Crimson ticket begins campaign

With IU Student Association elections just over two weeks away, another contender has entered the race.\nCrimson, the incumbent party, officially announced its candidacy for the 2004-2005 IUSA term Friday afternoon. \nIn the upcoming elections, held from Feb. 24 to 25, students can cast their votes for the 60 positions available in next year's student government. \nPresidential Candidate and junior Tyson Chastain will lead Crimson's campaign, which stresses a "realistic, attainable" platform. \n"There's been a lot of things promised that just never quite get done," said junior Jesse Laffen, who is running for vice president of administration. "And I think we understand better than a lot of people changes that can actually be made."\nThe group said in a statement it intends to relax the campus alcohol policy, announce professors' textbook requests in advance of the semester's start and fight for a fair grading system.\nAlthough the ticket advocates a relaxed alcohol policy, it feels a "wet" campus is not the answer, said junior Scott Norman, who is running for vice president of Congress. He said such a policy -- a reform the Big Red ticket plans to pursue -- would jeopardize IU's federal funding as well as students' privacy.\n"We don't want to be putting police officers in the residence halls," he said. "But we do want to be able to go out and safely drink and have a good time."\nThrough outside subsidy, the party also hopes to fund "one dollar cabs" for students who wish to drink while avoiding driving or a run-in with the law.\nIn academia, Crimson will seek to eliminate the weighted GPA system, where pluses and minuses affect grades, said senior Gwen Hobley, the ticket's candidate for treasurer.\n"I could get an A in every one of my classes here at IU and have to compete for a job against somebody who got the same grade at another school with a higher GPA than me," Hobley said in a statement. "It's ridiculous that IU is putting its students at that disadvantage."\nBiology Professor Albert Ruesink said the weighted GPA system has its advantages.\n"A B-plus is better than a B," he said. "It does make some distinction, and students that can be distinguished from others deserve that."\nThe party will also address the financial stress of textbooks. In an attempt to introduce competition to local bookstores, Crimson vows to list required textbooks online before the start of the semester. With advance notice, students might save money by purchasing books online, Hobley said.\n"We don't want to take away business from the bookstore, but we do feel that texts have gotten extremely high in price," she said.\nPaul Hazel, director of the IU Bookstore, said though he would support the effort, logistical concerns would arise with the late assignment of associate instructors to their classes.\n"I think there's some real value to a brick and mortar store," he said. "Students can come in and look at (books) and decide what they want."\nChastain stressed the importance of a grassroots approach toward student government.\n"We need people in office who legitimately understand what it means to go to IU," he said. "That's what Crimson is all about. Just helping out the regular student."\nThe group's Web site, www.votecrimson.com, will be up next week.\n-- Contact staff writer Mike McElroy at mmcelroy@indiana.edu.