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Accountability, Transparency, and Visibility
This is one of our biggest initiatives. In its most simple terms, we want you know NISG, what it is doing, and how you can have an impact. We believe that all branches of NISG need to be held accountable in order to best serve UNI students. The Northern Iowan has done a commendable job of reporting on and raising questions about NISG’s work, including keeping an active Twitter feed of all senate meetings. We will continue to welcome heavy press activity, but also encourage all students to question their representatives even more. This will help keep NISG senate as visible as possible to the student body. Additionally, the new smaller size of the NISG senate will make it easier for students to know who their representatives are and how to hold them accountable. NISG Blog  The new NISG Blog will be updated at least on a weekly basis to report on the events taking place within NISG and to address student concerns. We will welcome all students to frequently and actively participate in this blog. We believe that this will offer students an outlet through which they could easily interact with their representatives. Suggestion Box Expansion  We propose that that the NISG Suggestion Box, which will soon be placed in the center of the Maucker Union by Spencer and Ian’s administration, also be used as a means for students to anonymously ask NISG questions. The questions will then be answered in the new NISG Blog. This will increase NISG transparency, accountability, and visibility. Weekly President’s Column in the Northern Iowan  Jordan will write a weekly column in the Northern Iowan in order to update the student body about the activities of the President and inform students of opportunities to get involved on and off campus. Executive Branch Transparency  In addition to the president’s column, we will ask both our lower and upper cabinet directors to submit monthly reports highlighting their most important activities of the month. We will then combine the reports into a newsletter that will be made available on NISG’s webpage. This will help keep all levels of NISG transparent.  Additionally, we will ask all lower cabinet directors to hold office hours in addition to the upper cabinet office hours that are already standard.

Freshmen Involvement  Currently it is very challenging to become involved in NISG as freshman at UNI. To amend this problem, we will strongly encourage freshmen to join one of three standing NISG committees. By becoming actively involved in student government early on, students will be able to enter roles as lower cabinet directors and senators with a strong background of experience. We believe that this will help create a more informed and active senate that will better serve you. Student Rights Awareness  The current NISG constitution outlines the rights of the student body within NISG. We believe that students are currently uninformed of these rights and we will work to increase their awareness of them. “ARTICLE VII. STUDENT BODY The Student Body shall maintain certain powers unto itself. Section 1. Powers The powers of referendum, initiation, and recall shall be vested in the Student Body: …” Streamline the Funding Process for Student Organizations  Several student organization funding requests have recently caused controversy during this academic year. These situations have shown UNI that there are fundamental issues with the current funding process available to student organizations. We have been working towards improving and clarifying the ambiguities in the current funding guidelines in order to streamline the process. Ultimately, we feel that a complete reworking of these guidelines is required; there is something to be said for the guidelines having been “fixed beyond repair.” o Streamlining the funding process offers several benefits to UNI students. By making it easier for student organizations to receive event funding, more student organizations can host bigger and better events. In the end, this will provide you with a better return on your student services fee. o Clearer lines of communication between NISG and student organizations will be created in the procedures. This will make sure that student organizations are aware of the guidelines and all of the funding options available to them. Strategic Plan for a Better Tomorrow  We feel that NISG will be most effective if a plan is implemented to aid in the carrying over of ideas from one administration to the next. Several of the initiatives we purpose will require considerable time to achieve their full potential, as do the policies put in place by past NISG administrations. Thus, we intend to develop a plan to more efficiently transition from one administration to the next. o First, we will implement policies to improve the quality of documentation kept by each administration. o Secondly, we will create a more organized filing system to keep track of all documentation throughout the years.



o Thirdly, we will develop a manual for each executive director to use in aiding the transition process of their position each year. This plan will allow NISG to better serve you as the initiatives you care about will then be seen to completion from one administration to the next. This also allows for administrations to come up with long-term initiatives to best serve you.

