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The Setonian
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Interview: Jeffrey Berry | Berry and Sobieraj examine conservative, liberal ‘outrage’ in new book

January 29

Professor of Political Science Jeff Berry and Associate Professor of Sociology Sarah Sobieraj released a new book called “The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility” in November 2013. The book, which explores how partisan cable and radio shows grab audience attention with emotional appeals, combines Tufts’ professors academic interests in politics and media. Berry spoke with the Daily to share some of his thoughts about their project. The Tufts Daily: What is your new book “The Outrage Industry” about? Jeffrey Berry: The book is about a particular genre of political commentary that Professor Sobieraj and I have labeled “outrage.” It is political rhetoric designed to make you angry. It plays with your emotions and evokes a variety of sentiments. Not only anger, but engagement. Reflection, but more than anything else, anger. You respond to the visceral rhetoric of the TV host or radio host in a very direct and emotional way. TD:: How did this idea for the book come along? JB: It was a bit of an accident. I hadn’t ever studied the media before and I was a guest on “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News in 2004. They wanted someone to stand in for Senator [John] Kerry because he wouldn’t go on the show during the presidential campaign of that year. It was a bizarre experience ... Flash forward about four years and Professor Sobieraj had gotten an invitation to apply for a grant with a grant program that was given by the Bernstein Family for interdisciplinary research ... But one of the requirements of the grant — the university didn’t make this up, it was the family that gave the money — [was] that she had to work with a senior faculty member from another discipline. Professor Sobieraj had worked in the field of advocacy, which is my field — interest groups and social movements — so she suggested we get together. We decided that we would work on something together as opposed to me just being a mentor ... We talked more seriously about doing something book length ... [So] we decided to plunge ahead and write a book. TD: How did your similar backgrounds in advocacy aid your partnership? JB: It was more that our dissimilar backgrounds complemented each other. We didn’t think alike. We saw things from different points of view and we had different strengths. There are parts of the book that she wrote that I couldn’t have written, and there are a couple of chapters that I think she probably wouldn’t have put in the book if she had written it by herself, that I wrote. So, I actually think that we complemented each other in [each] having expertise that the other didn’t. And it made for a book that is expansive and that really cuts across three academic fields: political science, sociology and media studies.  TD: What was the process of research like?  JB: The process of writing and research took about five years and it’s a nice tough story in that along the way a number of students were involved in the research. They either got credit or were paid. But there were four in particular that were instrumental in producing content that we used in the book. They did a lot of the grunt work and I think that it was work that required some thought on their part, [they weren’t] just some mindless cogs on a wheel. One student worked on the Tea Party — the 2010 primaries where the Tea Party really broke through. She developed a database that became the basis of Chapter Six in the book. Another student ... watched and listened to TV and radio programs that use [outrage] and took notes about the ways in which the hosts engender loyalty and, in a sense, interact with the audience — things they do to make the audience loyal. She was very good at that, and she actually got her name on one of the papers. Then two other students worked with us ... to do a content analysis where we actually recorded what people said and analyzed it along 13 different variables that were different forms of outrage. And those students were terrific at it.TD:What were you hoping to accomplish with this project? JB:We wanted to shed light on this [outrage industry] in a way that makes people appreciate how it fits into the larger political system — that it wasn’t just Rush Limbaugh saying stupid things on the radio; that there was, in fact, a business. One of the themes of the book is that this [industry] is a business; that people and companies make money off of this, and so there is an incentive to be outrageous and to push the envelope of what you say to attract greater ratings and keep yourself controversial; to get yourself actually in the mainstream press where people are writing about you and what you say. There’s this incentive to be outrageous to attract ratings, which attracts sponsors, which allows you to change more for advertising rates 12

The Setonian
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Harvard bomb threat sparks dialogue about stress-management resources on campus

