Although the semester is ending, work is still abundant for some student government leaders this summer.

The Inter Residence Hall Association’s new president and vice president, Keith Twombley and Jessi Raim, will be busy in the following months trying to prepare for the fall.

“I don’t have any other required responsibilities during the summer, but I’m going to get started on some things,” Twombley said.

He mentioned updating the IRHA Web site and talking to other student government officials as areas he will be working on.

Twombley said he has three main campaign goals: Improving relationships with other student government groups on campus, improving services for residence hall students and increasing the number of students who vote in Iowa.

“We want to give our residents more bang for their buck,” Twombley said.

“Over the summer I will add features to our Web site such as the ability to chat online with IRHA representatives. The great thing is that [the features] won’t cost residents any extra money.”

Having students register to vote in the state of Iowa will help affect issues such as tuition increases and other areas concerning students, Twombley said.

“We’re putting together a task force to get students registered to vote,” Twombley said. “The chair of that has already begun a lot of work concerning absentee ballots.”

Twombley, who served as president of the Towers Residence Association before being voted IRHA president, said he was active in introducing new legislation to IRHA.

“A member of parliament [other than the president] has to put bills forth, but Jessi and I will make ourselves available for help,” Twombley said.

“The president is supposed to have an opinion on subjects, but there’s a fine line the president has to tread. He has to voice the opinion of the residents as a whole, but if he doesn’t know what that opinion is he has to depend on parliament.”

Twombley said he has a natural inclination to have strong opinions, but is excited about his new role as president.

“I think I have the skills necessary to lead IRHA,” he said.

Twombley said he and Raim are very different people, often with different opinions, but he thinks they will add balance to IRHA.

Raim was unavailable for comment.

“The key part of Jessi and I working together is that we don’t agree on everything,” Twombley said.

“We come from very different backgrounds and are involved in different activities. This different perspective will allow IRHA to prosper.”

The most important thing Twombley said he would like to accomplish in the next year is improving the relationships and teamwork levels among student organizations.

“I think perhaps most things we do for the residence halls are fleeting – and that’s good, it’s helpful,” Twombley said.

Twombley also said he will focus on fostering ties with other student government bodies, such as GSB, the Hawthorn Court Community Council and greek councils.

“Cooperation can last forever,” he said.