Tufts Religious Union for Cooperation and Ecumenicalism (TRUCE) is beginning to make its name known on campus after being recognized as an official student organization last December. TRUCE has sponsored several programs to promote religious acceptance on campus and to bring the issues surrounding religious freedom and identity to light.
TRUCE was created in response to the storm of controversy generated by the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ)'s ruling in the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) case last semester. TRUCE founders felt that the tone of reactions to the decision was of an adversarial nature rather than one attempting to bridge the ideological gap between the parties involved. Students were outspoken for many weeks following the ruling, and the debate culminated in a sit-in in Bendetson Hall in November.
While the creation of TRUCE was inspired by the TCUJ's ruling, the group's goal of fostering inter-religious discussion and cooperation is broad-based and not simply issue-specific, according to co-founder Oliver Wise.
"[TRUCE's] mission isn't focused solely around the TCF issue," he said.
TRUCE is not the only organization that formed in response to the TCF decision, as a group of students banded together to create Tufts Students Against Discrimination (TSAD) - the same group which staged the Bendetson sit-in - because they felt the nondiscrimination policy was weakened by the TCUJ's ruling. The group disbanded after University President John DiBiaggio sent an email to students reaffirming that the nondiscrimination policy included self-acceptance, while TRUCE applied for and received University recognition by the TCUJ.
While TSAD was mainly an ad hoc group, TRUCE members hope that their goal of fostering mutual respect and tolerance among religious groups will become a lasting legacy on campus. The group, said TCF senior leader Jonathan Crowe, is trying to create a forum in which religious groups connect with other organizations and individuals who might have otherwise remained ignorant of each other's beliefs and values.
It is because of the organization's goal of cooperation and education that TRUCE members believe it has a staying power beyond the TCF issue. Member Arielle Kristan said that the need for inter-religious communication - as well as for greater discussion of religion in general - was simply brought to the forefront by the TCF case.
"There has always been tension between religious groups... there's a vale between [them] - they don't know who they are or what they stand for," she said. "[TRUCE's mission] will transcend the TCF hearings from last fall."
A dialogue is already descending on campus about religious issues, and related events have so far proved popular. Last week's screening of Treyf, a film documenting the struggles of two Jewish Israeli lesbians trying to reconcile their religious beliefs with their sexual orientation, boasted an attendance of at least 50 people. The event was the result of a collective sponsorship from over ten groups, ranging from the German, Asian, and Russian Language department to the Tufts Feminist Alliance to Hillel's Jewish Women's Collective (JWC).
The JWC is hoping to organize an event this semester that explores various faiths' interpretations of the world's creation. Co-chairs Kristan and Sahrye Cohen hope to help others learn more about unfamiliar religious traditions and encourage exploration of unfamiliar territory.
"America is mainly Judeo-Christian... we really need to see things out of our own tradition," Cohen said.
As an officially recognized group TRUCE is eligible for $1,000 of new group funding, although it has not utilized any of this funding yet, according to Allocations Board chair Alessandro Terenzoni. TRUCE members are also permitted to reserve rooms for meetings as well as advertise on campus.
