Crowds at No Name irk Fletcher students

Following a debate weighing the pros and cons of the presence of undergraduates at their school, many Fletcher students expressed hopes for better interaction between Fletcher and the undergraduate community.

The debate, recently initiated and circulated on Fletcher's own social listserv, was sparked by an e-mail message from a Fletcher student who voiced frustration over a specific encounter with an undergraduate student who made rude remarks. The incident occurred at No Name Caf?©, the coffee and sandwich shop housed within the Fletcher building, formerly known as Trios.

However, others in the Fletcher community commented that the problem does not necessarily arise from the presence of undergraduates, but from the lack of space and resources for Fletcher students. The Fletcher administration says it has plans to address these concerns.

Since it reopened after being renovated over the summer, No Name Caf?© has been criticized for its slow services and long lines.

"Up until this year, the ability to grab a quick bite to eat with faculty or friends has been an integral part of the Fletcher learning experience. This year, our use of the caf?© has declined, and sadly we have lost that part of the experience," said Judith Dunbar, a second-year student at Fletcher.

Brandon Miller, a second-year student at Fletcher and member of the Fletcher Student Council, acknowledged that the lack of space for Fletcher students was the main cause of complaints.

"The space is no longer viewed as Fletcher-friendly by faculty and students here," Miller said.

Dunbar, however, felt that an atmosphere of openness must continue to be encouraged. "No Name is not Fletcher property, and should be open to the entire Tufts community, [but] it should be primarily geared toward creating a space for Fletcher's graduate students, faculty and staff," she said.

Mike Kugelman, a first-year Fletcher student, said "the emphasis" of the discussion "should be on establishing more seating space and speeding up the lines at the Caf?©."

Jeremy Harrington, a first-year Fletcher student and once a Tufts undergraduate himself, agreed the lack of space was the main cause of the problem, not the undergraduates themselves. "The problem is not the presence of undergrads, but limited space in some areas and a hopelessly inefficient counter at No Name," Harrington said.

Similarly, Kugelman said that undergraduates are not the problem. "While I can understand the frustration many Fletcher students have expressed about the amount of undergraduates in the Caf?©," he said. "I've seen how packed it is during the lunch hour. I think that the whole situation is much too overblown, and that the undergraduates are being 'scapegoated.'"

Undergraduates, however, appeared to have little knowledge of the Fletcher students' complaints.

Freshman Mandy Lee visited No Name with a friend back in September, and although it was not too crowded, Lee pointed out that "it's inconvenient and somewhat hard to find."

But Lee said she was not disappointed with the speed of service, nor did she feel awkward being around Fletcher students.

Sophomore Nate Papazian who frequents No Name said that the service is never longer than "a few minutes," despite crowded spaces. Papazian also said that he often "can't tell the difference" between the undergraduates and the Fletcher students and that he has not experienced any conflict with Fletcher students.

Others have pointed to the lack of manners as another problem, though these issues may stem from unique incidents.

Miller also said that the behavior, not the status of undergraduate or graduate students, is the issue. "Bad behavior by individuals shouldn't be unfairly projected onto every Fletcher student or every undergraduate student. Individual behavior needs to be dealt with, not blaming every undergraduate for one person's poor behavior," he said.

Harrington said the incident that started Fletcher's recent debate on undergraduates "must be one of the isolated incidents." He feels that "civility, tolerance and understanding" are the desirable qualities of the members of Tufts community.

Just as the 'isolated incident' is not an indicator of the maturity level of all undergraduate students, the frustration of the vocal few at Fletcher is not an evidence of Fletcher students' general discontent against the undergraduates, Miller pointed out. "Don't blow out of proportion what you see on in the listserv. It's only the vocal few. Not everyone at Fletcher is anti-undergrad," he said.

To better meet the needs for more facilities at Fletcher, a "master plan" has been conceived to provide more space for community-building. According to Miller, Fletcher's Executive Associate Dean Gerard F. Sheehan briefed the student council on a master plan, "which will address many of the space issues we are facing."

Such a move would be consistent with last spring's Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience report which called for more ways to use "space to promote community" on the Medford campus. The report proposed renovations of common rooms, more spaces in the campus center and a caf?© in the Tisch Library to encourage easier student and faculty interaction.

Miller said that positive changes in Fletcher's space will come around when funding is secured. "When the funding is finalized, there will be a briefing for students on the upcoming changes," Miller said.

Harrington hopes to see "more lounge areas [and] more space" with the implementation of the plan.