Great ideas from other IUSA tickets

Although we chose to endorse Big Ten, plenty of good ideas were brought up by the other two tickets. Here are a couple proposals that the winning ticket should consider adopting.

ECOFONT (reviveIU)
By now, many students have heard about various proposals to enhance IU’s environmental credentials. Until now, most have been potentially costly and unlikely to be implemented in the short run.

However, reviveIU presents a unique idea as part of its platform: adopting Ecofont, add-on software that puts tiny holes in printed text with the goal of reducing ink and toner usage to the tune of 25 percent. The software works with most fonts in Microsoft Word, and the dots are practically undetectable if the text is size 12 or smaller.

reviveIU has proposed encouraging University Information Technology Services to make Ecofont the default on all campus computers and add the software to its IUware offerings. Under the proposal, UITS would pay for the licensing because it would be the primary beneficiary of the cost savings.

Ecofont would be a tangible, accomplishable step toward making IU more “green” — both environmentally and fiscally.

It’s a simple, innovative concept that could make a real impact immediately.

WEB-BASED ROOM RESERVATIONS (BtownUnited)
If you’ve ever been involved with a student organization at IU, you’re probably aware that reserving rooms on campus is a royal pain. Here’s brief description of the process: fill out a form, go to the Student Activities Office in the Indiana Memorial Union to have your group verified, go to another building to actually reserve the room. Don’t meet at the same time every week? Repeat the above process. Need to change your meeting time? Repeat it again.

BtownUnited’s platform included an application that would allow student organizations to reserve rooms online — anytime, anywhere. This would alleviate the headache of traversing all over campus and a layer of paper and complexity in the University’s operations.

Members of the ticket had the initiative to meet with ScheduleThing, a Bloomington-based company that designs software for this exact purpose. A sample of the proposed application is even on their website.

It’s time to end this paper trail and allow student leaders to spend time on more important things.