A four-hour town meeting initially prompted me to wonder whether there would be enough material, enough people, present to hold my attention. So I grabbed a book as I headed off to Cohen only to find a packed auditorium, with everyone listening intently to the words of Professor Keith Maddox and Assistant Professor Samuel Sommers.
For three hours, I listened to the stories of fellow students and faculty that spoke volumes of angst and anxiety stemming from the dismal racial climate on campus. Whether or not the comments from the Primary Source were intended to harm, the fact that the situation exists is unacceptable and we need to find a way to deal with it. This episode of mass catharsis was necessary, but now we need to move forward.
As one student commentator aptly put it, "I am tired of being asked to speak on behalf of my race, of hearing about self-segregation and the Primary Source [carol], I am just tired."
And so now the question is, where do we go from here?
The question and answer session exposed an ongoing disagreement about who is responsible for fixing this problem. Some argued the administration bore this responsibility while others placed the onus on the students themselves, but I think the answer lies somewhere in between.
Yes, students need to learn how to better interact with each other, but remember that we all arrived on a campus where racial contention has been an issue for many years. As difficult as it may be, the university needs to recognize that this problem is far more extensive than the Primary Source carol.
Looking into the crowd at the town meeting, I noticed a vast array of professors and minority students - essentially the same crowd that attended the unity rally back in December.
Where was the white majority, both students and faculty?
A relevant fundamental issue seems to be finding an arena that can both attract and reach a broad range of people from all racial and academic backgrounds.
To remedy this, some have proposed forming a race relations class as part of the distribution requirements. However if this was to come to fruition, I question how many students would give careful consideration to the material.
Using an expository English class as an introductory race relations course is one way to reach out to the white majority as well as to students who would not ordinarily (or willingly) take a course pertaining to these issues.
Perhaps by making the course mandatory, thereby securing people who are both tolerant and intolerant, it could grab the attention of the student body in an unexpected way and provoke a frank discussion.
On the other hand, most students - including engineers - are required to take at least one semester of English. Most English classes are small and consist of students with varied majors and, therefore, varied interests.
I propose that a significant portion of the curriculum in these classes be geared towards addressing historical racial issues, specifically tackling conceptions of stereotypes. At the town meeting, Tufts sociology professor Susan Ostrander suggested that "[we] learn about the history of oppressed people and from there we can start to truly break down the stereotypes that exist."
Furthermore, in order to ensure successful implementation of this program, we need to make sure that our professors are properly trained to discuss issues of race and stereotypes within the classroom. Just because our professors have top notch educations does not mean that they have the capacity to effectively handle race related issues. As Tufts English professor Christina Sharp questioned, "If professors aren't willing to learn, how can we expect students to do the same?"
Jean Wu, a Tufts American studies professor at Tufts, proposes that teachers should question not how well they teach but how inclusive their ability to stimulate discussion in all of their students is. Professors as well as students share in the responsibility for making change.
Promoting diversity and discussing race, especially on campus, isn't easy. But students, faculty, and administrators need to hold ourselves accountable and start making those difficult decisions.
I don't claim to be right. I don't claim that this is the only solution.
But I remain optimistic.
Jennifer David is a sophomore majoring in international relations.
