Good will comes neither free nor easy. As college students live intermingled with town residents, it would be na've to expect both populations to cohabitate without incident.
After having Tufts' reputation in the surrounding community devastated by the events following Fall Ball and Senior Pub Night, our own small community of do-gooders has been actively trying to mend fences.
Certainly, Community Day could not have come at a better time to reverse the downward trend in town-gown relations. Also encouraging was the well-attended town-hall meeting organized by the TCU Senate yesterday.
However, in the recent discussion about the relationship between Tufts, Medford and Somerville, the most basic concern of our own community - safety - has largely been ignored in favor of a rant decrying our irresponsible behavior of late. This is not meant to condone such behavior; an editorial in these very pages came out strongly against the events of Fall Ball and Senior Pub Night, and the Daily stands by that opinion.
Yet the conversation goes both ways. Two crimes against Tufts students in the past week have raised a new side of town-gown relations and directed the pressure outward from our own campus.
While Tufts has its own police presence that works closely with the Medford and Somerville Police Departments, one must recognize that our campus is not a self-contained entity. As Tufts is reliant on the services of the surrounding towns, we have an expectation that our fellow students and faculty are kept safe. Given the recent burglaries and assaults occurring near and in our campus community, the towns of Medford and Somerville should realize that community relations take place along a two-way street.
Especially when safety is concerned, response from both parties must be swift. An increased police presence around the fringes of campus is appropriate. Devoting more resources to safety concerns in our area is, too.
Without being unreasonable, residents of the surrounding towns should look at what Tufts provides - increased business, constant rental demand, valuable public resources, etc. - and decide if such benefits warrant a little reciprocity in community relations.
Make no mistake: It is commendable that our community has attempted to put the needs of the surrounding residents before our own. In doing so, we may even have partially made up for whatever misdeeds some members of our community have inflicted upon our neighbors.
But it should not be inappropriate for us to expect equal standing when negotiating for a more peaceable environment in which to live - especially when our most basic needs are not being met.
