Tufts University announced in mid-November that it would be cutting ties with Stacey Plaskett, the U.S. Virgin Islands non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, over a decision not to vote on an amendment to H.R. 1449. The Amendment, which failed to pass, would have extended the timeline for determining geothermal drilling permit completeness to 90 days, as requested by the Department of the Interior, and provided flexibility in the timeline to issue final determinations on a permit.
In his email to the student body, Tufts president Sunil Kumar suggested that despite Tufts’ recent interest in pursuing institutional neutrality, Plaskett’s decision not to vote was a matter of such importance that it required the university to issue an immediate and unconditional condemnation of the action.
Kumar continued by calling Plaskett’s refusal to vote “devastating” and “antithetical to the university’s values.” He went on to say that, “given an amendment of this enormity, it is deeply disturbing to witness Plasket’s non-committal attitude. In 2024, it is no longer acceptable for individuals to think they can sit on the sidelines of issues. We have an obligation as educated citizens to share our opinion on every matter.”
In response, Tufts announced it would limit student internship opportunities with Plaskett’s office. Students seeking to intern with Rep. Plaskett will not receive letters of recommendation from Tufts faculty and will not be allowed to mention anywhere on their application that they are affiliated with the university. In other words, students will be forced to pretend that they do not attend the university, and instead concoct an alternative explanation for what they have been doing for the past few years.
The response from the Tufts community has been positive, with many students praising the administration’s decisive action. “I think we all remember where we were and what we were doing when Plaskett refused to vote on Grijalva of Arizona Amendment No. 2 on H.R. 1449,” Goliath Science ’27 told the Tribune. “My jaw hit the floor. I had to skip my classes that day because I was so distraught that a non-voting delegate in the Congress of the United States could have the nerve to behave so inappropriately.”
Other students believe that the university did not go far enough in their repudiation of Plaskett’s vote. TCU senator Jose Armando ’26 said, “It’s not enough for Tufts to restrict student internships. We need to see a complete divestment by Tufts from the Virgin Islands until Plaskett shows up to vote on H.R. 1449. That is why I am introducing a bill into the TCU Senate to call on President Kumar to do just that and to establish a fifty-person panel to investigate other means of change.
By João Ribeiro