In the first official meeting of the newly elected Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, the body last night nominated juniors Tomas Garcia and Ben Richards as the candidates in the presidential election scheduled for April 26.
The two senators accepted their nominations after their peers in the Senate initiated and seconded the nominations for each candidate.
The present senators then voted on the nominations, with both Garcia and Richards receiving votes of confidence.
Senator Matt Schuman, a junior, and Senators Wyatt Cadley, Ard Ardalan and Shawyoun Shaidani, all sophomores, were also nominated by the body but declined to accept the offers. Such nominations are often conducted as a formality by the body.
Garcia, who has served for two years on the Senate and this year served as the body's historian and chair of the Student Outreach Committee, said if elected he would strive to understand students' needs and communicate them to the administration.
"When I first came to Tufts, I didn't feel like I was part of something bigger," Garcia told the Daily after accepting his nomination. "I didn't feel that the students' voice was being listened too. I am willing and ready to fight for students."
Garcia added that he was ready to guide the student body through upcoming administrative transitions, referring to President?elect Anthony Monaco and the as?yet?unnamed replacement for outgoing Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha.
"Next year is the greatest opportunity the Tufts student body has ever had," Garcia said. "We have the chance to redefine what it means to be a Jumbo."
Richards, who was elected in February of 2010 to the Senate in a special election and served through April of last year, said he could bring an outsider's perspective to the body. He did not serve on the body this year.
"I am running for president to represent the silent majority of students whose voices for too long have been muted by the small, activist voices about issues that do not affect the majority of students," he told the Daily after the nominations.
Richards walked on to the Senate in the general election held earlier this month, securing his spot on the body for next year.
"I am running to restore the TCU Senate to an institution that actively improves the quality of life and services for my fellow Jumbos on campus," Richards said.
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