The Tufts Community UnionSenate covered committee work, handled supplementary funding requests and voted on critical policy issues during a packed meeting Sunday night.
During the president’s section of the meeting, senators approved an updated attendance policy and discussed the Jan. 27–28 walk-out of Tufts full-time lecturers as they negotiate with the University for a new labor contract. TCU President Joel Omolade, a senior, read out a statement in “full support of the full-time lecturers and professors of the practice in their priorities for livable salaries and manageable workloads.”
While introducing the statement, Omolade expressed his desire to ensure senators’ support for lecturers went beyond words.
“I commit to utilizing this statement not just [on social media], but also following it up with actual action,” Omolade told senators. “This isn’t just a half-assed gesture we’re putting up to score a couple of points on the Senate side but also to make sure that this is a statement that’s reflected in our actions,” he said.
Senators discussed the text of the statement and whether to sign it as the full Senate or the executive board. After some debate from senators about the tone of the statement, the Senate voted to approve the motion to sign-off as the entire Senate.
The session began with brief updates from committee chairs. TCU Diversity Officer Alexander Vang, a junior, put out a call for candidates for the vacant LGBTQ+ and Asian American Community senator positions. Outreach Committee member Jose Armando Rodriguez Sanchez, a junior, updated the group on an upcoming roundtable discussion and townhall with members of the School of Engineering and Center for STEM Diversity on Feb. 19, comparing the event to the Tufts Table series.
“The idea would be that there’ll be facilitators on the tables, one is a student from the department and also maybe a faculty member who will report … back to the chair after taking notes on some points that are very important,” Armando said.
“The opportunity here is to make sure that [engineering faculty] get a sense of how students feel,” he said. “I know how some department chairs might feel [a little confronted] if we [made it] a feedback session, so we [made it] discussion-based through experience and stories.”
Education Committee Chair Arman Tendulkar, a junior, updated senators on the creation of an internal database of research opportunities for Tufts students.
“It’s similar to Handshake in that professors can post research openings that they have,” Tendulkar said. “If they are looking for a research assistant, they can post it on this website, and students can use that to access and understand who is looking for assistance, as opposed to cold emailing maybe 40 people.”
Tendulkar anticipates the pilot program, which is expected to include opportunities in the chemistry, biology and psychology departments, among others, will last throughout the semester. If the pilot program is successful, Tendulkar expects a university-wide release next semester.
Senators heard a resolution abstract — the first resolution of the semester — put forth by Class of 2028 Senator Jesse Kitumba on expanding the languages Tufts students are allowed to count toward their requirements, going beyond only those offered by the UPenn language exams. A full text of the resolution — which, if adopted, would count as a request from the student body for change from the administration — will be heard by the Senate next week.
TCU Treasurer Dhruv Sampat, a junior, introduced the night’s supplementary funding requests.
Tufts for Health Equity received $5,399 to attend a global conference in Atlanta, Ga. Tufts’ competitive classical Indian dance team, Tufts Pulse, received a total of $17,328 to attend three regional competitions and work toward an eventual national championship.
Mixed-gender acapella group Shir Appeal received $8,400 to retroactively fund the recording of a new album. The Tufts Financial Group received $4,625 in funding for a career advancement trip to New York.
Next, a representative of the Badminton Club spoke to senators to appeal a decision by the Allocations Board to limit funding for a coach. The club’s representative highlighted their desire to increase training and member commitment while the Allocations Board pointed to Badminton club’s status as a non-club sport. After asking more questions, senators approved the Badminton Club’s bid to increase funding for a coach.
Dance group JumboRaas received $9,104 for a trip to a competition and Tufts Hillel received $5,514 for a club retreat.
The treasury section of the night closed with the election of SWANA Community Senator Iman Boulouah to a seat on the Allocations Board.
In the second and final internal TCU election of the night, Class of 2026 Senator Jose Armando was elected to lead the Senate’s Outreach Committee. The Outreach Committee works to raise awareness of the Senate’s work on campus.
As the meeting drew to a close, Class of 2027 Senator Mikey Glueck promoted a second semester club fair for newly recognized clubs, with tabling set to take place Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week in the Mayer Campus Center.
