The University of Iowa Student Government Platform 2023-2024:

Academic Affairs

  • Encourage professors to include  two mental health days in their absence policies in addition to existing excused absences  
  • Ensure the USG Textbook Drive is reliable and expand the donation stage from just University students to the Iowa City Community 
  • Create a Summer Opportunities Guide in conjunction with campus partners that outlines educational, professional, and health-based opportunities that students can pursue over the summer 
  • Expand external classroom learning services like Supplemental Instruction and the Learning Assistant Program for more areas of study 
  • Extend the sustainability general education requirement to all undergraduate colleges and expand the number of classes that meet the sustainability general education requirement 
  • Increase accessibility of recorded lectures and other online learning tools 
  • Research free Grammarly subscriptions at other universities and investigate the barriers to free Grammarly subscriptions for all University of Iowa students 
  • Encourage professors to use resources from the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology to improve their ICON pages 
  • Work with Student Disability Services and Information Technology Services to make ICON pages more accessible 
  • Create a series of guides for students about the academic advising system, Second Grade Only options, contesting a wrongful final grade, and academic deadlines 
  • Investigate more effective display and search functions for scholarships and grant opportunities 
  • Promote academic guides and resources created by USG to first generation students and students who qualify for Pell grants and subsidized federal loans 
  • Discourage curve-based grading in all undergraduate colleges 
  • Encourage the implementation of learning-based labs instead of performance-based labs in entry level courses 
  • Streamline all academic resources onto one central webpage on MyUI 
  • Increase opportunities for students to nominate faculty and staff for grants and awards 
  • Investigate the standardization of AI in all undergraduate classes 

 

Student Life

  • Assess the locations on campus that utilize Hawk Dollars and expanding Hawk Dollar usage to other locations around campus such as the Old Capitol Mall 
  • Advocate for overturning minor alcohol infringements 
  • Decrease the cost of parking for students around campus 
  • Advertise clothing accessibility with the Winter Clothing Drive, Clothing Closet, and QT Closet 
  • Advertise Student Legal Services and student usage of the resource  
  • Replace old building equipment such as water fountains across all colleges 
  • Form university-wide education and advertising on the available student financial assistance programs, including the Student Life Emergency Fund 
  • Recreate and update the campus activities guide and downtown deals guide 
  • Reinstate the CAMBUS 35B Interdorm-Pride and Cultural Center route
  • Providing advertising and support for the new gaming center in the IMU  
  • Advocating for higher minimum wage for student jobs 
  • Maintain University support of the Iowa Food Pantry  
  • Market existing and introduce new quiet spaces and prayer spaces on campus for students  

Governmental Relations

  • Continue advocacy for the recognition of Indigenous People's Day and Juneteenth as a university holiday 
  • Create legislative awareness on campus 
  • Bring local, state, and federal representatives to campus for tours and facility updates 
  • Coordinate with campus partners to provide voter registration opportunities, increase civic engagement among the student body, and make election day a university holiday 
  • Advocate for student workers' rights on campus by ensuring and fighting for fair and equitable treatment and increased minimum wage
  • Build relationships with the Pomerantz Center to amplify the voices of international and domestic student workers
  • Collaborate with campus partners to create a comprehensive off-campus housing tool that is easily accessible and holds landlords accountable 
  • Locate areas of opportunity for the promotion of affordable housing across the Iowa City community 
  • Champion a lease gap program to reduce financial burdens for renters 
  • Supporting a campus lighting campaign to improve public safety across Iowa City 
  • Implement a City Council and Local Elected Official Campus Visit 
  • Work with Iowa City to extend the hours of the off-campus bus routes  
  • Collaborate with Iowa State University and The University of Northern Iowa to create a unified advocacy approach to the Iowa Board of Regents and Iowa State Legislature 
  • Petition to the Iowa State Government and the Iowa Board of Regents in support of historically accurate instruction about systemic racism and the history of slavery 
  • Increase student involvement in the state and federal agendas, trips to the Iowa Capitol, and Iowa City City Council meetings 
  • Continue to advocate for college and post-secondary education affordability 
  • Advocate for anti-hazing policies 
  • Advocating for mental health resources and funding through legislative action   
  • Advocate on all levels of government in support of LGBTQIA+ rights, gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, transgender collegiate athletes, and the collegiate instruction about transgender people and transgender history

Health and Safety

  • Begin talks on campus to introduce the option for RAs and other faculty that interact with students to sponsor a therapy dog 
  • Work with UCS to design safe spaces for individuals with various backgrounds to discuss stressors and mental health related concerns  
  • Work with campus services like UCS, Student Wellness, and Student Health to encourage cross-collaboration and to design an action plan to secure more mental health funding for university services 
  • Promote health and well-being resources from both on and off campus organizations like CommUnity, GuideLink, and UCS  
  • Improve efficiency of NiteRide by increasing number of available riders and introducing additional transportation services to reduce current wait times for rides  
  • Encourage CAMBUS to increase its number of routes and service hours  
  • Design a guide that promotes best practices for maintenance and improvement of an individual’s physical and mental health 
  • Expand current streetlamp and lighting locations on campus 
  • Promote a basic needs statement to be included in all academic syllabi with an emphasis on graphics and accessible information  
  • Provide students opportunities to take self-defense workshops and participate in campus safety panels 
  • Expand current reach of the Campus Safety Advisory Board to increase collaboration between students and DPS staff 
  • Provide alternate responders to address non-violent emergencies  
  • Improve campus education on sexual assault and consent  
  • Increase access to STI testing and destigmatize current notions existing about testing  
  • Implement student education on Title IX policies and procedures 

