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University

Ayanna Pressley addresses challenges to democracy, Russian violence, SCOTUS at Speaker Series event

By Daniel Vos | February 28

Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts' Seventh Congressional District spoke to the Tufts community about the path to building a multiracial democracy on Feb. 24 as part of Tisch College's Solomont Speaker Series. It was thesecond time in recent years that Pressley has been featured in a Tisch College event, with the first coming just months after she first assumed office in 2019. 

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University

Booster shot requirement goes into effect amid COVID-19 surge

By Madeline Mueller | February 28

Tufts’ COVID-19 booster shot requirement for students, faculty and staff went into effect on Feb. 15. As announced on Dec. 16, 2021, all community members who were eligible to get a booster shot before Jan. 15 are expected to have uploaded proof of their additional vaccination, or documentation of a valid medical or religious accommodation, to the online health portal.

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University

This Week in COVID-19: Case numbers go down following Valentine's Day spike

By Flora Meng and Alex Viveros | February 28

COVID-19 case numbers have shown noticeable signs of improvement after they peaked following Valentine’s Day. The university reported 21 new cases on Thursday and 171 in the week before, which are much lower than the record-breaking spike set in just the last two weeks.

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University

CMHS keeps up with pandemic demand, brings on additional providers

By Ella Kamm | February 25

Amid a nationwide college mental health crisis, Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services reports that students are being scheduled to see counselors in a timely fashion, aided in part by the addition of two counselors from outside provider Mantra Health. 

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University

Tufts Digital Collections and Archives unveils 124 years of student media at Tufts through new collection

By Chloe Courtney Bohl | February 25

Tufts Digital Collections and Archives launched Newspapers @ Tufts, a digital collection of thousands of issues of the Tufts Weekly, the Tufts Observer and the Tufts Daily, in January 2022. The collection documents 124 yearsof university history through the lens of student media.

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University

Daily veteran Robert Kaplan discusses the role of journalism in a community

By Chloe Courtney Bohl | February 25

One of Robert Kaplan’s first assignments for The Tufts Dailywas an article about an invasive beetle that was wreaking havoc upon Somerville’s ash trees in fall 2018. He remembers the story piquing his interest in journalism.

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University

Tufts must take action to increase gender diversity in leadership, report finds

By Alexis Enderle | February 24

Tufts ranked number 50 out of 130 universities in the Eos Foundation's 2022 study, "The Women's Power Gap at Elite Universities: Scaling the Ivory Tower," which measured gender parity among elite university leadership.

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University

CIRCLE analysis finds young women of color are leaders in civic, political engagement

By Elizabeth Zacks | February 24

Young women of color report higher levels of political and civic engagement than their peers, according to a recent analysis of a 2020 web survey by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life's Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). 

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University

Senior Josh Hochberg publishes paper on voter ID laws in USF Law Review

By Rohith Raman | February 24

Senior Josh Hochberg published a paper on voter ID laws in the University of San Francisco Law Review in January and received widespread attention on campus and beyond.

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University

Mods near full capacity, COVID-19-positive students isolate in Homewood Suites hotel

By Flora Meng | February 23

COVID-19 positive Tufts students are being sent to the Homewood Suites hotel in Arlington for isolation as the Mods neared their full capacity last Tuesday. Patrick Collins, Executive Director of Media Relations, revealed how capacity and maintenance issues in the Mods lead Tufts to assign COVID-19 positive students to an alternative isolation location.

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University

Tisch College announces spring 2022 speaker series

By Carl Svahn | February 23

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life announced their spring 2022 Susan and Alan Solomont Distinguished Speaker Series lineup on Feb. 4, featuring U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley, Senator Tim Scott and more slated to give their perspectives on the future of American politics.

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University

TCU Senate hears supplementary funding requests

By Tess Harmon | February 23

The Tufts Community Union Senate heard supplementary funding requests and updates on the theme for the Class of 2024 Prom in a virtual meeting on Monday night. 

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University

Starbucks will open in the Joyce Cummings Center this summer

By Ethan M. Steinberg | February 22

Construction is underway for a new Starbucks location set to open on the first floor of the Joyce Cummings Center as early as this summer, Tufts' Director of Auxiliary Services Jason McClellan confirmed in an email to the Daily. 

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University

Josh Hartman steps down as director of Office of Residential Life and Learning

By Madeline Wilson | February 22

Josh Hartman, senior director of the Office of Residential Life and Learning, will step down from his position on Feb. 25 after nearly four years at Tufts. He will transition into a new role as director of immersive experiences for Hillel International.

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University

This Week in COVID-19: Tufts breaks weekly record case number; students isolate in Homewood Suites

By Flora Meng and Alex Viveros | February 22

Tufts experienced one of its most unpredictable periods of the pandemic last week, as cases soared to record-breaking highs on the Medford/Somerville campus in what can only be attributed to the highly-infectious omicron variant.

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University

‘Leading While Black’ to honor legacy of Black leaders at Tufts

By Ariana Phillips | February 17

Tufts will host “Leading While Black,” a livestreamed event that will highlight and celebrate the contributions of Black leadership at Tufts, on Feb. 19. The event will honor eight Black leaders who had a lasting effect on the university by transforming decision-making, advancing equity and disrupting existing norms.

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Local

COVID-19 increases obstacles for Somerville residents with disabilities

By Aaron Gruen | February 17

As the world enters a second year of the pandemic, immunocompromised people and individuals with disabilities continue to face systemic and social detriments to their health and well-being. While many able-bodied individuals are lowering their risk potentials, people with disabilities often have little choice but to remain vigilant. This is not unfamiliar to residents of Somerville, who have expressed frustration over the difficulties that individuals with disabilities continue to experience even as the pandemic wanes. 

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University

New GSBS application aims to increase equity, inclusivity

By Amelia Colafati | February 17

A committee of faculty, staff and students recently revised the application for Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to make it more equitable and accessible for the 2022 admissions cycle. The committee's work was a project of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences’ Anti-Racist Working Group.

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Local

Uyterhoeven's PILOT reform bill under review in Mass. State House

By Zoe Kava | February 16

Proposed legislation to reform the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program is currently under review in the Massachusetts state legislature by the Joint Committee on Revenue. Bill H.3080, which was filed in February 2021 by State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville, would give municipalities the option to opt into a PILOT payment program requiring property tax-exempt organizations with more than $15 million in property holdings, such as Tufts University, to pay the city or town the equivalent of 25% of what their property tax would be were they not tax exempt.

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University

Margaret Rose Vendryes to become new SMFA dean

By Rohith Raman | February 16

Accomplished artist and longtime educator Margaret Rose Vendryes will become the next dean of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in June, theuniversity announcedlast month. Vendryes was chosen following a months-long search that began after the school's inaugural dean, Nancy Bauer, announced she wasstepping down last May.

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