6 Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Opinion
Riya Matta Shades of Gray
tuftsdaily.com
OP-ED
Student representation in the RIAG, a statement from What we, the journalTufts Climate Action
istic community, want
I
am convinced that the killing and the maiming must stop,” Sirajuddin Haqqani writes in an opinion piece published by the New York Times. At face value, it’s an unproblematic statement, one upon which, barring a small handful of people, the general population would likely universally agree, in any context. Ironically, when compared alongside the brutality of Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler and others, Sirajuddin Haqqani would be a member of that grouping. Directly below his byline, the Times refers to Haqqani as the “deputy leader of the Taliban.”While the association itself is arguably sufficiently deplorable, Haqqani is, in fact, so much more than that. According to the FBI, Haqqani is a “specially designated global terrorist,” and for information on whom the U.S. Department of State is offering a reward up to $5 million — a terrorist bounty exceeded by few including al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Haqqani is wanted in connection with several attacks and kidnappings — including that of a New York Times journalist. He is the current leader of the Haqqani network responsible for unspeakable acts of violence. All of which would have been good to know whilst reading such lines as his promise for a “new, inclusive political system,” in which the rights of women would be guaranteed, “from the right to education to the right to work.” These are lofty claims from a man who heads the very organization that, just seven years ago, was responsible for the execution-style attempt on global activist and then-teenager Malala Yousafzai. The very same organization that, in the heyday of its extraordinarily brutal regime, indiscriminately massacred civilians, denied women nearly all their human rights — namely that of education, stoned women for perceived violations of Sharia law and ran networks of human trafficking, amongst countless other atrocities. Despite being removed from power in 2001, however, the Taliban’s brutality has not ceased — public stonings of women have been reported as recently as 2015. In a statement to Reuters, an Afghan presidential palace spokesman expressed his disappointment that the New York Times “has given their platform to an individual who is on a designated terrorist list.” I concur. It is saddening, upsetting, and nothing short of despicable the way that the New York Times has shown complete contempt for journalistic ethics in pursuit of a good scoop. While it is undoubtedly not only a journalist’s responsibility, but their obligation, to report on all sides of an issue — which could and should have been accomplished through an interview — allowing a global terrorist at the forefront of one of the most brutal organizations in history a platform as reputable and widely-read as the New York Times not only gives legitimacy to Haqqani’s empty and baseless promises of peace, but is also enormous affront to the countless American soldiers and Afghani civilians who have suffered indescribably at the hands of the Taliban. The New York Times has a responsibility and an obligation to apologize to their readership and the entire journalistic community, and going forward, to recommit to responsible journalistic practices.
by Celia Bottger, Caro Fett, Erica Nork and Hanna Carr Last week, an article published in the Daily, entitled “Tufts appoints members to investment review committee, considering fossil fuel divestment,” highlighted an injustice of which all student activists — especially those supporting divestment campaigns — should be aware. In the fall of 2019, the Board of Trustees created a process “by which the Tufts community may raise and study concerns surrounding potential social impact caused by investing activities and provide advisory recommendations on such issues to the Investment Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the Trustee Administration and Finance Committee.” The document outlining this process states that the membership of each approved RIAG, or Responsible Investment Advisory Group, would be three trustees, two faculty members, two students and two administrators, specifically Tufts’ Chief Investment Officer and the Vice President Finance and Treasurer or their delegates. This document, which was approved by the Board of Trustees, also specifically states: “The Provost will recommend two faculty members … and the two student members, with a view to including when possible a student associated with the sponsored proposal.” This part of the document illustrates the university’s intention for a student activist associated with the original proposal to be given a seat at the table, which makes democratic sense to us. A few weeks ago, Tufts Climate Action (TCA) became aware that the Provost had selected the undergraduate student member of the RIAG without consulting TCA, and it was not a member of TCA. It was the student representative from TCU Senate who sits on the Board of Trustees’ Administration and Finance Committee, Charming Dube. While TCA holds nothing against Dube personally, we disagreed with the principle that
anyone in his Senate position would automatically have a seat at the table in place of a TCA member who wrote the proposal and has a deeper understanding of fossil fuel divestment. We feel strongly that there should be more students getting face time with decision-makers. TCU Trustee Representatives already have the opportunity to meet with administrators and board members on a regular basis. The rest of the Tufts student population gets absolutely zero face time with the Board of Trustees, and TCA believes that this strategic lack of transparency on behalf of the administration only perpetuates injustices by dismissing student concerns. Our university should behave like a democratic institution, not a corporation. Immediately following Dube’s imminent appointment to the RIAG, TCA pressured Vice President Mike Howard and Provost Nadine Aubry to rethink their decision. The administrators responded quickly and agreed to grant Temple Miller-Hodgkin, a dedicated TCA member who co-wrote the proposal, a seat on the RIAG. Dube kept his seat as well, and TCA was encouraged by the administration’s decision to increase student representation on the committee. Going forward, we thought, there would be three students in the decision-making room, two undergraduate students and one graduate student. However, the Daily article shows that the administration does not intend to adhere to this important precedent. In response to a conversation with University President Anthony Monaco and Provost Aubry, TCU Senate passed a bylaw requiring that “the student representative sitting on the Board of Trustees’ Administration and Finance Committee should serve as the undergraduate student representative for the RIAG, should it convene at any point during the year.” As discussed in the article, Howard explained that the current makeup of the RIAG is a “one-time exception.” This
implies that future RIAGs will have just one undergraduate student member and, given the recently passed TCU bylaw, that student would automatically be the TCU Senate Trustee Representative to the Board of Trustees’ Administration and Finance Committee, rather than a student activist from the initial proposal. Not only does this challenge the initial RIAG proposal, but it is also a clear attempt to consolidate power among those who already have it and to limit the student voice in university decision-making. Although TCA member Miller-Hodgkin currently has a secure spot in the fossil fuel divestment RIAG, TCA wants to ensure that future RIAGs demonstrate fair student representation, as well. When another group of Tufts student activists seeks to end injustice through their own divestment campaign, we want to guarantee that they have a seat at the table, just as TCA does now. This continued representation is especially important for future RIAGs, such as those concerning prison divestment and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. Student communities who are directly affected by Tufts’ investments deserve an active role in informing university investment policy. We welcome support and advice from other student organizations in our effort to fight this injustice. As a first step, we plan to meet with Vice President Howard, Provost Aubry and TCU leaders to express our concerns over these undemocratic decisions and make our voices heard. Celia Bottger is a sophomore studying international relations and environmental studies and the co-leader of Tufts Climate Action. Celia can be reached at celia. bottger@tufts.edu. Caro Fett is a senior studying interdisciplinary studies. Caro can be reached at caroline.fett@tufts.edu. Erica Nork is a senior studying sociology. Erica can be reached at erica.nork@tufts. edu. Hanna Carr is a senior studying economics. Hanna can be reached at hanna. carr@tufts.edu.
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Riya Matta is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Riya can be reached at riya.matta@tufts.edu. The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board. EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to opinion@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director.