Justice and Equity

  • Establish a fund supporting student organizations that aim to create inclusive communities 
  • Create an all-in-one website with all resources for underrepresented communities on campus 
  • Work with the Office of Student Life and UCS to provide therapeutic spaces for BIPOC students, staff, and faculty 
  • Educate domestic students on what it means to live in a global community 
  • Update USG documents to have more inclusive language 
  • Create and hand out pamphlets in each residence hall to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues 
  • Create a system for students to report unmet housing accommodations in the residence halls to Student Disability Services 
  • Advocate for the creation of a peer-to-peer international student mentorship program 
  • Extend the USG partnership with the cultural houses and support MISSE educational opportunities surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion  
  • Improve accessibility and involvement in USG elections
  • Foster strong relationships between students and staff who utilize the cultural centers through events, programs, and listening sessions  
  • Build relationships with the Pomerantz Center to amplify the voices of international and domestic student workers 
  • Working with Professors and Deans to make learning platforms and textbooks more accessible and affordable
  • Working with Student Disability Services to implement a more efficient system for students to share their accommodations with professors at the beginning of each semester 
  • Revamp and improve constituency senator program  
  • Extend USG visits and increase communication with cultural houses on campus 
  • Expand translations of financial guides to include additional languages  
  • Increase awareness and destigmatize the usage of mental health resources on campus and in the community 
  • Partner with Orientation Services and International Programs in enhancing the international student orientation experience 
  • Standardizing the definition of multicultural food for USG funding requests 

 

Sustainability

  • Strengthen relationships with sustainability-based student organizations, the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, and other campus partners 
  • Work to convert University Cambus and Nite Ride services to include electric vehicles 
  • Monitor the University’s progress on the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan sustainability goals 
  • Increase access to composting and recycling in on-campus buildings and in off-campus residences 
  • Promote glass recycling drop-offs in the Iowa City area 
  • Partner with the City of Iowa City on sustainability initiatives 
  • Make biking a more accessible form of transportation on campus and in Iowa City 
  • Support the development of campus green spaces to improve mental health and engage with student communities  
  • Improve the Green Initiatives Fund and better promote the resource to student organizations 
  • Partner with University Facilities Management to turn unused spaces into native prairie and further the University’s status as a pollinator-friendly campus 
  • Coordinate a clothing donation program with student-resource organizations such as the QT Closet and the Clothing Closet at Iowa
  • Minimize plastic and food waste in campus locations such as dining halls 

Finance

  • Increase awareness of funds available to student organizations 
  • Streamline budget request process on Engage to increase ease of use for student organizations requesting funding  
  • Allocate larger portion of funds to student organizations requesting funding 
  • Establish a Senate Programming Account for long-term and pilot projects developed by senators throughout the academic year 
  • Increase financial transparency through publicly available financial disclosures on the USG website 
  • Restructure existing funds (GIF, Accessibility, Deferred Maintenance) to increase accessibility, awareness, and sustained use 
  • Continue updating USG website to be more user friendly 
  • Establishing the Student Inclusive Action Fund for events hosted on campus by student organizations  
  • Standardize approval processes for allocating USG funds across all accounts to better ensure transparency and trust 
  • Ensure documentation of completed approvals can be publicly accessed 
  • Pursue additional financial support for mental health initiatives on campus  
  • Review and update funding guidelines to more adequately address student organization needs 
  • Enact system of checks and balances for allocation of USG funds 
  • Make the review process of student organization funding requests more publicly accessible 
  • Create Finance Committee outreach programs to encourage cross committee collaboration  
  • Determining parameters for what qualifies as culturally significant food when funding events 
  • Reclarify the definition of a “special event” as it pertains to student organization budget requests 
  • Re-establish process for student organizations to reappropriate unspent USG allocations 

 

External Relations

  • Revitalize the student organization liaison program and continue progress on it to ensure it is efficient and sustainable for future administrations. 
  • Host interactive events for students, such as book trades, food drives, and clothing drives
  • Adopt a “we go to you” idea in advertising and hosting events to welcome new students 
  • Creating more traditions to continue throughout future administrations and to assist in our presence and knowledge on campus 
  • Host an Open House to introduce USG at the start of the fall semester 
  • Host events with MISSE areas, MGC, NPHC, and other underrepresented identity specific groups
  • Host events to introduce and showcase the President and Vice President. 
  • Stay close to the M.O.R.E. platform and its goals within mental health by supporting and hosting mental health events and organizations.
  • Host round tables on different parts of campus to advertise USG. 
  • Continue social media presence with interactive videos with students on campus 
  • Increase USG’s presence on campus by volunteering for other student org events like Dance Marathon, OnIowa, etc. 
  • Providing new merchandise to distribute to undergraduate students on campus 

Internal Affairs

  • Instituting a bylaw change that transition meeting must be after the second senator meeting 
  • Reform Constituency Senators to be in addition to the initial 50 at-large Senators 
  • Establish a direct drop box for any questions or concerns on the application form for funding 
  • Update USG documents to have more inclusive language 
  • Improve accessibility to USG elections and promote involvement 
  • Present legislation improving how finance operates within USG
  • Establish two mental health days for senators 
  • Establish a mentorship program for new senators 
  • Revamp and improve constituency senator program
  • Improve relationships between USG and multicultural organizations on campus 
  • Conduct audit reports of the finance committee’s process of allocation of funds  
  • Add committee explanations to "how to navigate USG" guide 
  • Q&A form on the USG website for visitors to send questions directly to Ops 
  • Formalize a process for Internal Committee members to be replaced 
  • Standardize process for adding an ad-hoc committee