Mead plans run for TCU presidency

Sophomore Joe Mead announced this week that he will seek a nomination to run for Tufts Community Union (TCU) president for next year.

Mead, who has been on the Senate for a year, was re-elected by default yesterday when only a handful number of rising juniors turned in petitions to run.

Until now, only one other senator -- junior Randy Newsom -- expressed a desire to run for president. There was speculation that sophomore Adam Koeppel would run to keep the post from going unopposed, but Koeppel said he plans to study abroad next year.

The main plank of Mead's campaign will be improving the connections between the Senate and the student body. He suggested changing the way the Senate communicates with students, from holding poorly-attended forums to more direct outreach -- such as bulletin boards and the constituency-based bylaws that senators have been working to develop this semester. He also suggested that the Senate have a press secretary who works with campus media to inform students of Senate activities.

"No one really knows what Senate does, and no one really knows how to use Senate as a tool to help themselves and make Senate a better place," Mead said. "I think Senate has traditionally been an elitist kind of thing."

Mead is the chair of Allocations Board Council III, which works with media groups on campus. He is also on the public relations committee, and has been trying to get the Senate bulletin boards in dining areas on campus this year.

The Naked Quad Run and the Greek system will also be featured in Mead's campaign. He expressed dissatisfaction with the Senate's lack of discussion of this semester's perceived administrative crackdown on the Greek system and said it was necessary for the body to discuss the issue because of its importance in student life.

"It seems kind of arbitrary what the administration is going through right now," he said. "I think that the student body needs to be more involved and aware in decisions and situations that the administration makes."

Public relations, preserving the Naked Quad Run, and working on Greek issues are also the three campaign planks that Newsom has outlined thus far.

Though the TCU president is traditionally a senior, Mead feels he has developed the leadership skills necessary for the job through his involvement with the Senate and other groups -- he is the treasurer of the Inter-Greek Council, a brother in the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and a member of the lacrosse team. He also feels he could bring continuity to the Senate by serving as president for two years.

The Senate will meet on Sunday, Apr. 13 to nominate presidential candidates, and the election will be held Apr. 24. Under the current TCU constitution, only two candidates may be nominated, and if only two emerge, the Senate must select both to run.