Lorgia García Peña, Mellon professor in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora at Tufts University, discussed her new book Translating Blackness on Sept. 22. García Peña read excerpts from the book, followed by a panel discussing the importance ofits findings and arguments.
David Hogg, a gun control activist who survived the 2018 Parkland school shooting, visited Tufts on Sept. 19 in the first installation of this year’s Tisch College Alan and Susan Solomont Distinguished Speaker Series. At the event, Hogg discussed his path to civic engagement, the importance of putting pressure on the government and the steps that young people can take in order to support the gun control movement.
Tufts announced in June that it would begin construction on two new housing properties for upperclassmen on 50 Winthrop St. and 2–4 Capen St. in Medford. In a virtual meeting with the Medford community that month, Tufts also revealed plans to demolish the buildings currently in those lots. The project is set to start construction in fall 2022 and finish in August 2023.
At the beginning of the fall semester, Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center opened a new food line that offers vegan kosher food. The new station increases the availability of food for students with dietary restrictions.
Students and community members staged a protest outside a Central Intelligence Agency recruitment event in Cohen Auditorium on Friday afternoon. The event, which was sponsored by the Tufts Career Center, was not disrupted by the protest.
Residents of Somerville gathered on Sept. 17 for a rally in support of safer streets at Seven Hills Park in Davis Square. The event was held in response to the death of Stephen Conley, a Somerville resident who was fatally struck by a car door while riding his bike on Broadway on Aug. 12.
In late August, the Somerville City Council unanimously passed a home rule petition creating a net-zero fossil fuel emissions policy for new construction projects and major renovations in the city. The policy was introduced by Councilors Ben Ewen-Campen and Lance Davis with support from Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne.
An update to parking permit regulations and parking lot access was announced to the Tufts community in an Aug. 17 email. The email emphasized that all parking lots require a Tufts University permit to park and clarified which students — 3rd and 4th years — are able to purchase these permits. Additionally, cameras have been placed in more lots and parking areas on campus to ensure that these regulations are adhered to.
The Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, chief of environment, energy and open space for the City of Boston, visited Tufts University on Sept. 8 in the first installment of this year’s Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lecture series. White-Hammond joined to discuss the ways that Boston is acting as a Green New Deal city and the importance of centering environmental justice communities in climate work.
On Aug. 17, the Somerville Community Land Trust held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its first property acquisition at 7 Summer St. By maintaining community ownership of the property, the SCLT hopes to increase the availability of affordable housing in Somerville.
Editor’s note: Trent Bunker was a former staff writer at the Daily. He did not contribute to the writing or editing of this article.
Incumbent State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven won the 27th Middlesex District Democratic primary on Sept. 6, defeating opponent Jason Mackey. Uyterhoeven, who is currently running uncontested in the general election, won with 87% of the vote and is on track to continue representing the city of Somerville in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
A maintenance issue caused the basement of the Olin Center to flood last Thursday at approximately 10:30 a.m. The flooding was the result of an error that occurred while a vendor was testing the sprinkler system.
Tisch College's Center for Information and Research on Civic Leadership and Engagement recently released a report detailing actionable recommendations for institutions and communities seeking to promote youth electoral engagement.
Tufts Hillel has hired Rabbi Jonah Winer as the new director of religious life. Winer, a Toronto native, has begun working with students and Hillel staff during his first few weeks on campus.
Eaton Hall is set to undergo a complete renovation, with preliminary work starting in November and construction beginning in 2023. The academic departments that currently operate out of Eaton have already moved to other locations for the remodel, which is set to be completed by the fall of 2024.
Heather Curtis, the Warren S. Woodbridge Professor in Comparative Religions, has been named the newest director of the Center for the Humanities at Tufts. Curtis will be the fourth director since the center’s founding in 2008.
One hundred members of the Class of 2026 moved into their new dorms at The Court at Professors Row last week. Located on the Vouté Tennis Courts that formerly housed the modular COVID-19 isolation units known as The Mods, The Court is a complex of three buildings that will house 150 first-years and nine resident assistants this fall.
Tufts joined 32 other colleges and universities in signing an amicus curiae brief for the Supreme Court of the United States affirming the legality of race-conscious college admissions. The brief, filed by Amherst College on Aug. 1, expresses support for Harvard College and the University of North Carolina in their ongoing legal battle to maintain students’ race as a factor in college admissions decisions.
In anticipation of welcoming students back to campus, Tufts announced its fall 2022 COVID-19 protocols in an email on Aug. 10. According to the email, the updated measures include the end of surveillance testing as well as the removal of a mask mandate. Infected students will also be directed to isolate in their rooms as opposed to the temporary housing on-campus students were asked to isolate in last academic year.
