The Tufts Community Union Senate heard supplementary funding requests and updates on the theme for the Class of 2024 Prom in a virtual meeting on Monday night.
After the roll call, TCU Assistant Treasurer and Class of 2023 Senator Jalen Little introduced three supplementary funding requests.
Tufts Gaming Hub requested $1,055 to pay venue fees and transportation costs to send club members to Super Smash Bros. tournaments this semester. The Allocations Board unanimously voted to fully fund the request, which passed by acclamation.
WMFO, Tufts’ freeform radio station, requested $4,000 to pay for food and a stage at its Music Arts Festival, which will happen this spring. ALBO unanimously recommended that the TCU Senate fund the full amount. WMFO's request passed with 17 senators voting in favor, none opposing and one abstaining.
TedxTufts requested $1,827 to fund a banquet dinner for club members and speakers in advance of their 2022 conference. The request included $1,527 for catering from Tufts Dining and $300 for flowers. ALBO voted to recommend that the TCU Senate fund the full amount with six board members in favor, none opposed and one abstaining. The request passed with 17 senators voting in favor, none opposing and two abstaining.
TCU Parliamentarian Ibrahim Almuasher then introduced the abstract of a resolution put forward by the TCU Senate Education Committee calling for the adoption of Open Educational Resources — which are free, public domain learning materials — by Tufts faculty.The abstract expresses support for Tisch Library’s efforts to adopt OER, in light of the high and rising cost of higher education, and urges professors to redesign their courses in order to minimize financial cost to students. TCU will read a complete draft of the resolution and vote on it in a future meeting.
Next, TCU Diversity Officer Jaden Pena opened the floor for updates from the community senators.
Africana Community Senator Hadiya Giwa announced an upcoming meeting with Kelly Shaw, nutrition specialist for Tufts Dining, who expressed interest in connecting with the Africana Center to improve dining options. Giwa also mentioned that the Africana Center is potentially beginning the search process for an Africana spirituality advisor and is gauging student interest in the position.
LGBTQ+ Community Senator Blake Anderson reported that he will soon be meeting with Director of Educational Technology Systems and Services Janet Hill, with the intent of creating an option for students to designate that they use both gendered and gender-neutral pronouns on Tufts interfaces like the Student Information System.
Women’s Community Senator Krystal Mutebi announced that she met with the Women’s Center about continuing the Menstrual Product Project. She added that she is working with the Women’s Center on celebration ideas for Women’s History Month.
TCU Historian and Outreach Committee Chair Mariana Janer-Agrelot gave updates on the progress of the TCU Senate logo design and asked for suggestions for Senate bonding activities.
Services Committee Chair Arielle Galinsky then updated the body on project developments from her committee. She announced that the Granoff Music Center will be the location for a new mural depicting students’ interests and that Class of 2025 Senator João Ribeiro is working on making student parking more affordable.
Galinsky, a sophomore, added that she has been working with Jumbo Swipes and Director of Dining and Business Services Patti Klos on plans for donating swipes to external food pantries in the Medford/Somerville area, promoting the Swipe It Forward initiative and establishing a food pantry on Tufts campus.
Galinsky also gave updates on the Class of 2024 Prom, announcing that the committee has hired a Tufts alum to head marketing for the event and begun connecting with DJs. The committee also settled on the theme of “Prom Reinvisioned.”
Education Committee Chair Claire Bolash opened the floor for an update from Class of 2025 Senator Tolulope Adewumi, who announced plans for a ‘resource fair,’ which will help better publicize the different resources available on campus and connect students with different academic centers.
Administration and Policy Committee Chair Liani Astacio then updated the body on her discussion with Associate Dean of Financial AidPatricia Reilly, who announced that the COVID-19 Emergency Fund will continue for the foreseeable future.
After senators asked brief questions in an open forum, the meeting was adjourned.
