The Tufts Daily

09/08/2026

NEWS | On Sept. 8, students are hosting a speak-out in response to the recent changes that have been made to the Tufts University Prison Initiative, including the suspension of the MyTERN re-entry program and change in directors. The event will be hosted at 10 a.m. on the Academic Quad and will include speeches from organizers, as well as any attendees who would like to share what the program means to them.

Joseph Auner, interim provost and senior vice president, sent an email in early August informing students and faculty that MyTERN would be suspended for the 2026-27 academic year. This suspension comes after a Cambridge shooting in May involving a former MyTERN student.

The university later published an update explaining that Melanie McFarlane, TUPIT’s deputy director, would be taking over for founder and Executive Director Hilary Binda and that applications for the bachelor’s degree pathway would be paused indefinitely. Faculty also received an email outlining these changes.

Assuming his role on July 1, Auner, who is also an Austin Fletcher professor of music, convened a working group to evaluate the structure and future of TUPIT. The group consists of faculty and staff from the School of Arts and Sciences, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and the provost’s office.

The main grievance that has been expressed by students and faculty who have been involved in the program is their lack of representation within the working group.

Amelia Sammons and June Myint report.

09/04/2026

NEWS | On the morning of Sept. 3, all first-years received an email from the university informing them that all meals will be held in the Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center and providing them with set meal times based on orientation group. Fresh at Carmichael Dining Center closed earlier that morning due to a water leak from a room above the Carmichael kitchen, which affected HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems in the dining hall.

According to Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, the university does not expect the dining center to reopen Sept. 3 and currently has no projected reopening time.

“We appreciate students’ understanding as we address necessary repairs,” Collins wrote in a statement to the Daily.

This closure comes after Carmichael was closed for nearly two months in the fall semester of 2025. Last year’s shutdown was also due to facilities issues and extended through the entirety of winter break.

“I remember the previous Carm closures, especially the one last fall, and I remember it being really frustrating having my options limited,” junior Isadora Alexis shared.

Recalling the time it took to reopen the dining center last year, Alexis was not confident the issue would be resolved quickly.

“Based on how long it took for them to fix the last leak, I have my reservations,” she said.

Carly Hope reports.

09/01/2026

NEWS | It’s Primary Day in Massachusetts, with voters heading to the polls for races including the U.S. Senate and Governor, as well as several state legislative races in Medford and Somerville.

Two-term incumbent Sen. Ed Markey is being challenged by Rep. Seth Moulton, who represents the 6th district, encompassing the northeastern part of the state, including Andover, Salem, and Gloucester. Moulton has framed the race around age and is pushing for a new generation of leadership in Washington. Markey is relying on his progressive bona fides and his nearly 50 years of congressional experience to win another term.

In the 2nd Middles*x State Senate District, incumbent State Sen. Pat Jehlen is retiring after 21 years. Her seat is being contested by Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem, state representatives Christine Barber and Erika Uyterhoeven and Somerville City Councilor Matt McLaughlin.

The State House races see incumbent state Rep. Mike Connolly being challenged by housing advocate Neil Miller, as well as two open seats left by Reps. Uyterhoeven and Barber. Ben Ewen-Campen, Olivia Gilligan-Corsetti, Will Mbah, Chris Oates and Paul Ruseau are running to fill those vacant seats.

In the U.S. House, six-term incumbent and Minority Whip Katherine Clark is being challenged by former Waltham City Councilor Jonathan Paz and union organizer Tarik Samman.

Michael Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve face off in the Republican primary for Governor to see who will challenge incumbent Gov. Maura Healey in November.

Follow live coverage from Daily reporters across Medford and Somerville for updates. Click the link in our story for more.

08/25/2026

NEWS | As Massachusetts voters head to the polls this fall to decide a slate of closely watched Democratic primaries — including competitive races for an open state Senate seat, several state House districts and challenges to some of the state’s most notable members of Congress — the Daily outlined the candidates for key races across the Tufts area and throughout the state.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on September 1. Early voting will also be available until August 28, with poll hours varying by municipality.

All Democratic state officials, including Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, are running unopposed for their nominations. State Reps. Sean Garballey and Paul Donato, as well as U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, have also sealed renominations.

Julian Glickman reports.

08/11/2026

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08/03/2026

NEWS | All on-campus classes in the MyTERN re-entry program run by the Tufts University Prison Initiative of the Tisch College of Civic Life were suspended in July for the 2026-27 academic year following a May shooting involving a former participant in the program.

