The Tufts Community Union Senate addressed at its meeting yesterday campus alcohol culture, as well as potential changes to next year's Winter Bash and Fall Ball events. Programming Board co-chair Mayan Lendner, a senior, spoke during the meeting's open forum about the need for a change to next year's Winter Bash event after more than a dozen students were treated for excessive intoxication at this February's dance. Fall Ball is also pending review after similar alcohol-related incidents.
According to Lendner, Programming Board is reviewing a number of solutions to the problem, including splitting Winter Bash into two smaller events, reducing the event's length to avoid encouraging students to drink four hours' worth of alcohol beforehand and changing the location to one more prepared for rowdy attendees, like a nightclub or concert venue.
Senators spoke about the need for a change in the culture of Winter Bash itself, and some supported the idea that it ought to be changed to a formal dinner that would be less likely to attract extreme alcohol usage. Others questioned whether it was the culture of the school itself that needed to change, arguing that many of the problems were caused by inexperienced drinkers who had not yet learned how to drink responsibly.
The Senate heard its first funding appeal of the year in relation to a request by Tufts' Magic: The Gathering group. The fantasy card game group ran into trouble with the Allocations Board when it became clear that the 1,000+ cards the group hoped to purchase were part of a volatile secondary market and might unpredictably rise or fall in value. After some debate and a speech by group founder Steven Mullahoo, a sophomore, the Senate granted the group $350. It is unclear whether the group will be allowed to trade or sell the cards they purchase.
The Senate allocated $4,800 to the Tufts Association of South Asians to send its sub-groups to dance competitions after a high-performing year.
All-male a cappella group S-Factor was allocated $750 for a charity workshop tour in New York City, where they hope to provide fine arts experience to underprivileged youth.
The Tufts chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers was given $600 to cover a budgeting gap for the group's national conference in Indianapolis.
Senators awarded $1,050 to the Tufts chapter of GlobeMed, an international healthcare nonprofit, to attend a national conference.
