After pro-gay chalkings were erased and various decorations removed from campus last week, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered (LGBT) community is asking the administration to account for its actions.
At issue is what prompted Facilities to remove chalkings in the academic quad in support of Tufts' LGBT community during April Open House. Admissions Office Manager Mary Alice Gryzb asked Facilities to remove the chalkings in front of Bendetson, but students are trying to determine who initiated the removal of similar chalkings in other areas of campus.
Staff members of the School of Engineering alerted Facilities about chalkings in front of Anderson, according to Dean of Students Bruce Reitman.
Senior Kat Cheung, an LGBT student, said she saw a Facilities employee remove one of the chalkings outside Ballou. "He said the order came in that morning to erase them," she said. "I asked him if he had to erase all the chalkings. He said no, just the gay ones. I asked him if he knew who ordered it. He said he didn't know."
Representatives from Facilities did not return repeated phone calls for comment.
University administrators say the removal of chalkings did not represent official policy, but rather the judgement of individual employees.
"It sets a tone of hurt that gives the appearance that the community is trying to hide the gay community from Open House visitors. That's certainly not the case," Reitman said. "We are proud of the LGBT community and its presence and participation."
But Angel Vail, the Tufts Transgendered, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Collective (TTLGBC) representative to the Tufts Community Union Senate, says Tufts' explanation is insufficient. "I don't think a worker at Facilities would care enough to take the time to take down the gay chalkings," she said.
In light of the recent controversies, Reitman said Facilities will work to ensure that its employees do not respond to requests from individuals without clearance from supervisors.
Facilities was also criticized two weeks ago when an employee painted over an offensive statement on the cannon.
In a letter in the Daily last Friday, Vice President of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering Mel Bernstein apologized for the University's actions, but some LGBT students say his words did not go far enough. No one, for example, has been able to explain how the rainbow ribbons on the academic quad and banners in front of the Admissions Office and Dewick that LGBT students put up on Tuesday night disappeared the following morning.
Bernstein said "he believed that the ribbons and banners were removed by individuals and not people associated with the administration, which we don't agree with," junior Vanessa Dillen said. "There were so many ribbons on campus, we really don't think that students would have taken the time to go through and take all of them down."
"I understand that the ribbons we hung were not allowed, but chalking is allowed. It feels like we are being systematically erased from campus," Cheung said.
According to Dillen, the banner in front of Dewick was at least 40 feet above ground. Cutting it down "doesn't seem like something a student would have been able to do," she said.
While LGBT students are also concerned about anti-gay messages painted on the cannon last week by senior Mark Sutherland, they say investigating the actions of the University is more important.
Sutherland is "just a guy who does things on his own, and he's not really speaking
for any community," Vail said. "When the administration goes and does something about it, then we have a problem."
Reitman will meet with Sutherland this week to determine whether the University will take disciplinary action against him. The senior was arrested for disorderly conduct last Thursday. Sutherland has come into conflict with the University numerous times this year, but Reitman could not say whether his history would have any bearing on the decision in this case.
Though the incidents have put a negative spin on what was supposed to be a celebration of LGBT pride, students say they are not discouraged.
"The attitude of the LGBT community is queers don't quit. If they keep pushing, we're going to keep chalking," Vail said. "They can wipe away our chalk, but we can still wear our rainbow pins, and we'll just chalk again."
