Collection ID: C234
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Indiana University Student Association
Abstract:
Student government at Indiana University was officially formed in April 1948 due in large part to the influence of IU President Herman B Wells. Following a series of name changes, student government in 1973 became known as the Indiana University Student Association (IUSA). In 2019 they changed their name again to Indiana University Student Government (IUSG). This collection consists of the records of the IUSA including: Meeting minutes and agendas; resolutions; administrative files; records of the IUSA President , Vice-President for Senate/ Congress, Vice- President for Administration, Treasurer and the Supreme Court; association, committee and department files; and issue, project and subject files. These records primarily cover the period from 1973-2010.
Extent:
79.6 cubic feet (82 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[Item], Indiana University Student Association records, Collection C234, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

Student government roots trace back to 1912 when a faculty member suggested the creation of a student group to police IU athletic events. That year the university's first Student Council was appointed and began drafting a constitution. The advent of World War I caused student disinterest in institutionalized student government for many years to follow. Consequently, the constitution was never ratified. There were, however, many other forms of student government established before the Student Council, such as the Women's League which was established in 1895 and later became the Women's League Self-Government Association in 1920. The Indiana Union for Men was created in 1909 and another early form of student government, the Board of Aeons, was established on March 29, 1921 by President Bryan with membership limited to junior and senior men.

After World War II, President Herman B Wells helped renew interest in student government using reverse psychology. He distributed an announcement stating that the university administration was against the creation of a student government. This caused many students to demand the establishment of an official student governing body. In 1944, such an official student governing body, the "Student Council", was recreated consisting of 6 men and 6 women. The Student Council was to uphold the ideals outlined in the student council constitution, but all actions of the Student Council had to be approved by the President of the University before becoming effective. Not long after the establishment of the Student Council, the Junior Assembly, consisting of 27 members, was formed as an advisory body to the Student Council.

After the first couple years, the Student Council suffered a loss of prestige among the students. The inability to affect a major change and conflicts between Greeks and Independents led to numerous charges that the Council was ineffective or incompetent. In an effort to mollify these critics, a committee was formed to study constitutional revisions. By April 15, 1948, a new constitution had been drafted and at a mass meeting of the student body on April 29, the constitution was approved by a standing vote.

The 1948 constitution is recognized as the founding document of Indiana University Student Government. For the first time, the document provided for a Student Body President, Student Senate, and a Judicial Board, essentially the system that exists today. It also no longer required that the University President approve Student Senate legislation for it to become enacted.

In the spring of 1973, students sought to break through the bureaucracies of student government and a referendum was held to approve a new constitution. Overnight, IU Student Government transformed into the "Indiana University Student Association." The 1973 Constitution of Indiana University Student Association converted the Student Senate into the Student Assembly, provided for a Summer Student Assembly, and eliminated the judiciary. While a Summer Senate had been convened under the 1948 Constitution, it did not take formal shape until 1966-1967. In 1983, a referendum converted the Student Assembly back into the Student Senate, and in 1985, through another referendum, the Vice President position was split into two positions: one for Senate and one for Administration.

In 1988, the Student Body approved the reinsertion of the 1948 preamble into the 1973 Constitution as well as the establishment of a revamped judicial system. In 1991, the Vice President for Senate was renamed the Vice President for Congress, and the Academic Assembly was officially formed, creating a bicameral legislature. The Academic Assembly (and its predecessor the Academic Congress) had previously been convened to address student academic needs but now served as an advisory group. In 1993, the treasurer was added as an elected position instead of an appointed post, and in 1994, a new IUSA Constitution was adopted.

Throughout the early 1990s, individual meetings of the Academic Assembly and Senate were held. However, joint sessions of Congress were also quite common. In November of 1995, a resolution was passed that would begin the process of combining the bodies into a single house. This process was not completed until March 7, 1996, but within a month, a brief was filed with the Supreme Court which ultimately ruled the merger unconstitutional. It was not until 1997 that the houses were joined successfully.

