A candidate for director of the Department of Residence said he would build stronger relationships with students in the position, focusing his short speech on the importance of good communication between students and faculty.

Dean of Students Pete Englin spoke to the ISU and Ames communities Wednesday in one of four open forums designed to help community members choose the new Department of Residence director.

Englin, who has been at Iowa State since 1989, said he is delighted to be a candidate.

During the forum, held in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union, about 115 ISU students, faculty, staff and Ames residents had an opportunity to ask Englin questions about his priorities and goals for the department and why he is a good candidate for the position.

“One of the most important questions to ask is, ‘What is it that we most need and what is it that we least need?’ and ‘How much will it cost?'” Englin said. “In my conversations with students, I have heard optimism and a sense of excitement. It has fortified my belief that this is a good decision to pursue.”

He said he chose to apply for the position because it would offer him unique learning opportunities and he would like to make great memories while developing a sense of a community.

“And it’s probably going to be a 20 percent raise,” Englin said.

One of the main topics brought up at the forum is the concern of cutting more staff positions. Englin said future staff cuts would not be needed, though.

He said no matter what action the department has taken before, there is nothing he would change.

“We are where we are, so let’s move forward,” he said. “We need to ask students what they want out of the process of living in the residence halls and … we need more students’ input.”

Englin said to seek out students’ opinions, he wants to be the adviser to the Inter-Residence Hall Association. He said he needs to be engaged in the whole community, not just the residence halls, and advising IRHA would be a formal way of finding out what is going on directly from students.

Despite students dealing with high stress levels during Dead Week, IRHA Vice President Phil De Koster said this week’s forums are effective and allow interested students to talk to the candidates.

“It’s better to do them now and get it out of the way than to do it in the middle of July,” De Koster said. “It’s a good way for the candidates to see what is going here and for us to get a better understanding.”