IUSA aims to serve as student voice

The IU Student Association is working on a variety of projects this year that range from putting together an IU auction Web site, where students can locally sell furniture and a variety of odds and ends to other students, as well as trying to get more pencil sharpeners in the buildings across campus.\nIUSA President Meredith Suffron, a senior, said the group is concerned with representing the wants and needs of the students.\n"We're here to represent student concerns and present them to the administration," she said. \nIUSA meets bi-monthly and has executive, legislative and judicial branches. The student body president, the vice president for congress, vice president for administration and the student body treasurer comprise IUSA's executive branch. The legislative branch is composed of student representatives from residence halls and greek houses and senators from each of IU's academic schools. The Supreme Court includes one chief justice and 10 associate justices, all of which are appointed by the president.\nScott Kirsch, a Teter Quad senator and junior, said he is happy to be serving his constituents.\n"Students' concerns are why I am an IUSA member," he said.\nVice President for Congress A.J. Johnson, a senior, said it's beneficial for students to become involved with IUSA.\n"We are student government and with student support we can do a lot of things to change this campus for the better," Johnson said.\nAt Congress meetings, resolutions are presented and discussed. The floor is then opened for questions and then the bill or resolution is voted on. Johnson said if the bill is passed, it goes to the administration for final clearing.\n"We may not see immediate results on proposals, but we are able to get our ideas out there and get administration aware of what students want," Suffron said.\nCurrent Proposals\nThe IUSA office is working on a variety of projects and proposals. Vice President for Administration Scott Witoszynski, a senior, said the legislative relations office, an IUSA department, is currently putting together a voters' guide. \nIUSA is also putting together a bill to remove sales tax from textbook sales. Witoszynski said the change could save students $30 to $50 a year, depending on how much they usually spend on books.\nHe said an IU auction Web site which would be accessible to students is a large project the group is working on. Members are coordinating efforts with local businesses and encouraging them to place items on the site for students to buy.\n"It will be for students who have anything to sell, anything they want to sell locally," Witoszynski said. "It will be a convenience for students."\nAnn Dolezal, a Kelley School of Business senator and junior said in addition to the Web site, other IUSA initiatives include more external clocks on campus, 24-hour on-campus dining, late night parking passes and more buses for different routes.\nIn early September, Congress sent a proposal to get more visible, external clocks on campus. Their next proposal will deal with either late night parking passes, pencil sharpeners in campus buildings or extended dining hours, Suffron said.\nIncreasing involvement\nWith a large student body to represent, Johnson said sometimes there can be a problem with apathy toward campus-related issues among the students. To compensate for this, Johnson said he, along with all IUSA members, would like to go out and contact students, because many times the students won't come to them.\n"Part of our goal for this year is to focus less on internal bureaucracy and focus more on the students," Johnson said. "My own biggest goal is to … bring IUSA to the students."\nSuffron said to attack the perceived problem, IUSA started two programs this year to encourage student involvement.\nOne of the programs is an internship program for freshmen and new students, where interested students can shadow an IUSA member. The group is also starting a liaison program where IUSA congress members will be going to the meetings of University groups around campus. Suffron said she hopes this will foster communication between campus groups and IUSA. Congress members can share what is going on with IUSA with the groups and also bring back any concerns and ideas from the groups to IUSA.