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| City Council Could Appoint College Student Members Cities with Higher Ed Institutions Allowed to Appoint students as Ex Officio | ||||||||||||
College students could be appointed as non-voting members of Minnesota city councils under terms of legislation introduced Monday by Sen. Kathy Sheran.
Under the initial proposal, city councils in communities with higher education institutions would be allowed the appointing power; however no city is required to participate.
“This legislation offers cities authority to allow for student ex-officio members,” Sen. Sheran said. “Although students wouldn’t have a vote, they could provide valuable insight and input to council members on a variety of issues. If cities choose to have student members, the communities would establish the process for student selection.”
The idea for the bill was brought to Sen. Sheran, who represents five higher education institutions in District 23, by Thomas Williams and Brett Anderson, President and Vice President, respectively, of the Minnesota State Student Association at MNSU – Mankato.
“This was an initiative brought to me by the students at MNSU - Mankato,” Sen. Sheran said. “I wanted to provide the opportunity for students to engage in the bill-making process here at the Capitol, on an issue that directly affects them.”
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