As the weather gets warmer and while classes come to an end, the big finals push begins and seniors scramble to find jobs, award ceremonies are in abundance. On April 13, twelve recipients of The Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service were honored for their commitment to active citizenship, leadership and public service. I thought it would be a fitting end to my column to highlight some of the best examples of social entrepreneurship at Tufts.
Recipients of the award came from most of Tufts schools and all corners of the public service world. Zach Baker received the award for spearheading "Shape Up Somerville", a local campaign against childhood obesity. Ana Martinez used the foundations from her international relations major to develop an international internship program for Tufts students in Uganda. Melissa Pickering created STOMP (Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program), an organization that brings undergraduate engineers into local science classrooms to help teach children about engineering. Tufts Dental School graduate to be, Sam Merabi, received the award for his leadership of CORRECT (Child Oral Rehabilitation, Residential, Education, Counseling and Therapy), a program that facilitates the oral health education of special needs children.
The recipients of the Presidential Awards for Citizenship and Public Service are only a few of the remarkable examples of active citizenship at Tufts. But sadly, as the school year ends, even these few recipients are not giving as much credit to them as due. Award ceremonies for great work that take place at the end of the year get lost in the shuffle of the school year's end.
I don't think enough credit-or rather publicity-is given to the students, faculty and staff of Tufts for all they have done for the Tufts, local, national and international communities. Yes, you have your award ceremonies, like the Presidential Awards, for the select recipients that have been big blips on the radar screens. But what about giving credit to the students that are stalwart and steadfast volunteers at the local homeless shelter or the students that spend their weekends tutoring local kids in math?
The Presidential Awards are a great way for praising individuals that have gone above and beyond what it means to be an active citizen by creating novel programs and initiatives that serve community needs. But there are also other students that are equally deserving of praise for their unyielding dedication to community service.
Perhaps Tufts and the administration of the University College can find a way to give credit where credit is due. Maybe moving the Presidential Awards to the fall would give better publicity for the award ceremony to the general Tufts population, so the achievements of these individuals don't get lost in the end of the school year, like the untouched parts at the end of a class syllabus. The Presidential Awards could be a part of a larger celebration of Tufts community member's achievements; maybe there should be a "Service Showcasing" week of sorts that highlights not only the achievements of individual community members but the importance of community and public service. This week could be a way of connecting students, faculty and staff from all of Tufts schools to learn from each other and to learn of the opportunities available to help out the community.
Tufts University is often thought of as a school that is devoid of school spirit. I believe this is an inaccurate assessment of the Tufts Jumbo spirit. Tufts is a school full of intelligent and motivated individuals dedicated to the community, however that is defined. What I think Tufts is devoid of is a means to connect the whole community together. I believe that a "Service Showcasing" week and moving the Presidential Awards for Citizenship and Public Service to the fall are small steps our university can take to build a better and more closely knit Tufts community. Next fall as I embark on my last year at Tufts, I'd like to see administrators move forward in taking initiatives that would help build a greater Tufts Community.
Loi To is a junior majoring in political science and Russian. He can be reached at loi.to@tufts.edu.
