Soirees undergo alterations
Tufts' big-name undergraduate bashes underwent considerable changes this semester.
In a major switch, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate capped Fall Ball attendance at 2,500 and, unlike in previous years, required students to pick up tickets in advance at the campus center. Long lines ensued.
Meanwhile, plans for next semester's Winter Bash call for a dance that will hardly resemble past versions of the event.
Instead of the Gantcher Center, the dance will take place at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, and entry will now come with a price tag — likely $10. Programming Board will also announce a new name for the event next month after it held a renaming contest.
Tufts' third major undergraduate soiree, Spring Fling, might experience some alterations next semester too, as the Alcohol Task Force considers recommending that the university prohibit students from carrying alcohol onto the President's Lawn during the May celebration.
Blame it on the alcohol
Students returned this semester to news that the administration was implementing a stricter alcohol policy. Under the new regulations, underage students caught drinking illegally for the first time would be automatically placed on level-one disciplinary probation instead of merely receiving a warning, as they would have under the previous policy.
The administration convened the Alcohol Task Force over the summer, made up of student representatives and staff, to make recommendations on the current alcohol policy and alcohol-related issues on campus.
In spite of the policy change, the university faced a number of alcohol-related incidents.
The annual I-Cruise event in October ended early when the boat captain refused to leave the Boston Harbor due to participants' excessive drunkenness.
Seniors went pub night-less when venue managers ended the first Senior Pub Night in September halfway through in response to exceedingly rowdy behavior. The managers reported cases of students publically urinating and attempting indecent exposure.
As the administration decided the future of the event, two seniors sought to fill the void, organizing three sold-out "Senior Club Life" events that by most accounts did not feature the unruly behavior seen at Senior Pub Night.
At the Senior Class Council's urging, the administration in November reached a decision to approve two Senior Pub Nights for the spring semester.
Dorm sex
Sexual activity in a dorm room while one's roommate is present moved into the same column as octopus lights and candles this semester.
The Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) added a stipulation to its guest policy that prohibited one from engaging in any sex act while one's roommate is in the room.
While some called the limitation an unnecessary encroachment into students' private lives, others hailed it as an unfortunate but useful tool roommates could use when talking it out among themselves fails.
Coverage of the change prompted an international media storm, with hundreds of media outlets seizing the news. Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel threw Tufts into the limelight in late-night sketches highlighting the policy change, and an article about the new prohibition shot to the top of CNN.com's list of most popular stories.
No power
Students were left in the dark for nearly a day in October when the power shut off for much of Tufts' campus. An underground fire about a mile from campus caused the blackout, which also affected thousands in Medford.
The outage, which inconveniently cut into Parents Weekend plans, prompted the deployment of Tufts Emergency Medical Services volunteers, residential assistants and Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) officers to help keep watch.
Trustees, freshman tackle freedom of expression
Tufts' Board of Trustees last month adopted a university-wide Declaration on Freedom of Expression, praising the value of free inquiry and debate but conveying concerns about expression that hinders the university's "educational enterprise."
The declaration was the final product from the task force, assembled by University President Lawrence Bacow in January 2008 to pen a policy on freedom of expression.
Responses to the declaration were mixed with some praising it and others condemning it for restricting speech.
Earlier in the semester, the campus debated free speech on a somewhat smaller level when freshman In-Goo Kwak put up a poster parodying the campaign sign of another freshman running for the TCU Senate.
The poster played on common stereotypes of Asian Americans. Kwak said at the time that he merely intended to comment on "the inane atmosphere of political correctness at Tufts."
Kwak, who apologized to the freshman candidate, went on to run for — and win — a seat on the Committee on Student Life.
H1N1 spreads across campus
Lines of students snaked outside the Aidekman Arts Center for Health Service's flu shot clinic in mid-September. Health Service ran out of the 2,100 flu shots before the end of the second day of the clinic, despite having ordered almost double the number of shots than usual.
In the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, the office reported a surge in influenza-like illness cases, though, as the Daily reported today, the number of afflicted students has trended down.
Health Service urged sick students who lived nearby to return home while they were ill in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus. Those who did not live in the greater New England area were put in isolation in vacant singles across campus.
Health Service was able to secure several small shipments of the H1N1 vaccine but only offered them to those identified as "high risk" individuals. The university expects a larger shipment of vaccine but is unsure when it will arrive.
Tufts stands on solid footing in economic storm
University President Lawrence Bacow began the semester with the news that he was "cautiously optimistic" that Tufts had weathered the worst of the economic crisis.
As the university reeled from a 25 percent drop in the endowment, Trustee Emeritus Bernard Gordon (H '92) in September pledged $40 million to the School of Engineering.
The Daily found that many of Tufts' offices were standing strong by the end of the semester. The Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) ended fiscal year 2009 with a surplus, largely due to a hike in donations.
Dining Services took measures to make more food in-house rather than buying from outside sources. Students relied more on the dining halls than spending money in other on-campus eateries.
Other locations frequented by Tufts students managed to stave off significant cut backs during the downturn.
The Boston Avenue Boloco branch, which considered its closure "imminent" in the spring, saw a 15 to 16 percent increase in sales this October compared to last year.
Tufts United States Postal Service (USPS) branch also withstood threats of closure as the USPS considered shutting the doors of 10 different branches in the Boston area. It will remain open for the time being.
Students also learned that Tufts topped the charts as the most expensive school in Massachusetts. Several weeks later, the Daily revealed that Tufts School of Medicine had the highest private tuition among all medical schools in the country.
