Welcome to the New Academic Year

Whether you are new or returning to Tufts, we welcome you into the university’s vibrant religious, spiritual, philosophical, and cultural life. This year as always at the Candle-lighting Ceremony for incoming undergraduates, we invited everyone to make wishes, lift prayers, and set intentions for the year ahead. You may be doing that for yourself in the area of spiritual and ethical life, and please let us know if we can help to accompany you on your journey. 

Our many communities and weekly gatherings are open to all in the university and are ready to welcome you, and there are already many special opportunities on the calendar below. A special welcome to our new Protestant Chaplain Dan Bell and Buddhist in Residence Priya Sraman. As always, please be in touch with us if there are any ways that we can help to enhance your time at Tufts in the area of spiritual and philosophical life.

Wishing you blessings and best wishes for the year ahead,

The Reverend Greg McGonigle, University Chaplain

Welcome Dan Bell, Tufts Protestant Chaplain

Welcome Priya Sraman, Tufts Buddhist in Residence

Reaching Out Across the Divide: Talking Politics in 2016 – Your Input Needed

As we approach Election Day, we hope the Tufts campus will be filled with conversations about the candidates, political climate, and issues that matter to each of us and to our shared communities. For many of you, November 8 may mark your first time voting. It is a very exciting time, but we also recognize that this election season, notable for its divisive rhetoric, will raise challenging issues for some students.   

We want students to have a chance to gather and discuss the election. Our goal is to create dialogues through which students' hopes and concerns about the election can be voiced, and to hear those of others, with empathy and understanding, even if individuals continue to disagree. 

And so, we are reaching out today to ask you to be part of a planning group for several events focused on conversations about the election. We would like to get your input and advice as we look to convene several opportunities for dialogue and reflection this semester. These types of discussions may be particularly important during this election year, as we strive to build trust, dignity, security, values, and resilience into our conversations about the election.

We hope you can join us on Tuesday evening, September 13 from 5-6:30 pm in the Rabb Room, Tisch College (Lincoln-Filene Hall). Pizza will be served.

In addition, Tufts is committed to supporting students to register and to vote. We are doing that, in part, through Jumbo Vote 2016, a multifaceted, university-wide initiative to boost political learning, engagement, and voting in this year’s presidential election—and beyond. We encourage you to learn more about Jumbo Vote and to get involved.  

Please let Jennifer McAndrew know if you can make it (though no formal RSVP is needed), and please feel free to bring a friend or two.

Religious and Philosophical Life Programs

First Large Group Hosted by Non-denominational Christian Fellowship
Thursday, September 8, 7:30-9 pm, Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room
Come be part of our NCF family and experience faith, fellowship, fun, and food. There will be a chance to talk to current members about their experiences with Christianity on and off campus.

Tutor Inner City Youth with EVkids
Thursday, September 8, 8 pm, Tufts Interfaith Center (58 Winthrop Street)
EVkids (formerly Earthen Vessels) is a non-profit in the Catholic social justice tradition that has been partnering with Boston-area college students since 1985. This is our third year partnering with Tufts. Our college volunteers are paired with an inner city youth from Boston for weekly one to one tutoring and mentorship. EVkids’ mission is to empower youth from Boston’s inner city with the skills and confidence needed to realize their potential. We also form a supportive community for our tutors with opportunities for reflection and professional skill development. Our tutoring sites are located off the JFK/UMASS Red Line stop in Dorchester. We are currently accepting tutor applications for our academic year tutoring program. Online applications are available here or at www.evkids.org under the "EV Corps" tab. For more info attend our informational meeting on Thursday, September 8 at 8 pm at the Tufts Interfaith Center or contact Heather Angell, EV Tutor Director at (978) 478-7481 or heatherangell@evkids.org. 

Taste of Heaven hosted by Non-denominational Christian Fellowship
Thursday, September 8, 9-10 pm, Remis Sculpture Court
Come join NCF for a relaxing night of worship, prayer, and reflection time. Everybody is invited.

