Senior Lauren Levine, who last semester campaigned unsuccessfully for the Tufts Community Union (TCU) presidency, has resigned from her seat on the TCU Senate.
Levine said she is "choosing to put her time and energy into other things" during her senior year. She further acknowledged that her defeat in last spring's election and subsequent failed bid for the vice president's seat had diminished her enthusiasm for being on Senate and also her ability to pursue her own projects and goals.
"I guess I just didn't feel like I was going to fit into this year's Senate," Levine said.
Levine submitted her resignation to TCU President Sam Wallis, a senior, in an e-mail on Friday. Her departure leaves an open seat on the body that will be filled by a special election later this month.
She explained that she had contemplated resigning at the end of last semester but did not definitively decide until last week, as she was debating whether or not to apply for a trustee representative position on Senate.
"Once the semester started and I started my other activities, I realized that I would enjoy not being on Senate more than I would enjoy being on it," Levine said. "I have two internships, and I'm going to actually try and have fun. I'm working on a lot of different things outside of Senate. I'm just going to try and enjoy Tufts — sometimes working on Senate makes it hard to enjoy things here."
Wallis, Levine's former opponent, commended her for her contributions to the Tufts campus.
"Lauren's done a lot of things for the student body, both as a member of Senate and outside of it," he said. "On a personal level, Lauren and I are the last two members of the Class of 2011 who came in [to Senate] as freshmen … She's someone who I have tremendous respect for and who I consider a very good friend.
Wallis said that her absence would be felt on Senate. "I understand that she has other things she wants to work on outside of Senate, and I respect that," he said. "We're definitely going to miss her."
Senior Dan Pasternack, this year's TCU parliamentarian, echoed Wallis' sentiments.
"I'm disappointed that she will not be with us this year," Pasternack said. "She has done great things for Senate and the school in the past. I wish her luck in the coming year."
The other members of the Senate's Executive Board either declined comment or could not be reached for comment.
Senate is comprised of 28 members, with seven seats reserved for each class year. Since only five rising juniors ran for Senate seats, the senior class inherited two additional seats, bringing its total to nine. With Levine's resignation, her seat will, under Tufts Elections Commission (ECOM) bylaws, once again be offered to the junior class.
In an effort to increase voter turnout for the special election, ECOM will put the vote for the vacant Senate seat on the Sept. 22 ballot, which will include the referenda on community representative reform and the vote for positions on the Committee on Student Life and freshman Senate, according to ECOM Public Relations Director Katherine McManus, a sophomore.
Juniors interested in running for the Class of 2012 Senate seat can complete a petition found on ECOM's website and submit it during ECOM office hours this Wednesday at 10 p.m.
