IUSA adds more vote incentives

The IU Student Association has announced there will be second and third place consolation prizes for students drawn in Project "Vote Hard" Corvette giveaway, following the November general election.\nStudents whose names are drawn to the first and second runners-up positions will each receive a $5,000 scholarship. \nThe contest's goals are to increase voter turnout in the general election and make the IU student voice heard in the state's General Assembly through votes.\nIUSA has come under criticism for a few aspects of the Corvette giveaway. Many students believe using $61,000 on a Corvette for one student is a misappropriation of funds.\n"Most students wouldn't be able to afford a Corvette," said Jeff Wuslich, a senior, and former IUSA vice president of administration. "I love the idea of the scholarships. But it doesn't seem like they'll get rid of the Corvette idea. Now it seems like they're just spending more money. If the scholarships are an addition to the $61,000, that's more than $70,000 that international students are ineligible to receive."\nWulisch even examined quotes from Progressive.com, a Web site offering car insurance quotes. According to a hypothetical quote for a 2003 Corvette, it could cost an IU student more than $1400 to insure the car for a six month period. \nJudd Arnold, a junior, and IUSA vice president of administration, said the long-term goal of the program is to increase educational funding for all students.\n"The Corvette itself and the scholarships as well are insignificant in the entire scheme of the project," Arnold said. "The investment of $61,000 could yield the University and all students up to $100 million in reduced tuition and state funding."\nArnold said IU is currently under-funded because not enough students are registered to vote. Once the contest's goal of registering 10,000 student voters is met, state legislators will be forced to listen to students' concerns, he said. \nAnother criticism has been the fact that the contest excludes international students, who by law cannot vote.\n"We're still working on a way to include them (international students) in the contest itself," Arnold said. "However, they will still reap the entire benefit of the program if it is successful in the form of lower tuition and more educational funding for IU."\nMoney used to purchase the Corvette will come from excess interest payments from IUSA credit cards, funds that in the past have gone toward financing the Grass Roots Initiative Fund. \n"We actually increased funding for the GRIF this year from I believe $6,000 to $10,000. So we've actually added money to the GRIF fund not taken a penny away," said senior Blair Greenberg.\nAccording to an IUSA press release, current estimates are pointing toward a tuition increase of upwards of 25 percent of current tuition costs. One of the main goals of the contests is to stop this from happening by registering voters and making IU's voice heard. \nAll students registered for classes on the IU campus who are eligible to vote can enter the contest. Students must register to vote by Oct. 6, 2002. Forms can be picked up at the IUSA office, Hoosiers for Higher Education office in Bryan Hall, the Monroe County clerk's office, or from IU College Democrats or College Republicans. \nAfter voting, students will receive an "I Voted" sticker, which can be redeemed at the IUSA office for a contest entry. On Nov. 8, 50 finalists will be selected. The finalists will be invited to an awards presentation where the winners will be announced, according to a release.\nAlong with the Corvette giveaway, the IUSA will begin a voter awareness and education campaign starting Oct. 6. This will involve a voter guide which will inform students of the candidates and their issues. \nStudents can contact the IUSA office at 855-4872 with any questions. \n"This is the only program we could come up with that will benefit all students," Arnold said. "The project is designed to lower tuition for all students and we really feel that it is a good use of funds. The money for this program is not used at the expense of any other programs. We have extra money over and above what we budgeted for, and that's where this money is coming from"