From the outgoing TCU president | A united community

When I first had the opportunity to write my reflections for last year's Commencement issue of the Daily, I struggled to find a topic that would express my excitement about beginning my term as president of the Tufts Community Union (TCU), while also maintaining relevance to issues we were all facing on campus. In the end, I decided to focus my thoughts on our Tufts community and how we, as individuals, come together in a variety of ways to create that community.

Today, as I have the opportunity to reflect on the past year, I want to continue to build on the theme of community - incorporating many of the lessons I've learned while having the privilege of serving as your TCU president. This year, and over the previous two years, I have had incredible experiences at Tufts that have helped me to change and grow in a multitude of ways. That, in my opinion, is the job of institutions of higher learning - to accept students each year, challenge them to grow in all areas of their lives and release them with the skills necessary to improve and learn from the world around them.

Along this journey, learning does not take place solely in the classroom - rather, we learn much about ourselves and those around us outside of the stone and plaster walls of the buildings on the quad. And it is those experiences outside of the classroom that build our larger Tufts community - the one which I, and others, speak of frequently. It has been through my experiences this year that I have learned the impact that each and every one of us has on the building, and shaping, of the Tufts community.

This community is amorphous; it does not reside in any one place, and there is no singular definition that is able to adequately characterize this community and the people who make it come alive. After spending a year working with a cross-section of people in our community - students, staff, faculty and administrators - I have come to the realization that our community and what it represents are in the eyes of the beholder. Talk with 10 Tufts students or administrators and you will receive 10 definitions of our Tufts community.

However, this does not mean that we have no community at Tufts. As I discussed in my first viewpoint a year ago, I firmly believe that our strength as a community is in our diversity in thought, background, ethnicity, religion, race or any of the multitude of areas. Much of the strength of our community comes from the variety within it, but as we have seen, the diversity within our community can also be used to divide.

That said, as I finish my third year on the Hill, I have come to learn one very important lesson about our community - each of us, knowingly or unknowingly, has an equal and profound effect upon it. We help shape the Tufts community each and every day. This community is formed in the words we do or do not say to each other. Each letter to the editor or op-ed piece shapes our community. We leave our mark in events we choose to attend or not attend, and in the petitions we do or do not sign. Even our own ambivalence about events and issues on campus has an effect on the Tufts community.

In that sense, we all have an equal share in what goes on during our time here, and what the community we build and shape will say about us. Whether we bide our time studying in the library, working out in the gym, serving as leaders of organizations, serving as members of those organizations or doing none of the above, we make decisions every day that impact others - and that ultimately impact our experience at Tufts.

In my opinion, this is the message that often gets lost in our discussions about community. Each and every one of us has a stake in this community and in the direction it goes. While student leaders and administrators may seem to be the tone-setters of campus, they are only individuals within our community, and thus have an equal say in the shape our community takes.

As issues of community and our values continue to be discussed, as they will for years in the future, it is important to remember that we are all responsible for the ethos of this community. No one is able to say that they are not a part of the community, or that they have no say in our community values. It is in the decisions we make - including the decision to be uninvolved or uninformed - that define our community and its values.

Having had the opportunity to serve as the president of the TCU Senate this year has been an amazing experience. I have met and have had the privilege to work with some of the most incredible, hardworking people I have ever known. But a year has passed and it is time to welcome another president and another Senate that, I am confident, will work to make the student experience next year even better than it was during my time as president. As this year comes to a close and next year looms on the horizon, I can say confidently that I am excited about next year - not because I will be free of panicked 3 a.m. phone calls about Fall Ball, but because I know that my place in this community, and my ability to make change at Tufts for the better, is secure no matter what position or title I hold.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve you all this year. I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to have this opportunity, and I only hope to continue to work to better our community in the coming year. I hope you'll join me in this journey.



Neil DiBiase is a junior majoring in history. He is the outgoing TCU Senate president.