After a lengthy election season of infractions, disqualifications, appeals and hearings, the IU Student Association Supreme Court has officially announced that INtouch for IUSA is the winner of the IUSA election.
Before accounting for infractions, Amplify for IUSA garnered 3,574 votes, initially winning the election. INtouch for IUSA came in second with 2,697 votes and UNIFY for IUSA came in third with 1,994 votes.
After accounting for infractions, however, Amplify for IUSA finished with 3,163 votes, still winning the election. INtouch for IUSA finished with 2,507 votes and UNIFY for IUSA finished with 1,994 votes.
However, when the election commission disqualified Amplify for failing to include branded T-shirts and a miniature pony in its total campaign expenditures, ?INtouch became the winner.
“It was such a long, drawn out process, but we were definitely super happy once we finally got the announcement,” President Anne Tinder said.
Tatiana Padilla, vice president of administration, said she credits the team behind the ticket for getting the ticket through the two weeks between the election and the announcement.
“I think, especially once the polls closed, we had a little gasp of relief, but at the same time, so much work still followed just to get us to a win, to an official win,” she said. “I think there was so much tiredness, so much exhaustion, that anyone could easily have been like, ‘I’m done. This is it,’ and have just accepted it. But none of us took that stance, and two more weeks of work allowed us to be in office next year.”
Padilla said the administration’s next step is to put together a staff.
“That needs to be done before we get back in the fall so that we can really hit the ground running,” she said.
Tinder attributed the ?ticket’s win to a strong platform.
“I think we had a pretty holistic platform,” she said. “Something could appeal to anyone.”
Tinder and Treasurer Wes Cuprill said the ticket’s initiatives regarding IU Counseling and Psychological Services, student safety and student conduct seemed to resonate the most with voters.
To address CAPS, representatives said the ticket plans to increase the number of free counseling sessions CAPS currently offers to those who have paid the IU Health fee. CAPS currently offers those who have paid an IU Health fee two free counseling sessions.
The ticket hopes to enhance student safety by creating a Global Information Systems map of the campus that identifies areas of crime, Tinder said.
To address student conduct, representatives said the ticket plans to make the student organization ethics board more transparent and more standardized.
Tinder was the only ?female presidential ?candidate.
“We didn’t run on the platform of me being a woman, but people, especially other sorority women, liked that,” she said.
Tinder said she also attributed the ticket’s win to a diverse team.
“I really think we’re a good mix of old IUSA experience and fresh perspectives from around campus,” she said.
