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European study abroad programs remain on track for fall, could still change

By Sarah Sandlow | April 7

Despite the conditions of the pandemic in many countries in Europe, Tufts Global Education currently plans to continue with its fall semester study abroad programs, but will reconsider if necessary. Mala Ghosh, associate dean of Tufts Global Education, said that the Tufts Global Education department is working with each director abroad on planning for classroom spacing and necessary accommodations, as well as preparing for quarantine, vaccination and testing protocols.

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Carmichael Dining Center to be rebranded as gluten, peanut, tree nut-free establishment

By Alex Viveros | April 6

In addition to a complete menu redesign to accommodate those with a gluten, peanut or tree nut allergy — the three most common food allergies on the Medford/Somerville campus — the dining center will also undergo a complete rebranding and unspecified name change, according to Kelly Shaw, Tufts Dining nutrition specialist. Shaw has been conducting focus groups with students with food allergies and using their feedback to determine what the menu of the new dining center will look like.

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Tufts research lab aids states with redistricting process

By Matt Chen | April 6

The MGGG Redistricting Lab, which is affiliated with the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, grew out of an informal research collective called the Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group. The lab is led by Moon Duchin, an associate professor in the mathematics department and director of the Science, Technology, and Society program at Tufts.

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Tufts alumnus and former adjunct professor Ben Downing running for governor of Massachusetts

By Alexander Janoff | April 5

Downing said that a major goal of his as governor would be to reduce the vast economic inequities in Massachusetts, which he believes are hidden under an aggregated high standard of living across the Commonwealth. Downing ran for the Massachusetts state Senate at 24, while he was a master's student at Tufts in urban and environmental policy and planning.

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Tufts forms Bias Education Response Teams for all campuses

By Flora Meng | April 5

“BERT’s specific purpose is to address the community impact of bias and hate events by providing support to everyone — students, faculty, and staff," Mack said. "As we first envisioned how these teams should work, we identified an unmet need for centrally supported, team-based efforts focusing on supporting the community by providing education and resources.”

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Tufts medical students match into residencies, handle pandemic-influenced process

By Alex Viveros and Mariel Priven | April 5

Becca Bell, a fourth-year medical student who recently matched at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for otolaryngology, explained how TUSM’s Maine Track program guided her career choices. As part of the Maine program, Bell did her third and fourth years of medical school at Maine Medical Center.

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TUPD to form mental health working group, TCU senator advocates for student representation in the group

By Yiyun Tom Guan | April 2

Coletta explained that the mental health working group’s creation came in accordance with recommendations presented by Tufts’ Working Group on Public Safety and Policing, which was formed last July as one of the five “Tufts as an Anti-Racist Institution” workstreams. It released its report in February, in an email from Monaco to the Tufts community.

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Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series hosts Michael Steele

By Madeline Mueller | April 2

Steele disagreed with the practice of blindly following the leader of the party you support. "This is not about one man, nor should it be," Steele said. "It's not about the party. It's about the country I live in." Steele said he believes there is an existential crisis in the Republican Party right now. “I’ve been advocating for 20 plus years … we have to recognize where this trend line is going," Steele said. 

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Tufts Chaplaincy, religious organizations modify spring holiday celebrations

By Skyler Goldberg | April 2

Tufts University’s faith communities are experiencing their first on-campus observances of Passover, Easter and Ramadan since the COVID-19 pandemic began. To celebrate the holidays, various small-group, in-person events and Zoom events have been occurring, with more planned for the coming weeks.

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TCU Senate unanimously passes TREE resolution on private prison divestment, university will not take action

By Sara Renkert | March 31

The resolution is not binding for the university. Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, said that Tufts will not be taking action in response to the Senate's unanimous vote, citing the university's small percentage of indirect investments in private prisons.

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City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne joins Somerville mayoral race

By Jack Hirsch | March 31

The office is currently held by Joseph Curtatone, the city's longest-serving mayor, who announced earlier this month that he is not running for reelection after nearly 20 years. Katjana Ballantyne has previously served as board president of the Somerville Community Corporation and was elected twice as City Council president. 

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Tufts announces decision to close Confucius Institute

By Emily Thompson | March 30

In the statement, Glaser and Chigas highlighted the reasons for the decision and the future of Chinese language and culture learning at Tufts, noting that moving on from the CITU will allow the university to expand its relationship with BNU. Others interviewed expressed relief at the decision and explained the dangers of the institutes on college campuses.

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TUPIT pushes for program allowing incarcerated individuals to obtain Tufts bachelor’s degree

By Zoe Kava | March 30

The Tufts University Prison Initiative at Tisch College introduced a resolution that was passed unanimously by the Tufts Community Union Senate. The resolution calls on the university to allow currently and formerly incarcerated individuals who are taking Tufts courses through the TUPIT program, which is taught by Tufts professors, to earn a Tufts bachelor’s degree in civic studies.

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Councilor-at-Large Strezo calls for State of Emergency for women to be declared in Somerville

By Coco Arcand | March 30

The resolution, which was co-sponsored by Ward 7 Councilor Katjana Ballantyne and approved by the City Council as a whole, raised concerns about how the pandemic has disproportionally affected women’s opportunities in the workplace and has undone some of the progress made by women in professional fields over the last few decades.

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Tufts Global Education hosts speakers from Spain, Jamaica, Germany, US in 'Black Lives Matter Around the World' panel

By Bo Johnson | March 25

The panel was co-sponsored by the Africana studies program, the Africana Center and the international relations program. Charlene Carruthers, a PhD student in the department of African American studies at Northwestern University, opened by saying that the importance of amplifying Black voices is not new.

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Africana Center hosts Black Womyn's Empowerment Conference

By Peri Barest | March 25

The conference’s theme was “I am because we are,” and consisted of a series of panels, workshops and sessions over two days on topics ranging from networking and career advice to personal development and community building. Rev. Naomi Tutu, the daughter of human rights advocate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, gave the closing keynote address.

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Michèle Flournoy discusses US defense policy, differences between Trump and Biden administrations

By Aditya Acharya | March 25

Flournoy, former under secretary of defense for policy of the Obama administration, spoke at an event hosted by Tisch College and The Fletcher School. In discussing the transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration, Flournoy discussed how the use of waivers to instate retired generals as the secretaries of defense has been a consistent decision that may have negative implications in government.

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Somerville Human Rights Commission to spotlight immigrant restaurant owners in new project

By Jack Maniaci | March 24

"[The project] would like to celebrate the enrichments given to the community, from the diversity brought from immigrants … to highlight their own stories, their backgrounds, but also in order to achieve a better understanding of how we as a community, and especially specifically from the Human Rights Commission, can be supportive of their needs and their challenges," commissioner Lara Versari said at the March 17 meeting.

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Educating for American Democracy initiative releases roadmap to strengthen civic education

By Ria Agarwal | March 24

A team of 300 civic leaders and scholars involved in the Educating for American Democracy initiative, an unprecedented effort to improve and advise history and civics classes at all grade levels nationwide, recently released a roadmap and report of their findings. The materials aim to strengthen the nation's civic education and create civically-engaged citizens during this period of heightened political polarization and inequality.

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Tufts first-year initiates program to connect students with Medford Senior Center

By Marianna Schantz | March 23

The Tufts Public Health Society recently announced that it is collaborating with the Medford Senior Center to run a new program called Community Connections. The program aims to create relationships between Tufts students and the Medford senior community while combating isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization connects student callers to individuals at the Medford Senior Center. 

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