TUFTS ATHLETICS Local hospitals, cities prepare for potential outbreak Spring sports cancelled, winter see FEATURES / PAGE 4 sports to continue postseason play Letter from the Managing Board: Daily to continue SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE coverage see OPINION / PAGE 6 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY EST. 1980 HE UFTS AILY VOLUME LXXIX, ISSUE 33T T D MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS. THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020 tuftsdaily.com Tufts Mutual Aid steps up to assist students amid move out orders by Robert Kaplan students more time to depart, and that Executive News Editor its undergraduate spring break would be extended to smooth the transition to Tufts students are rallying to provide online classes. financial and in-kind assistance to students Junior Marley Hillman organized Tufts facing difficulty in the wake of the adminis- Mutual Aid that same evening, which is tration’s decision to continue classes online coordinating the resource distribution beginning on March 25. efforts. Within hours, Hillman posted a In response to growing concerns about Google form on Facebook for interested on-campus transmission of the novel coro- students to list resources they wish to offer navirus, COVID-19, University President to those in need — from storage space and Anthony Monaco announced on Tuesday food to frequent flyer points and trans- evening that students living on campus portation to the airport, among others — should move out of residence halls entirely which are in turn compiled on a centralized by March 16, though some students with view-only spreadsheet for all Tufts students extenuating circumstances would be per- to view and request listed resources directly SAM RUSSO / THE TUFTS DAILY mitted to stay with approval. from those offering them. Seniors gather in the evening on March 11 before Ballou Hall to participate in the annual Monaco also announced that classes Illumination ceremony two months earlier than anticipated, following Tufts’ decision to sus- on Friday would be cancelled to allow see MUTUAL AID, page 2 pend in-person classes amid concerns about transmission of COVID-19. Uphill power outage overshadows Tufts student being tested for penultimate day of in-person classes COVID-19, three positives in Somerville, Medford by Alexander Thompson in close contact with public health officials Staff Writer and that the student is receiving care. The student had recently returned from The university tested a student abroad and a number of individuals with for COVID-19 on the advice of the close contact with the student have been Massachusetts Department of Public asked to self-isolate as they await the results Health (DPH), Executive Vice President of the test, the Daily has learned. Mike Howard announced in a communi- Just hours after the university made ty-wide email yesterday afternoon. its announcement, the City of Somerville The test results were unknown at press informed residents that two residents have time, but Howard reaffirmed that the uni- also been declared presumptive positives versity will make an announcement if a for the virus by DPH. community member tests positive. The email added that the university remains see TESTING, page 2 SAM RUSSO / THE TUFTS DAILY A class meets outside of Goddard Chapel on the morning of March 11. Most of the buildings on the Upper Campus were thrust into darkness yesterday morning as Somerville, Tufts deadlocked students and faculty began their second-to-last day of face-to-face classes of the spring semester. The power outage struck the Hill less than 24 hours after University President Anthony Monaco over tax payment announced in an email that most students would be required to not return to campus after spring break amid concerns surrounding the transmission of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. by Alexander Thompson of the city’s PILOT negotiation team were National Grid, a multinational energy utility company that operates in much of Massachusetts, Staff Writer blunt in their appraisal of the talks. was to blame for the outage, according to an email sent to the Tufts community. While Tufts oper- “We did not come to an agreement that we ates its own micro-grid powered by the newly constructed Central Power Plant, it is connected to Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said that feel is acceptable to bring back to the com- National Grid’s network, which experienced a failure near the Massachusetts Bay Transportation negotiations with Tufts over a new payment munity, and we have reached an impasse, Authority’s Wellington station. in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement have though we had made some, albeit incremen- Buildings that went without power until being restored in the early afternoon included: