Student senators discuss potential changes to campus shuttle system, funding requests for Late Night Dining

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate agreed to provide funding to continue the Late Night Dining program after discussing changes to campus shuttle routes and supplementary funding requests at its Sunday night meeting.

TCU President Brian Tesser opened the meeting with updates on the ad-hoc residential group committee that met last Monday. According to Tesser, a senior, the group prioritized short-term goals that Senate and the administration can accomplish together.

Senator Luis Del Rosario then discussed his meeting with Transportation and Fleet Manager Andrea Breault about improving the campus shuttle system. 

According to Del Rosario, students have reported that the buses from A & A Metro Transportation, the shuttle company that replaced the university's original shuttle provider, Joseph’s Limousine & Transportation, this fall, are cleaner than the old shuttles; however, many students also feel that the A & A Metro buses cannot adequately accommodate the number of people going to and from campus, particularly on the weekends. For this reason, there are plans to deploy a third, additional shuttle bus, he said.

Del Rosario, a sophomore, added that the administration is also considering adding another route to the shuttle system -- one that may include the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center and Cousen Complex as one of its destinations. Administrators are also looking to potentially routing the Boston Ave. shuttle to go to Whole Foods, or changing the Davis Square shuttle course to have the shuttle drive down Curtis St. instead of College Ave., which is a shorter, more sensible path, he said.

Boston Intercollegiate Assembly Representative Brad Mullen and Senator Arden Fereshetian updated Senate about the Advocacy Summit, a NESCAC student government conference, that they attended this past week at Northeastern University. At the conference, Mullen and Fereshetian spoke with other NESCAC school representatives about social justice on college campuses, smoke free-campuses and sexual assault policies, Mullen, a junior, said.

The conference also focused on topics such as sustainability, student relationships with administrators and mental health, Fereshetian, a sophmore, said. Both senators spoke highly of their experiences at the conference and offered to provide any interested seniors with more detailed opinions and observations.

TCU Treasurer Shai Slotky, a junior, then opened the floor for this week's Treasury appeals.

Tufts Anime Brigade requested funding for students to attend Anime Boston -- the largest anime convention in the Northeast. The group requested $5,548 for registration costs, transportation and hotel fees, but members of the Allocations Board (ALBO) felt that the location of the convention was too close to campus for students to request funding for hotel lodging, and recommended $2,110 in supplementary funding. Senate members passed ALBO’s recommended amount by a vote of 26-1-0.

Next, the Vietnamese Student Club requested $2,420 in funding for a speaker event. Senate passed ALBO’s recommended amount of $2,120 by acclimation. The Crafts Center requested $5,976.80 in funding for various purposes, including for their Make-a-thon event and updates to their security system. Senate passed ALBO’s recommended amount for the group of $2,007.81 by acclimation.

Tufts' La Salsa requested $254 for rental car expenses to travel to a competition at Williams College. Senate passed ALBO’s recommended amount of $204 by a vote of 25-1-0.

TCU Senate itself was the last group to request supplementary funding. Tesser, who presented the case, requested $6,000 to financially support the Late Night Dining program.

According to Tesser, the program has come under scrutiny due to the behavioral problems in the Mayer Campus Center on Friday and Saturday nights. Tesser said Senate could not supply all of the necessary costs to improve and secure the program for the over 800 students that attend Late Night Dining each week.

The requested amount of $6,000 is part of the $18,000 that will be required to continue the program for the rest of the academic year, he said. University President Anthony Monaco, Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Students John Barker and other administrators will supply the remaining $12,000, Tesser said.

Tesser also requested $500 for Senate's Pancake Student Break event -- a breakfast event held during finals week at the Commons Marketplace. Senate eventually passed a total of $6,500 for itself by a vote of 25-1-0.