January 26

Last month, a sophomore at Harvard University falsely reported that shrapnel bombs had been placed around the campus to avoid taking a final exam, later claiming in his defense that he acted because of a large amount of academic pressure. While this is an extreme case of how stress can lead a student to act rashly, it calls into question the resources that are provided to college students across the country to help them cope with the pressures of being an undergraduate.According to Associate Dean of Orientation and Student Transition Laura Doane, if a similar situation were to arise at Tufts, the university’s emergency operations would be put into motion to deal with it appropriately.“The sad thing is we do have emergency protocols in place. We hope we don’t have to use them,” she said.Julie Jampel, director of Training and Continuing Education at Counseling and Mental Health Service (CMHS), explained that one resource that aims to help students handle stress — not only during emergencies, but throughout the semester — is the support that the counseling center provides.“Most students who call us for an appointment are able to schedule it within a couple of days,” Jampel told the Daily in an email. “At certain points in the semester, when we are especially busy, it may be necessary to wait a week or so for an appointment. However, we are able to accommodate those students who need to be seen urgently.”Sophomore Emma Brenner-Bryant, co-president of Tufts Health Advocates (THA), a student advisory board to Tufts’ Health Service, relayed student concerns that counselors are not available enough.“We consistently hear that you can’t get in and make an appointment,” she said.According to Brenner-Bryant, when THA has brought these student concerns to CMHS, the service reported that they would need more funding to accommodate these concerns. This lack of resources, Brenner-Bryant pointed out, can leave students without the care they require.“Tufts students are the kind of kids who will keep it together and not say they need mental health services,” Brenner-Bryant said. “We pretend we can suck it up ... Students don’t know how to handle it in a productive way. There’s a lot of drinking and partying to try [to] relax because we’re all so uptight and stressed during the school year.”According to the CMHS, its primary goal is prevention of mental health problems — a goal that can prove difficult without the proper amount of resources, like a sufficient number counselors.“I personally don’t think that Tufts has enough of a support system in place for those who need it,” Brenner-Bryant explained.Dean John Barker was unable to comment on the amount of funding allocated per annum to the CMHS. The Mandatory Health Services Fee for the 2013-14 academic year is $710, according to the Bursar, and although all students pay this fee, only 25 percent of students use their health services resources annually, according to the service.Doane, in contrast to Brenner-Bryant’s concerns, affirmed her belief that the CMHS is prepared to provide the support it claims to offer.“[The CMHS] is prepared for and really does see the gamut — homesickness, general stress, adjusting to the college environment — academically and socially, which is particularly true for first and second semester students,” Doane said. “They’re well-equipped for students who are willing to harm themselves or others. They’re trained clinicians.”THA, however, has found that the setup of the CMHS is not aligned with most students’ needs for long-term counseling. According to the CMHS website, students with more complex mental health needs will be referred to off-campus clinicians.“Another issue is they only have short-term counseling,” Brenner-Bryant said. “A lot of people are turned off by that. But then [students] don’t have the resources to get off campus ... So the next question is: Would students be willing to pay more for the health services fee?”Doane pointed out that the service is supposed to be accessible to all students, whether they have mental health problems or not.“Not only is our support available and ready, but every student is expected to access that support,” she said. “It is better to start ... using [this] kind of support now rather than later.”Doane noted that another year-round resource that students can access is Time Management and Study Strategies (TM & SS) Consulting, where students can work one-on-one with a consultant about anything from time management to test-taking strategies.“TM & SS is the best non-secret on campus,” Doane said. “The idea behind that is that no matter how rigorous your high school curriculum, college coursework is different. I see students who do well in class, get the material and do well on homework, and then they bomb a test.”Brenner-Bryant attributed a lot of student stress to excessive workloads, not to a lack of time management.12

The Setonian
News

The story behind Jumbo the Elephant

January 22

Jumbo the elephant, a figure that most Tufts students wear on sweatshirts, hats and hoodies with pride, is one of the only animal mascots in the nation chosen for his heroism. The elephant is a circus legend of bravery who also gave origin to the modern use of the term “jumbo” to mean “large in size.”Tufts’ ...

The Setonian
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Meet the members of the class of 2018

January 20

While many incoming Tufts freshmen have already grown familiar with the campus, few have been mistaken for a tour guide while visiting as a prospective student.

