The Elections Board (ELBO) held in-house elections for the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) Wednesday night, with two of the TCUJ positions hotly contested.
Current TCUJ Vice-Chair sophomore Jake Resnicow and current TCUJ Re-recognition Chair freshman Alex Clark battled to chair the 2005-2006 academic year TCUJ. After every member of next year's body voted, Resnicow emerged as winner.
Outgoing Chair senior Shaharris Beh provided words of encouragement for the rising officers. "Your leadership doesn't come from a title, it doesn't come from a name. It comes from your initiative," he said. "Plus, who's going to check when you put it on your resume anyway?"
In his argument, Clark said that the group has minimal appearance around campus, and vowed to increase student awareness of the TCUJ's roles and responsibilities.
"Our perception on campus is not known at all," he said. "I'm seeing things that could be better."
Resnicow chose to focus on his qualifications to fill the role of Chair. "This will be my third year on the [TCU]J, and I've loved every minute of it," he said. "I'm just like the duck in the Aflac commercials: You've got questions, I've got answers."
But Clark said he harbored some skepticism toward Resnicow's qualifications, and pointed out Resnicow's position as head of Tufts Poker Society as questionable.
"I have a bit of an issue with someone who is the head of a gambling society being the head of a judicial group," Clark said. "I'm a bit disconcerted with that perception of us on campus."
Resnicow, however, responded that he would step down from his presidency of Tufts Poker Society in order to focus on leading the TCUJ.
In the other contested election, incumbent TCUJ member freshman Marc Bouffard beat incumbent TCUJ member sophomore David Dennis to be re-electeded to the position of TCUJ Treasurer, where he will work with the group's $4,000 budget.
"[Last year] I really put the idea of fiscal forethought into the Judiciary," Bouffard said.
Also brought to attention during the elections was the future of the TCUJ's newly created Advocacy Program. According to the TCUJ Web site, the Advocacy Program was established to provide students with "the option to have an advocate advise and represent them for a mediation or hearing" during the Tufts Student Judicial Process. The advocates are peer students with knowledge of the University's judicial
methods.
According to Resnicow, the Dean of Students and Judicial Affairs offices "are fairly reluctant to have the [Advocacy] Program." The TCUJ, however, plans to develop the program and make it more accessible to students going through the judicial process.
Clark introduced the idea of creating an online "Ask an Advocate" program, in which students could ask questions regarding such topics as the University Academic Honesty and legal police procedures in dorms.
"It would give advocates training and give Tufts students answers to their questions," Clark said.
For the upcoming academic year, Clark's role will be Vice-Chair. In other TCUJ positions, freshman Jamie Morgan will run the Advocacy Program, freshman Allison Towle will be the New Group Recognitions Chair, freshman Justin Greenbaum will be Re-recognition Chair and Dennis will be Historian.
