PERIOD at Tufts looks to normalize menstruation, raise awareness see FEATURES / PAGE 4
VOLLEYBALL
No. 14 Jumbos conclude regular season with 3-game sweep
‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ is heartbreaking, lovely see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 5
SEE SPORTS / BACK PAGE
THE
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T HE T UFTS DAILY
VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 41
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.
tuftsdaily.com
In final days of campaign, both Somerville mayoral candidates talk tough on Tufts
COURTESY MARIANNE WALLES
ALEXANDER THOMPSON / THE TUFTS DAILY
Marianne Walles, candidate for mayor of Somerville, poses for a portrait.
Joe Curtatone, who’s running for his 9th term as mayor of Somerville, is pictured on Oct. 29.
by Alexander Thompson
riating the university for the lack of progress. The mayor said he was setting a February 2020 deadline for the conclusion of the talks and that after that point, “all bets are off.” Curtatone also used the meeting to attack Tufts over the opioid epidemic, another pressing issue in the mayoral race. The incumbent mayor said that the city has
News Editor
As Somerville residents head to the polls today to decide whether incumbent Joe Curtatone or challenger Marianne Walles will be their mayor for the next two years, both candidates are still making their pitches to voters,
which have included a fair number of jabs at Tufts. Both candidates are attacking the university over issues like affordable housing and stalled payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) negotiations. Curtatone did not mince words at a community meeting about the status of PILOT negotiations with Tufts, exco-
had to pay a heavy price in lives and financial resources in response to the epidemic to which he said Tufts contributed, alluding to the influence that Purdue Pharma, an opioid manufacturer, may have had over a pain management program at Tufts University School of Medicine. see ELECTION, page 2
Tufts tackles Lyme disease in new interdisciplinary event by Greg Saccone
Contributing Writer
Tufts students participated in the Lyme Disease Challenge — a day of lectures, panels, discussion and competition designed to educate participants about the dangers of and potential solutions to Lyme disease — on Nov. 1. Alumnus and Trustee Hugh Roome (A’74, F’77, AG’74, FG’80, FG’80), the driving force behind The Lyme Disease Challenge and a Tufts alumni, wanted to create more opportunities for interdisciplinary programs and chances to form connections between Tufts’ various campuses. He said the event brought together students from differing fields and
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allowed them to use their unique, specific skill sets to help solve the issue. The interdisciplinary focus allowed students from different schools to approach the multi-faceted problem of Lyme disease in unique ways, according to the individual’s area of expertise, according to Roome. For example, a student from the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life could consider what policies to put in place to prevent the spread of Lyme disease, while Fletcher school students may focus on the international ramifications of the disease and medical students could try to create a take-home test for Lyme disease, Roome said. According to Linden Hu, the vice dean for research and professor of microbiFor breaking news, our content archive and exclusive content, visit tuftsdaily.com @tuftsdaily
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ology at the Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts’ long history with Lyme disease research makes it a natural fit for the challenge. Additionally, the issue of Lyme disease is particularly relevant to Tufts’ location, according to Roome. Lyme disease is particularly common in the northeast United States: many household pets and humans contract the disease, increasing parental concern over children’s well-being and whether some outside areas can be considered safe. In recent years, Lyme disease has begun to spread at an increasingly rapid rate, according to Roome. Each year, there are around 300,000 cases of the disease, leading to significant health costs in the U.S., Hu said. In addition,
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due to factors such as global warming, Lyme disease has begun to spread from the Northeast to other parts of the U.S., making Lyme disease a national problem. Hu added that ticks have begun to carry additional diseases. These factors have increased the urgency of finding solutions to the impacts Lyme disease has on the daily lives of U.S. citizens. The university-wide program began with a welcome by Roome and David Snydman, a professor of medicine at Tufts who pioneered early research in Lyme disease. The day continued with a keynote by Public Health Advisor with the Centers for Disease Control Amy Ullman, who discussed recent trends
NEWS............................................1 FEATURES.................................4 ARTS & LIVING.......................5
see LYME DISEASE, page 2
FUN & GAMES.........................8 OPINION.....................................9 SPORTS............................ BACK