University President Sunil Kumar joined members of the Tufts Community Union Senate in hosting a panel discussion on student advocacy and preprofessional student groups on Nov. 20. Led by TCU President Joel Omolade, a senior, and Class of 2027 Senator Isabela Silvares Lima, the event was largely attended by presidents of advocacy groups and preprofessional organizations on campus.
“Our main goal as a whole for our organization was to make sure that there’s more opportunities and dialogue for student organization leaders just to be able to talk to President Kumar,” Omolade said.
Silvares Lima first asked Kumar how Tufts can better support preprofessional organizations with networking and overall success in their fields.
“I think for our preprofessional programs the most important thing, which my office is happy to facilitate if the preprofessional clubs would like, is to actually engage with the [Tufts] professional schools,” Kumar said.
Omolade then turned to how the results of the 2024 election will impact students’ lives at Tufts.
“I think I would be lying if I said it would have no impact,” Kumar said.
Kumar discussed immigration and visas, something he noted he personally experienced as a student immigrating to the United States for graduate school. He also referenced the immigration bans enacted by President-elect Donald Trump’s past administration.
“Can you imagine The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy consisting solely of American students?” Kumar remarked. “That’s an example of where not only the university will do the best it can, but it will work with other universities to do the best it can.”
Kumar also noted the large amount of research funding, roughly $250 million, Tufts receives from the federal government each year.
“[We are] ensuring that we don’t lose momentum on research [and] that we are able to make the case to the federal government that this research be funded,” Kumar said.
Silvares Lima then focused on the question of how the university will deal with potential changes surrounding immigration for international or undocumented students.
“We will make the case as to why they are important for the university [and] continue to fight for their visas,” Kumar said. “We want to support our students the best we can, to the fullest extent to which we have discretion … we did this in 2016 to the extent we could, and we’re trying to do it again.”
Omolade then refocused the conversation on advocacy groups, inquiring about the future of advocacy on campus in reference to the several advocacy club presidents present in the room.
Kumar began with a reassurance to advocacy clubs that while he might not always agree with them, he always hears them.
“Some of the advocacy groups would probably be annoyed with me for not having always agreed with them. And I just want to reassure you that it is not to imply that I have not heard it — I have,” he said.
Kumar then responded directly to how the university views advocacy on campus.
“I think the best way in which students who go to an institution like Tufts can help advocacy efforts because the numbers are not large, is by using word and thought … the written word can be very powerful.”
Omolade then asked Kumar how the university will help students from underrepresented backgrounds pursue careers in medicine and law.
“Too many people at Tufts get their next job or interview because of networks that are outside of the university. And not everybody has these networks,” Kumar said. “The idea is, how can we partner with both our own graduate schools but also other graduate schools in pipeline programs that would showcase our students for them? I’m firmly confident that if we showcase our students … they will get the opportunities that they deserve.”
Silvares Lima closed the conversation by asking Kumar how he will keep the dialogue going between himself, his staff and students. Kumar responded by asking students to contact their departments, deans and himself.
“We’re always happy to chat, even when the conversations are difficult,” he said.
The discussion then opened for student questions, focusing on student group funding, climate justice and more. The first question asked how Tufts will combat the decrease in diversity caused by the recent overturning of affirmative action in college admissions. In response, Kumar stated that he has had discussions with Dean of Admissions JT Duck to tackle the issue.
“It is very hard for us to convince people that we meet demonstrated financial need,” Kumar said. “They don’t believe they can afford to come here.”
Kumar also noted that the university largely accepts students from cities in the Northeast including Washington D.C., New York City and Boston.
“If you want to have a very diverse student body, you have to cast your net wider than that,” he said.
Later in the conversation, sophomore Zach Zinman, president of Tufts Democrats, asked how the university would maintain free speech on campus if they were to adopt a policy of institutional neutrality. Kumar responded by defining institutional neutrality in his own words.
“The institution should not take sides in debates that do not directly affect its mission, teaching or research,” Kumar said. “It means that if there is a policy that’s going to affect us, like immigration, which we don’t like, we are perfectly free to advocate against it [and] to push back within the limits of the law.”
The meeting ended with both members of the TCU Senate and Kumar stating that they intend for the dialogue to continue.
