The Tufts Community Union Senate allocated over $2 million to more than 200 TCU-recognized student organizations and heard four supplementary funding requests in a virtual meeting on Sunday night.
TCU Senate heard four supplementary funding requests at the beginning of the meeting.
The Sports Business Association requested $276 to purchase a professional website builder plan from Wix. Seven members of the Allocations Board voted in favor of the request, with none opposed and none abstaining. The request passed TCU Senate by acclamation.
Tufts Buddhist Mindfulness Sangha requested $350 to bring in Elizabeth Tobias, an expressive arts therapist, for a virtual speaker event. Eight members of the Allocations Board voted in favor of the request, with none opposed and one abstaining. The request passed TCU Senate by acclamation.
Palmier Culinary Magazine requested $1,345 to print 500 copies of its spring edition. Seven members of the Allocations Board voted in favor of the request, with none opposed and two abstaining. The request passed TCU Senate by acclamation.
The Korean Dance Association, a new student organization, requested $276 in funding for the rest of the academic year. Nine members of the Allocations Board voted in favor of the request, with none opposed and none abstaining. The request passed TCU Senate by acclamation.
TCU Senate then allocated over $2 million to fund more than 200 TCU-recognized student organizations for the 2022 fiscal year. Rather than voting on each of the organizations’ budgets individually, the Senate divides them into 10 groups, called councils, in addition to a final category for umbrella organizations. Each council represents a specific type of student organization.
TCU Treasurer Sharif Hamidi, who led the senators in voting on each council’s budget, explained that the budgets were finalized under the assumption that many of the restrictions placed on campus life due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted in the fall.
Council 1, which is made up of cultural organizations like the German Club and the Arab Student Association, received $144,726. The budget for Council 1 passed in the Senate with 31 senators in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 2, which is composed of programming organizations including TEDxTufts, Applejam and the First-Generation Collective, received $38,437. The budget for Council 2 passed with 27 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
The Engineering Council, which includes the Robotics Club and the National Society of Black Engineers, received $95,470. The budget for the Engineering Council passed with 28 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 3, which is made up of media organizations including print publications, WMFO and TUTV, received $114,919. The budget for Council 3 passed with 30 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 4, which consists of religious organizations like Chabad Serving Tufts and the Hindu Student Council, received $95,656. The budget for Council 4 passed with 29 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 5, which is made up of performance groups including CheapSox and Burlesque, received $165,827. The budget for Council 5 passed with 28 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 6, which is made up of miscellaneous organizations including competition teams and service-oriented clubs, received $189,246. The budget for Council 6 passed with 27 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 7, which is made up of pre-professional and academic organizations like the Pre-Medical Society and the History Society, received $53,384. The budget for Council 7 passed with 28 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 8, which is made up of political and advocacy organizations including Tufts Cooperation and Innovation in Citizenship and Tufts Climate Action, received $39,967. The budget for Council 8 passed with 25 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Council 9, which includes TCU Senate, TCU Judiciary and the Elections Commission, received $53,357. The School of the Museum of Fine Arts student government also received funding through Council 9 to apportion to SMFA-specific clubs. The budget for Council 9 passed with 28 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
Separately from the 10 councils, TCU Senate voted on the budgets of three umbrella organizations — the Leonard Carmichael Society, the Tufts University Social Collective and club sports — as well as student leadership stipends. The Leonard Carmichael Society received $47,561, the Tufts University Social Collective received $1,002,439, club sports received $200,000 and student leadership stipends were allocated $15,000. The budgets for these categories passed with 25 senators voting in favor, none opposed and none abstaining.
TCU Senate will hold its final meeting of the semester next Sunday, April 18. As usual, the meeting will be virtual and open to the public. Elections for next year’s TCU Senate are scheduled for April 13–14 on Qualtrics, followed by the Senate presidential election on April 22–23.
