In a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the visa of Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk was revoked. On Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and over 30 other senators and representatives of Congress released a letter demanding more information regarding the cause and legality of her detainment.
U.S. District Judge Denise Casper for the district of Massachusetts ordered Friday evening that Tufts doctoral student, Rümeysa Öztürk, not be removed from the country unless otherwise ordered by the court. Respondents including Patricia Hyde, acting director of the ICE Boston field office, have until Tuesday to address the amended petition and civil complaint.
Somerville City Council voted to file a ballot initiative for Somerville’s divestment from companies in business with Israel on Thursday night, requiring activists to collect about 5,500 voter signatures to secure the question a spot on the city’s November ballot. The council’s 9–2 vote was preceded by a rally organized by Somerville for Palestine, attended by hundreds of Somerville community members outside Somerville City Hall.
Over a thousand current and former students of Tufts University have signed a petition calling for proactive protection of its community members against federal deportations following the detainment of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts graduate student, earlier this week.
The Department of Earth and Climate Sciences at Tufts is facing uncertainty because of threats to their sources for research funding from federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation.
Students and local activists gathered on Wednesday evening at Powder House Park to protest the detainment of Tufts graduate student, Rumeysa Ozturk, by federal authorities on Tuesday. The protest was organized by Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, formerly known as the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts, and other activist groups from the Greater Boston area.
Federal authorities detained a Tufts graduate student last night outside an off-campus apartment in Somerville. University President Sunil Kumar announced in an email around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night that the university is seeking more information about the cause and circumstances of the arrest.
Medford Fire Chief Todd Evans was sworn into his role on Feb. 24, with the inauguration ceremony taking place on Mar. 12. He had served as interim chief for 11 months, following the retirement of Chief John Freedman. The chief was chosen via assessment center examination. According to the city’s press release, Chief Evans earned the highest score out of two candidates on the assessment center exam. Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn had interviewed all five deputy chiefs, including Evans, in March 2024 to choose an interim chief.
Tufts students and faculty joined hundreds of protesters at the Stand Up for Science Rally on Mar. 7at the Boston Common. Protesters advocated in support of federal funding for science research.
On March 5 Tufts junior Meirav Solomon testified before a U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing regarding antisemitism, arguing that college campuses should focus on conversation and protecting equality for students.
Tufts accepted 10.5% of applicants to the undergraduate Class of 2029, Tufts’ admissions office announced. The acceptance rate shows an increase of half a percentage point from last year’s acceptance rate and is one percent higher than in 2023. Decisions were released on March 20.
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life hosted Mick Mulvaney, former chief of staff under President Donald Trump’s first administration, on Tuesday as part of its Solomont Speaker Series. The talk was moderated by Eitan Hersh, a professor of political science at Tufts and an advocate for bipartisan discourse, who teaches a course on modern American conservatism, the first of its kind in the United States.
A presidential memorandum signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 suspended the leasing and permitting of federal spaces for offshore wind development, rattling faculty and students in Tufts’ offshore wind energy engineering programs at the graduate level.
The Medford City Council Committee of the Whole approved updates to the City Charter on March 4, sending the new charter to a final vote. The updates include a highly-debated district-based council composition plan, setting it up to be sent to the state legislature for final authorization.
Tinashe, Quinn XCII and Hot Chelle Rae will perform at Spring Fling, the Tufts University Social Collective announced on Wednesday. The concert will take place on April 26 at 12:30 p.m. on the Academic Quad. The headliner, Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, who performs just under her first name, is known for hit songs “Nasty” and “2 On (feat. ScHoolboy Q).” She also recently appeared on the song “B2b featuring tinashe” from Charli XCX’s remix album “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.” Tinashe previously headlined Spring Fling in 2017, though she was originally set to be an opener. She stepped in after T-Pain cancelled due to the performance conflicting with his son’s birthday.
The Film and Media Studies Program has announced changes to the requirements of its major, with students now required to take a seminar as an additional core course. FMS seminars have an in-depth focus on an aspect of the industry, and their requirement for the major replaces the need to take an upper level elective.
On Monday, the Department of Education sent Title VI warning letters to 60 universities, including Tufts, that are under investigation for “violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley ruled to impose a preliminary injunction on the National Institutes of Health, preventing the cuts on indirect medical research costs from taking effect nationwide.
TEDxTufts hosted its 2025 conference, titled “Catalyst: The Power of a Single Spark,” on Saturday in Cohen Auditorium. The event featured eight talks given by current Tufts students, professors and alumni that explored a diverse range of topics.
The city of Somerville announced on Feb. 19 that it is participating in a Rodent Fertility Control Study using Evolve, which is a hormonal fertility control product designed to curb rat reproduction in a humane manner. This is in partnership with the Cambridge Public Health Department and Cambridge Inspectional Services Department.
