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University

Seasoned journalists discuss experiences in political reporting at annual Tufts Democrats Symposium

By Lucas Frota | April 12

Tufts Democrats held its annual symposium titled “Democrats in Motion: The Future of Progressive Policy” on April 5, featuring speakers including U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, political consultant Elaine Almquist, expert political campaign organizers, reporters and Tufts political science professors across four different panels.

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University

TCU Senate hosts second annual Leadership Gala

By Michael Onysko | April 12

The Tufts Community Union Senate hosted its second Leadership Gala on April 7, honoring leaders of the student organizations and clubs at Tufts for their commitment to leadership. Five different awards were handed out to a total of eight winners, with several awards having multiple recipients.

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University

‘The campus just stopped’: Solar eclipse captures students’ attention

By Matthew Sage | April 11

“Since the next total eclipse visible from the Eastern Seaboard won’t occur until 2024, a great many amateurs will also be out to look at, and photograph this event,” an article in the Tufts Observer read the day before the last total eclipse fell over New England in 1970. But in a rare moment, scientific spectacle again eclipsed students’ usual academic schedules to bring hundreds of Tufts students flocking to President’s Lawn, basking in the dim light of the most recent partial eclipse on Monday. From the Medford/Somerville campus, students were able to catch a glimpse of a 93% covered sun using pairs of eclipse glasses, smartly passed between friends.

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University

Tufts’ cost of attendance reaches record-breaking $92,167 for upcoming academic year

By Estelle Anderson | April 11

Tufts’ total cost of attendance has broken the $90,000 barrier for the 2024–2025 academic year, reflecting the rising costs of higher education across the country. For incoming undergraduate students at Tufts, the new price of attendance is approximately $92,167 — a figure that includes ...

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University

Here’s what to know about Fiona Hill, 2024 Commencement speaker

By Carly Cohen | April 11

Fiona Hill, a former advisor to three U.S. Presidents and the current Chancellor of Durham University, will deliver the commencement address to the class of 2024. University President Sunil Kumar announced Hill as the speaker on March 27.

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University

Q&A: Meet Saffiyah Coker, this year’s Wendell Phillips speaker

By Carly Cohen | April 11

Saffiyah Coker, a senior studying economics and international relations, was selected as the winner of the Wendell Phillips award and will deliver an address at this year’s Baccalaureate Ceremony. The award, established in 1896, is named for the attorney, women’s and Native Americans’ rights activist and abolitionist. The award is given to a senior who demonstrates marked ability as a public speaker and a sense of public responsibility.

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University

Voting for spring 2024 TCU elections begins

By Almer Yu | April 10

The spring 2024 Tufts Community Union Elections are here. Polls are open from Wednesday at 12 p.m. until Friday at 12 p.m. All students will receive a link in their Tufts email address directing them to an electronic ballot. Sophomores and juniors will decide their incoming class representatives in competitive elections. The Indigenous Peoples’ Community Senator seat remains vacant for a third semester, while no candidates are running to fill the newly vacated Latinx Community Senator seat.

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Local

Mayor Ballantyne reopens Somerville’s search for a new police chief

By Nicholas Prather | April 9

At the end of January, Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne announced the resumption of the City of Somerville’s search for their next chief of police after three finalists for the position were ultimately rejected by the mayor’s office last November. The search will be led by the city’s Racial and Social Justice Department, its Human Resources Department and public-sector executive recruitment firm GovHR, which serves as the requisite external consultant to identify and certify potential candidates. This search has been ongoing since March 2020, when former Chief David Fallon announced his retirement. Interim Police Chief Charlie Femino has led the department since Fallon’s retirement took effect in December 2020.

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Local

Somerville builds community through CultureHouse

By Teagan Mustone | April 8

CultureHouse, a nonprofit placemaking organization based in Somerville, transformed a vacant storefront into a vibrant community center in Union Square. Since its opening in January 2024, the pop-up, located at 64 Union Square, has offered a space to foster community and build intercultural and intergenerational relationships.

