tuftsobserver.org

What is the Tufts Observer?

The Tufts Observer is Tufts University's student magazine, describing itself as "Tufts's Student Magazine since 1895." It publishes student journalism and creative work across sections labeled Stories, Videos, Galleries, and social feeds. A sample piece is Grace Talusan discussing her memoir The Body Papers (Campus, April 8, 2019), which shows the mix of campus news and cultural coverage.

Who it serves

• Prospective and current Tufts students wanting a student perspective on campus life, events, and people.
• Alumni and parents keeping up with campus culture and student voices.
• Writers, photographers, and editors looking for a student publication to contribute to.

How it compares

The trade-off is perspective: a student magazine offers firsthand, expressive coverage but not official or comprehensive institutional information. For a balanced view of Tufts, read it alongside the university's own news pages.

As a next step, browse the Stories section to see the range of coverage, or check submission guidelines if you want to write for it.

How can I submit a story or pitch an article idea to the Tufts Observer?

The Tufts Observer does not publish a submission form or pitch guide on its homepage, so the practical route is to contact the editorial team directly rather than wait for an official portal. The site presents itself as Tufts's student magazine since 1895, with sections for Stories, Videos and Galleries, which tells you the kind of work it runs: reported campus pieces, profiles, visual features and video.

A workable pitch approach

• Lead with the Tufts angle. The magazine's identity is campus-centred; a pitch should make clear why the story matters to Tufts readers specifically.
• Pitch a finished idea, not a topic. "A profile of a student who revived a campus archive" is easier to accept than "something about campus history."
• Match the format. If your idea is visual, say so and point to the Galleries or Videos sections as the natural home.
• Keep it short. A few paragraphs covering the hook, why now, who you would interview and your rough length or format.
• Name your connection. Whether you are a student, alum or local writer, say so — it helps editors judge access and feasibility.

For a concrete example: a student who has reported on housing policy could pitch a 1,200-word feature built around three resident interviews, offering a photo set alongside it. That gives editors a complete package to evaluate.

Where to send it

Check the site's contact or masthead page for the current editor's email, and look at recent Stories to see which editor covers your beat. If no address is listed, the magazine's social channels — the homepage links to Twitter and Instagram — are a reasonable way to ask who handles pitches. Treat any response time as uncertain, especially during term breaks, and follow up once after a week or two.

As general advice rather than a stated policy: student magazines often prefer pitches from people who can write the piece themselves, and they usually want exclusivity, so avoid pitching the same idea simultaneously to several campus outlets. Related Tufts coverage also appears at The Tufts Daily, useful for checking whether your angle has already been covered.

What kinds of sections and content does the Tufts Observer publish, such as campus news, features, or arts and culture?

The Tufts Observer is a student magazine covering Tufts University, and its site organizes content around Stories, Videos and Galleries rather than a traditional newspaper-style split into news desks. A sample item, Grace Talusan's discussion of her memoir The Body Papers, is filed under "Campus" — indicating campus-focused interviews and profiles sit alongside other editorial material. The site also surfaces Latest Tweets and an Instagram feed, so social posts act as a light news and events layer around the longer magazine pieces.

What that means in practice:

• Stories are the core: reported pieces, interviews, profiles and essays, tagged by topic such as Campus.
• Videos and Galleries carry visual storytelling — event coverage, photo essays, short documentary-style clips.
• Social feeds fill the gap between issues with timely campus chatter and announcements.

As a reader, start with Stories and use the topic tags to filter toward campus life, features or arts and culture depending on what you want; check Videos and Galleries for event-based coverage that text pieces may not capture. For broader Tufts coverage beyond the student magazine, compare with Tufts University and The Tufts Daily.

How has the Tufts Observer changed as a student magazine since its founding in 1895?

The Tufts Observer's own pages establish continuity more clearly than change: it presents itself as Tufts's student magazine since 1895, and its current site organizes work around Stories, Videos, Galleries, and social feeds. That combination—long student-run magazine history plus a multimedia, social-first presentation—is the concrete shift visible on Tufts Observer today.

What the evidence supports

• Format: The site's section labels point to video and photo galleries alongside written stories, not a print-only magazine.
• Distribution: "Latest Tweets" and an Instagram section show the publication treats social platforms as part of how it reaches readers.
• Editorial range: A featured item on Grace Talusan's memoir The Body Papers, labeled "Campus," shows campus-adjacent culture and books coverage rather than only institutional news.

What to treat as general magazine history, not product claims

Student magazines broadly tend to move from print issues toward web-first publishing, add multimedia, and use social media for reach. That is a reasonable expectation for a publication of this age, but the supplied page evidence does not document specific dates, print-to-web transitions, or editorial policy changes.

Practical next step

If you are researching the publication's evolution, compare an archived early issue with a recent one: count story types, note whether pieces are text-only or include video and galleries, and check how prominently social feeds appear. That comparison gives you a defensible account of change; the current site alone shows the present format, not the path to it.

Can alumni or non-students contribute to or get involved with the Tufts Observer?

The available page information does not state alumni or non-student contribution policies, so it cannot confirm whether they can pitch, write or join. The site presents itself as Tufts's student magazine, which suggests student editors and writers run it; treat outside involvement as unconfirmed.

A practical way to check

• Look for a "Contact," "About," or "Join" page on Tufts Observer for submission or masthead details.
• If no policy is posted, email the editors with a specific pitch (topic, length, angle) and ask whether alumni or non-student pieces are considered.
• Alumni with relevant expertise can also offer interviews, fact-checking or guest perspectives rather than full articles.

For a concrete scenario: an alumna with a campus-history story should send a short pitch and ask about eligibility before drafting. The response will clarify whether the magazine accepts outside contributors or only student work.

Where can I find the Tufts Observer's latest issues, videos, and photo galleries online?

The Tufts Observer publishes its latest stories, videos and photo galleries on its own site, Tufts Observer. The homepage is organized around Stories, Videos, and Galleries sections, so the most direct route is to open the site and use those section labels rather than searching elsewhere. The page also links out to the magazine's Instagram and a "Latest Tweets" feed, which is where shorter, more frequently updated material tends to appear between full issues.

What to expect in each section

A practical next step: if you are looking for a specific piece, start with Stories and search by the subject or the writer's name—the site's own excerpt format pairs a headline, a section tag such as "Campus," and a date, which makes older items easier to locate. For a general sense of what the magazine is covering right now, scan the homepage sections in order, then check the social feeds for anything published since the last update.

One example of how the sections work together: a profile pegged to a new book, such as Grace Talusan discussing her memoir The Body Papers under the Campus tag, would sit in Stories, while related event photos would land in Galleries and any interview clip in Videos. If your interest is a particular topic rather than the latest issue, the section structure is more useful than the chronological homepage.