Alumni Association makes wrong move

The Alumni Association's choice to revoke a Senior Award from Liz Monnin for her involvement in a protest at the recent Fares lecture may be understandable, but it is not the right decision. The extent of Monnin's participation remains unclear -- she may or may not have flipped off former president Bush -- but the president of the Association has said that the decision will stand regardless.

The finger display at the lecture is not a minor point. There is a world of difference between holding up a politically critical banner in front of the former president and displaying obscene messages or making obscene gestures. Monnin denies making the gesture or supporting such an exhibition, and this should have been the key factor in the Alumni Association's decision.

It is also unfortunate that the Association looked past Monnin's more visible campus actions, including the Bendetson Hall occupation two years ago (Monnin says this item is actually listed in her resume) and other campus protests. It should be clear to many at Tufts that such activities are among Monnin's major undergraduate pursuits -- she undoubtedly appears in these pages often enough.

The Senior Award recipients are chosen on basis of scholastic record and potential for leadership. In its decision to revoke Monnin's award, the Alumni Association seems to be sending the message that leadership potential only applies to traditional political discourse in conventional arenas. History has proven otherwise. From Thoreau's civil disobedience to Malcom X's promise of justice "by any means necessary," non-traditional dissent has established itself as a powerful force for change.

The Association determined that Monnin overstepped reasonable restraint at Bush's lecture, and its decision certainly appears to be final. In the future, though, it would do well to remember that the most influential leaders of the future are not always the most socially acceptable ones.