Dear Editors,
Former Tufts Community Union (TCU) Judiciary Chair, junior Lindsay Helfman, and I wrote in a Tufts Daily op−ed on Nov. 11, 2009, "The TCU Judiciary (TCUJ) has no intention of undermining the TCU Senate Treasury in its capacity and ability to allocate our student activities fund. In the same way that the TCUJ holds group recognition (both old and new) to be our area of expertise, we so view the Senate with regard to funding. We wish to make clear that by practice and by our understanding as arbiters of the TCU Constitution, the Senate retains the sole right and ability to fund or not fund groups — regardless of their TCU recognition status — as it sees fit."
These words continue to express what we referred to as "the reality of recognition," and do much to correct some errors made in the article published on Feb. 12, 2010 entitled, "Student groups go through various campus organizations to receive funding."
The article begins by saying, "Many groups obtain this funding through the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ)." With the exception of the Judiciary's internal budget ($1,268.56 this year), there is no such thing as "TCUJ funding," a phrase that is used (with several variants) multiple times in the article. Almost all TCU funding is disbursed by the TCU Treasury, the financial branch of the TCU Senate. The Senate is a completely separate body from the TCU Judiciary. Recognition is given to active groups by the TCU Judiciary, and it confers a limited set of privileges, including, among others, the ability request funds from the TCU Senate through the allocations process used by student groups.
We on the TCU Judiciary are always eager to help our fellow students understand how we work; anybody and everybody should feel free to e−mail john.kaytrosh@tufts.edu, gregory.bodwin@tufts.edu or adam.sax@tufts.edu with any questions they might have.
Thank you,
John Peter Kaytrosh
Class of 2012 Chair
TCU Judiciary
Greg Bodwin Class of 2013
New Group Recognition
TCU Judiciary
Adam Sax Class of 2013
Judicial Advocacy Chair
TCU Judiciary