Small Group Reflection Led by Tufts Humanist Chaplaincy
Friday, September 9, 5:30 pm, Interfaith Center (58 Winthrop Street)
The Tufts Humanist Chaplaincy hopes to foster a comfortable environment for people to engage in honest discussions around the challenges in their lives, and to explore how people outside traditional religion approach questions that many faith traditions engage regularly. Our day to day lives, on campus and off, can be challenging just as they are exciting, but we don’t always have a structured hour in the week to sit down and reflect on the way we’ve grown, and the lessons we can learn from the experiences of others. The upcoming small group reflection will begin with a poem by Alice Walker. It will be on Friday, September 9 at 5:30 pm in the Interfaith Center downstairs meeting room. Small group reflections are open to all members of the Tufts community, irrespective of anyone’s belief background. Light refreshments will be served.

Alice Walker is an American writer, poet, and activist. She is perhaps best known for her novel "The Color Purple" which explored the lives of African American women living in the American South in the 1930s. The American Humanist Association named her the 1997 Humanist of the Year, and her poem “Be Nobody’s Darling” was previously the subject of the first Humanist small group reflection at Tufts in 2014.

Welcome Back Shabbat hosted by Tufts Hillel
Services Friday, September 9, 6 pm and Dinner at 7:15 pm, Granoff Family Hillel Center
Services Saturday, September 10, 10:30 am and Lunch at Noon, Granoff Family Hillel Center
Reconnect with your old friends and make new ones at the first Shabbat post-move in. Feel free to come to services, dinner or both on Friday. Reform and Conservative servies begin at 6:00, followed by dinner at 7:15, to which you should RSVP. Saturday, join us for an egalitarian Conservative Shabbat morning service, followed by a delicious, free kosher lunch.

Muslim Students Association Game Night
Friday, September 9, 7-9 pm, Muslim House (176 Curtis Street)
This Friday, September 9 is our MSA Game Night. From 7-9 pm at the Muslim House (176 Curtis Street), we will be hosting a night of games and activities; it's a great opportunity to catch up with one another and to get to know some new faces. For those fasting on this day, pizza iftar will be served at maghreb. If you're interested, check out, RSVP at, and share the Facebook event. 

The Arabic and the Middle Eastern Studies Programs Present: Islamic Calligraphy in the Chinese Tradition: A Demonstration by Master Haji Noor Deen
Wednesday, September 14, 7-8:30 pm, Olin 007
Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang is a Chinese calligrapher extraordinaire who has been producing Chinese-Arabic calligraphic art for over a decade. Born in 1963 in Yucheng, Shadong province of China, Haji Noor Deen was the first Chinese national conferred with the honorable Certificate of Arabic Calligrapher in Egypt in 1997. Join us for an evening highlighting and bridging these two traditions that value the art of poetry and the written word. After the lecture and demonstration, there will be an opportunity to purchase some of the artist’s pieces. Learn more at the Facebook event. Cosponsored by the Arabic and Middles Eastern Studies Programs and the Muslim Students Association.

Humanist Community at Tufts General Interest Meeting
Thursday, September 15, 7:30 pm, Cabot 703 (Fletcher School)
Come share your ideas and make yourself at home with the Humanist Community at Tufts, a safe space for non-traditionally religious folks at Tufts.

Eid BBQ hosted by Muslim Students Association
Friday, September 16, 5:30-7:30 pm, Fletcher Field
Join the Tufts MSA as we host our annual fall barbeque on Fletcher Field. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon of good food and good company. Everyone is welcome to join.

Sushi Shabbat hosted by Chabad at Tufts University
Friday, September 16, 6:30-9 pm, Chabad House, 21 Chetwynd Road
Another favorite event with Chabad at Tufts University. The sushi is only the appetizer. Be sure to come hungry.

