The 11 rising sophomores who have announced their candidacy for the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Sophomore Senate last night gathered in Hotung Café to address the student body at the Candidate's Forum.
Freshmen Ard Ardalan, Faith Blake, Wyatt Cadley, Logan Cotton, Meredith Goldberg, Yulia Korovikov, Hemali Patel, Shawyoun Shaidani, Jared Snead, Arlen Weiner and Tabias Wilson spoke to a small group of students, introducing themselves and outlining their plans for Senate.
The candidates began by introducing their plans for the Senate if elected. Incumbent senators running for reelection outlined their experience from the past semester, while new candidates named the activities and qualities that would make them good senators.
The eleven candidates then responded to questions from audience members and Tufts Election Commission (ECOM) representatives.
The relationship between the Senate and the student body was a major issue brought up by the candidates and the audience.
One question asked was how each candidate would work to bridge the gap that has prevented students who are not involved in Senate from being familiar with Senate's projects and decisions.
Candidates' suggestions ranged from the creation of an online newsletter and weekly e-mail or bulletin board to making a greater effort to forge personal connections with students around campus.
ECOM Chair Sharon Chen, a sophomore, said that the issue of Senate's outreach to the wider study body will continue to be addressed. "That's a persistent problem that also has ongoing solutions," Chen said.
The candidates also addressed Senate decisions from this year with which they disagreed, as well as their own personal strengths and weaknesses.
Each listed the issue they consider the most pressing for Senate to address in the coming semesters, with responses ranging from the advising system, the university's alcohol policy, an online reporting system for facilities problems and complications with course registration.
Freshman Adam Sax, a member of the TCU Judiciary, was impressed by the candidates. "Good things happened tonight," Sax said. "We have some strong candidates and I can't wait to see what happens on Wednesday."
Chen agreed with Sax about the quality of the candidates. "They would all be wonderful additions to the Senate," she said.
Bronwen Raff, a freshman, highlighted what she felt was poor turnout for the event. "It's appalling that there aren't more people [here]; these are the people that are going to affect our futures," Raff said.
The election will take place on Wednesday and will involve only the current freshman class, as all the current sophomore and junior candidates ran uncontested.
