When we swarmed the Hill in the fall of 2003, little did we know that our class would be one that would usher in a number of Tufts traditions that we now take for granted. The Class of 2007 would be the first to kick off the year with the annual Fall Ball; the first to celebrate the spring semester's Culture Fest; and the first to be subject to the pay-for-print policy.
Among our more dubious distinctions, we were the first class to take a jog around the Res Quad with little more than a scarf and some strong liquid courage in a "Nighttime Quad Reception" rather than a "Naked Quad Run," and the first to boast Tufts Facebook.com profiles as freshmen.
Academically, the class also arrived just in time to benefit from the findings of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, formed by President Bacow in the early days of his Tufts career in 2001. The committee, co-chaired by Economics Professor Gilbert Metcalf and Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman, made 37 recommendations for the university that are responsible for such Tufts staples as the Summer Scholars program, the Tower Caf?© and Sophia Gordon Hall.
Though perhaps as freshmen we weren't aware of the significance of the changes to administration occurring around us, we would share our first year with the first year of the newly created position of Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs in Todd Sullivan, who would "transfer" in his third year for a comparable post at the University of Connecticut.
We also gained a new dean of undergraduate education in Political Science Professor James Glaser.
Unfortunately, the Tufts community suffered a number of losses our freshman year, as well. Alex Mendell, an active sophomore TCU senator committed suicide in September, while senior Peter Vabulas died after collapsing behind Miller Hall due to a heart condition in January.
Trustee John Dowling, for whom the student services building is named, passed away, and was remembered for his years of enthusiastic participation as an alum and active member of the Tufts community.
Newly welcomed into Red Sox Nation, freshmen Sox fans brand-new and old had cause to celebrate - and then lament - in October as the Red Sox tragically and narrowly missed its opportunity to head to the World Series, after falling to the Yankees in an exciting ALCS. Emotions ran high - a little too high - and subsequent riots on campus led authorities to call in six TUPD cruisers and a prisoner transport vehicle to control the situation.
As much as we love a Red Sox-inspired riot, Tufts students will gather in protest for a good cause, as well. Like our senior year, our first April Open House as matriculated students was marked by protests, this time by the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM), aiming to increase compensation for the university's janitors.
There may be one thing other than the Red Sox that get Tufts students really excited: sex. The annual Sex on the Hill fair, sponsored by Tufts Voices for Choice, was met by criticism from the Tufts Republicans, who sent a press release to local and national news outlets expressing their concern about the fair's "degraded view of sexuality."
In our first year we were lucky to benefit from the wisdom of speakers who were distinguished, offbeat and extraordinary.
Lecture Series brought well-known filmmaker Spike Lee to our very own Cohen in the spring. The celebrated director spoke on his concern about images of African-Americans in the media.
The Fletcher School hosted Sudanese Ambassador to the United States; Khiddir Ahmed, Stephen Wondu of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement; and Director of European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council Dr. David Holie as a part of its conference "Sudan at the Crossroads: Transforming Generations of Civil War to Peace and Development."
Ben Cohen, co-founder of the infamous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's, satisfied our curiosity about his thriving company -- as well as our sweet tooth -- in a packed Cohen Auditorium in the fall, outlining his thoughts on the importance of social responsibility in big business.
One major lecture was missing this year; unfortunately, the Fares Lecture was postponed until the fall of 2004, but as freshmen, we didn't know what we were missing. The high profile of the speaker would more than make up for our wait.
