Tufts Disquieted After Drug Raids

The Tufts University campus remained restive following two University assisted drug raids within the last week.

Aided by information supplied by Tufts officials, 85 state narcotics agents and local police raided several Tufts dorms and off-campus apartments in the early morning hours of March 28.

Police arrested 16 persons in this first bust on charges ranging from unlawful possession of narcotic drugs with intent to sell to being present where narcotic drugs were being kept.

Cocaine Raid

On April 3. six days later. poilce raided the off-campus apartment of a Tufts sophomore and found a bag containing $50.000 worth of cocaine in the apartment. The student, who had been arrested in the earlier raid, claimed he had never seen the drugs before. He is being held on $10.000 bail.

"It's one thing for the University to maintain an attitude that this is a civil problem, and they won't protect you. But they took their lists and confidential files and helped the police. busting kids for the scrappings in their pipes. This University is no neutral institution," one freshman said.

Scolding the "fine people in our student body" who fail to stop their friends illegal activities. Alvin R. Schmidt, dean of students, released a statement after the first bust acknowledging that "there has been complete cooperation between the University and law enforcement officers."

The statement also said that "the police ?ve conducted their investigations thismorning with our full knowledge and assistance."

Drug Problems

"While circumstances at Tufts may not be much different than they are in other schools or the more general society, we are not resigned to blaming the society for drug problems. The persons who are the University share responsibility as both citizens and members of the University community to do what they can. Thievery and drag use have increased in colleges and universities throughout the country," Schmidt added.

That afternoon, Tufts stalents gathered at Carmichael Hall and drafted a statement, which included six demands.

"We accpt our responsibility as subject to Federal law. What the student body cannot tolerates is the active collusion of the Administration with government agencies. By doing this, the Administration establishes itself f?? fonger as administrators in honest communication with the community, but as an independent faction of a free community imposing its values directly and corrcively upon the community at largs." the students said.

On Monday, most Tufts students boy-cotted classes and several hundred mill??in at Ballou Hall, the school's administration building, to protest the ralds. In ?? late afternoon, to prevent a confrontation between administraters and students who intended to occupy ?re building for the night, the deans agreed that they would not take disciplinary action against the arresied students. The administrators also promised to upgrade the school's therapentic program for students with drug problems.

Schmidty, however, declaring that "a cused drug climate, has developed on this campus," said that no demands would be considered until the demonstrations ended.

Later in the week, stadeats returned to classes, and normal campus activities resumed. Students, faculty, and some a ?ministrators continued their discussions of Tufts' drug problems.

By the weekend, after the s??nd ??asi. Tufts students seemed ????stive and uncertain. "This place is faculty, upfight, everyone experts another ?mst. They don't know who to trust." one student said.