Spring has arrived in the minds of Tufts students, if not yet to our Medford campus. Students are craving spring weather, planning classes for next fall and longing for the freedoms or obligations of the coming summer.
But for a small number of Tufts students, the approaching weeks represent a time of action and excitement they've been planning for all year. They are the members of STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur), a subcommittee of Pangea and a Tufts branch of the nation-wide organization.
The week from April 6-13 is a week of action for STAND chapters across the United States who are organizing rallies, raising funds and spreading awareness about the conflict. Yesterday, Tufts' STAND chapter hosted a "teach out," a community activity for the entire Tufts campus to gain awareness, including various speakers with valuable insights. Students were also found around campus representing individuals killed by the conflict.
This spring has been a productive semester; Tufts' STAND is a dedicated group of students who meet twice a week to iron out details involved in planning and organizing. Bake sales are a regular fundraiser, and STAND members in Carmichael and Dewick have been encouraging their fellow students to sign a divestment petition for Tufts with overwhelmingly positive responses.
In addition, the semester-long cell phone drive has gathered many old phones from students and the surrounding community. Proceeds from these recycled phones are sent to an organization that gives solar cookers to women in refugee camps, ensuring that they don't have to wander past the safety of the camp's walls in search of firewood. February's Dance for Darfur was a success as well.
But, speaking as a STAND member, the greatest reward of all is the realization that our small group of students is part of something bigger. STAND's spring campaign is called "Sudan: The Presidential Legacy," which essentially calls on President Bush to make a solution in Darfur part of his legacy by following a policy recommendation outlined by the acronym S.E.A.L.: Stick to Your Promises.
President Bush has made several commitments to finding peace in Sudan, yet he has not fully dedicated himself to the task. Several of the resolutions he has passed go unenforced and are therefore ineffective. For example, not all of the provisions in the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, which Bush signed into law, have been implemented. According to STAND's Web site, at press time, three years, eight months and 17 days have passed since the United States legally labeled Darfur a "genocide" - yet the Bush administration lacks the urgency of action that it initially promised.
Enforce UNAMID: Last summer, President Bush headed the effort in the United Nations to pass Resolution 1769, which authorized a peacekeeping force of 26,000 members for the Darfur region of Sudan. However, attacks on this force by the Sudanese government and a need for donations have resulted in the deployment of few troops. STAND urges the President to push for the enforcement of this resolution with any financial and political tools he can.
Apply an All-Sudan Solution: This is the diplomatic element of the solution. Ambassador Richard Williamson was appointed by President Bush in December 2007 with the purpose of uniting the different groups involved in Sudan and finding a common solution. President Bush must renew his commitment to this effort and give Ambassador Williamson the necessary tools to enable a more powerful diplomacy.
Lobby China: China, a huge actor in the conflict, continues in many ways to skirt the issue of the genocide and its responsibility in doing business with the Sudanese government. Because the United States does an enormous amount of business with China, President Bush has considerable power in convincing China - diplomatically and through economic means - to change its ways.
The premise for STAND's executively aimed campaign is that student activism has been taken to its limit, and that now it is President Bush's turn. This Sunday will be a momentous day for STAND members everywhere, with a big rally in Washington D.C. focusing all efforts to motivate President Bush into action. Several members of Tufts' STAND will be traveling down to the capital on Saturday to participate in the event the following morning.
There is spark in the discussion and planning at STAND meetings nowadays; as the group plans its own week of action and gains momentum for the rally, every member can see that something significant is taking place. Even on the Tufts campus, upcoming events promise to be as motivating and humanitarian as they are a celebration of the Tufts community and the (hopefully) improving weather. Live Jumbo Aid, a human rights fair and sleep-out, takes place on April 24 on the Academic Quad. This event is a collaboration of groups all over campus with the goals of fundraising, awareness, reflection on important issues and, of course, fun. This incredible afternoon promises booths, music and speakers, and continues through the night. The fair is free to attend, and groups of students can raise $25 per student to participate in the sleep-out on the quad and help Live Jumbo Aid reach its $5,000 goal.
STAND will host a booth at the fair, along with many other diverse activist groups attempting to spread the message about the rights deserved by every individual. A selection process at the end of the evening will determine the three student groups who will receive the money raised. Though every group strongly believes in its particular movement, by fighting for accessible resources and equality of life, liberty, health and peace, Tufts students are truly united. We are all fighting for the same cause.
For more information about the event please e-mail LiveJumboAid@tufts.edu, and for more on STAND's actions and campaign, see STAND's Web site: www.standnow.org.
Katrina Pennington is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. She is a member of STAND.
