SCUM ticket announces candidacy

Declaring its dedication to increasing student participation in the IU Student Association, the SCUM ticket announced Friday its official candidacy in the IUSA election. Candidates are sophomore Andrew Hodgetts, president; freshman Johnathan Roque, vice president; freshman Matt Brown, vice president for Congress, and freshman Ryan Yoshimoto, treasurer.\nStudents Concerned with University Matters cites its main goal as increasing student involvement in decision-making processes on campus. According to the group's official platform, 16 percent of students currently vote in IUSA elections. The ticket said this small percentage cannot be construed as a mandate. Thus, if elected, Roque said they hope to achieve greater voting turnout in coming elections.\n"Only a miniscule part of the student body actually knows what the IUSA does," Roque said. "Not only do we want to increase student involvement, we plan to teach students to be good citizens indirectly."\nGroup members said they plan to increase correspondence between residence halls, greek houses and off-campus students. They said this proposal would contribute to greater collaboration between diverse groups on campus. Coupled with online polling initiatives, the effort further supports the group's key aim.\n"If we are to make one promise during our campaign, it will be that we will heed the voters and non-voters alike," Hodgett said. "If they should wish to contact us any time, they should feel free to."\nYoshimoto agreed with Hodgett, stressing the importance of allowing individual students opportunity to voice concerns. \n"I want to put more pressure on the congressional representatives to find out what the people in their region want," he said. "I have never been asked by my current rep to voice my concerns. In fact, I don't even know who my rep is. That's a shame."\nThe ticket also plans to implement, if elected, a monthly "State of the IUSA" address. This statement, written by the president, would enable a vehicle through which students could become aware of pressing IUSA issues and developments.\n"I feel that IUSA can do a better job of being 'a government of the students," Yoshimoto said. "We can make that happen"