IUSA welcomes students to submit questions to candidates for debate

Students will have the opportunity to ask next year’s potential student leaders about important issues by submitting questions for the March 19 IU Student Association election debate. \nIUSA elections, scheduled for March 25 and 26, are just around the corner. All IU students may suggest questions for the debate that are either general or aimed at a specific ticket by e-mailing Mike Feldman at mafeldma@indiana.edu. The IUSA debate will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. March 19 in the Indiana Memorial Union State Room East. Debate questions will be e-mailed to members of all the tickets before the event so candidates will have time to prepare. \nAll IUSA candidates gathered Monday in the IMU Oak Room for a mandatory meeting. Some of the tickets present included Big Red, INdiana and Kirkwood. Last year, IUSA officials struggled to find enough candidates because a presidential candidate may not run unopposed. However, the number of people filling the room Monday suggested that this year’s elections will be competitive. \nAttendees were briefed on the rules candidates must follow during their campaigns as well as next year’s residency rules and an overview of what to expect on the election days. \nCandidates must adhere to the IUSA elections code as well as the student activities handbook. \n“For example, you can paint the bridge, but if you paint the trash cans next to the bridge, you’re in violation,” said Sarah McDonough, 2008 elections commissioner. \nMass e-mails should only be sent in the event that those receiving the e-mails have been previously contacted. Students may not use large groups’ e-mail listservs without first seeking permission, said W.T. Wright, current IUSA president.\n“They should be expecting your e-mail,” he said. \nStudents running for congressional positions that represent specific dorms must live in those dorms next year. Greek live-outs may hold these positions as long as they remain active in their chapter. \nOther rules include putting everyone in mass e-mails in the BCC so their addresses can’t be seen, limiting the number of flyers on each campus kiosk, maintaining academic eligibility and refraining from tampering with other tickets’ campaign materials.\n“You shouldn’t be running if that’s the kind of character you have,” said Taylor Hougland, co-policy clarifications and complaints official. \nStudents will be able to vote on election day through computers set up by the University Information Technology Services staff. The ballot will not be organized in alphabetical order. Instead, a candidate’s placement on the ballot will change in order to make the ballot more fair for all candidates. \nIf students have general questions concerning the election, they should contact McDonough at semcdono@indiana.edu. For a timetable of the election events or to see the election code, visit www.indiana.edu/~iusa/.