East Lansing officials are seeking students who could represent the college population to city government.

The University Student Commission is accepting applications for three students who are not affiliated with a university organization to serve as at-large members for one-year terms.

The 11-member group, which meets every other Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., has eight students representing various MSU organizations.

Applications can be submitted until the first meeting on Tuesday and are available on the city's Web site or at the city clerk's office in City Hall.

Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said the commission began seven years ago as a way to improve city and student relations, and to establish a formal link between the two groups.

It also allows students to give insight into how proposals will affect their community, she said.

"It was created by the city council to give students a formal voice in policy-making in the city," Golden said. "We're hoping that students will see this as an opportunity to represent the unaffiliated student, who, after all, makes up the vast majority of the population.

"It's a very important voice we need to hear," she said.

Issues commonly addressed include parking, neighborhood relations, voting, community service and housing and tenant issues, Golden said.

Last year, commission members also made recommendations to the city council regarding changes to the city's noise ordinance, said Annette Irwin, operations administrator for East Lansing Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Conservation.

She said they take an active role in watching for policies that affect students, including proposed housing developments.

"We tend to have a better grasp about what's going on," said Landon Bartley, the commission's Council of Graduate Studies representative. "It's as close to a student on city council as we are going to get."