First Weekly Puja hosted by Hindu Students Council
Monday, September 19, 9-10 pm, Goddard Chapel
We hope everyone had a great summer. For the Fall GIM, we will be discussing what the HSC does on campus and the events we have lined up for the year. If you want to learn about Hindu on campus (no prior knowledge necessary), get to know new people, or just eat some piping hot free samosas, please join us.

Rising Up: South Asian, Arab, Muslim and Sikh Communities in Post-9/11 America
Public Talk with Deepa Iyer, Author of "We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape our Multiracial Future"
Wednesday, October 5, 4:30 pm, Cohen Auditorium
For questions, contact Professor Pawan Dhingra.
Sponsored by the Consortium of Studies on Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora, Asian American Studies Minor, Asian American Center, Sociology Department, Africana Center, International Center, Latino Center, LGBT Center, Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, Office of Residential Life and Learning, Peace and Justice Studies, Religion Department, and University Chaplaincy.

Partner Programs

Latino Center BBQ 
Friday, September 9 4:30-6:30 pm, Bolles House Lawn
Join the Latino Center for our annual barbeque. We will be celebrating the beginning of the semester with food, volleyball, music, and friends.

Asian American Community Reception
Monday, September 12, 4-6 pm, Start House
Join us for our annual Fall Reception. To welcome new members to our campus community and to welcome back everyone else. Come and catch up with friends and meet faculty/staff. And, of course, come and enjoy the delicious food. Reception is open to the Tufts community. Hosted by the Asian American Center and Pan-Asian Council (PAC).

Annual Africana Center Welcome Back BBQ
Tuesday, September 13, 4:30-6:30 pm, Africana Center Lawn, 8 Professor's Row
Please join in the festivities as we welcome faculty, administrators, returning students and members of the Class of 2020.

Qrunch - Latinx?
Friday, September 16, Noon-1 pm, Latino Center 
The term Latinx is an increasingly popular way to refer to Latinidad outside of a perceived Latino/Latina gender binary. For our first Qrunch of the year, we will discuss popular usage of the term, along with the history of terms used to refer to Latinx people and why this history matters today. Join us for a conversation not just about language and identity, but about what it means to be a queer Latinx person today-at Tufts and beyond. All are welcome. Brunch provided. Space limited, arrive early. Learn more here. 

Doing Time in Education: The School to Prison Pipeline, featuring Anna Deavere Smith
Wednesday, September 21, 7 pm, Distler Auditorium, Granoff Music Center 
Tisch College kicks off its 2016-2017 Distinguished Speaker Series with a special event focused on race, education, and inequality, featuring actor and advocate Anna Deavere Smith. Known for her screen roles on TV shows like Nurse Jackie, Black-ish, and The West Wing, Smith crafts one-woman shows based on conversations with real people from all walks of life. Smith turns her interviews into scripts, transforming herself into an astonishing number of characters. RSVP here.

Civic Life Lunch: Douglas Alexander
Thursday, September 22, Noon, Tisch College, Lincoln Filene Hall
Join us as we kick off our brand new initiative, Civic Life Lunches, a series of informal, intimate lunchtime chats with experienced leaders and practitioners in fields like politics, media, the nonprofit sector, and more. Our inaugural guest will be Doug Alexander, a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He served as the UK’s Shadow Foreign Secretary from 2011-2015, managed Tony Blair’s 2001 campaign for Prime Minister, and has advised Bono on how best to secure global investment to tackle global poverty. No RSVP required. Lunch will be provided.

Civic Life Lunch: Harry Boyte
Friday, September 23, Noon, Tisch College, Lincoln Filene Hall
Join us for a Civic Life Lunch with Harry Boyte, founder of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College, and one of the leading thinkers in the field of Civic Studies. He will discuss how Donald Trump’s candidacy can be seen as a consequence of diminished attention to citizenship. No RSVP required. Lunch will be provided.

Film Showing - Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth
Thursday, September 29, 8 pm, Metcalf Lounge
The Common Read Committee plans to show the film Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth. Following the film there will be a panel discussion moderated by Ruben Salinas Stern, director of the Latino Center. This film is designed to accompany the common read book this year which was Lives in Limbo by Roberto Gonzalez who will be visiting campus on Thursday, October 6.

