The Tufts Community Union Senate did not pass any resolutions last semester, which marks a difference from previous semesters that can be attributed to changes in how the Senate approaches student feedback. Resolutions are formal lobbying tools often used by student groups and individuals to necessitate Senate action on an issue.
Tufts administrators are evaluating a potential overhaul of the university’s heating and cooling systems as part of a broader plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The proposal under consideration involves adopting ground-source heat pumps, an all-electric technology that administrators say could significantly reduce emissions while lowering long-term energy costs.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit released a decision on Jan. 5 reaffirming the lower court’s move to block funding limitations that the National Institutes of Health proposed last year. The circuit court placed a permanent injunction on the proposed policy.
Tufts officials reaffirmed existing campus safety protocols after the December shooting at Brown University that resulted in the death of two students.Yolanda Smith, chief of police and executive director of public safety at Tufts, said the university would continue to review its safety protocols after students returned to campus this month.It was not immediately clear whether specific changes were made over winter break.
The Fresh at Carmichael Dining Center reopened for service on Jan. 14 following a required closure due to flooding toward the end of the fall semester. The dining hall first closed on Nov. 11 after a backup in the drainage system caused flooding in multiple areas. Many food items were thrown out, and much of the center needed to be sanitized.
Private music lessons will resume this spring after a semester-long hiatus due to a staffing vacancy in the director of applied music position. Mawunyo Kobla Titiati is taking over as program administrator of applied music.
The Office of Public Safety announced temporary “security enhancements” for buildings on the Medford/Somerville and Grafton campuses in an email to the Tufts community Monday afternoon.
Over the last decade, negotiations between Tufts University and labor unions have degraded. Multiple unions described challenging and exhausting negotiations, citing the university’s uncooperativeness and staunch resistance to increases in pay as driving forces behind the recent growth of collective action. Alternatively, the university expressed that its negotiation policies have been grounded in fiscally-responsible decision-making and an earnest desire to reach agreements. The university reports that it continues to view its union relationships as productive and successful.
U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper granted Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s motion for a preliminary injunction Monday afternoon, ordering the government to immediately reinstate her Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record retroactive to the date it was terminated — March 25.
Concerned Tufts staff members have distributed a petition in conjunction with Tufts Labor Coalition demanding that no workers be laid off as part of Tufts’ Operating Model Transformation, an initiative restructuring the university’s administrative functions.
Six courses at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University were canceled this fall after failing to meet the required minimum enrollment of eight students. This fall semester saw an unusually high number of cancelled classes that left some professors of the practice without opportunities to teach as many courses and some students facing last-minute schedule changes.
On Thursday, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts heard arguments on a motion for a preliminary injunction that seeks to require the government to reinstate Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record. U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper did not issue a ruling, but committed to making a prompt decision.
The Fresh at Carmichael Dining Center has closed for the rest of the fall semester due to flooding following nearly a month of intermittent closures.
JumboVote and Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement recently reported on trends in participation in this year’s elections, both here in Medford and Somerville, as well as around the country in state and local elections. With Tufts students, participation greatly varies by year. Last year, JumboVote had an influx of attention due to the presidential election, but engagement this year was lower, according to junior Teagan Mustone, co-president of JumboVote.
Professor Yu-Shan Lin, former chair of the Department of Chemistry, will become an academic dean for the School of Arts and Sciences in January 2026 following the departure of Dean Sam Thomas, who will assume a new role at the University of Rochester.
Tufts’ current and former political science professors Jeffrey M. Berry, James M. Glaser and Deborah J. Schildkraut published their new book, “Everyday Democracy: Liberals, Conservatives, and Their Routine Political Lives,” on Tuesday.
The Tufts Office of Public Safety has advised members of the Tufts community to avoid Soarbody Therapeutics, a sports massage therapy business in Somerville, due to inappropriate behavior by its owner, Sam Peck.
The Office of Residential Life & Learning ended its use of professional cleaning services in on-campus apartments and woodframe houses over the summer, requiring students and theme house managers to clean the residences themselves. The change, which was announced to students living in these houses in an August email, has led some students and faculty advisors to raise concerns about the burden on residents.
Chair of the Tufts Board of Trustees Jeffrey Moslow (A’86) and his wife, Linda Moslow, made a $4 million donation to establish a Women’s Health and Menopause Initiative at the university, aiming to promote a more holistic approach to medical care for women and advance the under researched field.
TEDxTufts, in collaboration with the Tufts Department of Community Health, hosted its first-ever Spotlight event on Sunday. The new format, which TEDxTufts hopes to make annual, featured brief lectures by 10 students followed by a panel discussion with three community health experts.
