IU Student Association changed its name to IU Student Government. The organization, which aims to provide a platform for student input in administrative decision making, hopes the name change will help students better understand who they are.
“Our old name, the Indiana University Student Association, wasn’t super intuitive for students, faculty and staff to understand,” said Isabel Mishkin, chief of staff for IUSG. “Student government, on the other hand, is clear and relatable.”
Mishkin said the name change occurred in November to line up with the first fall congressional elections. The name change will not affect how the organization functions, but will hopefully improve student involvement.
“The name change to IUSG is our organization’s first step to re-market ourselves to the entirety of the IU student body,” congressional press secretary Sam Pearson said.
IUSG consists of an executive, congressional and judicial branch, and also supports the Department of Student Rights.
IUSG is working to improve other aspects of the organization along with its name. Congress is working on revising its Constitution, which affects numerous aspects of the organization, like Congressional constituencies or who runs for Executive office.
Pearson said IUSG is also hoping more students will recognize that they have an organization that will listen to them and be able to make a change.
“If any student has a contribution or suggestion they would like to make, we want them to clearly know that they have a governing body who can help them make that possible,” Pearson said.
The organization covers a wide range of tasks across campus to help improve student life. In the past, the organization worked on improving student equality and providing more resources on campus. It also provides a platform for students from all different learning areas to connect and create more student involvement.
“We’re hoping that our mission to serve students will grow as more students hear our name and know who we are,” Mishkin said.
IUSG meets every other Tuesday with its four elected executives and other staff to discuss recent events, student government goals and new projects.
“We host events, represent students on campus committees, advocate for student-friendly policy and more,” Mishkin said.
The student-run government is based on the United States federal government.
Although the transformation to IUSG just went public, Pearson hopes it will have an immediate and long-lasting effect on the organization’s impact.
“Overall, in due time, I am hopeful that our organization’s name will be as recognizable to the average IU student as names such as Kelley and SPEA are,” Pearson said.