The suspension will only affect students in the School of Arts and Sciences, as no participants in MyTERN’s re-entry program — which assists formerly incarcerated individuals in reentering society through education, career and housing support — were enrolled for this academic year, according to Joseph Auner, Tufts’s interim provost and senior vice president. Auner announced the suspension in an email addressed to faculty and students involved in TUPIT.

Auner added that, for the time being, most of TUPIT’s other programming, including in-person prison education classes, courses for formerly incarcerated students and admission to a Bachelor’s program, will continue as scheduled.

Tyler Brown, a former MyTERN participant, allegedly fired about 60 rounds from an assault-style rifle at random targets along Memorial Drive in Cambridge on May 11, critically injuring two men who were taken to the hospital.

Theo Weller reports.

07/30/2026

NEWS | Pavement Coffeehouse, a local chain of coffee shops in the greater Boston area, will open a new location within the Joyce Cummings Center this fall, replacing a Starbucks that closed last fall.

Pavement is tentatively planning to open in November after signing a 10-year lease. The opening comes more than a year after Starbucks shuttered all pickup-only sites, including its JCC location.

The search for a replacement began when Tufts University hired a commercial brokerage firm to list the vacated space shortly after Starbucks terminated its lease, according to Karen Cutone, Tufts’ senior director of real estate.

“The search process focused on finding a coffee-based retailer that could use the space largely as currently configured and possibly expand on Starbucks’ food offerings,” Cutone wrote in a statement to the Daily. “There were expressions of interest from several New England coffee/bagel/light food operators.”

Josué Pérez reports.

07/23/2026

NEWS | Supporters of India’s surging youth movement have flooded Tufts’ Instagram account in recent weeks with comments targeting the daughter of the country’s education minister, a graduate of The Fletcher School.

India’s Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP — originally a satirical protest against a top jurist’s comments calling unemployed youth in India “cockroaches” — has burgeoned into an anti-establishment movement fighting issues facing India’s youth. Tensions between the CJP and India’s government have risen in recent weeks with protests in New Delhi turning into violent clashes with police.

One of the party’s major demands is the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s minister of education. Pradhan has faced controversy over multiple leaks of information from the country’s largest undergraduate medical exam, leading to its cancellation in early May. He has also faced criticism over the rocky implementation of a digital grading system and for calling members of the CJP “a B-team of terrorists.”

Naimisha Pradhan, Pradhan’s adult daughter, received her Master of Laws from The Fletcher School in February 2024 with a focus on international law, according to commencement programming from that year.

Julian Glickman reports.

05/19/2026

PHOTO | Tufts held its 170th Commencement for the Class of 2026 on Sunday. Following opening remarks by University President Sunil Kumar and the conferral of honorary degrees, students heard from former pharmaceutical executive Kenneth Frazier, who gave the commencement address.

Photos by Josué Pérez. Link in bio for more.

The independent student newspaper of Tufts University

05/19/2026

NEWS | The Daily sat down with Tufts University President Sunil Kumar after another tumultuous year for higher education to discuss Steve Tisch’s relationship with s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, pressures from the federal government, new initiatives rolled out this semester and the progress of new buildings, among other issues.

Kumar said the university has gotten “singed, not burned” by federal funding cuts, with reductions in the number of funded grants and the dollar amounts being funded. On international students, he reaffirmed Tufts’ support amid federal pressures.

“I believe that international students are an important and critical part of U.S. higher education and that Tufts welcomes them,” Kumar said. “We believe that our international students belong here, period.”

Kumar also addressed revelations about Steve Tisch’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying Tisch showed “remarkable lack of judgment in associating with him” and that the university “does not condone these actions.” Tufts continues to evaluate the situation.

On TCU Senate’s resolution to rename the psychology building for the late professor Sam Sommers, Kumar said the university is looking for ways to remember him with “something more permanent than a building,” such as a prize or scholarship.

Reflecting on his third year as president, Kumar said Tufts has avoided going into “a defensive crouch” despite pressure on higher education.

Julian Glickman and Josué Pérez report. Link in bio for more.

The Daily sat down with Tufts University President Sunil Kumar to discuss Steve Tisch’s relationship with s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, pressures from the federal government, new initiatives rolled out this semester and the progress of new buildings, among other issues.