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University

CPLT stages walkout on National Student Day of Action for Divestment

By Matthew Sage | February 13

In a walkout from classes on Thursday, students assembled in front of the Mayer Campus Center to protest Israel’s continued war in Gaza, which has now taken the lives of over 28,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023. The protest, organized by the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts, coincided with similar demonstrations at other schools in a National Student Day of Action for Divestment.

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University

Class of 2028 first to be admitted post-affirmative action

By Amaani Jetley | February 9

In the school’s first round of admissions since the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action, admissions officers lack access to any part of applicants’ racial background, leaving the Class of 2028’s racial makeup, for now, ambiguous.

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Local

Oldest men’s prison in Mass. to permanently close

By Summer Maxwell | February 8

The Massachusetts Department of Correction announced on Jan. 24 its plans to close the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord, a medium-security men’s prison, by summer 2024, falling in line with Gov. Maura Healey’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget recommendation.

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University

Fostering collaboration and understanding, TCU Senate hosts leadership lunch

By Alexandra Huenlein | February 8

Club leaders from media, programming and performance groups met with Tufts Community Union Senate leaders in the Alumnae Lounge on Friday for a shared lunch, part of a five-part series where the TCU Senate invites different club presidents to lunch. These meetings were coordinated to discuss problems these clubs face and to foster a stronger connection between TCU Senate leaders and student organizations. 

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Local

City of Somerville opens first seasonal ‘warming center’ for unhoused residents

By Grayton Goldsmith | February 7

The City of Somerville has created an overnight warming center for unhoused residents that will stay open for the winter season. Located at The Armory at 191 Highland Ave., the new center is a partnership with two local nonprofits: Housing Families and the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

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Local

Somerville residents critique new plans for Davis Square

By Almer Yu | February 7

Community members gathered at the Somerville Public Library West Branch on Jan. 29 to critique an updated commercial area plan for Davis Square. Somerville city planners shared their progress on their plan to redesign Davis Square’s commercial core, then opened the floor to  local residents for feedback.

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Local

Somerville becomes first Mass. city to call for Gaza ceasefire

By Anna Fattaey | February 6

In late January, Somerville became the first city in Massachusetts to pass a resolution calling for an enduring ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution, which was brought forth by City Council President Ben Ewen-Campen, was passed in a 9–2 vote after close to three hours of testimony and deliberation on Jan. 25.

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University

TCU Senate deliberates on student retreats, hosts Dean Lizarríbar

By Michael Onysko | February 6

The Tufts Community Union Senate heard and denied the Singaporean Indonesian Malaysian Students Association’s request to fund an additional off-campus retreat on Sunday, and heard from Dean of Students Camille Lizarríbar on her plans to promote “restorative justice” on campus in order to “build community” and “strengthen relationships among students.”

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University

Africana Center, Chaplaincy awards students with Voices of MLK Award

By Michael Onysko | February 5

The university held its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in the Joyce Cummings Center on Jan. 31, featuring keynote speaker Christian Walkes, who studies race and inequality within the U.S. education system as a PhD student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The event centered around the theme of a “single garment of destiny,” a concept first described by King in his 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” highlighting the shared nature of the future.

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University

Tufts launches Jumbo Spring Break civic engagement program

By Dhruvii Mehta | February 1

In March, students will have the opportunity to dedicate their spring breaks to civic engagement through a new program, Jumbo Spring Break, which was collaboratively designed over the last semester by the Dean of Students Office, Tufts Community Union Senate, Tisch College of Civic Life, Career Center and the Chaplaincy.

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News

Mass. House passes bill granting paid time off to workers on Election Day

By Samantha Eng | February 1

The Massachusetts House passed Bill H.4217, which protects employees’ right to paid time off in order to be able to vote. The bill is currently under consideration by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. This bill would allow any employee to request paid time off on Election Day to exercise their right to vote in person with the condition that they give employers three business days’ notice.

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University

Earth Hacks’ co-founder champions environmental hackathons

By Lang Law | February 1

Sanjana Paul, the co-founder and executive director of Earth Hacks, explored the philosophy of her nonprofit’s mission to make hackathons more environmentally conscious on Jan. 25. The event, titled “Hacking the Climate Crisis: Environmental Hackathons as a Vehicle for Justice-Centric Climate Action,” was part of the environmental studies department’s ongoing Hoch Cunningham lecture series.

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University

Coalition for Palestinian Liberation holds ‘emergency protest for Palestine’

By Matthew Sage | January 30

More than 50 students gathered by the Mayer Campus Center’s lower patio and later marched through campus in an “emergency protest for Palestine” on Friday, organized by the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts. The group’s first protest of 2024 follows a semester marked by activism over the Israel-Hamas war.

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University

Hemispheres journal launches its magazine counterpart

By Rebecca Barrie | January 30

Hemispheres: The Tufts University Journal of International Affairs, the country’s oldest undergraduate international relations journal, officially launched its magazine counterpart on Jan. 24.

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University

Family member of Israeli hostages speaks at Tufts Hillel

By Matthew Sage | January 26

Maya Roman — the family member of two women kidnapped by the U.S.-labeled terrorist organization Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 — spoke in front of over 120 students at Tufts Hillel on Wednesday. At the Hillel-branded “Critical Conversations” event, Roman spoke about her experience and subsequent activism to earn the release of Israeli hostages — including one of her family members still held captive.

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University

Beelzebubs perform at White House holiday event

By Carly Cohen | January 24

The Tufts Beelzebubs performed at the annual holiday open house at the White House on Dec. 9, 2023. The a cappella group got a phone call two weeks before the performance and canceled a show they had planned for that day to fly to Washington, D.C., group members said.  

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University

UMass Boston prof. presents healing circles to support Black mental health

By Arvind Pillai | January 22

The Tufts University School of Medicine hosted the latest addition to its Global Health Seminar series on Wednesday, which focused on the emergence of African-centered healing circles to address long-standing effects of anti-Blackness in the U.S. Entitled “A People’s Mental Health Movement: Sawubona and the Rise of Healing Circles,” the event primarily featured Dr. Evan Auguste, assistant professor of psychology at UMass Boston, discussing his role in co-developing, leading and scaling community healing circles.

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University

Kumar publicly addresses campus climate, student activism

By Matthew Sage | January 19

For the first time since November, University President Sunil Kumar publicly addressed the Israel-Hamas war in relation to university activism in a video message emailed to the wider Tufts community on Tuesday.

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Local

Mayor Wu gives second State of the City address

By Sarah Firth | January 17

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered her second annual State of the City address at the MGM Music Hall on Jan. 9, introducing new plans for housing developments and access to public education.

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Local

Somerville residents speak up for outdoor development

By Shannon Murphy | January 17

Representatives from the City of Somerville gathered feedback from community members at two public meetings earlier this month in order to update the city’s conservation and recreational development goals for the next seven years.

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