Board of Aeons links students, IU administrators

It was not the Residence Halls Association which initiated the push for the academic support centers in the dorms. The IU Student Association didn't research the need for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services. It wasn't even the Bloomington Faculty Council which jump-started these ideas.\nThese advancements were the result of the suggestions of the Board of Aeons, a group of 12 student representatives who research and report on issues affecting campus. The board predates IUSA and historically works behind closed doors, according to an IU report on the board's history.\nThe purpose of the group, said IU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis, is not only to serve as a link between the students and the administration, but to focus on three issues each year, researching them to make suggestions for solutions.\nThe Board of Aeons, in addition to researching the GLBTSSS and academic support centers, has looked at issues of racism, student scholarships and loans, student government, international students and grade point averages in the past.\nThe group wields no actual power at IU, but its recommendations go to the chancellor, who sends them straight to the appropriate department. Gros Louis said the recommendations are taken very seriously and many have led to campus initiatives that have lasted for years.\n"While doing research, we have to call and contact individuals all over the campus," said graduate student D'Andre May, president of the Board of Aeons. "Because we're part of the organization, everyone is extremely willing to cooperate."\nThe board has always operated with closed meetings. Though it does not consider itself a secret society, it tries to keep its research from gaining publicity for fear of interference with its ability to gather information, according to the report.\nThe board is made up of appointed, involved students with diverse backgrounds and interests and will hold its first real meeting of the year later this month. \n"Over the years, they have made some very big recommendations that have made a significant difference for undergraduates on campus," Gros Louis said.\nThe board, founded in 1921 by then-IU President William Lowe Bryan, serves as a link between the students and the administration. The name makes reference to the Biblical Aeons, a group that occupied a position between heaven and earth, serving as a link between men and angels.\nHistorically, the board consists of 12 appointed members. This year only 11 students represent the board, after the April 2005 death of Ashley Crouse in a car crash.\nAppointment to the board is achieved by nomination and selection after an application and interview. The board looks for students who are highly successful in academics and leadership, but most importantly, it selects students with a wide range of involvement. From greek organizations to the Student Alumni Association to IUSA to the National Association of Black Accountants, this year's Board of Aeons provides representation for a diverse cross-section of IU students.\n"The board does a good job of picking people that have experience in a wide variety of organizations," said John Connell, a member of the board. "You learn so much about the campus when you're around all these people from other organizations."\nAt the first meeting of each year, the students identify between nine and 12 topics that interest them. After meeting with the chancellor and hearing his comments, they narrow the list down to three topics. The group then breaks into committees and researches the three selected issues, searching for plausible solutions to the problems.\n"We're not so much there to look at the issues -- just to plan for today," said board member Elizabeth Henke. "In that aspect it offers something unique that other organizations can't really offer."\nAfter student government was formed, the board continued to operate, narrowing its focus to a few special assignments each year. In the late 1970s, John Ryan, the president at that time, decided that because its research did not affect all IU campuses, the Board of Aeons would have to report to the chancellor instead of the president.\nBoard member Kristen King sees her involvement as not only a way to help others but a learning experience as well.\n"This organization allows me to network and learn from older people on campus," King said. "I'm really learning a lot about the campus and a lot of the important issues that go on behind the scenes"