Tisch reached an impasse despite some points of tal, progress,” Curtatone said. Library and Goddard Chapel, as well as Carmichael, Wren, Miller, Houston, Eaton, East, Braker, progress in the year-long talks. Tufts Director of Community and Lincoln-Filene, Miner and Paige Halls. Ballou Hall and the Olin Center for Language and Cultural At a community meeting held last Government Relations Rocco DiRico, who Studies were not affected by the outage. Thursday evening in the Tufts Administration - Robert Kaplan Building, the mayor and the other members see PILOT, page 3 For breaking news, our content archive and Please Contact Us NEWS............................................1 recycle this exclusive content, visit OPINION ....................................6 newspaper P.O. Box 53018, FEATURES.................................4 tuftsdaily.com Medford, MA 02155 SPORTS ........................... BACK Partly Cloudy [email protected] /thetuftsdaily @tuftsdaily tuftsdaily tuftsdaily FUN & GAMES ........................5 50 / 36 2 THE TUFTS DAILY | NEWS | Thursday, March 12, 2020 tuftsdaily.com THE TUFTS DAILY TCU Senate donates $50,000 to Hardship Funds, Mutual RYAN SHAFFER Editor in Chief EDITORIAL Aid encourages donations Alex Viveros Margot Cardamone. Following about a Aid, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Nathan Kyn MUTUAL AID Managing Editors continued from page 1 day of mediated Venmo transactions, Tufts Senate announced later on Wednesday that Tys Sweeney Associate Editor The resource allocation effort was met Mutual Aid then announced that they it would also donate funds to the FIRST Robert Kaplan Executive News Editor with an outpouring of student support — the would instead encourage donations to Center’s Hardship Fund. Alejandra Carrillo Deputy News Editor spreadsheet received more than 500 respons- the FIRST Center’s Unexpected Hardship “$50,000 are being transferred, and the Connor Dale News Editors Abbie Gruskin es, as of press time. According to Hillman, Fund for Student Needs. funds are available to the FIRST Center effec- Natasha Mayor Matt McGovern student responses “exploded” in the short Gebetsberger was impressed that the tive immediately,” TCU Treasurer junior Sharif Sara Renkert time between them going to sleep at 2:30 group of organizers managing the project Hamidi wrote in an electronic message. Anton Shenk Seohyun Shim a.m. and waking up the next morning. grew from only Hillman to 18 people within While Tufts Mutual Aid will contin- Daniel Weinstein Maddie Aitken Assistant News Editors “People are wondering, ‘Well, what do hours, including Cardamone. ue to support students by coordinating Carolina Espinal Alex Janoff we do now?’ We have to leave [on March “It’s been really incredible to watch the non-financial resources, TCU Senate’s Renner Kwittken 16], we’re not coming back,” Hillman said. mobilization,” Gebetsberger said. donation will support the FIRST Center’s Bella Maharaj Stephanie Rifkin “We said, ‘Here’s something you can do.’ In a FIRST Center newsletter, Cardamone assistance efforts significantly, according Sarah Sandlow Elli Sol Strich So I feel like that’s been part of why we’ve suggested Tufts Mutual Aid as an additional to Cardamone. gotten so much material support — we’re resource for first-generation, low-income “We are … extremely grateful to TCU Amelia Becker Executive Features Editor Sid Anand Features Editors offering an avenue for action.” students to employ as they cope with the Senate for transferring money to the unex- Jessie Newman Sean Ong The organizers initially introduced significant costs and obstacles of departing pected hardship fund so we can aid students Michael Shames Fina Short a separate form to provide and request from campus on short notice. The newslet- who can not afford to fly home with this Maddie Aitken Assistant Features Editors donations via Venmo as a more liquid and ter further comforted students amidst the short notice,” Cardamone wrote in an email. Claire Fraise Jillian Collins measurable resource to students in need. quickly changing circumstances following Gebetsberger reflected on the ramifi- Evelyn McClure Marc Weisglass Hillman reported that $1,300 had already the university’s announcement. cations and legacy of Tufts’ decision and been redistributed overnight, and a total of “These conditions have shown us how the community’s response to the devel- Ryan Eggers Executive Arts Editor Tommy Gillespie Arts Editors $5,130 had been distributed to students in strong, reliant, and thoughtful you all have oping situation. Sam Heyman Danny Klain need by Wednesday evening. been in supporting one another,” the news- “We’re living through human history — Tuna Margalit Junior Grant Gebetsberger, who joined letter read. “We are proud and will contin- this is unprecedented,” Gebetsberger said. Christopher Panella Yas Salon the