Bacow's e-mail 'reckless'

As a recent graduate, I was extremely disappointed to hear President Larry Bacow state "The combination of consumption of alcohol with a mad dash through an icy, hilly campus at night cannot continue."

I doubt anyone will disagree with the facts. Is it dangerous? Yeah. Risky? Yeah. Is it one of my fondest, most distinct memories of Tufts? Yeah.

I am very sympathetic to the fact that Tufts University is extremely liable and exposed during the Naked Quad Run. If there was a serious injury, litigation could follow. But the abandonment of traditions is not something to be done casually. Unless Bacow is trying to shock the campus into good behavior with wild threats (we'll call it the George W. Bush school of diplomacy) I'm saddened and angered that this was his first reaction.

That he would not even look into ways of making it safer (salt/shovel the running path, increased lighting, additional security) before sending a campus-wide denouncement of the quad run transcends carelessness, it displays a reckless disregard for the feelings of the Tufts campus.

A leader should be able to choke down gut reactions to an event and be able to deal with it rationally. One would argue it's even more important not to send out an ill-conceived threat to one's constituents in the heat of the moment. But if Bacow wants to skip the discussion phase and go straight into threats, I'm sure that all of recent alums and current students would be happy to mobilize. The quad run is hailed as the single activity that the entire campus turns out for. I am certain that we could turn that passion into castigating you for the elimination of said event rather easily.

The decision is Bacow's.

Jed Fowler

LA '02