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College Notebook: Tufts bans ‘a naked run’

Kevin Maguire, the director of Public and Environmental Safety at Tufts University, published a letter to all Tufts University students in The Tufts Daily on Wednesday regarding the recent banning of the Naked Quad Run. This Tufts tradition, a once-university-sanctioned activity, which was intended to relieve stress around finals period, was banned by former President Lawrence Bacow last semester. The decision was made due to safety concerns and is supported by current President Anthony Monaco, as well as the Committee on Student Life, the dean of Student Affairs and the Tufts University Police Department.

In the letter, Macguire explained that while he knew the majority of the students he was addressing would be respectful of the ban, it was necessary to address everyone due to the inability to know ahead of time who would violate the ban. He also intended to warn students that the ban would be enforced strictly, and that any student found in violation would be punished with a one-semester suspension from Tufts, which would go into effect immediately for spring 2012.

Macguire further warned of criminal charges of public indecency, which could result from indecent exposure, or disorderly conduct/assault and battery, which could result from intoxication and display of uncooperative and/or violent behavior.

President salary under scrutiny

President Joseph Aoun faced criticism from the Northeastern University community after his salary, including benefits, topped $1 million last year, The Huntington News reported on Thursday. The salary reflected an increase of 11 percent from the previous year. To put this in perspective, the president of Harvard received $874,560 in 2009, while the president of Tufts received $737,393. This move places Northeastern in the company of Boston University and Suffolk University, both of which paid out more than $1 million to their presidents last year.

Mike Sabo, the president of the Student Government Association, while acknowledging that Northeastern had risen in the rankings and that therefore the salary increase could be justified, also criticized the move.

“In a time when everybody is struggling economically, I’m not sure if that’s the right message to send to students and the university,” Sabo said in The Huntington News.

Some have linked the rise in the president’s salary to general issues associated with corporations as well as Occupy Northeastern. International Affairs major Tori Porell explained this point, and argued that it is not just a Northeastern issue.

“Other universities have the same problem of giving presidents large salaries. The culture has become endemic,” Porell told The Huntington News.

Porell went on to argue that it is not the objective salary to which she is opposed, but rather the salary when compared to the significantly lower salaries of other workers at Northeastern, which she believes the president should take into consideration.

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