The 1990s were a highly structured period for the Indiana University Student Association. Congress meetings were recorded on tape and transcribed verbatim and a relatively stable set of departments existed year after year. At the same time, this stability in form coupled with constant changes to the Bylaws led to claims of bureaucracy, and in 2002, another Constitution was ratified. To create consistency, new Bylaws were passed shortly after the adoption of the new Constitution, but these new Bylaws were left largely incomplete. In 2006, attempts were made to revert back to a modified version of the older bylaws but may have never been passed. Due to the confusion, in 2010, a modified version of the Bylaws proposed in 2006 was voted on and adopted. Because of incomplete Bylaws, the 2000s were a time of considerable organizational change in the executive branch of IUSA. Towards the latter half of the decade, the organization grew in size and transformed from the departmental model to a split departmental and task force model. Furthermore, the increased usage of electronic record keeping and email led to a decrease in the volume of physical records with some years leaving behind virtually no records at all.

Scope and Content:

Series: Minutes and Agendas, 1973-2010

The agendas and minutes of the IUSA legislative branch (Student Assembly, Student Senate, Academic Assembly, and Congress) are arranged chronologically and span the period from1973-20005. Not all dates have both agendas and minutes as only one of these items may have been originally produced or maintained.

Agendas and minutes from the 1970s come from the Senate Journals compiled in the 1980s while later agendas and minutes come from their original journals/manuals. Some of the files also contain supplemental meeting materials. There are notable gaps in the agendas and minutes in the 2000s.

Series: Resolutions, 1973-2010

The resolutions within this collection span the period from 1973-2010. Resolutions from 1973 until the end of the 1990-1991 academic year are arranged in accordance with the Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) numbering system which first appeared in the January 1989 List and Index of Resolutions Considered by the Indiana University Student Assembly and Student Body Senate after an attempt to identify every resolution introduced into the Student Body Assembly/Senates. During the indexing process, SEA numbers were assigned to written resolutions as well as voice resolutions documented in the minutes, but only physical resolutions were photocopied and compiled into a series of Resolution Books. The resolutions from these books often include the final dispositions and other notes from the minutes, details not initially recorded on the early documents.

After 1988, resolutions continued to be assigned a SEA number until 1991, when resolutions simply became numbered in accordance with the numbering system that developed in the late 1970s. The SEA numbering system provides the only comprehensive and organized collection of resolutions in the period from 1973-1991, and thus is used in this finding aid for resolutions during these years. Original resolution numbers, consistent with the late 1970s numbering convention, appear in parentheses for items also assigned a SEA number.

Notable resolutions in this collection include SEA 49 "Endorsement Petition to Put a Student on the Board of Trustees," SEA 431 "To Congratulate Bobby Knight on NCAA Victory," SEA 731 "To Recommend the Formation of the Student Resource Committee and Endorse a Student on the Commission for Higher Education (CHE)," SEA 802 "To Call for University Divestment from Corporations Active in South Africa," SEA 1327 "IUSA Health Center Proposal," SEA 1447 "Resolution to Encourage the Formation of a Proposal for a Walking Escort Service Pilot Program," 92-2-16 "To Evaluate the Performance of Thomas Ehrlich, President of Indiana University," 93-3-1 "To Support Lifting the Military Ban on Homosexuals in Service," and 98-11-1 "Resolution to Endorse a New Transportation System for the Indiana University-Bloomington Campus." Gaps in the resolution series include second semester 1988-1989, second semester 2000-2001, and academic years 1996-1997, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007. A variety of smaller gaps exist for select years.

For these records, the digital scans originate either from the Resolution Books or link to the appropriate set of minutes in which the voice resolution was made.

Series: Administrative files, 1953-2009

The Administrative files are organized into four subseries: Journals, Handbooks, and Manuals; Correspondence; Election Files, and General.

The first sub-series is Journals, Handbooks and Manuals (1973-2009). Senate Journals in IUSA developed in the 1980s as a means of organizing important Congress documents such as agendas, minutes, resolutions, voting, and attendance records. These journals also contained important correspondence to Congress and executive updates. In the late 1980s, an effort was made to organize the records of the 1970s in similar journal form. These Senate Journals compiled at a later date consisted primarily of photocopies as well as duplicate prints. The journals in this subseries include the original files used in compiling the 1970s journals, the compiled 1970s journals, as well as original journals from the 1980s and into the 2000s. The agendas, minutes, and resolutions of the compiled journals from the 1970s and the original journals of the 1980s-2000s were pulled and transferred to the IUSA Minutes and Agendas and Resolutions series. Manuals and handbooks were created by IUSA in the 1980s. While there was often a separate manual or handbook for the legislative branch and for the executive branch, these documents commonly offered insight on student government history and how the different branches worked together. Executive staff manuals or handbooks often focused more heavily on the organizational design and job descriptions for appointed executive staff. Congress manuals and handbooks often focused more heavily on the duties of senators and/or representatives, how to develop resolutions, and how the committee system worked. Towards the late 1990s, Congress Manuals occasionally included items previously stored separately in journals.

