Editor's note: This story was originally published in the 2025 New Student Orientation Guide, an IDS special publication.
What is IUSG?
Founded in 1912 as a student council, the group was dedicated to “student welfare and self-governance.” Having undergone several transformations since its creation, the student organization was known as the IU Student Association (IUSA) for nearly 45 years before adopting the name IUSG in 2018.
As stated in the preamble to its constitution, “IUSG exists to give voice to our common grievances, concerns, and hopes, and to take action to realize an ever-stronger University. We work to protect student rights, enrich student life, and improve Indiana University.”
What do they do?
Just like the US federal government, IUSG has three branches – the Executive, the Student Body Congress and the Student Body Supreme Court.
The Executive Branch is made up of the student body president and vice president, who campaign together in the spring during an election all students can vote in. Their administration includes a chief of staff, executive secretary, congressional secretary and several departments, offices, and executive advisory groups, including the student rights department, grants management office and the multicultural advisory council.
Members of Student Body Congress are the policy makers. Among many other responsibilities, the congress reviews the student body president’s cabinet and judicial nominees and passes the IUSG Budget Act each spring, in which they determine how their six-figure annual revenue will be spent. The money comes from a portion of the Student Activity Fee, which all students are required to pay each semester. The branch is led by the speaker, then congressional press secretary, recorder and parliamentarian.
The supreme court is led by one chief justice and 10 associate justices. According to their website, justices work “on behalf of students to keep elections honest, represent the student voice on university committees, and hear cases from the university judicial system.”
Legislation and programs put into action previously by IUSG include free emergency contraception at the IU Student Health Center, a mock exam day — offering free proctored mock exams for the LSAT, MCAT, DAT and GRE — and the calculator loaner program.
Several IUSG students are also appointed to serve on university committees where they participate in shared governance, meaning students provide insight into university decisions alongside faculty, staff and administrators. Committees include the Hazing Prevention Coalition, IUB Substance Use Coalition and the Climate Action Plan Implementation Committee.
Who represents me?
The ACTION Administration — Student Body President Zachary Goldberg and Student Body Vice President Ava Smith — took office in April and will serve for one year. They campaigned on three pillars: safety, community and success.
As for congress, there are 20 elected student representatives from academic districts and 20 elected from residential districts. This means there are a certain number of students who represent each school and students who represent each of the three neighborhoods on campus, as well as Greek life housing, on-campus apartments and off-campus living. The number of seats per district is determined by student population.
There are also multicultural representatives appointed by their organization, including the Indonesian Student Association, Multicultural Greek Council and the Muslim Student Association.
Representatives serve one-year terms.
How do I get involved?
IUSG holds general elections in both fall and spring, which all students can vote in through BeINvolved. Details on the fall 2025 general election are not yet available. Students are also encouraged to apply for any vacant congressional seats, both residential and academic, which were not filled during elections.
Freshman can be paired with an IUSG executive branch member to shadow and work toward implementing a project of their own through the First-Year Internship Program.
More information on IUSG can be found on their website.
