Elections for the Tufts Community Union Senate and Judiciary seats and Committee on Student Life seats took place over Qualtrics on April 13 and 14. The results were announced by the Tufts Elections Commission. On April 15, two TCU senators from the Class of 2022 announced their candidacy for president, with elections for the position scheduled for April 22 and 23. The voting will be conducted through Qualtrics.
ECOM chair Mark Lannigan explained how running the election through Qualtrics greatly expedited the voting process compared to last spring’s election, which was marred bytechnical glitches.
“Since transitioning to Qualtrics, [we] have had very, very few problems [conducting elections],” Lannigan, a sophomore, said. “The whole learning process went without a hitch, which is good.”
According to Lannigan, 1,685 total votes were cast, and the total voter turnout was 28.6%, up from 20.62% last year.
In the Class of 2024, incumbents Claire Bolash, Ritesh Vidhun, Mariana Janer Angrelot and Arielle Galinsky held their Senate seats. Newcomers Wanci Nana, Liani Astacio and Helina Mesfin won the remaining three seats.
Nana explained how the experience of campaigning for TCU was fulfilling.
“Running for TCU Senate ... was an experience that I greatly enjoyed,” Nana wrote in an email to the Daily. “Although I was running against them, seeing the passion and desire of the other candidates to aid the Tufts community really motivated and reassured me that this is what I want to do, and these are the people that I want to be around.”
Nana mapped out his plans for his time in the Senate.
"I plan to bring a lot of energy, innovation, and dedication to TCU Senate and the Tufts community," Nana said. "Prior to coming to Tufts, I set the intention to have a massive impact on the culture, and community, as I have now been elected as a TCU Senator, I am going to do exactly that."
Incumbents Ibrahim AlMuasher, Jalen Little, Max Morningstar, Sara Tata and Valerie Infante held their seats in the Senate for the Class of 2023. Jaden Pena and Helena Buschermohle won the remaining two seats as newcomers.
Six candidates ran uncontested in the Class of 2022, leaving one seat vacant. Iyra Chandra, Daniel Weber and Andrew Hong held their seats in the Senate for the Class of 2022. Asian American Community Senator Elizabeth Hom, Africana Community Senator Amma Agyei and Tim Leong won the remaining two seats.
Hadiya Giwa, a first-year, won the only contested Community Senator seat. Giwa, who held a Class of 2024 seat this year, will serve as Africana Community senator.
Candidates for other Community Senate seats ran uncontested. First-year Kristin Ng was elected to serve as the Asian American community senator, while first-year Benjamin Tang was elected to the first generation college student seat. Junior Aadhya Shivakumar was elected to the international community senator seat and first-year Blake Anderson was elected to the LGBTQ+ seat. First-year Ryan Steuerman will represent the SMFA in the Senate and sophomore Isha Bhatnagar will hold the women’s seat.
Shivakumar and Bhatnagar will be holding Community positions that were left vacant this year.
Max Price, Zachary Ferretti and Maya Namasivayam were reelected to their seats on the Judiciary. Annabel Xu and Patrick Gavazzi won as newcomers, and two seats were left vacant.
Four candidates ran uncontested for five positions on the Committee on Student Life, with Jojo Kuo and Sofia Friedman holding their seats as incumbents. Rachel Coll and Roshni Bhat will join the committee as newcomers.
The TCU Senate met after the elections to nominate candidates for the TCU presidential election, which will take place starting at noon on April 22, with voting stopped at midnight on April 23.
Incoming Class of 2022 senator and current Africana Community senator Amma Agyei announced her candidacy on April 15. Agyei has put a focus on her work as Africana Community senator addressing racism and bias within the university, and has emphasized her desire to work for underrepresented groups on campus.
“I am running for president to empower the student body and uplift underrepresented voices,” Agyei wrote in a statement posted on her campaignInstagram account. “The concerns of underrepresented populations continue to be overshadowed. Resolutions have turned into pieces of paper. Referenda representing the voice of the people is ignored."
Agyei will be contested by fellow Class of 2022 senator Tim Leong, who also announced his candidacy on April 15. He built his platform on the pillars of accountability, solidarity and equity.
“I see Senate’s primary role as an advocacy organization for student interests in the administration, and I’m running for TCU President to utilize solidarity to advocate for equity and accountability,” Leong wrote in a statement on his campaignwebsite.
Presidential voting will take place on Qualtrics. An email will be sent to students with a link to cast their ballot.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Maya Namasivayam was elected to the Judiciary for the first time this spring, when in fact she won reelection after serving on the Judiciary since the fall. The Daily regrets this error.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Iyra Chandra was the only incumbent Class of 2022 Senator to hold their seat, when in fact Daniel Weber and Andrew Hong were also reelected to their Class of 2022 Senate seats. Additionally, Elizabeth Hom held the position as the Asian American Community Senator and was elected to fill a Class of 2022 Senator seat, and Amma Agyei held the position of Africana Community Senator and was elected to fill a Class of 2022 Senator seat. The Daily regrets this error.
