The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate meeting began last night with an open forum discussion about Tufts' Resident Advisor (RA) policy. The Senate debated RAs responsibilities when dealing with behavioral and alcohol related incidents and discussed the possibility of allowing RAs to serve for only one semester as opposed to the full academic year which is currently required.
During the Treasury Report, the Senate discussed the appropriateness of funding a trophy case in the Campus Center which would hold prizes won by non-athletic organizations. By a vote of 15-7-0, the Senate agreed to provide $5,019.65 for shipping and installing the case. The Senate also granted $3,127.94 to BlackOut, Tufts' all-male step team, to pay for new uniforms and travel to performances at schools in New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The Black Student Union, a new organization founded this academic year, was granted $1,009 for projects this semester which include documentary movie screenings and commemorative events during Black History Month. Tufts Bikes was given $3,840 to purchase twelve bikes which will replace others which have been stolen or damaged.
The Tabletop Gaming Club received $770.68 for purchasing games, campaign material and food for participants. The Tufts Observer received $1,500 to pay the registration fee for a conference at Boston University members will be attending on April 4-6, entitled "The Power of Narrative 2014."
The Senate debated two resolutions, the first of which proposed the installation of an outdoor volleyball court at the Medford / Somerville Campus. The resolution states that "volleyball is a sport that facilitates social interactions" but that there is currently no recreational space on campus for playing volleyball, unlike other sports such as tennis and basketball, leaving students outside of the varsity and intramural teams unable to play.
Freshmen Eli Lloyd and Isabella Kahhale, co-authors of the resolution, proposed several spots on campus where the court could be built, including areas near Cousens Gym and Fletcher Field, as well as the space between Tilton and Haskell Halls. The resolution passed by a 19-1-1 vote and will be presented to the school administration shortly.
"It'd be a great way to build community and just have some fun," Kahhale said. "Volleyball is such an easy sport to just jump in and start playing."
Kahhale said that she hopes to help sponsor a student volleyball tournament designed to raise funds for the project.
The Senate then returned to a previously tabled resolution which proposed establishing education as a possible second major for undergraduate students already majoring in another subject. After making a few non-substantive changes, the Senate voted unanimously to pass this resolution.
"I'm really excited for the project, because it seems like something the school really needs," junior Robert Joseph, author of the second resolution, said. "It seems like a big absence in the academic offerings that Tufts has, so hopefully we can coordinate education as a second major."
Senators finished the meeting by announcing that the Women's Center will be hosting a special screening of "Four Little Girls," a Spike Lee documentary about the 1963 Baptist Street Church Bombing in Birmingham, Ala. on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and that Tufts Hillel will be hosting its annual "Survivors Speak" event, in which survivors of some of the 20th century's genocides will share their experiences, tonight at 7 p.m. in ASEAN Auditorium.
