The Tufts Daily - April 25, 2001

MUTT mixes it up
Multicultural students find home in new club
by MARY ANNE ANDERSON
Daily Editorial Board

During her formative years in Texas, Alethea Pieters, a half-Asian, half-black junior, accompanied her parents to meetings of the Interracial Family Alliance for Houston. There, she found kids like herself, who knew what it was like to be asked, on a regular basis, "What are you?"
Pieters extended this experience with some fellow students at Tufts by creating a similar forum for students of multicultural backgrounds. The result, The Multicultural Union at Tufts (MUTT), provides students the opportunity to discuss issues pertaining to their background.
MUTT is a "support network for students of multicultural backgrounds to come together, in a comfortable environment where they can come talk about similar issues they all face," Pieters said.
Sophomore Josh Hwa, another club founder, said the club provides a place where "people get together with a common interest or common background."
"A lot of biracial kids grow up with no one to relate to," he said.
With an identity that spans more than one culture or race, students may feel that they do not fit in, according to sophomore Beth Mochizuki, who was also involved with the club's creation.
"I think, identity-wise, community-wise, there's no real space for being biracial, multiracial, or multiethnic here at Tufts... we're trying to create our own space," she said.
For next year, in addition to holding regular meetings, MUTT hopes to change the racial designations on Tufts' admissions application. "We want to lobby the administration to get the 'other' box removed from the form, and have a mixed race [box]," Pieters said.
The question of the box has also engaged groups such as the Arizona-based Association of Multi-Ethnic Americans, which fought to add such a category to the 2000 Census. For Mochizuki, whose father is Japanese and mother is white, the categories are narrow and non-inclusive.
"Usually, you have to check off just one [box] and then you have to pick Asian or Latin or whatever - you have to give up one side. No matter what, there should be a category. There's a large population that doesn't fit into one of those sections," Mochizuki said.
For Pieters, no individual box encapsulates her identity. "I fill in half of the black bubble and half of the Asian bubble - I'm not 'other,' my options are there," she said.
So far, the club has held one meeting, though its e-mail list has over 50 names. And already, a controversy has surfaced over the club's name, with some students taking offense to the acronym, which they call a racial slur.
"They feel that it's as negative a word as nigger or spic," Pieters said, adding that the group is looking into changing its name because it doesn't want to alienate possible participants.
Mochizuki, however, says the name is a positive reclamation of a slur. "I feel there are a whole bunch of instances in history where people claim a derogatory name to empower themselves," she said.
Pieters said the group members who have attended meetings are fairly diverse, though she said that most multiracial students at Tufts are a specific mix.
"I feel like there's a nice mix, although I do feel there's a larger number of half-white, half-Asian people on campus, so the membership is predominantly half-white and half-Asian," she said.
But Pieters says that club members with unique racial backgrounds still find a home in MUTT. "When people are mixed, they still have enough common ground to relate," she said.
The club is called "multicultural" because its members do not want to draw divisions between those of mixed race and mixed culture. Pieters points out, for example, that some Asians grow up around white students, providing for a mixed culture background.
"I don't want it to be seen as a separatist thing," she said. MUTT is welcoming to all people, she said, "it's important that it's multicultural, not just multiracial."
Next semester, the club hopes to hold various activities, invite speakers to campus, and attend conferences at other schools pertaining to mixed race or culture backgrounds.

