The Committee on Student Life (CSL) on Nov. 21 approved the language of three amendments to the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Constitution but simultaneously called for a new vote on the proposals. TCU President Duncan Pickard, one of three students who originally submitted the amendments, subsequently withdrew them and intends to put them to a vote in the spring.
For an amendment to pass it must first be backed by a 250-signature petition and then gain approval from the TCU Judiciary, the CSL and the student body at large. The student body voted last April to support the three referenda, but the CSL never approved the language, so the measures were left hanging in the balance.
Two of the amendments seek to make the selection and reauthorization of TCU community representatives an internal process, and the third is intended to add an historian position to the Elections Commission (ECOM).
The CSL has yet to look at the language of a fourth amendment that would expand the Constitution's anti-discrimination language.
As part of its Nov. 21 decision, the CSL refined the definition of its role in the amendment process, saying it must approve an amendment's language before the student vote occurs.
In the case of the three proposals under consideration last week, the CSL was not approached before the student body voted last April.
"It seems clear to us that it is the intention of the Constitution that these things be vetted; before they go to a vote," said CSL Faculty Co-Chair Steven Hirsch, an associate professor of classics.
Certain student groups, such as the Asian American Alliance and the Queer Straight Alliance, send community representatives to the Senate as liaisons.
The Nov. 21 ruling suggested altering the wording of the first amendment to more clearly establish how great a majority of senators is needed to grant community representatives to organizations.
The decision comes after the CSL decided in May to seek more input from the student body before ruling on the amendments' language. The CSL postponed action until this semester, when it gathered more input from students and other interested parties. The CSL kept the first hour of a Nov. 14 meeting open to the public.
Sophomore Chris Snyder had submitted a complaint against the amendments in April, alleging that ECOM failed to prominently display an "abstain" option on the ballot or sufficiently advertise the proposed amendments ahead of time.
Snyder withdrew his complaint last week, following a long and bumpy appeals process.
"The student body did not get the good chance to really look at this amendment back in April, and thanks to the CSL's ruling now the student body can really look at this and see what is the implication," said Snyder, who is also a copy editor for the Daily.
The CSL recognized Snyder's claim about the lack of advertising for the referenda, which were overshadowed in April by the TCU presidential election.
"[W]e believe it will be in the best interests of the student body to take a new vote on the three amendments in an election where the proposals have been well-publicized ahead of time," the CSL ruling stated.
Under Pickard's leadership, the Senate will lead a discussion about community representation and other issues relating to the amendments, Pickard said. This initiative will follow recommendations made by the CSL in its ruling.
Pickard will propose new versions of the amendments next semester. "Before we do that, certainly we can have a conversation in the community about whether that's the best way to move forward," he said.
Pickard added that he will collect signatures for another 250-person petition for the new versions of the amendments.
