Fat Tuesday isn't until February, but Mardi Gras beads have been circulating around Tufts for the past few weeks. Theta Chi and the Leonard Carmichael Society [LCS] have joined forces to sell the beads to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, while at the same time remembering what New Orleans is known for.
"Some of the brothers in Theta Chi know some people in New Orleans. Right off the bat we had the idea of starting off the semester with a fundraiser," said junior and Theta Chi brother Tim Pineau, one of the coordinators of the fundraiser. "We kicked around the idea of Mardi Gras beads, thought it sounded good, and Jason Perera [a brother] went out and found a place to buy the beads."
Pineau said that Theta Chi's partnership with LCS was intended to strengthen the fraternity's philanthropic effort. "Greek organizations are founded on brotherhood and philanthropy," he said. "Partnering with other organizations [like LCS] is definitely a plus, because the more resources you have, the bigger and better it can be."
Some students, however, have lukewarm feelings about the message sent by the sale of the beads - which are traditionally associated with bared breasts. Some students raised the issue with LCS.
"There is definitely a stigma associated with Mardi Gras beads, and it may not be sending the best of messages [to sell them to raise money for hurricane victims]," senior Lizzy Mendes said. "If I was from Louisiana, I would probably be a little pissed if all someone thought of was crazy partying and girls flashing everyone just for beads."
Mendes was quick to add, though, that in times of crisis, causing offense may not be much of an issue "Then again, if my house had just been washed away, I don't think it would really matter," she said.
Sociology Professor Susan Ostrander - who specializes in philanthropy, class and race and teaches in the Women's Studies Department as a sociology professor said the sale of the beads is not offensive.
"[During Mardi Gras], crossing gender lines is one of the themes, so women and men and transgender people alike deck themselves out with as many beads as their bodies can hold," Ostrander said. "So how could it be offensive to anyone?"
According to Pineau, students at Tufts have not reacted negatively. "The vast majority of people that I have spoken to, including students and faculty, have said that they didn't personally feel that it was offensive or insensitive," he said.
In fact, Theta Chi and LCS have received thanks directly from one victim of Katrina. "Just the other day, someone from Louisiana sent one of our brothers an e-mail, and he could not express his gratitude enough," Pineau said. "This was someone directly affected by the hurricane, and he saw all of the charity going on. He wasn't focused on what the charities were; he was just astounded that so many people would be trying so hard to raise so much money."
Education about what happened to the people of New Orleans could perhaps have a more important and long-lasting impact than selling beads, Ostrander said. "If you are going to distribute beads to benefit hurricane relief efforts," she said, "I'd hope you will also find a way to use the opportunity to educate people about one of the most profound lessons learned from Katrina: that the abandonment of the poor people of New Orleans, most of whom were African American, is a national disgrace, and not one that is new."
"That is the terrible shame of Katrina," she added.
On Sept. 28, the Black Cultural Studies Seminar Lecture Series will present "Tossed Overboard: Katrina, Incarceration, and the Politics of Abandonment." This lecture is the third listed on Tuftslife.com in the weeks since the disaster happened.
"I'd be more likely to attend a panel [than to buy beads]," sophomore Bobby Gianchandani said. "If I go to the panel, I would feel like I had played a more active part in the relief efforts, instead of buying some beads on my way to dinner."
Although many students find nothing offensive about the fundraiser, Giandchandani is not the only student to question whether selling Mardi Gras beads is an ideal way to raise funds.
"Unlike the rubber wristbands, the beads are not a convenient or attractive thing for most people to wear to advertise their involvement in Katrina relief," sophomore Ben Brooks said. "No one wants to wear gaudy beads on a regular basis to be associated with the cause."
Mendes also doubted the beads' effectiveness. "There are so many things that can be done to raise money," she said. "Why does it have to be these beads? At least they aren't trying to sell any more of those freaking rubber bracelets."
Mendes conceded, however, that "anything that is helping a good cause can't be bad."
