TCU Senate elected new members to the Allocations Board, heard updates from community senators and discussed recent conversations with the Tufts administration during its second session of the year on Sept. 25.
After taking roll call, TCU President Jaden Pena introduced Elections Commission Co-Chair Ethan Walsey, who led an election to name an additional member to the TCU Allocations Board. Senators were asked to nominate each other, and Class of 2024 Senators Emily Childs and John Henry Waymack were ultimately chosen as the candidates.
Childs and Waymack gave short speeches and answered questions posed by other senators. After the initial vote resulted in a tie, candidates answered more questions and the Senate moved into a second round of voting. Childs ultimately won the seat.
After the election, senators broke into small groups to introduce themselves to other members.
Pena announced that there were not yet any supplementary funding requests, and the Senate moved on to discuss changes to the attendance policy for Trustee Representatives. Pena noted that attendance policies for all senators will be followed more strictly this year.
The Senate then heard updates from the Treasury. Natalie Rossinow, the associate treasurer, spoke on behalf of the committee, as Treasurer Jalen Little was absent. Rossinow noted that the Treasury recently held training for signatories and will be holding the first Allocations Board meeting on Wednesday.
Krystal Mutebi, the TCU diversity officer and women’s community senator, then led updates from each of the Committee on Community Diversity and Inclusion senators. Mutebi highlighted the success of the Resource Fair on Sept. 23 and noted that more Women’s Center tote bags will be available soon.
Asian American Community Senator Billy Zeng said that the Center’s goal for the year was to relaunch the Pan-Asian Council, a coalition of Asian and Asian American affinity groups on campus.
FIRST Community Senator Ayomide Oloyede discussed a potential meal swipe donation drive as well as a survey regarding laundry stipends for students. Oloyede, a sophomore, also mentioned that the FIRST Center was interested in getting subsidized storage units for students.
Africana Community Senator Hadiya Giwa mentioned that Homecoming celebrations will be held on Oct. 8 along with a Culture on the Lawn event featuring performances from several groups in Tufts’ Africana Advisory Alliance, and said that a Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion (DSDI) block party may be in the works.
The Senate then heard updates from the General Board, led by TCU Vice President Arielle Galinsky. Galinsky, a junior, announced a town hall featuring University President Anthony Monaco and senior Tufts administrators which will take place on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. and be open to all members of the Tufts community.
Galinsky then provided updates on the Senate’s newly-formed Food Insecurity Committee, which is set to meet soon, and the Menstrual Product Project, which hopes to begin distributing menstrual products around campus shortly. She then turned to the Committee Chairs for updates on their work.
Zeng, a member of the Education Committee, discussed a potential event in collaboration with the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora to inform students about the relatively new major. Outreach Committee Chair Joel Omolade mentioned the Senate’s new series on Instagram called “What You Missed on Senate” and discussed updates on the “‘Bo Buddies” mentorship program.
Pena then reviewed the schedule for the Senate’s retreat this weekend and noted that senators representing the Class of 2026 will be elected on Sept. 29. He encouraged the Senate to reach out and congratulate its new members.
Pena then discussed recent conversations that members of the Senate held with Tufts administrators. A group of senators recently met with the Athletics Department administration to discuss the possibility of hours at the gym reserved for women and non-binary community members only. Mutebi and Rossinow noted that the administrators were receptive to the idea.
Pena also discussed a recent meeting with upper level administrators, including President Monaco, regarding the upcoming mental health awareness week at the beginning of October as well as the designation of a mental health task force in the Senate.
The Senate then moved on to discuss recent changes to the TCU constitution and bylaws.
Per the new constitution, clubs and organizations on campus will be required to have one Tufts Green Dot-certified executive board member for every ten members of the club who must then lead training for the rest of the group. Pena also announced that the year’s constitution would likely be finalized by winter break.
Education Committee Chair and Class of 2025 Senator Tolu Adewumi was chosen as the Senator of the Week.
The body conducted a closed session before adjourning the meeting.
