The brothers of Tufts Delta Tau Delta (DTD) fraternity will participate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societys (LLS) annual Light The Night Walk tomorrow at the Boston Common.
Professor Emerita Jane Desforges, formerly of the Tufts University School of Medicine, passed away at Lawrence Memorial Hospital on Sept. 7 at the age of 91.
Malalai Joya, Afghan activist and former member of the Afghan National Assembly, gave a presentation entitled Prospects for Afghan Women and Non-Intervention in My Country in Barnum Hall yesterday.
The last day to add or drop a class for students has just passed, but there are some on campus who are not anxious about their distribution requirements, upcoming midterms or large lecture classes. These particular students arent in their late teens or early 20s they are senior citizens, taking part in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Tufts.OLLI Program Director David Fechtor said that although there are about 360 members involved in the program this fall, the OLLI has seen about 70 new members this term.Co-founded in 2000 by the Tufts Alumni Association and the School of Arts and Sciences as the Tufts Institute for Learning in Retirement, the Osher program was initially offered only to Tufts and Jackson graduates living in the area. At the core of the program was the idea that learning is a lifelong process that does not necessarily have to involve tests and quizzes; the students coming to classes were interested in participating just for the sake of learning.[The Osher program] is an opportunity [for its participants] to stay involved with the school and keep pursuing their academic interests in a social environment without any of the pressure of tests and grades and things like that, Fechtor said.In 2003, the program opened its doors to all senior citizens in the community, to those in retirement and to those approaching retirement. The program name changed in 2005 in recognition of a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation.Fechtor explained that the program is split up into four seasonal terms, including eight-week fall and spring terms, a four-week winter term and a two-week summer term. Between 15 and 35 courses are offered, ranging from Rock and Roll and American Society, to Women in Politics, to Stem Cells: Promises and Pitfalls.Ken Fettig, who leads study groups through the program, helped found the OLLI after getting inspired by a friends involvement in a similar program at Boston College.[In the past] the only mail [that alumni would get from Tufts] was appeals for money, he said.Fettig hopes that with the creation of this program, alumni would get something new in the mail and choose to get involved.On the other hand, only about 15 percent of Oshers students are Tufts graduates, Fechtor noted.[Non-Tufts graduates] now feel themselves part of the Tufts family, he said.Going back to school is something that OLLI student Jane Eckert (J 65) never thought she would do. But the program immediately piqued her interest when she heard about it.Its an opportunity to learn things you never studied in college because you couldnt take those tests well, Eckert said.First-year Osher student Clarice McDonald agreed with Eckert.Its a fun way of learning something new, McDonald said.Although there are no tests, the students are assigned homework, such as reading or researching a topic to share with the class. The homework has not been a deterrent to participation in the program.Unlike a college or graduate school program, in which some people sign up for courses out of genuine interest and some because they need to fulfill graduation requirements or distribution requirements, this is a self selecting group, Fechtor said. The people who sign up for these classes do so because they want to, not because they have to, and they all feel pretty committed to them. In fact, the students are so committed that they come back year after year. Catherine Symonds, for example, is currently participating in her third year in the program. She told the Daily how impressed she has been with her peers.Oh the intelligence! she said. [Its not unlikely that] youll be sitting beside a CEO in class.Classes, which are held Monday through Friday on campus, meet in classrooms in the Mayer Campus Center and elsewhere, as well as on Wednesdays at Brookhaven at Lexington, a retirement community about 15 minutes from campus. The program is funded through a $50 membership fee, and courses can cost around $250 for up to 16 sessions.At the base of the program is the concept of peer teaching. Fechtor explained that the role of a study group leader, such as Fettig, is unlike that of a traditional teacher.You dont have to be an expert in an area [to be a group leader], Fechtor said. You just have to be enthusiastic and interested in the subject, interested enough so that youll be willing to spend some time researching it and then share what youve learned with your fellow members and moderate discussions about it. No one stands up there and lectures for two hours that would be boring.The classes are supplemented with sessions led by Tufts graduate students, known as Tufts Scholars, according to Fechtor.[Tufts Scholars] bring younger perspectives and some vitality to the program, he said.This year, the Osher program saw great changes and growth due to Fechtors promotional work.In the past, we relied mostly on word-of-mouth from existing members and a mailing list from the alumni association, which let us know which grads lived in the greater Medford/Somerville area and greater Lexington area, he said.For the first time, Fechtor advertised in local newspapers and expanded the mailing list to people who fit certain criteria for instance, college-educated individuals within the right age range living in certain towns.People were coming out of the woodwork saying, I had no idea a program as exciting as this one even existed. How do I participate? he said.Another step that Fechtor took in publicizing the program was the creation of the Free Thinkers series, in which four speakers gave lectures to members of the program, free of additional charge.12
Tufts Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) will host a rally in celebration of National Coming Out Day this Wednesday at noon on the lower patio of the Mayer Campus Center.
