The Fletcher School

A Graduate School of International Affairs

Student Life
Fletcher at a Glance

Campus and Facilities

The Fletcher School maintains four buildings on the Medford campus: the Cabot Intercultural Center, Mugar Hall, and Goddard Hall (all contiguous), and Blakeley Hall, the dormitory, which is adjacent.

The Cabot Intercultural Center contains faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, the Edwin Ginn Library and a 350-seat auditorium. Mugar Hall contains faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, conference rooms, the John and Helen Mugar Graduate Student Computer Laboratory. Mugar Hall is also home to the convenient Mugar Cafe which offers food and drinks to Fletcher students Monday through Friday. Goddard Hall contains Ginn Library reading rooms, stacks, carrels and offices. The Fares Research Center in the lower level of Blakeley Hall provides office space for student groups, PhD Students, visiting research associates, National Guard/Army Reserve Fellows, and the Fletcher forum.

Computer Information Resources . . . Important Links

The Fletcher School offers a wide range of computer and information resources to assist students with their work and research. Some of these resources include the Mugar Graduate Lab, located on the first floor of Mugar Hall within The Fletcher School complex. The lab includes both PC and Macintosh computers and is open only to the Fletcher community. In addition to the Mugar lab, three other computer labs and numerous computers in the Tufts libraries are available to students on the Tufts campus.

More information on technology support:

Libraries

The Edwin Ginn Library of The Fletcher School is one of the largest specialized libraries in the field of international affairs. The relatively small size of the student body allows the library staff to work closely with students on their individual research projects. The library’s collection of primary and secondary reference and research materials has been developed with careful attention to the content of The Fletcher School curriculum and the research interests of students and faculty. The library contains over 120,000 volumes and 875 current periodicals, serials, and foreign newspapers. It has League of Nations and United Nations documents, and publications from numerous international organizations in print and online. The Tufts University Libraries share over 15,000 electronic journals and databases.

Ginn Library has substantial collections in the fields of international law and organizations; human rights; economic and political development; international energy resources and environmental matters; international security and peacekeeping; conflict negotiation; international business and finance; and the uses of the sea and outer space.

Librarians offer workshops throughout the year on research techniques and effective use of electronic resources. The library sponsors book talks on new faculty and student publications, and hosts exhibits of interest to the Fletcher community.

Tufts University's Tisch Library also has an excellent collection of international relations resources, as well as books and databases covering all university subjects. Tisch houses the audiovisual collection, special collections, and the university archives.

In addition to the specialized reference and research facilities of the Ginn and Tisch Libraries, Fletcher students have library privileges at Widener Library, the Law Library, and other libraries at Harvard University. Tufts University is also a member of the Boston Library Consortium, which allows reciprocal privileges at 18 other academic libraries in New England.

Foreign Language and Culture Media Center

Located next to the Fletcher complex is the university's F.W. Olin Center for Language and Culture Studies. The Olin Center offers state-of-the-art audio and videotaped instruction in foreign languages. The center also includes satellite-linked work stations that receive international television programming.

The Shirley and Alex Aidekman Arts Center

The university arts center houses the 220-seat Marston Balch Arena Theater as well as two climate-controlled art galleries and a sculpture court. These facilities have enabled Tufts to expand its nationally renowned work in theater and art to attract the nation's best artists to exhibit on campus.

Athletic Facilities

Tufts University has one of the best outdoor track and field facilities in New England and Tufts has hosted numerous New England championship events. The Cousens Gym Complex includes the Chase Gymnasium with basketball, volleyball, and squash courts; a sauna; indoor 200-meter synthetic track; six-lane swimming pool; and a large indoor area suitable for a variety of activities. Also located within the complex is the Ames Human Performance Center, featuring the Lunder Fitness Center. The center offers state-of-the-art equipment, including two complete circuits of Cybex selectorized machines, various aerobic machines, Hammer Strength equipment, and more than 35,000 pounds of free-weight equipment.

Personal fitness programs as well as group exercise classes are available to the entire Tufts community. Tufts encourages students to utilize personal athletic trainers for individualized instruction or to join a larger intramural group program. A number of intramural teams are formed by Fletcher students every year. The Medford campus also features numerous tennis courts adjacent to The Fletcher School and playing fields for soccer and other sports. All facilities are regularly available to Fletcher students.

Zipcar

Tufts and Zipcar are collaborating to make Zipcar available to faculty, staff, and students over 21 for a discounted annual membership of $25.

With Zipcar, students can pay by the hour to drive a new car whenever they like. Simply reserve online, walk to a nearby parking location, let yourself in with a Zipcard, and drive away. Gas, insurance, and maintenance are included in the low hourly rate. Zipcars are parked outside of Blakeley Hall, West Hall, 150 Harrison Ave on the Boston Campus and all over Boston.

To learn more or to register, go to www.zipcar.com/tufts.

On- and Off-Campus Housing

Located next to The Fletcher School, Blakeley Hall is a non-smoking residential facility that houses 83 students. Residents occupy suites with one or two other students and share a common living room. Each student has a separate bedroom and shares a bathroom with three or four other students. The dormitory also has a communal kitchen, coin-operated laundry facilities, and a lounge. Utilities (water, heat, electricity), local phone service, basic cable television connection, and high-speed University network connection is included in the housing fee.

The Admissions Office issues Blakeley Hall applications to newly admitted students. On-campus housing is not available for couples or families. These and other students living off-campus often find housing in the communities of Medford, Somerville, Arlington and Boston. Fletcher recommends that those seeking off-campus housing come to the Medford area at least one month before classes begin in order to make living arrangements. Students with children should be aware that placing them in the schools of their choice, public or private, may depend upon early registration. Parents should contact school systems as early as feasible in the areas in which they are considering living. For more information on off-campus housing, go to ase.tufts.edu/och.

Continuing students may be eligible for positions as Resident Directors in Tufts University undergraduate dormitories as well as for Blakeley Hall. These positions provide room and partial board and if they are made available, applications are taken during the spring semester.