400 Protest Discrimination Policy at Tufts

More than 400 people attended a rally at Tufts University yesterday arguing that the school's non-discrimination policy does not adequately protect students' rights.

The rally was spurred by Tufts' student-run discipline committee's recent interpretation of the school's non-discrimination policy.

In its ruling on a case of alleged discrimination against a bisexual student, the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) found that Tufts' current policy "does not protect against discrimination based on specific beliefs."

In speeches that took place on the roof of the Tische Library, two professors and two students told protesters that the university's policy against discrimination was inadequate and unclear.

"We are here because we are concerned, we care and we want to see a change," said Katherine L. Cheung, a student organizer of the rally.

The protest was rooted in a dispute last year between Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) and Julie Catalano, a group member who is bisexual.

Catalano alleged that she was not allowed to become a senior leader of the group because of her sexual orientation, a claim that TCF refuted. The group said the decision to keep her from a leadership position was based on her beliefs about homosexuality, not her sexual orientation.

Event organizers said the specific details of Catalano's claim were not central to yesterday's rally. Rather, they said their focus was on the ambiguity of Tufts' current policy.

"This is no longer an issue of the TCF," Cheung said. "This is about the administration and its non-discrimination policy."

In its ruling on the Catalano case, the TCUJ said the university's current policy allows for people to be discriminated against based on their beliefs. The group called on administrators to clarify whether the policy is intended to allow for such discrimination.

But speakers at the rally said there is no way to distinguish between discrimination based on beliefs and that based on other traits.

"The difference between orientation and self-acceptance is non-existent," said Jonathan W. Strong '66, professor of English at Tufts, in an address to the crowd.

Following the speeches, protesters proceeded to Ballou Hall, which houses the office of Tufts President John A. DiBiaggio. Members of the group surrounded the building while two rally organizers brought 1,200 signed copies of a letter expressing concern over the school's policy to the president's office.

"The recent decision by the TCUJ has nullified the non-discrimination policy," the protesters wrote.

The letter expressed specific concerns that the judiciary committee's decision would create a precedent that allowing campus organizations to discriminate against students based on who they were under the guise of differences in belief.

"Any woman who believes that she is equal to a man can now be excluded from a TCU recognized group [that] believes that she is not equal on the basis of that belief," the letter said.

Organizers said they were ecstatic with the turnout, which included students from Tufts as well as Harvard, Regis, Boston University, Suffolk, Brandeis and Northeastern.

"I do believe that this was the biggest rally Tufts University has ever seen," Cheung said.

Rally leaders said that they now hope to hold a forum with the university president and administrators to discuss the policy.