The federal government may be locked in standstill, but Boston politics press on. The mayoral election on Nov. 5 will determine the successor of long-serving Boston mayor Thomas Menino. After the Sept. 24 preliminary election, the choices have been narrowed down to City Councilor John R. Connolly and State Rep. Martin J. Walsh , who received 18 percent of votes to Connollys 17 percent. The two advance over 10 other candidates.Serving as mayor of Boston since 1993, Menino made the decision not to run for an unprecedented sixth term in 2013 due to personal health problems. Described by the New York Times as a workhorse, Menino is Bostons longest serving mayor and has met around 50 percent of Boston residents, according to a 2013 poll. Thomas Menino was the only non-Irish American candidate to be elected since 1930, but Walsh and Connollys success in the primary guarantees that Boston will again have a male Irish-American mayor.This has to be regarded by many as a disappointment, Paul Watanabe, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts Boston told the New York Times. The new Boston is based on the fact that this has become a majority-minority city.After receiving a high approval rating for many of his terms, demonstrated by an 82 percent approval rating in July 2012, Meninos decision has opened the door for a wide range of mayoral candidates. Elimination Process The 12 original candidates consisted of five black candidates, a Latino candidate and six white candidates. One of the 12 was a woman. This diversity in choice of candidates represented the diversity of Boston residents, where 53 percent are members of a minority group. The candidates covered a variety of issues, including jobs, education and the economy.Despite some citizens hopes that the election would bring a landmark win in diversity for African-American candidate Charlotte Golar Richie , who came in third behind Walsh and Connolly, the primary resulted in two white, male, Irish-American candidates in their 40s as the main competitors. Connolly Connolly, who grew up in Roslindale and was endorsed by the Boston Herald, is a member of Boston City Council, a former teacher and Boston Public School parent, according to his campaign website. His campaign has focused on education.He is running for Mayor to transform our public schools, to bring a more inclusive, open culture to City Hall, and to usher in a new era of innovation across the City of Boston that puts us in the lead when it comes to creating safe, healthy and livable neighborhoods, the website said.After obtaining his B.A. in government from Harvard University and then his J.D. from Boston College Law School, Connolly has worked as a teacher in New York City schools and as an attorney with community-based organizations, such as Action for Boston Community Development and the PrideLights Foundation, a South End-based gay rights organization.According to his campaign website, while on the city council he worked to improve the educational experience for children. Specifically, he focused on the dropout rate, the geographical spread of high quality schools and increased face time with teachers.Residents in Boston ranked education as the biggest problem in Boston, according to a MassINC poll conducted in September, which distinguished him from the 11 other candidates, giving him his second-place success in the primary with 17 percent of the vote. Walsh Walsh, who received just over one percentage point more than Connolly, has served as representative of the 13th Suffolk district in the Massachusetts House of Representative since 1997. Walsh received his B.A. in social science from Boston College.In the House, Marty has established himself as a leader on creating and protecting jobs and growing the economy, his campaign website said.Walsh also claims to be a champion of civil rights. Raised by Irish immigrant parents in Dorchester, Walsh has always been surrounded by politics, the labor movement and community engagement work. With his focus on labors and unions, WBUR has labeled him the labor guy.Walsh, now living with partner Lorrie Higgins and their daughter in Dorchester, has been open about his past. At age seven, he was diagnosed with Burkitts lymphoma, a form of childhood cancer, and has made a miraculous recovery. He has also remained open about his past drinking problem: After struggling with alcohol and attending a detox facility in Cape Cod, he had his last drink on April 23, 1995. Two years later, he successfully won a special election for a vacant seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.12
Rob Hopkins, founder of the international Transition Town Movement, spoke last night in Cabot Auditorium on how communities around the country are changing to develop more sustainable and resilient economies and social networks.
Fan the Fire will be hosting its kickoff event this Saturday, teaming up with the Alzheimers Association in honor of football player Corey Burns father, an Alzheimers patient.
Students organized a protest prior to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's presentation at the 17th Richard E. Snyder Presidents Lecture yesterday afternoon.At the groups largest, approximately 20 students chanted and held up banners outside of the Gantcher Center where the lecture ...
Fan the Fire will be hosting its kickoff event this Saturday, teaming up with the Alzheimer's Association in honor of football player Corey Burns' father, an Alzheimer's patient.
The Tufts Parents Giving Program will host its 25th annual Parents and Family Weekend, beginning this Friday and ending on Sunday, featuring student performances, faculty lectures and various activities for parents.
Seventy Tufts students joined the Columbia Pictures film team as extras in the movie Basic Math, filmed on the Medford/Somerville campus this Monday.
Activist and former National Football League (NFL) player Wade Davis spoke last night in Distler Performance Hall about his personal experience as a gay athlete.
Seventy Tufts students joined the Columbia Pictures film team as extras in the movie "Basic Math," filmed on the Medford/Somerville campus this Monday.
This summer Tufts launched a new room reservation system, called Tufts Space and Resource Reservation System, on the Medford/Somerville campus as part of a university-wide update in conjunction with the implementation of Integrated Student Information System (iSIS).
Dean of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Deborah Kochevar was awarded the Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association (LGVMA)s Leadership Award on July 21 for her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the veterinary field.
The 11th annual Community Day at Tufts, an open event co-sponsored by the Office of Community Relations and the cities of Medford and Somerville, yesterday afternoon attracted thousands of local residents to the Academic Quad.
The Tufts University Art Gallery will this week unveil a freestanding mural adjacent to Mayer Campus Center, entitled Summer in New York by graffiti artist Abby Andrews, known as ABBY TC-5.
The university introduced an interface between Trunk and Turnitin.com, an online plagiarism-prevention technology, at the start of the fall semester.
President of the Republic of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves last night delivered a lecture on cyber security, modern transatlantic relations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization .
