Ames City Council and Iowa State Student Government hosted their semi-annual joint meeting to discuss issues concerning both communities Tuesday night prior to the regular City Council meeting. The two primary subjects discussed were student engagement in the 2020 election and the COVID-19 response by both the city and the university.

Gloria Betcher, 1st Ward representative, discussed get-out-and-vote efforts led by the League of Women Voters as well as early voting locations available to students in Ames and near campus. 

“City of Ames has early voting locations at the public library the next few Saturdays in October,” Betcher said. “There’s also voting at the Schemen Building on campus on Monday and Tuesday from 9 [a.m.] to 4 [p.m.], and … at the administration building.”

Betcher said absentee ballots can also be dropped off at the early voting locations. She discussed available opportunities for students to work with the League of Women Voters on phone banks.

Sehba Faheem, a senior in biological systems engineering who is also a senator representing Schilletter and University Village and a member of the Civic Engagement Committee, discussed Student Government efforts to engage students with voting.

“Gearing up for 2020, we created the vote.iastate.edu website,” Faheem said. “We’ve also gotten voter registration forms and absentee ballots placed all around campus and in all the residence halls.”

Faheem also said Student Government is working with administration to try to make absences from class due to voting excused.

The council also discussed how to keep students engaged in future elections. Betcher pointed to efforts to increase overall engagement with the community as a way to increase voter engagement. 

Ames Mayor John Haila said broader engagement with the Ames community is important.

“[Students] are part and parcel of the vibrancy and the lifeblood of our community,” Haila said. “I think that if we can accomplish that, it might cause people to be more interested in taking part in the election process.”

Nicole Whitlock, senior in elementary education and ex-officio member of City Council, also addressed student engagement with the broader community.

“A lot of students feel like Iowa State’s campus is a little community inside the city,” Whitlock said. “I think that informing students of everything Ames has to offer … and everything available to them [would help build engagement.]”

Jacob Schrader, senior in economics and vice president of Student Government, touched on the importance of filling out the census. 

“Help everybody out, fill it out on your own and make sure you’re counted,” Schrader said. “It goes a long way to helping the community.”

Morgan Fritz, president of Student Government, described the COVID-19 mitigation efforts on campus, including social distancing, capacity limitations in classrooms and single-direction walkways and stairways, as well as the recent implementation of randomized testing. 

Haila praised the amount of collaboration between the city and the university and pointed specifically to the university allowing the use of its trademarks and logos in mitigation information, as well as the low hospitalization rates in the county.

“There’s been a very intentional endeavor to get information out to the public,” Haila said.

He also brought up the issues of large gatherings, face covers and the collaboration between the university and police departments in responding to parties held by both students and non-student residents. Haila also clarified the city’s position regarding bar closings, saying the city has no influence with the governor and has received no guidance at the time beyond the order to close the bars.

Betcher, responding to the subject of face coverings and gatherings, said one of her constituents had asked her to pass along a message to Student Government.

“Please get the word out that if you have a party, you need to practice social distancing and wear a mask if you can figure out how to drink with one on,” Betcher said, repeating a request from the constituent.

City Manager Steve Schainker said while the city doesn’t have any formal data, anecdotal evidence shows that people are trying to comply with the mask mandates and other mitigation measures.

“I think everybody understands the severity … and still have as much a normal life as possible,” Schainker said.

Haila also pointed out that while there are no penalties for the city or county mask mandates, the city has been asked that when the Ames Police Department responds to nuisance parties, they report student names and addresses to the university.

Student Government and the city also discussed the statuses of various projects in the city, including the construction on Welch Avenue in Campustown. Haila said the work should be completed in November.

Schainker provided an update on the approximately $18 million southward extension of Grand Avenue, saying the project should be completed in about a year.

“By next year, we’ll be driving on it,” Schainker said. “We have a big bridge to build, but it’s going well.”

Also discussed were repairs in Emma McCarthy Lee Park, work being done on sanitary sewers and the effectiveness of newly installed traffic signals.

Haila also encouraged Student Government to make sure students are aware there are opportunities to serve on city commissions and boards and that there is a current vacancy on the Property Maintenance Appeals Board.

Council members concluded with encouraging students to bring issues to the city and to ask questions about things that are going on in the city.

“Those of you who have visited your professor’s office hours know how delighted they are when people show up and want to talk about things they’re passionate about,” said David Martin, 3rd Ward representative. “People associated with the city will also want to talk about things relating to the city. We may not know the answer, but it’s always fun to talk.”