The Tufts Daily

As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread through Tufts University’s campuses in the form of breakthrough infections, the university has clarified its quarantine, isolation and contact-tracing protocols. Notably, close contacts of COVID-19-positive individuals no longer need to quarantine and the university has reduced capacity to house students in isolation.  Amid these […]

As smartphones, online shopping and cryptocurrency have become more prevalent in the past 20 years, so too have ultraprocessed foods, which make up the majority of youth diets. The percentage of child and adolescent diets composed of ultraprocessed foods — those made with refined ingredients and additives — has increased from 61% to 67% in […]

Tufts University is switching to a pooled COVID-19 testing procedure for the 2021–22 academic year; pooled testing processes up to 10 samples at once, performing the same polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test that was used for individual testing in the past. “Pooled testing combines samples from up to ten students and performs a COVID-19 […]

​​​​Jianmin Qu, dean of the Tufts University School of Engineering, is leaving Tufts to become the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Stevens Institute of Technology, according to an email sent to the Tufts community on Monday. The email, which was signed by University President Anthony Monaco and Provost and Senior Vice President […]

Members of the Tufts Action Group, a collective of faculty, staff and students committed to grassroots anti-racism efforts within the university, met in April to discuss and respond to the five recently published anti-racism workstream reports. TAG’s response acknowledged the progress made by the “Tufts as an Anti-Racist Institution” effort and called for increased transparency, accountability and community presence in its implementation.

The agreement came after more than five years of negotiations between the city and the Somerville Police Employees Association, one of two police unions in the city. While the Somerville Police Superior Officers Association stated publicly that they would be willing to accept body cameras, it was important to reach the agreement with the Somerville Police Employees Association because it represents patrol officers who make up a larger percentage of the police force and spend more time on the streets, Niedergang said.

“The Department of Public Safety should develop a comprehensive digital strategy that utilizes social media and the department website to increase visibility, better engage the university community, proactively share information to build trust, and promote the department’s mission and values,” the report says.

The conference’s theme was “I am because we are,” and consisted of a series of panels, workshops and sessions over two days on topics ranging from networking and career advice to personal development and community building. Rev. Naomi Tutu, the daughter of human rights advocate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, gave the closing keynote address.

Abrams also discussed her route to politics. Growing up in a family committed to social justice, she often missed the Saturday morning cartoons when accompanying her parents to protest, vote and volunteer at local soup kitchens, homeless shelters and juvenile justice facilities. Abrams said she was influenced by lessons her parents taught her.

The event featured keynote speaker Abi Williams, professor of the practice of international politics at The Fletcher School and director of the Institute for Global Leadership, and a speech from Tufts student René LaPointe Jameson. The event is part of a larger conversation about anti-racism at Tufts.