There has been plenty of debate these last few weeks concerning the Government of the Student Body, its purpose and its achievements.

It’s safe to say that GSB is by no means perfect, and the members of GSB realize this. We are continuously trying to improve how GSB serves and advocates for student interests.

Although there is still much that can be improved, significant steps have been made over the last year. Many of the previous letters to the editor have listed some of these accomplishments: raising more than $27,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief, creating the Principles of Community, forming an Athletic Director Student Advisory Committee, completely redesigning the GSB Web site, etc.

GSB has also taken new steps in preparation for the future. Throughout the last month, GSB has gone through a strategic planning process to better determine current priorities and future recommendations. The results of this process will help future GSB executives in making decisions that reflect the role of GSB and influence the entire student body.

However, in order for GSB to perform effectively, student input is necessary, and this is the perfect time of year to give feedback. The campaign for next year’s executives and senators is currently under way and will end next Monday.

First of all, make sure to vote online at Vote.iastate.edu between Friday and Monday.

Also, talk to candidates about what you would like to see from GSB. Profiles and contact info for all candidates are available under the “Elections” tab on the GSB Web site (www.gsb.iastate.edu).

Finally, GSB President Angela Groh and I still have six weeks left serving as president and vice president. We would love hear anything you have to say, to whether it be concerns, ideas for improving GSB, feedback on the past year or just thoughts in general.

Thank you, and go Cyclones!

Christopher Deal

Vice president

Government of the Student Body