Dear Tufts community members,
Many of you are feeling very real and understandable fear, anxiety, and concern about the threats, vitriol, and doxxing occurring on campuses across the country in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
To ensure our community’s continued safety, we are taking many precautions. Those on all four of our campuses may have already noticed that Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) has increased its foot and cruiser patrols. During high-profile events, the department will also increase security measures. We continue to work closely with other local law enforcement agencies in our surrounding communities and, of course, all our existing security personnel, technology, and alert systems remain in place. If you are personally threatened or feel unsafe, please contact TUPD immediately at 617-627-3030.
To be clear, anyone who bullies, harasses, or threatens others within our community is violating university policies and will be subject to disciplinary action. I know many of you are worried about a range of threats, including doxxing. Thankfully, there have been no credible threats to date at Tufts.
Keeping our campuses safe and secure is always a top priority. While we do not ever publicly share the details of specific security measures or details of our work with other law enforcement agencies, we can assure you that TUPD participates in a larger law enforcement network of other local, university, federal, state, and municipal agencies. We are in continuous conversation to ongoingly monitor threat levels and review the latest intelligence.
All of us share a responsibility to safeguard our community’s physical and psychological safety against antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and any acts of hate or violence toward Israelis, Palestinians, and others. This is an incredibly difficult time for many community members and therefore also an important time for us to relate to one another with enormous care and consideration.
I recognize that the increased TUPD presence on campus may make some community members feel more uneasy, so I want to be clear that TUPD is committed to keeping ALL our community members safe on every campus. If you have any concerns or feel uncomfortable at any time, please do not hesitate to contact TUPD.
Finally, please remember that there are resources in place for those affected by the war. You can find 24/7 counseling resources, campus chaplains, and more mental health support for students, faculty, and staff on every campus through Healthy@Tufts, along with additional student support resources that are available through the student life or student affairs teams at each school.
I share your deep concern for our collective safety and well-being. Please take good care of yourselves and one another. As our community continues to discuss and debate many difficult topics, I invite us all to approach one another with compassion and humility.
Sincerely,
Yolanda Smith
Executive Director of Public Safety
