President discusses continuing community service work

Over 100 faculty, administrators, students, and community leaders gathered in Ballou Hall yesterday to discuss the improvement of University-community relationships.

Sponsored by the University College (UC), the "Symposium for Student Volunteer Service in Tufts' Host Communities" focused on the creation of sustainable community partnerships.

During the discussion, community leaders emphasized that the university needed to develop infrastructure that would allow UC projects to continue in their host communities after the four years Tufts students are here to contribute.

President Larry Bacow acknowledged the transient nature of the student body would always be an issue but he challenged participants to look beyond that issue.

"We aren't going to be able to solve these problems, but we all need to dedicate ourselves to managing them," he said. Bacow added that the success of the University's various programs would be measured in decades, not years.

"Every year we have students who have new ideas and that's great," Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel said, "but we also need to balance that with maintaining the partnerships we already have."

Leaders agreed that faculty and administrators need to develop a framework for projects to continue with shifting personnel.

David Moy, Director of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, said he had "very low expectations for concrete results" coming out of year-long student-community projects. He added that academics need to come into the community willing to listen to social groups already committed to the area for the long term.

The UC is increasingly building its curriculum around existing affiliations. This fall, two program coordinators were hired from the Chinatown and Mystic River Watershed communities to manage UC programs in those areas.

"Instead of just placing people in a location, [the UC] is bringing people in who already part of that community," UC Scholar Mary Smith said. This year, the UC Scholars kept this year's active citizenship projects focused in areas where the school has already formed partnerships, Smith said.

Members also discussed the need for increased communication between the university and outside groups. Community representatives expressed difficulties in locating the right resources within the Tufts community.

The University, however, is developing additional methods of outreach to connect Tufts with outside organizations.

The Office of Community Relations is developing a website which would contain information regarding community and student organizations. The university is also considering publishing monthly ads in the Somerville Journal and Medford Transcript to publicize on-campus events, Bacow said. He suggested newspapers could serve as forums to advertise available services.

However, the conference concluded that the duties were not one-sided. Participants emphasized that community groups also need to reach out and communicate with the university.

In his opening remarks University College Dean Robert Hollister said that the school has made progress in encouraging active citizenship in the year since the first symposium was held. According to Hollister, successes included the first Tufts Community Open House, the hiring of two new program coordinators and increased faculty initiatives.

After a skit by UC Director Molly Mead, the conference members broke into groups to debate questions relating to active citizenship. The concerns raised were then shared with the whole conference during discussion facilitated by Bacow.

These discussions again emphasized the importance of building relationships.

The symposium ended with a brief speech by former Massachusetts Senate President Tom Birmingham, who reminded attendees not to forget the larger social forces which guide how services are offered.

"I am not making a partisan appeal," he said. "I am suggesting that we ought to recognize these situations have a political component."

He encouraged those involved in active citizenship to take an active role in the decision making process.