TCU Senate amends bylaws to modify Treasury, Trustee representatives

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate considered proposed changes to its bylaws and heard 10 supplementary funding requests from student organizations at its meeting on Sunday night in the Sophia Gordon multipurpose room.

TCU Parliamentarian Finn McGarghan led the body through the proposed amendments to its bylaws.

McGarghan, senior, proposed an amendment regarding student organization funding, which would place the responsibility of reviewing funding requests by large umbrella organizations with subgroups, such as the Leonard Carmichael Society, on the TCU Treasurer rather than the Allocations Board (ALBO).

This measure would ensure that the responsibility of reviewing the complicated requests would fall upon an experienced member of the senate, according to McGarghan. 

The TCU Senate passed the amendment with 27 senators in favor and none opposed.

McGarghan also proposed two amendments concerning the student trustee representatives on the Board of Trustees.

The first amendment stated that the TCU senate vice president would be able to appoint a TCU senator to attend a committee meeting of the Board of Trustees as the undergraduate student representative, in the event that the corresponding trustee representative position is vacant, no Executive Board member is available to attend and the TCU Senate is not able to hold an application process to fill the vacancy.

Such a measure would be necessary because the TCU Senate would not necessarily be able to hold a full application process to replace the trustee representative before a given meeting, according to McGarghan.

The second stated that should the Responsible Investment Advisory Group convene at any point during the year, then the student representative sitting on the Board of Trustees' Administration and Finance Committee should serve as the undergraduate student representative for that group.

The TCU Senate passed the amendments with 26 senators in favor, none opposed and one abstaining.

TCU Treasurer Sharif Hamidi led the TCU Senate in reviewing the supplementary funding requests, one of which had been tabled at the senate's previous meeting. 

The TCU Senate first discussed the tabled request by Tufts Friends of Israel (FOI) for lodging costs to attend the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington D.C. FOI revised its initial request for two double occupancy rooms and two single occupancy rooms to only requesting funding for two double occupancy rooms.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $2,362.

The African Students Organization requested $1,880 to attend the Harvard Business School Africa Business Conference on Feb. 14 - 15, but ALBO only recommended $1,692.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $1,692 in full.

ROOTS requested $1,850 to host Jamal Parker on Feb. 21, which ALBO recommended in full.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $1850 in full.

The Prison Initiative requested $2,000 for its fiscal year 2020 budget, but ALBO only recommended $928.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $928 in full.

Women in International Relations requested $393 for the fiscal year 2020 budget, but ALBO only recommended $344.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $344 in full.

The Breakthrough Journal requested $1,500 for printing funds for 300 issues, which ALBO recommended in full.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $1,500 in full.

The Full Sound Vocal Group requested $655 for costs associated with its concern on April 11, which ALBO recommended in full.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $655 in full.

The Russian and Slavic Students Association requested $650 to host performers for its annual music festival on Mar. 1, which ALBO recommended in full.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $650 in full.

The Tufts Asian Students Coalition requested $2,127 to attend the East Coast American Students Union conference in February, but ALBO only recommended $1,915.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $1,915 in full.

Tamasha requested $4,326 for transportation and lodging costs to attend a competition at Columbia University in March, but ALBO only recommended $1,890.

The TCU Senate passed the ALBO recommendation of $1,890 in full.