Those vying for the Michigan Student Assembly's top posts agree the assembly's relationship with Ann Arbor leaders and the surrounding community needs work - but they differ on how that tune-up should take place.
Independent presidential candidate Jessica Curtin said MSA not only should concern itself with campus concerns, but also with greater social issues in the community.
"(I'm) definitely for MSA intervening with the politics of Ann Arbor," Curtin said.
Martin Howrylack, presidential candidate for the Liberty Party, said a link between the two governments needs to exist. But he said his party wants to see the assembly expand its interaction with city officials.
"The two depend on each other," Howrylack said. "MSA needs to be there to make sure the city isn't walking all over the students."
One of the planks of the Michigan Party's platform is to reform the city's ward system to create a student district.
The current electoral system disperses student voters throughout five wards
"It's obvious that students are not being heard," said Michigan Party presidential candidate Probir Mehta.
Mehta's running mate, LSA Rep. Dan Serota, said the ward system was instated in reaction to students taking seats on the city council.
"The city did not like that," Serota said. "They designed the ward system to disenfranchise students."
Victors Party presidential candidate Jim Riske said he would like to see MSA work with local and state governments, as well as campus and religious groups, to organize some kind of homeless shelter or food bank.
"That's one of my main priorities actually because it's an obvious problem," Riske said, adding that MSA is in a good position to use its resources to propel the project.
LSA Rep. Mike Nagrant, the Students' Party's presidential candidate, has secured 11 student positions on various city council committees as MSA's campus governance chair.
Along with increasing student representation with the University administration, the Students' Party wants to continue working for more student appointments on council committees.
"We need to keep student priorities in mind," Nagrant said.
Matt Tomback, the Pissed Off with Korrupt Executives Party's vice presidential candidate, said MSA should be more concerned with the Ann Arbor community and the city council - especially since many students live off campus.
"We would like to see involvement with the outside community more than it is now," Tomback said.
Tomback said the 11 positions open for students on city council committees is a good idea and has the potential to increase.
"That's definitely a positive step that I think should be expanded," Tomback said.
But Curtin said she is against the student appointees.
United Rebels Front presidential candidate Pak Man Shuen said he wants to work with city council - but he would not stop there. He said his party also wants to work with student governments at other universities in order to communicate with leaders at both the state and national level.
"The more communication the better," Shuen said, adding that MSA has more clout with city council than other student groups on campus.