The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate last night passed a resolution in support of the implementation of additional safety measures at the intersection of Packard Avenue and Powderhouse Boulevard.
The resolution, which passed unanimously, comes in response to an incident on Nov. 8 in which a Tufts student was struck by a motor vehicle at that intersection and hospitalized.
Citing students' concerns alongside a 2007 public safety report by the City of Somerville, the resolution calls for the university to work with government officials to "take immediate action in advocating for further pedestrian safety measures placed at the intersection of Packard Avenue and Powderhouse Boulevard in Somerville, which would force drivers to reduce speed and come to a full stop at the intersection." The resolution will also be forwarded to Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel.
Senators debated multiple points at length, arguing over whether the resolution should include more specific suggestions for how the government should improve the intersection. The original language included mention of four?way traffic lights, crossing buttons at crosswalks and creating a "raised intersection" to deter drivers from crossing too quickly. The body eventually decided that the city's engineers would be better equipped to make such suggestions.
The Tufts Anthropology Collective received $458 in New Group Funding to defray the costs of attending two documentary screenings and a museum. The allocation was scaled down from the group's $580 request, as the Allocations Board (ALBO) felt that buying tickets for up to 15 attendees was unjustified for a 10?member group.
The TCU Judiciary was allocated $397.50, the entire budget of the Tufts Judicial Advocates, a group that seeks to advise students going through the Tufts judicial system. Though the group has existed for many years, they were cut from last year's budget when it was decided that they were not a cohesive enough group to warrant funding.
