Posted on 10/30/2002 8:05:42 AM PST by thtr
Representatives of The Primary Source announced the publication's attempt to initiate a campus-wide constitutional referendum to provide for a "conservative culture" representative at the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate meeting Sunday night.
"Conservative culture" is as much of a culture as any other and therefore should have a culture representative, said Simon Holroyd, who spoke for the Source. Its staff members are "people who share common goals, feeling and aspirations," he said. The group "feels like it needs to be together," and therefore constitutes a "culture."
Conservative students are seeking to represent their "views and ideology," which are "often under-represented and discriminated against," Holroyd said.
The original argument for the existence of culture representatives was that some minority groups on campus are underrepresented in student government and should therefore have an outlet to express their ideas and address their issues. Generally, students see Tufts as a fairly liberal campus, which places conservative groups like the Source in the minority.
"Conservatives are a distinct group of students on this campus, who have suffered numerous acts of discrimination and are historically underrepresented on the TCU Senate," Holroyd said in his letter to the Senate.
For the Source to gain a representative, the student body would have to pass an amendment to the TCU Constitution, which defines who sits on the Senate. Four culture representatives currently serve on the senate, representing the Asian Community at Tufts (ACT), the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS), the Pan African Alliance (PAA), and the Tufts Transgender, Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Collective (TTGLBC).
Each culture representative holds a full Senate seat and votes on all issues. Unlike other senators, however, the student body does not elect the representatives; they are elected by their respective organizations.
Some senate members questioned why the Source, which originally opposed the very existence of culture representatives, now wants its own representative. But it is necessary to have representation in order to encourage change, Holroyd said. "How would [we] change the system [we] disagree with if [we] don't have a vote?"
(Excerpt) Read more at tuftsdaily.com ...
I am familiar with this Tufts student conservative publication. It is worthy of support.
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