Our expectations of each other |
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| Dear Student,
Welcome to the 2026–2027 academic year!
Our message today is to share our community standards with you, inform you of several important policies regarding student behavior and community expectations, and highlight key information for this year. We welcome your questions and input.
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Standards of the Tufts Community |
Being a Jumbo means that you are part of a community that pursues transformative intellectual growth and personal development for the purpose of improving the world. In order to effectively pursue that mission, all members of our community are encouraged to uphold the Standards of the Tufts Community, which were developed by students, faculty, and staff:
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Integrity
- Community
- Social Justice
- Respect
- Responsibility
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When you think about these values and practice them, you develop the habits that are essential for intellectual development and positive membership in an open society.
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Each student is responsible for reading, understanding, and complying with the university’s expectations, which are documented in the Student Code of Conduct and other university policies. The expectations defined in university policy are rigorous because our shared purpose compels us to act with integrity, personal responsibility, accountability, and respect for ourselves and others. There are several policies that are particularly important to review at the beginning of every academic year:
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There have been a few updates to policies this year to ensure clarity. They include:
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Over the last few years, we introduced a pilot project called Community Conversations, a process rooted in restorative practices that focuses on engaging students in reflection on their behavior and thinking to identify impact on self and community, opportunities for changes, and resources that may benefit their holistic development. This resolution method originated based on student feedback and university initiatives. Based on assessments of the pilot project and the overwhelmingly positive response from participants, we will continue to expand the project to include more cases in this resolution method.
- Procedures for responding to a complaint were updated to eliminate the need for authorization to request a medical leave of absence when a complaint is pending.
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All policies and processes are updated and available on the Community Standards website. The Code of Conduct and other policies are reviewed and updated regularly and student feedback is an important driver for change. If you have any suggestions for policy updates, write to CommunityStandards@tufts.edu.
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Further, those of you living on campus have received information about policies for Residential Life and Learning. For those living off-campus, we encourage you to check out the guide to living off campus and visit the websites for residents of Medford, Somerville, and Boston to learn local requirements. Should you live in other neighborhoods, please visit the site for your city or town to become familiar with ordinances and resources.
By enrolling at Tufts, students agree to comply with the standards of performance and behavior that are described in the Student Code of Conduct and other university policies. Please take a moment over the next few days to read and reflect on these policies as we hope this will help you to feel informed and prepared to start the new year. Tufts is a community of scholars who care about each other and about the wider communities of which we are a part. Thank you for being conscious of the way you impact yourself, those around you, and the entire Tufts and wider community with your actions and efforts.
Should you have any questions or need support or resources, please reach out to Community Standards at any time. We look forward to working with you!
Let's make this our best year yet!
Lindsay Ferguson
Associate Director of Community Standards
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