Moratorium to take place today

Professors, students, and staff who disagree with the US action in Iraq will engage in an all day moratorium on classes today, in order to express their opinions. The event, which has been planned by the Tufts Coalition Opposing War in Iraq (TCOWI), was supposed to take place on the day after the war began, but had to be postponed due to Spring Break.

"No business as usual today and until the war ends," read a draft of a leaflet that TCOWI will be handing out today. The day's activities -- beginning with a 9:30 a.m. open mic at Hillel -- are intended to educate the campus on their views and reasons for disagreeing with the war.

Other activities will include a march around campus at noon, stopping for a rally in the campus center, which will attempt to raise awareness of the moratorium and attract participants. After that there will be a panel at Hillel and second one at Goddard Chapel later in the afternoon. A rally will be held outside of Goddard in between the two panels.

The panel's participants will include a variety of students and professors. Moderators will ensure that discussions do not turn into "ranting back and forth," in the words of one planner. "Baseline respect is very important." Apart from these discussions, John McDonald, head of the Music Department, will be giving a musical performance following the last panel.

It is uncertain how many people will actually be participating in the moratorium. Although 600 people signed the TCOWI statement, the moratorium itself has had fewer signatories. Physics professor Gary Goldstein, a TCOWI member, pointed out that it is more difficult to take direct action, also citing less publicity as a possible reason for relative lack of support.

Goldstein estimated that 30 professors will be taking some sort of action, either discussing the war in their courses or not holding class. Despite a letter earlier this semester from Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Ernst, in which she reminded professors of their "responsibilities," Goldstein said that it is doubtful that the administration will respond to any of these actions. However, he felt that the "veiled threats" serve as a deterrent to non-tenured and part-time professors.

Planners are being careful with the wording of their statements, in an effort to avoid alienating people who are undecided or have different reasons for opposing war. Goldstein emphasized that "many different perspectives" will be presented.

Colleges across the country have had or are planning events similar to those taking place at Tufts. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education many professors dedicated their classes to discussions on the war last week, while at Columbia University 30 professors have scheduled a teach-in for this week. University of Michigan's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching posted guidelines for instructors intending to lead discussions on their websites. They highlight that "it is important to allow students to express these differences without fear of ridicule or attack, while also encouraging disagreement."

Separately from the TCOWI events, Tufts Amnesty International will hold a candlelight vigil at 10 p.m. on the Academic Quad, in order to show solidarity with the Iraqi people and "reaffirm our commitment to human rights during this time of war."