Ask ISU students the name of their Government of the Student Body president, and there’s a good chance you’ll get blank stares in return.

Lack of communication with students has frequently been cited as one of the major problems faced by GSB, but one student is trying to change that.

Debra Lauterbach, senior in computer science, currently serves as the director of information technology for the GSB Executive Branch.

She said when she began working with GSB, she realized it was facing a serious lack of recognition among students.

“It seemed like a lot of students felt that the president especially wasn’t very accessible,” Lauterbach said.

She began to form an idea for a solution this summer, and after a lot of hard work, the final project was launched in time for the fall semester.

Lauterbach has created a blog that allows GSB President Emily Jensen and Vice President Sara Faber to communicate easily with students. The blog, entitled “From the President’s Desk,” is available for any ISU student to view on the GSB Web site.

“So far, student response has been real positive,” Lauterbach said.

The blog has been viewed more than 3,000 times since it was launched in late summer.

Students believe it is a good way to voice their concerns to the president in a more informal manner.

“I think it’s good that [President Jensen] can hear from students themselves, rather than representatives,” said Elizabeth Soldwish, freshman in animal ecology.

Soldwish said she would definitely post on the blog if she felt strongly about an issue.

Rather than having to go to the GSB office and hoping to catch Jensen in order to talk with her, students now have the option of voicing their opinions from the comfort of their own room.

“It really makes the president very accessible,” Lauterbach said.

If its early success continues, Lauterbach hopes the blog will be a positive step towards a better relationship between students and their government.