President Joe Biden signed a comprehensive, bipartisan infrastructure deal into law on Nov. 15. The law’s $550 billion in new spending will be allocated among the 50 states, with many Massachusetts and Somerville officials hopeful that some funding can be used to ground the McGrath Overpass.
Students studying at Edwin Ginn Library have been increasingly violating Tufts' COVID-19 policies. Director of Ginn Library and Information Technology at the Fletcher School Cyndi Rubino said that eating and not wearing masks in the library puts the community at risk.
A Tufts University graduate student was placed on leave from WMFO, the university's student-run radio station, by administration, for failing to wear a mask, allowing guests into the studio, covering up a security camera and tampering with studio equipment during a Nov. 8 radio show. During their show, the student shared misinformation about COVID-19 and questioned the efficacy of mask-wearing, vaccines and booster shots.
The Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College (TUPIT) recently hosted an event that invited formerly incarcerated members of the Tufts Education Reentry Network (MyTERN) to speak about their experiences in and out of prison. The speakers, who are currently seeking education through MyTERN, discussed questions ranging from the difficulty of reentry to how important education and programs like MyTERN are to facilitate these processes. They are quoted anonymously to respect and protect their privacy.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration has resumed the clearing of the houseless encampment around the intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, also known as "Mass. and Cass," after previously pausing the initiative begun by then-acting Mayor Kim Janey's administration. The stoppage came after courts denied a request by the ACLU to halt the tent removal project. Wu has also appointed officials and made statements addressing her administration's plans for the tent city.
Widespread disparities in compensation and workload exist among undergraduate teaching assistants in the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering. Some undergraduate TAs are compensated through semester-hour units, while others are compensated through pay stipends and still others through hourly pay.
The Tufts Medical Center has implemented a number of drastic procedural changes following an incident of racial bias in 2019 that led to the mistreatment of a Black man who had suffered a stroke. The incident resurfaced in the media recently after the City of Boston reached a $1.3 million settlement with the victim, Al Copeland. Copeland was held at a Boston police station for several hours by law enforcement officials in April 2019 after he suffered a stroke that left him “barely conscious,” while driving on Massachusetts Avenue at night.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities around the United States and the world, certain trends have emerged surrounding infection rates and their link with prevention measures including surveillance testing, masking and vaccine mandates. Experts agree that, especially on college campuses, these measures are essential in curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Najiba Akbar began her position as Tufts University’s Muslim chaplain on Nov. 12. She previously served as the Muslim chaplain at Wellesley College and is currently the Muslim spiritual advisor at Northeastern University. She is a trained personal development coach and was an Islamic studies instructor at the Islamic Center of Boston. Akbar also served as a program co-facilitator for Tufts’ Pathways interfaith dialogue initiative from 2007 to 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in peace and justice studies from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in social work from Boston College.
The Somerville Police Department made its first annual surveillance technology report to the Mayor's Office on Oct. 15,allowing Somerville residents to see exactly what surveillance technology the city's police department is using.
The Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE) at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Lifereleased a new report on college student participation in the 2020 election season.The data indicated that students voted at unprecedented rates, with a 66% turnout rate in 2020 compared to 52% in 2016.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Oct. 22 that the state will soon move forward with plans to build a pedestrian bridge connecting Somerville with the Encore Boston Harbor Casino in Everett. After nearly 20 years of initial planning, construction is set to begin no later than 2024.
A new COVID-19 variant labeled omicron has recently emerged in several countries, including South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong, and contains dozens of mutations from the original alpha variant,leading many scientists to discuss its implications for COVID-19’s future. Although the moment when omicron first started to infect people is not exactly known, infectious disease researcher Kristian Andersen hypothesizes that the variant could have emerged in September or October, indicating that it was initially slow to spread. However, this does not mean that it is less contagious than previous variants; in fact, researchers predict that the mutations associated with omicron may likely increase the virus’s resistance to the vaccine and its rate of infection, according to evolutionary biologist Jesse Bloom. Because of this,researchers are suggesting that people receive a booster shot to strengthen their protection against omicron.
Residents in downhill dorms experienced sporadic bouts without hot water in showers throughout September and October, resulting in confusion about the cause of the hot water shortage and uncertainty regarding when the issue would be fixed. While Tufts Facilities Services concluded that issues regarding access to hot water have since been resolved, some residents have noticed a recent lack of consistent access to hot water.
Tufts University is working toward having 30% of its food be locally sourced by 2030, after meeting its previous goal of 20% locally sourced food by 2020, which was inspired by the Real Food Challenge. On Oct. 28, Tufts Dining hosted a Harvest Dinner featuring produce sourced from New Entry Sustainable Farming Project to advertise that Tufts Dining had reached this goal with 23% of food across on-campus locations being locally sourced in 2020. Tufts is also a part of the New England Food Vision, whose goal is to have New England produce 50% of its own food by 2060.
The Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation has gifted the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts with a $1.5 million endowment to fund the position of its director.
In a change fromlast year’s policy, Tufts allowed students who traveled during Thanksgiving to return to campus in the time between Thanksgiving and winter break. The policy was announced to the Tufts community on Nov. 9 in an email from Dean of Student Affairs Camille Lizarríbar.
This semester, Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services is continuing to offer virtualprograms and workshops, including those created to target pandemic-specific challenges.
Among the 3D printers throughout the room, Vincent Fitzpatrick, a postdoctoral biomedical researcher at Tufts University, holds up a gray unassuming piece of plastic, crisscrossed with a cage-like structure. Hidden beneath a series of support structures that have yet to be removed, he explains, lies a perfect replica of a patient’s bone — assembled from data isolated from a CT scan so that it would have a Cinderella-like fit if surgically implanted.
On Oct. 25, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life announced that Kenann McKenzie, educator and civic leader,will direct the newly created Generous Listening and Dialogue (GLAD) Center. The GLAD Center was established this May andintended to "serve as a hub and educational resource for the Tufts University community to promote authentic dialogue and generous listening across differences."
