Talking about class

    TCU President Duncan Pickard wrote an op-ed in the Daily on Nov. 7 that called for a campus-wide discussion of social class at Tufts: the Tufts Class Project.
    "People don't like to talk about class," he began. "I've tried, and I get that. But that doesn't mean we're not aware of it."
    Talking about class makes people uncomfortable.  At Tufts, which only fairly recently made a concerted effort to become need-blind, conversations about class are no less awkward. Students who need a great deal of financial aid sometimes feel embarrassed discussing their family finances, while those who have no difficulty affording tuition feel inexplicably guilty about their family's relative resources.  Still others, when approached on the subject, will attack the questioner, wrapping themselves in faux outrage at any real or imagined implications that they should be ashamed of their means and huffily questioning the inquisitor's qualifications to discuss the issue.
    Particularly for someone from Martha's Vineyard (a place that is known as a vacation destination for affluent celebrities), raising the issue of class at Tufts is a dicey proposition. In responses to his Daily op-ed and elsewhere, Pickard has come under fire from some for what some people view as his own lack of experience with tight budgets and low family funds. There is a feeling (and a danger) that when someone viewed as a person of relatively stable means draws attention to the difficulties of those with limited or uncertain means, it cannot be done without betraying a certain measure of condescension. The Daily, however, commends both his courage and his initiative.
    To be clear, it is not as if Pickard strode into a room full of working-class students in a suit made of caviar and solid gold and began lecturing the tired, the poor and the huddled masses on the importance of social class.  This was not a conversation that Tufts students were clamoring to have, and it certainly took courage for Pickard to begin the dialogue.
    Indeed, the subjects of the lectures seem extremely interesting, running the gamut from political implications of class to the impact of socioeconomic status on differing gender experiences.  Even if this is not something the average Tufts student is interested in exploring — even if the subject is one that makes you personally uncomfortable — we at the Daily urge you to take a look at the sessions (featured at http://www.tuftsclassproject.org/) and maybe give one or two of them a try.
    We at Tufts are a quirky, nerdy bunch, and our interest in learning new things and exploring new ideas is partly why we came to this university in the first place.  The Tufts Class Project is an opportunity to learn about the impact of something that affects all of us in a multitude of different ways and social arenas, while still being something that is very rarely discussed.  This is an opportunity, quite simply, to explore something new in an open and innovative way and a chance for us to step out of our comfort zones and take on an uncomfortable subject. 
    The forums begin Sunday, March 29.