ECOM releases special election results

Alexa Weinstein and Daniel Cashman were elected to fill the two Class of 2020 Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate openings, according to Tufts Community Union Elections Commission (ECOM) Treasurer Woody Nimoityn, a junior.

Alejandro Baez, a first-year, will be the new First-Generation (first-gen) community senator, according to Nimoityn. The position, first introduced in the 2017-2018 academic year, has been vacant since Isaac Kim, former First-Gen Community Representative and sophomore, resigned from the position in January. Students of all class years were able to vote for this candidate.

Ayden Crosby, a first-year, will fill the vacancy on the Committee on Student Life (CSL), according to Nimoityn. This election was also open to all students.

Students used Voatz, a voting platform that was first used in the fall 2017 election, to cast a ballot for candidates online, via mobile app or in person, according to ECOM Chair Ethan Mandelbaum, a sophomore. Mandelbaum explained previously that the sign-in glitch from last semester, which would allow voters to sign in twice, has been resolved.

Nimoityn said that ECOM will be releasing voting data in the near future.

Weinstein said she is excited to hear student voices, and that she will work toward facilitating the communication between the student body and the Senate.

"My main goal is to create the online submission form on the Facebook page," she said. "People can submit any comments, questions, concerns or ideas they have, and I think that will be an awesome way to connect the student body more with the senators. I am really excited to be able to do that as a Class of 2020 Senator, and be able to hear what everyone has to say, not just the groups I run in."

Cashman said he wants to prioritize students' interests over those of the administration.

"I am really excited to represent the community and get more involved, and see what I can do to help the Tufts community become more of what the students want it to be and less of what the administration wants it to be," he said.

Baez said that, as First-Gen Community Representative, he will work toward promoting the needs of the first-generation students.

"I am just gonna keep on building my advocacy and support for first-generation students, and now that I have senatorial power, I really wish to enact stable frameworks and initiatives that can benefit all the students," Baez said.

Crosby said he is excited for the opportunity to serve on the CSL and that he hopes to expand the CSL's presence on campus.

"I am just super excited to get more involved with the community and be able to make CSL more visible on campus, especially within the student body," Crosby said.