Editor's note: Since the publication of this article, it has been clarified to the Daily that the reasoning behind the TCU Judiciary's initial suspension was the result of a miscommunication with other members of student government surrounding the use of the term "appointment," according to a statement published by the Judiciary on Oct. 12. In the statement, the Judiciary formally rescinded its suspension and apologized to members of the Senate Executive Board and ECOM. For more information, please refer to the Daily's full coverage.
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Judiciary filed two official orders yesterday temporarily suspending the Senate Executive Board and the Elections Commission (ECOM) for their combined efforts to appoint members of the TCU Senate. The historian and the treasurer of the TCU are exempt from suspension.
The orders mean TCU President Sarah Wiener, Vice President Grant Gebetsberger, Parliamentarian Taylor Lewis and Diversity Officer Matthew Peña are, for the time being, suspended from their roles.
The Judiciary believes the Senate's efforts could set a bad precedent and encourage TCU elections to become appointments, according to an official statement signed by members of the Judiciary, including Chair Holden Dahlerbruch, Vice Chair Zachary Ferretti, Re-Recognition Chair John Youssef, Member at Large Max Price and Member at Large Andres Borjas.
The Judiciary has the power to issue orders against organizations, such as the TCU Senate, that they believe fail to uphold their own constitutions or the established regulations of the TCU.
Typically, a hearing would be held by the Judiciary for cases such as these, yet all members of the Judiciary have opted out of participating, citing their personal bias in the case. The Judiciary has filed a formal complaint with the Committee on Student Life in the interest of a fair, objective trial.
The order does not apply to the historian and the treasurer of the TCU Senate due to their role in attending to supplementary funding requests, student organizations' budget fulfillment and other initiatives that have a large impact on the broader TCU.
