The Loveliest Village on the Plains may sometimes be seen as a city divided: one part residents and one part students. But city officials don't see it that way when it comes to city concerns.
"You are a resident of Auburn if you have a residence," said Auburn Mayor Bill Ham. "If you have a dwelling here, then you live here."
This point is crucial for students to recognize when it comes to voicing city concerns. Students may not be aware of how to deal with the city, whether regarding a traffic light, a pothole or organizing a community event.
"If an individual has a problem, the best thing to do is, if it's not something within a particular department, like police or fire or codes or planning or something like that, I'm available 24/7," Ham said. "So is the city manager."
Auburn City Manager Charlie Duggan said whether or not someone is a student "doesn't always come up."
"There are definitely some issues that are unique to the students, or to that age group," Duggan said. "We treat all the issues the same whether someone's 19 years old or 89 years old."
Auburn is divided into eight wards. Students, like residents, can voice their concerns to their council representative.
"I would expect anyone that has a residence in any part of the community, even if they're renting for a week or a month, that the council member for that geographical area would direct them," Ham said.
Students also have a voice in Opelika, where Mayor Gary Fuller said they do what they can to accommodate student concerns.
"They would just do what any other citizen would do," Fuller said. "Certainly they can call the mayor's office, and we'll try to accommodate them."
One way to make contact with city departments in Auburn or Opelika is to attend a city council meeting.
"That's a good venue because we've got all the department heads of the city there--we kind of get everybody at once," Ham said.
The citizens' communications portion of the meeting allows any resident to express his or her concerns for a maximum of five minutes in front of the council.
Additionally, students may not realize there is a portion set aside for SGA communications at Auburn City Council meetings, which provides a link between the council and the SGA. Ham said he also goes to breakfast with the SGA once a month, adding that he and the council try to be proactive about understanding and addressing student concerns.
"I see the efforts of students and what they bring to this community as being incredibly beneficial," Ham said.
Fuller voiced similar feelings.
"We love students," Fuller said. "We welcome them in Opelika, and we try to always show them a lot of love."
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