All candidates were asked to give their name, class year, major, area of affiliation/interest at Tufts, their field of work and/or activism post-graduation, and one paragraph about what they hope to contribute to TPAN
Aaron Donovan LA '03,
Major: Computer Science
involvement at Tufts: Coalition, SLAM (2001), TCOWI
Currently working as an Organizer for the Service Employees International Union, MA Home Childcare campaign
Over the years, many groups at Tufts have sprung up and done great work to further the progressive movement. We've taken over buildings, held rallies and vigils, put together many teach-ins, and worn ridiculous costumes along the way. However, many of these organizations, despite their good work, have disappeared just as quickly as they were created. This attrition wasn't noticeable as an undergrad, but when I was a few years out of Tufts and found out that The Coalition, TCOWI, and Radix were all gone, I realized our groups have had a problem lasting. While the big push in the progressive movement has to come from students themselves, I think that TPAN can be a network at Tufts whose members don't completely turn-over every four years. Besides the traditional connecting students interested in field X with alumni who work in field X, I've been thinking about two ideas that I feel can make us more relevant to progressive undergrads at Tufts. First off, I think we should try to host an informal forum once a semester for progressive groups to come in and discuss their campaigns, both with each other and with alumni. Updates from these meetings could go into TPAN newsletters to let others know what's happening back on the hill. A second project TPAN could embark upon would be creating a history of activism at Tufts, not just the victories, but also the shortcomings and humorous anecdotes. This can serve a dual purpose: getting in touch with alumni and letting students know what came before. To tie these two projects together, various segments of our history could be presented to at the forums. Getting together and reminiscing with friends is a tremendous draw for me to attend TPAN events, and I'm sure our stories can be just as entertaining as they are informative. Since I've also volunteered to co-coordinate the Progressive Senior Award this year and I still live a few blocks from campus, I'm certainly available to begin getting in touch with current students and organizations
Cindy Chang 2003
Majors: Environmental Studies and Sociology
Activism while at Tufts: Crafts House, Oxfam Cafe, ECO, SETA, various protests and awareness raising campaigns
Currently: Graduate student at Yale School of Management and Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Co-founder of TPAN, administer of Social Justice Fund. Also co-founder of Conscious Consuming, a Boston-based sustainable lifestyle group.
As one of the current members of the TPAN executive board, I have watched TPAN form from a few small discussions with friends to a group that has potential to have great staying power and play a role in defining progressive alumni's relationship with Tufts. This potential can only be captured, however, with the leadership of a group of hard-working, dedicated individuals that represent the needs of the members of the group. After polling a number of alumni, it seemed evident that others wanted me to run for another term on the executive board. Continuing on the board for another term (probably the last) would allow me to help launch our fundraising plan for the Social Justice Fund, work on TPAN becoming its own 501(c)3 non-profit organization, set up and oversee the transfer of TPAN to new leaders, and deepen those conversations with the university, current students, and other progressive alumni that are critical to the survival of TPAN as an independent entity. That being said, if TPAN members believe that this is the time for new leadership, they should use their votes to say so, and in that case I will continue to support the new members as it seems necessary. I'm excited for TPAN to move into a new phase of growth with new energy and ideas and hope to be a part of it.
Danika Kleiber LA '02
Major: Biology and Women’s Studies
Involvement at Tufts: I was co-chair of the feminist alliance, a
perhaps over emotional member of TSAD, co-chair of the 2002 safe
college conference, the orientationally ambiguous member of Team-Q,
a tank top sporting member of SLAM, and a somewhat sporadic yet none-
the-less vehement contributor to Radix. Throughout my time at Tufts
I also talked to the campus cops, health services, and various
members of the administration about sexist attitudes among their
employees.
Current field: At the moment I’m a graduate student at the
University of British Columbia (Canada) and I study behavioural
ecology (specifically female territoriality) of song sparrows.
Anyone care? Because this means nothing to most people (and has
limited conservation relevance) I’m changing fields. I’m going into
human ecology (how humans interact with their surrounding
environment) with a specific interest in the interaction between
global conservation goals and local human (specifically female)
needs. The old poverty/gender/sustainability of natural resources
dilemma. When I’m not busy with school I’ve been known to teach sex-
ed, participate in summer programs to teach kids about ecosystems
and conservation, and plant trees.
Vision/Contribution: I’ve always appreciated the supportive
community that TPAN creates by sharing knowledge, jobs, and what
we’ve been up to in our lives. As a Canadian biologist I think I
have two things I’d like to contribute to TPAN. 1) I can post the
international (ok, U.S., Canada and Australia for the most part)
conservation job announcements I have access to. 2) I’d like to
start a membership drive. I’m always surprised at the number of
progressive Tufts alum that aren’t on this list. I’ve often
envisioned a sort of PBS membership drive…except we wouldn’t be
demanding money, cutting into our favourite Lawrence Welk show tune
time, or promising trendy tote bags. And we’d be doing it by e-
mail. So really nothing like a PBS membership drive except the fact
that we’d be getting more members. We might even dare to put an ad
in the Tufts Magazine to try and reach out to the pre-TPAN
generation that are still looking for an alternative.
