In February 1990, Tufts administration announced projected cuts in financial aid up to $500,000. A week after the announcement, Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate unanimously called for full student participation in a boycott of classes and a rally in front of Ballou Hall on Feb. 15, demanding that the administration meet the financial aid needs of incoming students.
According to a Feb. 16, 1990 article in the Daily, over 1,000 students took part in the hour-long protest in snow and sleet, arguing that the shortfall of financial aid would compromise the student diversity. The article noted that most faculty expressed sympathy for the financial aid cause. The administration argued that there were financial constraints preventing it from increasing the amount of aid.