Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, marked his last city council meeting Tuesday night with an initiative that will place an Associated Students of Madison representative on the board of the Alcohol License Review Committee as a nonvoting affiliate.
""I think it's a phenomenally important move for the city to include a student voice on the ALRC,"" Judge said. ""Students have an essential voice on the topic of alcohol, and in my opinion it has been long overdue to get a student on the committee.""
The ALRC already includes several nonvoting members. One of these members is Special Assistant to the Chancellor Dawn Crim, who represents the views of UW-Madison and Bascom Hall.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the new student member is meant to complement the chancellor's position on the board.
""Students should be given the same opportunity to represent the views of the campus community,"" Verveer said. ""If you ask the average student, they probably would not think it's fair that the chancellor's office is meant to speak on the students' behalf when it comes to alcohol issues.""
ASM will use an application process to determine who will sit on the ALRC.
""I have expressed strong opinion and concern with ASM that we are sure to pick a student representative that is really passionate about the issue, really dedicated to going to these meetings and that can really serve as a strong voice,"" Judge said. ""I am confident that ASM will be able to pick a student to serve as the students' representative on the committee.""
