The second and final Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate presidential debate between candidates Neil DiBiase and Amanda Richardson was held in Sophia Gordon Hall last night.
While the presidential race began with three candidates, sophomore Jake Maccoby dropped out over the weekend, narrowing the field down to two students.
The debate began with opening remarks from both candidates.
Sophomore and current Senate Historian DiBiase won a coin toss, giving him the right to give his opening remarks first.
He mentioned several initiatives that are the central tenets of his campaign, including starting a Senate liaison program; reworking the Greek system; and focusing on finding what he referred to as the "common denominators" of students' interests.
Some possible projects to this end are changing the hours of dining halls or the library or putting gym equipment in dorms.
But most central to his stance throughout the evening was his call for the creation of a "Tufts identity."
"We lack a school-wide identity. When asked about their identities, students [only] mention their organizations and their friends. We want students to get out and experience what it means to be a Tufts student," DiBiase said.
He continually pointed out the importance of his proposed Senate liaison program, which would connect senators with other members of the community, as a way to ameliorate this problem.
Junior and Senate Education Committee Chair Richardson opened next. "I feel we can empower the students through the TCU Senate," she said, listing what she felt are the most important ways to do so.
She called for improvements to Career Services resources, the advising system, and the language and study aboard opportunities.
"The advising system leaves students out on [a] limb, and right now it's all over the place. Not all students have advisers in their major and many [of the advisers] don't even know the distribution requirements," Richardson said.
She also focused on the need for the administration and local police departments to treat students "like adults" and called for an expansion of students' rights.
Another of Richardson's goals is increasing the amount of social programming on campus, suggesting that Tufts hold another event similar to Fall Ball or Winter Bash and create opportunities for students of all class years.
"Seniors shouldn't be the only ones with a pub night. We could take the freshmen to play laser tag ... or see [the] Blue Man Group," she said.
Each candidate then answered questions. The first four were submitted beforehand by the Daily, and the rest came from the audience.
The first question pointed out that many presidential candidates in past years have promised to pursue initiatives that have been beyond their power as a student leader to enact, asking the two candidates if their platforms are realistic.
Richardson said that changing the advising system and making Career Services resources more accessible are projects for which "we already have the resources," making it clear that she believes it would not be difficult for her promises to be carried out.
DiBiase also defended his platform, noting that one of his large goals is "to change the way the Senate looks at issues.
"I think one of the most important jobs of any Senate president is the way he works with the other 34 Senate members," he said. DiBiase, like Richardson, mentioned that the resources to meet his goals are already available.
The second question asked candidates what they would do with the surplus created by money from the Student Activities Fee that is not allocated to student groups.
DiBiase made it clear that he supports keeping the surplus every year to pay for particular projects that come up late and cannot be otherwise funded.
As an example, he spoke about how the Senate used its surplus this year to allow the Tower Caf?© to be open during late-night study hours. While the administration will fund this Senate project next year, the surplus had to be used this year.
Richardson agreed that the surplus should be conserved. "I don't think we should be spending it yearly, but should be saving for the big projects that will really impact students' lives," she said.
The next question asked the candidates what they each thought the Senate's biggest failure this year was.
DiBiase said that although the Senate did not fail when reacting to the Primary Source carol, it did not handle it as well as possible. The Senate "wasn't equipped with the right tools" to deal with such an issue, he said.
"The reason I joined Senate is because I really didn't think it was addressing my needs," Richardson countered.
"That hasn't changed ... I think we need to instill the values of representation in the Senate so people feel that their lives are being impacted," she said, stressing that the Senate shouldn't be viewed as a place where students practice being politicians.
The fourth question, after noting that most of their platforms are centered around improving on-campus life, asked the candidates about their opinions about the current state of "town-gown" relations.
Richardson said that while she still believed campus life is the most important part of her campaign, "making the surrounding communities a part of [the Tufts] community is really important."
She cited in particular the need for an improved relationship with both TUPD and the police in Medford and Somerville.
DiBiase said that while the Senate has drastically improved town-gown relations this year, "the reality is that oftentimes we need to respect the community that we live in."
The audience then asked several additional questions about subjects ranging from the reopening of Hotung to the housing system.
In closing, both candidates reiterated their opening remarks, refocusing the conversation on their platforms.
The campus-wide presidential election will begin tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. and will last until 11:59 p.m.
