The Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ), the group that oversees on-campus student organizations and the judicial advocates program, elected its new executives at in-house elections last Thursday.
Veda Shastri, a senior, became chair, a spot held last semester by Allison Towe, who has graduated.
"This is going to be my third year on the judiciary and I really, really enjoyed my time so far and it's really a great way to be involved in campus life," Shastri told the Daily.
Orianne Duserre, a junior, will serve as the judiciary's vice chair, and sophomore Lindsay Helfman will be the new-recognition chair. Senior Briane Knight will be the re-recognition chair, sophomore Michael Steinberg will be the judicial advocacy chair and freshman John Peter Kaytrosh will serve as historian.
Steinberg said he thinks the people and the positions to which they were elected match up.
"I think one of the nice things about the judiciary is that we all kind of work together, everybody has a hand in everything," Steinberg said.
The two overarching directives of the TCUJ with relation to student groups are to "oversee and maintain" the recognition of groups and to serve as arbiter between the different organizations, according to Shastri.
In the fall, the TCUJ must approve the creation of any new groups seeking Tufts Community Union (TCU) recognition; it also re-recognizes old groups every other year.
According to Shastri, groups seeking recognition are obligated to meet a list of criteria, such as having their own constitution. They also must go before the Office of Campus Life before getting recognized by the TCUJ.
Once the organization has been approved before the TCUJ, they can apply for the privileges afforded to a TCU-recognized group, such as classroom access and funding.
The TCUJ also acts as an arbiter between organizations on campus during cases involving complaints. It took this role two years ago when allegations of racism were brought against the Tufts publication The Primary Source.
The TCUJ received a complaint from a student against the Elections Commission (ECOM) last spring, saying that a referendum on a TCU ballot had not been advertised heavily enough. The complaint led the TCUJ to pass legislation mandating that in the future ECOM advertise referenda at least three days in advance of elections, Shastri said.
Shastri said she hopes to help recognize more student groups this year, but also to find a balance between limited resources and the creation of new organizations.
"Making sure that students' ideas are being fulfilled and carried through the organization [is a priority]," Shastri said.
Steinberg explained that his new position makes him the manager of all judicial advocates. "They are basically like student lawyers in a sense. They represent Tufts students that are involved in the disciplinary process," Steinberg said.
Judicial advocates serve as aides for students going through disciplinary hearings on campus.
Steinberg said he hopes "to have a direct impact on the level of fairness that we see" in the judicial process.
Steinberg also aims to increase the role of judicial advocates in the disciplinary process, adding that he has more to learn about the process.
"The more that there is somebody who has an active role in that process with [students involved in disciplinary issues] the less they sort of feel isolated or without support," he said.
