Layla Kennington

Features

Bridging the Herd: The SMFA SGA’s plans for the year

By Layla Kennington | September 26

Whether seeking a Bachelors of Fine Arts or combined degree, Tufts students are acutely aware of the nearly 6-mile trek between the university’s Medford/Somerville and Boston campuses. Now, six years after the Fenway-located School of the Museum of Fine Arts formally became a part of Tufts University, the art school’s Student Government Association is looking to bridge both the physical and emotional distance between the two school’s student bodies.

University

Students to establish Tufts Undergraduate Law Review

By Layla Kennington | March 6

The Tufts Undergraduate Law Review, the only of its kind on Tufts’ campus, will publish its first edition in April. The publication follows in the footsteps of other undergraduate law reviews, notably those of Brown and Harvard.

University

Writers grapple with the reality of AI in ExCollege course

By Layla Kennington | February 20

This semester, the Experimental College is hosting a class focused on helping aspiring writers enter the tech industry called “Careers for Writers in the Tech Sector.” Visiting Lecturer Rita Reznikova (LA’08), the course’s instructor, seeks to introduce students to the variety of professional opportunities for writers, even amid the rise of generative artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT that threaten traditional career paths.

Groundwork Somerville celebrates the harvest festival

Features

Groundwork Somerville cultivates community with August Harvest Festival

By Layla Kennington | September 5

The words “Our food holds our story,” are painted onto the murals flanking the flourishing green space on South Street, also known as Somerville’s only farm. Run by Groundwork Somerville, an environmental justice non-profit, the farm and the words that grace its border walls fuel the organization’s efforts at cultivating a healthier Somerville. On August 27, Groundwork hosted a Harvest Festival celebrating the end of this year’s growing season.

University

Persian Students Association hosts professor Neda Moridpour as part of lecture series on Iran’s political history

By Layla Kennington | March 30

Tufts Persian Students Association hosted professor Neda Moridpour on March 15 to kick off the club’s new lecture series, entitled “Iran’s Political History: Resistance and Revolution.” The series was organized in light of the murder of Jina ‘Mahsa’ Amini, who was arrested and killed by the Iranian morality police for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards.

University

Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies announces changes to major requirements

By Layla Kennington | March 7

The Tufts Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies recently announced changes to its major requirements, including increasing flexibility in terms of electives and a decrease in certain required classes. Students matriculating in fall 2023 will be the first class required to adhere to the new curriculum for TDPS.

Features

Envision, Tufts’ Black theater company, breaks barriers with ‘How We Got On’

By Layla Kennington | February 9

The work of Tufts’ groundbreaking Black theater company Envision will grace the stage of Curtis Hall on Feb. 9–11. The troupe, the first of its kind in years, will showcase the play “How We Got On” by Idris Goodwin. The brainchild of sophomore Chance Walker, Envision stands as a revolutionary space for Tufts’ current generation of Black actors and artists.

Features

Tufts offers first Southeast Asian history course in two decades

By Layla Kennington | November 1

While perusing SIS this fall, you’ll find HIST80: Introduction to the History of Southeast Asia. Taught by Professor Mesrob Vartavarian, the course examines the region’s geography and socio-political development, early European colonization, Western-led globalization and more. However, what the details do not reveal is that HIST80 is the first Southeast Asian history course offered at Tufts in approximately 25 years.

Features

Tufts community members reflect on the escalating tension around Taiwan

By Layla Kennington | October 17

In the aftermath of China’s August military exercises near Taiwan, Beijing’s message to the world was clear: China will not shy away from challenging the United States, and its military will continue to uphold China's claim to Taiwan. The message suggests that tensions in the region will remain high, with an increasing risk of confrontation between the United States and China.

Features

Students, faculty discuss geopolitical implications of South Korean presidential election

By Layla Kennington | April 25

On March 9, Yoon Suk-Yeol won the South Korean presidency. Along with domestic social movements and housing policies, foreign policy existed as a central voting consideration in the presidential election. Most notably, South Korea’s role in the international sphere is shaped by its complex relationship with the United States, its only treaty ally, and China, its largest trading partner. Yoon, a former graft prosecutor with limited political experience, inherits the responsibility of a nation tasked with juggling these opposing forces.

Bridging the Herd: The SMFA SGA’s plans for the year

Students to establish Tufts Undergraduate Law Review

Writers grapple with the reality of AI in ExCollege course

Groundwork Somerville cultivates community with August Harvest Festival

Persian Students Association hosts professor Neda Moridpour as part of lecture series on Iran’s political history

Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies announces changes to major requirements

Envision, Tufts’ Black theater company, breaks barriers with ‘How We Got On’

Tufts offers first Southeast Asian history course in two decades

Tufts community members reflect on the escalating tension around Taiwan

Students, faculty discuss geopolitical implications of South Korean presidential election

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