Congress creates student ambassador positions

The IU Student Association wants to open its doors to the Residence Hall Association and other student groups. \nAt its bi-weekly Congress meeting last Thursday, IUSA passed a resolution to create IUSA Ambassador positions. \n"'Ambassadors' are defined here as students from organizations other than IUSA in the IU community who would like to attend our legislative session and give their group a larger voice in our Congress' decision-making," said junior Aimee Dawson, representative from the College of Arts and Sciences. \nAll ambassadors attending the meetings will be allowed to address the Congress. Any campus group is welcome and may send a representative. Ambassadors will not be allowed to vote in IUSA. \nDawson developed and sponsored the bill in order to better represent the student body.\n"Before the passage of this resolution, IUSA, the most elaborate organization designed to represent students on the IU campus did NOT have a way for students outside of the IUSA community to raise their voice," Dawson, who was president of Read Center last year, said.\n"It felt like we were operating under the fiction of representation." Dawson said. "The truth was that we were actually working within the narrow confines of our own, IUSA-oriented perspectives. This resolution opens our doors formally. If IUSA is meant to embrace IU organizations and student concern, it is our duty to allow those factions due time to speak."\nIUSA meetings are open to the public, and everyone in the IU community is invited. With these new ambassador positions, student groups are guaranteed an opportunity to speak.\nIUSA first plans to test the program by creating Residence Halls Association ambassador positions. IUSA and RHA overlap on various issues. RHA represents all of the students living in residence halls and is the second largest student group after IUSA.\n"IUSA and RHA in the past have had difficulties being on the same page, and hopefully this will correct the problem," said sophomore Jeff Wuslich, vice president of administration for IUSA. "It is important to make sure that this keeps going for many years and doesn't fizzle out after one administration."\nRHA President Ken Minami, a senior, said he is in support of the step. He said the RHA President Councils will be voting on a similar resolution Wednesday.\n"IUSA, they represent all of us," Minami said. "For them to most effectively represent all these interests I think it will be helpful for them to have contact everywhere."\nThis will be a way for IUSA to share and receive information with groups across campus and to gain insight into the wants and needs of these groups. \n"This is a necessary step that's long overdue," Dawson said. "I am positive this will improve the relationship between the groups and allow for more effective legislation in IUSA. We're ready to listen -- finally"