The IU Student Government hosted the Presidential Candidate Debate on Wednesday evening at the Indiana Memorial Union Frangipani Room.
During the debate, candidates answered questions from an audience of about 20 people on topics including relationships with student media, campus culture and budgeting.
Two parties will be on the ballot March 2: EMPOWER and FORWARD.
Junior political science major Alexa Avellaneda is the EMPOWER ticket’s presidential candidate, alongside vice-presidential candidate Anna Sofia Nguyen Loeb, a sophomore majoring in music business.
Junior Dennis Lee, a law and public policy major, is running for president under FORWARD with sophomore vice-presidential candidate Anna Wagner, who’s majoring in environmental science and geographic information science.
EMPOWER for IUSG is running for the second consecutive year, with different candidates, after losing to ACTION in the 2025 election. According to its Instagram, the 2026 EMPOWER ticket is grounded in development, diversity and advocacy.
FORWARD’s platform centers on opportunity, community and belonging, according to its Instagram.
The debate lasted an hour and 40 minutes and included questions from moderators and audience members. Each party could respond for up to two minutes and have a choice to rebuttal for one minute.
The debate began with a five-minute introduction from both presidential candidates.
In her introduction, Avellaneda centered EMPOWER’s platform around student safety, financial responsibility and standing up to IU administration.
While introducing FORWARD, Lee drew on his personal experience moving to IU from South Korea three years ago, framing FORWARD’s candidacy around accountability and transparency.
After introductions, Election Director and moderator Jack Tyndall asked the candidates why they decided to run for student body leadership.
Lee cited the current political climate and his commitment to international students.
“The reason why we’re running is not for resume or another line on LinkedIn,” Lee said. “It’s truly about service and giving voice to the voiceless.”
Avellaneda pointed to her upbringing and years of civic engagement.
“I have been very engraved since I’ve been a child to be very socially aware of the injustices that go on in the world,” Avellaneda said. “I really want to make sure that we’re advocating for students in a very meaningful and intentional way.”
The event then moved to questions from the audience. When a student asked about their day-one actions, EMPOWER and FORWARD outlined their top priorities when taking office.
Avellaneda said EMPOWER would focus on administrative budget concerns.
“The majority of what we do over the summer going into first semester is budget planning,” Avellaneda said.
Avellaneda said she hopes to talk to cultural centers, including the La Casa/Latino Cultural Center and the LGBTQ+ Cultural Center, as campaigning continues. She said she plans to include donations to the Indiana Daily Student, IUSTV and WIUX in her administration’s budget.
Lee said FORWARD’s first priorities would be recruiting underrepresented students to IUSG and taking a clear stance against hateful rhetoric.
“I think day one, we will sign an executive order on our stance of battling hateful rhetoric on campus,” Lee said.
One of EMPOWER’s biggest critiques of the current ACTION administration centered on spending.
Nguyen Loeb said around $100,000 has remained unspent in the current administration budget midway through the school year.
Avellaneda said the unspent money should go toward cultural centers, the EmpowerED Scholarship and the lease gap housing program.
Lee also said proactive spending was important but argued that budget flexibility is also necessary.
Another student asked how each ticket would support DEI programs at IU, pointing to the university’s free speech ranking being at an all-time low.
Lee said the university has fallen short of its promises to international students, warning it could impact future enrollment.
“To be direct, we haven’t lived up to that,” Lee said. “And I think that’s gonna just deter IU from international students attending IU and we have to reverse course on that.”
Avellaneda pledged to increase funding for cultural centers to ensure students know where to find DEI resources on campus.
The two tickets diverged on how to handle relations with IU administration. Avellaneda argued IUSG should take an assertive stance rather than worrying about strained relationships.
Avellaneda said IUSG should contact student media to amplify decisions by IU administrators that negatively impact student government, putting pressure on the administration.
“We have to reshape this framing and really be able to advocate for students in a way that makes them feel empowered in a way that makes us be the ones in control,” Avellaneda said. “At the end of the day, IU administration works for us.”
Lee acknowledged the need to hold administration accountable but cautioned against burning bridges.
“We’re all for holding them accountable, but at the same time, I think it’s a really hard thing to do,” Lee said. “I think that would do more harm to the student body than it benefits them.”
The tickets found common ground with plans to fund cultural centers and student media and supporting the calculator loaner program. Candidates from both party also said they’d advocate for distribution of Narcan and fentanyl testing strips to student organizations.
Both presidential candidates also said they would welcome members of the opposing campaign onto their cabinet if elected.
“I think it’s very important to have that unity and truly represent and support students,” Lee said.
Avellaneda echoed that sentiment, saying the race has been a smoother process compared to previous years.
“I think this election cycle has proven to be more peaceful than the previous election cycles,” Avellaneda said. “I think we have a very good relationship with Dennis and Anna.”
Voting opens 10 a.m. March 2 and closes 10 p.m. March 4. Students can cast their ballot at beinvolved.iu.edu and will receive an email to their IU address when the ballot opens.
