Community organizations are asking Tufts students to take a look at the history of the towns in which they now call home.
Freshman Dan Roan, who has been researching local history for an urban community organizing class with professor Susan Ostrander said that "students just don't take the time to realize what's going on outside of Tufts."
Freshman Chadwick Matlin agreed that he has nearly no knowledge about local history. He said, however, that he does not see why this connection is even necessary. "I live at Tufts," he said. "I don't really consider myself a citizen of Medford and Somerville."
Brandon Wilson, Executive Director of the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC), thinks that focusing on Tufts is not an excuse for ignorance about local history.
"Having this campus setting is what attracts a lot of people to the school," she said. "So I would think students would want to know why all those buildings are there."
According to Ostrander, "It's a matter of simple respect for those of us who live and work and study at Tufts to know something about the places where we live."
She also stressed that a connection to the community is an integral part of the education most students want to receive.
"As people at Tufts become more and more aware of the value of education and scholarship that relates to real-life issues, Somerville and Medford are critical to this vision," she said.
Even after four years at Tufts, senior Anna Lindgren Streicher agreed that she knew "not much at all" about the histories of Medford and Somerville.
Although community involvement is important to her, knowledge of history is not. "I've done volunteer work in Medford and Somerville, so I've given something to the community, but I don't think that has anything to do with knowing the [area's] history."
Professor David Guss, who has worked with the SHPC to research Somerville's lost movie theatres, maintains that knowledge of history is essential to being an active citizen.
"It's hard for me to imagine how sensitive you can be to a community without knowing something about its demographics, ethnic makeup, and really the whole background of how it developed," he said.
It is clear, however, that students have not learned about local history for lack of opportunity, as the university does have significant contact with historical societies in both Medford and Somerville.
Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel said that not only has Tufts provided financial assistance to historic institutions like the Somerville Museum and the Royall House, but representatives from the university have also been involved in important fieldwork.
The Royall House was built by slave trader Isaac Royall in the 1700s, and it features the only extant slave quarters in the Northeastern United States.
Tufts students have participated in an archaeological dig at the Royall House, located in Medford, and the Royall House Association and the Medford Historical Society have both had interns from the Museum School.
Most recently, Professor Rosalind Shaw worked with the historical societies in Medford on an examination of the slave trade there, and co-taught a class with Jay Griffin, Director of the Medford Historical Society, on the subject.
The University has also participated in the reenactment of the raid of the Powderhouse, a pre-Revolutionary war conflict that occurred in Somerville.
Despite these activities, Rubel is adamant that "we could definitely do more." Griffin believes that this would have to start with the administration. "There needs to be a top-down approach to this problem," he said. "The administration has to see what resources are there, and then spread that knowledge to the faculty and eventually the students."
Although the University and historical societies are both willing to engage in outreach programs to foster more involvement in history, both sides stress the difficulty of getting students engaged in such a venture.
Fred Schlicher, Executive Director of the Royall House Association, said that "getting information easily to students as to what is available is a challenge."
Rubel agreed that "the challenge is to find a way to present this so that students who are interested can access it easily."
Freshman Rachel Shatten intends to learn more about local history during her time at Tufts. "If this is a place where I want to be spending my time, it's important to know something [about its history]," she said.
The faculty and staff involved in this effort believe that knowledge of history can be enormously enriching, if students would only take advantage of the opportunities offered.
"Medford and Somerville are two of the oldest cities in America. They are also two of the most diverse. We are really lucky that the school is located here," Guss said.
