Last night, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate nominated candidates for this year's presidential race for the third time. Senators Chike Aguh and Joe Mead, both sophomores, will campaign for the TCU presidency for one day before an election is held online tomorrow.
The decision comes after a week of struggling through uncharted electoral territory when a candidate dropped out of the race and presidential nominations were rescinded -- twice.
Because Randy Newsom's unexpected decision to retract his nomination last week was unprecedented, there were no constitutional guidelines to direct the Senators as they scrambled to find the most equitable method to fill Newsom's spot in the elections.
A nominations meeting was called, in which Aguh was nominated to replace Newsom. But some said the process was too secretive and filed complaints with the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ).
After the TCUJ ruled that the Elections Board's (ELBO) nomination of Aguh was unconstitutional, ELBO was forced to hold last night's meeting to re-nominate a presidential candidate to run against Mead.
"Frankly, the minute Newsom decided to pull out, we stepped into unknown territory. This has been a string of firsts," Aguh said.
One of the biggest surprises of the night came when Senator Julia Karol, a junior, turned down the nomination for presidency. Many expected Karol to attempt to be nominated, since she was the one who complained to the TCUJ, claiming that Aguh's nomination was illegitimate. But Karol said that her appeal was not for her gain; it was to ensure a fair election.
"It was very emotional, and at this point I don't have the emotional capacity to run a campaign," Karol said after the TCUJ hearing.
Now that the TCUJ complaints have been addressed, many hope that they will be able to focus on the issues of the election. With only one day to campaign before the election, though, the situation "is not ideal," Aguh said.
Aguh expressed his plans for a platform that is similar to Newsom's. Both stress the importance of promoting Senate accountability and outreach, maintaining the vitality of the Greek system, supporting curricular diversity and more interaction with the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience.
Aguh did differ from Newsom in an emphasis on increasing the focus on diversity issues during Freshman Orientation, an improved and expanded Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) safety network, and the institution of Tufts Credit for Uniting New Ideas for Tufts Education and Development (TC UNITED).
Under the TC UNITED plan, students would get credit for extracurricular activities. This is important, Aguh said, because "it will force Tufts to realize that education doesn't end at the borders of the classroom."
Mead, whose nomination was never contested, will maintain his original platform, which focuses on student outreach, improving communication between the administration and the Greek system, and working with the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience.
Mead and Aguh will debate tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in Barnum 008. "I think the changing of times [of the debate] and constant chaos will affect turnout," Mead said.
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