In the upcoming city council election, I, Sehba Faheem, am endorsing Rachel Junck. I support her for many reasons, with her position as a student being paramount. 

Students comprise half of the Ames population, but have no voting power in city council. Each individual student may only be in Ames for four years, but as a population, we are a consistent part of the Ames ecosystem. 

Ames is a thriving community that is filled with unique businesses, modern facilities and beautiful recreational areas because of the prosperity that young people bring to the local economy. 

However, this steady stream of young residents carves a path for renters to be taken advantage of. 

Renting relationships often result with students getting the bad end of the deal, either as overpriced housing or unlivable conditions.

My first time as a summer subtenant was in old house that had been haphazardly broken up into multiple rooms, which gave way to drafts, bug outbreaks, and water damage during heavy rain. 

While there are many good landlord and tenant stories, there are still many students whose complaints to their landlord fall on deaf ears. 

Students like me have been taken advantage of for our naivete, and we need a student on city council to stop it. 

Rachel knows we need a tenant’s bill of rights, mechanisms for challenging unfair fees, and to make sure all units are safe and secure. She also cares about making sure Ames has affordable starter homes, so people like myself can afford to stay here after graduation.

No one is more able to assess the needs of students than a current student. The real stories of students are shared with another while walking to classes, studying in the library, and eating lunch together. 

That depth can only be reached by a fellow student, who is immersed in student life.

Rachel is involved in a broad variety of student life, as she a member of a sorority and is studying Chemical Engineering. As the only candidate who is a student, Rachel is the only one who can truthfully carry our voice.