Continuation of Spencer and Ian’s Green Policies
Our plan is to continue Spencer and Ian’s Green Policies. This is one of the big steps we will take to assure that important initiatives from one NISG administration are carried over to the next, as outlined in our Strategic Plan. This ultimately helps NISG do more for you. In the end, these policies help save the University money that can be reinvested in you. Paperless Initiative  We will work with professors to encourage them to move towards paperless homework by showing them the benefits of turning homework in online.  Paperless homework allows professors to more easily post lengthy student feedback quickly and efficiently. This enhanced feedback will allow students to gain more from their academic experience here at UNI.  The University has already been working towards an online system for completing professor evaluations. We will work with the University to address low response rates by offering incentives for the completion of professor evaluations. RecycleMania  This is a 10 week program that exists across several U.S. colleges and universities during which campuses compete to improve their recycling and waste prevention efforts. Spencer and Ian initiated a plan to bring this program to UNI, however, a handful of road blocks prevented the idea from being realized. We will work to bring this program to UNI as it will be a fun and engaging way to encourage students to recycle. This program will also help the University to become more pro-sustainability. Across Campus Energy Conservation Campaign  Spencer and Ian have started an initiative to develop a top 10 list of ways to conserve energy that will be publicized heavily across campus, including in the Panther Planner. We will continue to work on this plan and see it into completion. Reducing Plastic and Styrofoam  Spencer and Ian have been working hard to make UNI pro-sustainability. Spencer met with the Director of Dining Services to discuss reducing plastic and Styrofoam waste on campus, such as reducing plastic sack usage across campus.  Work is now currently being done to increase the use of reusable plastic food containers to reduce the amount of disposable containers used at Dashes and Café on the Way. We

will work with groups across campus to provide additional incentives for this sustainable act and cut down on waste.

Additional Green Policies
On-campus Composting  Several universities in the United States, including Iowa State University, participate in composting. This is something that has been looked into briefly at UNI. We believe that on-campus composting is a great sustainable activity for UNI dining centers to participate in. We will continue to explore the start of a partnership with the city of Cedar Falls to begin a small on-campus composting project. The goal will be to eventually have this project develop into large, campus wide program. To do this, we will have to address some challenges, including funding concerns and transportation of the compost. However, we believe that the benefits reaped by this program outweigh the potential costs and will help move your university towards a sustainable future. Reduce the Number of Red Baskets Thrown Away in the Union  The reusable red baskets used to serve food in the Maucker Union are frequently thrown away by mistake. We will work to better advertise that the baskets cannot be thrown away, such as by placing bold and catchy “Save the Baskets” signs clearly visible by trashcan openings. Over a three month inventory period, approximately 3000 baskets were lost. This translates into about $1440. A “Save the Baskets” campaign is simple way to save the University, and ultimately you, money.

Campus Life
Cheaper/Healthier Meal Options in the Union  In tackling this issue, we are focused on realistic goals--food in the Union cannot be as cheap as a grocery store simply due to its operation style. As such, we are not going to promise anything unrealistic--only what we know we can actually make happen.  There are two different kinds of meal combination options available: o Meal Deals advertise cheap meal combinations, but do not reduce the price. o Meal Combos are food combinations that when put together actually reduce the price.  We plan to expand the Meal Combo options available to students, as they are the most affordable and frequently purchased by students.  We have talked with the Food Service Manager at the union, and are working towards identifying healthy foods that will work well together as a combo. She is willing to work with us and consider our suggestions to bring these cost effective, healthy options to students in the Union.

23rd Street Traffic  Traffic on 23rd street has become a problem as students go from central campus to Campbell, the Towers Center, and commuter parking lots. The amount of students crossing the street is a safety issue and needs to be addressed. We will work in conjunction with the city of Cedar Falls to get a traffic light system or other device put in place so that traffic can flow smoothly and reduce the risk to students crossing the street.



Application for a Calendar of Events  We will explore the development of a calendar of events application available for smart phones. This way students can know about UNI events and activities throughout the year. Jordan has already begun talking with someone who creates applications about what it will take to make this into an application for Android phones. We will continue to explore this possibility and eventually plan to have this application available for multiple smart phone operating systems. Large Calendar of Events in Union  In concurrence with trying to raise awareness about the activities and events on campus, we will place a large erasable calendar board in the Union. This will make a calendar of events available in a convenient location with heavy traffic. This advertising will be highly visible and be made available for all student organizations to apply to post events on. Incentive to Purchase Dining Dollars  This will involve setting up a program with the DOR that will encourage parents and students to purchase dining dollars. This has several advantages for all parties.  Essentially, we will ask that the DOR set up a rewards program where, for example, with every $100 of dining dollars that are purchased the DOR will give an extra $25. o This is beneficial to the University because the DOR knows that $75 is being spent at the University. o It is beneficial to the students because they get an extra, in this example, $25 dining dollars. o The parents benefit from knowing where the money is being spent, as it can only be spent on campus. Panther Points  We will continue to work on Spencer and Ian’s Panther Points program. This is a program Spencer and Ian have been working on throughout the last year. Panther Points would allow students to earn points for attending UNI events, such as sporting events, theater shows, lectures, and music performances. These points could be used to buy Dining Dollars, panther apparel, and other panther memorabilia. Students who earn enough points could also be recognized at graduation. The points system would be tracked using your student id number and you could also track your points on

MyUNIverse. This will help keep UNI students involved and encourage individuals to stay at UNI on the weekends.

Leadership and Service  KaLeigh has already been working on bringing leadership and service opportunities to UNI students through her work with the Student Leadership Center. Our administration would like to work with groups like the Student Leadership Center to provide students with more service and leadership opportunities. We also would like to encourage more students to become active leaders at UNI. Disabilities Initiative  We have met with a representative in disabilities services and talked about a number of things that we can do to address the needs of students with disabilities. o We will work with Public Safety to either make or print campus maps that show handicapped entrances to buildings. This could either be physical maps made available at orientation to students with disabilities or a map added to UNI’s website. o We hope to create “way-finding” signs, like the one in Gilchrist and the Maucker Union, that point out restrooms and elevators. o Lastly, we will create an online accommodations application on UNI’s calendar of events. This application will allow students with special needs to notify organizations putting on an event of any accommodations the student may need.  We will also develop a way for student organizations to get funding at their events for services; like signers for the hearing impaired, handicap accessible transportation, etc. Veterans’ Affairs  Veterans on campus are in need of services beyond that of the average student (i.e. G.I. Bill assistance, etc.). Currently there is minimal administration in charge of Veterans’ Affairs. This puts a strain on both veteran students and the administration. Jordan is already working on figuring out the needs of Veterans’ Affairs so that the office can properly meet the needs of these students.

Transportation
24/7 commuter parking  We will work with Public Safety to get a 24/7 parking option for commuters. Many students find themselves needing to be on campus past 1 am without any convenient parking options. We hope to rectify this situation so that all students can utilize campus resources and study spaces.

Panther Shuttle Expansion  Many University of Northern Iowa students are enrolled in night classes. This often causes a problem for students trying to cut back on commuter costs and elect to take advantage of the Panther Shuttle, such as those in nearby apartments, Roth, or married student housing. Currently, the Panther Shuttle does its last run at 5 p.m. while a lot of night classes and after class activities go much later. A single 9 p.m. run of the Panther Shuttle on evenings when night classes are typically held will benefit several students greatly. We feel that the benefit this resource will bring to students warrants an indepth investigation into figuring out how this can be accomplished and enacted.

Academics
Internships and Career Services  For many students, internships are a required part of their major. Additionally, having first hand experiences when entering the job market is highly preferred. Our administration will work to make this process easier and more rewarding for students. First, we will work with career services and financial aid to provide more summer internship funding opportunities. This way we can prevent students from having to forgo receiving credit for an internship simply because they cannot afford the tuition and other expenses. Second, we will explore ways to increase the number of credited internships and paid internships. Finally, we will look to make the internship credit process easier overall. Faculty Relations  Our administration will work to improve relationships between students and faculty in order to assure that the faculty is serving students’ needs. We will work more closely with faculty senate to guarantee high quality learning and the academic success of UNI students.  We will also work to provide professors with additional support as academic advisers. To do this, we will collaborate with departments to provide professors with materials to assist them as advisers. Our goal is that all students will have confidence in the support they receive from their advisers. Work with PAIRs (Peer Academic in Residence)  We have several ideas that involve getting more information to students about registration help, academic advising, and tutoring services. Increasing knowledge of these services can be solved by simply raising awareness about the activities of the PAIRs. We want to work more closely with PAIRs to get resources and information out to students to ensure the academic success of as many students as possible. o We can do this by putting on events or promoting events put on by PAIRs so that students are aware of and properly use this underutilized resource.

