Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Troy McCullough, Tim Davis, Jennifer Holland, Kathleen Carlson and Jenny Hykes.

It takes a lot for the Government of the Student Body to work for all students. It takes organization, intelligence, cooperation and discussion. It also needs one more thing: students.

With the GSB elections now over, it has been noted that the number of minority students serving on GSB has more than doubled.

GSBpresident Dan Mangan said that the increase in minority representation will “inevitably improve the senate.”

Undoubtedly.

A major criticism of GSB in the past has been that it has, for the most part, been a club mainly for white males.

And while that perception may or may not be 100 percent accurate, the fact remains that many under-represented groups felt GSBdid not adequately represent them. Hence, the term “under-represented groups.”

For any governmental body to truly be a vital, effective organization, it must ensure that all groups are adequately represented in an effort to address the grievances and issues of each specific group.

The increase in minority representation is a start in making GSBan organization more representative of ISU’s diverse campus.

The seven African-American students voted in as senators are to be commended for committing themselves to our student government. By their very presence, they may have opened doors to GSBfor students that may not have been available previously.

Other under-represented groups could perhaps examine what motivated these senators to run for office and see what good could come from them getting involved in GSBas well.

Congratulations to all the new senators, not just the minority students, for making the commitment to get involved. And congratulations to all students who voted for a more inclusive senate. They have answered their own call for a truly representative government.