In response to recent incidents of graffiti at Capen House, Associate Dean of Students Marisel Perez has accelerated her plan to create a Peer Education Program in an attempt to prevent further incidents and to promote educated, open dialogue.
Perez has submitted her proposal for the program to Tufts' Diversity Fund and hopes to begin professionally training about ten sophomores and juniors in the spring. The program aims to take a more formal approach to training than in the past, and its members will serve year-round on an established panel focused on conflict resolution and diversity education, especially in residential areas.
Perez said she hopes that resident assistants (RAs) will facilitate the program, which would serve as a catalyst for residential discussion. Perez says she hopes the RAs will provide the "leadership it takes to get a conversation going," she said.
While reception for the program is generally positive, some students are skeptical that it could effectively combat hate crimes. "I don't think that will work because the people who [will participate] aren't the ones who need education," freshman Vy Nguyen said. She said she is doubtful that hate crime offenders will heed the program's teachings.
"All the workshops and lectures won't be absorbed by the people who need it. It's all in one person's mind and personal beliefs and unless it's one-on-one, which there isn't enough resources to do, it won't help."
Senior Tommy Calvert said the makeup of the program's audience would likely depend on the topic of particular forums. "It depends on what the nature of the forums are," Calvert said. "A forum talking about penalties of hate crimes [detailing] the federal statutes and laws or state laws" is more likely to attract perpetrators of hate crimes than a "general racial unity type of event," he said.
Perez says she wants to "try to get involved in a more educational role" in the responses to such incidents. If the perpetrator of a hate crime is identified, action taken by the program and the Dean of Students Office will be specific to the case.
Applications for the program will be available in the spring.