The Setonian
News

Hamilton pool closed for emergency repairs

January 16

Hamilton Pool, the training facility for hundreds of Tufts swimmers and community members, will remain closed until at least mid-March due to concerns about the pool’s structural integrity.According to Matt Malone, the manager of Facilities, Fields and Game Management, problems with the pool were first discovered during winter break.“[Facilities staff] drained the pool for general maintenance over winter break and found a crack that needed to be repaired that goes completely through the base of the pool,” Malone said. “For right now, they are starting to do some ground penetrating radar to make sure that the integrity of the pool and the underneath of the pool [are] still in shape.”Both the men’s and women’s swim teams are currently in the middle of their seasons and are currently preparing for the upcoming NESCAC meet, according to Adam Hoyt, the head coach of the men’s swimming team. The pool’s closure has forced the swim teams to relocate their daily training to alternative facilities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, Hoyt said.“We are going to be waking up early a lot and going to bed late a lot because our practice times are six o’clock to 7:30 so we’re going to be leaving Tufts around 5:30 in the morning,” men’s team senior tri-captain Austin Wood said. “There is another optionwe can go from 9-11 p.m. at MIT.”Wood said the change in training times to the early morning and late evening hours will impact students’ sleep and homework schedules.“We are not going to have time to do our homework at night if we’re getting back at 11 o’clock, so we have to do it during the day,” he said. “Being told we have to rearrange our schedule to sleep is a speed bump for sure.”However, both coaches and swimmers remain optimistic that the inconvenient situation will only make their teams stronger.“The best thing we can do right now is keep everybody’s attitudes up,” Wood said. “It would be really easy to let this get us down and impact our performance, but I think if we suffer through it together, and take it as a challenge and overcome it, we’ll have even better results.”Hoyt said that he and Nancy Bigelow, the women’s swimming team’s head coach, are optimistic despite the circumstances and have great teams. “While its inconvenient timing for everyone, hopefully our teams will rise to the occasion and overcome these challenges,” he said. “It’s just a time management thing and so far everyone has a great attitude toward it.”According to Wood, there are typically four different practices each day and swimmers can choose which practices to attendThe alternative facilities will allow the teams to train together, Hoyt said.“One of the great parts of our training trip — when we go away over winter break — is that we actually train together as a team,” Hoyt said. “These two training opportunities are going to provide us the ability to train together as a team which is hugely helpful.”The quality of the alternative facilities is another positive aspect of the situation, according to Hoyt.“From a training standpoint, if anything, it’s a better training situation,” Hoyt said. “MIT is a much newer facility than the Tufts pool, a much better facility in a lot of ways in regards to their pool so we’re in a great position to get great training in.”The remaining meets will be held at alternative facilities so seniors will be unable to swim in a final senior meet, according to Wood.“For the seniors, it is probably most upsetting because we are missing our senior meet at home,” Wood said. “I’m on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and I’m hoping to do something where we can get a fan bus out to Wheaton to celebrate our senior meet.”The impact of the pool’s closure is not limited to just the swim teams, Malone said. Students who hold lifeguarding positions at the pool and faculty who regularly use the pool to swim will also be inconvenienced by the emergency maintenance. According to Malone, the athletic department will work to find other positions for lifeguards receiving work-study money. “We are going to find other work around the athletic department for the lifeguards that were work-study students,” Malone said. “Between the athletic offices, the fitness center and the equipment room, we will be able to allow them to pick up a majority of their shifts.”Malone said that the university administration is fully supportive of fixing the pool’s current problems. He explained that, while there is a desire to put in a new pool, the current issues will not necessitate one’s immediate construction. “[University President Anthony Monaco] is an avid swimmer and uses the pool daily,” Malone said. “He’s put his full support behind it and wants to see the problem get fixed as quickly as we can without compromising the integrity of the pool and the structure below the pool. There’s a need and desire to put in a new pool, but the issue here is not something that’s going to make them break ground on a new pool immediately.”12

The Setonian
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University creating new, accurate JoeyTracker

January 16

Tufts University Department of Public and Environmental Safety (DPES) is currently collaborating with Tufts Technology Services to unveil a new web and software application that will show the Joey’s exact location, schedule and expected time of arrival.

The Setonian
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Saakashvili to become Fletcher’s first senior statesman

