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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