Picture this: It is 9 p.m. on a Tuesday, and a room on campus is packed with Greek life members, Japanese Culture Club representatives, Tufts Wilderness Pre-Orientation leaders and student athletes from a Spanish class. What could have drawn them all together?
Tufts is pretty unique — in all facets of the school. Ranging from the distinct and quirky clubs and organizations Tufts offers, such as Tufts Dance Collective and Alpha Tau Omega, to the eclectic style choices students rock in the Tisch Library basement, Tufts stands out as a university.
The dusty record player, struggling through a faded song, was almost entirely drowned out by the sounds of the marketplace outside. Bins of pins, coins and assorted Soviet paraphernalia dotted the floor, and the shelves along the walls were crowded with ceramic figures: a village boy dancing with a girl, a stout bear, an old woman with a scarlet headscarf. In the center of the second room stood a metal stand — designed to rotate, but rusted stiff — stuffed with postcards.
When senior Vanessa John toured Tufts in the spring of her last year of high school, she was met with the very beginnings of the university’s newest affinity space: the Indigenous Center. The center, which had been approved in fall 2021 and opened during spring 2022, promised to be a welcoming, open space for both Indigenous students and anyone else who wanted to learn about Indigeneity. However, back then, the center still had a long way to go.
Dozens of Tufts student organizations volunteer directly with children in nearby communities acting as mentors. While these clubs receive support directly through Tufts’ Leonard Carmichael Society, many are also connected to larger national non-profits which run programs all over the country. Due to funding cuts and philanthropic changes, these organizations are struggling to stay afloat leaving Medford and Somerville children lacking vital services and harming the valuable mentor-mentee relationships.
Michael Jordan. Mario Lemieux. Tom Brady. All greats of their respective sports. All retired, reversed their decision and then came back to dominate. Now, I’m not saying that I am the Michael Jordan of student food reviewers (or maybe I am?). But, in any case, my mini-retirement, which has left you all in a world without Boston-area dining suggestions for over nine months — elongated by summer break and multiple trips home — has concluded. I’m back, munching better than ever.
Psychology at Tufts has long been defined not just by its research and teaching but by the people who bring the discipline to life. The recent passing of former department chair and beloved professor Sam Sommers marked a turning point, prompting both reflection and structural change within the department he helped shape.
No pre-law major? No problem! Tufts students heading to law school often mix disciplines, studying everything from English to economics. Along with the support of one-on-one advising and legal internships, Jumbos have the unique ability to build a legal foundation that is as diverse as it is rigorous.
“Being a performative man just means being a man of the century.”
I was recently detained at the border between the U.S. and Canada. My friends and I decided that it would be fun to spend some time in Montreal before the school year got too tough. Unfortunately, to our dismay, the school year got tough before classes started.
As debates swirl around colleges and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora cut through the noise, giving students the tools to see how race and power continue to shape the world today. Through research, schoolwide initiatives and teaching, the department equips students to untangle complex histories and social realities. Sarah Fong, assistant professor of studies in race, colonialism and diaspora embodies this mission, giving students both the tools to think critically and the language to speak with clarity.
For the entirety of the fall semester, I will be tucked away in the (surprisingly temperate) mountains of Kazakhstan, learning Russian in the nation’s cultural capital: Almaty. In Kazakh, Almaty means “full of apples,” a fitting name for an area that first contained the distant ancestor of the modern apple. Long before “The Big Apple” in New York, there were many big apples in Central Asia, and, during the course of my time here, I’m hoping to cut right to the city’s core and share whatever sweet fruit I find along the way. Every two weeks, I will publish juicy vignettes about life in Almaty — some may connect, and some may not…
Many students have at least heard of Professor David Denby, if not taken a course with him during their years at Tufts. Known for his enthusiastic and engaging teaching style and contagious passion for the field, Denby has been a cornerstone of the Tufts philosophy department since 1996.
Nearly one in every ten women suffers from endometriosis, a chronic disease associated with extreme pain especially during menstruation, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and urination. Despite its widespread impact on women throughout the world, endometriosis has been severely understudied and the causes and mechanisms underlying this disease remain poorly understood.
While it may seem like they just arrived on the Hill, the Tufts Class of 2026 are now embarking on their final year of undergraduate studies, a year defined by both fun senior events, stressful applications and straggling course requirements.
Welcome all to another year of A Jumbo’s Journey! This is all very exciting, but also very strange. Three years of using the Daily as a platform to yap and rant about anything that crosses my mind is definitely not what I foresaw my college experience to be.
If you ask Malia Brandt her first impression of her roommate, Jove Gorsline, her response is simple: “We vibed.” Ray Feinleib thought Richard Diamond was jacked. For Anita Raj and Sara Francis, a mutual love of fantasy novels sealed the deal. Carlos Pulido thought, “Wait, I could be friends with this guy,” about his roommate Max Foley. All of these graduating seniors have been college roommates from orientation week to commencement.
Wow. This is crazy. The semester is already coming to an end. Or, I guess we still have to survive finals. It’s definitely been a semester. To be honest, it’s definitely been a YEAR.
A multimedia installation starring leafcutter ant patterns.Chinese Mexican identity explored through early 20th-century printmaking. These are just a couple of projects that students are pursuing as they finish the SMFA Combined Degree program, where students spend five years earning two degrees simultaneously:a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Art or Bachelor of Science fromthe School of Arts and Sciences.
Hi everyone! As I write this, it is currently May Morning here in Oxford, the date of a centuries-old tradition dedicated to heralding in the spring. Each year, thousands gather in front of Magdalen Tower to listen to the choir sing hymns to the tune of church bells and chirping birds. For you all, however, it’s Commencement, a day dedicated to heralding in not just this spring but the rest of the seasons of your lives. With change, of course, we must leave things behind. That’s right, it’s time to say goodbye to Tufts — and to this column.
