The IUSA Congress passed two resolutions regarding IUPD and amended another resolution regarding sexual assault at an IUSA Congress assembly meeting Tuesday.
Representatives unanimously passed a resolution expressing IUSA’s support of IUPD’s campaign to ensure all 911 communications from individuals located on campus to go directly to the IUPD dispatch.
Under current procedures, all 911 communications go directly to the ?Monroe County dispatch, where it is then forwarded to the IUPD dispatch, IUSA Chief of Policy Kevin Kuo said.
Furthermore, IUPD cannot receive text messages when students use Text-to-911 and, therefore, cannot respond via text message when students use the service, according to the ?resolution.
“When we met with IUPD, they told us that they have had problems with communication because it’s literally a game of telephone where they’re passing on ?information,” Kuo said.
The resolution expresses IUSA’s support of IUPD’s campaign to ensure that all 911 communications from individuals located on the Bloomington campus, determined by the location of the individual’s phone, go directly to the IUPD dispatch.
“The purpose of this redistricting is to make the line of communication between a student and IUPD more direct rather than changing who’s going to ?respond,” Kuo said.
Representatives also unanimously passed a resolution urging IUSA Congress to create a new position, the holder of which would act as a liaison between IUSA and IUPD.
“IUPD wants to make sure that we have some sort of permanent line of communication with them,” Kuo said. “It’s important for IUPD to know what students want and it’s important for students to know what IUPD does.”
Laury Flint, chief of police for IUPD, requested that IUSA create a position, the holder of which would act as a liaison between IUSA and IUPD, Kuo said.
Representatives also amended a previous resolution urging IU Counseling Psychological Services to provide students who have been designated victims of sexual assault with free ?mental healthcare sessions.
Though the original resolution did not specify, the amended one states that representatives urge CAPS to provide students who have been designated victims of sexual assault with free psychiatric sessions, as opposed to free individual ?counseling.
The original resolution states that victims of sexual assault would receive free individual counseling until a licensed mental health care professional deems the sessions no longer ?necessary.
The amended resolution, however, specifies that victims of sexual assault would receive free psychiatric visits until a psychiatrist deems the sessions no ?longer necessary.
Though CAPS currently offers victims of sexual assault free mental health counseling through the Sexual Assault Crisis Service, it does not offer free psychiatric visits. SACS, however, will waive fees for psychiatric care if a student is unable to pay and would not turn a student away because they cannot pay, Pete Grogg, director of the IU Health ?Center, said in an email.
Furthermore, though CAPS currently offers those who have paid an IU Health fee two free counseling sessions, it does not offer free psychiatric visits to those who have paid the fee.
“We just wanted to make sure that we weren’t giving false information, first and foremost, to you guys and to students,” Will Wartenberg, IUSA vice president of congress, said of the ?amendments.
