Now that we are back from spring break, we, as Tufts Community Union (TCU) president and co−chair of the Programming Board, would like to take this opportunity to explain how we are moving forward following the announcement about the decision to end the Naked Quad Run (NQR).
Like many students, we were very disappointed to hear that NQR was coming to an end. We were especially disappointed considering we had fought to defend the event. Contrary to what has been written recently in the op−ed pages of the Daily, we took our defense of NQR to the highest level: the Board of Trustees. We made presentations explaining how important NQR is to Tufts' spirit and tradition and how recent changes to the alcohol policy have made campus drinking safer, especially at large events like NQR. The Trustees heard our concerns about school spirit, and we had a lively debate about the event's risks. The Trustees, who were skeptical of the event's continuation, placed the final decision in University President Lawrence Bacow's hands.
Despite our presentation, we were unable to convince the administration that the event should continue. That left us with two choices.
We could have kicked and screamed, as recent op−eds suggested we should have done. But if we could not convince the Trustees — many of whom understand firsthand Tufts' traditions from their years as students here — that NQR is worth the risk, then it is doubtful that a TCU Senate resolution or op−ed in support of the event would have changed anyone's mind. We could have led protests at Ballou Hall, expressing outrage, but does that do justice to the student body? Past Tufts students have protested the military draft, apartheid in South Africa and in favor of women's rights. How does a protest in defense of NQR compare to those causes?
We chose a second option: to look forward and to trust the creativity of our peers and alumni to come up with a new (or revive an old) tradition.
Already, we've received numerous proposals for this replacement tradition, and we will continue to accept proposals until Friday. Some of these proposals involve traditions that existed for decades but which died from lack of funding. We are confident that we have really solid options that won't disappoint the student body.
We are especially confident that the new event will be successful because of the resources available to us for it. While our defense of NQR did not preserve the event, it did secure significant resources for a replacement. We are proud to have won that concession. We have also budgeted TCU funds for this new event next year.
We have heard the concern that we cannot just "invent" a new tradition. The term "new tradition" itself may be self−contradictory. But a look at recent Tufts history speaks to the contrary. We believe that students for the most part consider Fall Ball and Winter Bash crucial pieces of the Tufts experience and events that are deeply engrained in the Tufts culture. In reality, these events are less than a decade old. All originated from an attempt to find new school−wide traditions. Students at the time of the creation of these events probably also questioned the idea of "new traditions."
So, while we are very disappointed that NQR has ended, we have confidence in our peers' ideas, creativity and suggestions to unite the campus.
We had an option to yell to make ourselves feel like we were doing something, with no tangible benefit. Or we could've taken the more pragmatic and productive approach. We have an incredible opportunity now to create something that will last well beyond any of our years as students here.
We chose to make the best of the situation, as yelling only made us hoarse.
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