The Tufts Daily

Although Tufts has mostly done well with controlling the virus through frequent testing, social distancing guidelines and a hybrid learning model, the past several weeks have shown a spike in cases on the Medford/Somerville campus, as well as an increased number of students in quarantine as a result of contact.

Hersh first got the idea to invite his own grandfather, who is 96 years old and lives alone, to class. He said he thought it would give his grandfather something to do, who had never had the chance to see him teach before. The pandemic, and the ways academia has become more technology-based as a result, changed this.

Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine and Tufts for a Racially Equitable Endowment recently completed the process to get their referendums on the demilitarization of the Tufts University Police Department and the divestment from the private prison system, respectively, on the Nov. 24 special election ballot.

The change in testing frequency is due to the rise in COVID-19 cases at Tufts, the cities of Medford and Somerville and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

There have been rumors about security concerns with the independent testing procedure, hence the switch to the new method. However, medical director Marie Caggiano assuredly explained that this is not the case; the switch is just part of the Health Service’s responsibility to make sure all testing is accurate.  

The university is instructing students to be in their residence halls or off-campus residences between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless they are in the library, an art studio or lab, working or seeking medical care.

In past years, Health Services has offered flu shots to students and community members through their facilities. This year, however, they were concerned about social distancing measures while students waited in line for their vaccines.

As a result of ongoing developments surrounding air travel and entry restrictions, it is not safe to send students abroad, according to Mala Ghosh, senior director of Study Abroad and Global Education.

The beginning of the semester is a key time for groups to recruit new members and hold auditions, but that process is unable to go on as it usually does.

Tufts announced a change in its travel policy, with specific new guidelines for the Thanksgiving holiday, in an email from university administrators on Sept. 25.