Get involved, vote for IUSA

Representatives of the IU Student Association work every day to strengthen the voice of students. They serve on various committees and communicate constantly with IU administrators about such issues as student fees, alcohol policies, curriculum and tuition.\nStudents should take the time to vote in the IUSA elections Feb. 26-27.\nRight now IUSA candidates are competing for the chance to be the voice of students. Students, in turn, should listen to what they have to say. The fact that 16 percent of the student body voted in last year's election is pitiful. Every student has a stake in who is speaking on their behalf. The stakes are even higher because every student funds this organization by paying a student activities fee.\n"We're representing the students and the money is the students', so the students should benefit," Synergy presidential candidate Brian Daviduke said. \nDaviduke said students should want to elect "somebody that's going to work hard for them."\nIUSA is made up of executive, legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch consists of 11 departments, each run by a student director. These departments specialize in various areas of student affairs including: Health and safety, student involvement and student rights. The legislative branch includes around 70 congressional representatives who vote on budgets and resolutions throughout the year. The IUSA Supreme Court is made up of 11 justices, whose primary duty is to interpret the IUSA Constitution when it is questioned. \nVoting in the IUSA elections is significantly easier and faster this year with online voting, which is more convenient and takes less time than traditional paper ballots.\nThe tickets for the IUSA elections -- Kirkwood, Steel and Synergy -- have run clean, fair campaigns and should be congratulated. Thus far, they have been respectful of each other's positions.\nSteel hopes to improve life in the residence halls and address the alcohol policy. It stresses student involvement on campus and its commitment to IU. Synergy is interested in improving greek life and addressing alcohol issues on campus. Synergy will also focus on strengthening the voice of all student groups on campus.\nThe Kirkwood ticket motto, "Work hard, play hard," seeks to restore the "old IU atmosphere" of working hard in class and taking time to have fun. \n"IU is a great place, but we also have serious problems that need serious people to fix them," Kirkwood presidential candidate Bill Gray said.\n"People should go out and vote because the people who are elected to IUSA can have a huge influence on any student's college experience," Gray said. \nLet's support the organization that is working for students by voting in the upcoming IUSA elections.\nStaff vote: 5 - 0 - 3\nyes - no - abstain