Conference results in new ideas for IUSA

The IU Student Association is looking to learn from its Oct. 27 Association of Big Ten Students conference. Each school sent about eight representatives to IU to discuss issues related to student government, senior and IUSA President Meredith Suffron said.\nThe conference consisted of four issue sessions with three topics discussed in each, said junior Kal Mehta, IUSA director of Inter-University External Affairs. He said the issues discussed this year were transportation, lobbying, student confidentiality and administration.\n"It's a great way to learn what other big schools are doing. You can see other schools' ways of doing things," Mehta said.\nAmong all the issues discussed, senior Scott Witoszynski, student body vice president for administration, said the schools planned a collective lobbying trip to take place either in February or March. Witoszynski said representatives from each school will go to Washington to meet with their senators and representatives on various issues, including financial aid and state assistance.\n"I think us going there all together will make a more powerful stand," Witosyznski said.\nHe also said IUSA is planning to create an online auction site, which Witosyznski said he hopes will be up and running by next semester. He said IUSA hopes to be able to share more information about the site, including its implementation, with the other schools at the next conference.\nThe association meets three times a year, once in the fall, spring and summer, at different Big Ten schools, Mehta said.\nEach issue session is monitored by one of the schools, who does research on a certain topic. Mehta said the representatives presented their research to the other schools.\nMehta said one of the issues IUSA was particularly interested in learning about is bus plan implantation, which is something they are working on this year. The University of Illinois and Iowa State University have previously implemented bus plans on their campuses.\n"We get a chance to see what they did that was good or not good and hopefully do better," Mehta said.\nAlong with the four issue sessions, this year IUSA added a counterparts meeting, said Witoszynski.\n"This meeting allowed students who share the same positions in their student government to meet and discuss various issues," Witoszynski said. "Also, representatives from the various schools were able to present to everyone their best practices, the one thing they think their school does really well"