The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is getting an early start on preparations for next year in light of the fact that its entire executive board will most likely leave.
One senator has already thrown his hat in the ring for the presidency, junior Randy Newsom. Newsom, who joined the Senate during the middle of last year, is the chair of the Senate's special projects and public relations committee. Among the projects he has worked on this year are outreach initiatives, improvement of gym facilities, and the upcoming rap-off.
Newsom's opponent may end up being someone who has been away from the Tufts community all year: junior Pritesh Gandhi, currently studying in London. Gandhi has previously served as a senator, but resigned from his position during the middle of his sophomore year. He will be in the US for his five-week spring break starting the last week of March, eliminating the need to campaign from abroad.
"As of now I'm still contemplating whether I will run or not," Ghandi said. "If the situation is right then I may come back and try to run."
Gandhi was chair of the Culture, Ethnicity, and Community Affairs committee prior to his resignation. Among the projects he worked on for the Senate were curricular transformation issues, improving the Davis Square shuttle, and extending library hours.
The Senate's three other juniors, Joshua Belkin, Julia Karol, and Cristina Gioioso, have all said they will not run for president.
No matter who is elected, next year's president will be surrounded by an entirely new executive board. Three of the current executive board members, Vice President Andrew Potts, Historian Alison Clarke, and Treasurer Benjamin Lee, are graduating in May. Assistant Treasurer Rachel Marx will be abroad in Madrid all year, and Parliamentarian Adam Koeppel hopes to study abroad but has yet to finalize his plans.
The loss of Lee will be a huge blow to the Senate, as he has received much praise for his work as treasurer over the last two years. The job is one of the most important on Senate, because it involves dealing with every student group and keeping close track of where TCU funds go.
"Ben Lee is in that treasury office ten hours a day," Newsom said. "It's more than a fulltime job to him. I don't think you're going to find someone with that kind of dedication," he said.
Lee may be replaced by Belkin, who has already said he would like to run for treasurer. Of the Senate's three sophomores who are committee chairs, Jackie Zapata and Alexis Smith are going abroad, and Chike Aguh plans to run for Senate but has not decided what role he would like to take on. Sophomore Joe Mead also says that he would like to take on more of a leadership role in the Senate.
This lack of experience among executive board members may not be as big a problem as it seems, senators say. Many of the executive board duties are purely administrative, and most of the work that senators do is through the committees, which are often led by younger members of the body.
The strength of this year's freshman class will also help to compensate for the loss of seniors and sophomores.
"This is without a doubt one of the best freshman classes we've had in a while," said Belkin, who will be the Senate's longest-serving member next fall. "They all seem knowledgeable, involved, and they all have an eager go-and-get-'em attitude."
Current executive board members are trying to smooth the transition for next year by making information sheets for new future leaders and taking time to train them, according to Clarke. Additionally, younger senators have already started to step up after Carson's resignation, Aguh said.
In past years, TCU presidents have come to office saying they want to change the tone set by a previous president. Newsom, however, says his main goal would be to continue to the positive atmosphere that has been created this year.
Among the projects Newsom would like to see the Senate tackle are preserving the Naked Quad Run, creating a University-wide calendar, and working to strengthen ties between the undergraduate program and the graduate schools. He also wants the Senate to make the administration more accountable for promises made to students.
"A lot of people are satisfied with the school but not overly happy because of little things," he said. "I really think that if we can take care of those little things, we can make Tufts one of the best college experiences."
Senators have also focused on implementing the outreach initiatives that members have worked on this year. Last month senators passed the first of two outreach by-laws, mandating senators to keep in touch with certain groups on campus. The by-law has not yet been put into effect.
There are also plans for a second by-law that would divide the student body into small constituencies, assign a senator to each one, and require senators to reach out to each constituency in specific ways, such as holding forums in dorms.
"It's a huge priority. We do have a lot of work ahead of us in improving student-Senate relations," said sophomore Matthew Pohl, a driving force behind the project. "We're just providing more opportunities for the students and the senators to engage with each other."
Despite the fact that Pohl will be in Washington, D.C next spring., he plans to run for the Senate in the fall to see the by-law come to fruition.
If Gandhi decides not to run for president, it is unclear who might oppose Newsom. There is always the possibility that a candidate could emerge from the woodwork -- Clarke was on the Tufts Community Union Judiciary, not the Senate, prior to her run for the presidency -- but no candidates have emerged thus far.
Candidates for the TCU presidency must be elected senators and are chosen by the Senate at a meeting in April after the general elections for the fall. If no one opposes Newsom, there could be some controversy, as the TCU Constitution stipulates that the Senate "will nominate two presidential candidates from among its members to participate in a campus-wide election of the TCU President."
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