Africana Festival
Friday, September 30, 5:30-7:30 pm, Tisch Library Roof
Come and experience the uniqueness of the African Diaspora at Tufts. Experience food, musical and spoken word groups, and step team performances, dance, drumming and meet members of student organizations. Presented by the Africana Center and supported by the Africana Advisory Alliance. 

Resources, Scholarships, and Opportunities

After Orlando: A Call for Performers
A Performance of Reflection and Remembrance on the Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Friday September 30, 8 pm, Balch Arena Theatre
On June 12, 49 people were murdered and an additional 53 wounded at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Many of the victims were Queer and Latinx people who saw the dance floor as a space of liberation, transformation, and empowerment. In order to reflect upon the tragedy and remember those killed or wounded, over 50 playwrights were invited to write short plays to respond to this violence and we have selected several to stage here at Tufts. Additionally we wish to provide our community members with a space to create material about Orlando, gun violence, LGBTQ issues, community and survival and the current state of the world. If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Professor Noe Montez.

Participation

Participation in After Orlando is open to all members of the Tufts Community. We openly welcome performers of all ages, racial/ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and nationalities. Prior performance experience is not necessary. 

Community members interested in performing in a staged reading should contact Professor Noe Montez (Noe.Montez@tufts.edu) by September 19 to schedule a ten-minute meeting when he can hear you read aloud and get a sense of your interest in the project.

Dancers, Drag Performers, Poets, Singers, Spoken Word Artists, and other performers interested in staging their own work should contact Professor Kareem Khubchandani (Kareem.Khubchandani@tufts.edu) by September 19 to discuss your performance and interests.

Rehearsals

Participants in staged readings will be asked to rehearse for roughly ninety minutes during the week preceding the show. I'm committed to working around class, work, and extracurricular activities that you notify me of before September 19.

All performers will be asked to arrive at Balch Arena Theatre by 6:30 pm on September 30 for a tour through the space and a rough technical rehearsal prior to the performance.

Upcoming Religious Holidays and Festivals

Paryusana Festival
Ongoing through Thursday, 9.15.2016
Tradition: Jainism
Considered the holiest period of the year, these eight days are marked for Jains by fasting, meditation, prayer and public readings of the life story of Lord Mahavira. Observed especially by the followers of the Shvetambara sect, Paryusana concludes on Samvatsari, the most solemn occasion of self-scrutiny and forgiveness. On this day, Jains ask for forgiveness from their relatives and friends for any offense they may have committed by deed, word or thought.

Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
Thursday, 9.8.2016
Tradition: Christianity-Orthodox

Eid al-Adha ('Id Al Adha)
Saturday, 9.10 – Wednesday, 9.14.2016
Tradition: Islam
(Festival of Sacrifice) One of the two main Islamic festivals (the other is Eid al-Fitr), this festival falls on the 10th day of the lunar month of Zul-Hijja and is the concluding act of pilgrimage to Mecca. In commemoration of Abraham’s faith, sheep, goats and camels are offered to God, and the meat is distributed to the poor and needy. Eid al-Adha is observed whether or not one is on pilgrimage.

Ghambar Paitishem
Monday, 9.12 – Friday, 9.16.2016
Tradition: Zoroastrianism
Celebrates the creation of plants, the sowing of the winter crop and the return of herds from pasture

These events are drawn from the multifaith calendar maintained by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at Harvard Divinity School. To see more upcoming religious holidays and festivals, please click here.

Note: The following list is being updated over the course of the first few weeks of the semester as our student communities set their weekly gathering times. 

About the University Chaplaincy Enews
The University Chaplaincy Enews is published weekly by the Tufts University Chaplaincy to promote programs and opportunities related to spirituality, ethics, culture, and social justice. To propose announcements for inclusion please contact chaplaincy@tufts.edu.