January 14

Former president of the Republic of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, will serve as the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s first Senior Statesman starting this January. The position of Senior Statesman is a new idea, intended to provide students with access to internationally known leaders and practitioners in a variety of fields, Admiral James Stavridis, dean of The Fletcher School said.“Our concept is to try to bring each year some important international political figure to be affiliated with The Fletcher School,” he said.Saakashvili, who served as president for two terms between 2004 and 2013, founded Georgia’s United National Movement Party and led the Rose Revolution, which forced the resignation of the Republic of Georgia’s president at the time.Saakashvili will not be in residence at Fletcher full-time, but is expected to visit on three or four occasions during both semesters of his one-year appointment. Saakashvili is excited to interact with students at The Fletcher School in both informal and educational settings, he said. “I like to talk to students,” Saakashvili said. “I have always loved to talk to them, even when I was elected in politics.”After graduating from the Institute of International Relations at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Saakashvili came to the United States to study law, receiving a Master of Laws from Columbia University and taking doctoral-level classes at the George Washington University Law School. In 1995, he received a diploma in Comparative Law of Human Rights from The International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.Saakashvili was first elected to the Parliament of Georgia in 1995 and five years later became the country’s Minister of Justice under President Eduard Shevardnadze, his presidential predecessor. In 2004, after a bloodless revolution, Saakashvili became the youngest national president in Europe and third president of the Republic of Georgia. “Throughout his presidency, [Saakashvili] was able to improve the economy dramatically, reduce corruption in the state and connect with the West, the United States and with NATO,” Stavridis said. “He is a practitioner of diplomacy in a very challenging position in a small nation, and has done a very good job leading his nation in its early days since finding independence.” Stavridis believes that one of Saakashvili’s most important contributions to Georgia was leading the Rose Revolution — a 20-day long peaceful protest that ended the previously totalitarian period of Soviet Era leadership. Saakashvili was instrumental in organizing more than 100,000 protesters during the revolution.“To turn this many people out in a non-violent revolutionary setting was really quite remarkable,” Stavridis said. “I think it is fair to say that [Saakashvili’s] personal leadership and charismatic personality were very much a part of organizing all of this.” According to Academic Dean of the Fletcher School Ian Johnstone, Saakashvili’s experiences will be valuable to the students and faculty at Fletcher.“[Saakashvili] was a very lively figure in a very crucial part of the world and has a lot of international experience as a result,” Johnstone said. “We are hoping he comes and shares that experience and the perspective ... on relations with the United States, Europe and Russia, the evolution from authoritarian to democratic leadership and anti-corruption measures — all of which he was associated with when he was president.” Saakashvili chose to join The Fletcher School as Senior Statesman because Fletcher is a prestigious school with many faculty and students who focus on his region of the world,12

The Setonian
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New alcohol policy alters judicial process

January 14

Before last semester’s changes in Tufts’ drug and alcohol policy, students often feared judicial consequences when seeking assistance during alcohol emergencies. The recent additions of the limited Amnesty approach and Good Samaritan policy, however, marked the first major changes to the university’s drug and alcohol policy in three years. The new policy eliminates judicial consequences for medical alcohol emergencies and makes alcohol violations solely medical issues — allowing students to call for help without worrying about the judicial penalties.The last major change in the Tufts drug and alcohol policy occurred when the administration made the original distinction between dangerous drinking violations and code of conduct violations. According to Dean of Campus Life and Student Leadership Bruce Reitman, the most recent change in policy brought the bifurcation one step further.“This time we brought that same distinction to the next level of separation, which was medical incidents being just medical, not judicial,” Reitman said.Reitman noted the particular focus on the student experience in the recent changes.“The removal of Judicial Affairs from that piece, we’re told by the [Tufts Community Union ] Senate leaders, makes it feel like a friendlier process — one that is more supportive to students [in getting] them to go see the alcohol educators and to focus on their own use of alcohol, instead of focusing at all on whether or not they’ve violated the new code of conduct.”According to the Tufts Student Handbook, the change in policy states that no student who seeks treatment for oneself or others will receive disciplinary action. The limited Amnesty approach eliminates judicial sanctions for up to two instances of medical intervention due to substance abuse for students. These changes have greatly reduced Judicial Affairs Officer Veronica Carter’s level of involvement in alcohol-related incidents.“I do see some [students] for Code of Conduct violations, but I don’t see any of them for the medical transports, and that’s taken a major load from me,” Carter said. “Last year, I saw everybody for every offense on alcohol, and that was really a lot.” Despite the significant change in Carter’s involvement, Director of Emergency Management Geoffrey Bartlett has not seen much transition in the role of Tufts University Police Department on campus.“It’s had no change to our role. Our role has been for years and years to provide help in an emergency, and the role of [Tufts Emergency Medical Services] TEMS is to provide for medical needs,” Bartlett said. “Most of the calls are for illness or injuries, not alcohol-related incidents.”Ayal Pierce and Paul Pemberton, the current and former TEMS executive directors, respectively, said that TEMS is not directly affected by the change in disciplinary policy.“[The limited Amnesty policy] is on the discipline side of things, and, honestly, we have nothing to do with that side of it,” Pemberton, a senior, said. “As far as our medical treatment goes, we still only care about medical safety.”While TEMS issues medical reports, those reports are strictly confidential and are not seen throughout the disciplinary process.“TEMS reports are totally confidential,” Carter said. “I don’t see TEMS reports. The only things we see are police reports. But we do have interaction with TEMS, and we talk to them and get numbers from them.”Pemberton viewed the sharp distinction between TEMS’ actions and Judicial Affairs, as well as the deans’ offices, as a benefit to TEMS. While the organization is not involved in the disciplinary process for alcohol-related incidents, TEMS members have seen the merits of the new policy in their interactions with students.“The hope is that nobody is going to say, ‘I’m worried about my friend’s life, but I’m not going to call because I’m scared he might get in trouble,’” Pierce, a junior, said. “The hope is that you call and, best-case scenario, [in] ten minutes we say it’s all okay. We don’t want people not calling because they are scared of getting in trouble.”While TEMS has only limited interactions with Judicial Affairs, the group is more strongly connected with another Tufts authority force — the Tufts University Police Department . TEMS members and TUPD officers work together during emergencies in different manners. TUPD provides important support to the operation of TEMS, according to Pemberton.“I would say, with TUPD, we are definitely on the same team, but at the same time we have very different functions,” he said. “Police reports are not at all related to the medical reports, [but] the police are there to facilitate our care.”TUPD, like TEMS, does not have any connection to disciplinary actions after an emergency, apart from filing a report.“Actually, we don’t have any role at all [in judicial affairs],” TUPD Deputy Chief Mark Keith said. “We respond to a call [and] provide assistance. We do a report for each and every call. What happens after that — reports go to the Dean of Student’s office and then they handle any after action.”12

