Strong opposition to Alumni Association's award revocation

In the three weeks that have followed since the Alumni Association revoked Liz Monnin's Seniors Award, the body has faced intense criticism from students, faculty, and alumni, who said it failed to recognize protest as a form of leadership and limited students' rights to free speech at Tufts.

In February, the Alumni Association informed Monnin, a prominent campus activist and a co-chair of the Tufts Feminist Alliance, that she would receive the award, and then reversed the decision just three weeks later after learning about her involvement in protests at the Fares lecture on Feb. 26. A letter from the Association characterized Monnin's protest involvement during former President George Bush's speech as "inappropriate and offensive."

The "Seniors Award" is one of 12 awards that will be given this weekend by the Alumni Association to seniors who have demonstrated "potential for leadership."

Alumni and a group of 40 faculty and staff members have sent letters to President Larry Bacow opposing the association's actions. Sixty-three students and alumni have also signed a pledge circulating on the Internet to withhold funds from the Alumni Association until officials apologize to Monnin and return the award.

According to opponents of the decision, the Association's revocation is hypocritical because protest involvement is itself a demonstration of leadership.

"Standing up against the status quo requires both fortitude and conviction, attributes that any good leader possesses," said senior Kristen Loureiro. Other Seniors Award recipients said they felt similarly, and questioned the Association's characterization of leadership qualities.

Opponents explained that that protest involvement and organization are activities that could help students prepare to succeed later in life.

"Organizing and activism is work and takes certain skills and talents," said English Professor Sonia Hofkosh, who signed a letter sent to Bacow. "Certainly there are jobs in which those skills and talents would be much valued."

The faculty's letter to Bacow stated, "We can think of no demonstration of the 'potential for leadership as an alumna,' a key criterion of the revoked award, stronger than the decision Liz Monnin and others made to express their position on current political events in the form of public protest."

But it was the manner in which Monnin protested that offended many. "I feel that dissent should be respectful and that people should not be interrupted or jeered," said Susan Yost (J '75). "I disagree with many of former President Bush's decisions, but he still deserves courtesy."

At Bush's speech, Monnin was one of the five students who held up signs and began to chant while Bush spoke. The sign they held, which read "gyms are for soccer, not for warmongers," was intended to express opposition against the then-impending war in Iraq, according to Monnin, as well as the domestic and foreign policies of Bush Sr.'s administration.

The offensive nature of Bush's speech, which included references to quieting protestors with duct tape, was what made many in the audience support the allegedly rude actions of protesters that day. According to physics professor Gary Goldstein, Monnin's actions were appropriate, "given what [Bush] was saying."

"The people inside who might have made noise did nothing illegal," said Goldstein, who protested outside on the day of the speech. "They might have offended somebody's sensibilities. But the presence of George Bush offends some of my sensibilities."

Others felt that interrupting the speech was essential to getting their point across. "Of course our actions were disrespectful and rude -- that was the point," said senior Louis Esparza, one of drafters and signers of the pledge.

In fact, many feel that the actions of those who protested inside the speech were justified because of the intense effort on the part of speech organizers to keep protesters outside at bay.

Protesters who were originally told that they would be within vision of Bush as he entered the gymnasium were disappointed when police barricades brought their march to a halt outside Curtis Hall, several hundred feet away from where the speech was taking place, Goldstein said.

"Barriers and riot police goaded people," Goldstein said. "Those of us who were outside trying to protest had a very difficult time." Thus the extra steps that had to be taken by those who protested inside to demand that their voices be heard may have been justified, he said.

"Sometimes you've got to be loud if those who refuse to listen are going to hear even the tiniest squeak of dissent," Hofkosh said.

The Alumni Association has refused to comment further on the controversy, only saying that complaints from students, professors and administrators prompted it to revoke the award.

Bush's position as a former President caused many to debate the level of respect that he should, or should not, have been given. "I think it's important to show respect for the office and respect for the office holder even if one disagrees with what they say," Yost said.

But some reasoned that the former President's achievements were exactly what made him a target for protest. "It is a different situation when you register protest against powerful figures who are symbols of the prevailing power structure as opposed to, say, harassing individuals as private citizens who do things you may not agree with," Hofkosh said.

Some critics of the Alumni Association's decision have suggested that the award was revoked because Monnin protested at such a high-profile event.

"The Fares lecture is designed to get important donors together," explained Goldstein. "And when there is any disruption of that, [speech organizers] overreact."

In Goldstein's view, the administration has a tendency to reward actions by students that have no political basis.

Alumni who were also opposed to the decision are mobilizing as well. "Tufts should support rather than censure debate," wrote Charles Simpson '63 in a letter to Bacow. "Instead, the Alumni Association punished Ms. Monnin in order to send a message to students on 'The Hill' that they should either support the war against Iraq or stand in silence."