Speaking to the Tufts Democrats last Tuesday night, Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator and presidential candidate Elton Sykes said that his top priority as president would be to connect the many "small communities" that make up Tufts.
"We have things like NQR and Spring Fling, but that's not enough to promote school-wide unity," Sykes said. "I want a bonfire on the night before Homecoming. I want to make sure that people feel safe on this campus, whether that's from robbers or a magazine," he said, referencing last year's Primary Source scandal.
He has focused his campaign around three issues: student safety, social life and residential life. He promises to improve these aspects of student life in developing a strong Tufts community.
Sykes, the only junior running for president, has credited his age as a factor that will help him in the three-person race. Even though he has served on the Senate for two years, the same amount of time as opponents Duncan Pickard and C.J. Mourning, he thinks his extra year of collegiate experience should appeal to voters. Both Mourning and Pickard are sophomores.
"If I bring anything to this campaign, it's the sense that I'm older," Sykes told the Daily. "I've been through the ups and downs of sophomore and junior year ... and I can connect to people in that sense."
In terms of improving safety at Tufts, Sykes has suggested increasing the number of blue lights on Powderhouse Boulevard and putting cameras in the Lower Campus Garage, where many vehicle break-ins have occurred recently. He would also work to expand the walking escorts program.
He said he advocates the adoption of a pedestrian safety program similar to the one that has been implemented at Hamilton College in New York.
"At Hamilton College, they have sensors at crosswalks that let cars know when someone is crossing 2,500 feet away," he said. "I think that more of these would help with the safety of people crossing the street, especially after [Tufts student Bory Damyanova] was hit and killed by a car my freshman year." The sensors cost about $10,000.
Sykes also discussed his dedication to improving the social life at Tufts. "I think that with social life, it's not about the quantity but the quality of events we have. There seems to be a lack of communication among groups," he said.
He listed several changes he would hope to implement, including organizing a bonfire the night before Homecoming, reducing rental prices of Hotung Café and Cohen Auditorium for student events and redefining the role of Greek life.
"I think that Greek life on campus can be a lot better," Sykes said. "Frats should collaborate more often and do events with each other in order to build a sense of community."
In his third and final area of focus, Sykes discussed plans to improve Tufts' residential life, such as advocating for the improvement of dormitory common spaces and wireless Internet capabilities. "Every other school that is comparable to Tufts has wireless, and we should too," Sykes said. "It would promote community on floors because people would want to work and hang out together."
Sykes also suggested putting the annual housing lottery online and reinstating residential boards to manage each dormitory.
He spoke about a grand plan of combining the Facilities Department with the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) - perhaps his most ambitious idea.
"With two [groups] running residential life at Tufts, it's inevitable that there will always be a disconnect," Sykes said. "The university should have one person and one department running everything."
A Chicago native and avid Cubs fan, Sykes first became involved in student government when he was elected treasurer of his sophomore class in high school.
At Tufts, Sykes ran for Senate his freshman year and lost. He ran again his sophomore year and won, taking a spot on the Administration and Policy Committee. Sykes co-chaired the committee this year, when he helped organize an investigation into how to improve Tufts' common rooms, he said. Sykes, who is also a resident assistant (RA), said he also worked with ResLife to initiate the process of putting the housing lottery online.
While he is not endorsing any candidate, Senator Matt Shapanka said that Sykes' knowledge of residential life helped the committee last year.
"He's an RA, so he's very knowledgeable about ResLife issues," Shapanka said.
Sykes' Campaign Manager, former Senator Emerson Luke, credits Sykes' passion for the successes of this year's committee. "Elton's leadership on the Administration and Policy Committee demonstrates that when he is passionate about something, he wants to take charge and ownership," Luke said.
Sykes credited his honesty and openness as traits that separates him from Mourning and Pickard.
"I respect both [Pickard and Mourning], I think that they are both great people, but I think what sets me apart is that you'll always know where I stand on every issue," Sykes said. "I'm not going to sugarcoat anything ... I believe that all of my project proposals are reasonable."
Members from opposing campaigns disagreed.
"What I know about C.J. is that all of her project proposals are realistic, but I'm not sure if I feel the same way about Elton or Duncan," said senior Peter Davidson, Mourning's campaign manager.
Davidson added that he was taken aback by the idea of merging residential life and facilities together. "No administrative change is going to happen when you merge two departments," Davidson said.
Davidson hinted that Sykes may not be outgoing enough to be president.
"Because Elton is on Junior Class Council and I'm on the Programming Board, we've worked together a lot this year on events like Winter Bash or Winter Carnival, yet I've never had a conversation with him," Davidson said. "I know that I want a president who can approach me."
Pickard said that while Sykes has three solid talking points, he lacks a comprehensive vision.
"You hear Elton talk about the three areas that he wants to improve at Tufts, and those are legitimate points, but my questions is where do [they] get us?" Pickard asked. "I incorporate ... his ideas with other ideas that are more important and tie them all together with one vision."
Sykes also chaired the ad-hoc Committee on Community Values this school year, helping to write two Senate resolutions on free speech at Tufts. The resolutions sought to promote student input in the new Task Force on Freedom of Expression.
Sykes is the treasurer of the Junior Class Council, a student broadcaster for JumboCast and a member of the Black Men's Group. He also works in the Office of the Provost, where he spends time with Administrative Assistant Jessica Shepard.
Shepard had praise for Sykes. "He's a really wonderful person, he's got a great outgoing personality and he's really interested in getting input from people."
"One of the strongest qualities of Elton is the fact that he is so genuine," Luke said. "He's a straight shooter and an honest guy ... who has formed a lot of relationships with people over the past three years at Tufts."
Sykes' resident, freshman Brinkley Rowe, echoed Luke's sentiments when discussing her RA. "He's one of the first people who struck me as a genuinely honest person," Rowe said. "A lot of RAs are reclusive, but I consider Elton to be more of a friend than a watchdog."
Fellow RA Sarah Kalin had similar things to say about her experience working with Sykes. "He is really easy to work with because he is organized and always does what he says he is going to do," she said. "Whenever he has to lead meetings, he is very efficient and doesn't waste time."
RA and senior Jesse Gossett, however, had a slightly different view of Sykes, suggesting that his busy schedule has made him somewhat unreliable. "He's a nice guy, he's just always late to meetings ... Maybe he has more important things going on," Gossett said.
Residential Program Coordinator Lacey Prouty called Sykes an "exceptional RA."
"Elton is a natural leader - he is who he is," Prouty said. "As an RA, one of the things Elton is good at is getting people to talk to one another. He is great at understanding both sides of every problem."
