As COVID-19 infection rates start to decline in Massachusetts, Tufts and other Boston-area universities have seen a relaxation of restrictions to academic and social activities.
A group of 20 tenants, organizers and local supporters holding signs reading “Somervillain” and “LaCourt Lies” marched from the Davis Square T stop to the office of Mouhab Rizkallah, owner of LaCourt Realty and The Braces Place in Somerville, on Feb. 3. The protesters, organized by the LaCourt Tenants Union, demanded Rizkallah withdraw his lawsuit against former LaCourt tenant Alona Brosh, whom he has sued for $28,875 of “unpaid rent,” according to a demand letter to LaCourt Realty. Brosh was not present at the protest and did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
In an email to the Tufts community on Jan. 20, the Office of the President announced some of the recommendations that a committee of Tufts administrators and board members, Hillel International andTCC Group, an external consulting firm that implements social impact solutions, proposed after conducting an assessment of the prevalence of antisemitism on Tufts' campus. To address the concerning findings, University President Anthony Monaco shared a number of proposed solutions ranging from further education and bias awareness programs to the creation of a university-wide council of faculty and staff to advise the senior leadership team.
For at least three years, concerned Somerville residents have urged city hall to repair and restore damaged walkways in Davis Square. The walkways, which are primarily made of brick, are rife with missing bricks, potholes and uneven ground.
Morgan Harper (A'05) is running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. The primary for this race is scheduled for May 3, and the general election will be held on Nov. 8.
Following the surge of the omicron variant of COVID-19, Tufts is now conducting exclusively virtual campus tours and information sessions with a planned return to in-person programming on Feb. 14. Despite this setback, admissions officials report that recent applicants have been satisfied with the university's virtual offerings.
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.
