Editor’s note: As of publication, the cannon has been repainted with political messages.
There are some aspects of campus lore that are simply iconic, like Jumbo’s tail, Professor David Proctor and a capella riff-offs. The cannon, for one, is probably the most interactive piece of Jumbo life students have. The times I’ve painted the cannon have been some of the most fun I’ve ever had at Tufts. Listening to music with your club friends, looking up at the stars, trying to write neat letters in paint without getting any on your clothes — painting the cannon is a great bonding activity as well as a nice pastime. The messages on the cannon are constantly changing, with student organizations advertising their events or writing political calls to action. The cannon is a physical object that displays what students are engaging in on campus. So, when the cannon is reset to dull, basic gray over the summer, it’s a reminder of the painting that is yet to come. And the second students come back to campus, the color gray is nowhere to be found. Or so I thought.
On Wednesday morning, a facilities worker in a Tufts jacket was spotted by students painting the cannon a sheet of gray. This came after two days of political back-and-forth between Tufts students, with the cannon as the medium.
On Sunday night, Tufts Republicans painted the cannon white, using red and blue over the solid base to write the messages “TUFTS ❤️S TRUMP!” and “MAGA!” Tufts Republicans didn’t stop there. The club posted a photo to Instagram, tagging The Tufts Daily, The Zamboni, Tufts Democrats, CIVIC and the official University account in their caption. Of course, the post received some attention, with The Zamboni posting a hilarious satirical post on Instagram about it.
The same night, a group of anonymous students repainted the cannon black and orange with a variety of messages, including “DIVEST” — a call for colleges to divest from Israeli companies and companies with direct ties to the country — and “LAND BACK” — a call to return colonized land to Indigenous people. These statements were covered up on Wednesday morning.
This is the first time in my memory that Tufts has ever painted over the cannon in the middle of the school year, and I certainly do not think that the decision to do so now is just happenstance. One of the messages on the anonymous students’ paint job concerned activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who helped organize protests in support of Palestine. Encampments at Columbia went viral last year, with students on dozens of college campuses (including Tufts) erecting their own in support of Palestine and their fellow students. Removing student encampments became a violent affair, with student activists facing disciplinary actions at their institutions. Now, the administration of President Donald Trump has decided to get involved, revoking $400 million in federal grants and contracts for Columbia. The reasoning? A perceived allowance of antisemitism (via students protesting for Palestine) on campus. Khalil himself was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials this week for potential deportation, despite possessing a green card.
The Trump administration has now opened an investigation into Tufts, among other universities, on the grounds of antisemitism, which could be interpreted as a threat to federal funding to the university. It is not surprising that Tufts is becoming even more wary of student protests in this context. Even mentioning Khalil’s name or calls for divestment could land the university in trouble with the Trump administration. But, that does not make it right for the Tufts administration to dictate what students can or cannot say.
The tradition of painting the cannon began with student activism in the 1970s, though the Dean of Students Office’ official webpage seems to ignore this fact. As a civically minded campus, Tufts teaches students how to be civically engaged and care about world issues. This includes engagement with and facilitation of protests. I myself have taken a class on the history of civil disobedience protests, which detailed how to create sustained resistance movements. If Tufts prides itself on its commitment to civic engagement and teaches its students how to involve themselves, then it would be inappropriate to regulate how and when students choose to be civically engaged by covering up their political expression. Painting the cannon itself is a very tame and normalized way to speak up on campus. How, then, can Tufts justify covering up nonviolent, typical student speech?
I believe that educational institutions should resist the political will of the U.S. government, even if that means risking loss of funding. Otherwise, education becomes a propaganda tool to mold curious, smart and civically-minded students into adults who cannot critically think about their government, their place in the world or their moral compass. Whether you support Tufts Republicans or the anonymous students, this action by Tufts should make you angry. It should make you question what your institutions are standing for. Most of all, it should inspire you to get out your spray cans.
