Anthropology, religion depts. celebrate move to Eaton Hall

    Tufts' religion and anthropology departments officially settled into their new homes in Eaton Hall yesterday, christening their offices with a celebration attended by professors, students and University President Lawrence Bacow.
    The departments will share the third floor in Eaton Hall, previously home to the political science department.
    Professors Kevin Dunn and David Guss, chairs of the religion and anthropology departments, respectively, expressed satisfaction with the new space and the opportunity to share the office.
    "This is not a ceremony for two different departments, but a celebration of sharing the land, sharing intellectual space," Dunn said. "It is a marriage made in heaven."
    The departments were previously housed at 126 Curtis Street, a location that is considerably removed from Tufts' main campus, Guss said. At their new Eaton Hall location, both centers have the capability to expand and become more active voices in the Tufts academic arena.
    Renovations to Eaton's third floor were completed over the summer to make the setting more hospitable for both students and professors. The space features open conference rooms, windowed offices, a coffee bar and a glass display case for antiquities donated by Religion Professor Emeritus Howard Hunter.
    Prior to the facelift, Guss said the third floor closely resembled a Motel 6.
    Eaton is by no means new to religion and anthropology faculty; the basement of the building once housed the departments for 20 years, according to Guss. But the previous Eaton Hall basement was not at all an ideal working environment, Guss said.
    The new space, however, offers a good fit for the relatively small departments. Political science faculty and staff moved to the newly refurbished Packard Hall over the summer after the department's considerable growth.
    Guss said the university was "doing an impressive job" figuring out how to effectively accommodate the growth of maturing academic departments in a tight economy.
    Prominent members of both departments and the broader Tufts community attended the celebration for the departments' move.
    Bacow read a brief statement from the Talmud, and Hunter read a favorite poem to celebrate the move. University Chaplain David O'Leary recounted dozens of noteworthy religious events, ending at "the ninth year of the reign of Lawrence Bacow," to commemorate this critical development for the departments.
    Dunn said the new space complemented the growing value of studying religion, which has become even more pertinent thanks to today's explosive religious conflicts. "The study of religion is increasingly important," Dunn said.
    As a housewarming gesture, the departments followed a Palestinian tradition of placing a wreath made of dough and flowers over the department entryway to bring good fortune to both departments in the future.
    Guss read a Spanish proverb by Saint John and placed a piece of parchment featuring the traditional Spanish verse behind a plaque on the department doorway to bring good fortune to all students.
    Later in the ceremony, Dunn, the religion department's chair, honored Hunter for his pioneering attitude and his role in encouraging the growth of Tufts' religion department.
    "When religion was not modish, he persevered single-handedly," Dunn said.
    Bacow emphasized the responsibility of students to "inspire their faculty." To celebrate the growth of student interest in the two departments, Bacow read a proverb from the Talmud: "I have learnt much from my teachers, more from my fellow students, and most from my students."
    The ceremony concluded with a musical march through the new department offices.