Tisch College's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) released its 2022 Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI) data showing the impact of the youth vote on the 2022 electoral races.
A bill proposed last year in the Massachusetts state legislature would enact a five-year moratorium on the design and construction of prisons and jails in Massachusetts. The bill was reported out favorably from the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight on Jan. 24 and is now being considered by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, bringing it one step closer to Governor Charlie Baker's desk.
Approximately 70 members of the Tufts community came together for five hours of discussion, reflection and community service activities as part of the 2022 MLK Day of Community Action on Feb. 5. The event, part of a series of chaplaincy events over the past month reflecting on the legacy and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was made possible through the University Chaplaincy and supported in part by the Arthur Vining Davis Interfaith Civic Studies Grant.
Boston-area schools are seeing some variations in their COVID-19 policies now that thousands of college students have returned for the spring semester. At Tufts and other colleges and universities in the area, academic and social precautions continue to shift as infection rates fall from their latest peak. Most recently, Tufts decreased surveillance frequency from every other day to two times per week for all students, beginning Feb. 7.
A proposal to amend the Massachusetts constitutionto impose a 4% surtax on earnings above $1 million would raise about $1.3 billion in 2023, the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts’ Tisch College said in a nonpartisan report released on Jan. 13. Massachusetts citizens will vote on the amendment on Nov. 8.
The Office of Sustainability continued its "Path to Carbon Neutrality" webinar series with a virtual panel on Jan. 25. The webinar featured commentary and perspectives from Patti Klos, director of dining and business services, and Kelly Shaw, nutrition marketing specialist.
The Tufts Community Union Senate heard supplementary funding requests and announced updates on the Class of 2024 Prom in a Feb. 6 meeting in the Sophia Gordon Hall Multipurpose Room. Following roll call, TCU Treasurer and Class of 2022 Senator Elizabeth Hom introduced six supplementary funding requests.
Tufts Children’s Hospital announced at a Jan. 20 press conference that it would convert its 41 pediatric inpatient beds to adult ICU medical and surgery beds in hopes of increasing adult critical care by 20%.
With the global surge of COVID-19 cases over the past few months, both Tufts and non-Tufts study abroad programs have had to make adjustments to the structure of their programs. Individual students also had to reevaluate their study abroad plans for the spring semester.
COVID-19 cases are finally going down at Tufts following the largest spike since the start of the pandemic. Cases have been cut nearly in half over the past week on the Medford/Somerville campus, falling in line with declining numbers across the county and the state.
State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville recently petitioned Bill H.4208 in a joint committee in the Massachusetts General Court. The bill, one of many recent Tenants’ Opportunity to Purchase Acts, would permit Somerville to create a program where tenants of a property would be given the chance to purchase it jointly before it is put on the market. Uyterhoeven’s petition comes after an earlier version of the bill previously passed through both chambers but was vetoed by Governor Baker.
Tufts alum and emergency room doctor Niki Thran formally announced her candidacy in the Vermont Senate race on Jan. 16.Thran is entering the race to replace Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) who is retiring after eight terms.
The Baker-Polito administration announced a series of emergency orders to address waning hospital care capacity onJan. 14, following a surge of COVID-19 cases statewide. The measures focus on reducing unnecessary emergency room visits andincreasing the flexibility of hospital workers who have been subject to staffing shortages, given the rapid escalation of cases.
Somerville residents and visitors will not have to show proof of vaccination to enter businesses in the city — at least for now — a health panel said late last month.
Tufts sent out lottery numbers to eligible students of all class years on Jan. 21, about one month after first-year students were told they would receive their lottery information. In the intervening weeks, uncertainty abounded among first-years seeking clarity on their housing plans for the coming academic year.
The Barr Foundation awarded Tufts' Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning a two-year grant of $325,000 to fund the department’s new Racial Equity in Policy and Planning program. Beginning in fall 2022, the REPP program will educate and prepare five graduate students per year as they pursue their degree in either of the UEP department’s two master’s programs.
The City of Medford released a statement on Jan. 10 announcing they will begin using body cameras across the police department, beginning tentatively in fall 2022. According to the statement, the city and police department signed a five-year deal with Motorola Solutions, a data communications company, for the cameras to equip Medford's 100-person police department. The contract is reported to have cost $330,000.
As thousands of Tufts students returned to campus for the spring semester, just weeks after COVID-19 case counts broke records nationwide, the university tried to provide clarity regarding COVID-19 conditions on campus. Amid the uncertainty, changing course modalities and hundreds of students starting their semesters in isolation or quarantine, community members have attempted to anticipate and adapt to challenging on-campus conditions.
The Tufts Community Union Senate confirmed that the Class of 2024 Prom will take place in April and heard supplementary funding requests in a virtual meeting on Sunday night.
In an email to the Tufts community on Jan. 28,University Infection Control Health Director Michael Jordan announced adjustments to five campus COVID-19 policies, effective Feb. 1. These changes are due to updated data and public health guidance on the coronavirus since Tufts first tightened restrictions in December.
