My name is Joel Omolade. I am a rising senior at Tufts, and I have the pleasure to serve as your Student Body President for this upcoming school year.
As president, I am responsible for leading the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, the official student government of every Tufts undergrad on our campus, a union you will soon be joining in a few weeks. The TCU Senate regularly meets with each other and with the administration to brainstorm ways to support, voice, and advocate for the ideas of the student body we are elected to serve.
Our responsibilities are vast but evolving, from allocating the Student Activity Fee to ensure that over 300+ student organizations have the funding they need, to working on making legislative policy needs such as making shuttles to the grocery store and putting free menstrual products in every bathroom, to having a farmers market on campus, and much, much more! If you have interest or experience being a changemaker on campus, or if you're an advocate who wants to be a part of something bigger than yourself, I encourage you to stop by our information sessions and some of our events during Orientation Week. (You will have the opportunity to run for TCU Senate during your first month here at Tufts!)
But maybe student government may not be the group for you (don't worry, I’m not offended) and that’s okay! There are so many communities for you to join! Maybe you want to join a cultural organization like the African Student Organization, or perhaps you are an athletic Harry Potter fan and you are interested in joining a quadball team, or maybe you want to join a dance team like ENVY. No matter what it is you're looking for, one thing is true: if you are looking for a group to call home at Tufts, the options are endless.
The last thing I want to shout out is the TCU Senate's yearly mentorship program dedicated to mentoring and easing the transition to Tufts for incoming first-years. This is a great opportunity to meet upperclassmen who share an interest with you. Follow our Instagram (@tufts_senate) to get ready for when that survey drops during the first few weeks of school!
In a few short weeks, you will all be official Tufts Jumbos. As you start your experience, I want to impart to you all the importance of saying yes. Say yes to the dinners with the people who live in your hall, say yes to the trips to head over to Davis Square, and say yes to joining that random club's e-list. There is so much joy in the unknown, and I implore you to dive right in. Your Tufts experience is what you make of it, so be a part of every moment—because one day you'll blink, and it'll go by pretty fast.
I truly cannot wait to meet you all. If you see me on campus, say hello, and if you run into any member of Student Government, chances are they'll say hello to you first! Follow me on Instagram @om.olade to reach out to me if you have any questions. Always here for you!
With love,
Joel Omolade
Tufts Community Union President
