When the university announced 12 days ago that Office of Student Activities Director Jodie Nealley had been fired due to allegations that she embezzled an estimated $300,000 from Tufts, most Jumbos were surprised if not outright shocked to hear the news.
Nealley, whose office controlled the student activities fund, handled cash for box office events and oversaw an assortment of cash operations, and dealt regularly and worked closely with students of all kinds, including student workers, leaders of student organizations and members of student government.
Her interaction with students made her firing and the attached accusations hit even closer to home for those who knew her.
After nearly two weeks - and a five-day break to digest the news - the community's reaction to the incident is mixed. Students interviewed expressed disappointment about the situation and how it might affect the university but were split on whether the result would ultimately be positive change or simply a damaged reputation.
For many, like sophomore Pooja Phull, the incident was a wake-up call.
"I was definitely surprised," she said. "Tufts is a ... community where a lot of great things are happening ... It's a very open environment, and it's just hard to believe someone would do something to damage that."
Senior Michael Cronin agreed.
"I was really disappointed that someone in her position would take advantage of students in that way," he said. "We as students put a lot of trust in the administration and faculty. To think that someone would abuse their position in that way is really disheartening."
But while they agreed that the incident was surprising, students were split on its larger implications. Some students interviewed saw the incident as a chance to examine how the university handles finances as a whole, with so much money changing hands.
"It does make me worry," Cronin said. "It seems like [embezzlement] was very easy for someone to do, if they were in the mind to do that."
Junior Jenny Weitz was similarly suspicious.
"It makes you think that anybody could be willing or able to take advantage of their job," she said. "And it's our money, [the money] that we pay to go here."
Weitz said she thinks Tufts should be careful to make sure all financial transactions are strictly scrutinized.
"When you have a single person dealing with so much money, temptation comes into play," she said.
Sophomore Christine Kim said it is na've to assume that Tufts is immune to the types of problems that large institutions tend to face.
"I don't think Tufts is a utopian world free from things of this kind," she said. "We tend to think of Tufts as an institution with higher morals ... I think it's good to hold Tufts to a high standard, but you can't assume Tufts will be perfect forever ... There will be blemishes on its history."
Senior Evan Barnathan agreed.
"I think this could happen anywhere," he said. "It's troublesome, because you don't really expect it, especially at a place like Tufts. That's the moment when something like this can happen: when you're not vigilant and not paying attention."
Other students saw the incident as isolated and were glad that Tufts was able to discover the issue before it became more serious. According to Tufts officials, Nealley had admitted to taking a smaller amount of money when the university confronted her following discovery of financial discrepancies; though the university's current estimate of the amount embezzled has reached approximately $300,000, her employment was terminated following the initial confrontation.
Phull said she doesn't think Nealley's firing reflects a larger concern for financial security at Tufts.
"I'm a positive person," Phull said. "I've had a lot of good experiences with the faculty here, and I definitely trust the people at Tufts. I'm hoping this is an isolated incident. I'm optimistic that it is."
Several students saw a silver lining in that Nealley's prompt firing could deter others who might be tempted toward dishonesty.
"Maybe if other people were doing anything dishonest before this, now they'll stop," Phull said.
Graduate student Jenny Foo agreed.
"It's a good deterrence for other people who are in finance positions throughout Tufts," Foo said.
But for Foo, the incident is still a good chance for Tufts to improve its security policies.
"It'll be important to look at how the school handles this process and if they make any significant changes," she said.
Most students interviewed agreed with Foo that they would like to see increased transparency and scrutiny when it comes to transfer of money within the university.
"After this incident, it would be kind of nice to see where all of our money is going. The administration could make clearer how our money is divided and used," Kim said.
She said that Tufts could offer a public breakdown of what percentage of students' tuitions go to various university expenditures, such as research, student activities and other expenses.
"If anyone were to ever want that info, it would be nice to have available," she said.
For Cronin, broader, less concrete changes are needed.
"I think it's just a matter of being vigilant," he said. "And that wherever there's someone dealing with money in that way, there's good oversight, good bookkeeping."
Students were also split on whether the incident will have a larger impact on the public's perception of Tufts. Phull said the incident, while disappointing, won't be a problem for Tufts in the long run.
I think every school has its scandals," Phull said. "I don't think there's any university that doesn't. I don't think it's going to have a huge damaging impact on the school or the school's reputation.
"This was one person that made a bad choice in a huge community of people who make good choices," she added.
Barnathan wasn't worried either.
"I'm not terribly worried about the school's reputation," he said. "There is so much going on at Tufts and so much success; this is something that will affect Tufts' reputation, but it's not something that will make or break it."
Cronin, however, had a different take. To him, the story - which spread to national media sources such as the Boston Globe and the New York Times after Tufts' announcement - casts the university in a negative light.
"It's definitely harmful to Tufts as a whole," he said. "My parents at home heard about it; it was in the Boston Globe. That's really damaging to a community that has been trying to build up its image."
Either way, Barnathan said, the incident will have negative impacts on a smaller scale.
"For the Tufts community, it will hurt a little bit," said Barnathan, who works at the Rez coffee shop and is a member of the Amalgamates - both of which had financial oversight from Nealley.
"It's just sad for the students who pour their heart into what they do every day and depend on Tufts' money to do it," he said.
