IUSA office renovations finish under budget

The IU Student Association was “well under” its $3,000 budget for the IUSA office renovation project, IUSA Deputy Chief of Staff Pat Courtney said.

During the summer, the IUSA offices in the student tower of the Indiana Memorial Union underwent moderate, “long overdue” remodeling, Courtney said.

“We wanted to provide a better place for students to come and interact with student government and to be able to integrate all the branches of IUSA,” he said.

The only part of the updates that IUSA — and students — actually paid for is a new cubicle, which IUSA is in the process of ordering.

As such, the entire project is estimated to be less than its $3,000 budget, Courtney said, although IUSA has not finished tallying the total cost.

The renovations are more than an aesthetic overhaul. IUSA hopes the remodel will encourage cooperation and create an atmosphere of professionalism, which the office lacked in years past when few outside of the executive branch utilized the worn office, Courtney said.

Before the renovation, only IUSA executive staff members had office spaces.

The new cubicle will serve as a workspace for the IUSA Supreme Court and the Department of Student Rights, which IUSA executives hope will make the two groups feel more welcome in the offices.

“We want to make sure the perception this year is that the office is home to everyone in the organization,” IUSA Chief of Initiatives Bailey Gerber said.

A long conference table was brought in from the basement of the Union at no cost to IUSA.

It will allow IUSA members to more professionally collaborate and have meetings with important visitors and associates, Courtney said.

The office received a fresh coat of paint and spot re-plastering, also at no cost because the IMU had not recently painted the offices.

Other minor changes were made to the office, such as hanging pictures and rearranging tables in an attempt to create a welcoming, more open atmosphere for visitors, Courtney said.

“We wanted it to look extremely presentable to anyone who came in, and I think we accomplished that,” Courtney said.