Two questions will appear on Somerville’s Nov. 4 general election ballot: one proposing to extend the mayoral term from two years to four, and the other proposing updates to the city charter, which has remained largely unchanged since 1899.
On Nov. 4, Somerville residents will decide whether or not to adopt the city’s first new charter in more than a century and whether to lengthen the mayor’s term from two to four years. However, voters will not receive mailed explanations of the ballot questions after the City Council postponed adopting a state statute that would have required it.
Tufts professors have increasingly decided to shift their assessments from take-home essays to in-class exams due to the rise of artificial intelligence and large language models.
Efforts to access a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreement between Tufts and Medford have reignited discussions over the university’s role in its surrounding communities. Tufts, which is exempt from property taxes on most of its Medford/Somerville campus due to the Dover Amendment, a Massachusetts law that negotiates agreements with the two cities to make voluntary financial contributions as a substitute for taxes.
On Tuesday, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration had illegally used the threat of deportation to silence noncitizens in higher education who protested the war in Gaza in support of Palestine. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge William G. Young reiterated evidence and information surrounding the government’s decision to revoke several F-1 student visas, including that of Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk.
Tufts health officials say they will continue recommending the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines for all Tufts community members, provided they do not have medical constraints, amid recent federal changes to vaccination policy.
Faculty research at Tufts has been limited by the cancellation of grants and the withdrawal of research funding across the country since President Donald Trump took office last winter. These changes, following the shuttering of federal agencies and shifts in research priorities by the federal administration, have left faculty members in humanities departments are facing uncertainty with limited institutional support.
A group of faculty members at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University has launched a “Save the SMFA” campaign, which lists a variety of grievances and demands regarding changes at SMFA.
The SMFA Café, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts’ only Tufts dining location, made changes to its pricing method, increasing the overall cost of food. Items that had been priced according to weight will now be charged through a fixed box price with two size options.
The Tufts Community Union Elections Commission announced the newly elected senators for the 2025–26 school year this weekend. According to senior and Election Committee Chair Luca O’Neil, 920 students — approximately 13% of the student body — voted in the TCU Senate election. This semester’s turnout is about 3% lower than the previous election, which saw 16.2% student participation.
On Sunday, the newly elected Class of 2029 senators and disability senator attended their first Tufts Community Union Senate meeting. TCU reviewed proposed changes to the bylaws and elected new first-year members to the Allocations Board.
Medford is planning a citywide update to its wayfinding — the system of signs, markers and design elements that help guide people through an area — to improve navigation and highlight local landmarks.
The Starbucks located in the Joyce Cummings Center is set to close this Saturday. Employees were informed Thursday before their shifts that the Starbucks would be closing just two days later.
A series of layoffs and schedule changes from Cushman & Wakefield Services, the facility services company contracted by Tufts for custodial work, has caused significant consternation among workers, including a longtime supervisor who was fired following months of rising tensions.
The recent announcement of the Tufts Tuition Pact, a program that will cover tuition for U.S. students from families who earn less than $150,000 per year, has received many responses from the university’s community. While some concerns exist over the program’s timeframe and level of comprehensiveness, the Tuition Pact has received overall positive feedback due to its ability to make attending Tufts more affordable for middle-income families.
The Sept. 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, has led to shock across Tufts’ campus, along with reconsiderations of political discourse within the university.
Residents protested Tuesday night outside the Hyatt Place in Medford in response to reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents staying at the hotel. The demonstrations were a follow up to a similar protest on Saturday on the Hyatt’s premises.
Tufts recently announced the launch of the Tufts Center for Expanding Viewpoints in Higher Education, which is based in the Office of the President. Dr.Eitan Hersh, a professor in the Department of Political Science, helped create the center and serves as its director.
Tufts’ Department of Psychology hosted an event on Sept. 20 in Cohen Auditorium to celebrate the career and achievements of Professor Sam Sommers, who passed away on March 16. Sommers’ colleagues, students and children spoke at the event, sharing memories and tributes in his honor.
Editor’s Note: Kunal Botla is a former chair of the Daily’s editorial board. Botla was not involved in the writing or editing of this article. On Sunday, the Tufts Community Union Senate voted on its new attendance policy, discussed bylaw changes to increase student body input in Senate resolutions ...
