Rose, Bud, Thron
The fall 2021 semester is off to a good start as I reunite with friends, get back to being involved on campus, and take classes I am interested in…
Notes From a First Year Senior Class Senator
This is my first year being a senator. I'm a senior, so I won't have the continuity or the time to develop long-term projects. But I'm still a senator with some responsibility.
Last year I decided to focus on institutional change. I would read the Tufts Daily from time-to-time and see stories of Tufts initiatives, student groups mobilizing, and resolutions passed by the TCU Senate. In those days, I was more of a grassroots activist on campus. I worked with a core group of students to help establish Black Students in Computer Science. I've also been a peer leader for two communities, the Africana and Latinx communities, where I got to listen to incoming and First-year students' concerns. Now I want to make the years of me listening to student voices the driver for me to make impactful structural changes to Tufts' interaction with students.
I ran on a platform of increased academic student support and focus on the student's voice. In retrospect, I hope my election was fueled by the good I had done for the students I've come in contact with during my time at Tufts. I was then internally elected as the Diversity Officer (DO) for the senate. I had to internalize the realities of a multitude of student voices to become an advocate for them.
Here are some lessons I learned along the way:
1. Be Active In The Communities You Serve. My work as DO has taught me that senators must dedicate some of their time to the student community's prospering. I believe that to achieve impactful and meaningful change, and you need to see the world you're making change for. Their senate becomes an extension of your membership within the Tufts community. You can more empathetically create meaningful dialogue and establish significant initiatives that directly impact those you are meant to serve. So go on and join that club meeting you haven't had time for and participate. I like to exist and chill, and you all should too.
2. Experience Time Outside of The Senate. I believe that senators must learn to be members of the community and have a grounded perspective on the restrictions of non-senators. Being a catalyst for change comes with grassroots experiences. Had I not been a college advisor, on multiple e-boards, and a Diversity Admissions Council member, I know I wouldn't have the multitude of experience on what people want to see from Tufts. I've come to learn many of the incoming students' fears like not making friends, imposter syndrome, and being scared/too proud of asking for help. I wouldn't have had the time to have these experiences had I been a senator at the time.
3. Establish Personal Goals as a Senator. What do you want to tell your fellow students at the end of your term? Where do you start? How do you make a change? By making a personal agenda of these goals, not only your campaign goals, you can begin to craft your road map to make it happen. Senators are involved in A LOT of meetings, and at times it could get confusing as to why you're in them. Having a list of key goals set in stone allows you to think clearly about them and see how your involvement in meetings could progress your goals.
4. Make Meaningful Connections Outside of the Senate Context. While being a senator, your access to admin increases a bit more because you are an elected representative of the community. It would help if you made meaningful relationships with administrators, faculty, departments, student organizations, and students as a student leader and a friend. This makes it easier for you to know who to contact and connects you to those who can adequately assist and support your initiatives. This also allows you to meet people who value your message and your voice. These could be people that genuinely care about your well-being and can help you beyond the senate.
I also want to note that many of the lessons I've learned came from years of active work and the ups-and-downs of consistently being on student groups on campus. This being said, many of my lessons extend beyond the senate and to work done on a day-to-day as a leader on campus. I hope these help some upcoming senator or a rising Tufts revolutionary positively impact many Tufts students' lives to come.
