In preparation for the new semester, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate has been working on initiatives aimed at improving student life. Adding a fourth restaurant to the Merchants on Points System (MOPS), improving on-campus phone and cable service, and increasing Tufts' visibility by negotiating the bookstore contract are among the proposed projects.
Many issues have also been carried over from last semester, such as increasing the number of Asian American courses in the curriculum and expanding MOPS. There are also plans to start up a "services initiative" that will address problems with the shuttle, as well as with the points, vending, and laundry machines on campus. Many students were frustrated last semester when machines broke down and were not fixed quickly.
The Senate will create a committee to review the contracts held by the bookstore and phone/cable company, which are up for renewal later this year. Barnes & Noble currently holds the bookstore contract, while PacTec Communications controls the cable/ and phone systems.
Senators will try to renegotiate Barnes & Noble's exclusive license to the Tufts name in the new contract. Currently, only the Tufts Bookstore can sell merchandise displaying the Tufts name, a practice that TCU Senate President Eric Greenberg says limits the University's visibility.
"It's disappointing to go to the airport to see shirts for MIT, BU, Harvard and alike, but not Tufts," he said. "The only place to get Tufts merchandise is on campus...[revoking the license] is how to get the name out."
This semester, the Senate will also address disagreements that arose last semester concerning the role of Trustee Representatives in Senate meetings. Trustee Reps report to the Board of Trustees and act as liaisons between the governing bodies. Throughout last semester, some senators said that the reps were too vocal during meetings. The three representatives responded by leaving the meetings immediately after delivering their weekly reports, rather than participating in them entirely.
On a number of occasions the Trustee Reps asked the Senate Executive Board to review their status. In response, it was decided that the Trustee Reps will return to their positions as active members of the Senate in order to "make everyone happy," Greenberg said. The Executive Board decided to formalize the role of the Trustee Reps in a bylaw to be passed at the next meeting. "We're looking out for the Trustee Reps," Greenberg said.
During the first Senate meeting, Student Activities Director Jodie Nealley will lead a workshop on developing leadership skills. The Senate Committees have not met since before winter recess, so senators will also use the time to plan for the spring semester.
