Urge Bacow to oust Summers as Snyder Lecturer

Faculty, students, and alumni have been up in arms about the racist tone of events that have occured at Tufts recently. Conservative Shelby Steele arguing against affirmative action at the Snyder lecture, the Primary Source publishing racism, and hate crimes have tarred Tufts' already speculative reputation reputation on race. Now President Bacow has invited anti-feminist Larry Summers to give the next Snyder lecture, an irresponsible move given the campus climate & very insensitive to many groups that have been under attack. TPAN Board member Professor Gary Goldstein has been very vocal in his opposition. Last week, I posted his email about Larry Summers and he has sent us his letter of protest to Bacow. Here it is below. If you feel the same way, write to President Bacow and tell him how you feel about his invitation to Larry Summers as Snyder Lecturer:

To: President Larry Bacow
CC: Provost Jamshed B. and Jim Glaser

Dear Larry,
Did I see correctly? Is Larry Summers the next Snyder lecturer?
If this is true, I think it is a big mistake. Whatever his lecture is intended to be about, he carries the baggage of his comments, in which he stereotyped women in science. As I am sure you know, he also was a divisive leader whose attitudes caused the break-up of the most prestigious African-American studies department. Inviting him to campus, especially after Shelby Steele, followed by the outrageous (nationally reported!), racist Primary Source article sends a terrible message to our students. It undermines your efforts to foster diversity and civility on campus.

Sincerely,
Gary

Gary writes to us:

Hello all,

This is a followup to my emails last week. I sent out a version of this message to a short list of sympathetic faculty members. I think progressive alums might want to send letters to the administration and/or the Tufts Daily.

Pres. Bacow replied that the invitation had been made a long time ago. Summers would speak about undergraduate education, having been a supporter of reforms at Harvard, for which he was respected by the students.

I can not share this sanguine view. I know I speak for several people on this email list in calling for a response from the Tufts faculty, staff and students. We can send messages to the president and the Tufts Daily objecting to this hypocrisy. It has been suggested that we boycott the lecture and let it be known to the Tufts "community" why we are taking this action. Further, we could organize a forum to explain that promoting diversity and women's equality are essential to a university's mission, contrary to Summers' pronouncements at Harvard that led to his dismissal. and now, to our boycott.I am sending this to a fairly short list. Please forward it to any sympathetic faculty, staff or students that you choose.

Exasperated,
Gary