News

University

Tufts completes various campus renovations ahead of new school year, including improvements to Tisch, campus accessibility

By Zach Halverstam | September 22

The Medford/Somerville campus underwent a significant number of small and midsized renovations in advance of the 2025–26 school year. They go beyond the completed renovation of Blakeley Hall, now part of sophomore housing, and the start of construction on a new upperclassmen residence — both of which have been widely publicized.

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News

TCU Treasury implements new funding rules for student clubs

By Shayna Levy | September 22

The Tufts Community Union Senate voted to implement changes to the Treasury Procedures Manual, the document outlining the TCU Treasury’s rules and procedures, during the first meeting of the school year on Sept. 7.

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University

Private music lessons suspended for fall as director of applied music position remains unfilled

By Anika Parr | September 18

Private music lessons for students have been suspended for fall 2025. Instructors received news of the suspension in July, and students were notified in August. The main reason provided was that the position of director of applied music — responsible for overseeing and organizing the lessons — was left vacant.

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University

Tufts faculty weigh in on new Center for Expanding Viewpoints in Higher Education

By Yasmin Benitez | September 18

Tufts faculty members have voiced differing opinions about the newly announced Center of Expanding Viewpoints in Higher Education, citing concerns over how it will be integrated with their teaching. The announcement of the center came earlier this month from University President Sunil Kumar and has ...

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Local

Ketanji Brown Jackson hosts event at Chevalier Theater

By Carly Hope | September 18

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson spoke at an event at the Chevalier Theater in Medford on Sept. 11. One of the latest stops on her book tour, the venue was full of attendees. 

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News

The Fletcher School launches Graduate Certificate in Business for undergraduates

By Eli Brigham | September 18

The Fletcher School is now offering a graduate certificate in business for juniors and seniors at Tufts. The program is designed to equip students with skills in finance, marketing and supply chain management, among other competencies. It offers a unique opportunity for undergraduates to earn a graduate-level certification while complementing a wide variety of majors. 

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Local

LIVE UPDATES: Incumbent Ballantyne ousted in 2025 Somerville preliminary election

By Anika Parr and Alexandra Tse | September 16

Polls have closed across the City of Somerville as it holds its preliminary election Tuesday. The mayoral, City Councilor At-Large, City Council Ward 7, and Ward 3 School Committee races will be narrowed before the municipal election on November 4. After the preliminary election, the top two candidates will remain in each position pool except for the councilor at-large race, where eight candidates will advance to the general election.

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Local

LIVE UPDATES: Unofficial results are in for 2025 Medford preliminary election

By Evan Vezmar and Julian Glickman | September 16

Polls have closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday as Medford voters will narrow down a large field of at-large City Council candidates from 17–14 tonight as the city decides on the body’s composition for the next two years.

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University

Federal research funding cuts disrupt Tufts labs, student jobs

By Zoe Herrmann | September 16

Continued instability with Tufts’ inflow of federal funds has resulted in cuts to professors’ research, students losing lab assistant positions and administrative difficulties in choosing where to distribute limited finances.

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University

TCU Senate updates attendance policy, interviews trustee representatives

By Hannah Rajalingam | September 16

In their second meeting this semester, the Tufts Community Union Senate completed a number of important administrative tasks, including interviewing candidates for trustee representatives, updating the bylaws in regards to senator attendance and announcing approval for the TCU Senate Tuition ...

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University

Blakeley Hall reopens following renovation offering amenities and community for sophomores

By Amelia Sammons | September 12

Blakeley Hall, previously a dorm for graduate students in The Fletcher School, has reopened for the 2025–26 academic year as a sophomore dorm after a three-year renovation that was completed this summer.

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Local

Residents, officials concerned over sale of 21-acre Medford property to MBTA for bus facility

By Julian Glickman | September 12

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority closed on a 21-acre property at 440 Riverside Ave. in Medford, where it intends to store and maintain buses, frustrating residents and officials who worry about its impact on the neighborhood and a missed opportunity to build a supermarket. Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced on Aug. 25 via Facebook that the MBTA had closed on the property.

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Local

Davis Square Neighborhood Council elects inaugural board

By Alexandra Tse | September 12

Community members in Davis Square elected the inaugural board of directors for the Davis Square Neighborhood Council (DSNC) last month. The nine-member body, according to its website, aims to give the community “a seat at the table” in shaping the neighborhood’s future, with its primary function ...

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University

TCU Senate outlines policy changes and semester goals in first regular meeting of the year

By Shayna Levy | September 10

In its first weekly meeting of the year on Sunday, the TCU Senate introduced a new project list and implemented changes to student organization budgets, including a restriction on their ability to award prize money.

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University

BREAKING: Tufts announces free tuition policy for families earning up to $150,000 annually

By Anika Parr | September 9

Tufts University announced on Tuesday that U.S. undergraduate students from families earning less than $150,000 a year with typical assets will attend tuition-free, beginning in the fall of 2026. The new policy, referred to as the Tufts Tuition Pact, intends to make the university’s commitment to affordability more transparent and accessible.

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University

University announces updates to the Tufts International Travel Policy

By Amelia Sammons | September 8

On June 17, all Tufts faculty, staff and students received an email announcing new changes to the Tufts International Travel Policy, which went into effect July 1. While staff and students have long been required to register all Tufts-related travel in the registry, the new policy now makes registration mandatory for faculty members as well.

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University

Tufts adopts statement of institutional pluralism

By Josué Pérez | September 4

University President Sunil Kumar announced Wednesday afternoon that the university will adopt a position of institutional pluralism after nearly a year of considering a position of institutional neutrality. Tufts’ Institutional Neutrality Working Group made its final recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which affirmed the statement in August.

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Local

Progress stalls on Medford rezoning as city council and the mayor work to negotiate way forward

By Julian Glickman | September 4

The large-scale rezoning of Medford has been indefinitely paused as the city’s contract with Innes Associates, the zoning consultant partnering with the city, expires.

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University

Tufts pilots new faculty Mortgage Assistance Program

By Carly Hope | September 4

This summer, Tufts piloted a Mortgage Assistance Program in an effort to aid faculty in taking out a second mortgage on their home at a low interest rate. The program follows the recommendation of the Faculty Housing Task Force, formed in the spring of 2024 to improve access to pre-existing faculty housing benefits.

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University

TCU Senate wraps up summer planning as senators prepare for upcoming semester

By Shayna Levy | September 2

Over the summer, members of the Tufts Community Union Senate spent time planning for the upcoming semester in various capacities. Members of the Senate’s executive board, composed of the TCU president, vice president, treasurer, parliamentarian, historian and diversity officer, have also brainstormed ways to adjust and improve the Senate for the upcoming semester.

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