Indiana University Student Association

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), as it is known today.

From the description of Indiana University Student Association records, 1953-2010, bulk 1973-2010. (Indiana University). WorldCat record id: 680322854

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.

From the guide to the Indiana University Student Association records, 1953-2010, bulk 1973-2010, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)