TCUJ approves abundance of student groups

by LANANH NGUYEN
Daily Staff Writer

The Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) has recognized 13 new student organizations this semester, and continues to review applications submitted by other groups. These 13 approvals make for a total of 19 newly-recognized organizations this academic year.
"There are a lot of new groups - more than usual," junior Adam Biacchi, the TCUJ member responsible for new group recognition, said.
Biacchi attributed the high number of new clubs to the diversity of interests represented on the Tufts campus. "There are a lot of cultural organizations, and any cultures that don't have [a group] want one," he said. "Every language wants an organization, every major wants one... there's no limit to the imagination."
Many applicants noted that the recognition process was hurried this year. "The process was stressful because of the rush," said sophomore Abby Moffat, co-chair of the Women's Union at Tufts (WUT). "We only had one week."
Biacchi said that the TCUJ encouraged groups to complete their applications before the Feb. 1 deadline in order to be considered for next year's budget allocations. "We basically said, 'If you want a decent amount of money, it would be in your best interest to get recognition now.'"
In order to be recognized, a student organization must serve a unique function on campus. Sophomore Nico Juber founded the Tufts Mac Users Group (TuftsMUG) as a source of support for Macintosh users, an outlet that had not previously existed. "I know a lot of Mac users who have problems with their computers, and they have nowhere to go," Juber said. "I think it's a resource Tufts could benefit from."
New groups have to go through various administrative procedures, such as submitting a proposal, a budget, a constitution, and proof of adequate membership. "Getting my group recognized definitely involved a lot more steps and formalities than I had envisioned at the start," freshman Niki Luhur, president of Students for a Free Tibet, said. "You have to run through a lot of hula-hoops. I guess they're there to see if you're serious... It was a lot of busy work, and was a little discouraging, but it's stuff you have to do."
Junior Todd Scalia said that filling out the "useless paperwork" was "painstaking and unnecessary" and that it ultimately deterred his Aquarium Club from seeking recognition. Most recognized groups, however, are optimistic.
"We are very excited," sophomore Mary Ann Treist, founding member of Multiracial Student Organization for Students of Tufts (MOST), said. "Our group's main goal is to be a support for multiracial students, but we also hope to be very active in educating the tufts community about multiracial issues."
The new groups generally plan to expand their support base through programming and activities. MOST, for example, aims to set up a multiracial peer mentoring program, while WUT and TuftsMUG plan to bring speakers to campus.
The Chorale of Tufts University, formerly the Tufts Chorale, received official recognition after a push by members to gain more funding. In the past, Chorale members had to supply their own folders and music because of budget constraints. According to sophomore Jeff Rawitsch, the Chorale's efforts were expedited because of its status as a credited course offered by the University's music department. Rawitsch said that the group offers "a great opportunity for people who are interested in music to come together, even if they're not technically superior, and have a good time."
Other groups that gained recognition were the Swahili Club, the Latino Dance Troupe, and Fantoche, a puppetry group.
"I think there were some very worthwhile clubs approved, and I think a lot of them will be successful," said Biacchi. He noted that the No Homers Club and Tuftslife.com, two groups that were recognized last year, have been very active since their approval.
Recognition enables groups to poster on campus, reserve rooms in campus buildings, and use the Tufts name in naming their organizations.

The Tufts club scene
New clubs for the spring semester
by JOANNA FRIEDMAN
Daily Editorial Board

