Government of the Student Body President Angela Groh outlined her plans for the next year during the State of the Student Body address at Wednesday’s GSB meeting.

She outlined four main points she plans for GSB to cover: tuition, academics, communication and a “one community” proposal.

Groh said tuition has gone up 62 percent over the last four years, and GSB needs to continue to work so this trend does not continue. Frequent visits to lobby the Statehouse and the Board of Regents were needed for GSB to work to slow tuition increases, she said.

She said GSB plans to continue to increase communication and interaction with the city of Ames.

“We will work to more effectively communicate with the city, the Board of Regents, other universities and so forth,” Groh said.

She said the executive cabinet positions have been structured to work more closely with Ames. The director of student projects, John Meyer, has the position of setting up events within the community, she said.

Groh said she would like to see the ex-officio student City Council member, Tony Borich, senior in community and regional planning, increase interaction between City Council and GSB, including joint meetings, which may help build a better relationship with the city.

When Groh finished her speech, the new senate began to seat different senate positions.

The senate shifted gears, deciding on a new speaker of the senate. Greg Shepherd, Graduate College senator, Kyle Perkins, College of Business senator, and Phil Hernandez, University Student Apartment Community senator, were the nominees for the position.

Chris Deal, GSB vice president, asked the three nominees to leave the room while the senate decided.

Various senators stood and addressed the senate about why a particular senator was a good choice.

Henry Alliger, former GSB speaker of the senate, addressed the senate and said the nomination for speaker should be someone who knows a lot about GSB because this person is going to be communicating with the press about different issues related to GSB.

Two-thirds of the senate needed to vote in the affirmative for the person to take the position. The vote came down to Hernandez and Shepherd.

The first and second vote did not return a two-thirds vote. Holdover senators from last year were behind Shepherd, while Hernandez had the support of many newly-appointed senators.

Katherine Gidlewski, College of Engineering senator, said she supported Shepherd.

“He was you last year, guys. He knows the trials and tribulations you are going through,” Gidlewski said.

Shepherd won the position on the third vote by receiving more than two-thirds.

The non-returning members of GSB grilled out in front of the window to the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union, where all members of the senate could see and hear them when they yelled.

Alliger said this was an annual tradition.