Junior Samia Zahran has resigned her position in the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, leaving behind an open seat and a special election looming in the near future.
Zahran, who mounted an unsuccessful bid for the TCU presidency last April, submitted a letter of resignation to the Senate on Sunday. In the letter, Zahran remains vague about the details of her resignation.
"I will no longer be able to continue with Senate this year due to personal reasons that will prevent me from being able to fully devote my time to Senate," Zahran said in an e-mail sent to senators. Zahran could not be reached for comment by press time.
"It's a loss in that she's really talented, she's really smart, she's really dedicated," TCU President Brandon Rattiner said.
But Rattiner, a senior, shifted the focus to the current Senate body, particularly the new freshman senators. "You can't really dwell on it," he said. "We [still] have tremendous potential as a body and I think we're going to do really important things."
The sudden vacancy will require a special election in the immediate future.
Many of the specifics of the election have yet to be determined, Elections Commission (ECOM) Chair Kevin Terhorst said. In the event of vacancies created by resignations or expulsions, the TCU Constitution calls for elections "within fifteen academic days of the vacancy."
The election will most likely take place sometime next week, according to Terhorst, a senior.
Zahran's seat was one of seven reserved for the senior class. Because only four seniors sought election, the remaining three dropped down to the junior class. Given Zahran's resignation, the seat will again be open to members of the senior class, according to Terhorst. If no seniors express interest in the position, junior senators can face off for the position.
The last TCU Senate special election was set for February 2008, following the resignations of senators Amanda Richardson and Evan Dreifuss, Terhorst said. But then-seniors Bretlyn Curtis and Sarah Lawson walked onto the Senate when no other candidates came forth.
In the Senate, Zahran was the chair of the Administration and Policy Committee. In an impromptu election held last night, Senator Bruce Ratain was elected to replace Zahran as chair of the committee. An ECOM official was present to oversee the balloting.
"I was sorry to see that she had to resign. I had been looking forward to working with her," Ratain said. He called his election to the chairmanship "very humbling."
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve the student body in this capacity," Ratain said.
