The Tufts Community Union Senate elected three new trustee representatives and discussed the upcoming TCU Senate elections during a meeting on Sunday.
After a brief roll call and committee updates, TCU Vice President Tim Leong introduced the three candidates applying for the four open trustee representative positions. Trustee representatives, appointed by the Senate, serve as nonvoting members of the Senateand represent the student body in Tufts Board of Trustees meetings.
The Senate reviewed each candidate's resume and allotted them a minute to present their opening case before opening the floor to questions.
The first candidate, Max Miller, highlighted what he hopes to accomplish as a trustee representative.
“My general philosophy is that, unless I’m kind of asked about what the trustees have said in prior meetings or if there’s something that’s really salient that I need to get in on, my general job is to sit, to listen, to take notes, make sure I know what’s going on on campus,” Miller, a senior, said.
Miller said his experience in the Senate will help him in the trustee representative position.
“I was involved with Senate very briefly before COVID … and it’s really interesting for me to be able to see the varying ways in which we can make an impact,” Miller said. “And I think that this position would be good for me because I can basically take some of the previous experience I’ve had and take it to the trustees and hopefully be a good advocate.”
The second candidate, Izzy Lobin, discussed the importance of representing the interests of the entire student body if chosen for the position.
“I think in any situation where you’re representing people, or trying to represent their interests, you can’t always assume … what’s best or what they think,” Lobin, a junior, said. “Getting data [is important], or just [hearing] student views for a wide range and [talking] about tangible steps … and then taking it from there versus assuming I know what they need or want.”
The third candidate, Emily Afriyie, said she hopes to increase transparency by communicating more with the student body to figure out students’ concerns and needs.
“I’m thinking of maybe doing some shorter surveys … and having students talk about what they think needs to change on campus … and then from there, using that information, talking with representatives on your organization or so, talking with the board and seeing what they think,” Afriyie, a sophomore, said.
Elections Commission Chair Mark Lannigan led the vote for trustee representative and all senators voted in favor of each candidate seeking the position.
TCU Treasurer Elizabeth Hom then announced mandatory TCU Treasury meetings for student organization treasurers on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. Sept 29 will be the first time a club can request supplementary funding.
ECOM then discussed the upcoming TCU Senate elections. Applications for Class of 2025 senators will close Monday, Sept. 20 at 12 p.m., and a candidates meeting will take place on Tuesday night.
Lannigan explained that ECOM is experimenting with a few new additions to the elections process this year, including a $50 candidate budget.
“We’re going to test pilot it, see how it goes and then potentially maybe that’s something you might have in the spring as well, depending on how it goes," he said.
Another new addition is a meet and greet, where candidates can interact with the student body and answer questions from passersby.
“This upcoming Friday, all of the candidates are going to be at the Campus Center … meeting and talking with people who are walking through the Campus Center,” Lannigan said.
Voting will begin at noon on Sept. 28 and conclude the following day at noon.
