Students vote for dorm leaders

A week after IU Student Association elections attracted the most student voters ever, the Residence Halls Association will hold voting today for its executive board positions.\nThe two tickets running in the elections, Connect and Amplify, said they have done their share of campaigning and plan to do more today.\n"We've been trying to reach as many people as possible in the dorms," said John Palmer, Connect ticket's presidential candidate. "We will be walking around to the various dorms, standing in the communal areas and in front lawns and handing out flyers. We are trying to represent as many people as possible."\nPalmer said Connect has been concentrating its campaign on the group as a whole rather than on the individual members of the ticket.\n"This really isn't about the individuals," Palmer said. "We campaign as more of a team, working together as the ticket as a whole."\nAndrew Walker, Amplify's candidate for vice president of internal affairs, also said his ticket has been doing all of its campaigning as a team. He also said there was not much more campaigning to be done into Tuesday. The decision is now in student's hands, he said.\n"We're pretty much just getting all the last-minute things ready for Tuesday," Walker said. "We'll be going to the last-minute meetings and focusing on how we'll attack (Tuesday). We just have to be out there and make ourselves visible and make sure everyone knows our name."\nThe Residence Halls Association is the student government that represents the dormitories. Elections for the executive board are held each year. \nBoth tickets were able to express their opinions regarding various residence hall-related issues during a debate held last Thursday night in the Foster-Harper formal lounge. Palmer said he was pleased with the outcome and turnout of the event.\n"I thought the debate was good," Palmer said. "I was a little disappointed it wasn't set up in more of a formal debate style fashion, but it was good overall."\nAs for the elections as a whole, both Palmer and Walker said they are pleased with how it has gone so far.\n"I think it's going to be a close election," Palmer said. "I am pretty confident we are reaching a good amount of people and that we can take the vote."\nWalker said he would like to see the number of voters greatly increase.\n"There is usually such a low turnout for on-campus elections," Walker said. "We'd like to have the student voice heard. They need to take the initiative and vote if they want to see any change occur."\nCurrent RHA President Eric Hafner said he was pleased with the Feb. 26 debate and, like Walker, has high expectations for this year's elections.\n"I thought the debate went very well, and we had a lot more people than I had anticipated," Hafner said. "I am hoping that, through all the advertising we have done, that we are really spreading the word. Last year we had between about 600 and 1,000 voters, and our goal for this year is to reach about 2,000."\nThe Connect ticket is represented by Palmer, along with Vic Grossi for vice president of programming, Joe Reid for vice president of internal affairs and Randall Sundt for vice president of student affairs. \nAmplify consists of Walker, Jon Greene for president, Jen Dunning for vice president or programming and Paul York for vice president of student affairs.\nVoting will take place near the center desks of all residence halls from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Only residents of the dorms are eligible to cast votes.\n-- Contact staff writer Matt Mattucci at mmattucc@indiana.edu.