IUSA seeks to provide new initiatives to aid students

The IU Student Association will begin this year with new promises and objectives to make life more enjoyable for IU students. Members of IUSA hope the work they put in during the summer will pay off. The underlying goal on IUSA's agenda is to give students a clear path to express their opinions and give input on matters that might affect them.\nIUSA President senior Tyson Chastain wants students to feel comfortable coming forward and expressing their feelings regarding any issue that might impact them.\n"We are representing the student's here at IU, and we want to make sure that we know what those students want and how they feel about issues," Chastain said.\nAccording to an statement IUSA, one way the organization is enabling students to voice their opinions is by working with administrators to have students on committees that discuss and debate crucial issues. All students are eligible to serve on a committee and are required to fill out an application once they become available.\nIUSA Vice President of Administration senior Jesse Laffen said IUSA wants to promote IU athletics all around. Besides the many tailgates IUSA has planned for home football games, there will be an ongoing effort to get students out to support IU's teams.\n"We realize that our teams are fun to watch and are already having an exciting year, and we would like to get the whole University excited about the teams," he said.\nLaffen also said IUSA is making a big effort to alleviate the anxiety surrounding off-campus living.\n"We worked with the city of Bloomington housing and neighborhood development this summer to try to consolidate all the different information regarding living off campus and in the city," he said. "We will try to have all the various information online by the end of the semester, and then we will try to print and distribute the information and target students who will be living off-campus for the first time.\nLaffen said IUSA was inspired by the University of Arizona's student union Web site, which provides information to students about off-campus living.\n"Their Web site is a great resource for students who are living in the city of Tucson," he said. "We want to provide that for the students at IU."\nIUSA Vice President of Operations senior Scott Norman encourages students to give their input, especially when it can put a dent in their wallets.\n"We are here for the students, and we want to make sure their voice is heard, especially with issues that end up costing students money," Norman said.\n-- Contact staff writer Eric Tash at etash@indiana.edu.