After a day of light crowds at the polls, four new student leaders were elected yesterday to voice their opinions and lobby the administration. Juniors Erin Ross and Scott Pherson and sophomore Josh Gold were elected to the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate in competitive races. Sophomore Zaki Raheem was selected to a seat on the Committee on Student Life (CSL).
Only about 300 votes - approximately 6.5 percent of the undergraduate population - were cast in the CSL race, according to ELBO Treasurer Valentino Caruso. Just over 150 voters participated in each Senate race.
The newly elected student leaders will serve out the remaining two-plus months of the terms their predecessors - who all left Tufts for the semester - did not complete. Annual regular elections will be held in April for the 2001-2002 academic year.
Ross, who was a senator her freshman and sophomore years before going abroad this past fall, said she is excited to be back on Senate. "I have a new perspective and I am excited to work with my friends again," she said.
Ross plans to return to the Senate Services Committee, which she chaired during her sophomore year. "It's what I am familiar with," she said. She also hopes to continue work on establishing anonymous AIDS testing for students.
Though official numbers were not announced, ELBO chair Shane Mason did say that the second junior senate seat was a "remarkably close race," while the other two elections "weren't really that close."
The CSL election could have happened last semester, but due to a short-staffed Elections Board (ELBO), no contest was organized. Junior Tal Unrad vacated the seat after studying abroad this fall, and he unsuccessfully re-ran yesterday.
Raheem hopes that his objectivity will be an asset to the CSL. "I want to be able to look at both sides fairly when making a decision," he said.
All students were eligible to vote in the CSL election, while only sophomores and juniors could vote for their class senators.
ELBO members said they had anticipated low voter turnout. "Their terms will last all of two months. People don't think it is a big deal," Mason said. "Also, considering there were only 15 people at the candidates forum, I was not surprised at the extremely low turnout."
Some students who tried to vote were unable to do so. ELBO advertised polls to open at 11 a.m. in Dewick, Carmichael, and the campus center. While Carmichael's polls opened on time, the campus center booth was not manned until 11:30 a.m., and election workers were not present in Dewick until nearly 1:00 p.m., well after the peak lunch crowd. Mason attributes the closed polls to a lack of manpower.
"We had trouble getting people [to run the polls]," he said.
"I had read about elections in the newspaper, but when I was at Dewick for lunch, there wasn't anybody manning a table. I wasn't going to be around at dinner, so I lost my chance to vote," sophomore Erika Robbins said.
Some students were unaware that a special election was taking place, while others did not know what the purpose of the elections was.
"I don't even know what the elections are for," freshman Lauren Lerner said.
Other students were aware of the election but chose not to vote because they were unfamiliar with the candidates and the issues they supported. "I'd vote if I knew who they were, but I don't," sophomore Kathryn Price said.
Even students who did know the candidates by name said they had no idea what agenda they were actually voting for. "I voted for my friends of course," sophomore Lynelle Cortellini said. When asked if she knew what they would do in office she replied, "Not really."
Some students were well informed, however, and did vote eagerly and early. "If every student can express their opinion, the people elected will be more adequate for the job," freshman Karyn Blaser said. Other students based their choices on candidate information sheets at each polling station, while still others voted to pass the time while waiting for friends at dinnertime in the Dewick lobby. "I wanted to be rebellious so I went ahead and voted," freshman Richard Kalman said.
The Senate is hoping to drastically increase turnout in future elections by bringing the polls to each student's computer. Senator Andrew Potts, who is heading up this project - called Tufts Polls - is convinced elections will be online soon.
"It will be ready for April. I am confident," he said.
Senate President David Moon is excited about having a full Senate with new perspectives. "It's great to have some fresh blood on this body, especially around midyear," he said. "Sometimes we get into a routine, so new thoughts and perspectives can reinvigorate the rest of the body."
The TCU Senate represents student interests to the administration, faculty, trustees, and alumni. Through its treasury operations, the Senate also oversees the distribution of the Student Activities Fee to the various student organizations on campus.
The CSL is a joint student and faculty committee that deals with complaints about student life, as well as hearing appeals of TCU Judiciary decisions. The five elected undergraduates in conjunction with the rest of committee also hear complaints against student organizations, except fraternities and sororities.
