I am writing to show my distaste with a large portion of the student body, based on their actions at the Issam M. Fares Lecture featuring the Right Honourable Tony Blair on Feb. 2, 2009. My principle complaint is that a majority of the attending students left their seats and headed for the door while Mr. Blair was still speaking on stage. Mr. Blair was finishing up his speech, making some last comments and saying thank you to Tufts for having him. During this, however, students began speaking loudly and left their seats for the door. These simple actions are symbolically weighted with signs of disrespect, rudeness and disregard for international figures and respected members of academia, including Mr. Issam M. Fares and President Lawrence Bacow.
Mr. Blair did not walk from a nearby house or from somewhere on campus — he flew here from London. As he noted in his speech, he began his day at 6:00 a.m. and managed to be on one of the only, if not the only, planes to leave London at that time due to their snowstorm. He could have easily cancelled the trip and spent the day with his son, who as Mr. Blair also mentioned in his speech, was ecstatic about the snowfall.
But even if Mr. Blair was already in Boston, he is one of the world's leading political figures. He was a guest at our university who went out of his way to come speak to us about the very issues we are studying in our courses. The students' actions last night did not reflect this. Any guest at Tufts deserves our respect and we should have the decency to hear that guest out.
I was speaking with a friend after the lecture, and he was telling me that he saw Mr. Blair speak while he was studying abroad at the London School of Economics. At that speech, my friend said, the attending students not once left their seats, stayed for the entire question-and-answer session, stood and clapped at the end of the speech and then waited for Mr. Blair to leave the stage before they proceeded to leave as well. These students even dressed more formally than British students typically do, as a sign of respect. This is the type of behavior that a student body should show. Tufts students, especially those in International Relations, claim that they are outstanding scholars and are model students in their respected fields. Yet their actions in front of the very person many are hoping to be one day did not reflect this.
This incident is part of a larger pattern at Tufts. In classes, students pack up their things, stand up and head for the door while the professor is still speaking. Tufts students must be under the impression that they decide when the class finishes, not the professor. Even if the class is running over the scheduled time, it is not an excuse to leave. Students should be happy they are getting more class time for their money. These are professors we are studying under, respected members of academia. You wouldn't walk away from a friend when he or she starts to finish what they were saying in a conversation, so why do you do so when a professor is speaking?
I read an article regarding e-mail etiquette published on Oct. 16, 2008 in the Daily entitled "Professors feel that e-mail lingo and poor grammar lead to overly casual exchanges." I was shocked that there even was a problem with that. Students should know how to write a formal e-mail and always err on the side of caution. If there is a clear indication from the professor that signals that a less formal approach is welcomed, then by all means respond in an appropriate manner.
I interned with the State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Paris for a semester. In the Office of Political Affairs, where I worked, the Foreign Service Officers would address each other and the Deputy Minister-Counselor and even the Minister-Counselor by their first names. This is done as an effort to create stronger and closer relationships in the office. That being said, it was also appropriate, and sometimes expected, that in certain situations you address any superior as "sir" or "ma'am." This goes for the classroom. Students should understand their relationships with professors.
I've heard stories of students arguing with professors over grades and the student saying something along the lines of "I don't deserve this grade. This is not what I am paying you for." My response to that is, "How dare you speak to a professor that way, you self-righteous (insert expletive of your choice here)?" Never mind that these people are respected members of academia — that is no way to speak to anyone.
I taught middle school students this summer, and one of my classroom rules was that no one was to pack up before I finished speaking and concluded the day's lesson. I did not want to see my students behave like some of the students at Tufts. If they did, I would be embarrassed that those students whom I had taught were showing such disrespect.
I do not claim a moral high ground by this piece. I am well aware of cases where I have erred. But I have learned from those cases and am working to never act that way again. I hope that those students who left while Mr. Blair was speaking, or those who pack up and leave while a professor is still talking, will not continue to do so in the future. I ask this for the sake of our student body, so we are not negatively labeled in the future, but instead praised at the level we have the potential to reach.
--
Justin Birudavol is a senior majoring in International Relations.
