Every year we come together and take part in the one election that engages the entire student body toward one common goal. We as a student body help set the tone for what our student government will pursue, strive for and ultimately accomplish. There are so many issues that are ongoing at Tufts, what should prompt any of us to care about the Tufts Community Union (TCU) presidential election, let alone even go out and vote? Every day we're on campus, we're presented with reasons why we love Tufts and places where we think things could be improved. Amid the rigor of our coursework and the many extracurriculars that we all take part in, the average student doesn't have much time to care about what student government does for them. We, as a senate, should be taking a different approach: Rather than telling the student body what we're doing, let's show them.
Feasible and practical ways to improve the student experience on campus should be the top priority of the TCU Senate. The body exists to not only help make our Tufts experience better, but also to help each and every student group accomplish what it wants to do. We don't want to just read about what Senate is doing in a newsletter or an e−mail; we want to feel the changes that are making our experiences better. We want to be able to get on a bus that will take us straight to Boston for the night or up to a group retreat at the Loj. We want to connect to wireless Internet wherever we are on campus, bettering our academic and social life. We want to have a place to go on campus that is open later than we would like to admit that we're not only still up — but still hungry. More importantly, with our votes in this election we want to know that we, as seniors, are helping to make Tufts a better place for not only the classmates we're bidding farewell to, but also the future classes that will live on the Hill.
Tufts can and should be a better place, and the TCU Senate can play a real part in helping us get there. Discussions don't matter as much as the actions that follow. We as a senate body have the toolkit — we just don't know how to build the shed. The Senate could be used much more effectively to help students build a better community at Tufts and help move Tufts into the future. We need more people who are passionate about improving the Tufts experience — people like Senator and TCU presidential candidate junior Sam Wallis — to accomplish just that.
During his time at Tufts, Sam has fiercely advocated for what is best for the student body, and we would expect nothing less from him as the TCU president, ensuring that the senate body looks out for the needs of all of the members of our community. Sam represents the best of what the TCU Senate can offer. As Chair of the Senate Services Committee, he has experience working on and managing projects such as the expansion of wireless in dorms, seeing them through to the very end. He has experience working in the treasury and budgeting student groups, who are the lifeblood of this university. Sam tackled the issue of costs being too high for students to keep up with the economy before the issue permeated our way of life by establishing things such as the value menu we see in Hotung Café today. Sam is the person we trust to make sure the Senate spends the next year working hard for all of us.
As students, senators and members of the Tufts community, we have both worked alongside Sam on a variety of Senate and non−Senate−related projects, and we have seen the grit and enthusiasm he brings to each and every thing he does. He is a true leader and someone who will be able to effectively feel the pulse of the student community and transfer that to the administration.
Fellow Jumbos, today we cast our votes for Sam Wallis. We hope you will do so too.
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Adam Weldai is a senior majoring in American studies; he is the outgoing TCU Senate trustee representative to the Board of Trustees Committee of University Advancement. Antonella Scarano is a senior majoring in political science; she is the outgoing TCU Senate vice president. They are both co-campaign managers on Wallis' presidential campaign.
