Working Group on TUPD Arming – Fall 2021 Initiatives

Dear members of the Tufts community,

In February, the university shared the recommendations of the five workstreams within the Tufts as an Anti-Racist Institution initiative. The Campus Safety and Policing Workstream, co-chaired by Rob Mack, associate provost and chief diversity officer for the Medford/Somerville and SMFA campuses and me, made a number of recommendations (the full list is available in the workstream’s final report).

A key recommendation from the Campus Safety and Policing Workstream was to establish a dedicated working group to examine the issue of arming Tufts’ police officers. I am pleased to update you that the Working Group on TUPD Arming (WGTA) worked in earnest this summer to prepare a range of information-gathering opportunities for launch this fall. These efforts begin immediately and will continue throughout the fall semester. Among these opportunities are:

• An online survey that will be sent later today to all students, faculty, and staff at the university.
• Community forums in October on each of the four campuses (further information to follow).
• Focus groups in October with various organizations and affinity groups across the university.

More information about the WGTA’s work this semester is available on Tufts Now.

Beginning with the survey shared later today, I encourage you to please give the WGTA the benefit of your perspectives. Hearing directly from our community is vitally important to our efforts to fully and thoughtfully consider the question of the arming of Tufts’ police officers.

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts and views.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Howard, Executive Vice President
Chair, Working Group on TUPD Arming