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Local

Medford School Committee appropriates override funds to new positions, programming

By Josué Pérez | February 3

The Medford School Committee voted unanimously to appropriate $7 million to retain over 14 positions across the school district, fund infrastructure upgrades and reserve funds for a new collective bargaining agreement on Jan. 13. The city’s approval of Proposition 2 ½ override questions 7 and 8 in the November 2024 election, generating $3 million and $4 million, respectively, for Medford schools.

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University

Full-time lecturers rally for higher salaries during 2-day walkout

By Samantha Eng | January 30

Unionized full-time lecturers in the School of Arts and Sciences rallied on Monday and Tuesday during a two day walk-out, following 10 months of negotiations with Tufts administration. The 122 A&S lecturers, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 509, seek salary adjustments to compensate for rising costs of living in the Greater Boston area and increases in student enrollment.  

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University

Coalition for Palestinian Liberation continues calls for divestment in first protest of semester

By Samantha Eng | January 28

Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts reiterated their demands for Tufts to divest from Israeli corporations in a protest on Wednesday, three days after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect. Drawing roughly 30 protestors, the protest was announced by CPLT in a joint Instagram post with Somerville for Palestine and Medford for Palestine on Jan. 18.

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University

TCU Senate supports full-time lecturers, plans research opportunity database in weekly meeting

By Spenser Walsh | January 28

The Tufts Community UnionSenate covered committee work, handled supplementary funding requests and voted on critical policy issues during a packed meeting Sunday night.

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University

Full-time lecturers hold 2-day walkout amid ongoing union negotiations

By Michael Onysko | January 27

About 80% of full-time union lecturers in the School of Arts and Sciences are walking out on Monday and Tuesday in an effort to bargain for a third contract with Tufts administration. The full-time lecturers will not be working for two days in support of livable salaries and manageable workloads.

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University

Institutional Neutrality Working Group gathers community feedback on potential policy

By Nicholas Prather | January 24

Tufts’ Institutional Neutrality Working Group hosted a total of five listening sessions to hear input from faculty, staff and students on a potential statement of institutional neutrality. On Jan. 15 and Jan. 16, the working group held two final virtual listening sessions for all Tufts community members to voice their thoughts, questions and concerns.

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Local

Somerville Municipal Employees Union ratifies new contract with city

By Aaron Gruen | January 24

The Somerville Municipal Employees Union ratified a new contract with the city of Somerville on Jan. 9. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and union leadership signed a tentative agreement that includes wage increases across the board and family leave, among other benefits.

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University

Campus groups discuss plans following Trump’s inauguration

By Shayna Levy | January 24

Following President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, political student groups on campus including Tufts Democrats, Tufts Republicans and Planned Parenthood Action at Tufts are preparing for a semester under the new presidential administration.

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Local

Local journalists to revive Medford news with new digital paper

By Zoe Herrmann | January 22

Three community journalists are revitalizing local coverage in Medford with a new digital newspaper: Gotta Know Medford. This effort to produce more Medford news comes years after Gannett, the Medford Transcript’s parent company, forced the paper to merge with the Somerville Journal in 2022, leaving the city without a devoted paper of its own.

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University

Khan Shairani tapped as new Muslim Chaplain

By Michael Onysko | January 22

Khan Asfandyar Shairani will permanently serve as the Muslim Chaplain,the Tufts University Chaplaincy announced onJan. 16.Previously serving as the Muslim Chaplain ad interim, Shairani will continue supporting and educating students interested in the Islamic tradition.

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News

New Boston Avenue dorm faces growing opposition, final decision on site plan postponed

By Julian Glickman | January 17

Medford residents and city officials are raising concerns about the potential impact of the 401 Boston Ave. dorm on the community. The dorm, scheduled to open in 2027, is set to be a two-building complex with 300 apartments, housing nearly 700 upperclassmen.

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University

School of Engineering to launch new master’s program in AI

By Zach Halverstam | January 17

The Tufts School of Engineering will launch a new master’s program centered on artificial intelligence in the fall of 2025. The first applications will close on March 15.

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Local

Medford City Council begins reviewing new charter proposals following mayoral review

By Josué Pérez | January 15

On Dec. 16, Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced that her office sent an updated draft of a new city charter to the Medford City Council. The Medford Charter Study Committee – established in December 2022 – reviewed and made recommendations for a new city charter in a nearly two year process. The charter has not been changed since the 1980s.

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Local

Somerville discusses progress on clean energy initiatives in committee meeting

By Anika Parr | January 15

The Somerville Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change held a meeting to discuss progress on school decarbonization, youth climate engagement and advancements in renewable energy accessibility for the community, on Jan. 7.

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News

Mayor Ballantyne celebrates work in State of the City address

By Samantha Eng | January 15

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne delivered a State of the City address on Jan. 6, reflecting on accomplishments and challenges facing the city in the last year.  

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University

Venerable Vineetha Mahayaye hired as new Tufts Buddhist Chaplain

By Estelle Anderson and Remy Bernatavicius | December 10

The Tufts University Chaplaincy has hired Ven. Vineetha Mahayaye as its new Buddhist Chaplain, a role focused on supporting Tufts’ Buddhist community and organizing educational programming around Buddhist teachings. A monk from Sri Lanka and a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, Mahayaye officially started his new role Monday.

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News

Tufts leverages campus electrification, renewable energy partnerships to advance net-zero goals

By Carly Cohen | December 10

Through the Consortium for Climate Solutions, Tufts aims to achieve a 40% reduction in emissions. On Nov. 21, Tufts University announced an immediate 40% reduction in energy-related emissions on its Boston health sciences campus, a significant step toward the university’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This milestone stems from Tufts’ participation in the Consortium for Climate Solutions, a collaboration led by MIT, Harvard and Mass General Brigham to fund technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

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News

Tufts environmental policy department seeks to improve public transportation in Worcester

By Shayna Levy | December 10

Professor Justin Hollander of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning is leading Tufts students in partnership with Worcester community groups and local residents on a campaign to improve public transportation in Worcester, Massachusetts. The campaign aims to garner support from Worcester residents as well as local politiciansand develop a proposal with suggested improvements to the bus system. 

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Local

City of Somerville master plan leaves future of Center for the Arts at the Armory uncertain

By Sravya Dontharaju | December 10

Leaders of the Center for the Arts at the Armory agree that the City of Somerville’s master plan for the future of the center, released on Nov. 25, leaves many unanswered questions. The center expressed frustration about how the Somerville government did not fully acknowledge tenants’ need for a lease agreement.

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Local

Somerville City Council reconfirms status as sanctuary city

By Carly Hope | December 9

The Somerville City Council approved a resolution on Nov. 26 reaffirming Somerville as a “Welcoming Community for justice, equity, and inclusion.” The resolution reconfirmed Somerville’s status as a sanctuary city and communicated the city’s stance on immigration in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election.

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