Btown ticket will run for IUSA

The Btown ticket will officially announce its candidacy later today, and its members say they are working to distinguish themselves by developing a student-focused platform.

Members of the Btown ticket said they hope to connect with the student body, have an active role on the IU campus and work on issues that affect students’ daily lives.

“We want to attract all types of students, even those that are not typically involved in student government,” said sophomore Peter SerVaas, presidential candidate.

Straight No Chaser will perform at the Btown ticket call-out meeting at 8 p.m. today in room 015 of the School of Fine Arts building.

Playing an active role in the student body means attending events for various organizations, said junior Shobha Pai, candidate for vice president of Congress.

People who believe IUSA goes hand in hand with their daily lives will be more interested in student government, said junior Trevor Shirley, chief of public relations.

Members are working on the ticket’s platform and have met with IU administrators to ensure all of the issues they are addressing are feasible.

Ticket executives looked into 30 initiatives and found five plausible ones after meeting with administrators, SerVaas said.

The Btown ticket is not campaign-focused but more concerned about its platform, members said.

“We started the election not with a campaign, but with a platform, and that has given us our strength,” Pai said.

The Btown ticket has a point person on each of the initiatives, so these platform issues will make headway during the campaign, SerVaas said.

The executives of the Btown ticket have also participated in various leadership roles on campus, including SerVaas’ role as director of student services for the current IUSA administration.

“The biggest thing you learn about leadership is how to work with people and what is or isn’t effective,” Pai said. “It’s such a transferable skill. I think we have proven that we can effectively lead because of all the work we have done for our platform.”

Ticket officials said they are confident they can take strides to create a better campus.

“Our biggest hope is that we bring the most accomplished leaders into the administration to create a positive change,” SerVaas said.

The ticket wants students to be aware of their platform and everything they hope to accomplish.

“All of us understand how to strike a balance in getting people to believe in what you are doing and parting them in knowledge to succeed without alienating them,” Shirley said.

The Btown ticket plans to expand on what the current IUSA administration has done, Pai said.

Btown leaders said they hope the student body will focus on what their administration can do to improve their college experience.

“This election should be based on platforms, not people,” said sophomore Dan Dunten, Btown ticket volunteer. “We want to make good ideas a reality.”