An ISU student may serve as a bridge between the university and the city of Ames.

The City Council discussed a new proposal that would place a student on the council as an ex-officio, or a nonvoting, member.

The proposal was met with opposition from Council Member Judie Hoffman. She said it wasn’t feasible for one student to represent the diverse interests of all ISU students.

“Six or seven of us council members try to represent all of Ames, which is difficult,” she said. “It’s hard for me to think one student can represent all of campus, with its diversities.”

Hoffman said the ex-officio would represent the entire Government of the Student Body to the council.

“There’s not much agreement in GSB, so how can one person represent all of them?” she said.

GSB President T. J. Schneider disagreed. He said the purpose of a representative is to represent a large group of people. “ISU students already elect one student to represent everyone,” he said. “It’s even stated in the constitution that the president will be the representative of all ISU students.”

The student liaison for the City Council will be a communication vehicle between Iowa State and Ames by bringing student concerns to the council’s attention.

“I don’t see the [liaison] as one trumpeter, bellowing out what they feel to the city, but as a communicator between students and the city council,” he said.

Schneider said representing the interests of all students is difficult, but not impossible.

Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco supported the student liaison proposal. He said most people fail to recognize that “ISU students are young, responsible adults.”

“I support this measure 2000 percent,” he said.

During the public hearing, a time set aside for comments from the public, many students came forward with complaints about the city’s proposed ban on unlimited drink specials.

Benjamin Richards, 1305 Georgia Ave., said the ordinance will rob students of individual accountability.

“Drinking comes down to an individual choice, not the city of Ames,” he said. “Private parties aren’t as regulated as bars, which could create a nightmare of law enforcement. This does nothing to improve the situation for underage drinking.”

Steve Skutnik, graduate student in physics and astronomy, said if adopted, the ordinance will rob students of choice.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the city council has the best intentions,” he said. “Binge drinking is based on choice. No bar can coerce a student to drink. This [ordinance] places responsibility on bar owners and not individual students.”