The Setonian
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Campus takes sides on ASA boycott

January 14

Over 250 students have signed a statement, currently circulating with the help of several student and alumni organizers, in solidarity with a resolution by the American Studies Association (ASA) to boycott Israeli academic institutions.The ASA is an academic association committed to the interdisciplinary study of American culture and history with over 5,000 member institutions and individuals, according to its website.The ASA’s National Council voted to endorse an academic boycott of Israeli institutions on Dec. 4. Less than three weeks later, on Dec. 23, the Office of University President Anthony Monaco released a statement, opposing the resolution while stating that the university is not an “institutional member” of the ASA.“As an institution of higher education, Tufts University is deeply committed to the principles of academic freedom and educating students to be active global citizens,” the statement from Monaco’s office said. “Boycotting academic institutions in response to government policies would undermine the academic freedom of scholars around the world.”The statement from Monaco’s office came a day after student organizers released their own statement with a differing viewpoint. The group of students and alumni believe that the current Israeli academic system is unfair to Palestinians.“The undersigned support the boycott of a system that represses Palestinian peoples’ opportunities for intellectual freedom, political expression, physical safety and overall well-being, and thereby support the American Studies Association in their decision to boycott Israeli academic institutions who partake in this system of oppression,” the student’s statement said.In a collaborated response to questions from the Daily, student organizers said that Israeli academic institutions are a major part of what they call an “apartheid social and political structure based on racism and settler colonialism.”The students further explained the integration between Israeli universities and politics.“The oppression of the Palestinian people is not the result of invisible and faceless government policies,” they said. “Although we like to imagine universities in a bubble apart from the political structure of [Israel], academies in Israel are deeply integrated and complicit in the occupation.”The statement released by student organizers said that members of the Tufts faculty have been targeted for their individual support of the ASA’s resolution.According to the statement’s authors, a letter sent by an alumnus to President Monaco and Tufts deans singled out two Tufts professors who had independently signed onto the ASA resolution. The letter suggested that some members of the Tufts Alumni Association were prepared to put social and financial pressure on the university administration to speak out against both the ASA’s resolution and the faculty in support of it, the students said. The student organizers are concerned this response from select alumni will affect campus life. “The fact that professors are being targeted for signing onto the resolution could change how comfortable students, faculty and staff are with expressing their opinions and continuing the conversation,” they said.Tufts supports the right to diversity of opinion amongst its faculty, in addition to the right of faculty members to participate in the ASA and other professional associations, according to Director of Public Relations Kimberly Thurler.“Tufts is strongly committed to freedom of expression and the right of faculty and students alike to express their individual views on this or other issues,” she told the Daily in an email.Research Professor of Judaic Studies and Executive Director of Hillel Rabbi Jeffrey Summit said that universities are important centers of communication between the Israeli people and their Arab neighbors.“I spoke with colleagues who teach at Hebrew University who spoke about how diverse their student body is [with] Israeli Jews and Arabs studying together and how Israel’s universities are a site for open, self-reflective and critical debate in Israel,” he said. Summit said he believes that conversation among scholars is vital to conflict resolution between Israel and Palestine.“Boycotting and shutting down contact among universities does little to advance peace,” Summit said. “Open contact among scholars and universities offers more productive ways to address, mediate and solve conflict and presents a better model for our students as global citizens.”However, the student authors of the statement in favor of the ASA’s resolution believe that there is a distinction between boycotting Israeli academic institutions and ceasing communication.12

