The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate at its meeting last night discussed the suspension of the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) student group, as well as the upcoming installation of video security cameras on campus.
Judiciary Chair Adam Sax, a senior, updated the Senate on the Judiciary's negotiations with TCF, which had its official recognition suspended following the discovery of TCF constitutional causes that violate the non-discriminatory clause of the TCU Constitution.
The clauses in question require that any TCF member wishing to run for a leadership position within the group abide by a series of evangelical tenets called a Basis of Faith. The Basis of Faith clause in TCF's most recent constitution mimics a similar doctrine used until 2000 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a national group that TCF is a part of.
The Judiciary recommended that TCF remove or revise clauses within its constitution's bylaws, which are legally binding, and move the offending parts to the group's mission statement, which is not.
"The group can pick who they want to pick, but it can't be explicitly stated in their constitution that the leaders need to fulfill basic requirements of the Basis of Faith," Sax said at the meeting yesterday.
The Judiciary yesterday had not yet received word from TCF on whether they intend to implement the changes. Sax said if an agreement cannot be reached, the Judiciary would officially derecognizeTCF.
The Senate discussed a resolution opposing the Tufts University Police Department's (TUPD) use of security cameras on the basis that it would violate students' privacy and would not have a substantive effect on security on the Medford/Somerville campus. The resolution was remanded to the Senate Rules Committee so it can be reevaluated and brought up again at the meeting next week.
The Senate approved an allocation of $1,703 from the supplementary fund to the African Student Organization to cover travel expenses requested by the student step team BlackOut for travel to a competition in Tennessee this month. The body also approved $118 to the Tufts chapter of Liberty in North Korea for tabling costs, a documentary screening, speaker fees and fundraising, as well as $250 to Students for Justice in Palestine to contribute to fees charged by Director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Jeff Halper, whom SJP hired to speak at an event on Oct. 10.
