IUSA president aims for student seating, fall break, recycling plan

W.T. Wright will take IU Student Association one step closer to its long term goal of creating a student section in Assembly Hall on Wednesday. \nThe IUSA President plans to attend the IU athletics committee meeting, but he’s not making any promises.\n“You can’t get something like student seating accomplished in one year,” Wright said.\nLong term changes are difficult for IUSA because a new administration is elected each year. University officials realize this and feel IUSA goals will change as quickly as their administrators, Wright said. He said he sees his role with IUSA as more than a year-long commitment. \nThe Fort Wayne native was involved with IUSA as a sophomore and has another chance to run for president next year as a senior.\nThe IUSA presidency is part of Wright’s growing list of accomplishments since coming to IU. He was a direct admit to the Kelley School of Business. He is an honors student who joined the Kelley School’s investment banking workshop as a sophomore. The workshop is a lifetime commitment, Wright said. When workshop members graduate and get jobs, they’re supposed to help pull the younger members up to Wall Street, Wright said.\n“You give above and beyond what you get,” Wright said. “That why it’s so successful.”\nWright is working toward other major changes like the addition of a week-long fall break. Wright said he plans to push for the break, but realizes it won’t happen overnight.\n“I’d like to see another administration come out of this and work on what we are,” Wright said.\nLast year’s IUSA President Betsy Henke said high turnover will continually challenge new IUSA presidents, but there are things they can do to make their administration productive. Henke told Wright to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of himself and others.\n“You can’t be everywhere and be good at everything,” Henke said.\nHenke told Wright to pull people into their areas of interest, and Wright listened.\nWright offered sophomore Brittney Banks a position on IUSA as director of greek recycling when he saw her passion for the issue. The two talked about recycling during IU President Michael McRobbie’s office hours on Aug. 31. Banks and her partner, Sutton Kauss, were invited to an IUSA congress meeting where they gave a PowerPoint presentation about their recycling plan.\nWright presented some of Banks’ ideas at the board of trustees meeting Sept. 21. Her ideas were met with a positive reception, Wright said.\n“This could be a huge accomplishment for (Banks), IUSA and everyone if we get it done,” Wright said.\nWright said he encourages other students to bring their concerns to IUSA congress. The 60-seat congress has representatives from all aspects of campus, including the Hutton Honors College and the greek houses and the dorms, Wright said.\n“When I go to a meeting, the ideas I discuss are not coming from me,” Wright said. “They come from our congress.”\nIUSA’s purpose is to give students input with what happens on campus, Wright said.\n“We are an advocate for change,” Wright said. “We provide the means.”