Features

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.

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Features

Senior Profile: TCU President Jaden Pena fosters understanding and inclusion through his leadership

By Mark Choi | May 21

“The best compliment that I’ve ever received was from one of my high school musical directors,” Jaden Pena said. “He told me that what he loved most about me was my ability to bridge different communities. And I think that was really an awakening moment for me.”

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Features

What makes a Jumbo? Faculty and staff take courses alongside students through Tuition Remission program

By Carmen Smoak | May 21

Throwing caps in the air, many graduating seniors are about to take their first step out of a lifetime of education and into the next phase of adulthood. After taking countless courses at Tufts, these young adults earn their degree and their freedom from the classroom.

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Features

Senior Profile: Wendell Phillips Award recipient Isabelle Charles reflects on her time at Tufts

By Elizabeth Zacks | May 21

Isabelle Charles, a senior majoring in English and Africana studies, is the 2023 recipient of the Wendell Phillips Award. This annual award is given to a senior who is both an exceptional speaker and has a great sense of responsibility toward the community. As the Wendell Phillips Award winner, Charles will give a speech as part of Commencement weekend during the Baccalaureate Ceremony on May 20.

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Features

Senior Profile: Enrique Rodriguez receives Tisch Presidential Award for Civic Life

By Maya Katz | May 20

As the academic year comes to a close, members of the Class of 2023 prepare for graduation, including Enrique Ernesto Rodriguez, a 2023 recipient of the Tisch Presidential Award for Civic Life. Each year, the award recognizes Tufts undergraduate and graduate students who have made notable contributions to community service and leadership. 

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Features

From their first to final year, these roommates have lived together through it all

By Isabelle Kaminsky | May 20

Editor’s note: Jill Collins is a former executive features editor for The Tufts Daily. Collins was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.

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Features

After nearly 50 years at Tufts, Professor Jeffrey Berry discusses his retirement, research, teaching

By Kendall Roberts | May 20

Professor, author, adviser, researcher, mentor, scholar and friend. These are just a few words to describe Jeffrey M. Berry and the legacy he created for himself at Tufts.

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Features

Senior Profile: Julia Perugini makes the most of her 4 years at Tufts in and out of the classroom

By Jack Clohisy | May 19

Julia Perugini cannot pinpoint a singular moment in her life when she decided to pursue a career in health care.

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Features

Potty Talk: The final flush

By David Wingens and Sam Russo | May 19

Today, we join our spiritual predecessor Larry Bacow and come out of retirement. Just as Larry left in search of a better life, today we too say our goodbyes. We hope, however, to leave one nugget of our wisdom behind.

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Features

Students and faculty reflect on TUPIT: ‘A centerpiece of Tufts’ work as a justice-oriented institution’

By Sam Russo | April 27

Editor’s note: Presently incarcerated persons featured in the article are not identified by name, as per the instruction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction.

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Columns

What I Wish I Knew: It's nice not to know things

By Abby Stern | April 27

I started this study abroad journey as a slightly uptight, gently neurotic individual obsessed with learning all the important things I needed to make the most of this semester. Four months later, I am still a slightly uptight, gently neurotic individual who now understands that in order to make the most of studying abroad, it’s actually incredibly nice not to know exactly what comes next.

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Features

Tufts community members react 10 months after Roe v. Wade is overturned

By Becca Pinto | April 25

On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that granted American women the right to abortion. As a consequence, pregnant people, especially those living in red states, may no longer be able to access medical abortions. In the 10 months since the ruling, various legal actions have followed in response to the tightening restrictions. Community members at Tufts shared their views on the ruling’s implications for young women.

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Columns

Caffeinated Commentary: The ultimate guide to coffee shops near Tufts

By Natalie Bricker | April 25

I’ve always loved coffee shops. The atmosphere, the cute aesthetics and (obviously) the coffee. This semester, I’ve leaned into my love of coffee shops and set out to explore a new coffee shop near Tufts every week. I’ve looked forward to my coffee shop adventure each week! Now, as the semester comes to a close, I’ve compiled all my reviews to conclude my column. This is not a comprehensive review but rather a summary of the reviews I’ve written this semester for my “Caffeinated Commentary” column. My columns on each coffee shop are linked in the coffee rating column below, so you can check out my in-depth review of each place. I hope you enjoy reading about the coffee shops in the area! Also, I rated one shop when I was in Michigan, so Vertex is sometimes included in these lists but not in others.

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Features

Tufts’ connection to slavery, Part 4: How community stakeholders are addressing the legacy of slavery

By Guillem Colom | April 20

The initiatives to address Tufts’ connections to slavery are broad and growing in strength. As previous and current Tufts students contribute to conversations and scholarship surrounding Tufts’ connections to slavery, community stakeholders outside of Tufts are not only continuing to address this history but seeking ways to improve public knowledge of it.

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Features

English professor and students create a college literary canon

By Owen Bonk | April 19

Do you remember the books you read in high school English? If you grew up in the United States, chances are your reading list bears striking resemblance to the syllabi of students across the country. It’s also likely that titles like “The Great Gatsby” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” bring back not-so-fond memories of color-coded annotations and slideshow presentations put on by apathetic classmates. 

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Features

Notes from the New York Underground

By Halia Frishman | April 18

I enter from the West 86th Street station on Saturday, Feb. 18. I scan through the turnstile using Apple Pay, thinking about how taking the subway felt much more romantic when the only option was a MetroCard, and I make a mental note to buy one for the way back. On the platform, a girl pulls her boyfriend away from the tracks as the train pulls into the station. I push myself into the car. The downtown bound 1-train is packed.

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Columns

Caffeinated Commentary: Vertex Coffee Roasters

By Natalie Bricker | April 18

This past weekend, I took a trip back to Ann Arbor to visit the school I used to go to: the University of Michigan. The trip gave me a surplus of déjà vu and bittersweet feelings, but that’s a story for another time. Even away from Tufts, my mind was still focused on finding a coffee shop to review …

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Columns

Kolumn: Collecting memories wisely

By Koloris Wu | April 14

This spring semester, I am interning at a senior citizen’s private house, helping him to scan, curate, allocate and categorize over 30,000 prints and contact sheets passed down from his parents.

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Features

Asian American Center celebrates 40th anniversary, power of student activism 

By Kendall Roberts | April 13

The Tufts Asian American Center was founded in 1983 as a resource for Asian and Asian American students, and this year marks its official 40th anniversary on campus. The center’s anniversary underscores a rich history of student activism and demands for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on Tufts’ campus.

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Features

Lesser known majors offer rich academic experiences

By Kaitlyn Wells | April 13

Picture the trunk of a tree, and imagine that it is an academic department. Its branches are majors, and perhaps its leaves can be students. Majors are the primary way through which Tufts students consolidate their intellectual pursuits. Some of them exist outside of the spotlight, yet despite being younger or smaller in size, they are no less in value and profundity. The Daily spoke to faculty from four such departments to learn more.

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