The Inter-Residence Hall Association discussed changes in the Department of Residence and its new voter registration program at Thursday’s meeting.

John Shertzer, IRHA adviser, said he was happy with the proactive approach of the residence department and IRHA.

Some changes include a new smoke-free policy for Union Drive Association, Richardson Court Association and Towers Residence Association.

UDA Suite Building 1 has been completed and the UDA Community Center is scheduled to be completed by fall 2003.

Also, Wallace has been converted to singles and super-singles, Shertzer said, and Buchanan Hall is closed until the fall of 2003. It is scheduled to open as a suite-style residence hall for upper-division students.

Government of the Student Body Speaker of the Senate Tony Luken said he has been working with IRHA to get all students in residence halls registered to vote.

“In my mind, this is one of the most important things we do, not as residence hall students, but as citizens,” he said.

He said his main goal is to get students mobilized to vote by providing them with absentee ballots, voter registration forms and mass e-mails about voting dates and candidates.

Luken also mentioned the lack of student representation in Ames City Council.

“Students are the majority in Ames,” he said. “We run the town but we don’t have anyone representing us.”

IRHA President Keith Twombley encouraged students to apply for cabinet positions at http://irha.stuorg.iastate.edu. “We need to keep pushing the open IRHA positions,” he said.