In their acceptance speeches at an awards ceremony on Saturday night, recipients of the Alumni Association''s Seniors Awards decided not to emphasize the controversy that has recently embroiled the association.
Instead of talking about Liz Monnin -- the activist whose Seniors Award was revoked after the association discovered that she was one of a few students who disrupted former President George H.W. Bush''s speech on Feb. 26 -- most recipients discussed their own experiences with leadership and community service during their time at Tufts.
Critics of the decision have said that it condemns a student for exercising her right to free speech. In an apparent effort to counter such criticism, Alumni Association President Alan MacDougall wrote in an e-mail to award recipients last week that they were allowed to say anything they wished during their acceptance speeches. MacDougall emphasized that point again on Saturday night before the speeches began.
But Matthew Kane was the only recipient who even hinted at the controversy. Referring to leadership as a concept that is "rarely understood," he addressed both Monnin and the Association''s stance on the issue in his acceptance speech.
"There is something to be said about an individual so passionate about improving our world that she acts despite how her actions may be perceived or how strong the resistance might be," Kane said in reference to Monnin. He then called the Association "a commendable party in these happenings" and said, "[The Association] never backed off from a difficult, and distinctly controversial decision, because it held its values in such high esteem."
Kane said he brought up the incident "not to a make a statement," but rather to acknowledge that "leadership is not easy, nor is it always popular."
Other recipients felt that furthering the debate would be inappropriate. Rebecca Clark said she had some reservations about how the Alumni Association acted, but chose not to mention her opinions during her speech. "Because of the nature of the event, it was not the right place to bring it up," she said. "It takes away from the experience... and continues finger pointing."
At a recent meeting, the faculty unanimously passed a resolution saying that it "strongly disapproved" the Alumni Association''s decision. Forty faculty and staff members also sent a letter of protest to President Larry Bacow. But MacDougall said that the protest letter was never presented to the Alumni Association. "No one in the faculty reached out to us," he said.
Eighty students and alumni have also signed a pledge to withhold funds from the Alumni Association until an apology is issued to Monnin and she is presented with her award.
MacDougall said that more than 100 alumni had contacted his office about the decision and the ratio "slightly favored" those in support of the decision.
In his e-mail to recipients, MacDougall defended the Association''s decision. He said that the awards committee had reconsidered its decision after a second round of deliberations which found Monnin''s recommendation was "lacking key details" not available earlier. The committee specifically noted Monnin''s "habit of not being willing to listen to contradictory opinions."
"A key element in the right to free speech is the ability to let the other person express his opinion," MacDougall wrote. "Nearly 5,000 people in Gantcher were willing to give Mr. Bush that right. Five or six were not."
Monnin was offered the award one day before the Fares Lecture. MacDougall explained that by rescinding her nomination, the Association and its Awards Committee was upholding the standards by which the award is governed. He said that if the Senior Award was given to her even after the association discovered her involvement in the protests, it "would have saved a great deal of trouble, at least initially, but it would hardly have been honest."
At the awards ceremony on Saturday night, MacDougall declined to comment about the Association''s recent decision, and instead emphasized the achievements of the eleven award recipients.
When he agreed to comment yesterday, MacDougall said, "It was never our desire to punish [Monnin]. It was just our desire not to award her."
Seniors Awards were given to Virginia-Anne Chounard, Rebecca Clark, Bradley Crotty, Kate Donohue-Rolfe, Elisabeth Drake, Laura Horwitz, Matthew Kane, Charles McGraw, Daniel Reinhard, Rachel Rubenson, and Sarah Sandison. The list includes two Omidyar scholars, TCU Senators, varsity athletes, members of the Ex-College Executive Board, a member of Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience, and members of several campus media organizations.
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