Third party enters fray

The IU Student Association is gearing up for its annual elections, and a third party has announced its candidacy for student government.\nThe Hoosier Party will join the Big Red and Crimson tickets in the 36-hour bout for IUSA leadership begining Feb. 24. Presidential Candidate and junior Aaron Radez heads the four-member executive team, which will not run candidates for legislative seats.\n"We want to streamline our process, so when you're talking to us, you're talking to the top," Radez said. "We'd like to see IUSA run things differently. There's a lot of overhead and a lot of fluff in that office."\nJunior Scott Bird, vice presidential candidate for the Hoosier ticket, said the prospect of a large ticket introduced logistical concerns. The four feared a bulky campaign might lead to election code violations.\nThe party intends to focus chiefly on large IUSA-sponsored events all students can attend for free. Bird suggested a fall festival where local and big-name bands would entertain students. The venture would include vendors with food, IU apparel and alcohol for 21-and-over students. \n"Our main platform issue is returning IU to the number-one party school," Bird said. "I think (the administration and students) would both like it because of the way we intend to go about it."\nUniversity rules allow for the controlled distribution of alcohol to of-age students at certain events.\nThe group said it does not advocate a wet campus, but its goals would not require such a policy change.\n"There's a vast network of 450 student groups on the campus and we intend to support them in the efforts that they're taking," Radez said of the lack of funding some student groups experience when planning large functions.\nBird said the party would consider collaboration with Union Board, contingent on the board's cooperation in an event serving alcohol.\nSenior Seth Zimmerman, former Union Board director of major attractions, expressed skepticism in the party's plan to book large, free concerts.\n"The idea of having free concerts sounds great, but in reality, it's a lot harder than it sounds," he said, adding a large act would cost about $100,000. "I don't know how IUSA would hope to pay for and plan an entire free concert by themselves. You can usually get another organization to throw in on it, but they're going to want to charge, because they need to break even."\nRadez said the sale of food, beverages and "co-op advertisements" with local and national businesses would help supplement IUSA's budgetary restrictions.\n"When you have 36,000 students getting together to rally around an event, people take interest," he said. "And they're willing to chip in so that we can have a good time, free of charge."\nIUSA has a yearly budget of roughly $200,000, said senior Casey Cox, current IUSA president, in a previous IDS article.\nThough the group intends to focus on concerts and events, Radez said it would continue to address the issues of the current administration.\nRadez said the group will bring both experience and outsiders to the administration. The Hoosier Party's congressional secretary candidate, Carrie Bridge, is a transfer student from the College of Wooster, in Ohio.\n"Since I'm coming in here new, I'm coming in with fresh ideas," Bridge said. "I'm not focused on what happened before."\nBird said while the party's main platform is bringing back a "party feel" to campus, they are also concerned with issues the other parties have already addressed.\n"I think we have a good blend of both experience and new ideas," Radez said. "We want to shake things up a little bit with new ideas. So let the party begin."\nFor more information, students can visit www.votehoosierparty.com, which will be operational in the near future.