Have you ever wanted to learn Swahili, watch a Japanese cartoon, or sample delicacies from around the world? Well, now you can - clubs for each of these activities were started by Tufts students this semester.
Starting a club at Tufts is fairly straightforward - the prime step is gaining recognition from the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) in order to advertise and have meetings on campus. According to TCUJ Vice Chair Alison Clarke, groups must meet with Director of Student Activities Jodie Nealley, who gives out temporary, 30-day recognitions. During this time the group may reserve rooms on campus and put up flyers.
Anytime after temporary recognition, the group must meet with the TCUJ and present both a written constitution and a list of at least 15 members.
How difficult is it to gain recognition? According to Clarke, if a legitimate educational or cultural purpose is evident, not very.
"One group wanted to see movies [at a local movie theatre] every week. When we asked them if they were planning on having any discussion afterwards, they said no. We turned them down," Clarke said.
If a group is not recognized by the TCUJ, it can appeal to the Committee on Student Life, or can rework its constitution and try again. In order to receive University funds for a new group, founders must go to the Allocations Board of the Senate. New clubs this semester include:
Mac Users Group (MUG)
According to sophomore founder Nico Juber, the Mac Users Group (MUG) provides technical and social resources for Mac users on campus.
"We have a common bond because of the computers we use," Juber said.
MUG will have a web discussion board where people can post technical problems. Juber plans on hosting speakers and an "I-movie Fest," where Mac users can showcase their digital home videos. She hopes that groups from Northeastern, Boston College, Tufts, and Wellesley will come together to show their movies and compete. She also plans to set up workshops to "show people what they can do with their computer." This includes moviemaking and advanced computer science. The group already has a website - www.tuftsmug.org.
International Food Club (IFC)
Though only in the temporary recognition stage, senior and IFC founder Paul Salomon has brainstormed significantly for his club.
"When you think about different nationalities, the most interesting thing you can think about is food - everyone has their own ethnic food," Salomon said.
Salomon wants to have weekly events where anyone in the Tufts community can gather at different local ethnic restaurants, try the food, and discuss different cultures. He plans to ask the restaurants to sponsor the group in exchange for publicity on the Tufts campus, and says a group cookbook and online reviews might be in the works.
Salomon plans to bring recognition to the club with a bake-off or cook-off, taste tests judged by professors, and possibly even monetary prizes for the winners. He also says the group will have a community service aspect: he hopes to host a canned food drive and volunteer at soup kitchens.
Multiracial Organization of Students at Tufts (MOST)
Through discussion groups, panels on topics like cross-racial adoptions, speakers, and meetings, sophomore founder PJ Andrews hopes to "educate multiracial people and the Tufts community in general."
Andrews wants to work with SCOPE, the open house program for minority prospective students, so that multiracial students can stay with multiracial hosts when they visit Tufts. He also hopes to initiate a multiracial peer-leading program. In general, MOST will strive to generate awareness of multiracial backgrounds and conversation on campus.
"I think that the idea of how multiracial people fit in in this country is new; it hasn't been talked about enough. For a school like Tufts that values diversity, it's important to have that community on campus," Andrews said. "If there are clashing identities within you, how do you work that out?"
Explosion Latina
Sophomores Angie Pillier and Yakhira Encarnacion have decided to add their own brand of dance to the groups already at Tufts. According to Pillier, Explosion Latina will be a "Latino-oriented performance group, with dances from different Latin-American countries."
The group intends to hold auditions by choreographers within the next two weeks, and put on a show in April.
Swahili Club
Junior Jane Wahome is from Nairobi, Kenya, where Swahili is spoken, but even she believes she could improve her grammar and learn to write more fluently. While that may intimidate students who have never heard a word of Swahili, Wahome insists that the club is "very informal - just people hanging out and talking. Everyone's welcome."
Wahome and senior Lindsay Burton, co-founders of the Swahili Club, decided that they wanted to continue speaking the language after taking a Swahili class together.
Their group is comprised of native speakers as well as people interested in the language and culture of east Africa.
"The exchange is what's really fun," Wahome said. "We plan to discuss current issues, like the political climate, and have music on Sunday nights." Wahome plans to showcase all kinds of music, including Swahili rap and Arabian styles. The group hopes to host a prominent speaker sometime during the semester who can talk about Swahili history, culture, and language.
Anime
Co-founders and sophomores Dhruv Amin and Theo Benson wanted to start a club where "people can come together to watch and discuss Japanese animation."
According to Amin, "There are movies shown locally but people don't know about them." Amin and Benson hope to make Anime, or Japanese animated cartoons, accessible for the Tufts community.
The group is looking into a series to start Sunday called "Cowboy Bebop." They plan to show two to four episodes a week, for about 40 minutes each.
The club is informal according to Amin. "You can come in, talk for ten minutes, then we'll show a cartoon and possibly a movie," he said. "We want to give people an area to watch a high-quality anime for free."
Tufts Womens' Union (WUT)
Sophomore Abby Moffat and co-chairs Julia Karol and Amy Spindel started the WUT after realizing the need for a non-partisan women's group at Tufts, whose main goals were "education, leadership, and support."
"In the year that I have been a co-chair of the Tufts Feminist Alliance, I have had dozens of students, both men and women, tell me that TFA did not speak for them; that they needed somewhere to go, a group concerned with women's issues, where they could talk openly about these things," Moffat said. "As soon as I mentioned the idea of a women's group that carried no religious, ethnic, or political affiliation, the response I received was so overwhelming and positive that I knew that such a group was badly needed."
With help from the TCUJ, Moffat dug out an old "Tufts Women's Collective" constitution. She wanted to start a club "where the liaisons of all the current women's groups could come together with other women interested in women's issues."
"We rarely see women in leadership on this campus. Rarely does Tufts invite big speakers who are female. We all need role models, we all need mentors," Moffat said. "Hopefully WUT will be able to invite some speakers, maybe even Tufts alumnae, to come and talk to us about what it means to be a woman at Tufts, and how she made it doing whatever it is she does."
Moffat also plans to start a mentor system, go on retreats, and have open forums to exchange ideas.