News

Local

Baker-Polito administration announces emergency orders to mitigate hospital staffing shortages

By Rebecca Barker | February 4

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. 

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Local

There won't be a vaccine mandate in Somerville, at least for now, health board says

By Ethan M. Steinberg | February 2

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. 

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University

Residential Life releases housing lottery numbers, prioritizes Hyatt residents

By Madeline Mueller | February 2

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.

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University

UEP receives $325,000 from Barr Foundation for racial equity program

By Aditya Acharya | February 2

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. 

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Local

Medford police department to implement body cameras

By Fernando Cervantes Jr. | January 31

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.

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University

Amid return of students to campus, university navigates uncertain on-campus health conditions

By Anton Shenk | January 31

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.

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University

TCU Senate confirms Class of 2024 Prom will take place in April

By Tess Harmon | January 31

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. 

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University

BREAKING: Tufts relaxes COVID-19 restrictions

By Emily Thompson | January 28

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.

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University

Applications to Class of 2026 reach record high, admissions expected to be more competitive

By Ethan M. Steinberg | January 27

More than 34,800 students applied to the Tufts undergraduate Class of 2026, marking a record-high number of applicants and a nearly 12% increase from last year, according to a Jan. 18 press release from the university. The applicant pool is also the most diverse in Tufts' history.

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Local

MBTA begins testing trains on GLX

By Charlotte Chen | January 27

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has begun testing trains along the Green Line Extension (GLX), which was originally stated to open by the end of 2021 and is now scheduled to open in summer 2022. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, along with Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and former Mayor Joe Curtatone, rode a part of the GLX on Dec. 30, 2021, reflecting the Somerville community's anticipation of the project's completion.

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University

Tufts Dining moves to grab-and-go only, single-use containers only

By Elizabeth Zacks | January 27

Tufts Dining announced new guidelines for dining halls and retail food services for the spring semester in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases on and off campus. Most notably, all dining venues have moved to offering grab-and-go only, which is expected to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

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Local

Somerville recognized as one of 95 global climate action leaders

By Ella Kamm | January 25

The city of Somerville, one of Tufts’ host communities, was recently recognized as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The Carbon Disclosure Project, a nonprofit, ranked Somerville as just one of 95 cities around the globe working transparently to stave off the effects of climate change in 2021. 

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University

Tufts alumni develop residential coding program for women and nonbinary people of color

By Amelia Colafati | January 25

Three university alumni are working to convert a 4,000-square-foot home in Roxbury into a tech training hub for young minority women and nonbinary people. The 122-year-old house on Hutchings Street, set to open this year following a multimillion-dollar renovation, will house 18–25-year-olds looking to gain experience in and build careers in STEM-related fields. 

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University

University Chaplaincy hosts Rev. Carrington Moore for virtual event honoring MLK

By Tess Harmon | January 25

The University Chaplaincyhosted Rev. Carrington Moore ina virtual lunchtime event on Jan. 21 ahead of its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration planned for Jan. 26. Moore offered his thoughts on King’s life as an activist and preacher and discussed his 1962 sermon “A Knock at Midnight.” Using the sermon as a foundation for discussion, Moore, members of the University Chaplaincy and event attendees discussed the power of community and the necessity for hope and faith in the face of injustice. 

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University

​​TCU Senate elects new Allocations Board member, discusses Class of 2024 prom

By Tess Harmon | January 25

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate held internal elections for an open position on the Allocations Board (ALBO) and heard updates on a potential meal swipe donation program in a virtual meeting on Sunday night. 

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Local

Here's what you need to know about local mask mandates

By Ethan M. Steinberg | January 21

While Tufts students were away over the break, local officials were enacting new policies — and reintroducing old ones — to govern vaccination proof and mask use in public settings. 

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Local

Mass. public schools call snow days, delay openings in response to omicron variant

By Michael Weiskopf | January 21

More than 10 public school districts in the Greater Boston area, including Somerville Public Schools, either called snow days or had delayed openings during the week of Jan. 3 in order to catch up on COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution.

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Local

Espresso Pizza closes its doors after 45 years of serving Medford

By Olivia Field | January 21

Espresso Pizza, the Boston Ave. restaurant popular among Tufts students, announced in a Dec. 21 Facebook post that it was permanently closing its doors after over 40 years in business.In an earlier post from Dec. 17, Patty More, the owner of Espresso,wrote that she was retiring.

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Local

Protestors slam vaccine mandate, delaying vote at Somerville Board of Health meeting

By Ethan M. Steinberg | January 19

The Somerville Board of Healthsuspended a virtual public meeting Fridayafter dozens of protestors interrupted deliberations and prevented a vote on an order that would have required individuals 12 and older to show proof of vaccination before entering select indoor spaces in the city starting Monday. 

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University

Tufts introduces new masking and testing guidelines amid omicron surge

By Flora Meng | January 19

Tufts updated its masking and testing guidelines for the spring semester in an email sent to the Tufts community on Jan. 2. The email announced that cloth masks are no longer permitted on Tufts’ campuses.

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