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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

TCU Senate discusses off-campus housing, elects ALBO members

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The Tufts Community Union Senate convenes in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room on Sept. 30.

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate met Sunday for the first time as a full body this semester in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room to learn about new off-campus housing resources, elect new Allocations Board (ALBO) Members, hear supplementary funding appeals and update Senate bylaws.

TCU President Jacqueline Chen, a senior, began the meeting by welcoming the newly-elected TCU senators to the body. She then introduced Joshua Hartman, director of residential life and learning, and Angelic Sosa, assistant director of housing operations, for an open discussion with the Senate regarding student housing concerns.

Much of the discussion surrounded TCU senators’ concerns about the lack of education regarding off-campus housing. Senate members stressed a variety of issues that students have brought to their attention, highlighting concerns about the stressful timeline students face in searching for off-campus housing, as well as the lack of awareness about the process as a whole.

Hartman and Sosa responded to many of the concerns raised by reiterating that increasing educational resources on off-campus housing was their main priority going forward. They said that, in coordination with students, they are planning several events to help students gain a better understanding of the process.

Diversity and Community Affairs Officer Grant Gebetsberger told the Daily in an electronic message that he is looking forward to a productive year alongside ResLife.

I'm really excited for Senate to work with Josh and [Angelic] this year," Gebetsberger, a sophomore, said. "They both made their focus on collecting student input and involving individuals very clear. I am confident in our ability to help join student voice and positive change with them this year.”

The Senate then moved to elect two new first-year ALBO members. ALBO hears supplementary funding requests and makes funding recommendations for student groups that are then voted on by the entirety of the Senate. After a debate and question-and-answer session, Class of 2022 Senators Tim Leong and Rabiya Ismail were elected to ALBO.

Leong discussed what he sees as the importance of his role.

“I think it will help me connect more with student organizations and thus the student body as whole,” Leong told the Daily in an electronic message. “Hopefully, this connection will help me understand the needs of the Tufts [community] so I can become a more effective senator.”

The body then moved to hear supplementary funding requests.

TCU Treasurer Izzy Ma, a sophomore, introduced Roots and Spoken Word Alliance at Tufts (SWAT), two student organizations that together appealed a supplementary funding request of $3,347 that was not met in full by ALBO, who in turn recommended $1,912 for the group.

Roots and SWAT, seeking to fund an alternative career fair to promote opportunities for students in creative fields, argued that increased funding from TCU Senate would help their organizations provide opportunities to students interested in fields that are not as well-represented among companies at the Tufts Career Fair. During a body-wide debate, ALBO members highlighted their concerns that TCU Senate should avoid funding organizational interests that the administration can provide for via other funding avenues.

The body then voted down the proposed $1,912 in recommended funding, instead motioning to fund an additional $2,847, which would provide for the proposed alternative career fair and food. That vote passed.

After, the body voted to match ALBO’s funding recommendations for the following groups: $4,592 for the American Society of Civil Engineers, $900 for SMFA Yoga Club and $1,627 for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Finally, ParliamentarianSharif Hamidi, a sophomore, took to the floor to introduce minor updates to the TCU Senate bylaws, which the body then passed.