Jada Sullivan-Brito (’21)

I am enthused to see the results of the Responsible Investment Advisory Group made public after more than seven years of students calling for administrative action, after earlier recommendations were made to the Board to not divest, and after previous apprehension that TCU would have a hand in this work. The RIAG would not have been formed and the Report would not have been crafted without the important student pressure and activism influencing these new commitments. It was made possible by numerous efforts such as the referendums, letters and petitions composed; and the continued commitment from all groups and individuals involved, namely Tufts Climate Action and Temple Miller-Hodgkin. I believe it is appropriate to claim this as a win for moving toward carbon-neutrality and for trusting the processes in place, but there are more steps to be taken in order for the results of this process, and future processes, to be successful. In order for the recommendations of the report to be commitments to action, we as students and activists must push for continued influence and involvement. Recommendations such as Item 4, to “Enhance transparency by creating a dashboard that would report on the university’s progress toward the three actions above as well as other relevant information regarding action on climate change and fossil fuels”, will require our vigilant eye to ensure the dashboard is set up promptly and maintained carefully. The Board asserts processes such as this one area “reliable mechanism to raise concerns to the attention of trustees”, so we as a student body must see to it that it remains reliable by being forthright with our concerns and ensuring that they are being handled with diligence and transparency. The best way of guaranteeing this is for us as students to always be involved with their handling.

My hope is that this victory will encourage other student groups to push for their concerns within Tufts and beyond to be addressed with the same – if not more – care and attentiveness, as well as push for a seat at the table when they are finally granted the attention they deserve. TCU Senate has been committed for some time to the formation of a permanent undergraduate student representative position on the Board of Trustees to streamline the presentation of student concerns and the work that they require. I hope that Temple and my involvement in this work as well as other student-administrative collaboration will be a catalyst for future connections, so that the Tufts community is shaped and determined by all of its constituents from the Board of Trustees down to the newest first-year students. If we are the future of Tufts, we need to be present.