'Hoosier' execs skip meeting for IUSA tickets

With the IU Student Association elections just around the corner, the Hoosier and Red Hot tickets are busy spreading the word about their tickets and learning everything there is to know about IUSA. Yet, attendance at the "All-Candidate Meeting" Monday night was "disconcerting" to IUSA President Alex Shortle, because, while all four members of the Red Hot executive team were present, none from the Hoosier ticket attended. \nShortle said he considers this the most important IUSA election in 30 years.\nA party's executive team includes the student body president, vice president of administration, vice president of congress and treasurer. The congress includes senators who represent residential areas including the greek houses and off-campus housing and senators who represent each school at the University.\n"Common courtesy is to show up," Shortle said. "Everything we talk about is important."\nAccording to the election code, "attendance at the first All-Candidate meeting is mandatory, but the Elections Commission has the authority to excuse an absence only if the candidate has given the Elections Commission notice prior to the All-Candidate meeting that he or she cannot attend the meeting. A proxy, as appointed by the absent candidate(s), must attend the meeting in place of the candidate(s) whose absence is excused." \nTherefore, because the Hoosier executive candidates sent proxies in their places, they did not break any rules.\nElections Coordinator Keith Johnson said both tickets sent a lot of proxies in place of candidates.\n"I want (candidates) to attend, but they know what's going on, they know the rules," he said.\nCurrent IUSA Vice President Will Leckey said he was surprised none of the Hoosier executive candidates attended the meeting.\n"It's certainly been tradition in the past that the entire (executive attend the meeting), but they did not break any rules," he said. "Rules are rules, but when you're running (for office) it has to be your No. 1 priority. It was surprising to my administration that at such a crucial time (these candidates were not there)." \nLeckey said the purpose of the meeting was to set the tone of the election. He said IU is at a turning point because student involvement is being threatened, regarding IU governance, search and screen committees and fee review.\nTo stress the importance of this threat and of fair elections, the meeting included speeches from Shortle, Leckey, IUSA Supreme Court Internal Affairs Chair John Waddell and Assistant Dean of Students Steve Veldkamp. \nLeckey said his speech was about running an honest, ethics-based campaign.\n"It's better to lose with self-respect than to win by cutting others down," he said. "It's so important to keep the tone positive and about yourself and what you bring to the student body."\nRed Hot presidential candidate and junior Lenny Weiss said the meeting was beneficial to his ticket.\n"We appreciate all the insight and advice they offered us," he said.\nWeiss declined to comment about the Hoosier absence.\nJunior Julie Aud, a Hoosier campaign manager, said her candidates were busy fulfilling prior commitments involving their campaign. Presidential candidate junior Betsy Henke, for instance, was at the College of Arts and Sciences dean search and screen committee meeting. Shortle appointed Henke to this committee. \n"(Hoosier executives are) all familiar with IUSA and the election process," Aud said. "We felt we could relay the information they needed."\nHenke said her ticket has made a strong effort to reach out to student groups all over campus and the executive candidates did not want to break their promises to other people.\n"Thirty-five to 40 of our congress was there," she said. "It's important for them to be involved."\nWhile Henke was at the COAS dean search and screen meeting, junior Andrew Lauck, vice president of administration candidate, was at a sister's middle school event.\nJunior Mary Kerschner, treasurer candidate, said she and junior Clark Kaericher, vice president of congress candidate, were campaigning, but declined to elaborate, citing a desire to keep their campaign strategy secret.\n"If this were something we thought was crucial, they would have dropped everything else," Aud said.\nRegarding Red Hot's attendance at the meeting, Aud said, "If that's their decision, I think it was great. They may have more things to learn about the election process."\nHenke said missing this meeting does not mean that her ticket is not dedicated to the mission of IUSA.\n"I would say that our dedication is evident through the work we've put into this already," she said. "We've made a strong effort to reach out to student groups ... We have a lot of enthusiasm and dedication to spread what we're doing."\nAud said e-mails between her ticket members and Johnson made it clear that sending proxies was OK.\n"I wish that if Alex or Keith had any concerns that they would address it with our candidates instead of the press," she said.\nJohnson declined to respond.\nShortle said he voiced concern about Hoosier's absence during the meeting.\n"Maybe (missing the meeting) was political strategery," he said.