Elizabeth Manno LA '07
major: American Studies (comparative race and ethnicity) and Child Development
areas of affiliation/involvement at tufts:
- Tufts Bias Intervention Program (member, coordinator and program intern)
-RA
-Tisch College Summer Scholar (work with Somerville Growing Center and
Groundwork Somerville to bring environmental, gardening and nutrition
related educational programming to middle schoolers)
- Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence in Chinatown (through
Prof. Wu's Chinatown class)
current field (profession and/or activism work):
-my life is currently consumed by my job as a 4th grade teacher at PS
86 in the Bronx. I am a Teach for America Corps member and work at an
underprivileged, inner-city school (how's that for some coded racial
language) and on a daily basis I am reminded that race and class
inequalities have converged to create two, segregated educational
systems in our country.
-one paragraph expressing your vision for TPAN and the ways in which
you specifically can contribute
I am most interested in joining the TPAN board because I feel that
there is a lack of recent graduates who are involved in the
organization. In order to maintain a strong group of progressive
students on campus, we need more young alums who are involved. I
really hope the TPAN can become more of a support network of alums who
can offer advice and resources to students currently doing work on and
around campus. When I received the TPAN senior award last year I had
never heard of TPAN before and most of my friends still have no idea
what it is. Therefore I think I would be a valuable member of the
TPAN exec board because I am close with many current students who are
involved in progressive causes at Tufts. I am still getting
acclimated with TPAN as an organization and, because of the
"generation gap" betwen me and some of the founding members, I don't
know everyone well. However I am familiar with the senior award and
would love to be involved in that selection process this year and know
a lot of current students.
Louis Esparza LA’03
Majors: Sociology; Peace & Justice Studies
Activities at Tufts (selected): Radix (co-founder); The Tufts Daily (op-ed
columnist); Oxfam Café (manager); Tisch College (scholar); LGBT Center
(staff)
Activities post-Tufts (selected): Sociologists Without Borders (Executive
Board); Tufts Progressive Alumni Network (Co-founder; Executive Board
‘04-‘07); Societies Without Borders (Associate Editor); Contexts Magazine
(Editorial Board ’06-’07); Stony Brook Graduate Magazine (blog: The North
Star)
Title: W. Burghardt Turner Fellow; Stony Brook University
Statement: In my second term on the Board, I will continue to expand the
ways in which TPAN helps to connect smart, motivated progressives with other
smart, motivated progressives through the blog, social networking sites, and
by pushing related alumni groups to get connected. I will also continue to
build the institutional frameworks that have made TPAN the success that it
is, such as the newsletter, the website and the monthly email updates. There
is still a lot of work to be done and hurdles to overcome. I do not have the
answers to them and oftentimes I end up losing the debate. But I will make
sure that issues are resolved according to consensus and in ways that invoke
the democratic values of the open network that we strive to be.
Mara D'Angelo. LA '02
Major: Psychology and Environmental Studies. While at Tufts, I was involved with Water Watch,
TTLGBC, Women's Group, the Coalition for Social Justice and Nonviolence,
Oxfam Café, Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the Crafts
House. After graduation, I got my Masters in Public Policy and now work in
the field of affordable housing and community development. Right now, I'm
active in campaigning for DC voting rights, volunteering for the Coalition
for Smarter Growth and the Severn Riverkeeper, and I blog for the
Boston-based nonprofit Conscious Consuming. I also became a member of the
Social Justice Fund selection committee this year. My greatest activism
interests really center around the potential for well-envisioned community
development (transit-oriented, mixed-income, mixed-use, with lots of public
space) as way to achieve positive environmental, socioeconomic, and human
health outcomes.
In the short term, I’d like to help TPAN think about fundraising strategies.
I really feel like the Social Justice Fund and the Progressive Senior Award,
in particular, are great TPAN endeavors that help us play a unique role at
Tufts and beyond, and I’d love for us to have the kind of reliable funding
stream that could help us continue and expand them in the future. In the
long-term, I’d love to really explore TPAN’s roles as a kind of progressive
Tufts watchdog, a networking resource for members (maybe with chapters that
could meet up and work together on local issues?), a resource for jobs and
events (we could organize our website to have sections for each, segmented
by location for easy reference), and a way to vet ideas and be inspired. Now
that I’m finished with grad school, I feel like I have the time and
capacity to be an active TPAN board member, as well as experience with grant
making, outreach, and fundraising that could be helpful. Of course, in
general, I’d really be up for playing whatever role would best serve TPAN
and its members
Sam Stiegler A'06, G'07
Major: History and Africa in the New World (undergrad), Teaching (grad)
While at Tufts: History, Education, LGBT Center, Queer Men's Group, Bias Intervention Team, Africa in the New World, Tufts-in-Ghana Program, Resident Assistant, Tufts Dance Collective, Urban Teachers Training Collaborative
Currently, I am doing coursework at University of Wisconsin in the Education Policy Studies Department in preparation for starting a doctoral program in education in the next few years. I also am doing work with Gay-Straight Alliance for Safe Schools and Fair Wisconsin, both in Madison, WI. GSA for Safe Schools works to eradicating homo and transphobia from schools and Fair Wisconsin works to protect the rights of LGBT Wisconsinites. I also write for and am on the Board of Editors of the Journal of LGBT Youth. This summer I was in South Africa researching queer South African youth involved in queer activism.
I think TPAN's greatest strength is its commitment to providing current Tufts students with support and resources to work towards progressive and worthwhile causes. Too often, one can feel helplessly alone while fighting the good fight, and I believe TPAN does a remarkable job in connecting students to others both inside and outside of Tufts who are doing the same work. As a recent "Double Jumbo" (groan), I have numerous connections across many departments and offices at Tufts. As a board member, I could use my connections to solidify networks of progressives on campus and help make TPAN more widely known while also continuing to bolster the work of current progressives Tufts students by ensuring them that they are not alone.
