The Tufts Community Union Elections Commission hosted a debate on Wednesday night between three candidates running for TCU president: Brendan French, Michael Glueck and Defne Olgun.
ECOM gave each candidate two minutes for opening statements, two minutes to respond to three pre-prepared questions and two minutes for a closing statement. Candidates also fielded questions from the audience.
Olgun, TCU historian and a junior, opened by saying that, if elected, she plans to focus on fundraising to support student organizations and expand the student leadership stipend.
“One of the big things that I’m really passionate about is compensating students for the work that they do across campus,” Olgun said.
French, TCU treasurer and a junior, spoke about legislation he has worked on while in the Senate and how he hopes to get extra funding for clubs in the future.
“While I’ve been on Senate, some of the things that I’ve been able to do is write a resolution my freshman year focusing on dining and meal swipes,” French said. “My proposal is not asking clubs to fundraise, but getting the university to fundraise, setting up a trust or fund of some kind to help support clubs.”
Glueck, a Class of 2027 senator, said his platform would be centered on making sure student voices were being heard.
“A big thing for me is ensuring that, internally, Senate remains active, and that people are always striving for students and pursuing what the general populace is most interested in,” Glueck said.
The first question posed to all candidates was, “With the recent end of the [COVID-19] TCU budget surplus, what is your plan to make sure clubs still get the money they need?”
Glueck answered first, saying he would focus on ensuring that students feel supported.
“The finances that cannot be cut and the ones that we need to keep intact are going to be [the clubs] most supported and most wanted by students,” he said.
French said he would ask university departments to help with club funding.
“I really believe getting other departments or university heads to help fund clubs is essential in order to make sure that clubs don’t have to keep cutting their budget,” he said. “Talking to places like [The Department of Athletics], the [Office of Campus Life], [the Dean of Students], seeing if there’s any way that they can kind of help and chip in while we’re trying to build back up the Student Activities Fee.”
Olgun agreed that the burden of fundraising should not be placed on student groups, but added that TCU should take a larger role in ensuring that clubs do not have to keep cutting their budgets.
“My personal goal is not to ask the university to continue fundraising for us, which they already do, but … to take the work myself and lead that effort to raise money for our students and put that back into club budgets,” she said. “I think it’s not fair for us to put the burden entirely on different student groups themselves.”
Candidates were then asked how they would work to actively represent the entire student body.
Olgun responded first, emphasizing that she would increase communication between TCU and the student body.
“I would have standing office hours … so I’m always there to field questions,” Olgun said. “I think that the Senate in previous years has shied away from engaging in anything too controversial, and I think that as a student government, it’s our responsibility to really pull the students and make those hard calls and bring back some political advocacy.”
French focused on engaging with clubs.
“I think it’s also really important to go to club meetings,” French said. “Proving the narrative wrong, that, ‘Hey, senators aren’t really in touch with the community,’ is something that I want to [do].”
Glueck focused on what distinguishes him from other candidates.
“It’s all entirely what do the students want, and how can I best support that?” he said. “I feel like I’m a very genuine, approachable person, and I plan on being that in office hours and meetings.”
Candidates were finally asked, “What are you hoping to achieve as TCU Senate president that you could not have done in your role as a senator?”
Glueck emphasized that he would work with senators collaboratively.
“As president, I would have more sight on everything that’s happening internally that I don’t necessarily have in my current position, and really using what people say to try and find ways to work with them and to work with administration,” Glueck said.
French focused on the unique power and access that comes with being TCU president.
“You have a lot more access to some of the people who really hold the power within the university: the provost, [the Dean of Students], various people within the OCL as well as President Kumar himself,” French said. “Through the president’s office, you really do have a unique opportunity to be able to advocate some of the big problems that occur on campus.”
Finally, Olgun focused on bringing other senators into meetings with university officials.
“The president does have more access than everyone else in the executive board, but I want to use that access to bring other people into the room,” she said. “I’m just excited to take what we learned from our students and from our surveys and from our different senators and help [get] them to higher levels.”
Lastly, the candidates were given two minutes to share their closing statements.
“As a student government, we should fight for the changes that are going to make the most sense for students and also provide them with the level of resources and access that they need at this university,” Olgun said.
“I think for the next president, it is very important that they’ve had experience or have been engaged with the three core areas of senate, which to me, at least, would be resolution writing, completing projects, as well as clubs and the financial aspect, all of which I think I have experience in,” French said.
“A big factor that sets me apart is that I have consistently been working for students,” Glueck said. “A big goal of mine would just be to make campus as fully inclusive as possible, and also have students feel like they are being fully represented.”
