Errors Mar Elections, Students Say Under Fire, ECOM Defends Itself from Criticism by MATT REPKA Ing the Vote to the Student Body
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Where You Read It First Showers 63/60 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LX, NUMBER 12 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 TUFTSDAILY.COM Neighbors have a Jumbo load of fun Errors mar elections, students say Under fire, ECOM defends itself from criticism BY MATT REPKA ing the vote to the student body. dantly clear at the candidates Daily Editorial Board Language in its bylaws differs by meeting.” ECOM’s bylaws say that type of election; for TCU candidate candidates must submit posters In the wake of elections marked elections, ECOM must advertise for review at a mandatory candi- by advertising missteps and the through “several methods of adver- dates general interest meeting. postponement of a vote for fresh- tising, both online and offline,” Some candidates said they man senators, the body that over- according to its bylaws. were not adequately informed sees student voting at Tufts has Candidates cite lack of about the general interest meet- come under fire from former can- communication ings themselves; ECOM held two didates and current student gov- Candidates and non-candidates meetings this year. “ECOM is ernment officials. alike cited problems communicat- responsible for coordinating this The Elections Commission ing with ECOM in the days preced- meeting and generating sufficient (ECOM) has incurred criticism for ing the election. awareness thereof,” the commis- its handling of several aspects of last Freshman Noha Ahmed, who sion’s bylaws state. week’s election, from accusations was elected Freshman Class Freshman Simmone Seymour, AALOK KANANI/TUFTS DAILY of poor advertising on TuftsLife Council secretary, said she had who on Thursday was elected the Residents from surrounding communities, including the girl playing and in the Daily to charges that the trouble getting information from vice president of academic affairs with Jumbo above, came to the Hill yesterday to participate in a commission failed to adequately ECOM members. on the Freshman Class Council, variety of fun and informational activities. The events took place as inform freshman candidates of “I wasn’t informed about one of said the publicity of the meeting part of Tufts’ eighth annual Community Day, aimed at enhancing election procedures. the meetings that I was supposed times was unclear and that “no one town-gown relations. The entire student body to attend, and I know a lot of can- knew them.” cast ballots on Wednesday in a didates weren’t informed either,” “The only reason I knew was seamless election on two com- she said. from work of mouth,” Seymour peting referenda on commu- “I got one email at 10:30 [p.m.] said. “The meeting turned out ExCollege class gets hands nity representatives on the Tufts saying I had to get a poster design to be mandatory, but no one Community Union (TCU) Senate. in by 12 that night,” Ahmed said. knew that.” dirty in community garden A vote for freshman senator and “When I came to drop it off, there Tralins and Ahmed said can- Freshman Class Council posi- was no one in the ECOM office. didates who missed this meeting BY BETH MEBRATU Porteshawver said. tions was scheduled for the same “Other people ended up drop- were denied chalk for advertising Daily Staff Writer Two Friedman School of Nutrition day but was postponed for 24 ping it off in the info booth,” by ECOM. Science and Policy graduate stu- hours due to an error by ECOM. Ahmed added, referring to the Freshman Scott Owades, Tufts’ student garden, estab- dents, Marisol Pierce-Quinonez and That vote progressed smoothly booth in the Mayer Campus who ran unsuccessfully for lished last fall with an eye toward Jeffrey Hake, teach the class. Both the following day, but candidates Center lobby. “A lot of people class council president, bringing people together to grow are pursuing degrees in Agriculture, and student government officials handed them stuff, and they were agreed, saying he was “luckily food, has given rise this year Food and Environment. in the last few days have charged pissed off because they’re not walking by when it happened” to a new Experimental College “We hope to have students learn ECOM with mishandling aspects part of ECOM,” Ahmed said. and had not been told about (ExCollege) class on agricultural about the topics and use their skills of the electoral process. Freshman Sarah Tralins, a can- them in advance. issues. to change the garden here,” Pierce- While acknowledging certain didate for vice president of social McManus disagreed. “Those Yosefa Ehrlich (LA ’10) and Quinonez said. mistakes, ECOM members gener- programming, also had trouble were well-advertised,” she said, senior Signe Porteshawver applied Hake said that there are cur- ally defended the body’s conduct, gaining approvals for her fliers. referring to the general interest last year to create an ExCollege rently no other classes offered