Complaints voiced about IUSA election

The IU Student Association election committee heard complaints last night, with heated accusations flying across State Room East of the Indiana Memorial Union. The hearing, which resolved complaints and contestments from the three tickets, lasted for hours as the tickets assailed the actions of their competitors while defending their own.\nEight complaints were heard, including four filed by Kirkwood, one filed by Steel, two filed by Synergy and one filed by an outside party. The four complaints filed by the Kirkwood ticket were downgraded from contestments to complaints, leaving the Synergy ticket the only one contesting the election results.\nElections Commissioner Joe Walterman said the outside party complaint is not official because it was not filed through a ticket, but was heard because IUSA represents all students. The commission will vote whether to accept it as a complaint, and the decision will be announced along with the other conclusions of the commission.\nThe commission, composed entirely of students who are not members of IUSA, deliberated after the hearing to reach their conclusion. The decisions of the commission will be announced today. \nTickets will have until 5 p.m. to appeal the commission's decisions; if the decision is not appealed the election results will be announced today, Walterman said. If appealed, the decisions will be contested before the IUSA Supreme Court on Wednesday. \nJeff Wuslich, Steel candidate for student body president, believes the contestments make elections fair in the long run. He said complaints ensure the integrity of IUSA elections, regardless of whether the complaints appear petty in the short-term.\nPaul Musgrave, Synergy external coordinator, said the complaints taint the reputation of IUSA.\n"Students get a negative opinion of IUSA tickets when results are heavily contested like this," he said. "All they will remember is the scandal, and IUSA will be guilty by association. What IUSA really needs is a new election code"