Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

IUSA Execs take annual trip to Washington, D.C.

Campus Filler

Current and former IU Student Association executives and staff traveled to Washington, D.C., this week for the Association of Big Ten Students’ Big Ten on the Hill conference.

The annual event brings together student leaders from all 14 schools in the Big Ten Conference. Outgoing IUSA president senior Sara Zaheer; her two vice presidents; seniors Alex Trevino and Tyler Knox; and treasurer junior Patrick Kennedy were present on the trip.

They were accompanied by their co-chiefs of state and legislative affairs, sophomores Molly Connor and Alex Wisniewski. Connor is the incoming IUSA vice president of administration.

“We’re really excited for IU’s office that just opened in D.C.,” Zaheer said, referencing the recently established Office of Federal Relations. which the group will be visiting while they’re at the conference.

One of the topics discussed recently in national conversation was legislation that would require sexual assault charges at a university level to be recorded on any transfer records, Wisniewski said. This means if an offender switched schools, their transcript would have a misconduct mark comparable to if the student had been caught with plagiarism.

Wisniewski said this is not something that is pushed as a student government but more so an idea that has been discussed on a national level. He said many concerns that arise from the concept involve due process but on the other hand some students have had multiple misconduct charges leveled against them.

The representatives from IU also visited with staff at the Department of Education and the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee. Part of the meeting with the Department of Education was in question-and-answer format, and Zaheer said many of the questions posed pertained to mental health.

Zaheer said she wanted to know how the new department, under Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, would put into effect plans for new and innovative education given DeVos’s position on alternative forms of learning. Zaheer said college completion rates play a large role in determining school ratings and school funding.

“I specifically asked if the department had any plans to address the mental wellness piece,” said Zaheer, explaining that mental health was key in ensuring students graduate in a timely manner.

IUSA’s delegation in Washington also discussed ways to promote political involvement among the student body. ABTS’s recent “VoteB1G” initiative encouraged students at Big Ten universities to register to vote. On Monday the representatives met with Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana.

“We actually just met with Senator Young, and some of the feedback we’re getting is kind of bringing civic engagement back on campus,” Wisniewski said Monday.

Wisniewski said part of what he’s learned in his experience and from the conference was that civic engagement begins with old-fashioned tactics like writing to candidates and calling their offices with concerns. Wisniewski said politicians may not read every single letter they receive from their constituents, but it sends a message.

A central theme in student engagement with their elected officials is making sure their concerns are expressed properly.

“If there’s an issue we care about, we want to make sure we’re taking it to the right people,” Zaheer said.

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe