Roles of GSB
One of GSB's main roles is to provide funding to student organizations and campus services, but that is not all that we do! GSB has a wide reach on campus and in the Ames community, and our members work hard in a number of different areas, described below, to represent students and make their voices heard.
Funding
The process of funding student organizations is one of the most important roles of GSB. Twice each year, through Regular Allocations in the spring and Special Allocations in the fall, the money earned from the student activity fee is distributed back to student organizations. However, student groups can request funding at any other time throughout the year by having a GSB senator sponsor legislation on their behalf. Another large part of GSB's budget each year goes towards funding campus services for students, such as the Iowa State Daily, CyRide, or Rec Services. We also help fund social services in Ames used by students, such as Student Legal Services.
Campus Projects and Initiatives
However, providing funding is only part of what we do! We also work to accomplish campus projects and initiatives - such as the online GSB RideShare Board or the new Multicultural Center. Most of the initiatives come from the Executive Branch, since each Cabinet member holds a specific position concerning issues such as diversity, academic affairs, student affairs, or information technology. In addition, each year the GSB President and Vice President have initiatives of their own that they work to accomplish, such as the creation of a Student Affairs Commission on the Ames City Council.
Policies for the Student Body
The GSB Senate's role within GSB is to propose and debate legislation concerning student issues and to create the policies for the student body, including how funding should be distributed. A recent success from Senate was the creation of the Principles of Community, which is a set of recommendations to help make Iowa State a more diverse and welcoming community. The GSB Supreme Court also takes part in the policy area, by deciding on the constitutionality of executive and senate decisions, and ruling on cases of disagreement between students and student groups.
University and City Committees
Apart, students' voices can sound muffled and incoherent. GSB helps by taking this multitude of voices and combining them into one unified voice that the administration can hear. This unified voice ensures that students' views in university and city decisions are heard. GSB appoints students (who do not have to be GSB members) to 34 university and 17 city committees, ranging from the Committee on Lectures, to the Student Fees Committee, to the Ames Parks and Recreation Commission. One GSB member also serves as a non-voting member of the Ames City Council, which helps bridge the gap in communication between students and the city.
Communication with ISU Administration
In addition to working with administrators and faculty on committees, the members of GSB informally serve as liasions between students and administrators by working closely throughout the year with countless members of the ISU administration, including the President, Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, members of the Student Activities Center, Department of Public Safety, and many more. As a result of this relationship, administrators go to GSB when needing students to take part in panels or discussions, or to get opinions when interviewing candidates, such as for Provost or Dean of Students.
Lobbying and Communication with Legislators
GSB realizes that most students don't have a ton of extra cash to pay for rising tuition, so we work hard to lobby legislators to provide more funding for education and keep your tuition increases down. The ISU Ambassadors student organization, which is affiliated with GSB, helps with this cause by lobbying legislators and raising awareness of student issues by holding events such as Regent's Day at the Capitol and Meet the Future of Iowa. GSB also does lobbying of its own, such as holding Legislative Luncheons, political debates, or conducting campaigns, such as a recent campaign in which legislators signed an agreement to support funding for higher education, which were then published in local newspapers to keep them accountable.
Campus Events
GSB members work with many other student organizations on campus when help is needed or something needs to be done. For example, GSB often partners with groups such as VEISHEA, Freshman Council, New Voters Project, ActivUs, Got Ignorance?, ISU Democrats, ISU Republicans, and many more to help or give support to events. GSB members also work with organizations in planning events, such as working with the Student Union Board on the Global Citizenship Symposium. Finally, GSB organizes many of its own events on campus, such as Political Action Week, the GSB Tailgate, or Winterfest.
Volunteer and Fundraising Activities
Last but not least, GSB members get involved in a wide variety of volunteer activities on campus. Past activities have included volunteering for the Race Against Racism, YMCA Halloween, Dance Marathon, Operation Playground, or the 10,000 Hours Show. We also have organized fundraisers after natural disasters, raising more than $20,000 after Hurricane Katrina, and several thousand dollars for "Help the Hawks" after the 2006 tornadoes at the University of Iowa.
