There has been a sharp increase in the number of student organizations applying for University recognition this year.
Since the beginning of the semester, 36 groups have applied for temporary recognition, the first step in becoming recognized by the TCU Judiciary (TCUJ). Of those groups whose applications have advanced to the Judiciary, nine were approved, two were rejected, and three applications are currently tabled. One group withdrew its application and the remaining 21 groups have not completed the application process.
Approved groups include the American Sign Language Club, the Persian Students Organization, Tufts Quiz Bowl, Tufts Vox, and the Tufts Right to Bear Arms Club. As recognized organizations, they have the right to use the Tufts name and will be able to apply for student activities funding.
Last year, only 13 groups were approved during the whole year.
"The current freshmen and sophomore classes are very active, they are very involved, said Director of Student Activities Jodie Nealley. "They have ideas."
Several of the new groups seeking recognition are individual lobbying groups for Democratic presidential candidates. Rather than endorse one candidate, the Tufts Democrats have encouraged supporters to form independent organizations and hold events.
As part of an effort to ensure only active organizations are recognized, the Judiciary derecognized groups for the first time in several years last spring. Nearly 30 groups were stripped of their school recognition, although some have applied this fall for new recognition. Queen Head's and Artichoke, a literary magazine, and Galactica, a science fiction group, were both derecognized last spring, but have since received temporary recognition.
While administrators in the past have worried that the increase in student organizations would outpace funding, TCUJ Chair Abigail Moffat said the Judiciary's recognition process has not been affected.
"There are now hundreds of student groups on campus, but I wouldn't call it an 'excess,'" Moffat said. "If groups are actually active, then obviously they're serving a purpose: they are enhancing the lives and experiences of Tufts undergraduates."
There were 158 organizations with temporary or permanent recognition as of last Monday, according to the Office of Student Activities. A decade ago, there were 119 recognized organizations.
Moffat said that with more student organizations, students may have difficulty developing unique ideas for clubs. "We are now at a point in which we have nearly 200 student organizations," Moffat said. "It is more likely now than ever that a new group would be similar to an existing group."
In cases where the mission of a group seeking recognition overlaps with that of an existing group, the existing group is required to submit a letter to the Judiciary supporting the new group if it is to be recognized. The Judiciary then deliberates whether the new organization would serve an original purpose and should be recognized.
Approval is not automatic, as the Tufts Bhangra Club discovered earlier this fall when its application to form a group was rejected. The Bhangra Team has existed for five years under the Tufts Association for South Asians (TASA) and had a letter of support from the TASA when it went before the Judiciary in October.
The team applied for status as an independent organization to reflect the differences between it and its parent organization.
"We have very specific goals," team president Priti Julka said. "TASA is very broad to the general South Asian culture. We are focused on Punjabi culture and Punjabi tradition. Although TASA promotes diversity, the majority of their members are of South Asian background, and interest for Bhangra has been shown by a very mixed population."
Julka also said the team would like to host new activities, including Bhangra nights at Hotung, attend competitions at other universities, and invite professional dancers to instruct and perform.
But the Judiciary rejected the Bhangra Team's application on the grounds the organization's new goals could be achieved under the TASA name.
"Bhangra is doing more now and benefiting the community and its members more now [as a part of TASA] than it ever could as an independent organization," Moffat recently wrote in an e-mail to the Coalition for Social Justice.
In its decision, the Judiciary said that any issues the Bhangra Team had with implementing its goals could be solved by improved communication with the TASA board.
The Bhangra Team plans to appeal the decision to the Committee on Student Life (CSL) after it receives the minutes of the Judiciary's meetings.
The Tufts Trumpet Ensemble was the other group whose application for recognition was rejected.
The applications of the Tufts League of Independent Voters, the Paintball Club, and Dialogue have been tabled pending receipt of further information. The groups were given an additional 30 days to collect the necessary information and reapply to the Judiciary.
The Judiciary initially tabled the recognition application of the Tufts University Presents Archeology Club (TUPAC) because it questioned the "viability" of the membership list the group submitted.
According to the letter, a substantial portion of the membership resided within the same Hillsides suite and included a number of students "who do not appear to have any direct affiliation with an interest in archaeology."
But TUPAC organizer Jason Bauer explained that the group of students in the suite became friends on the archaeological dig.
"Even though we don't think that we should have to, we are working at getting more classics and archaeology majors to join," Bauer said.
The Judiciary recognized TUPAC after reviewing an updated membership list last Thursday. "We got another list of names and I guess it was acceptable [to the TCUJ]," Bauer said.
Students seeking to form a new organization must first receive temporary recognition from Nealley. This allows the group to hold a general interest meeting, advertise, and recruit 15 members.
To gain permanent recognition an organization needs to meet with the Judiciary's New Club Recognition Chair, Jordana Starr. After receiving a sample constitution and checklist, groups have thirty days to appear before the Judiciary.
While many groups seek temporary recognition, several of them never make it to a hearing. Organizations that fail to recruit 15 members or write a constitution must wait until the next academic year before they can reapply for recognition.
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