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Somerville City Council calls for removal of hostile architecture in Davis Square MBTA station

By Michael Weiskopf | April 26

The MBTA, which installed the benches, asserts that the architecture is designed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide easier access to seating for people with mobility challenges. However, the Council’s resolution argues that the benches have had the effect of preventing people — namely the homeless community — from lying down.

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GILD program provides students with international experiences amid pandemic

By Alicia Zou | April 26

The Global Integrated Learning & Design program, an initiative that helps faculty design courses or projects with international and cross-cultural components, has provided students with the opportunity to have virtual study abroad experiences. 

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Adjusted to a virtual format, TUAG sees increased engagement

By Ria Agarwal | April 23

Although Tufts University Art Galleries has seen increasing numbers of virtual program visitation, Deitsch hopes that this trend will continue post-COVID-19. She mentioned that many students do not know there is an art gallery on campus. As a result, developing greater visibility on campus is an ongoing priority for TUAG staff. 

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Students launch Thirst Project chapter to combat global water crisis

By Bella Preneta | April 23

The project's chapter at Tufts has raised $1,666 since February, which is enough to provide 46 people with clean drinking water for life. As part of an effort to solicit donations, the club hosted a minute-long fundraising activity following a screening of a Thirst Project documentary. This "miracle minute," as Nguyen referred to it, raised more than $120. The club also raised funds by hosting a bingo game in March on World Water Day, which is observed annually by the United Nations to raise awareness about the global water crisis.

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Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series features 'Pod Save America' co-host Dan Pfeiffer

By Flora Meng | April 22

Tisch College Dean Alan Solomont opened the discussion by bringing up President Biden's response to the recent Derek Chauvin verdict in the landmark George Floyd case. Pfeiffer also discussed his past work with communications for the Obama administration, which started with his involvement in media initiatives to promote communication with certain groups during his campaign.

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Cummings School Anti-Racism Task Force to release recommendations on diversity and inclusion

By Fernando Cervantes Jr. | April 22

The report will include recommendations to aid the Cummings School in promoting and sustaining anti-racist practices over the long term. The Cummings School’s Anti-Racism Task Force was formed in June 2020 as part of an effort to actively promote anti-racism and diversity in all aspects of the Cummings School. Since then, it has taken steps to address implicit bias and the underrepresentation of marginalized communities in veterinary medicine.

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City Councilor Will Mbah announces candidacy for mayor of Somerville

By Michael Weiskopf | April 21

Mbah was born and raised in Cameroon and moved to Somerville in 2011 after winning the green card lottery through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, a federal program that awards visas to randomly selected immigrants from countries with low immigration rates to the United States. In addition to being an at-large city councilor, he is currently a technologist at MIT’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety. Mbah is the only person of color on the Somerville City Council.

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TCU Senate passes resolutions, funding requests in final meeting of semester

By Chloe Courtney Bohl | April 21

The first resolution called on Tufts to make COVID-19 vaccinations accessible for all in-person community members in the fall 2021 semester. The original text of the resolution contained a clause asking Tufts to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all in-person students in the fall, but several senators expressed concern that this would intensify existing racial inequities surrounding access to the vaccine, and that the language of a mandate would unfairly put pressure on students rather than the administration.

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TCU election results, presidential candidates announced

By Jack Adgate | April 20

Elections for the Tufts Community Union Senate and Judiciary seats and Committee on Student Life seats took place over Qualtrics on April 13 and 14. The results were announced by the Tufts Elections Commission. On April 15, two TCU senators from the Class of 2022 announced their candidacy for president, with elections for the position scheduled for April 22 and 23. The voting will be conducted through Qualtrics.

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Tufts authorizes resumption of singing, wind, brass instruments on campus

By Coco Arcand | April 20

The email also explained additional opportunities for outdoor practice, both for individuals and small groups. Faculty-led, credit-bearing ensembles are able to practice outdoors in groups of 10 or fewer, and all Tufts students are allowed to practice individually outdoors from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Outdoor private lessons can also be coordinated for students through contact with instructors.

