Aguh seeks to build coalition for change

Sophomore Chike Aguh first became interested in studying political science because he wanted not just to look at the inequities inherent in society but to examine ways to change the system. He wants to be Tufts Community Union (TCU) president for the same reason.

"Tufts is an institution that not everyone gets the same out of," he says as he talks about the need to implement need blind admissions and make resources more accessible to students. "This is not about running against anyone. This is about running for something."

Though the Princeton, NJ native is running with a platform and vision similar to that of Randy Newsom, the candidate he replaced, they use different terms to describe their leadership styles. While Newsom saw his affability as his greatest asset, for Aguh, it is his ability to build coalitions.

As a co-sponsor of the new TCU constitution that students will vote on tomorrow, Aguh has spent every Friday afternoon since December working to create a compromise on an issue that has caused bitter disagreement in the student body for years -- the role of culture representatives to the Senate. Working with Sam Dangremond of The Primary Source, whom Aguh describes as his "diametrical political opposite," as well as Senator Alison Clarke and other student government leaders, Aguh helped the ad hoc reform committee create a new constitution that opposing sides have said they can live with.

Aguh's ability to build coalitions can also be seen in his work outside the Senate, he says. As a member of Hillel, he has been on the planning committee for several events this year, including the Arthur Davis discussion and free speech versus hate speech event earlier this semester. He is also the editor of Onyx, a board member of Pan-African Alliance, and a member of the Middle Eastern Students Society.

As the co-chair of the Senate's Culture, Ethnicity, and Community Affairs (CECA) committee, Aguh has strived to demonstrate his two-fold leadership style. First is connecting with senators and other students on a peer-like basis: "A leader needs to have the love of those who follow, because they'll follow more," he says. Next is leading by example, even if that means taking unpopular stances.

Aguh also places a great stress on accountability, whether it is student leaders to students or administrators to the community. He has worked on Senate outreach bylaws this year and shares Newsom's vision for holding administrators accountable for carrying out projects by establishing set timelines and goals.

"I don't think a government can exist without the officials being held accountable to the people," he said.

Though Aguh has a well-thought out philosophy on leadership, he emphasizes that what is most important to look at in assessing a TCU president is the actual issues he or she wants to work on.

"Before qualities, it comes to proposals and policies. 'It's do you advocate for the student body?'" he said.

One issue that Aguh emphasizes that Newsom spoke little about is curricular transformation. He has worked on the Asian American Curricular Transformation and Latino Curricular Transformation projects over the past two years and was one of the Senate representatives to the curriculum committee. Aguh is critical of Tufts for not offering ethnic studies majors that other schools have and feels that adding classes about the experience of different races and ethnicities in America is essential to creating a Tufts "curriculum for the 21st century."

"We pride ourselves on being a global, ecumenical school. That we teach about every other area except home is something that needs to change," he said.

Aguh's platform outlines many other areas where he would like to see change: he wants to improve the relationship between the Greek system and the administration, extend Tufts Police patrol off campus, teach students how to use Tufts services better, and work with the institution to improve the sense of community on campus.

What separates him from Mead, Aguh says, is his proven record of leadership. Besides his work on the new constitution and outreach bylaws, Aguh worked to implement faculty diversity training, and worked with another senator to create resource guides for student groups.

And while Aguh can be critical of Tufts, he sees the ability of students to criticize and change the University as its most positive asset.

"There is an emphasis that if you don't like something, you should change it," he said. "The thing is to get leadership to change the things that need to be changed."

Aguh's opponent, Joe Mead, was profiled in last Thursday's Daily. To read the article, please visit www.tuftsdaily.com.