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T HE T UFTS DAILY VOLUME LXXXV, ISSUE 1
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
Department of Public Safety announces new threat communication and assessment plan by Katie Spiropoulos Assistant News Editor
Executive Director of Public Safety Yolanda Smith wrote in an all-campus email Tuesday that only “credible” threats would trigger public safety alerts going forward, following a string of bomb threats that rocked campus in December and seemingly began anew earlier this week. The announcement comes just a day after students shuffling back into their dorm rooms were greeted not only by their peers and a fresh layer of snow but also by a slightly less cheery familiar sight: an urgent public safety message. “The university has received another threat that may be related to recent events,”
the alert read. It was the Department of Public Safety’s eighth such message since mid-December — and its first of the new year. While the details of Monday’s threat remain unclear, the alert that it prompted may be the last one for some time. Smith said Tuesday that authorities would only sound the alarm for threats that warrant a “need for action by community members.” “As has been the case with many of the threats, Tufts was not singled out but rather included in a list of local organizations,” Smith wrote of Monday’s threat. Smith urged students and other community members not to be concerned if media outlets report additional threats
that the university chose not to publicize. “Because the perpetrators sometimes copy the news media on these threats, it is possible that you might hear about a threat from traditional or social media outlets unrelated to Tufts,” Smith wrote. “If this occurs, please know that we are aware of the threats and have determined that a community alert is not warranted.” Smith also explained that the security measures outlined in December will remain in place with increased security patrols as well as collaboration with municipal and state agencies. “The multi-agency investigation into these threats is continuing, and we remain focused on finding the responsible party or parties,” Smith wrote.
LOCAL
Inside the GLX opening: Senators, mayors, students gather for landmark event by Aaron Gruen
Executive News Editor
The Medford/Tufts branch of the Green Line Extension opened on Dec. 12 at roughly 4:30 a.m. following years of construction and several delays. The extension now connects the Medford/ Somerville campus to East Somerville and Boston. Dozens of Tufts students flocked to the new Medford/
Tufts station before sunrise, waiting in sub-freezing weather in hopes of catching a ride on the first passenger trolley to leave the station. Then-MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak greeted the crowd before the gate to the station opened, and prospective riders rushed through to the platform. Among the riders on the first Green Line trip were Katjana Ballantyne and Joseph Curtatone,
AARON GRUEN / THE TUFTS DAILY
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and University President Anthony Monaco prepare to cut the ceremonial ribbon on Dec. 12, 2022.
the current and former mayor of Somerville, respectively, along with Poftak. Later in the morning, government leaders gathered with University President Anthony Monaco at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the station. Attendees included Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, then-Massachussets Governor Charlie Baker and U.S. Congresswoman Kathryn Clark, the new House Minority Whip for Democrats. Following the ribbon-cutting, Markey spoke with the Daily about the significance of the GLX and its role in creating a Green New Deal. “Today is historic … this is a day when … public transportation is taking a front row seat,” Markey told the Daily. “We have to move away from highways and move more towards transit.” Local and national government leaders then gathered with Monaco and delivered remarks in the lobby of the Joyce see GLX, page 3
JULIA SHANNON-GRILLO / THE TUFTS DAILY
Dowling Hall, the home of Tufts’ public safety department, is pictured on Dec. 15, 2022.
UNIVERSITY
Tufts ends bivalent COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination requirements by Katie Spiropoulos Assistant News Editor
The bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine is no longer required for all university personnel and students, Michael Jordan, university infection control director, announced in a Jan. 5 email to the Tufts community. In addition to dropping the omicron booster mandate, Jordan noted that the influenza vaccine would become optional for all students on the Medford/Somerville and SMFA campuses. While the omicron booster is no longer mandated, there are still vaccination requirements in place for every member of the Tufts community. “All eligible students, faculty, staff, vendors, and affiliates must have received a COVID-19 vaccine primary series (two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) and at least one booster dose,” Jordan wrote.
Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations, explained that the university’s goal of having as many people as possible vaccinated remains unchanged. “It became increasingly clear over the fall semester that, after nearly three years of the pandemic, we needed to try a new strategy to achieve this goal,” Collins wrote in an email to the Daily. “Simply put, continuing to mandate the bivalent booster was not having the effect we had hoped it would and, as a result, it increasingly became apparent that fully enforcing a mandate would be impractical.” However, Collins noted that this does not mean people should be dissuaded from receiving the additional booster or continuing to take precautions against COVID-19. “While no longer specifically required, the bivalent (Omicron) see BOOSTER, page 3
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