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Saakashvili to become Fletcher's first senior statesman

January 14

Former president of the Republic of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, will serve as the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy's first Senior Statesman starting this January. The position of Senior Statesman is a new idea, intended to provide students with access to internationally known leaders and practitioners in a variety of fields, Admiral James Stavridis, dean of The Fletcher School said."Our concept is to try to bring each year some important international political figure to be affiliated with The Fletcher School," he said.Saakashvili, who served as president for two terms between 2004 and 2013, founded Georgia's United National Movement Party and led the Rose Revolution, which forced the resignation of the Republic of Georgia's president at the time.Saakashvili will not be in residence at Fletcher full-time, but is expected to visit on three or four occasions during both semesters of his one-year appointment. Saakashvili is excited to interact with students at The Fletcher School in both informal and educational settings, he said. "I like to talk to students," Saakashvili said. "I have always loved to talk to them, even when I was elected in politics."After graduating from the Institute of International Relations at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Saakashvili came to the United States to study law, receiving a Master of Laws from Columbia University and taking doctoral-level classes at the George Washington University Law School. In 1995, he received a diploma in Comparative Law of Human Rights from The International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.Saakashvili was first elected to the Parliament of Georgia in 1995 and five years later became the country's Minister of Justice under President Eduard Shevardnadze, his presidential predecessor. In 2004, after a bloodless revolution, Saakashvili became the youngest national president in Europe and third president of the Republic of Georgia. "Throughout his presidency, [Saakashvili] was able to improve the economy dramatically, reduce corruption in the state and connect with the West, the United States and with NATO," Stavridis said. "He is a practitioner of diplomacy in a very challenging position in a small nation, and has done a very good job leading his nation in its early days since finding independence." Stavridis believes that one of Saakashvili's most important contributions to Georgia was leading the Rose Revolution - a 20-day long peaceful protest that ended the previously totalitarian period of Soviet Era leadership. Saakashvili was instrumental in organizing more than 100,000 protesters during the revolution."To turn this many people out in a non-violent revolutionary setting was really quite remarkable," Stavridis said. "I think it is fair to say that [Saakashvili's] personal leadership and charismatic personality were very much a part of organizing all of this." According to Academic Dean of the Fletcher School Ian Johnstone, Saakashvili's experiences will be valuable to the students and faculty at Fletcher."[Saakashvili] was a very lively figure in a very crucial part of the world and has a lot of international experience as a result," Johnstone said. "We are hoping he comes and shares that experience and the perspective ... on relations with the United States, Europe and Russia, the evolution from authoritarian to democratic leadership and anti-corruption measures - all of which he was associated with when he was president." Saakashvili chose to join The Fletcher School as Senior Statesman because Fletcher is a prestigious school with many faculty and students who focus on his region of the world,12

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Interview | Monaco discusses recent changes, progress at Tufts

