This Wednesday marks the end of term for the Government of Student Body. Kudos to the Brian Phillips era for making headway in improving town-gown relations, but on the whole, GSB still has a long way to go if it wants the student body to perceive it as effectual.

Credit, however, where it’s due. This past year saw more interaction between Iowa State and the city of Ames. The Campustown Court project will help beautify a spot that only the Superdog stand makes pretty, and although it’s yet to produce something, the new commission examining how to improve Campustown is a step in the right direction.

We’ve got reason to believe these trends will continue: Ex-officio City Council liaison Maggie Luttrell is stepping into the GSB vice president role, so she’ll be able to see her extensive work this year carried on.

That said, GSB has a long way to go in improving its image with students.

Just recently GSB closed a “loophole” that eliminates funding salaries for student organizations, except for one – their own. Instead, GSB created its own loophole by classifying its paid positions as office jobs.

“We have to change the rules a little bit so we can run the administration,” Phillips said, adding that the salaried positions within GSB require an “immense amount of time and energy,” and the positions pay “very little.”

Although this clearly makes sense to GSB members, it doesn’t to us. What about the rodeo, water polo and triathlon clubs who rely on salary money to pay safety officials for their events? So they’re not cushy office jobs, but they’re necessary to run their organizations. What would rodeo club be without a rodeo?

That’s not to say GSB members don’t put in an immense amount of time and energy into their jobs. It’s a slap in the face, however, to tell members of student organizations that they don’t put in as much or work as hard.

In addition, GSB still seems to function in a communication black hole. It stems from the most basic – do you know who your representatives are? – to a misguided self-image – like when GSB voted in favor of the proposed rec renovations before a single student actually cast a vote.

It comes down to one very basic flaw: GSB’s meetings are largely a waste of time. It’s hard to take an organization seriously when it spends 45 minutes to figure out what kind of office chairs to buy, or when it debates for hours on whether to buy Mardi Gras beads or GSB cups for the GSB tailgate. And it’s not just purchasing decisions: Discussion can extend into the night over silly squabbles about specific, ineffectual wordings in bylaws and proposals.

GSB can chalk its poor image up to student apathy, but that’s a cop out in the worst way. Students obviously care what goes on – the interest and turnout in this last election is evidence of that – and GSB needs to respect that. So, GSB, continue your good work with the city, streamline your in-house business, and put in the legwork required to be true representatives of your constituents. You control more than $1 million in student funds and serve as one highly visible purveyor of student opinion – act like it.