Outgoing Residence Halls Association President Derek Wallbank turned down requests to continue leading that organization. Instead, he announced his campaign for the East Lansing City Council.
Wallbank said he will seek a spot on the council in 2005 at an RHA meeting earlier this month.
Although he hopes to have a representative spot on RHA's General Assembly, he will be dedicating most of his time during the next academic year to his candidacy.
"Phase one is to go out, shut up and listen," Wallbank said. "I'm going to find out what makes East Lansing tick." After that, Wallbank said, he will go out and tell East Lansing residents how he can improve the city.
Some students say they would eagerly support a student running for the council.
"I think it's a really good idea," premedicine sophomore Katy Thomas said.
"We want people to realize we're not just a bunch of college kids. We have something to offer, too."
Wallbank won't be the first MSU student to run for City Council. East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem Sam Singh ran as a student in 1993. Though he lost that year, he ran again after his graduation and won.
"I didn't know how to run an effective campaign," Singh said, adding that he didn't spend enough time talking about all the aspects of the job.
Councilmember Beverly Baten said being a member of the council is a big job for any person.
"The kind of a community we are, with the university, you really have to have your finger on the pulse of the community," she said, adding that focusing on just one issue is generally not enough to get elected.
Wallbank hopes to see what he calls a focal shift come to East Lansing, which mirrors his experiences as president of RHA.
"When I came into RHA, we had one specific focus - to put on the best programs," he said. Now, Wallbank says, RHA is focused on making life better for MSU students. He hopes to do much of the same on the city council.
"What we really need to do is set East Lansing apart, get into a higher strata. We need to be a focal point of Michigan," he said.
Wallbank is confident in his ability to get elected. While MSU has 14,000 on-campus students, Wallbank said it only takes about 1,700 votes to get elected to the council.
"I think that having a viable alternative will bring people to the polls." he said.
"I think (students) are going to take a look at me, look at my service in RHA, and I think that I'm going to pick up support from that."
But Integrative Studies in Physical Science Professor Kirsten Wright is uncertain about having a student on the council.
"I would be hesitant to support (a student). They might have a short-term interest in the city," she said.
