Kirkwood ticket wins IUSA election

Despite controversy, the Kirkwood ticket won the IU Student Association elections Wednesday night. \nAt a hearing the same night, fines were levied against the ticket for violating IUSA election codes.\n“I think (the victory) just goes to show how well the Kirkwood ticket and the entire staff did,” said Joe Weis, Kirkwood president-elect.\nDuring the hearing, the elections commission heard the complaints against Kirkwood congressional candidate Adam Pozza, who was accused of forwarding Big Red e-mails to Kirkwood candidate Eric Gibson and an e-mail address Big Red presumed to belong to the IU Undergraduate Finance Club.\nAfter a two-hour deliberation, the commissioners decided to fine the Kirkwood ticket a total of 20 percent of its expenditures for violating IUSA election codes, specifically sections 502 and 505, which deal with improper use of e-mail and interference with another campaign’s materials.\nINdiana presidential candidate David White said he will not file any complaints against Kirkwood, but he said he does think Kirkwood made additional campaign violations. \nBig Red presidential candidate Luke Fields said he would wait until the Supreme Court certifies the election results to make a decision whether to file another complaint. Parties have until 5 p.m. April 3 to file a petition.\nThe hearing opened with Fields reading the 10-page complaint that his ticket submitted earlier against the Kirkwood ticket, and most specifically against Pozza, a congressional candidate running on the Kirkwood ticket. \n“Mr. Pozza’s actions are in contradiction with the IUSA elections code,” Fields said, citing specifically sections ones, 502 and 505 of the elections code. \nThe Big Red ticket alleges that on March 21, Pozza used Fields’ computer to access Fields’ e-mail account and forwarded several e-mails that detailed Big Red campaign plans such as banners that a Big Red executive member had painted. \nBig Red asked that the IUSA election commission investigate the Kirkwood ticket’s involvement in Pozza’s misconduct and that the Kirkwood ticket be punished for its member’s actions.\n“We were wondering if they had any knowledge that this had been going on and had failed to bring it to our attention as someone who had nothing to hide would,” said Andrew Hahn, who was running on the Big Red ticket for vice president for congress.\n“The IUSA elections commission has a duty to ensure a fair election,” Fields said.\nExecutive representatives of the Kirkwood ticket were not present at the hearing. However, they did send a statement read by Rhett Tanselle, a member of the elections committee. Elections commissioner Sarah McDonough explained the Kirkwood ticket’s absence, saying that Weis, told her that he felt his time was better spent campaigning than attending the hearing.\n“There are absolutely no excuses for (Pozza’s) act,” the statement read. “Any attempt to associate the Kirkwood ticket is misleading. The Big Red ticket has done nothing but promote personal attacks.”\nPozza admits that he did forward the e-mails and had been removed from the ballot earlier in the week. \n“I’m sorry, regret and apologize for my actions,” Pozza said. “The Kirkwood ticket was not involved and neither was the Undergraduate Finance Club.”