Students and professors will join together today for a protest, eschewing their academic obligations to voice their opposition to the war in Iraq in a campus-wide walkout.
The daylong Walkout on War, which was referred to in its planning stages as the Day of Non-Cooperation, is sponsored by Tufts Action for Peace (TAP).
It will kick off with a 9:30 a.m. march to the Medford office of U.S. Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) to encourage him to support troop withdrawal and an end to the war. Additionally, Tufts professors and outside lecturers will hold teach-ins at different locations across campus throughout the day and Tufts dance and music groups will perform in the afternoon.
Professor of Sociology Paul Joseph, who has helped plan the day, said that such a wide-ranging display of dissatisfaction with the war underscores the protest's urgency.
"The things that are associated with the war are such a threat to democracy in the United States and the standing of the United States in the world that it's important for citizens to stand up and to say in very direct terms that we don't accept it," said Joseph, who will not be able to participate in the protest because of off-campus obligations.
About 20 professors are expected to walk out tomorrow, he said. In addition, Joseph anticipates at least 20 more will also participate, but by using methods of protest that do not involve canceling classes.
In preparation for the day, professors have distributed fliers to their classes detailing the events. These fliers supplement the paper advertisements, or "table tents," that have been placed on tables in dining halls across campus.
TAP member and freshman Gabe Frumkin said that the day is meant to galvanize students whose unhappiness with the war often fails to translate into action.
"I think at a place like Tufts, where so many people are so overwhelmingly anti-war - and indeed in the country, where the vast majority of the population wants the war to come to an end - it's easy to forget that the war is not just going to end itself because of the majority opinion," he said.
Some are frustrated by the walkout because they feel it is an easy way for students to avoid going to class, even if they do not care about the war in Iraq. In fact, freshman Michael Birnkrant believes that a number of people in his biology class are planning on abusing the walkout, using it as an excuse for skipping a major test.
"There's this form that you sign that was e-mailed to [my bio class] that says, 'I'm going to participate in the walkout,'" he said. Students who sign it can count the section of the final pertaining to the material on this test two times rather than taking it today.
"I think it's absurd that they'd even offer such a thing. No one cares about the walkout. People aren't even going to participate in the walkout. The only reason they're doing it is so that they don't have to study for the bio test," he said.
Some faculty members have also expressed reservations about the walkout because it obligates some professors to leave or cancel class in order to participate.
"I think that the problem with the walkout is that it is too easy to be dismissed by opponents as a self-declared vacation, which is what shouldn't be," Professor of Philosophy Daniel Dennett said. "I think it is unfortunate when a plan of action obliges faculty members to break a promise they have made [to teach]."
Joseph responded to this criticism by saying that the overriding importance of expressing opposition to the war should take precedence over day-to-day obligations.
"You have a role as a professional and a role as a citizen," he said. "Usually you're able to keep those separate, but I think there's a challenge here that, as a citizen, you have to say something very strongly and very directly. You can't go about business as normal; you can't go through your normal routines."
Others are concerned about the protest because it coincides with the first day of April Open House, and may conflict with some visiting students' on-campus plans. April Open House is a yearly program in which Tufts hosts hundreds of high school seniors who were accepted to the university; it showcases Tufts and its programs.
Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin called the timing of the protest "unfortunate." But he also said that he understands the motivations behind it.
"[The] walkout also reflects Tufts' commitment to 'active citizenship,' and the faculty who are participating in the [walkout] clearly have strong feelings about the war and want to express their disaffection with it," he said in an e-mail to the Daily.
Frumkin agreed that the demonstration will highlight characteristics that the university values. "While some people view the walkout as interrupting Open House, ... I think it's just the opposite. We're demonstrating great ideals that are inherent in Tufts," he said.
Dean of Student affairs Bruce Reitman also said that these ideals are very important, although he is concerned about students who would rather go to class than either protest or sleep for a few extra hours. "I worry about their rights in an action that has been imposed on them and in which they have no choice," he said.
Giovanni Russonello and Rob Silverblatt contributed reporting to this article.
