IUSA Congress talks mandatory classes, recycling

The IU Student Association Congress assembled Tuesday to vote on issues including mandatory Friday classes, the placement of outdoor recycling bins next to trash cans, the firing of University Chancellor Ken Gros Louis and a new IUSA budget.

The Congress said the issue of mandatory Friday classes has gone without resolution for months. Last semester, the Bloomington Faculty Council announced its intention to change course offerings to encourage students to take Friday classes.

Congress voted on a resolution to combat this intention. It said Friday classes should not be mandatory because they would interfere with many students’ in-field work for majors, as well as part-time employment. The resolution passed with 86 percent in support.

IUSA voted on a push for recycling bins to be placed beside all trash cans on campus, arguing that students are more likely to recycle if it is more convenient and adding more recycling bins will promote overall sustainability efforts at the University. The resolution passed with 86 percent in support.

The next issue was the firing of Ken Gros Louis from the position of University chancellor. The only other person in IU’s history to hold this title was former University President Herman B Wells.

Congress members said Louis deserved the position for his outstanding service to IU throughout the years. Among his achievements was his founding of the Committee for Fee Review, which protects students from unjust fees.

In 2006, the IU Board of Trustees granted Louis the title of chancellor. It was specified at that time that Louis’ possible future demotion from this title was to be decided by a formal review process, including the opinion of Louis himself.

In April 2011, Louis was fired from his post as chancellor by the Board of Trustees with no comment from the board or from its chairman, William Cast.

In the resolution, Congress said Louis’ firing was without a formal review and requested a reversal of the Trustees’ decision. The resolution passed with 67 percent in support.

The final issue Congress considered was a revised budget for IUSA. Some categories of the old budget were erased or combined, and new categories were created. The new budget passed with a unanimous vote. The new budget totals $95,447, which is $400 less than the old budget.