ADAM PULVER/WHAT'S GOING ON?

President Bacow has often commented on the affinity he has for my class, the Class of 2005, as we started our careers at Tufts together in Fall 2001. Now, the members of the Class of 2005 are upperclassmen. Our first two years of nonchalant acceptance are over, and it is time for us to make a serious impression on the University. The same holds true for President Bacow. For most of my time here, students have had very positive impressions of the President and his job as President.

However, since the harsh email sent after Naked Quad Run last year, his stock amongst students has been falling. At the same time, the visibility President Bacow had at undergraduate student-focused functions has been waning. Bacow has not been active in creating and pursuing an agenda for change, leaving that to organs like the Task Force on Undergraduate Experience. Therefore, I have compiled five suggestions for President Bacow on ways he can step it up as an upperclassman, and perhaps regain the affinity students used to have for him.

1. Teach! -- Tufts is a school that prides itself on its entire faculty teaching, and teaching undergraduates. While President Bacow has served as a freshman adviser, has three graduate degrees from Harvard, has authored and co-authored four books, and holds appointments in five different departments in three schools, he has yet to teach a class at Tufts. Understandably, he has a lot on his plate, so perhaps he could co-teach a class a la his predecessor John DiBiaggio. While we're discussing teaching, I for one would love to take a class with Tufts' First Lady, Adele Fleet Bacow, herself an experienced, renowned urban planner.

2. Be paternal, but not overly so. -- President Bacow is in a unique position, in that he is close in age to many of our parents, and has children not far removed from college. That makes it easy for him to relate to us, and us to him. But while the University does act en loco parentis in some circumstances, a university president has to accept that he cannot control all aspects of student behavior. For example, Naked Quad Run will never be stopped. It can be reshaped and modified, but the basic premise of the event, naked drunk people running around campus, is not going to change. President Bacow's energies would be far more usefully directed at things like improving the safety of off-campus housing, keeping costs of attendance as low as possible, and streamlining bureaucratic procedures. Rather than serve as an authoritative figure, he should focus on being our advocate, particularly with the hostile communities that surround us.

3. Lighten up. -- Unfortunately, most of the time we hear from President Bacow is in relation to unpleasantries. It's great to see him in more relaxed, casual settings, like with his morning runs, the Boston Marathon training, and the annual Pancake Breakfast. But it would be better if we could see the President at more ordinary, pleasant occasions, unrelated to big donors, tragedy, or discipline. Perhaps showing us his mad skills at events like Fall Ball or the occasional Club Hotung? I personally think that we need to see the duo of Larry and Jamshed take the campus by storm on a weekly TUTV program reminiscent of the Odd Couple, but I don't think that's going to happen.

4. Remember it's not all about the Benjamins. -- Yes, Tufts does need to increase its endowment, a message that's been continuously drummed into our heads since matriculation. And, yes, Bacow was selected President partly based on his prospective ability to fundraise. However, the President is more than just CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of the University. He should aggressively represent the goals and ideals of the University, even if it is at the risk of annoying prospective donors (for example, in last year's case of the TUAA and Liz Monnin.) As we have all heard Alan Macdougal say, we are the alumni (and big donors) of tomorrow. Stick up for us now and make us feel this is our university, and you will see rewards in the future. The student body at Tufts is very different from that of 25 and 30 years ago. We are more diverse geographically, ethnically, and racially. We are less conservative in many ways. The President's job is to work with this Tufts, not cow tow to those clinging to the regional commuter liberal arts school of the past.

5. Take a stand, and make it often. -- The President is the voice of Tufts University. Students, faculty, and staff look to him to hear educated well-reasoned views on current hot topics. I'm not looking for a John Silber (the infamously outspoken tyrant and soon-to-be former Chancellor of BU), who silenced those on-campus who disagreed with him. However, I'd love to see President Bacow passionate about something besides drunken students and running. As an active leader and participant in discussions surrounding the issues he cares about, President Bacow will have more success in achieving his goals. Who is Larry Bacow besides a nice guy who runs? It's time for him to show us.

Adam Pulver is a junior majoring in Political Science and Community Health. He can be reached at pulver@tuftsdaily.com.