The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate has struggled this year with the question of how best to represent minority students' interests. Currently, four community representatives from different cultural groups sit in on Senate meetings and vote on matters not related to the allocation of funds. These four representatives -- who stem from the Asian American Alliance, the Queer Straight Alliance, the Pan-African Alliance and the Association of Latin American Students -- were appointed after their respective groups petitioned for representation, and they were subsequently approved by the student body. The community representatives model is beneficial in that it pushes the Senate to consider the specific needs of minority groups on campus, but given the manner in which they are currently appointed, community representatives currently do not fully represent the range of diversity at Tufts. The system of community representatives on the TCU Senate has to be standardized and broad-based to represent the various minority interests on campus.
The Culture, Ethnicity, and Community Affairs (CECA) committee is currently supporting a proposal in the Senate that would tie the community representatives to their respective special interest centers. This proposal would be a step in the right direction toward more fair, organized minority representation. The Culture Centers at Tufts, organized as the Group of Six, are well-defined, broad-reaching diversity groups representing the Africana; Asian-American; International; Latino; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT); and Women's Centers. Using the Group of Six as a template for community representatives on Senate would standardize and organize minority representation in a more effective manner than the arbitrary petitioning representation currently in effect.
However, there are many student minority groups not represented by official cultural centers. For example, the Muslim Students Association is a major student group, but it is not an official member of the Group of Six. In order for these and other student interest groups to be fairly represented, community representatives from these groups could be tied to their corresponding student organization rather than an official Tufts cultural center. It is vital that these minority groups also be allowed representation on Senate, as their interests may not be met by the Group of Six.
Given the influential role of community representatives, it is important that the decision to change the system by which representatives are appointed not be made by the Senate alone. The entire Tufts community feels the impact of community representatives' presence since they have the right to vote on all matters not related to allocation of Senate funds. Therefore, the greater Tufts community should have a say in how community representatives are chosen. TCU President Brandon Rattiner is conscious of this, and hopes that the proposal will be brought to a student-wide vote later this spring. This step is crucial in ensuring that the voices voting and influencing Senate decisions are truly representative of the interests of the student population.
Minority and culture groups at Tufts should have a voice in the TCU Senate, but it is also crucial that the system for appointing community representatives to Senate be standardized, and that any changes to that system be voted on by the student body.
