As Tufts' student government organizations gear up for the semester, new students ought to learn about the power-holding organizations run by elected students. Some new students may even want to consider joining one of Tufts' student government or entertainment organizations.
These groups — Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, Programming Board, Judiciary and Elections Commission (ECOM) — all have a direct impact the campus community.
Senate
The Senate plays an important role in Tufts' extracurricular life by determining the allocation of funds to Senate-affiliated groups. It also oversees various campus-improvement projects and lobbies the administration on behalf of students, according to TCU Vice President Wyatt Cadley.
The Senate has a number of new projects in the works for this year, including the creation of the Director of Community Affairs (DCA) position according to Cadley.
The Senate created the DCA last year to oversee the Senate's four community reps, who represent the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Center, the Latino Center, the Africana Center and the Asian American Center in the Senate.
The LGBT Center and the Latino Center have already elected the community reps for this year, but the community rep positions are still unfilled for the Africana Center and the Asian American Center.
In the first weeks of school, Senate will hold an election to fill the seven freshman Senate seats. There are also available seats on Senate for the sophomore, junior and senior classes, Cadley said.
The Judiciary
In order for a club to become a TCU group, and therefore receive Senate funding, it must be recognized by the Judiciary. The club must go through the process of re-recognition every two years, in which Senate reviews a club's membership and objectives.
The process of rerecognition is necessary to determine if a club is serious about participating in campus culture, according to junior Greg Bodwin, who previously served as new group recognition chair.
The Judiciary also plays a role in the campus judicial process through the Judicial Advocates program, a subgroup that assists students who receive disciplinary action from the university, Bodwin said.
A student disciplinary hearing consists of a panel that includes members of the administration as well as the Judiciary, Bodwin said.
There is currently one seat open on the seven-member Judiciary, according to Bodwin. The positions of individuals on the Judiciary: chair, vice chair, new group recognition chair, re-recognition chair, judicial advocacy chair, historian and treasurer, will later be chosen in-house, Bodwin said.
ECOM
Another important group on campus, ECOM runs the elections for Senate, the Judiciary, and the class councils. ECOM is a five-member body that oversees Tufts' student elections, according to former ECOM technician Mike Borys.
ECOM strives to ensure fair elections by giving every student the opportunity to run for office and encourage every student to participate in elections, Borys said.
ECOM members also receive a stipend from the university for their service.
Programming Board
Freshmen will also notice the activities of Programming Board, an umbrella organization for groups that plan campus entertainment.
These groups include the four class councils that organize class-specific events, Concert Board, Lecture and Entertainment Board, Film Series and the Tufts University Spirit Coalition, according to Programming Board co-chair Leo Greenberg.
Programming Board's first major event of the year will be Fall Ball, an annual back-to-school dance that will happen on Sept. 9, Greenberg, a senior, said.
Programming Board also organizes Spring Fling, an annual concert on the President's Lawn that most recently featured the Roots, he said.
Greenberg said that Programming Board has "flexibility" in how it uses the funds it receives from the Senate.
"We can always plan events that are out of the box," he said.
