Being a liaison between the city and the students is the most important role of the senator for community affairs.

“I deal with issues that come up that affect students,” said Justin Jeffery, senator for community affairs. “In the last year, I have tried to turn this into more of a proactive position.”

A typical week for Jeffery consists of meetings with Dean of Students Greg Jarvie and attending City Council meetings. On a daily basis, he reads the paper to see if anything has come up dealing with students he was not aware of.

At the beginning of the year, Jeffrey was allotted about $4,000 to use in the position. He said the money was used for the Community Task Force, which tries to improve relations with the city and off-campus students. One main aspect of the task force is the party patrol, where Jeffrey talks to students about responsible partying. He said the money is also used for advertisements, food for forums and printing city flyers.

Jeffrey said he would like to see the next senator for community affairs keep the Community Task Force alive. He would also like to see the new senator keep students’ reputation respected among city residents.

“Whoever comes in to the position, I hope keeps a professional attitude,” he said. “We have had some problems in the past with senators using this position to get back at the police. I hope the next person doesn’t do this.”

– Caroline Lautenbacher