In a meeting than ran as expected, juniors Melissa Carson and Alison Clarke were formally nominated for the position of Tufts Community Union (TCU) President by the Senate on Sunday evening. The candidates attempted to differentiate their platforms and answered questions from other senators and observers.
Both students have officially launched their campaigns and spent much of Sunday night urging students to vote on April 24.
Clarke and Carson have significant experience in student government at Tufts. Clarke served as TCU Judiciary (TCUJ) vice chair this year, and Carson was Senate vice president. Both were elected to the Senate in the uncontested campus election last week.
The candidates proposed similar platforms, including an emphatic desire to reconnect with the student body - repeatedly stating that the senators must take an active role.
Clarke said that one of her main goals was to "[open] up the Senate to the community," through participation in other campus groups' activities. Carson agreed with Clarke, adding that she would like to hold "dorm days," in which senators would literally go "door to door talking to people and getting their ideas."
The candidates have also promised to fight for need-blind admissions. Carson said she had already spoken with Trustee Chairman Nathan Gantcher on the issue, and Clarke said the same of a conversation with President Emeritus John DiBiaggio. Both said need-blind admissions would be one of their main goals.
While similar in style, their platforms centered on several different issues. Though Clarke proposed a wide variety of ideas, most of her goals centered around collecting student input to resolve issues such as curricular diversification. Clarke proposed that the different groups lobbying the administration for more diverse classes and faculty should come together and establish a base to present a united front.
Carson had a long list of her own, including points which ranged from more class-based events to a welcome back reception for students returning from abroad- citing that more connection with the University would prevent the alienation of soon-to-be alumni. Carson also said that she will "work with and for students," especially with regards to holding the administration accountable for its promises.
Carson said her intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the administration would help her achieve the goals she has proposed during the campaign.
Though Clarke has no previous Senate experience, she feels her outsider perspective will give her an advantage. Clarke said she has closely observed the Senate for two years as a member of the TCUJ and that she has been an active member of many other groups on campus. She said this perspective would bring her closer to the student body.
"I'm not afraid of criticizing the Senate," she said.
