From the 2023 Union Board President

Hello John Whittenberger Society – I am a junior studying Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation and Law & Public Policy and I am originally from Memphis, Tennessee. I have been on Union Board since Fall 2021 – first as a Lectures committee member, then as the 2022 Lectures Director, and now as the 2023 Union Board President.

This year is off to an amazing start! Our Malkin Retreat at Bradford Woods was a fun, team-bonding experience. There, we solidified three equal goals for the 114th Board: building relationships; diverse, inclusive programming; and strengthening internal processes. As for programming, we have already hosted more than ten events, such as a comedic Q&A with The Office actor Leslie David Baker, an anti-AAPI hate roundtable, a Mario Kart Tournament, Live From Bloomington lunchtime shows, a slumber party, and a First Generation student merch giveaway. We have enjoyed partnering with various campus groups to host these meaningful events. Looking ahead, we are preparing for a 4th Street restaurant tasting tour, a Noah Kahan concert at the IU Auditorium, and a party for the Pasifika community. Additionally, we will announce our a few big lectures to the student body later this semester.

Thanks to the John Whittenberger Society’s continued support, our students have several travel and scholarship opportunities. This semester, Union Board directors have attended once-in-a-lifetime, meaningful experiences through Sundance (Park City, UT), Pollstar (Beverly Hills, CA), and ACUI (Boston, MA).

The structure of Board has evolved and expanded to better serve student needs. We created three additional non-programming student director positions – Marketing, Internal Communications, and Vice President of External Affairs – as well as paid positions for graphic designers and photographers. This means that our directors include eighteen student directors across ten committees and three non-student directors (we are still looking to fill the administration rep role because Tim Lemper received a significant promotion at the Kelley School of Business.)

We also redesigned the Union Board office space to accommodate this new structure (we can wait to show it off this fall at the Biennial Reunion!) We have an incredible team of four advisors, program leads, marketing leads, committee members, and the IMU support system.

And what’s going on my end? At the beginning of the semester, the Vice President of Finance and I presented on behalf of Union Board for the Committee for Fee Review process. Now, I attend the monthly Cabinet of Student Leaders lunches with the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, various campus events, and weekly IMU Leadership meetings.

Through the Union Board House Committee, I aim to improve safety in the IMU, especially in light of the recent mass shooting at Michigan State University; further our IMU Art Initiative to increase diverse, digital, and student pieces in the building; and simplify the IMU venue reservation and catering process for student organizations.

Thank you for entrusting me to lead these endeavors. If you have any questions about our current or upcoming programs and events, please reach out to me at ubpres@indiana.edu.

Gabriella Couloubaritsis
2023 Union Board President