John K. Atsalis' op-ed on March 3 ("Why I am not donating to the Tufts Student Fund") questioned "just what 'active citizenship' is and whether we are truly stepping up or only going through the motions." This question, in my opinion, is completely irrelevant. I cannot speak for all of those who supported the TSF, but I can tell you that my intentions were, and still are, legitimate and earnest. I personally know 14 of the 19 sponsors of the full-page Daily ads and I can tell you that their intentions were also sound and that they were not, as clearly exhibited by their actions, just "going through the motions." Atsalis also brought up the issue of "what 'active citizenship' is," yet he never answered it. I'd like to lend my voice to that discussion.
The bottom line is that the TSF embodied everything that the students at Tufts University claim to stand for. We Tufts students say that we advocate for community, equality and a love for one's fellow man. In this regard, I believe you are right, John. Some of the things we as Tufts students do are simply for the sake of "the motions." Some of us do things to beef up a résumé or to say that we had amazing experiences while doing them. I would hardly consider this, however, a reflection of most of the student body. Most students here at Tufts do the things they do for all of the right reasons. I believe that the students at Tufts are good, honest people who truly want to do the right thing. We go to all ends of the earth in order to help our fellow man and we spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to do it. These are all very noble causes and make a true impact on the world in which we live. We also help our own country, our local communities and the families that live in them through our day-to-day actions.
Understanding what being an "active citizen" truly means is very difficult, and I will not pretend to understand it completely. I will say this, however: Being an active citizen does not mean that you have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars. Active citizenship is not a simple thing, but rather, I believe that it is broad and all-encompassing and also possesses unlimited potential.
Someone from an affluent background can be an active citizen. By the same token, someone who is completely without wealth or power can also be one. You don't need to establish your own charity, endow a college, contribute multiple millions of dollars to AIDS research or make an expensive trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica to be an active citizen. All of these initiatives are wonderful things to do, but our abilities as students, and for that matter as people, to make a difference extend far beyond such narrowly defined measures.
If giving up your morning coffee so that the $2 that it would cost can go to a cause larger than yourself is all you can do, then doing that constitutes active citizenship. Making a conscious effort to think of your fellow man and being aware of the possible ramifications of your actions is what it means to be an active citizen. To be an active citizen is to be responsible and accept the obligation to think and act on things that benefit your community, country or world. The TSF was something that we all could be a part of to make a difference in our own community.
Here is the question I pose to you, reader of this op-ed: Do you really need that third cup of coffee from the Tower Café that doesn't even open until noon anyway? Do you really need that bag of chips from the vending machine? Do you really need to get fries with those chicken fingers from the Commons? Even that $1 or $1.50 could make a difference in someone's life.
It isn't that hard. All it takes is a little bit of time and a sacrifice that is ultimately inconsequential in our daily lives. The TSF, or any other charity for that matter, was not the fix for this country's flawed views of class, inequality and poverty. Yes, the TSF was a bandage for a much larger wound. However, it was a step in the right direction; it was a step toward establishing wider active citizenship. The least we can do is to start thinking about these things.
If we try to do something great, we will quite possibly fail. Yet if we never try at all, we will most assuredly fail. The issues of class and inequality cannot be fixed overnight. We as a community, however, can take this small step toward solutions.
A mentor of mine has a philosophy that he has always lived by. I too live by this philosophy of "sending the elevator back down." When we are met with success or victory, it is our duty to allow others to achieve the same success. It is our obligation to press the proverbial down button and allow others to see the same successes that we have been blessed with. This mentor does college-access work and sends the elevator back down on a daily basis. He impacts the lives of young people every day and allows them the same opportunities that he was provided. He is an active citizen in its truest form. Even now that the campaign for the TSF is over, it is not too late to make a difference. I am sending the elevator back down. I hope that you will join me.
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