In light of the recent federal government shutdown, it's comforting to know that the Tufts Community Union Senate has been working diligently to make significant changes for students at Tufts. This fall, the Senate has tackled important issues, including the alcohol policy, transportation to Boston and residential life.
Generally, the Senate spends the fall researching issues that the student body feels are important and then implements the projects in the spring. TCU President Joe Thibodeau expressed optimism about what the Senate has accomplished so far and hopes that next semester will be even more productive.
Overall, I think it's been a good year," Thibodeau, a senior, said. "There are a lot of really ambitious people on Senate, including myself. The year always starts off pretty slow, but ... I think we're at a point where we're settled down in what we're doing. This semester has been a big moment of transition in a lot of ways, and I think we're going to see the effects of that come full circle next semester."
TCU Vice President Stephen Ruggiero, currently in his third year in the Senate, echoed Thibodeau's sentiments.
"I think we've made a lot of progress. We hit the ground running at the beginning of the semester with the new alcohol policy," Ruggiero, a senior, said.
The new 'Good Samaritan' alcohol policy separates alcohol-related medical issues from judicial ones, preventing students from being punished for calling Tufts Emergency Medical Services. Already, according to Ruggiero, Tufts has seen a decrease in dangerous alcohol incidents compared to previous fall semesters.
"If you look at the statistics for medical transports, alcohol violations have gone down for the months of October and September, as compared to years past," Ruggiero said.
Another area of concern that senators have recently been focusing on is the accessibility of Boston for students. The Senate recently approved a measure allowing students to purchase discounted Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority passes from the information booth in the Mayer Campus Center. Student groups can apply to the TCU Treasury for MBTA pass funding as well, which has never been offered before.
TCU Associate Treasurer Adam Kochman, who spearheaded the project, was enthusiastic about the impact this will have on both individual students and student groups.
"That was a big initiative of mine that I made in my State of the Treasury speech, and I'm very happy that we're getting it done," Kochman, a sophomore, said.
The Senate also passed a resolution calling for a Boston shuttle that would run from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, likely stopping at Harvard Square, Park Street and Kenmore. Senate Services Committee co-Chair Christie Maciejewski expressed confidence that the shuttle will be approved by the administration due to the overwhelming student interest indicated on the Senate Services Survey, circulated online this semester.
"Ninety seven percent of students were interested [in the Boston shuttle]," Maciejewski, a senior, said.
The Senate has also been considering starting a fleet van service for students and student groups. Thibodeau and Ruggiero both noted that the university's two existing OCL vans are old and mostly useless for the majority of the student body. The new vans would be available to a variety of student organizations, including students who need transportation to the Loj. Thibodeau said that he has been looking into van services at other schools in order to determine what system would be best for Tufts.
"There's a working group that's going to be starting in December that's ... looking at this and evaluating what resources we have as a university in terms of transportation, and how we can create some sort of plan," Thibodeau said. "Some schools will just buy a bunch of vans
