Jason Rezaian, an Iranian American and Washington Post writer, spoke about his imprisonment in Iran at an April 10 event at The Fletcher School.
Professor Craig Wilder spoke about his work to uncover higher education’s connection to the slave economy on April 12 at the inaugural event for the Slavery, Colonialism, and Their Legacies at Tufts project. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for the Humanities at Tufts, the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and the Office of the Provost.
The Somerville City Council passed an ordinance on March 23 seeking to combat discrimination against polyamorous people in the workplace and in interactions with law enforcement. The bill is one of the first of its kind, and comes three years after Somerville passed an ordinance officially recognizing polyamorous relationships.
The TCU Senate voted at their weekly meeting to endorse the Tufts Labor Coalition’s campaign to support higher wages for Tufts dining employees on April 9.
Tufts Student Affairs recently announced the creation of a new summer pre-orientation program called SHAPE, short for Students Heightening Actionable Political Engagement. Although the program is still in development, SHAPE aims to invite civically-minded and politically curious students to solve pressing issues in the Tufts community and beyond.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke about his work on building bipartisan consensus, criminal justice reform, farming and gun control legislation on April 10 as part of the Tisch College Solomont Speaker Series. He was joined by dean emeritus of Tisch College and former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra Alan D. Solomont, who moderated the talk.
The Medford City Council recently passed an ordinance to create an affordable housing trust for the city. This trust would allow a selected board to buy small properties and secure land to turn into more affordable housing. Medford residents would be able to buy or rent property from the city, and that property would be kept under market rates.
Members of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy gathered on April 5 to award the Edward R. Murrow Award to Daniel Langenkamp, a U.S. State Department public diplomacy officer who served in Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian invasion. The event, titled “Public Diplomacy on a Digital Planet: The View from Kyiv,” was co hosted by the Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World and the Institute for Business in the Global Context.
Dr. Anu Gokhale, professor and chairperson in the Saint Augustine’s University Department of Computer Information Systems, gave a lecture at Alumnae Hall titled “Algorithmic Bias: Myth or Reality?” on April 4. Gokhale was invited to speak about her insights and research as a leader in a STEM field.
The Fletcher School’s Initiative on Religion, Law and Diplomacy organized a book talk with Shaun Casey, former U.S. special representative for religion and global affairs, on his new book, “Chasing the Devil at Foggy Bottom: The Future of Religion in American Diplomacy” (2023), on April 4. The talk was moderated by Fletcher Military Fellow Chris Melvin.
Tisch College’s final Civic Life Lunch welcomed artist, activist and Tufts alum Scheherazade Tillet (LA’00) on April 6 to speak about her work and goals. Alonso Nichols, Tufts’ chief of photography, moderated the conversation.
Darryll Pines, president of the University of Maryland, spoke at Tufts on March 31 to discuss a new venture he started to address the decline in college enrollment and the low level of STEM interest at the high school level. The presentation was held as part of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Colloquium Series.
Just before midnight on Feb. 27, several students gathered in a room on the third floor of 1047 Beacon St. to decide whether to kill a live mouse stuck in a glue trap. After months of submitting work orders and calling for assistance that night, it was clear to residents that no one would be coming to help. Together, the residents came to a conclusion: Killing the mouse was the right thing to do. After placing the mouse in a trash bag, one resident offered to step on it.
Abby Phillip, CNN’s senior political correspondent and weekend anchor, was the featured guest speaker at the 15th Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism on April 3. Sponsored by Tisch College’s Solomont Speaker Series, the event was the first in-person Murrow Forum in four years.
The Experimental College on March 30 hosted its first-ever event exploring reproductive rights, entitled “Reproductive Freedom in the Wake of Dobbs.” The discussion featured perspectives from the legal, health care and educational intersections of the landmark Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which ended the constitutional right to abortion last year.
Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, the permanent representative of Myanmar to the United Nations, spoke at Tufts on March 31 about Myanmar’s ongoing crisis. During the event, called the “International Responsibility in Responding to Myanmar’s Crisis,” Tun discussed his country’s recent military coup — and the ensuing international response — with David Muehlke, Fletcher’s state department fellow.
The Fletcher Center for Strategic Studies hosted a dialogue on diverse sociopolitical interpretations of security on March 13. CSS Director Monica Toft moderated the discussion, titled “Global Views, Common Security.” The event featured panelists professor David Ekbladh, professor Eileen Babbitt, CSS Assistant Director Scott McDonald and former President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado Quesada.
City councilors and Tufts alums Judy Pineda Neufeld of Somerville and Kit Collins of Medford returned to Tufts to speak about their careers and paths to local government in the event “The Importance of Local Politics: Perspectives from Local City Councilors” held in Olin Center for Language and Cultural Studies on Monday, March 27. Nimah Mazaheri, chair of the political science department, moderated the event.
Writer and podcast host Dahlia Lithwick visited Tufts as part of Tisch College’s Solomont Speaker Series. In conversation with Dr. Nancy Thomas, founding director of Tisch College’s Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, Lithwick discussed her new book, “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America,” as well as several women who have changed judicial history.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed will deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2023, the university announced on March 30. Mohammed will receive an honorary degree along with six other individuals at the commencement ceremony on May 21.
