Student and Staff React to "The Systemic Problems in IUPUI's Student Government"

UPDATE: 2:47 p.m. 2/16/2016 added GPSG meeting schedule and updated the USG meeting schedule time.

Two weeks ago, The Campus Citizen published an exposé, “The Systemic Problems in IUPUI’s Student Government,” about the questionable spending of student fees by the Student Government and potential nepotism at The Graduate. As a follow up, The Campus Citizen asked students and faculty their reaction to this piece.

Some students were surprised to find out how their $361.10 “General Fee”was being spent.

“Isn’t the Student Government supposed to help students? It seems they’re only helping themselves to our money,” Junior Izabell Watness said.

“I am a new student to IUPUI transferring from Ball State,” sophomore Bailey Winiger said. “There was always something going on at BSU and I never felt like I didn’t have something to do. I thought IUPUI would be the same. Although it is a commuter campus I figured there were be so many organizations and events to attend to and I wouldn’t miss the college experience that I had at BSU, but I was wrong. My money that I am required to pay is barely going to funding events, it is going right into the pockets of the student government. Why has noone seen their stipends before and put an end to this, or at least cut their pay in half and put some more money into campus events?”

“I’m confused why this issue has not been addressed by the IUPUI administration,”junior Annette Campbell said. “If they read this article there should be a flip in power and the student government up for re-election. Seems to me that this issue is just going to be swept under the rug.”

In the comment section of The-Campus-Citizen.com, Happy Grad commented: “I wrote to Dr. Spratt to express my concern about what’s happening, and asking to know why he has not taken any action yet. Am yet to receive a response. I wonder if the recent USG decision to name a ‘Jason T. Spratt Scholarship’ has something to do with his inaction???”

Undergrad senior and business major, Christian Bandy, said, “If family ties are a way to get a paid position on The Graduate through the student government, then is Sarah [Harlan] single?”

The Campus Citizen offered USG and GPSG a chance to respond to the article, but they declined. GPSG President Tony Greco said in an email, “The GPSG executive board no longer feels the courtesy we have extended to the Citizen staff is in the best interest of The Graduate/professional student body for the reasons stated in my most recent correspondence with him [David Schroeder, The Campus Citizen Editor-in-Chief].”

GPSG President Anthony Greco declined to comment.

The Graduate Editor-in-chief Bindu Podila declined to comment.

Adam Boggs, “food guru” declined to comment.

Nick Schmidlin, sophomore, said “When I was in high school our student government was full of the nerdiest kids, the kids who didn’t play sports and needed a sense of social standing so they were not just another face in the hallways. I may be stereotyping but I feel that is how the student government is here. It is always said to be nice to the nerds in high school because they are going to be the richest someday. Well what is the student government doing? Taking our money, becoming the richest, but honestly more power to them. They have found a way to haggle the student body and should be applauded for doing so. Any haters are probably just jealous they are not part of the student government and making stacks.”

The reactions so far from students has been mostly negative, but there will be more student government pieces to come. The Undergraduate Student Government meetings are held on Tuesdays from 9am-11am. The Graduate and Professional Student Government's meeting schedule is listed here.