News

Local

Somerville City Council passes resolution supporting Tufts full-time lecturers in contract negotiations

By Varya Karpinskaya | February 28

The Somerville City Council passed a resolution in support of a contract for Tufts full-time lecturers in a meeting on Feb. 13. The resolution was sponsored by City Councilor at-Large Willie Burnley Jr., who also participated in the union’s walkout in January. Two full-time lecturers were invited to speak at the meeting, where council members expressed overwhelming support for Tufts FTLs.

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Local

Pedestrian deaths raise concerns about Medford road safety

By Julian Glickman | February 27

Concerns are growing over pedestrian safety among Medford residents and elected officials after two elderly men were fatally struck by vehicles in recent months.

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University

Tufts Community Grants to award $105,000 to local nonprofits

By Alexandra Tse | February 27

Tufts Community Grants, which provides funding to nonprofit organizations, opened its annual grant application program, which will be available until Friday.

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University

TCU Senate reportedly spent $300,000 in supplementary club funding to date

By Spenser Walsh | February 26

The Tufts Community Union Senate met with the Tufts University Social Collective to brainstorm project ideas and discuss club supplementary funding during their Sunday meeting. When the final request was adjudicated, junior Dhruv Sampat, senator and TCU treasurer, reported the Senate had allocated $300,000 in supplementary funds to date this semester, compared with $150,000 at the same time last semester, making this semester’s treasury spending the highest in its 50-year history.

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University

Federalist Society panel explores the global rise of the right

By Eli Brigham | February 26

The Tufts Federalist Society and the Onero Institute recently hosted a panel to discuss the rise of the far right, both domestically and abroad. The panel featured Professor David Art, chair of the Department of Political Science, as well asappellate attorney and policy writer Dennis Saffran. 

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News

Recent Daily alumnae embark on journalism journeys

By Josué Pérez | February 25

Chloe Courtney Bohl (LA’24), Julia Shannon-Grillo (LA’24) and Summer Maxwell (LA’24) joined The Tufts Daily at different points in their undergraduate years, with different goals and on different sections of the paper. Their work on the Daily led them toward career paths that aligned with one overarching passion: journalism.

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News

Where you read it first: A look back at the Daily’s breaking news

By Dylan Fee | February 25

On Feb. 25, 1980, the first issue of The Tufts Daily was released. At the top of its front page, in typewriter ink, is the very first news headline: “Tuition Protest.” The article covered a protest attended by hundreds of students over a $1,226 hike in tuition, mirroring the challenges students continue to face today. 

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University

Federal judge hears arguments on NIH lawsuit, decision yet to be made

By Matthew Sage and Josué Pérez | February 24

On Friday, the federal judge overseeing the lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health — filed by 13 Americanuniversities including Tufts — extended the block on the agency’s attempt to reduce funding for indirect medical research during the case’s first hearing. The extension allows the judge more time to make a final decision on the case.

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Local

Green Line collision at East Somerville station hospitalizes 5

By Grayton Goldsmith | February 24

In the early hours of Feb. 9, an MBTA Green Line train struck another train at the East Somerville station, hospitalizing five.

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University

Tufts reacts to new NCAA policy on transgender athletes

By Zach Halverstam | February 21

The National Collegiate Athletic Association issued a new policy banning people assigned male at birth from competing on women’s athletics teams, regardless of gender identity. Athletes assigned female at birth may still compete on women’s teams, so long as they are not on hormone therapy. Participation in team practices will be largely unaffected.

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Local

Copper Mill Development hears community feedback on Elm and Grove Street development

By Zoe Herrmann | February 21

Copper Mill Development hosted an open meeting at Somerville Community Baptist Church on Feb. 12 to discuss plans to develop their Elm and Grove Street property to include retail and residential apartments. This was the fifth event Copper Mill has hosted seeking community feedback.

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University

Tufts researchers ‘on edge’ in midst of threats to federal funding

By Shayna Levy | February 20

Tufts researchers are expressing concern over President Donald Trump’s attempt to halt federal research grants and the National Institutes of Health’s announcement to cap funding for indirect research costs at 15% — though temporarily blocked by a federal judge — in early February.

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Local

Somerville’s Willie Burnley Jr. joins mayoral race

By Grayton Goldsmith | February 20

Sitting Somerville City Councilor-at-Large Willie Burnley Jr. announced on Feb. 2 his candidacy for mayor of Somerville, joining fellow Councilor Jake Wilson and two-term incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne in the mayoral race. Burnley emphasized his background as a community organizer as well as his legislative record on the City Council when discussing his decision to run for mayor.

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University

Tufts students participate in 50501 protest at Mass. State House

By Shayna Levy | February 20

Earlier this month, Tufts students joined hundreds of local Massachusetts residents in a “50501” protest against the latest actions of the administration of President Donald Trump. Born on social media, the 50501 movement encompasses the simultaneous occurrence of 50 protests in 50 states on a single day.

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News

Medford considers ordinance protecting gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare

By Hannah Rajalingam | February 19

The Medford City Council Public Health and Community Safety Committee is reviewing an ordinance “securing the rights of individuals seeking gender-affirming care” in the city. The committee discussed the ordinance draft during a Feb. 4 meeting, voting to keep the draft in committee considering the lack of urgency on the state level and until it can undergo legal review. The legal review for the draft will be done by KP Law and will be completed later in the week.

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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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