February 8, 2024

Dear Tufts community members,

As I wrote to the community on December 18, Tufts is actively committed to combating all forms of hate, bigotry, and bias with a thoughtful and considered approach. As President Kumar said in his beginning-of-semester video, our mission and values also require that we bring more understanding, perspective, and dialogue into discourse about topics on which we disagree, starting on our own campuses.

In that spirit, we have launched Tufts Talks Openly, to bring together programming across the university focused on building awareness and knowledge to nurture an inclusive community. Please see below for an overview of offerings this semester, and view the full list of upcoming opportunities, and more on the Tufts Talks Openly webpage.

We invite you to join us at these programs and share your own unique experience and perspectives, and welcome you to send your feedback and ideas on future programming to us at communityresponse@tufts.edu.

Warm regards,
Caroline

Caroline Attardo Genco
Provost and Senior Vice President

Featured Series:

Dialogue & Action in an Age of Divides
This series features conversations among colleagues from across nine Massachusetts universities, including Tufts, in the spirit of tackling difficult issues and modeling constructive dialogue. For each online panel, Tufts is hosting a campus viewing and post-event discussion for community members to engage more deeply with the topics. Our next event:

• February 13: Coming Together Across Difference: Finding Common Ground Across Identities and Political Divides
  • RSVP for panel discussion
  • RSVP for campus viewing and discussion

Global Tufts Month 2024: Humanitarian Aid: Working Together in Times of Conflict
In times of conflict, complex emergencies, political instability, and environmental disasters, the Tufts community has consistently united to help with humanitarian aid programs that save lives, alleviate suffering, and preserve human dignity. Throughout March, events will spotlight initiatives aimed at alleviating the global impact of these challenges on well-being across various spheres.

Training Opportunities:

We are offering anti-bias and non-discrimination trainings with sessions curated for faculty and staff audiences, as well as students:

• On February 14, Dr. Amer F. Ahmed (Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at University of Vermont) will lead two trainings focused on supporting our Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and larger MENA (Middle East and North African) community.
  • Register for a training session on February 14
• Later this month, facilitators from Project Shema will lead trainings on understanding antisemitism and creating an inclusive campus environment for our Jewish community. We will send a follow-up message with the date and time of this offering.

On February 21, faculty and staff are invited to join a workshop on facilitating responsive dialogues that foster inclusive learning and work environments. Faculty can also join a two-part workshop (February 28 andMarch 6) on planning for and responding to important and challenging classroom conversations.

• Register for Facilitating Inclusive & Responsive Dialogues (Faculty and Staff)
• Register for Planning for Important and Sometimes Challenging Classroom Conversations: A Workshop in Two Parts (Faculty)

Throughout February, staff and faculty can continue to get coaching from a licensed master social worker through Empathia about supporting distressed community members.

• Register for a coaching session

Inclusive Dialogues: 

Staff are also invited to join Eileen Babbitt, Professor of the Practice of International Conflict Management at the Fletcher School, on February 16for a guided discussion on the ongoing violence and destruction in the Middle East. Participants are encouraged to share their own experience, express concerns, pose questions, and seek a deeper understanding of other perspectives within our diverse community.

• Register for a Community Conversation with Eileen Babbitt (attendance is limited to 75 participants)

Last semester, more than 200 faculty, staff, and students from across all four campuses came together for Tufts Table, a community dinner that promotes dialogue and connection, to talk about sustaining community in times of conflict. On March 4, we will hold another Tufts Table on the Boston campus (Med Ed Building Room 114).

• Register for Tufts Table