Tufts University heralds itself as a diverse school and it is this diversity that serves as the backbone for our education. If you believe in diversity at Tufts, then you believe that each student is a unique fiber in the fabric that is our student body. Each person has something different to contribute to our academic community, and we all benefit from this amalgam of opinions and experiences.
But don't take this all from me, take it from a section of our mission statement: "We value a diverse community of women and men of different races, religions, geographic origins, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, personal characteristics, and interests - where differences are understood and respected."
I fear that one aspect of diversity at Tufts is being unjustly attacked by some students - religion. These students attempt to portray the various world religions as nothing more than a mish-mash of archaic traditions and beliefs honoring various deities. Instead of respecting and honoring the wide array of thoughts presented by various religions, students are quick to chastise religious beliefs solely based on the lack of scientific merit. I think that such simplistic thinking can be very harmful to the idea of respecting and understanding other beliefs.
Race, color, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background all have the potential to shape who a person is; however, it cannot be assumed that a person is defined indefinitely by these. A homosexual can disagree with everything another homosexual believes in, despite their common sexual identity. An Asian-American student can agree with everything an African-American student believes in, despite the obvious differences in race and color.
Religion is different. Religion not only has the potential to shape who a person is, it must be assumed that religion will shape who a person is. This assumption must be made because faith in a religion is predicated on adhering to whatever beliefs that religion propagates. In many cases, religion is the foremost force in defining who a person is and how he or she views the world.
In an article a few weeks back, a student proposed that Tufts stop funding religious organizations on campus. The argument I found most absurd was, "If anyone of these groups does know the 'right' and 'true' structure of our religious lives, then every other group is necessarily wrong."
Whether or not a religion is "right" or "wrong" is irrelevant because Tufts is not looking to fund the right religion or the wrong religion. Tufts is looking to fund an academic atmosphere that is habitable for all beliefs, and the continued funding of religious groups is essential to maintaining this atmosphere. If the Tufts administration was to deny funding to religious groups, they would be stripping away one of the more definitive aspects of the student body.
The Tufts administration is not investing in the advancement of one religion or religion as a whole. They are investing in diversity, investing in our education, investing in us.
