THE TUFTS DAILY Est

Where You Few Showers Read It First 55/49 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXI, NUMBER 54 MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2011 TUFTSDAILY.COM Candidates prepare for tomorrow’s election Garcia: Better communication, Jumbo Richards: Reprioritize Senate interests, pride can unite student body and Senate goals in response to student body’s input BY RA C H EL RA MPINO BY JENNY WH ITE Daily Editorial Board Daily Editorial Board With an eye to fostering an improved Fashioning himself as an outsider to the sense of unity across the campus, Tufts Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, TCU Community Union (TCU) Senate presi- presidential candidate Ben Richards, a junior, dential candidate Tomas Garcia, a junior, has put forth a platform focused on rejuve- is campaigning on a platform of enhanc- nating the body by increasing idea exchange ing communication between the Senate between student government and the under- and the student body. graduates it represents. “Next year is a time of change,” Garcia “There’s a disconnect between Senate and said. “We can take advantage of that the student body. There’s a silent majority, opportunity to redefine the undergradu- a large group of people who are not being ate student body and its top priorities in heard,” Richards said. “Senate right now is the administration’s eyes to make sure that working for a few small, select interests. It’s our needs are met.” time Senate works for the student body.” Garcia has a three-pronged platform Richards believes he would bring the out- based on what he calls the ideals of new side perspective that can steer the body to leadership, a new Tufts and new pride. new approaches for getting things done. These goals involve opening avenues of “I’d like to bring a fresh way of doing things communication between senators and the and bring back Senate to the hands of the students they represent, investing in better student body,” he said. facilities on campus and working to unite Richards outlined a host of priorities for students as a genuine student body. JUSTIN MCCALLUM/TUFTS DAILY his presidency. If successful in tomorrow’s ASHLEY SEENAUTH/TUFTS DAILY He specifically hopes to facilitate bet- Junior Tomas Garcia election, he hopes to transform the Senate’s Junior Ben Richards ter communication with students by outreach methods, improve campus facili- holding presidential office hours in con- mon rooms of campus dorms. ties, expand the reach of JumboCash and out,” Richards said. venient locations on campus, such as With respect to campus life, Garcia said provide greater support for club athletics. Richards envisions an online discus- student dorms. he envisions a number of initiatives to Richards plans to improve communica- sion forum accessible to students who are In regard to the long-term improve- improve school spirit and unite the stu- tion by launching a weekly Senate news- unable to make the meetings or who are ment of facilities, Garcia hopes to encour- dent body. letter and town hall meetings where the studying abroad. He said that the Senate’s age the university to install new facilities An optional electronic weekly newsletter TCU president could discuss issues with weekly Sunday night assembly does not on campus to better serve its students. would serve this purpose, he said, and one fellow Jumbos. encourage students otherwise uninvolved “We go to a first-rate institution with sporting and one cultural event should be “Senate has been far too complacent with TCU to attend. third-rate facilities,” Garcia said, citing about letting people come to them. It’s time specifically a need to renovate the com- see GARCIA, page 2 for the Senate to be more active and reach see RICHARDS, page 2 INTERVIEW | BOB WOODWARD Snyder speaker Woodward discusses presidential doctrines BY AMELIE HEC H T A ND his career and the state of journal- effective ways of getting influen- blends the two; the two are room- MA RT ha Sha N aha N ism today. Amelie Hecht (AH): You said tial people to talk to you? mates in his mind, and so you see Daily Editorial Board there is too much secrecy in the he compromises, comes down Martha Shanahan (MS): What is world of politics. What do you BW: You have to take them as seri- the middle. [In] the Afghan war Journalist and author Bob the role for investigative reporting think of WikiLeaks? Do you think ously as they take themselves. You when the request was for forty Woodward will give this semes- in an age when it seems every- it is helpful or harmful to investi- both know Washington — people thousand troops, Vice President ter’s Richard E. Snyder’s thing is already “out there” on a gative journalism? take themselves very seriously, Biden’s alternative was for twenty Presidential Lecture today in blog or website? sometimes too seriously, so when thousand and what did Obama Cohen Auditorium. Woodward BW: The important question is you go in to interview somebody pick? Thirty thousand, right in the began his career as a journalist for Bob Woodward (BW): It’s what’s whether it is helpful or harmful or if you ask to interview some- middle. Not [29,500], not [31,500], The Washington Post in the early not already out there that we’re to the people who read these body, you have to know their back- thirty thousand. 1970s, where he gained acclaim missing. In other words, sometimes cables, and I think by and large ground. If they’ve written some- for his coverage, alongside fellow the best information, unfortunate- it informs. Releasing them thing for Foreign Affairs magazine In Libya you see the crusading, journalist Carl Bernstein, of the ly, is secret, is hidden, and the job without vetting them makes no 30 years ago, you should read it, moralistic strain or approach: Watergate scandal. of the investigative reporter, or the sense. Vetting them to see if it ask about it. The key is to spend “We’re going to prevent a human- Woodward’s relationship with in-depth reporter — I frankly prefer would name somebody who is lots of time, come back, show an itarian disaster.” And then on the Richard E. Snyder dates back to that term — is to dig in and discov- a secret source who might be interest, not be impatient. Make other side you see the “Let’s limit the Watergate days. Snyder was er what is not out there. I guess kind killed — you shouldn’t do that. it clear you want to reflect their the war, let’s not send ground the head of publishing house of my summation is that there’s But the WikiLeaks cables are point of view and experience … troops … let’s not us the military Simon and Schuster in 1972, way too much secrecy, unneces- mid-level classification secrets, to overthrow [Qaddafi].” And so when Simon and Schuster pur- sary secrecy in government and and they rarely get to the White MS: There is a lot of discussion it’s limited. … Part of what some- chased the rights to the book that particularly in government. The House or have standing in the going on right now about whether body who’s interested in focusing became “All the President’s Men” government works for the voters, White House. Some people have or not there is an Obama doctrine. in business at home would do, (1974), the seminal account of the and the voters should know what’s claimed that these documents Given your unique perspective but at the same time there is this Watergate break-in and ensuing going on. And with the business tell us how the most impor- on the Obama administration, in crusading moralistic side of, “Oh, cover-up scandal. problems newspapers and news tant, biggest decisions were your view, is there a clear Obama we have to do something because “He was the gutsy publisher organizations are having, we have made, and that’s not so. They doctrine? lots of people might be killed in when it looked like people didn’t less in-depth reporting, and that are revealing, but the White Benghazi.” believe — lots of people didn’t may be a serious problem and may House has higher-level classi- BW: There are features of an believe — what we were writ- be a tragedy. fications on intelligence data Obama approach to foreign poli- AH: Obama has been resistant to ing about Watergate,” Woodward that provide more … authorita- cy. By and large there are two stra- having his approach be consid- told the Daily. “But he bought the MS: Do investigative reporting tive information. tegic cultures in American foreign ered similar to the Bush Doctrine. book and believed in it, believed techniques need to change? policy: the crusading, moralistic Do you see elements of the Bush in us, and was always a magnifi- MS: While writing your book, approach … [and] the other is Doctrine in the Obama Doctrine? cent publisher.” BW: Techniques, no. I don’t think “Obama’s Wars” [2010], you were a more realistic, kind of a semi- it’s a technique problem. I just granted unrivaled access to peo- isolationist point of view, if you BW: Well, there are three Bush The Daily’s Amelie Hecht and think it’s just a matter of com- ple within the Obama adminis- know what I mean — let’s stick to Doctrines, and you don’t want to Martha Shanahan spoke with mitment and money in the news tration. What, over the course of business at home, let’s focus on Woodward last week to discuss organizations.

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