TCu Senate reflects on one of its most productive years yet

by Joey Montalto Contributing Writer

From hosting a farmers market to placing first aid kits around campus, the Tufts Community Union Senate launched a variety of pilot projects this academic year, making it what some senators say is one of the most productive years in recent history.

The TCU Senate has organized dozens of projects, with nearly every senator spearheading their own pilot project. Among other initiatives, senators have distributed menstrual products around campus, begun creating a Wellness Center in Stratton Hall, organized shuttles to drive students to grocery stores and hired female-identifying strength and conditioning staff to lead classes on Monday nights.

TCU President Jaden Pena feels that his approach of having each senator lead their own passion project while also supporting each other has been a driving factor of the senate’s overall success.

“I’m most proud of the TCU Senate as a whole,” Pena, a senior, said. “We were by far the most productive senate that there has ever been at Tufts.”

The process of completing a pilot project takes an enormous amount of time, effort and funds. This year alone, the senate has spent $650,000 in supplemental funding and budgeted nearly $3,000,000. All of the supplemental funds went toward enhancing student life and the student experience.

“I’ve been genuinely astounded by the level of productivity because everyone is working on projects, which was not the case [before]. … Everyone is very involved,” Senator Avani Kabra, who chairs the Administration and Policy Committee, said.

Senator Anand Patil, who led an initiative to install emergency first aid kits in buildings across campus, discovered his project when he needed a Band-Aid but realized there were no formally maintained kits on campus.

“[First aid kits] seem like something that’s very simple that we should have at the school,” Patil, who represents the Class of 2026, said.

Patil reached out to administrators across several departments and was told that he had to put together a sustainability plan detailing every penny of funding. Left with little guidance on how to write one, his first plan was rejected. Ultimately, his hard work paid off: Tufts listened to his concerns and installed first aid kits in seven public buildings.

Another successful pilot project was the TCU’s first Food Security Week, hosted in March by the newly formed Food Insecurity Subcommittee. Throughout the week, students could use meal swipes to purchase items from food drives and pantries across campus.

Emily Childs, a Class of 2024 senator and member of the subcommittee, spearheaded the project alongside Vice President Arielle Galinsky and Caroline Spahr, a Class of 2026 senator.

“There is a food desert at Tufts that kind of goes unacknowledged in a lot of ways,” Childs said. “There’s limited dining resources on Tufts’ campus and limited outside restaurants, especially ones that take JumboCash. … Both [BeFresh and Stop & Shop] are mini- mum 20 minute walks from the [Campus Center].”

In collaboration with Tufts Eco Reps, Childs also organized a campus-wide clothing swap called “Jumbo Exchange” on April 19. The event was an opportunity for students to exchange clothes in a lively setting complete with live music and artisan stands.

“I really wanted to lean into making it a social experience, while also prioritizing this sustainable consumption and conscious consumerism that I think is so vital,” Childs said.

Because senators need to communicate with administrators on top of handling funding, the emails and papers can stack up. Patil, for example, had to communicate with dozens of administrators and seek funding from 10 different sources before his idea for first aid kits could become a reality.

“No matter how good of any idea you have, it takes a ton of time at Tufts to get anything done,” Patil said.

TCU senators have already begun planning for next year. Notable future projects include allowing students to have a certain number of wellness day absences; making laundry machines cheaper and, ultimately, free; and introducing shuttle buses around campus for students and faculty with mobility issues.

“If it weren’t for a group of senators staying up until midnight on a Wednesday night or until two in the morning on a Sunday night, none of this would be possible,” Pena said. “They just … never fail to amaze me.”