The Southeast Como Improvement Association elected two student representatives to serve on the neighborhood’s board Tuesday night.

The representatives – Sam Ero-Phillips from the Minnesota Student Association and graduate student Erin Dietrich – will act as liaisons between students and the neighborhood association, neighborhood coordinator Greg Simbeck said.

The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association already has student members. MSA Vice President Jeff Nath said they also hope to appoint representatives to Prospect Park and Cedar-Riverside neighborhood associations in the future.

“We want to improve communication with the neighborhoods,” Nath said. “A lot of the long-time residents see student renters as problems.”

Simbeck said student representatives were added to increase communication with the neighborhood’s large student population.

MSA and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly chose Ero-Phillips and Dietrich, respectively, because they both live in the area and expressed interest in serving on the board. Both will serve one-year terms.

Both Ero-Phillips and Dietrich said they hope to bring a student perspective to the board.

“I don’t feel students are being represented enough,” Dietrich said.

Ero-Phillips said he wanted to learn more about the neighborhood and serve as a go-between for MSA.

“I’m trying to be an active listener and learner,” Ero-Phillips said.

MSA President Eric Dyer said the student government wants to work closely with the neighborhood associations.

“It’s a way to connect student government with city politics,” he said.

In addition to electing board members, the meeting addressed property inspection concerns.

Minneapolis City Council member Paul Zerby, who represents the University area, was at the meeting to discuss how firefighters and the city will work together with property inspections.

“It’s going to happen,” Zerby said. “We expect to have it done by the end of the year.”