Student Political Involvement
Working Together with the Senates and Executive Directors of Iowa and ISU  One of our biggest goals is to increase communication between the three state universities at all levels of student government. We want the three universities and their combined 73,000 students to have more of a voice about issues that affect their lives. The best way to do this is to get the three student governments to work together on issues that affect them all. o This will pertain to the issues surrounding state funding received by the regents universities and decisions made by the Board of Regents, such as budget cuts and tuition increases. Voting Registration and Election Awareness  In November of this coming year we are going to have our next big election. Political awareness is very important in these turbulent times and as your student body leaders we will do everything in our power to make sure that you, the students, have as much information as possible so that you, as voters, can make an informed decision. o Our first plan of action will be to register in-coming freshman at orientation, encouraging them to register to vote in Cedar Falls, because the way that they vote this November will have an effect on them and their lives while here at UNI. They should at least have a say about what happens to them while they are members of this community. Going along with registering voters at orientation, we will set up a number of events which will include voter registration booths. This way every student will at least have the opportunity, if they wish, to register in an informal and convenient setting between when we take office until the election on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012. o We plan on getting as much information to the students so that they can make an informed decision about who they want to represent them. This involves setting up many events with the candidates where students will have the opportunity to hear them speak. We will also continue events that we have done in the past like Voterpalooza and we will encourage student organizations and their members to get involved as well. o Finally, we will provide as many convenient services on campus as possible so that the students will have every opportunity to vote. The city of Cedar Falls does not provide a polling place on campus, so every year we petition to get a satellite polling place in the Union so that all students, whether or not they are registered for Cedar Falls, can vote in a convenient, central location.

Community Building Initiatives
Local Economic Initiative  The purpose of this initiative is to create strong bonds between the UNI student body and local businesses for the mutual benefit of both.





We want to encourage student organizations to hold events in conjuncture with local businesses. This allows student organizations to utilize a potentially ideal space for their large events and it gives the local business an opportunity for an enlarged consumer base. An example would be Voterpalooza, which has been put on by NISG for the past couple of years. The last two years it has been held at the Hub. The Hub offered specials for students partaking in the event and the Hub, in turn, benefited from the large amount of students that were brought in by the event.

Greek Life  Greek life is very important to many students and to the University. Unfortunately, the perception of Greek life by non-Greek students is that they are isolated from the rest of the student body and tend to keep to themselves. Many individuals within the Greek system are student leaders and are involved in student life, but the Greek system as a whole appears separate. Greek life is a powerful and life changing experience for many students and it is great for developing connections, gaining leadership experience, and creating a sense of community and camaraderie.  We want to do everything possible to encourage Greek organizations to do more student body oriented events as well as include Greek organizations in many NISG sponsored events. o The high visibility will help the Greek organizations by allowing for a greater ability to recruit new members.  We will continue to have a lower cabinet position dedicated to Greek life, The Director of Greek Affairs. This director position will act not just as a liaison between NISG and the Greek organizations, but will work to facilitate collaboration between the Greek system and NISG. This way the two groups can work together to further the interests and needs of all students. Additionally, this director will not just be chosen by our administration; Greek leaders will be included in the selection. Thus, the strongest and most effective person to act as this link between the two organizations can be determined. Diversity  We think that being inclusive and united is the philosophy that should be adopted at UNI in regards to diversity. In the light of being inclusive and united, we believe that events should be put on by student organizations with varying purposes which will bring all students together.  Our university has made great efforts in celebrating diversity. We have many active student organizations that put on programs aimed at educating and raising awareness for particular groups. Our hope is that, while supporting these groups, we can also encourage the starting of events focused on unity. We would love to promote student organizations to work together more frequently in the planning and implementing of projects. We believe that events put on by student organizations with varying purposes will bring students from all areas of the University together.

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