Indiana University Student Government presidential and vice-presidential candidates answered questions and outlined their campaign priorities of campus safety, student advocacy and sustainability during the Presidential Candidate Town Hall on Wednesday evening.
The forum, co-hosted by IUSG and the Civic Leaders Center at Briscoe Quadrangle, brought together both tickets — EMPOWER for IUSG and FORWARD for IUSG — to answer student questions and outline policy proposals ahead of the election in early March. Paul Helmke, former president and CEO of the Brady Center/Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and Fort Wayne mayor from 1988 to 2000, moderated the debate.
About 100 students attended, Helmke said, with most coming from the Civic Leaders Center, a first-year living-learning community of roughly 75 students focused on civic engagement within the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Helmke, a professor of practice at IU, serves as director of the center.
With the audience preparing to vote, both tickets used the forum to outline their platforms and leadership priorities.
FORWARD’s presidential candidate, junior Dennis Lee and sophomore vice-presidential candidate Anna Wagner, emphasized a platform focusing on opportunity, community and belonging. Lee reflected on coming to IU from South Korea “with hope, uncertainty and a dream,” and said his experience on campus has shaped his approach to leadership.
“I witnessed firsthand the good things on campus — students organizing, supporting each other and making true change,” Lee said. “However, we’ve also witnessed things that are very concerning.”
Presidential candidate and junior Alexa Avellaneda and sophomore vice-presidential candidate Anna Sofia Nguyen Loeb, running on the EMPOWER for IUSG ticket, said their campaign is grounded in development, diversity and advocacy. Avellaneda said their focus is on strengthening student representation and pushing for more direct advocacy with university administration.
“For way too long, IU administration has felt comfortable delaying student progress,” Avellaneda said. “We want to make sure that we’re advocating properly for students.”
Beyond broad platform themes, both tickets outlined specific policy proposals.
The FORWARD ticket emphasized expanding access to mental health resources. Wagner said many students are unaware of existing Counseling and Psychological Services resources and that proximity plays a major role in whether students seek help. The ticket proposed creating satellite CAPS offices in residence hall neighborhoods to make services more accessible.
“If people are not aware of these resources, they’re going to feel isolated,” Wagner said. “They’re not going to know when to reach out or how to get help.”
Lee also proposed infrastructure improvements, including installing ground-level crosswalk lighting inspired by in-pavement LED pedestrian systems used in South Korea. He said increased visibility at intersections could improve pedestrian safety in high-traffic areas such as near the O’Neill School, Kelley School and Wells Library, while acknowledging that implementation and would depend on budget limitations and coordination with university officials.
The EMPOWER ticket emphasized the role of community in pushing for change, saying meaningful advocacy depends on students working collectively. Avellaneda argued that strengthening communication channels is necessary to address student concerns. She said that the ticket would use IUSG’s regular meetings with university officials to gather information and then partner with student media outlets to publicize administrative decisions. The ticket also proposed creating an undergraduate Canvas page to highlight issues on campus and share updates.
Avellaneda said the ticket would work to ensure students are represented in administrative conversations and that their voices are amplified when decisions affect campus life.
“Community is the most important thing that we have,” Nguyen Loeb said. “If we don’t strengthen that community, we are nothing.”
Students in attendance said the town hall provided additional clarity on how campaign priorities would be translated into policy if elected.
Audience questions focused on campus safety, mental health resources, environmental sustainability initiatives and how candidates would hold the administration accountable.
Freshman Zach Borth, a Civic Leaders Center student, asked what the candidates’ “perfect year” in office would look like. Lee said he would spend his time on outreach and safety initiatives, while Avellaneda said that she would push for stronger student advocacy and representation.
Borth said he asked the question to better understand how candidates’ campus safety, advocacy, and sustainability goals would be implemented. He said hearing both tickets outline their priorities in the same setting made it easier to evaluate differences and similarities between the platforms.
“I’ve heard some really great policy points from the FORWARD party and as well from the EMPOWER party,” Borth said. “I think the ideas could really be shared across the board.”
Freshman Trent George, who is also part of the Civic Leaders Center, said he attended the forum to gain a clearer understanding of each campaign’s sustainability proposals – including composting expansion and food waste reduction – and how they would be funded and executed.
“I planned on voting, but I wasn’t really sure what the campaigns looked like,” George said. “It was really great to gain information from both campaigns and learn more about how student government works.”
Students will have another opportunity to hear from both tickets at the IUSG Presidential Candidate Debate, which will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 25, in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Frangipani Room.
Voting begins at 10 a.m. March 2, and closes at 10 p.m. March 4. IU Bloomington students will receive an email with a link to vote. Preliminary results will be announced March 6, and must be certified by the IUSG Supreme Court before becoming official later that month.
