Only two tickets compete for IUSA

IU Student Association applications are in, and two tickets -- Hooiser and Red Hot -- say they are ready to represent the student body.\nWhile previous elections have include more than two tickets -- 2004 and 2005 both had four -- IUSA President Alex Shortle said there are usually only two serious tickets.\n"Tradition is that there are two very, very strong tickets, where you had two tickets jousting and another bringing up relative issues but not a serious contender," he said.\nIUSA Elections Coordinator Keith Johnson agreed that it's OK to only have two tickets.\n"It's head to head, that's for certain," Johnson said. "I think they're both serious tickets. They're both focused on the issues and will work hard to get elected."\nHoosier presidential nominee and junior Betsy Henke said she can't complain about those odds.\n"I think maybe it's just knowledge," she said. "A lot of people don't know what IUSA is. They don't really know how they can be involved and what involvement entails. It's such a big school, there's so much stuff you can do."\nHenke's opposing vice presidential candidate, junior Brett Stewart of Red Hot, said he thinks there are only two tickets running for executive positions because a lot of people who have been involved in IUSA in the past are graduating.\n"I think there's a large graduating class from the current IUSA administration," he said. "There are a lot of people that don't have the experience and didn't form tickets. I don't see it as a lack of interest in IUSA."\nShortle agreed, saying the "legacy that's been going on for four years is ending. It's typical cyclical turnover."\nWhile tickets often include former IUSA participants -- for instance, Johnson said Hoosier is a descendant of last year's Kirkwood ticket -- the current governing party, Vote for Pedro, does not have an off-shoot.\nShortle said he thinks that's because most of the people on his ticket were not terribly interested in politics and were instead interested in improving campus life.\n"Elections are very political," he said. "They take a lot of strategy. Once you're in (IUSA), it's a totally different situation. You have to be more interested in higher education (politics). There's not a lot of federal, state or local politics (in IUSA). It's all higher education politics."\nHe added that this year there were no movies like "Napoleon Dynamite" to capitalize on when running for office.\n"It was the first year something like that had been done," he said. "It was taking a new approach. It was the best way to capitalize on the film. It was the best approach. ... (This year we're) back to typical tickets."\nRegardless of the backgrounds of the candidates, Johnson said he's excited for the election.\n"I think that they'll be strong competitors," he said. "They're both well liked among people. We're addressing the issues that students need to hear about. Either one will be a strong voice of the students"