December 8

President Anthony Monaco sat down with the Tufts Daily last month to discuss recent changes and events on the Hill — ranging from the Council on Diversity to the recently approved Strategic Plan and unionization. The Tufts Daily: Could you speak to some of the administrative changes that have come about this semester? Anthony Monaco: These transitions are part of normal business, but we’re very excited, particularly about the two new deans. [Dean of The Fletcher School James Stavridis] is a very internationally known figure, admiral and [military commander], and he already has hit the ground running with external relations with alumni and his faculty. [He is] very good at reaching across the schools. ... [Dean of Tisch College] Alan Solomont isn’t quite here yet, but he’s getting ready to take things over.[Former] Board of Trustees Chair ... Jim Stern is really hard to replace after he spent 32 years on the board — half of his life. He was a great mentor to me, as he guided me through my first two years. Already Peter [Dolan] has been taking over, and in the transition period, we would have a tri-partite discussion once a week. ... Peter was essential in being the leader of the trustees on the Strategic Plan. ... [He helped] [Provost and Senior Vice President David Harris] understand from [the board’s] perspective what things were important to the plan. ... [Dolan] cares deeply about the university.[University Chaplain Greg McGonigle], I think, has also hit the ground running. He’s been very popular among the students, engaging students across the faith groups, working with the CSL policy and being a positive force. TD: A major theme of the Strategic Plan is “transformational experiences” — how do you define them, exactly? AM: I’ve learned it mostly from alumni, because you’re too immersed in it at the moment to probably realize you’re having a transformational experience. When you go to alumni and they say, “Tufts changed my life,” ... they don’t realize it until they’re out — five years out or 10 years out. ... [For] example, we talk about the [Boston Marathon] bombing and how that was kind of a negative transformational experience for students who were involved, but [also] how we’ve supported [them] and came back together as a community will be something they’ll never forget. ... For others, it will be the co-curricular activities. So we just thought ... it was a very central theme and really what it means to be part of an academic-residential community. It’s not easy to replace that with an online course. TD: Could you talk about online courses’ potential at Tufts? AM: We think they’re important. We want to use digital technology as best we can to enhance the learning experience. I think the summer courses, as an example, allow students to do an internship somewhere but also continue to get credits if they want to, and we also want to make sure faculty are up-to-date with the best practices of how to use digital technology. TD: Could you comment on issues with students not being able to find housing, and if the university is planning to address these? AM: I have asked David Harris to convene a committee to look at a resident housing strategy for Tufts. ... It’s not just about building a new dorm. It’s about ... things like programming that [Dean] John Barker is interested [in] and already piloting this year with the ACE Fellows and through the [Resident Assistants]. ... The problem with our current dorms is ... we can renovate the bathrooms and the common rooms, but we can’t really do a gut renovation and reconfigure it to more modern ways in which students want to have a residential life, [an initiative] we would like to support. TD: Could you comment on when you think you’ll be implementing policies discussed at the Council on Diversity’s meeting on Oct. 10? AM: Diversity issues are not ones that change overnight. David Harris always talks about “administrative time” and “student time.” Students would like to see things happen quickly, but administrators are here for a little longer, and they have plans they would like to implement to see long-standing and sustainable change. I am very eager to make as many of those changes as quickly as we can.I initiated the diversity council within my first six months because I felt I heard from the students a very robust argument that we needed to change the climate on campus, and I looked at the numbers and our compositional diversity had been flat. ... The consensus is [that] we need a chief diversity officer [at board discussions], so I think ... we are going to begin the preliminary steps of writing the job description and think about how we want to recruit someone in this role. Then there’s all the kind of changes we need to do to help our faculty and staff to become more ... aware on diversity issues. These are things we need to promote on campus since we can’t do just one big step. TD: Do you have an estimated time frame for hiring a chief diversity officer? AM: We may have a very good internal candidate when we compare all the applicants — then, that person could be appointed quite quickly. But if it’s an external candidate, we want to do a national search. ... I’d like to have an appointment by the end of the academic year, for the next academic year, starting over the summer. TD: Are there any truth to the rumors of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts changing its relationship with Tufts?  AM: Yes. All I know is that the new director of the [SMFA] is contemplating [the school’s] ability to grant its own degrees, rather than relying on Tufts. So that’s a discussion that’s going on. We value our relationship with them ... We would like to make sure [the director] understands the consequences of breaking down our relationship, but if that’s something that he really, really wants to do, it’s not for us to stand in his way. ... I have not been involved in those negotiations. Those are done at the level of the deans of Arts and Sciences.12

The Setonian
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TCU Senate update

December 8

The final Tufts Community Union Senate meeting of the semester took place in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room last night with discussion of the final version of the Diversity Report and an announcement regarding the Committee on Student Life’s (CSL) “justified departure” policy.

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