. It was shocking to see more and more windows boarded up with ghosts of help wanted signs scrambling for staff overdue. In Medford and Somerville, places like Hulun Beir in Davis and The Dark Horse Public House in Magoun Square have since closed their doors, shocked by an epidemic which made eating out a newly daunting experience. Spots like these, which lack the campus reputation to keep business flowing, are undoubtedly hit the hardest by such notoriously unprecedented times.

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Features

Layla Noor writes books that don’t exist yet

By Juanita Asapokhai | September 30

A young artist swaps her paintbrush for a keyboard and types her first creative work for an English class assignment.At 13, she publishes a short story on Wattpad, an online writing website that doubles as a digital library for self-published authors and a social media platform. As a high school senior, she takes a creative writing class and writes a poetry book for a final project; by the end of her first year of college, she has written a full-length book. These items stand out on the curriculum vitae of sophomore Layla Noor, who completed the first draft of her debut novel “Eclipsing Binary" last spring. 

Potty-Talk
Columns

Potty Talk: Tisch Library

By David Wingens and Sam Russo | September 29

For the last three semesters, many buildings and facilities on campus have sat either empty or at severely reduced capacity. Scores of Jumbos have never seen Tufts' campus in all its glory, with students milling between classes and avoiding that person whom you haven't spoken to since they shared their deepest secrets with you during “Bridging the Herd.”

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Features

TUSC, OCL discuss changes in social life for 2021–22 school year

By Owen Bonk | September 28

On June 1, Tufts University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan sent out an email describing much-anticipated changes in health guidelines for the fall 2021 semester. Among them were the addition of a vaccination requirement and the removal of outdoor mask mandates and physical distancing protocols. The changes were indicative of the potential for a socially safe semester. Naturally, those working for the Office for Campus Life and Tufts University Social Collective became optimistic about a return to near-normal social life at the university.

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Features

Diverse Minds aims to promote inclusion, education around neurodiversity on campus

By Sam Russo | September 24

Masking is something that most students have been discussing only in the past year and half, but for a smaller group of Tufts students, it’s a term that has been on their mind for nearly their whole lives. For neurodiverse people, masking means trying to hide their disabilities and pass as neurotypical. This is just one of many additional considerations that neurodiverse students at Tufts contend with, from ensuring that they can take tests in the environments given to them to making friends who share their experiences.

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Features

Michael Ullman looks back on 45 years of teaching

By Katie Furey | September 22

Few people know Tufts as well as Michael Ullman, senior lecturer of English and music, who expects to retire soon. Ullman spent much of his childhood exploring the Medford/Somerville campus, as his father started working as a professor of sociology at Tufts in 1946, one year afterUllman was born. To this day, Ullman proudly keeps a plaque of his father’s first Tufts contract on his desk in the Granoff Music Center. 

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