Tufts undergraduates will choose the next president of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) on Wednesday, April 20. This spring, current TCU Senate Vice President junior Rafi Goldberg will face off against incumbent TCU Senate Treasurer junior Jeff Katzin.
The two candidates have taken decidely different approaches to their respective campaigns. While Goldberg stressed various initiatives of his "TCU Tomorrow" plan, Katzin is focused on his "determined" personality and experience as two key factors that will help him implement a platform, entitled "Making JUMBO changes."
"The experience of treasurer is vital, but the other half [of being a good president] is being the face of [the TCU] Senate and the face of the student body. You need work ethic, personality and determination. It is more than just a vision, it's the person that stands behind the vision," Katzin said.
Katzin's JUMBO changes include improving the publicity and profile of University Career Services, bringing the different Tufts' campuses together, uniting various student organizations on the Medford campus, increasing the Student Life Fund, creating a three-tier housing lottery system, and improving Tufts' Internet technology.
Goldberg said he would like to see the development of a stipend fund for unpaid internships, the integration of public speaking into the Tufts' curriculum, and a more thorough way of addressing incidents of bias on campus.
"There is nothing in [Katzin's] platform that I inherently disagree with, but I think that these are things - for example, housing and social life - that are going to be addressed anyway. I don't think it would be a good use of my time to deal with these issues," Goldberg said.
Katzin said he had a different attitude toward Goldberg's campaign initiatives, and focused less on the specifics of Goldberg's platform and more on the difference in personalities. "I think that none of the ideas that we are talking about are bad ideas. I think it is just a matter of feasibility and about the drive behind the project to get it done ... I think that [the drive] is the differentiating factor," he said.
According to current TCU Senate President junior Dave Baumwoll, the essential part of the job is representing Tuft's student body.
"I think the most important thing was to be the voice of students ... you need to be making sure that your efforts are improving the experience for the people who elected you - making sure that the things you undertake are worthwhile endeavors," he said.
Baumwoll said he also stressed the importance of focusing on accomplishments.
"The thing is, you need to be determined - you need to set goals, you need to really be dedicated to the job that you promised to do. You need to be able to work hard for it but at the same time you need to be effective. It isn't enough just to be working hard, you also need to get things done," he said.
Goldberg said he believes that his experience in conflict resolution will be of great benefit if he is elected president. He gave examples of his dealings with Tufts' administration when they tried to cancel the Naked Quad Run and when making changes to the culture option. "When you are president, you are going to be faced with tough issues all the time, and I think I have had some experience with that," Goldberg said.
Katzin's emphasis on personality echoed Baumwoll's sentiments regarding the importance of focusing on the job and of connecting with others.
"I think that the opportunity to combine the treasurer mentality and the presidential mentality is a real advantage ... I'm hoping [if I am elected] the [TCU] Senate can say we got this done and this accomplished," Katzin said.
A debate between Goldberg and Katzin tonight in Pearson 106 at 10 p.m. will also be televised live on TUTV..
