'Vote Hard' not about votes

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck you would think it would be a duck, right? So with the IU Student Association's "Vote Hard" campaign, if it sounds like a voting campaign and looks like a voting campaign it's safe to say that it is a voting campaign, correct? So why is IUSA getting so much media attention focused around its $50,000 plus Corvette rather than its flyers given to students encouraging them to vote?\nThat's just the problem with "Vote Hard" -- IUSA left the "Vote" part out of it. Where was the IUSA press conference announcing the campaign's beginnings such as the one held in Dunn Meadow last Monday? Where is the press conference listing the candidates for local and state races and their platforms for the informational benefit of IU students? How does spending money on a "top of the line" security system for a car no student can afford have anything to do with voting at all?\nIt doesn't, and, again, IUSA is completely missing the point with this "Vote Hard" campaign. It is a slap in the face of IU students to call this publicity stunt a voting awareness campaign. The ridiculous spending of the IUSA executives is completely out of line and misleading. It's all about publicity, and, the sad thing is, the IUSA execs know this. \n"That's a great question" IUSA President Bill Gray said at the press conference when asked why the car has nothing to do with November elections because entering the raffle is now a possibility for all IU students. "Why are you here today? It's made national news. President Bush read about it before he went to sleep two nights ago."\nThe fact that Gray never even answered the question proves the point being made: IUSA is more interested in getting its name in the paper -- beyond the IDS -- rather than informing the student body of the political issues that are and will be affecting them.\n"Everyone knows controversy sells papers," IUSA Vice President of Administration Judd Arnold said at the press conference. "People love controversy. Think of all the free advertisement we've gotten. It's a nationwide topic."\nFree advertisement? So the Corvette was donated?\nThe most disturbing thing is that IUSA actually thinks this is bringing higher education issues into the spotlight. And what issues may those be? You don't have to be a professional politician to spend resources wastefully or utilize misleading tactics. \nIf IUSA wants to get the proper recognition for voter registration they need to focus on the actual voting instead of getting publicity for student government. Right now, they're focused more on themselves rather than the students they represent.\n