Debate surrounds meeting

Three hours and numerous interruptions of parliamentary procedure after the beginning of Monday night's IU Student Association's Congress meeting, the group has a new budget for the 2002 fiscal year, beginning July 1. The satisfaction of unanimously passing a bill, however, was fleeting, with the death of the Academic Standards Act proposed by the executives soon to follow.\nThe debate concerning the proposed budget converged with discussion of unallocated funds of $4,000; money some representatives would like to see donated to the Grass Roots Initiative Fund (GRIF).\nGRIF, composed of IU credit card revenue, is specifically intended to allow politically and religiously affiliated student groups to obtain funding. Controversial groups such as these are not eligible for funding from Student Organizational Accounts allocated by the Commitment to Assist Student Initiatives (CASI), monetary services provided for student groups by the University, because they derive from student activity fees.\nAfter money is allocated to the GRIF, IUSA will no longer have access to the money again, a concern many representatives voiced. \nThe discussion proceeded although the unallocated funds are unable to be moved until an active congress arrives in the fall. \nThe Academic Standards Act, calling for a heightened integrity of IUSA through enhanced grade point averages, met its doomed fate ensuing the budget debate, even though proxies for the Kirkwood party managed to fill nearly half the occupied seats.\nGraduate Jake Oakman, former student body president and proxy for the summer, started off the discussion urging uniformity of the proposed GPAs and suggested all members of the executive committee and Congress have a required 2.6 GPA.\nThe original act mandates the president to carry a 3.2, all executives and congressional leaders to have a 3.0, and all other members of congress to obtain a 2.6 GPA, as opposed to the University's requirement of a 2.0 to be considered in academic good standing. \nThe act was countered with arguments asserting that if passed, the act would prevent qualified students from serving in IUSA, and perhaps, if a representative is really doing his or her job for the student body, their GPA should be of little or no concern. \nJunior Bill Gray, student body president and sponsor of the bill, said he feels IUSA should be a role model for the student body, and in order to do this, one must have an above average GPA.\n"If we are going to tell the University to bring it up, we've got to bring it up," he said.\nMore opposition to the bill came when a representative voiced the need for consistency in the act if the integrity of IUSA is to be truly heightened. He suggested alcohol violations and arrests should also be included, if the executives were serious about the principles at stake.\nAfter even more debate the motion was made to change the 2.6, suggested by Oakman, to a 2.0 to be in compliance with the University.\nJunior Judd Arnold, vice president of administration, wasn't a big fan.\n"I feel this is superfluous and we don't need to do it," he said.\nAfter restless proxies gathered at the door hoping to gain an early exit, Oakman suggested the bill be held until the fall, as to "avoid proxies kicking out people they don't know."\nArnold, frustrated by the possibility of postponement and the suggestion that proxies were incapable of making advised decisions, asserted maybe everyone should just go home if nothing could be accomplished.\n"There should be a motion at the next meeting to abolish summer congress," Arnold said sarcastically.\nJunior Vanessa Sea, vice president of congress, disagreed, voicing her thoughts on the situation. \nShe said she felt it was important for the act to be brought up again in the fall in order to let the active congress decide its fate. Gray and Arnold had no comment on the executive division.\nAfter all the fuss, and the pangs of the gavel, the bill failed for next year, leaving the representatives still in their seats a bit more content and those who had attempted to bail early, sad to see their time wasted.\nGray was dismayed.\n"3,184 people, the largest number of students to ever vote for a single ticket in the history of IU, voted to have their academic standards raised and today their voices were not heard," he said.\nOn the other hand, Gray exuded they were very pleased to have the budget passed, although he was concerned members wanted to postpone voting on the Academic Standards Act.\n"They were hesitant to tackle one big issue, which makes you wonder why they would tackle any issue," he said.