Accessibility to city councils for college students has increased in Iowa after the Iowa City City Council voted to approve a student liaison at its last meeting.

“The position is absolutely vital in terms of opening up communication between the city and the university,” said Lindsay Schutte, University of Iowa Student Government president.

The Ames City Council approved a similar ex-officio position about two years ago, which is currently held by Andrew Tugan, senior in political science.

“Every decision the City Council makes affects students, whether it be zoning or tax increases,” Tugan said. “I need to represent student viewpoints on all issues, not just issues that affect students most directly.”

According to Daily staff reports, former Ames City Council liaison Nathan Johnston said certain times the appointment felt like a “trophy position.” Although a student has not served on the council in recent years, students and community members have submitted a petition to shorten terms. The petition is aimed at shortening council terms from four years to two years to increase accessibility to the council.

The Iowa City City Council voted 4-3 to approve the non-voting position March 22. According to The Daily Iowan, however, an amendment may be added that would allow the student to sit with the council only at work sessions, not formal meetings.

“I think that a lot of the people who voted against the student liaison represent constituencies that do not want students to be fully represented, for example [landlords] who make money off of students,” Schutte said.

Another reason for the split vote was the question as to whether the position would work, she said.

Schutte said there have already been a number of students who have applied for the liaison position.

The University of Northern Iowa does not have a student liaison position with the Cedar Falls City Council, though Student Body Vice President-elect Joe Murphy said he, along with the director of external affairs, attends City Council meetings as needed. He said although a full-time liaison is something to consider, communication between the city and the student body is already strong.

Despite the Ames student liaison holding a non-voting position, Tugan said the position is still important. Tugan said he spends anywhere from 5 to 15 hours preparing for each council meeting. During budget sessions, however, preparation takes 65 to 70 hours.

Tugan said not voting has rarely been an obstacle during his 14 months in the position.

“There were times when I really wished I had a vote, but two-thirds of the time it really would not have added much to the position,” he said.

Schutte said the non-voting position is particularly important in discussions.

“Anyone who has been heavily involved in politics and government knows that the most important decisions are not made when the vote is cast, but in the personal interactions and decisions beforehand,” she said.

Ames City Councilman Matthew Goodman, who has served on the council for more than a year, said giving the student liaison a vote on the council would be inappropriate because the position is appointed instead of elected.

“I do not think it is ethical to create a special interest seat with a vote,” he said. “The danger there is that you start to create a strange voting body.”

Despite Ames and Iowa City creating student liaison positions, many cities with student populations do not have a similar position.

“I do not know if it is necessary at every town, but it is definitely necessary in places like Ames and Iowa City where students make up a large portion of the population and contribute greatly to the economic stability of the city,” Schutte said. “However, in a place like Washington D.C., it probably would not be as effective.”

Goodman said the liaison position would be more effective in a smaller city where the student population makes up a large part of the city population.