On the homepage of Tufts' undergraduate admissions Web site, our university states its goal of training "committed public citizens." As a university community, we emphasize the importance of active citizenship and encourage students to pursue philanthropic leadership.
Tufts provides unique opportunities and advantages for students to realize lofty dreams of making the world a better place. The Tisch College, Education for Active Citizenship, the Leonard Carmichael Society, "Producing Films for Social Change" and the Institute for Global Leadership: These represent the hallmarks of our Tufts experience.
As Tufts students, we define ourselves by our desire to improve the world that we will inherit. It is with this objective in mind that I call attention to a conspicuous anomaly in the practice of that philosophy: Tufts might be financially supporting the government of Sudan, which currently sponsors and perpetuates genocide in the western region of Darfur and in eastern Chad. There is no investment transparency at our university, and, because of that, we cannot know if we are helping buy the guns that kill thousands of innocent people. Our lack of investment transparency prevents us from knowing how we can do our part in ending genocide.
On Nov. 29, four inspiring speakers came to Tufts to talk about the divestment process. Divestment, which can be likened to socially-motivated disinvestment, is a tool for social change, employed or being considered by over 30 universities nationwide.
Accredited with successfully helping end apartheid in South Africa, divestment is one way that citizens can be engaged in change, circumventing the policymakers and American political bureaucracy. Divestment allows the people to wield leverage against egregious human rights violators, like the government in Khartoum.
The point is that it's time for us to do our part. Our socially aware campus seems familiar with the issue of the genocide in Darfur - I smile every time I see a "Stop the genocide in Darfur" t-shirt -- but familiarity is not enough.
We need to come together to incite change and raise awareness of the issues. Inspiring students like Gabe Frumkin ('10) and Nicole Zeller ('09), featured in last week's article entitled "Panel takes on divestment and crisis in universities," have taken the important first step, establishing the Tufts Coalition for Endowment Transparency and Democracy. They are bringing together like-minded individuals, like Sabina Carlson ('10) of Hillel's Moral Voices and the members of PANGAEA, TCOWI, Tufts Democrats and other progressive organizations at Tufts. Progress can only be catalyzed by a coalescence of like-minded, high energy individuals; I appreciate the efforts of TCETD for providing needed convergence.
Most of all, I write because I am excited about the nascent endowment transparency movement, the rudiments for an active divestment campaign. The Tufts Coalition for Endowment Transparency and Democracy is a new opportunity for us, the students, to play our part. And as someone who is excited to see Tufts students taking action on an issue that I believe must be addressed now, I encourage fellow students to join in, learn more and get involved. Active citizenship implies standing up when your help is needed. Help enact the philosophy that defines our university.
As Dan Millenson from the Sudan Divestment Taskforce reminded us, time isn't on our side. Over 400,000 people have been brutally murdered and another three million have been displaced from their homes, according to the Coalition for International Justice.
The Janjaweed militias, perpetrators of the genocide, have now moved on to Chad to find villages to pillage, women to rape and men, women and children to kill. The establishment of TCETD is an excellent first step and I am very excited to be a part of the steps to follow.
Shana Hurley is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