attributing some of its actions to “I had to go to the ECOM office meetings. McManus said meet- course on food and agriculture as a to undergraduates on agri- inexperience and miscommuni- four times before I actually got ing information was posted on way of strengthening their efforts to cultural issues. The ExCollege cation with student groups. my posters stamped because the ECOM website in advance of bring gardening to Tufts. The result, class, he said, attempts to fill ECOM is comprised of five classes conflicted,” Tralins said. the meetings. Emerging Alternatives in Modern that gap. student members and is respon- “They weren’t very helpful about “I can understand why some of Agriculture, explores food systems, “There is nothing even sible for organizing and pre- informing us about when to meet the candidates might be frustrat- agricultural productivity and alter- close,” Hake said, referring to siding over student body-wide them or where.” ed, but ECOM has always tried to native farming ideas. the course’s curriculum. “The elections. Members receive a “It was very chaotic and the pro- make ourselves available,” sopho- “We wanted a way to institution- other day we did a lecture on stipend of $500 at the end of cess was not fun,” Ahmed said. more Will Yu, ECOM’s public rela- alize the garden to ensure it would agricultural history in an hour each semester. ECOM Chair Katherine tions director, said. survive beyond us and to get more In the days preceding any vote, McManus said information about people involved in the process,” see GARDEN, page 2 ECOM is tasked with publiciz- poster deadlines “was made abun- see ECOM, page 2 Tufts, Harvard report endowment turnarounds, financial improvements BY BRIONNA JIMERSON A Harvard spokesperson said that the pub- Daily Staff Writer lic is often misinformed about the nature of university endowments. Harvard University reported an 11 percent “The Harvard endowment actually con- gain earlier this month on its investments in sists of more than 11,000 separate funds, and the 2010 fiscal year, increasing its endowment nearly three-fourths of these are designated by $1.4 billion to a total of $27.4 billion. for specific purposes,” John Longbrake, Tufts’ own endowment increased by $110 Harvard’s assistant vice president of com- million in fiscal year 2010, evidence that the munications, said. university is on sounder financial ground Longbrake said the endowment’s perfor- after a 25 percent decrease in fiscal year 2009, mance was crucial in ensuring financial sup- according to Director of Public Relations Kim port for Harvard’s programs. Thurler. Tufts’ total endowment now stands at “Harvard spends more than $3 billion a more than $1.252 billion, Thurler said. year in support of teaching and research, This year’s endowment gains, a 9.7 percent and more than a third of this comes from increase, signify an investment return rate of interest earned on the endowment’s per- approximately 12 percent. The university sets formance,” he said. the baseline goal of a 9 percent return rate, At Tufts, University President Lawrence Thurler said. Bacow said in a Sept. 8 e-mail to the Tufts Harvard’s investment gains mark a community that the university’s cau- major turnaround from the endowment’s tious financial management has ensured DAILY FILE PHOTO decline by 27.3 percent to $25.7 billion in financial stability throughout the eco- Harvard University saw an 11 percent increase in its endowment in fiscal year 2010. fiscal year 2009. nomic downturn. Harvard Management Company, which “The last two academic years were inescap- cial situation before launching any major ly,” Thurler said. “Our tradition of prudent manages Harvard’s endowment, has pro- ably overshadowed by financial concerns,” capital projects, Bacow said. financial management stood us in good stead duced an average annual return from the Bacow said in the e-mail. “Fortunately, our tra- Chief Investment Officer Sally Duncan during [the] economic downturn ... We have endowment of 7 percent over the last 10 years dition of careful financial management stood referred questions regarding Tufts’ finances to fared comparatively well relative to many of and 11.9 percent over the last two decades, us in good stead last year.” the Office of Public Relations. our peer institutions, as a result of our suc- according to the Harvard Gazette. Tufts will continue to monitor the finan- “Tufts is in a very solid position financial- cessful stewardship of resources.” Inside this issue Today’s Sections William Inge’s ‘Bus News 1 Editorial | Letters 8 New York Fashion Week Stop’ charms with its saw styles recalling the portrayal of an eclectic Features 3 Op-Ed 9 ’70s and ’90s. group of travelers. Arts | Living 5Classifieds 10 Comics 7 Sports Back see FEATURES, page 3 see ARTS, page 5 2 THE TUFTS DAILY NEWS Monday, September 27, 2010 Visiting the Hill this week Candidates cite ECOM errors MONDAY White Denial in the Age of Obama” ECOM McManus acknowledged that ECOM had “Economic Crisis and the Least (2009), will deliver a lecture.