As recent events have suggested, college students can be lousy neighbors, often drunk, messy, loud and having too much fun to be considerate of others. With the fifth annual Community Day this Sunday, however, Tufts students will give back to residents of the surrounding Medford and Somerville communities.
"The idea is to bring people from the university and Medford and Somerville together to learn from each other, to visit, and possibly to think about new ways to work together," Barbara Rubel, Tufts' Community Relations Director, said via email. "It's intended to be fun and entertaining, as well as enlightening."
From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., the academic quad will be bustling with family friendly activity. Tufts students are directing multiple programs for children including pumpkin and cookie decorating. Participants of all ages are invited to go on campus tours, talk with representatives from community organizations in Medford and Somerville, browse books by Tufts authors, and examine various displays.
Numerous academic departments and student organizations plan to participate, and President Lawrence Bacow himself will be in attendance.
The highlight of Community Day will undoubtedly be its extensive performance lineup. Ten student groups will perform for roughly 20 minutes each. Although most groups are used to performing for other Tufts students, they are excited to share their respective arts with the broader Medford and Somerville communities.
"I don't think that Tufts should be a bubble. We have to share our space and we should be intertwined," senior Aubrey Crowley, SQ President, said, "Showcasing the arts is showcasing a really great side of Tufts that maybe people wouldn't know about otherwise."
Many student performers feel that Community Day stands for some of Tufts' broader goals.
"Being an active, global citizen isn't just about revolution and learning to speak a foreign language; it's about connecting with the community," HYPE! member, senior Laur Fisher said.
For Traveling Treasure Trunk, a group that performs children's skits they write themselves or adapt from books, Community Day is one of the few times during the year that they will be able to perform on campus. Senior Allison Kutner, Trunk's President last year, said the group "got a very good reaction from the community" last year and is hoping for a repeat response this Sunday.
"We often see children that we've performed for before with their parents," Kutner said. "It's really nice for these kids to find connection between what they see at school and what they see in the community."
At 1:15 p.m., senior Jennifer Earls, president of La Salsa, will lead a beginner's salsa lesson on the academic quad.
"This will be a very interactive lesson; we're not just performing. It will allow community members to interact with Tufts students and build a bond over their shared experience," Earls said. "We are living alongside people that call this place home for longer than we might and to be able to invite them to our space and all join together is a very special thing."
Student-townie bonding aside, the school administration hopes that Community Day will educate our closest neighbors about the sober, educated and more artsy side of the student body.
"It's surprising how many people live fairly close to the campus and have never been here," said Barbara Rubel, the University Director of Community Relations. "For those neighbors who may be very aware of student parties and noise in the streets around the campus, this is a way for them to see that Tufts students are much more than that. For those familiar with Tufts, it's an opportunity to come and have a great afternoon."
After the recent complaints about Tufts students' behavior, Community Day is a chance for the student body to take a step towards redeeming itself in the eyes of the community, one salsa lesson at a time.
