Protest

Tufts students stage a sit-in

by Kristen Lombardi

STUDENT takeover -- before things turned ugly.

At press time, 20 students were still occupying a campus building at Tufts University after school president John DiBiaggio refused to speak out publicly against a recent decision in a high-profile student discrimination complaint (see "When Rights Collide," News and Features, November 22). In staging the aggressive protest, students borrowed a page from the campus radicalism of the past: the last time students held a sit-in at Tufts was during the anti-apartheid movement of the mid '80s.

Around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, a coalition called Tufts Students Against Discrimination (TSAD) stormed the admissions offices at Bendetson Hall armed with sleeping bags, stereos, and backpacks full of food. Chanting and banging pots and pans, they staked their claim with little effort: they set up camp on the first floor, secured the bathrooms, and then distributed fliers and cookies to employees expecting a normal workday.

"We made it plain that we're not here to be hostile," says TSAD member Courtney Young. "We're here to get administrators to stop ignoring us and listen to what we have to say."

The campus strife stems from an October 16 decision in which the Tufts student judiciary ruled that a student Christian group could remain on campus with the school's imprimatur, even though the group had excluded an openly lesbian member with three years' seniority from taking a leadership position. The student filed a complaint with the student judiciary board charging that the group had discriminated against her based on her sexual orientation. The student judiciary's final ruling in the case acknowledges that Tufts prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, and sexual orientation, but it seems to assert that the policy does not prohibit discrimination based on beliefs about race, gender, or sexual orientation. All parties agreed that the trouble began when the lesbian student, who had tried desperately to become heterosexual, told her fellow group members that she had finally come to terms with her identity and believed it was okay to be gay.

Just hours after the controversial decision became public, students formed TSAD to force the administration to stand firm against what they call the obvious misinterpretation of the university's anti-discrimination policy. After staging a 500-strong rally and circulating petitions with 1300 signatures, TSAD ratcheted up the pressure by presenting DiBiaggio with a list of demands on November 6. Most notably, students want administrators to publicly back a student-dictated statement specifying that the school policy protects not just identity, but also acceptance of identity.

DiBiaggio was in Washington, DC, on business when students stormed Bendetson; they say they won't leave the building until he meets their demands. Says Adam Carlis, an outspoken TSAD leader, "We're working with the administration, but there are certain things that are non-negotiable for us. We're prepared to stay until we get them."

DiBiaggio issued a statement to the Phoenix just before he boarded a plane back to Boston. In a three-paragraph letter he reaffirmed "unequivocally" that Tufts bars all forms of discrimination, and he recognized the students' rights to protest: "Students today have chosen . . . to express their passionate commitment to a vigorously respected nondiscrimination policy." He added, "I hope to meet with these students to continue this important dialogue."

Tuesday was a day of twists and turns for the student protesters. By mid-afternoon, the takeover had the feel of a slumber party. James Brown blasted over a portable boom box while students lay curled up under blankets on the floor. Others knitted, or studied, or chomped on chips and salsa. Nearly all of them appeared giddy with the realization that they'd made it into the building -- and that they'd met with dean of students Bruce Reitman, among others, to negotiate ground rules for remaining in the building.

By early evening, though, police had locked the entrance, preventing anyone from getting into Bendetson Hall. Students inside were informed that they could be arrested and forcibly removed by state police for trespassing. Tuesday night, DiBiaggio drove straight from the airport to Tufts to meet with school trustees and advisers. On Wednesday, negotiations between TSAD members and the administration continued. "He'll decide if he wants us to vacate the building," explains Julie Catalano, who filed the original complaint and remains inside the building. "But all of us are committed to staying here and seeing this through."

Stay tuned.