Current Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Vice President Wyatt Cadley, a junior, is running for next year's presidential spot on a platform of Jumbo pride and informed changes to past precedent.
Cadley comes into the election tomorrow with three years of Senate experience, having served as senator since September of his freshman year. In his time on Senate, he has assumed the roles of vice president, Allocations Board chair, representative to two student?faculty committees and co?chair of the Senate's Services Committee and task force on alcohol and other drugs. His focus, he said, is quality of student life.
"How do we bring this campus together, and how do we make life easier for students?" Cadley said. "That's the top priority for me."
The candidate's goals, outlined in a 12?page agenda that can be found on his website, touch on many facets of student life that Cadley feels are important for Tufts students' futures. Many of his goals stem from suggestions made by members of the student body.
"This platform is very much the accumulation of two things ... three years of Senate work and a ton of active listening," Cadley said. "I've heard some really great ideas that could only be passed with presidential support."
One of Cadley's top priorities is Jumbo pride, or, in his words, "One Tufts."
"From a very basic perspective it's very difficult for a student government, much less a president, to bring about a culture change," he said. "However, my opinion is very firmly that there are definitely tangible steps that we as a Senate and we as the Tufts community can take to help change the environment, which will in turn change the culture."
One way Cadley proposes to increase pride at Tufts is a new event he calls "Jumbo Day," wherein University President Anthony Monaco will spontaneously cancel classes on a Thursday or Friday and activities will be set up for students on the Hill.
"This isn't just a day off - this is a day to celebrate Tufts and to remind people why they fell in love with Tufts in the first place," Cadley said. "Tufts has a very special quality about it that we forget often."
Although some question whether this initiative is achievable, Cadley is confident that it can be successful.
"As vice president this year, I've already been proactive in having some preliminary conversations with people about the feasibility of this idea," he said. "That includes everyone from [Joseph] Golia at the Office for Campus Life, the chairs of Programming Board to see what their perspective would be and President Monaco himself."
Every other week this past year, Cadley met with Monaco in his role as vice president, according to Kara Lillehaug, Cadley's campaign manager.
"I think that just automatically gives him a leg up because he knows what's feasible and what's not," Lillehaug, a sophomore, said.
Cadley asserted that his proposals are feasible based on his experiences achieving specific goals in the Senate.
"I'm someone who's very much built a Senate career on being a doer, and I would not be proposing this idea if I did not think that it was a very real possibility," he said.
However, Cadley cautioned that the changes he is proposing cannot happen overnight.
"One of the disclaimers that I have at the beginning of my platform is that ... not everything presented is going to be done within a year, much less by a single individual," he said. "I think that's not the point."
Cadley proposed many additional goals, including academic reforms that push forward the Critical Studies in Disparities and Diasporas program, more nighttime sporting events to encourage support of student athletes and a more flexible role for Resident Assistants (RAs). Cadley, himself an RA, said the position has had a significant impact on him.
"I think the mentorship role of it is definitely the most rewarding part of the job," Cadley said. "It's helped me develop as a leader."
Many of Cadley's residents have signed onto his campaign staff, including Lillehaug, she said.
"He's a great RA," Lillehaug said. "We all love him."
Cadley has also spent time as an orientation leader and worked with Students Active for Ending Rape, and he is currently the president of Tufts Unitarian Universalists. Nonetheless, he said his most significant accomplishments have happened in the context of the Senate.
"I've budgeted more money than anyone else in the history of Tufts student government," he said. "I co?authored the resolution freshman year that re?instituted the warning system for alcohol violations ... Between my freshman and sophomore year, I partnered with women's groups and worked with them to totally overhaul the university's sexual assault policy."
"I've been a staunch advocate for financial aid as a member of the Budget and Priorities Committee," he added. "As co?Chair of the Alcohol [and Other Drug] Task Force, we've totally changed the way dialogues happen around alcohol culture."
This past year as vice president, Cadley worked to produce the student newsletter and improve the Senate survey. However, he said he spent most of his time focusing on behind?the?scenes efforts.
"A lot of the work of the vice president isn't sexy stuff," Cadley said. "A lot of it is making sure Senate runs smoothly, that people are being productive, making sure that the Senate's committees go well, appointing students to all the various student?faculty committees. ... But it's very important work and it's very much shaped my perspective of how Senate can best be effective."
Lillehaug said Cadley's work as vice president has been highly successful, citing endorsements from within the organization.
"Almost every senator has pledged his or her support for Wyatt," she said.
Cadley said his experience will help him achieve his goals if he is elected.
"If you look at my record, I think I've very much been an active senator," he said. "I'm someone who's proven himself and proven that I can get stuff done."
For example, Cadley explained his work to change Tufts' sexual assault policy so that victims would not have to face their attackers again - as previous university policy mandated - and possibly be re?traumatized.
"I heard there was an injustice on campus. ... A few months later the injustice was addressed and the policy was overhauled," Cadley said. "This is how Senate projects should go."
Lillehaug said that this action, as well as Cadley's work on the alcohol policy, helped convince her to support him.
"To me, he's already proven himself," she said. "He's already done tangible things on this campus that make my life personally different."
Like Senator Logan Cotton, a junior and the other presidential candidate, Cadley commented on his opponent's similar platform and good spirit in the race.
"Logan and I worked for a year together on Senate and I think from a values perspective [he] and I are very similar," Cadley said. "From a macro?level perspective we have very similar understandings of what we want from a 21st century education, how we want to provide institutional support to Greek life, create a safe alcohol culture, etc."
But Cadley feels he should win because he is confident he can achieve his goals.
"I think I've got the vision and skills to really change this campus for the better," he said.
