2012-02-02.pdf

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THE TUFTS DAILY

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TUFTSDAILY.COM

Thursday, February 2, 2012

VOLUME LXIII, NUMBER 6

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Bishop of Massachusetts discusses forgiveness, courage by

Patrick McGrath

Daily Editorial Board

The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, visited the Hill last night to host a lecture about the diocese’s relationship with Rwanda and to tell a story about a woman he met while visiting the country last month. Shaw was selected by the Tufts Chaplaincy to give his talk, titled “An Ordinary Woman with Uncommon Courage: a Story from Rwanda,” as the semester’s first installment of the Goddard Chapel Forum on Religion and Moral Courage, a lecture series organized and sponsored by the Tufts Chaplaincy. “They chose the topic of religion and moral courage, and they chose to invite Bishop Tom Shaw because he’s had a lot of experience with [the Tufts Chaplaincy],” Protestant Chaplain Rachael Pettengill said. “He goes to Israel very often, and he brings students there, and he also brings students to Africa very often, so we asked him if he would come and share something about a woman that he met when he was in Rwanda and share her story of moral courage,” she added. Shaw and a group of students from Boston College and Northeastern University made a pilgrimage to Rwanda this winter break to study the 1994 Rwandan genocide between the Tutsi and Hutu groups. The trip sought to explore and learn more about not only the Rwandan genocide

and other genocies, but also the effects and results of the recent attempts at reconciliation across the country between the two groups, according to Shaw. Shaw stated that the trip also aimed to take the lessons of these attempts at reconciliation back to the United States to address tensions between certain groups, including those of a racial or socioeconomic nature. “We are God’s agents for reconciliation,” he said. In his talk, Shaw explained the diocese’s relationship with Rwanda. “Our diocese for a number of years has had a strong commitment to those who are struggling with AIDS or AIDS treatment,” he said. According to Shaw, the trip included visits to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and a celebration at the house of a widow named Lydia whose Tutsi husband was murdered during the genocide. The celebration included religious leaders, politicians and both survivors and perpetrators of the genocide. Lydia spoke about her experience during the genocide, including witnessing the murder of her husband and her children and being raped by members of the genocide and contracting AIDS, Shaw said. When reconciliation commenced between the two groups, Lydia was at first against forgiving the perpetrators of the crimes against her and her family, Shaw said. But after the murderer of see GODDARD, page 2

misako ono / Tufts Daily

At the Tufts Democrats weekly meeting Tuesday night, Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party John Walsh encouraged students to work hard to make a difference in the upcoming elections.

Walsh urges student political activism Democratic Party seeks higher turnout in Medford by

Nina Goldman

Daily Editorial Board

Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party John Walsh spoke at the Tufts Democrats weekly meeting Tuesday night, encouraging politically minded students to use their passion to make a difference in the upcoming 2012 elections. “We desperately need you, and I don’t just mean in the future,” he said. “I mean now through November.” In particular, Walsh focused on urging more women to run for office. He explained that women and men are elected at about the

same rate but women are less likely to run because they are more likely to question their own qualifications. “Women are significantly underrepresented in the ranks of elected officials,” Walsh said. “Women are overwhelmingly more likely to think, ‘I don’t know if I’m ready.’” By running for office, Walsh said, women encourage other women to run as well. During the hour-long talk, Walsh, who served as campaign manager for Governor Deval Patrick (D-Mass.) in his successful 2006 Massachusetts gubernatorial run, also shared personal stories about life on the campaign trail.

Tufts Occupiers stay active despite eviction by Steph

Haven

Daily Editorial Board

After the Dec. 10 police eviction of Occupy Boston from Dewey Square in which 46 people were arrested, the Tufts Occupiers group remains active with an emphasis on community issues and collaboration with other student Occupy groups. Protestors across the country have had to regroup and find new ways to spread their message without having a physical encampment. “When the news cycle has passed by for the moment, it’s a question of how to stay relevant,” senior Ryan Clapp, a member of the Tufts Occupiers, said. “We’re looking at some other ways we can keep the conversation going, making it fun to participate while also meaningful.” Several of the actions Tufts Occupiers have planned for this semester revolve around smaller, community-based support, like advocating for Africana studies and working with local organization Save Our Somerville, according to Rachel Greenspan, a member of the Occupy movement. see OCCUPIERS, page 2

see DEMOCRATS, page 2

TCU Senate Update | Three students walk on to Senate

Three students have been added to the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate after seats were vacated at the end of last semester. Meredith Goldberg and Amelia Quinn have filled the two empty junior class seats, and Ian Donovan has filled the empty senior class seat. The three seats were vacated at the end of last semester when one sophomore and two juniors resigned, according to Tufts Election Commission (ECOM) Public Relations Chair Joel Kruger. The empty sophomore seat became a senior seat because there are more than seven sophomore senators and fewer than seven senior senators, according to Kruger, a sophomore. The replacements are effective immediately, and the three senators will attend their first Senate meeting this Sunday, according to Kruger.

ALEXANDER KOLODNER / Tufts Daily

—by Laina Piera

After the Dec. 10 police eviction of Occupy Boston from Dewey Square, the Tufts Occupiers group is focusing on community issues and collaboration with other groups.

Inside this issue

He recalled the first time he met Patrick, who showed up at a St. Patrick’s Day event without a green tie and told “the stupidest joke ever.” “It was embarrassing,” he said. After having coffee with Patrick, however, Walsh said he felt there was something different about the candidate. The two shared the idea of running a campaign based on grassroots issues, but Walsh did not think Patrick had a good chance of winning. “I’m definitely not telling my wife I did that, because she’s going to kill me,” Walsh said he thought

Today’s sections

The “A Taste of Tufts” Lecture Series starts tomorrow with a presentation by Dean Joanne Berger-Sweeney.

The Daily goes on a search for Boston’s best ice cream shops.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters

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Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

9 10 14 Back


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