The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate voiced its support of the incoming Africana Studies major in a unanimous vote on a resolution at their meeting this Sunday, commending progress on its curriculum but also expressing doubt about its sustainability and suggesting possible improvements.
The resolution, submitted by TCU President Wyatt Cadley and senior senator Logan Cotton, recommended a number of provisions to the new major that would improve upon the existing framework, including the creation of an "Introduction to Africana Studies" class, the establishment of incentives to ensure robust faculty engagement and the additional allocation of funds to support student research.
The resolution also advised that making an administrator directly responsible for ensuring that the program received sufficient resources would aid in the program's development.
The resolution passed unanimously after a short debate over the order of the resolution's written arguments. Almost a dozen members of the Tufts community made up an unusually large student presence at the meeting.
TCU Treasurer Matthew Roy, a sophomore, reported that the Senate's Allocation Board (ALBO) distributed two sums totaling $746 from the Senate's supplementary fund to Tufts B.E.A.T.S. The percussion group applied for the funds to pay the cover fee for participation in a musical event in Boston and for B.E.A.T.S.'s upcoming winter Rhythm Symposium in Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center. The allocations passed unanimously. ALBO denied an additional $54 request for "show-specific costumes" on the basis that it was not "mission-critical."
A pending request from Tufts VOX: Voices for Choice was tabled until the Senate's weekly meeting next week.
