Tufts reacts to the economy
Students and faculty returned to campus in January stunned by news that Tufts had lost $20 million in a Ponzi scheme masterminded by disgraced financier Bernard Madoff. Over winter break, University President Lawrence Bacow informed the Tufts community that the university, which in 2005 invested the money through hedge fund firm Ascot Partners, had written off the loss.
The write-off, he said, would not significantly affect Tufts' operations.
The Madoff loss came as the university continued to withstand financial cuts in the face of the economic recession.
Bacow announced to the Tufts community in March that Tufts would be able to balance its current and next fiscal year budgets in spite of a projected 30 percent decline in the university's endowment, five points greater than previously anticipated.
In order to remain fiscally sound in the face of the economic downturn, however, the university had to sacrifice in other areas. The administration froze salaries for employees earning more than $50,000 and laid off close to 20 workers.
Tuition and fees for next year will also rise, but by the smallest increase in 45 years, up 3.5 percent to $39,280.
The university continued to pledge its goal of keeping current students as the top priority in the face of any cutbacks made, but hopeful applicants were not as fortunate.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions, which practiced an unofficial need-blind admissions policy for the Classes of 2011 and 2012, was forced to suspend the policy in reviewing the tail end of applications for the Class of 2013. Due to larger aid requests spurred by the economy, admissions officers considered the final 850 applicants' ability to pay, when potential financial aid ran dry.
Ninety-five percent of applications, however, were successfully reviewed need-blind, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin said at the time.--by Matt RepkaBig names visit the Hill
A multitude of big-name speakers came to Tufts this semester, speaking about an array of issues ranging from President Barack Obama's first months in office to media ethics.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in early February delivered this year's Isaam M. Fares Lecture. Blair gave a hopeful outlook for the future of the Middle East, but urged a multilateral effort to bridge the conflict between the West and Islam.
"Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the single most important thing we can do," Blair said. "Nothing is more important, nothing is more urgent and nothing should stand in our way."
Prolific public intellectual Noam Chomsky and activist Bill Fletcher, Jr. came last month for a symposium and criticized the Obama administration's approach to the economy and foreign policy.
In an equally charged discussion, Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards visited the Hill in January to speak about the future of women's reproductive rights under the Obama administration.
Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life, took a markedly different take on the subject, discussing the underlying causes of why women have abortions.
The Tufts Republicans brought conservative activist David Horowitz to campus in March. Horowitz spoke on issues of academic freedom and liberal biases on college campuses, explaining that "indoctrination courses" at many universities present political opinions as fact.
Chris Mathews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball," moderated this year's Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism, featuring former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and WCVB-TV reporter Janet Wu, on April 13. The forum focused on whether media intrusion into the private lives of politicians discourages individuals from seeking public office.
On a more flavorful note, several speakers piqued the taste buds of Jumbos.
The author of the popular book "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" (2006), Michael Pollan, delivered this semester's Richard E. Snyder Presidential Lecture last month. Pollan said that Americans should turn to farmers' markets and unprocessed foods to diversify and cleanse the western diet.
"We can wait for evolution, but it will take a long time, and in the meantime we will be really sick and spend a lot of money," he said.
Another food expert, Anthony Bourdain, an author and the host of the Travel Channel series "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," spoke earlier this month to a packed crowd of loyal fans, discussing the effects of globalization on food.--by Carter RogersCutting ticket prices, recovered funds and election snags
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate faced the semester with heavy decisions that reignited last semester's debate on the spending of the recovered funds.
The TCU Senate voted on earlier this month to approve $230,000 in funding for a Trips Cabin to be built alongside the Tufts Mountain Club (TMC)-operated Loj in New Hampshire. The decision sparked debate among senators and students alike who called into question the extent of the cabin's impact on the greater Tufts community.
Meanwhile, the Senate aimed this semester to follow up on a yearlong initiative to curtail on-campus costs in an effort to ease the financial burden faced by many students.
"I think that Tufts is doing a much better job of opening the doors of the university to students" from different socioeconomic backgrounds, outgoing TCU President Duncan Pickard, a junior, told the Daily at the time. "But just because more students are here doesn't mean they can afford to take advantage of everything that's offered on campus."
The Senate passed its largest budget in history, for fiscal year 2010. The $1,394,300 budget was roughly $200,000 larger than any budget before it, in part because of the Senate's decision to eliminate ticket costs for many on-campus events.
To balance this expense, the Senate almost entirely cut buffer funding for next year, which some said would make it harder for student groups to get money from the Senate to pay for unforeseen expenses.
At the end of the semester, two student government elections hit snags.
Freshman Senate elections earlier this month were voided twice. In its decision to order the first revote, the Elections Commission responded to allegations of candidate corruption, in which some of the candidates allegedly exploited a technological glitch in the voting software. The third vote came after a problem with the voting software prevented freshmen from casting ballots after 10 a.m.
Though the third time turned out to be the charm for the freshman elections, Class Council elections also met difficulties with the voting system, as the sophomore class was not even supplied a ballot.
Low advertising and a late notice of the vote seemed to have led to relatively low turnout. Thiry-six percent of freshmen and 13 percent of juniors cast their votes for the Class Council positions.--by Alexandra BogusA hodgepodge of sorts
The art of Shepard Fairey -- who rose to prominence after creating the ubiquitous "Hope" poster for Obama's campaign -- became a topic of debate this semester both on campus and in Boston.
The street artist was arrested by the Boston Police Department on his way to opening his installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston in February and faced charges of property damage for works he did around Boston to publicize his installation.
The debate over using public space for artistic purposes caught on at Tufts when the artist came to campus on Jan. 24 to create a mural on the wall outside of the Jumbo Express convenience store.
Later in the semester, charges of a bias incident rocked the student body after a freshman made racial slurs at members of the Korean Students Association (KSA) during the early-morning hours of April 9. Word of the incident sparked outcry among many students, resulting in a flood of op-ed admissions to the Daily and other campus media outlets.
The accusations snowballed, with some students accusing the KSA of overreacting while others said that the administration and many students did not take allegations of prejudice at Tufts seriously enough.
The events prompted a rally held on the Tisch Library patio and, as reported in today's Daily, an admission of guilt by and other repercussions for the student who instigated the incident.
Throughout the semester, the community saw its fair share of crime, as reports of thefts both on and off campus peaked mid-semester. Among a rash of larcenies from Carmichael Dining Hall, Tisch Library and residence halls, two students also reported their cars stolen.
Breaking and entering has also plagued off-campus houses in the past weeks, as students reported both finding property stolen from their houses and witnessing crimes in progress.
Two sororities recently reported breaking and entering attempts, one of which involved a man trying to gain entry to the Alpha Phi house via the fire escape.
--by David Stern