The Correspondence (1974-1997) sub-series includes files which were stored and transferred specifically as correspondence. This consists primarily of Executive correspondence from the late 1980s and mid-1990s. The Election files (1953-2004) include voting records, campaign materials, results, and records documenting disputes. The final sub-series General (1971-1998) includes general administrative documents such as office policies, staff lists, and policy documents.

Series: President's files, 1974-2018

The President's Files are organized into two sub-series: General (1974-2012) and Student Activity Fee Review Board Files (1979-2005).

The General (1974-2012) files include but are not limited to staff meeting minutes, correspondence, committee files, and reports from 1975-1998. Prominently featured topics within the President's files include campus daycare, tuition increases, health and safety, Women's Wheels, Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual (GLB) awareness, Men Against Violence Against Women (MAVAW), and All Big Ten School (ABTS) information.

The Student Activity Fee Review Board (SAFRB) (1979-2013) files contain files relating to allocation of student activity fees through the SAFRB and Mandatory Activity Fee Review Board (MAFRB). Prominent records in this sub-series contain activity fee requests, policy documents, correspondence with the Dean of Students, and final board recommendations. The sub-series also contains files relating to mandatory student fees and the Committee for Fee Review (CFR), which was the board established to consolidate the mandatory fee setting mechanisms at IUB. Prominent records in these files include draft proposals to form the committee, mandatory fee student fee requests, correspondence with the Dean of Students, and final board recommendations.

Series: Vice President Senate / Congress's files, 1967-1999

The Vice President Senate/Congress's files include executive and senate lists dating from 1980-1996, statements of rights and responsibilities, copies and drafts of the bylaws and constitution, working papers from congress, senate, and academic assembly meetings, as well as committee files that fall under the supervision of the Vice President for Senate/Congress.

Series: Vice President for Administration (VPA) files, 1980-2008

The Vice President for Administration's files include senior staff or Board of Director's meeting minutes, lists of departmental goals, budgets, department descriptions, retreat files, executive branch updates, and project proposals such as the proposals to implement a digital music downloading service at IUB and to lobby the state for tax free-textbooks.

Series: Treasurer and Financial files, 1958-2005

The Treasurer and Financial files include budgets, departmental financial guides, and end-of-year reports.

Series: Supreme Court, 1988-2008

The Supreme Court files include items maintained by the court such as court procedures, updates, complaints and appeals, as well as Indiana Daily Student (IDS) coverage of cases.

Series: Associations, Committees, and Task Forces, 1967-2010

The Associations, Committees, and Task Forces files include records relating to the meetings of associations, committees, and task forces outside of IUSA. University committee and task force files make up the bulk of this series and include minutes, agendas, notes, and background materials. Records from participation in prominent university committees such as the Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC), the Commission on Personal Safety, the Commission on Multicultural Understanding, the "Committee on Committees," the "Concerts Committee," the All-Big Ten Students (ABTS) and United States Student Association (USSA) are included in this series.

Series: Departmental files, 1964-2008

The departmental files within this collection include files relating to the various departments of IUSA's executive branch. The collection is broken into ten sub-series: Academic Affairs, Assisted Interorganizational Development (AID), External Affairs, Faculty Course Evaluations, Health and Safety, Legislative Relations, Safety Escort Service, Services, Women's Wheels, and General.

The files within the Academic Affairs (1964-1999) sub-series include records on academic issues as well as initiatives carried out by the department. Notable files cover the topics of academic reform, teaching vs. research, Associate Instructor (AI) training, faculty-student interaction, and grading systems.

With a date span from 1978-2002, the Assisted Interorganizational Development (AID) files within this collection are split into two sub-sub-series: Subject Files (1978-1999) and the Student Organization Files (1985-2002). The Subject Files (1978-1999) include early Student Organization General Support Fund (SOGSF) or Student Organization Fund (SOF) guidelines, the Student Organization General Support System (SOGSS) charter, other policy documents, allocations summaries, and annual reports. The Student Organization Files (1985-2002) include applications for funding from the SOGSF or SOF. Making up the bulk of the contents of these files are completed applications which detail the initiatives, activities, and general financial needs of the following programs and funds: SOGSF, SOGSS, Commitment to Assist Student Initiatives (CASI), CASI Block Grant, Student Organization General Support Program (SOGSP), Capital Improvements Program (CIP), Special Projects Support Fund (SPSF), and Grass Roots Initiative Fund (GRIF)

The files within the External Affairs (1975-1999) sub-series include records documenting participation in the Association of All-Big Ten Students as well as background files on other university and university student governments.