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University

Tufts Federalist Society hosts panel on intellectual diversity in law schools

By Lang Law | April 5

The Tufts Federalist Society hosted a panel titled “Intellectual Diversity on Law School Campuses” on March 28. The panel participants included Emily Miller, a third-year JD candidate at Harvard Law School; Ben Pontz, a third-year JD candidate at Harvard Law School and president of the Harvard Federalist Society; and Kristi Jobson, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Chief Admissions Officer for Harvard Law School. Dayna Cunningham, Dean of the Tisch College of Civic Life, moderated the panel.

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News

TCU Senate discusses campus dining reform, approves Tufts Turbo funding appeal

By Michael Onysko | April 4

At its most recent weekly Sunday meeting, the Tufts Community Union Senate announced the university’s plans to address food insecurity in light of students’ frustration with no longer being able to use two meal swipes at retail dining locations. The Senate also approved a previously denied funding request from the Tufts TURBO dance group and approved two requests for supplementary club funding.

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University

Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run cracks down on student theft

By Almer Yu | April 4

In recent weeks, students purchasing food from Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run will have noticed the dining location’s line layout appears to have undergone a subtle redesign and that customers now receive a paper receipt upon checking out.Often, a watchful employee stands near the door.

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University

Imposter April Fools’ email announces Kumar’s death

By Shannon Murphy | April 3

An unauthorized email purportedly announcing the death of University President Sunil Kumar was sent to Tufts community members on the morning of April 1, ending with the words “April Fools” and a call for heightened security measures.

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University

Department of Romance Studies announces new multilingual major

By Michael Onysko | April 3

The Department of Romance Studies is unveiling a new interdisciplinary major — aptly named Romance Studies — for the upcoming fall semester that will allow students to study two romance languages simultaneously. In addition, the French department has also tweaked requirements for the French minor to accommodate students with higher proficiency, with credit toward the six required courses beginning at French 4.

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University

Tufts accepts 10% of applicants to Class of 2028

By Anna Fattaey | April 2

Tufts University accepted 10% of applicants to the undergraduate Class of 2028, the admissions office announced shortly after spring break. This year’s acceptance rate rose just half a percent above the record low acceptance rate set last year, just 9.5%. 

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News

Application for Civic Semester program added to Tufts undergraduate application

By Rebecca Barrie | March 29

For the first time, applicants to the Tufts Class of 2028 were given the option to be considered for the Tufts Civic Semester in their Tufts undergraduate applications. The Civic Semester, coordinated by Tisch College and student travel program organization Where There Be Dragons, gives newly admitted students the opportunity to engage in internships with civic organizations and to immerse themselves in local communities abroad, through excursions and living with host families.

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University

Pilot program to extend JCC hours for April

By Samantha Eng | March 28

On any given weekend morning, small crowds of students can be found waiting outside the Joyce Cummings Center entrance. Why? The building is closed to non-computer science students before 12 p.m. For this demographic, the following behavior is typical: fruitlessly pulling at the door handles, peering into the windows or awkward loitering until someone with the right keycard comes along.

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University

10th annual TEDxTufts conference to take place on April 13

By Josué Pérez | March 27

TEDxTufts announced the speaker lineup for this year’s conference and a special exhibit that will be featured on the day of the conference. The conference, on April 13, is being presented as: “TEDxTufts Turns Ten: Refraction.” The speaker lineup for this year’s conference includes Bernadette Dineen, Cristobal Cea, David “Dee-1” Augustine, David Delvalle, Dr. Miguel Basáñez, Dr. Natalie Rubio, Nikhil Vootkur, Peter Kaldes, Sophia Day and Supreme Hassan.

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University

Global Tufts Month highlights international engagement

By Samara Haynes | March 26

For the sixth consecutive year, Tufts is hosting Global Tufts Month. Throughout the month of March, a series of collaboratively organized events will be put on following the theme “Humanitarian Aid: Working Together in Times of Conflict.”

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Local

Somerville municipal employees continue fight for fair wages

By Grayton Goldsmith | March 14

Established in 1963, the Somerville Municipal Employees Association has since grown to represent more than 260 municipal workers, with bargaining units that cover everything from the Department of Public Works to the library department to school nurses. For more than 20 months, however, these vital city workers, prohibited by Massachusetts law from going on strike, have been working without a contract.

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