MSU student to serve on Chamber of Commerce board

Vanessa Anderson, a Minot State University junior from Buchanan, is eager to be a voice for students on the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce board.

Although Anderson will be a non-voting member, she is looking forward to having an opportunity to be a liaison between MSU’s student government and the Chamber of Commerce. Her first meeting was Dec. 18.

Fuller, who also serves on the board, said he wants MSU students to become more civic-minded and thinks being involved on the board will be a good learning experience for them. He also encourages students to provide the Chamber with the students’ perspective on life in Minot. Above all, he would like to increase the university’s involvement within the community as part of Vision 2013, the university’s strategic plan.

John MacMartin, president of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce, said he hopes that Anderson will help the chamber board stay in touch with issues that are important to students at MSU. That perspective will aid the Chamber as it works on community-wide projects and attempts to make the city attractive for young adults.

The Chamber board would also like to find avenues for MSU students to become more active in the community. For example, the Chamber may discuss a proposal to introduce a Roterac Club, the university-level version of the Rotary Club, at MSU. There seems to be a lot of interest on campus in becoming active in such a service organization, Anderson said.

A sociology and German major, Anderson is a student senator from the College of Arts and Sciences. She became interested in serving in student government this past summer because of concerns about security on campus.

"I feel safe on campus," she said, but recent events did bring the issue of campus safety to the forefront. A Minot State University student was murdered in her off-campus apartment last June and the murder has yet to be solved.

Anderson also finds it exciting to be among the first to know about actions the university has taken to improve security, such as adding cameras on campus and removing some trees and adding more lighting along University Avenue.

The junior said one of the things she would like to bring up while she is on the Chamber board is the possibility of building a bigger recycling center in the community. Anderson plans to attend law school and specialize in environmental law. Consequently, she has a great interest in the environment. She said the only thing that can be recycled on the university campus is paper. She would like to see opportunities to recycle grow.

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