Students approve of Bacow, but are unclear on what he does

The student body generally approves of President Larry Bacow's job performance thus far, although many students are uncertain about the specifics of his role at the University.

A poll performed by the Daily before the break asked 373 undergraduates their opinion on Bacow's first two years as president. The results show that only 17.5 percent somewhat or strongly disapprove of Bacow, as opposed to the 48.4 percent of students who approve of him. An additional 34.1 percent of students "neither approve nor disapprove" of his job performance.

Throughout his tenure, Bacow has had several successes, including the restoration of funds to the veterinary schools after a state cutback and the upcoming Marathon Challenge, which aims to raise a quarter million dollars for the Tufts Personalized Performance Program. Bacow has also focused on improving alumni relations and met with representatives around the country.

Of the students who approve of Bacow, however, only 14.3 percent of students said they "strongly approved" of his performance. When questioned, students often did not have a detailed opinion of Tufts' president. Many seemed unsure of his exact role in the administration, or how much of the University's policies he directs.

In addition, some students did not approve of some of Bacow's high profile appearances during his tenure. "I sort of got a not-so-great impression of him at the Bush speech," junior Kate Williams said. "It seemed he was more concerned with keeping up appearances," than anything else, she said.

The poll also asked student opinion about the University's alcohol policy. Many students felt that the school is not going in the right direction when it comes to handling the alcohol policy. Bacow faced criticism from students over his e-mail to the Tufts community chastising students' roles in the Naked Quad Run, which he called "sorely disappointing."

In addition, over three fourths of those surveyed opposed increased administrative control over alcohol use on campus. Nearly as high a percentage believed that the administration could not reduce alcohol abuse even with further involvement.

In an interview earlier this semester, Bacow -- referring to his stance on the Naked Quad Run -- defended his position by saying that his decisions on school policy were not made with his personal popularity in mind.

Of the juniors and seniors surveyed, opinion was split on whether or not Bacow's job performance was an improvement upon former President John DiBaggio. Junior Leah Zuckerman said that DiBaggio had a lower profile at Tufts, but she did not know what type of president she would prefer between the two.

The Daily surveyed students during the open block Wednesday, Mar. 12. Students who came through Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall, the Mayer Campus Center, Tisch Library, and Eaton Hall were given surveys.

Students who were polled were asked to give their gender, class year, and major. The responses of males and females were nearly identical, and the data collected for class year and major was proportional to the entire Tufts population. The maximum standard error for any question is 3.9 percent.