New committee to assess ideal student living

IU President Michael McRobbie might not be a professor in the traditional sense, but that didn’t stop him from assigning homework to his newly formed Vision of the Ideal College Environment committee at the IU-Bloomington and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campuses last Wednesday.\nMcRobbie announced the formation of a student steering committee that will submit reports in the spring on various aspects of student life. The steering committee will lead five subcommittees focused on specific areas, including the intellectual and social environments, on- and off-campus housing and student support services.\nChairman of the steering committee Alex Shortle said he has been given the task of “(defining) the ideal student experience today and identify areas of weakness.”\nIU Director of Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said VOICE is the president’s attempt to hear student opinions on the present and future issues of IU, “because (students) have a different perspective than the president’s generation.”\nShortle sees this as a chance to encourage student involvement and positive relations with the new president.\n“(McRobbie) wants to utilize the student voice,” Shortle said. “Is this an example of him going forward? Hopefully. I think if we produce something substantial, he will continue to use students in the planning of the University.”\nShortle said the steering committee’s report will come from the work and suggestions of the specialized subcommittees.\nIU Dean of Students Dick McKaig made recommendations to McRobbie, who chose the steering committee comprised of nine Bloomington undergraduates, Shortle said. Thirty students have been selected for the subcommittees, although Shortle added that they want to involve as many students as possible. Students wishing to get involved should contact McKaig. \nVOICE will go into effect at both IUB and IUPUI because the two are the largest of IU’s eight campuses, MacIntyre said.\nShortle said the VOICE committee’s purpose has not been specifically defined, giving the members freedom to act as they see necessary.\n“It’s not very explicit,” Shortle said. “It’s open and that’s how they want it.”