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University

$10 million donated to the Friedman School of Nutrition for student scholarships and financial aid

By Amelia Sammons | February 18

The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy received an anonymous donation of $10 million on Jan. 30 for student financial aid. This is the second largest donation since the $20 million gift in 2001 from the Friedman Family Foundation that led to the school’s name change in honor of Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman.

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Local

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition hosts name change clinic in Cambridge

By Anika Parr | February 18

The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition held a drop-in name change clinic on Feb. 11 in collaboration with the City of Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission. This clinic was hosted at the Cambridge Public Library.

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University

Tufts sues National Institutes of Health over executive order endangering federal funding for medical research

By Matthew Sage | February 14

Earlier this week, Tufts University joined a dozen other universities in a lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services over President Donald Trump’s Feb. 7 executive order to restrict federal grants covering the indirect costs of university medical research. The executive order was temporarily blocked on Monday, the day it went into effect, by Massachusetts federal judge Angel Kelley.

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University

Tufts sees record high engineering applicants, slight decline in number of overall applicants

By Zoe Herrmann | February 14

Tufts admissions announced its highest number of applicants to the School of Engineering, a lower number of applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences and a slight decrease in undergraduate applicants in its current admissions cycle for the incoming Class of 2029. Tufts reportedly received over 33,400 applicants this year.

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University

Housing assignments to change for first-years and sophomores this fall

By Michael Onysko | February 13

Tufts Residential Life notified first-years of impending changes to housing assignments for several dorm buildings for the next academic year.Hill Hall will be converted from freshman to sophomore housing while Wren Hall,still containing10-person suites, will house the incoming Class of 2029.

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Local

Medford, Somerville school leaders reaffirm immigration enforcement policies

By Marlee Stout | February 13

Superintendents in both the Medford and Somerville school districts sent messages to students and families in late January reaffirming existing policies on immigration enforcement after President Donald Trump rescinded a federal policy that prevented immigration raids in schools.

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Local

New Boston Avenue dorm approved by Community Development Board, construction to begin this spring

By Julian Glickman | February 13

The Medford Community Development Board approved Tufts’ proposed new dorm at 401 Boston Ave. on Feb. 5, allowing construction to begin this spring. The dorm will be a two-building complex with 299 units, and will house almost 700 upperclassmen when it is scheduled to open in 2027. The board expressed their reluctance to make the decision, recognizing the project’s strong public opposition, but focused the decision on whether existing legal restrictions were enough to deny the proposal.

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University

New Pre-Med CONNECT Program to pilot over spring break

By Carly Hope | February 12

The Tufts Pre-Med CONNECT Program, a one-week immersive program for first-years and sophomores interested in careers in medicine, will pilot over spring break. Students participating in the 5-day program will commute from the Medford Campus to Tufts Medical Center.

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University

Ayanna Thomas appointed next dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

By Michael Onysko | February 11

Ayanna Thomas will serve as the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as announced in an email to the community on Feb.3.Thomas will continue to serve in her current role as rean of research until an internal search for the position is complete, according to Bárbara Brizuela, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

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Local

Medford leaders deliver 2025 State of the City Address

By Julian Glickman and Josué Pérez | February 11

Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn delivered her annual State of the City Address on Feb. 5 in City Hall, covering housing, zoning and transportation issues while reassuring residents about changes to federal policy.School Committee Vice Chair Jenny Graham and City Council President Zac Bears also provided updates from their respective body’s work.

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University

Investigation into lacrosse rhabdo hospitalizations released by administration

By Nicholas Prather | February 7

On Jan. 31, University President Sunil Kumar and Tufts’ Director of Athletics John Morris released a letter to the greater Tufts community. The letter included an executive summary of the independent investigation into a Tufts men’s lacrosse team workout held last fall that led to 24 of the 61 student participants being diagnosed with Exertional Rhabdomyolysis.

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Local

Somerville’s Jake Wilson to challenge Ballantyne in 2025 municipal election

By Grayton Goldsmith | February 7

Sitting Somerville City Councilor-at-Large Jake Wilson announced his intention to run for mayor in the upcoming November election, on Dec. 16, 2024, becoming the first to challenge two-term incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne.

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Local

Medford takes part in the annual Point-in-Time Count to address homelessness

By Varya Karpinskaya | February 7

On Jan. 29, an annual point-in-time (PIT) count of sheltered and unsheltered people took place in the state of Massachusetts. This year the cities of Medford, Everett and Malden came together with Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) to organize the count with the help of volunteers from across the three areas.

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Local

Medford passes Welcoming City Ordinance

By Evan Vezmar | February 6

The Medford City Council passed a Welcoming City Ordinance on Jan. 14 with a 6–1 vote to establish Medford as a sanctuary city for immigrants and to ensure the Medford Police Department continues its policy of non-involvement with federal immigration enforcement.

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Local

Residents and wildlife experts sound alarm for escalated bird deaths in Somerville

By Anika Parr | February 6

Somerville residents and wildlife experts are raising concerns over the high frequency of bird deaths over the past months. Two owls were reported dead in Somerville over a two-week period in December 2024 with necropsies revealing internal bleeding indicative of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning, according to the founder of the nonprofit Save Arlington Wildlife.

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University

TCU to hold special elections for spring semester

By Zach Halverstam | February 6

The Tufts Community Union Senate willhold special elections this week to fill vacant positions for the spring semester of the 2024–25 academic year. Voting will begin at noon today and end at the same time on Saturday.

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Local

Medford to launch landlord incentive program aimed at housing veterans

By Julian Glickman | February 5

The City of Medford is launching a new program to offer participating landlords up to $750 per year for renting to veterans as a result of an ordinance passed by the City Council in January. Veterans will be vetted by the city and then partnered with landlords through Housing Families, a local non-profit that works to ensure housing stability. The city is prohibited from giving money directly to citizens.

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University

TCU Senate introduces resolution to expand language proficiency testing

By Spenser Walsh | February 5

The Tufts Community Union Senate tackled club funding and discussed a resolution calling for the expansion of language offerings during their weekly meeting on Feb. 2. Parliamentarian Kunal Botla introduced the first resolution of the semester: Class of 2028 Senator Jesse Kitumba’s call to expand language proficiency testing options beyond the languages included in the UPenn Language program. 

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Local

Medford School Committee appropriates override funds to new positions, programming

By Josué Pérez | February 3

The Medford School Committee voted unanimously to appropriate $7 million to retain over 14 positions across the school district, fund infrastructure upgrades and reserve funds for a new collective bargaining agreement on Jan. 13. The city’s approval of Proposition 2 ½ override questions 7 and 8 in the November 2024 election, generating $3 million and $4 million, respectively, for Medford schools.

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University

Full-time lecturers rally for higher salaries during 2-day walkout

By Samantha Eng | January 30

Unionized full-time lecturers in the School of Arts and Sciences rallied on Monday and Tuesday during a two day walk-out, following 10 months of negotiations with Tufts administration. The 122 A&S lecturers, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 509, seek salary adjustments to compensate for rising costs of living in the Greater Boston area and increases in student enrollment.  

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