Cover to cover: Class of 2023’s 4 years on campus, reviewed

by Ethan Steinberg News Editor

Editor’s note: The 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22 recaps in this article are reprinted from the 2022 Commencement Issue of the Daily, with light edits.

2019–20

The Class of 2023’s first year at Tufts was shaken by a series of developments that made Tufts the focus of national news, before being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey and Karl Rove, a former special adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush, were among the many guests who visited Tufts as part of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

While impeachment proceedings of U.S. President Donald Trump prevented then-Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennett from visiting, fellow candidate Marianne Williamson met with Tufts Democrats in October.

Margot Cardamone became the FIRST Resource Center director after the Office of Student Success and Advising was dissolved in September, and Marvin Casasola was hired as the next Latino Center director.

Early in the fall, the Tufts campus was struck by three consecutive incidents of hate within one month. First, a Jewish student returned to their residence hall on Sept. 15 to discover a swastika affixed to their door; second, a different student found a homophobic slur carved into their door on Oct. 2; third, a sign was defaced at the African American industry. The Board of Trustees established the advisory committee four months prior, after nearly seven years of student activism on the issue. instead held a virtual all-university degree conferral ceremony.

Trail Project exhibit in the Aidekman Arts Center. After the final incident, University President Anthony Monaco announced the formation of two bias response teams to focus on supporting the Tufts community.

The Tufts community also learned in September that Monaco attended a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the previous year, though the university did not disclose it at the time.

Tufts again made headlines in December by deciding to remove the Sackler name from its health sciences campus and programs, and establishing a $3 million endowment focused on substance abuse and addiction prevention and treatment. The university made the decision following the completion of an independent review of its relationship with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma by former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts David Stern and Attorney Sandy Remz.

Tufts announced on Jan. 2 that for $2 million over 10 years, “Medford/Tufts” would be the name of the new Green Line Extension station then under construction at the intersection of Boston Avenue and College Avenue.

Spring semester began with Tisch College’s historic move to Barnum Hall from Lincoln-Filene Hall, which also coincided with the beginning of its 20th anniversary celebrations. Barnum Hall had been closed for about a year since extensive renovations that began in May 2018 and finished the following summer.

The semester was upended, however, when Monaco announced on March 10 the closure of campus and shift to online classes due to the escalating COVID-19 pandemic. Tufts confirmed its first positive case days later while students spontaneously organized financial and material support through Tufts Mutual Aid.

Although classes resumed remotely on March 25, campus buildings were shuttered as many students were forced to return home, some petitioned to remain and others still were quarantined on campus. Students studying abroad as well as exchange students at Tufts all returned home, though some faced great difficulty as travel bans were implemented worldwide.

Dining workers’ hours were cut with most dining locations closed, but they secured an agreement to extend benefits through the end of the semester. Among other academic policy modifications, faculty approved a new and temporary Exceptional Pass/Fail grading system, which was opt-in and would satisfy all academic requirements. The administration reaffirmed its commitment to meeting full demonstrated need in financial aid, despite an expected $15 million budget deficit in the current fiscal year and an estimated $50 million shortfall in the next.

2020–21 national reckoning with police brutality and white supremacy in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Student organizations also phone-banked, assisted with voter registration and worked at the polls leading up to the presidential election in November.

The Class of 2023’s second year began unconventionally, as Tufts’ academics and activities adapted to a hybrid model in adherence with COVID-19 public health guidelines. While Tufts welcomed students back to campus, some opted to either attend classes remotely or take a leave of absence.

Tufts implemented a number of measures to ensure the safety of community members, including routine testing for students, pooled testing that extended to Somerville and Medford residents and the implementation of The Mods, which facilitated the ability to quarantine students who tested positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts.

Online programming allowed for a robust lineup of speakers through Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Anthony Fauci, voting rights activist and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and author Ijeoma Oluo were only a few of the speakers to visit Tufts virtually this year.

The Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion was renamed as part of a larger restructuring effort. This change additionally welcomed three new full-time staffing positions.

Shortly after Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election was announced, Tufts faced challenges within its own student government when the Tufts Community Union Judiciary suspended the Senate Executive Board and Elections Commission in November. The Judiciary believed that the Senate Executive Board and ECOM were planning to appoint students to vacant Senate seats — a violation of the TCU Constitution. The Judiciary then revoked its suspension after less than 24 hours, having resolved what had been a miscommunication between the three branches.

TCU also held a special election at the end of November, which included referenda by Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine and Tufts for a Racially Equitable Endowment, both of which passed. Although 42% of the student body voted — the highest turnout for a special election in Tufts’ history — the university announced that it had no plans to take action on either referendum.

Divestment lobbying made headway in February when the administration appointed members to the Responsible Investment Advisory of

Having initially canceled ceremonies entirely, the administration responded to outrage from many members of the Class of 2020 by promising to hold Commencement in person when it would again be safe to do so. On May 17, Tufts

The year was also marked by student activism and political engagement. Members of the Tufts community marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, formed new campus organizations focused on anti-racism and reevaluated the lack of representation in departmental curricula. This came after a summer of protests and a

Many students left campus early in fall 2020, with Tufts asking those who traveled for Thanksgiving to remain home and complete classes virtually. Students did not return to campus until late January for the spring semester, which began Feb. 1. Most study abroad programs remained suspended and spring break was condensed into a three day weekend, in part due to traveling risks posed by COVID-19.