Student voices lacking in University decisions

Three months ago, student leaders expressed frustration with student representation to the IU Board of Trustees.

Brady Harman, president of the IU Graduate and Professional Student Organization, spoke about the challenges of influencing high-level University decisions during the Board’s Oct. 18 meeting last year.

“Most of our time is spent catching up on what’s been going on for the past three or four years. By the time we finally understand all of that, and know who to talk to, we have about two months left on campus before we’re kicked out and the next process begins.”

His comments were backed by Indiana University Student Association President Jose Mitjavila, who sat beside him.

The pair is considered to be two of the most influential students on campus, yet their strongly voiced concern was responded to with a joke. 

“That’s part of our strategy to deal with you,” Chairman of the Board Thomas Reilly Jr. said.

The Trustees went on to acknowledge that yes, this is an issue upon which the University as a whole needs to improve.

“You’re right,” Reilly said. “You are our customers. We exist to educate students, and I think we could do better at getting your input.”

The problem is rooted in smaller decision-making bodies, called committees, which are structured to include student members. But this year and in years past, IUSA has struggled to use those roles to adequately represent students.

How decisions are made

The largest changes that occur within IU — such as increases in tuition costs, the merging of departments or plans for campus-wide initiatives — are examined and voted on by the Board of Trustees. But long before those public hearings occur, there are dozens  of smaller committees, which research, debate and decide a best course of action to recommend to the Trustees.

These committees also handle smaller decisions, such as what to name a new building, how much to charge for parking tickets or what to stock in the bookstore.

Currently, there are 40 committees on campus that allow one or more student representatives to participate. These chosen students are supposed to attend committee meetings, contribute to the conversation and be considered equal to a faculty member.

“There are very few committees or boards at the University that don’t have student members,” Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith said.

IUSA President Mitjavila, who has served on committees including strategic planning and privatization of parking, said progress in these groups is often slow and tedious.

“It’s definitely not the sexiest way to go about the student voice,” Mitjavila said. “People go to these committees, and some of them can be really boring, where nothing goes on for weeks or months. But that’s ultimately where decisions are made about all kinds of things.

“When you think about what creates IU’s atmosphere, it’s all of these tiny decisions made across the University, which more often than not happen in committees.”

Lack of representation

So who decides which students are placed on which committees? The presidents of student government, Harman and Mitjavila.

Although GPSO provides all graduate students the chance to be on a committee, IUSA chooses only undergraduates who are already involved in student government.

It is unclear whether this has always been the process, but the three most recent student government presidents, including Mitjavila, have all placed only members of their own staffs on committees.

This is when complications arise.

Though these committees are considered the starting point for the University’s
decision-making process, IUSA leaders acknowledge facing many challenges in filling student representatives’ spots.

When a new president takes office, it often takes weeks or months for them to figure out the committee system: what each committee is about, where it meets and who is in charge. Some committees meet weekly, others monthly and some once per semester.

At the beginning of each semester, the president must work around each IUSA member’s class schedule to determine which staff members will attend which committees.

This system has caused significant delays in getting students into those student representative positions.

This academic year, at least seven committees were without a student representative until November. This includes the Bloomington Faculty Council and its subcommittees on affirmative action, educational policies and student affairs, among others.

Though Mitjavila said that problem has now been resolved, there were more than two months of committee meetings in which no student was attending to represent the student voice.

Even when IUSA members are successfully placed on a committees, it is difficult to convince them to focus on committee participation. Often, these students are placed on a specific committee not because it sparks their interest, but simply because it fits their class schedule.

“Committee presence isn’t what you get into student government for,” said Kyle Straub, IUSA president in the 2012-13 school year.

IUSA members are more concerned with fulfilling the promises they made during the election, Straub said.

“You’re focusing on your set initiatives, Congress and maintaining good faith with administrators,” Straub said.

And even if the student representatives are passionate about the committees they are assigned to, it’s almost impossible for them to contribute at the same level as a faculty member.

Justin Kingsolver, IUSA president in the 2011-12 school year, said when a student joins a committee, they almost always join without background information about what the committee is working on.

“So it takes a while to adapt,” Kingsolver said. “Most students aren’t fully versed on its internal workings and internal policy.”

This lack of knowledge makes student representatives hesitant to contribute. And as Harman said to the Board of Trustees, by the time a student figures out the lay of the land, the end of their one-year or even one-semester long term on the committee is rapidly approaching.

Both Kingsolver and Straub said these challenges have existed for some time. Yet, each year, they are passed down to the new administration, whose job it is to represent the opinions of more than 36,000 undergraduates on the Bloomington campus through these decision-making committees.

Fixing the problem

Provost Lauren Robel said in a December interview that committee representation is essential to students having a voice on campus.

“The students are best served if they not only believe, but it is true, that the organizations that represent them are going to have a seat at the table,” she said.

The Provost was familiar with GPSO’s “open to all” policy for allowing students not involved in campus government to serve on committees, but she said she is not in favor of that system.

“The difficulty with that approach, on a purely theoretical level, is that the people who will be drawn to serve on committees come in two forms: one is people who are altruistic … and would like the opportunity to work on a committee to see how things work and participate in governance,” Robel said. “The other are people with an axe to grind. You don’t necessarily get the best form of representation through a general call out.”

When asked about ways to improve the issue, the Provost said it is something she would not involve herself in, unless IUSA specifically asks for help.

“My assumption would be that it is IUSA’s problem to fix,” Robel said. “Both Dean Goldsmith and I are always open to working with student government, but these are their appointments to make.”

Mitjavila agrees but said he wishes the leaders of committees across campus would be more proactive in connecting with student representatives at the beginning of each semester.

As for involving students outside IUSA, Mitjavila said it is possible, if a student seeks out a member of IUSA to express interest in a particular subject.

“We don’t explicitly have an open admission policy,” he said. “But we’re always looking for new people who can increase our efficiency in any area.”

Any student who wishes to be involved in or has concerns about committee representation can contact Mitjavila at jmitjavi@indiana.edu or Vice President Chris Kauffman at usasbvp@indiana.edu.

At this time, IUSA has no specific efforts planned to improve the quality of student representation on University committees, other than making sure its members are attending the meetings they have been assigned.

“I would recommend to whoever is in office next year to have a workshop at the beginning of the semester to go over professionalism, proper conduct and responsibilities,” Mitjavila said, “so that the staff can best represent student interests on these committees.”

No such training will take place this year.

“I wish I would have thought of that idea sooner.”

Follow reporter Jessica Contrera on Twitter @mjcontrera.