Evening Showers 77/55
THE TUFTS DAILY
VOLUME LXVI, NUMBER 22
Where You Read It First Est. 1980 TUFTSDAILY.COM
Monday, october 7, 2013
Students to celebrate Coming Out Day with rally by
Daniel Gottfried
Daily Editorial Board
Tufts Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) will host a rally in celebration of National Coming Out Day this Wednesday at noon on the lower patio of the Mayer Campus Center. The rally will provide a chance for students and faculty to share their stories and experiences about coming out in a public setting, according to QSA President Bruce Bausk. “It is a day to have affirmation of your identity and to show support and solidarity for members of the LGBT community,” Bausk, a sophomore, said. The rally is divided into a segment with speakers invited by QSA and an open microphone segment for all students to share their stories, according to Director of the LGBT Center Tom Bourdon. “For me the meaning is to show what a vibrant and active LGBT and queer community we have on campus and how many allies we have that are willing to come and show support and speak up for the LGBT community,” Bourdon said. “For some people it is also a chance to publicly say who they are, which can be scary but also very empowering at the same time.” Bourdon suspects that few students will take the rally as an opportunity to come out for the first time, but instead it will be another phase in their coming out. “It is probably a small percentage of
people that are coming out for the first time ever, but for many it is their first time saying it into a microphone in front of a large group of people, many of whom they don’t know,” Bourdon said. “I think that queer people are constantly having to out themselves. Every day you might have to do so. It isn’t like once you are out, you are out.” QSA has reached out to many parts of the Tufts community in an effort to show support from all aspects of campus life, Bausk said. “We invited members of the Tufts community who have either expressed that they are out or have spoken at the rally in the past,” he said. “We also reached out to the Group of Six due to the importance of inclusion, representation and solidarity among the many diverse communities here at Tufts.” QSA will be distributing 400 rainbow flag pins in advance of the event for members of the community to wear as they have done in years past, according to Bausk. “This is always a great sign of support on campus that goes towards helping people feel comfortable,” he said. “QSA is trying to make the National Coming Out Day a safer space where anyone and everyone can feel welcome, accepted and included.” In preparation for the event, QSA will hold a discussion about coming out at its weekly meeting on Monday at 9 p.m. in see RALLY, page 2
TCU Senate update Members of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate last night delivered addresses on the overall statuses of their committees during the body’s third meeting of the year. TCU President Joe Thibodeau, a senior, began by presenting the Fall 2013 State of TCU, outlining projects such as the establishment of a sexual assault task force on campus. He also announced the Senate’s intention of working with organizations like Programming Board to increase the number of “hallmark events” during a student’s time at Tufts. TCU Treasurer Adam Kochman, a sophomore, followed with the State of the Treasury Address. He said that the Allocations Board would distribute $1,606,287.16 to student activities and organizations over the course of the fiscal year. Kochman also announced the Treasury’s two major financial projects for the year: allowing campus groups to get reimbursed for public transportation fees and introducing a van shuttle service on campus. The Senate allocated $602.60 to the Media Advocacy Board for more up-to-date computers and other lab equipment, $1,140 to the Crafts Center to turn Lewis Hall into a haunted house on Halloween and $11,750 for a “Magic: the Gathering” event for students interested in the popular trading card game. Junior Darien Headen, the Diversity and Community Affairs (DCA) Officer, then spoke on the value of diversity
amongst the student body, explaining how to combat on-campus incidents such as racial insensitivity and student fear of discrimination. “We need to have space on this campus to talk about these issues,” he said. “[They] should not be swept under the rug.” The Senate held an open forum to address the draft report issued by the Council on Diversity. The report is an assessment of the council’s ongoing progress in working with diversity-related issues, including how to best achieve a feeling of safety and inclusion for race-based organizations on campus. The final version of this report is expected to appear in November. Although several members of the Senate expressed concerns regarding the efficacy and implementation of the report and its goals, Headen defended their importance. “We are trying to look at diversity in a very holistic way, considering how it influences so many areas of campus,” he said. The meeting concluded with the announcement of three newly recognized student groups: the Robotic Sail Team, the Vagina Monologues and Generation Citizen.
—by Josh Weiner
Inside this issue
Kyra Sturgill / The Tufts Daily
Students are invited to partake in the Zero Waste Challenge as part of The Office of Sustainability’s initiative to raise awareness about the amount of trash people can generate in a week.
Zero Waste week to promote eco-awareness by
Annabelle Roberts
Daily Editorial Board
The Office of Sustainability (OOS) will this week hold the second schoolwide Zero Waste Challenge, inviting students to collect, carry and display all non-recyclable or non-compostable trash they generate in a clear Ziploc bag. The challenge, which will last from Oct. 9 to Oct. 16, is meant to encourage participants to be mindful of the waste they produce on a daily basis, according to Sustainability Program Director Tina Woolston. “The goal is not to have you produce no trash, but to have you examine what
you throw away each day,” she said. For those interested in participating, Eco-Reps will distribute kits on Monday and Tuesday in the Mayer Campus Center, Woolston said. The kits include a clear Ziploc bag with enclosed instructions, a clip for attaching the bag to one’s belongings and a pin to indicate participation. “We give people a Ziploc bag because we have found that, in general, so much of the stuff that we do use on this campus is recyclable or compostable,” Woolston said. OOS Communications Specialist Fannie Koa believes the challenge is see WASTE, page 2
Latino Center to celebrate 20th anniversary by
Elissa Ladwig
Daily Editorial Board
The Latino Center will this Saturday commemorate its 20th anniversary in the Aidekman Art Gallery and the 51 Winthrop Street Function Hall. The anniversary will emphasize the importance of having a Latino presence on campus, according to Latino Center Director Rub謠Salinas Stern. “I think that it shows that the Latinos are here to stay,” he said. “There was a time when I felt that Latino students were invisible on campus, and I think that we still deal with that, but that has changed a great deal.” Yareliz Diaz, secretary of the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS), explained that the celebration will also give students a chance to learn more about the Latino Center. “[Stern] is going to speak for a little bit to talk about the last 20 years and what the art exhibit is supposed to show ... so people can mingle and get a sense of what the Center has done in the last
20 years,” Diaz, a junior, said. Festivities will begin at noon with a brunch in the Aidekman Art Gallery, which will feature a picture timeline exhibit of the history of the Center, Stern said. The celebration will continue that evening with a gala at the 51 Winthrop Street Function Hall, where students and alumni can enjoy dinner, dance to a live band and view student group performances and speeches from alumni. “It’s going to be a big event; I’m very excited to see old and new faces,” senior Astrid Fuentes, president of ALAS, said. According to Stern, one of the speakers will be Carlos Cedeño (LA ’95), who played a critical role in creating the Center and La Casa and served as president of the Hispanic American Society during his time at Tufts. Also speaking are Director of Latin American Studies Nina Gerassi-Navarro and leaders of the Latino Alumni Association, Valerie Avila and Shioban Torres. There will also be see ANNIVERSARY, page 2
Today’s sections
Two candidates propelled forward in the race for Boston mayor.
Outstanding talent and writing marks the legacy that ‘Breaking Bad’ leaves behind.
see FEATURES, page 3
see ARTS, page 5
News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Op-Ed
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Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports
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