In an email to the Tufts community on Jan. 28,University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan announced adjustments to five campus COVID-19 policies, effective Feb. 1. These changes are due to updated data and public health guidance on the coronavirus since Tufts first tightened restrictions in December.
More than 34,800 students applied to the Tufts undergraduate Class of 2026, marking a record-high number of applicants and a nearly 12% increase from last year, according to a Jan. 18 press release from the university. The applicant pool is also the most diverse in Tufts' history.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has begun testing trains along the Green Line Extension (GLX), which was originally stated to open by the end of 2021 and is now scheduled to open in summer 2022. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, along with Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and former Mayor Joe Curtatone, rode a part of the GLX on Dec. 30, 2021, reflecting the Somerville community's anticipation of the project's completion.
Tufts Dining announced new guidelines for dining halls and retail food services for the spring semester in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases on and off campus. Most notably, all dining venues have moved to offering grab-and-go only, which is expected to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
The city of Somerville, one of Tufts’ host communities, was recently recognized as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The Carbon Disclosure Project, a nonprofit, ranked Somerville as just one of 95 cities around the globe working transparently to stave off the effects of climate change in 2021.
Three university alumni are working to convert a 4,000-square-foot home in Roxbury into a tech training hub for young minority women and nonbinary people. The 122-year-old house on Hutchings Street, set to open this year following a multimillion-dollar renovation, will house 18–25-year-olds looking to gain experience in and build careers in STEM-related fields.
The University Chaplaincyhosted Rev. Carrington Moore ina virtual lunchtime event on Jan. 21 ahead of its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration planned for Jan. 26. Moore offered his thoughts on King’s life as an activist and preacher and discussed his 1962 sermon “A Knock at Midnight.” Using the sermon as a foundation for discussion, Moore, members of the University Chaplaincy and event attendees discussed the power of community and the necessity for hope and faith in the face of injustice.
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate held internal elections for an open position on the Allocations Board (ALBO) and heard updates on a potential meal swipe donation program in a virtual meeting on Sunday night.
While Tufts students were away over the break, local officials were enacting new policies — and reintroducing old ones — to govern vaccination proof and mask use in public settings.
More than 10 public school districts in the Greater Boston area, including Somerville Public Schools, either called snow days or had delayed openings during the week of Jan. 3 in order to catch up on COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution.
Espresso Pizza, the Boston Ave. restaurant popular among Tufts students, announced in a Dec. 21 Facebook post that it was permanently closing its doors after over 40 years in business.In an earlier post from Dec. 17, Patty More, the owner of Espresso,wrote that she was retiring.
The Somerville Board of Healthsuspended a virtual public meeting Fridayafter dozens of protestors interrupted deliberations and prevented a vote on an order that would have required individuals 12 and older to show proof of vaccination before entering select indoor spaces in the city starting Monday.
Tufts updated its masking and testing guidelines for the spring semester in an email sent to the Tufts community on Jan. 2. The email announced that cloth masks are no longer permitted on Tufts’ campuses.
Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne was inaugurated on Jan. 3 during a virtual ceremony and subsequently released her agenda for her first 100 days in office on Jan. 12. The reception that typically follows a mayoral inauguration was postponed to the spring, when a civic celebration will be held.
Classes will be conducted virtually through Friday, Jan. 24 for students in the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and The Fletcher School.
In an email to the Tufts community on Sunday, Jan. 2, Provost and interim Senior Vice President Caroline Attardo Genco, University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan and Executive Vice President Mike Howard confirmed an in-person start to the spring semester and announced new public health guidelines the university will implement in response to the current steep increase in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts and the United States. These protocols include an increase in testing frequency, a return to individual PCR testing and a shift to grab-and-go dining only.
In an email to the Tufts community on Thursday, the deans of the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, as well as Dean Nancy Bauer of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Dean of Student Affairs Camille Lizarríbar and University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan announced that all final exams will be conducted virtually effective Friday, Dec. 17 at 9 p.m., and urged students to leave campus for their winter break destinations as soon as possible.
University President Anthony Monaco announced in February that Tufts would prohibit direct investments in 120 coal and tar sands companies. In addition, the university committed to investing between $10 to 25 million in positive impact funds, which seek to make a positive environmental impact in addition to generating a return on investment over the next five years. These efforts to advance sustainability come after demands from student groups, faculty and a Responsible Investment Advisory Group (RIAG) to divest from fossil fuels. This semester, the Tufts Investment Office has continued to pursue these goals, publishing a website and dashboard with updates on their progress and explanations of how the endowment functions.
A study by Tisch College’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) examined how teens below the voting age engage with social media in ways that encourage political engagement and activism. The survey, conducted from September to November of 2020 and published in October of 2021, found that teens who engage in media creation about social and political issues feel politically informed and empowered to engage in political conversations.
Tufts reported 463 cases of COVID-19 across campuses this semester, or approximately 33 per week, according to Patrick Collins, Tufts executive director of media relations. This represents a 12.6% decrease in the number of cases compared to last spring, when the university reported 530 cases.