The files within the Faculty Course Evaluation (FCE) (1981-2001) sub-series include records relating to the administration of a student run faculty course evaluations. Prominent files include course compilation guides, student surveys, and correspondence with faculty.

The files within the Health and Safety (1987-2001) sub-series include records relating to the activities of the Health and Safety Department. Prominent subjects include plans and promotions for Aids Awareness Week, the IU Rape Crisis Fund, and a number of blood drives.

The files within the Legislative Relations (1974-2008) sub-series include records relating to student research and analysis of political issues as well as student involvement in lobbying. Notable subjects include background information about "getting a student on the Commission for Higher Education," flat fee tuition, and financial aid. Legislative surveys, press releases, and publications issued by the department are also included.

The files within the Safety Escort Service (1989-2001) sub-series include records relating to the administration of the safety escort service previously known as "Women's Wheels." Notable files include background information on male ridership and on the initial program.

The files within the Services Department (1967-2001) sub-series include records relating to the administration of various student-run services. Notable subjects include the babysitting referral service, book co-op, car co-op, test file, and travel service.

The files within the Women's Wheels (1986-1995) sub-series include records relating to the administration of the escort service to help women around campus after dark. Notable files include notes from the Women's Wheels Board of Advisors meetings, weeklies, and budget material.

The files within the General (1980-2002) sub-series include records relating to the activities of various departments and were likely maintained by the Vice President for Administration or another executive officer. The content of these files documents the activities of the specific department. For instance, general files for the Media Resources department include press releases, Indiana Daily Student clippings, and "how to guides" for publicity and advertising. Notable departments included in this sub-series are Advocacy, Minority Affairs, Student Environmental Action Coalition, Student Involvement, and Student Rights.

Series: Issues, 1960-2005

The Issue files within this collection relate to a variety of issues affecting students. Prominent subjects include alcohol policy, campus safety, child care, fees, landlord/tenant disputes, minority recruitment and retention, and gays, lesbians, and bisexuals (GLB) in the military.

Series: Projects, 1971-2008

The Project files relate to a number of projects undertaken by IUSA. Prominent subjects include plans and promotions for $1 cabs, coupon books, Financial Aid Awareness Week, Environmental Awareness Week, a Red Tape Service, Sexfest, and United Way campaigns.

Series: Subject files, 1972-1998

The Subject files within this collection relate to various files that were not transferred as part of other series. The bulk of these files are Indiana Daily Student (IDS) advertisements and IUSA news/promotional materials.

Acquisition information:
95/024, 96/015, 2002/010, 2002/044, 2009/105, 2010/069, 2015/129, 2016/026
Appraisal information:

Detailed financial records were removed and destroyed. Of the 1989 Anti-Apartheid petitions, a small sampling were retained while hundreds of others (approximately .8 cubic feet) were destroyed.

Custodial history:

Accession 95/024 was transferred to the University Archives in July 1995.

96/015 was transferred by Lisa Skomp in May 1996.

2002/010 was transferred in January 2002 by Jeffrey Wuslich, then IUSA Vice-President of Administration.

2002/044 was transferred in July 2002 by Robert Musgrave.

Accessions 2009/105 and 2010/069 were transferred by then IUSA Historian John Gillard in December 2009 and August 2010 respectively.

Processing information:

Processed by Bethany Fiechter, John Gillard and Carrie Schwier.

Completed in 2010

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into thirteen series: Minutes; Resolutions; Administrative Files; President's files; Vice-President for Senate / Congress files; Vice-President for Administration files; Treasurer and Financial files; Supreme Court; Association, Committee and Task Force files; Departmental files; Issues; Programs and Subject files.

Online content

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

Select files such as Honorary Degree and Search and Screen Committee files are closed to researchers at this time. Restricted files are indicated in the folder list.

Advance notice is required for access to collection.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

The donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[Item], Indiana University Student Association records, Collection C234, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
812-855-1127
archives@iu.edu