In response to the eruption of hate incidents on the Tufts campus over the past two months, eight campus organizations joined forces on Thursday to organize a Speak Out entitled "Stop the Hate: Educate and Empower." Facilitated by Metcalf Resident Assistant Shou Min Tan, the forum allowed students and faculty to express their concerns and to propose suggestions to end this outbreak of violence.
Many students expressed shock and disappointment at both the large number and intense nature of the incidents, which have taken place since this semester began. Several freshmen voiced concerns that their first impressions of college life were tainted by homophobic, sexist, and racist crimes. Others spoke of the sense of insecurity and vulnerability that the incidents have spawned on campus.
Insofar as hate crimes are concerned, the group's overall sentiment was that the most effective way to combat these incidents is to make sure that students are aware of them. One participant encouraged those present not to "underestimate the power of peer pressure" - perhaps by rallying against such crimes, students can prevent perpetrators from committing them.
Dean of Students Bruce Reitman and Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) Captain Mark Keith were both at the forum, but criticism of the administration was by no means absent from the evening's discussion. Many students expressed disappointment with the perceived low-level of action taken by administrators.
"[The situation] is not being taken seriously, both by administrators and students," said senior Jason Fox. "The only reason it's being addressed at all is because it's been so many in such a short time."
One participant sarcastically remarked that President John DiBiaggio's e-mail, which was sent a day before the Speak Out, was "probably written by his secretary." Following the remark, another student criticized the fact that the Tufts University Police Department "will send out a mass voicemail about a stolen bike but won't do one for hate crimes." For the protection of the victims, and because many crimes are still under investigation, police are often unable to make announcements about hate-related incidents.
Tan said that the second half of the Speak Out was tailored for discussion of possible action to prevent crimes in the future. On average, 12 hate crimes occur at Tufts each year - but this year there have already been 11 incidents.
Planned student responses ranged from specific suggestions to bulk up freshmen orientation programming with presentations on hate crimes to more general calls for the promotion of cultural understanding and acceptance; particularly, through diversity of curriculum and University faculty and staff.
The discussion eventually moved to the realm of interaction between different racial groups on campus and to the validity of cultural groups encouraging what some participants labeled as the formation of "racial cliques".
Although the Metcalf lounge was filled to capacity with concerned members of the Tufts community, many students said that the general apathy of students toward the subject has contributed to the problem.
"Why wait until now?" questioned a participant. "Most of the [crimes] happened in the first two weeks of school and all that's happened is just a Bridge [Metcalf] event?"
"Eleven hate crimes have happened since the beginning of the school year and many students don't know about it," said sophomore Valerie Rock, the president of the Pan-African Alliance (PAA), one of the groups that helped put the forum together.
It was mentioned repeatedly that the Homecoming pep rally, which also took place on Thursday evening, attracted many more students. Similarly, there was far greater participation in the rally behind the president's house protesting the heavy policing of Tufts parties.
"Hopefully people will talk to their friends," Tan said. "To spread the word is the only way to keep this thing alive. People really do seem concerned."
At the very least, one of the accomplishments of the evening was to discuss the nature of the recent incidents, and separate fact from rumor. According to organizers, there have been five homophobic incidents, one race-based assault, one gender-based assault, two race-based threats, and one ethnicity-based threat.
The most recent occurrence of hate was the appearance of posters and chalkings laden with racist remarks advertising the Capitalist Association of Socialist Haters.
The Speak Out was sponsored by the Bridge-Metcalf program, and the Culture, Ethnicity, and Community Affairs committee of the Tufts Community Union Senate, among other groups. Members of the PAA, Asian Community at Tufts, Association of Latino-American Students, International Club, Tufts' Transgender, Gay, Bisexual Collective, Tufts' Feminist Alliance, Tufts Men Against Violence, and the Coalition for Social Justice and Nonviolence were also present at the event.
