News

Local

Medford residents sue city to block divestment ordinance

By Josh Litvak | February 20

Two Medford residents have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to strike down the city’s newly enacted Values-Aligned Local Investments Ordinance, which requires the city to divest public funds from companies involved in weapons manufacturing, fossil fuels, private prisons and entities accused of human rights violations. The lawsuit sets up a legal and political battle over the limits of municipal authority and the role of local government in international affairs.

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Local

Somerville to decrease budget by $5 million, residents share priorities in community hearing

By Jones Millstone-Rivo and Katherine Kelton | February 19

The Somerville city budget is expected to be reduced by nearly $5 million this year due to a slowing economy and federal funding cuts.

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University

TCU Senate discusses resolution process and hears funding requests

By Shayna Levy | February 18

The Tufts Community Union Senate met on Monday to provide project updates, review the resolution process ahead of numerous resolutions being presented to the Senate and to hear funding appeals from student groups, before ending the meeting early because a quorum of 24 senators was no longer present.

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University

TCU Judiciary recognizes 22 new student organizations

By Will Pinto and Nandeesh Jain | February 18

This semester, the Tufts Community Union Senate Judiciary recognized 22 new student clubs and organizations, granting them access to funding, room reservations and tabling at the club fair.

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Local

Inside Tufts, local responses to historic January snowstorm

By Angela Palma and Jessica Michael | February 17

Medford and Somerville were hit with more than 20 inches of snow in late January, marking the largest snowfall in the area since 2022.

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University

NEW: SMFA professors, university ratify collective bargaining agreement after nearly two years of negotiations

By Julian Glickman | February 13

Professors of the practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts ratified their first collective bargaining agreement with the university on Tuesday, ending nearly two years of tense negotiations.

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University

Tufts Community Grants Program fundraising campaign underway

By Carly Hope | February 13

The Tufts Community Grants program is currently fundraising for its 2026 grants. The fundraising effort, which ends on Feb. 28, is raising money to award grants to nonprofits in Medford and Somerville that are partnered with Tufts volunteers. 

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University

Tufts launches new College Prep 101 program for neurodivergent students

By Estelle Anderson and Zahra Brady | February 13

Tufts is piloting a new pre-college program this summer called College Prep 101 for Neurodivergent Students, designed to help neurodivergent high school students prepare for their transition to college. The program, launched by Tufts University College, will run June 22–26 and is open to students in grades 10 through 12 who are able to commute to Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus.

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University

TCU Senate hosts transparency town hall with senior Tufts administrators

By Shayna Levy | February 12

The Tufts Community Union Senate hosted a Tuition Transparency Town Hall on Tuesday to break down how the university allocates its budget amid rising tuition costs. The event featured several senior university leaders, including Provost and Senior Vice President Caroline Genco, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer ad interim Thomas Malone, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Bárbara Brizuela and Dean of Engineering Kyongbum Lee. Approximately 60 students attended.

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University

Graduate students complete first semester of new AI master’s degree, undergraduate student groups grow

By Eli Brigham | February 12

A group of students in the Tufts Graduate School of Engineering completed their first semester as the inaugural class of the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence. The new program comes as student interest in AI continues to grow, sparking the creation of undergraduate student organizations.

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University

TCU Senate welcomes new senators, considers push to add voting information to syllabi

By Shayna Levy | February 12

The Tufts Community Union Senate welcomed newly elected senators and discussed an effort to include voting information in syllabi, among other issues, in its Sunday meeting.

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University

Center for Expanding Viewpoints hosts Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to discuss war in Gaza, Israeli politics

By Jessica Michael | February 11

Haviv Rettig Gur, a veteran journalist for The Free Press, The Times of Israel and host of the “Ask Haviv Anything” podcast, headlined “The Configuration of the Middle East After the Gaza War” last Wednesday, a conversation hosted by the Tufts Center for Expanding Viewpoints in Higher Education.

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University

Students feel largely unsupported by TCU Senate, want more transparency, survey finds

By Alex Boyle | February 11

A campuswide survey sent by the Tufts Community Union Senate at the end of the fall 2025 semester found that Tufts students generally do not feel supported by the Senate and do not know what it does.

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News

Boston immigration judge terminates Rümeysa Öztürk’s immigration proceedings due to lack of evidence

By Anika Parr and Josué Pérez | February 10

A Boston immigration judge terminated Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s removal proceedings, according to a filing made by Öztürk’s lawyers on Monday. Immigration Judge Roopal Patel found that the Department of Homeland Security had failed to bring forward sufficient grounds for Öztürk’s deportation. 

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University

New financial report shows Tufts University experienced significant increases in research funding

By June Myint | February 10

Tufts University’s research expenses have grown significantly over the last five years despite cuts in federal funding posing serious challenges to research across academia. According to Tufts’ 2025 Annual Financial Report, research expenses increased by $43.3 million, or 24.5%, over the past five years. This growth was accompanied by an $11.7 million, or 4.2%, increase in sponsorship revenue — including grants, contracts and gifts — from the prior fiscal year.

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Local

Medford considers new requirements for vacant buildings

By Carlos Del Cañal Fernández | February 10

The Medford City Council’s Planning and Permitting Committee is reviewing a proposed update to the city’s Vacant Building Ordinance, aiming to reduce long-term commercial vacancies. Sponsors argue that such vacancies harm neighborhood vibrancy and stifle local business activity.

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University

NEW: Government appeals preliminary injunction reinstating Rümeysa Öztürk’s SEVIS record

By Julian Glickman | February 6

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter filed an appeal on Friday on behalf of the federal government of U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper’s preliminary injunction reinstating Rümeysa Öztürk’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record.

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University

New ‘JUMP-IN’ program aims to provide pre-professional programming for first-year students

By Josh Litvak | February 6

Tufts is piloting a new initiative this spring break designed to bridge the gap between undergraduate education and professional careers. The Jumbo Undergraduate Mission for Personal Insight and Navigation program, spearheaded by Elise LaMotte, associate provost for student success, will offer approximately 100 first-year students hands-on experience across four different academic tracks, connecting them directly with the university’s graduate and professional schools.

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Local

Somerville police department continues investigation of recent overdose spike in the city

By Anika Parr | February 6

The City of Somerville saw a recent spike in overdoses, prompting the Somerville Police Department to publish an overdose warning on Jan.19. Five overdoses occurred on the weekend prior to the warning, three of which were fatal.

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University

BREAKING: Department of Education launches investigation into potential Tufts data privacy violation

By Amelia Sammons | February 5

The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation on Thursday into whether Tufts University’s National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement has contributed to the illegal sharing of college student data to influence elections. The Student Privacy Policy Office, which is a part of the Department of Education, says it opened the investigation in response to several allegations that the NSLVE has violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act by sharing data with third parties.

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