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Somerville to implement body cameras for police after years of negotiations

By Peri Barest | April 16

The agreement came after more than five years of negotiations between the city and the Somerville Police Employees Association, one of two police unions in the city. While the Somerville Police Superior Officers Association stated publicly that they would be willing to accept body cameras, it was important to reach the agreement with the Somerville Police Employees Association because it represents patrol officers who make up a larger percentage of the police force and spend more time on the streets, Niedergang said.

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ORLL changes housing arrangements for 2021–22 academic year, rising sophomores scramble

By Zoe Kava | April 16

West Hall, which has previously served as sophomore housing, will now be used to house incoming first-years, and Carpenter House, which housed first-years, will now house sophomores. As a result of these changes, many rising sophomores faced difficulties during the housing selection process. Rising sophomores who had planned to apply for a quad in West Hall were forced to shift their plans when the Office of Residential Life and Learning announced at the last minute that it was no longer available for rising sophomores.

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Somerville and Revere organize vaccination clinic for veterans

By Jack Maniaci | April 15

The clinic offered vaccines to any and all veterans provided that they were registered for VA health care. The clinic was designed to efficiently distribute doses to a population that was both deserving and in need of vaccination. Marc Silvestri, director of veterans services for the City of Revere, discussed the process of realizing this goal.

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University to end COVID-19 testing, on-campus housing prior to Senior Week

By Rebecca Barker | April 14

Though Tufts is making students who live on campus move out of their on-campus housing before these events, most of the senior class lives in off-campus houses in the Medford/Somerville area. TCU Senate President Sarah Wiener, Vice President Grant Gebetsberger and Treasurer Sharif Hamidi conducted a survey and found that 95% of respondents had finalized plans to stay in the Medford/Somerville area for Senior Week.

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TEDxTufts adopts virtual format to host annual speakers conference

By Ella Kamm | April 14

The theme, "REBOOT," was a nod to both the virtual aspect of the event as well as the potential for growth and change coming out of the pandemic. "All of our speakers are very different," executive organizer Saherish Surani said. "Everything is about the current moment that we're in, but also how to look at it again and decide where to go." 

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Tufts admits record-low 11% of undergraduate applicants

By Sam Klugherz | April 12

The record-low acceptance rate follows a 35% increase in the number of applicants, which rose in part due to Tufts' SAT/ACT test-optional policy and the robust array of virtual engagement programming offered to prospective students. It is the most ethnically and racially diverse undergraduate class ever admitted to the university.

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TCU Senate budgets over $2 million to student organizations for next fiscal year

By Chloe Courtney Bohl | April 12

TCU Senate then allocated over $2 million to fund more than 200 TCU-recognized student organizations for the 2022 fiscal year. Rather than voting on each of the organizations’ budgets individually, the Senate divides them into 10 groups, called councils, in addition to a final category for umbrella organizations. Each council represents a specific type of student organization.

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Tufts professor Brian Schaffner conducts policing surveys in Medford, Somerville

By Yiyun Tom Guan | April 9

Brian Schaffner, Newhouse professor of civic studies, conducted surveys last October and November of Medford and Somerville residents on their experience and perception of policing in their respective communities, as well as their opinions on future reforms. The survey reports, released on March 15, state that while residents of both cities are “somewhat satisfied with policing,” they see inequalities in how different populations are treated by the police, and they overwhelmingly support the creation of a civilian review board.

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Tisch Council for Philanthropic Leadership announces fundraising plans

By Ava Autry | April 9

With the grant focus in place, TCPL’s goal is to eventually select a specific organization to donate the proceeds of its fundraising efforts. According to Tisch College's official description of the organization, TCPL “function(s) as a foundation board that allocates funding to nonprofits in Tufts' surrounding communities.” In addition to its grant-making efforts, the council also “organizes service projects, coordinates a philanthropic leadership speaker series, and promotes conversations about the social sector.”

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Office of Sustainability and Eco Reps launch Earth Month programming with Zero Waste Week

By Rebecca Barker | April 8

Woolston explained that the public nature of Zero Waste Week — in which one’s trash is easily visible to others through the bags provided by the Office of Sustainability and Eco Reps — allows for participants to reevaluate their relationship with trash. Woolston further noted that one of the biggest challenges for those who have engaged with Zero Waste Week in the past has been the embarrassment that people feel about their waste. 

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