Nikki Garrett sometimes jokes she is president of the apathetic.

As Off-Campus Government president, she represents more than half of the university’s students, though in a recent election, fewer than 40 people voted, she said.

“Most of the people who voted were affiliated with [the Government of the Student Body],” Garrett said.

While special elections don’t get much voting anyway, there is no budget to promote the elections, she said.

“People in residence halls have a fee; off-campus students don’t,” Garrett said.

GSB is working on getting a 5 cent fee attached to each off-campus student, she said.

Paul Heil, off-campus government senator, said the administration has been against imposing such a fee.

Within GSB’s senate, off-campus government seats account for 11 of the 20 residence hall seats.

“Frederiksen Court has one-eleventh of the representation we have,” Garrett said.

There are 19 people on the off-campus council — all 11 senators, plus eight other council members, she said.

“A lot of people moved off campus to get away from being sympathetic to the residence hall needs,” Heil said.

Garrett said students enjoy the freedom of being off campus.

“You can have a car and a place to park,” Garrett said.

GSB President T.J. Schneider said unless an off-campus student is involved in GSB or other campuswide organizations, they may not know they are being represented.

“Thousands of people live off campus and thousands of people don’t know there’s anything to vote for,” Garrett said.

Heil said the Off-Campus Council needs to do something that is related to people off campus.

“If it gets some money, then that’s excellent,” Heil said.

Garrett said she is looking into doing a fund-raiser, though the idea is still in the beginning stages.

“I would like to do something with a charity,” she said. “We’d do it off campus for off-campus students.”

Garret said a fund-raiser may help the off-campus government get publicity.

Rick Cordaro, former off-campus senator, said student apathy is a problem for all students, not just those living off campus.

He said this year he did not run in any elections, yet was written in and elected to three seats. Two of those seats, he won with one vote — his own. While not eligible, Cordaro won the races for nontraditional and international student senator.

Cordaro said college freshmen and seniors are preoccupied, leaving sophomores and juniors most likely to get out and vote.

“The first year, you’re figuring out what the hell is going on,” he said. “The fourth year, you’re figuring out what to do in the future. Basically, you have two years in between.”

Cordaro said students don’t feel affected by student government decisions.

“Students don’t care because you don’t deal with issues they care about,” he said. “Students don’t have a vested interest in student government issues because students don’t have enough at stake.”