With a new school year beginning, opportunities for students to participate in writing resolutions for the Tufts Community Union Senate open up. While the initial steps of the process are clear, as a resolution moves through development and implementation, the procedure becomes less straightforward.
Resolutions, which can be written not only by Senators but by any Tufts student, are a lobbying tool used to communicate the needs of the student body to the Tufts administration and an opportunity for students to advocate for change within the university.
The process, which lasts approximately three weeks, begins when a student brings an idea to the Senate. It is then the Parliamentarian’s job to work with the student to develop an abstract for the resolution, incorporating feedback from relevant parties and data that can support the proposal. The abstract is then presented to the Senate at the next meeting.
At the meeting, senators hear a draft of the resolution and participate in an open commenting session to deliberate and propose amendments. The completed resolution is brought back to the Senate floor the following week, where it can be postponed, passed or rejected.
The TCU made several changes to the process this year, which included extending the unmoderated caucus time during the consideration of the draft resolution.
“Spending more time on resolutions allows us to make even more informed decisions about wording and intent,” TCU Parliamentarian Gunnar Ivarsson and Allocations Board Member Anastasiya Korovska wrote in a combined statement to the Daily.
Additionally, the Senate’s individual committees can play an integral role in developing and implementing resolutions. Committees can also write and propose their own resolutions. Their connections to the administration and ongoing relationships with people who can help advance the proposed changes allow them to assist in the implementation process.
“A committee could collaborate with the Parliamentarian on data collection, student insights, or other methods to ensure a comprehensive resolution is brought to the floor,” Ivarsson and Korovska added.
According to the second TCU Senate bylaw, once a resolution passes, the responsibility of moving it forward shifts to the Parliamentarian, who is then expected to work alongside the resolution’s authors to communicate directly with the administration and work towards implementation.
“There is no formal process for following up with administrators after a resolution is sent to them,” Ivarsson and Korovska noted. “It has been a practice to continue communicating with them to the best of our ability, especially from year to year or semester to semester.”
Ivarsson and Korovska added that the TCU’s internal resolution tracker has been made publicly available on their website, where students can view resolutions dating back to the 2021-22 academic year.
All three resolutions heard during the Spring 2026 semester are either currently in progress or have already been implemented.
One of the resolutions resulted in the creation of a Religious, Philosophical and Spiritual Senator seat. The 2026-27 academic year is the first year that this position will exist and elections will be held.
Another resolution called for the creation of an academic credit system for campus performance groups. However, Ivarsson highlighted that this resolution will require greater institutional coordination, therefore delaying implementation.
Ivarsson and Korovska emphasized how resolutions are a mechanism through which students can advocate for institutional changes and make a memorable mark on the university.
“A TCU Senate resolution is a tool that every Tufts student has to relay key institutional changes they want to see in their community,” Ivarsson and Korovska note.
However, passing a resolution also does not necessarily mean that the requested change will occur immediately, as seen in past cases.
“While some may require more substantial change that may not be immediate, their intent and relevance to administrators and to TCU Senate remain strong,” Ivarsson and Korovska stated.
As a new academic year begins, students will once again have the opportunity to bring their concerns before the Senate, which will begin the process that can extend well beyond the Senate vote.
For students who are looking to create an active change on campus, passing a resolution is the key beginning. While the Senate does provide a formal avenue for students to voice concerns and propose institutional changes, what happens after the vote depends on the ongoing dialogue between student authors, the TCU Senate and the administration.
