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T HE T UFTS DAILY Thursday, March 16, 2023
VOLUME LXXXV, ISSUE 8
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
UNIVERSITY
EPIIC Symposium explores race in global politics with State Dept. Rep Desirée Cormier Smith by Anna Fattaey and Ishaan Rajabali
Contributing Writer and News Editor
The Institute for Global Leadership at Tisch College hosted the annual Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship Symposium from March 9–11. Titled “Power and Prejudice: Race and International Relations,” the three-day event hosted several panel discussions on the prevalence of racial issues in global politics. Desirée Cormier Smith, special representative for racial equity and justice in the U.S. Department of State, delivered the keynote address for the symposium. Before her keynote, Cormier Smith spoke with the Daily
about her work, calling it an “incredible honor” to be the first to hold her current position. “It is a privilege that I don’t take lightly, because it also comes with great responsibility,” she said. “And while I’m honored to be the first, I don’t want to be the last.” Cormier Smith’s job at the State Department involves engaging with marginalized communities in the United States and around the world. “The most rewarding part is being able to actually interact with marginalized racial, ethnic and indigenous communities around the world, many of whom have shared that they’ve never interacted with a U.S. government official,” Cormier Smith said.
Before working in her current role, Cormier Smith served as a senior adviser in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, where she worked to promote racial justice through the U.N. “Now, I’m doing the same thing but globally,” Cormier Smith said. “A lot of the work that I was able to do during my time in the Bureau of International Organizations, I’m continuing to do in this role.” Now, Cormier Smith said, her biggest priority is “helping [her] colleagues at the State Department understand what this work is, why it is a national security imperative and then how to meaningfully incorporate it in all that we do.” see EPIIC, page 3
LOCAL
Somerville allocates $1.6 million toward housing supportive services by Estelle Anderson News Editor
Originally published March 13 So m e r v i l l e’s Ho u s i n g Division plans to allocate $1.6 million in federal funds towards services including rental assistance and housing stabilization by 2030. The funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnership American Rescue Plan Program, an initiative that provides funding to reduce homelessness and increase housing stability across the country. “Some of the data on rising housing costs and the shrinking number of naturally affordable rental units in the market indicate a growing crisis of housing instability and loss as well as family displacement in Somerville,” Lisa Davidson, the City of Somerville’s housing grants manager, wrote in an email to the Daily. “The impact [of the funds] will ideally be more individuals and families moving more quickly to thrive
in stable and safe housing of their own.” HUD allowed for four potential uses of the funds: producing and preserving affordable rental housing, expanding housing supportive services, providing tenant-based rental assistance and developing non-congregate shelters. After consulting with community partners and collecting data, the city determined that the most pressing need in Somerville is increased affordable housing; however, their
funding only provides enough to build three rental units. “In relation to the larger housing problems in Somerville, this is really a small amount of money,” Shomon Shamsuddin, an associate professor of social policy at Tufts, explained. “It’s not enough to really engage in any kind of large-scale development or housing production.” According to Davidson, the city’s funds will make the see HOUSING, page 3
NATALIE BROWNSELL / THE TUFTS DAILY
A row of Somerville houses is pictured on Oct. 5, 2022.
COURTESY ANDREW HARRIS
Keynote speaker Desirée Cormier Smith is pictured.
UNIVERSITY
TCU Senate calls on Tufts to divest from fossil fuels at March 12 meeting by Aaron Gruen
Executive News Editor
The TCU Senate unanimously called on Tufts to divest from fossil fuels and commit to carbon neutrality by 2030 at its weekly meeting on March 12. Resolution S. 23-3, titled “A Resolution Calling on Tufts University to Commit to Institutional Climate Justice,” was proposed by members of Tufts Climate Action. It formally calls on the university to create “a transparent, actionable plan with benchmarks and an associated timeline” for divestment from fossil fuels, revisit its investment policy pertaining to fossil fuels and bring the university’s deadline for carbon neutrality forward 20 years from its original goal of 2050. The authors of the resolution requested a response from President Anthony Monaco, Peter Dolan, chairman of the Board of Trustees, the Investment Office and
Office of Sustainability within 2 weeks. The Senate then approved 16 supplementary funding requests. Students for Justice in Palestine received $10,249 for their upcoming Palestinian Solidarity Concert with 24 senators voting in favor, none opposed and three abstaining. Tufts Robotics received $533 for transportation and lodging to the Norwalk Havoc Robot League competition with the funding passing by acclimation. Tufts Sino-U.S. Relations Group Engagement requested $500 in transportation and gifts costs for speakers and panelists for an upcoming event. Funding was passed by the allocations board. Black Students in Computer Science received $1,005 in group funding, which the Senate approved by acclamation. Tufts Club Cheer received $19,839 for equipment and see SENATE, page 2
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