Dee Dee Benton loves everything about Cedar Falls. As the new student liaison between the city and the UNI community, she plans to work to ensure that her fellow students learn to love her native town just like she does.
The council voted on Oct. 6 to approve Benton as the UNI student liaison. The UNI junior addressed the council briefly about why she intends to strengthen the connection between the campus and the community.
“I think it’s really important for students to be connected with the city and its culture, as I have loved it all my life,” she said. “I think it’s very important for the city to be also connected with the university, as I believe it brings new life to our city.”
The position of the student liaison was made permanent on April 17, 2017, when then-Mayor Jim Brown signed a resolution to that effect after a trial period which was deemed successful, according to records. The candidate, for the year-long term is picked first by the Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) and recommended to the mayor, then approved by the Cedar Falls City Council. The resolution spells out the duties of the liaison and notes that the person “may be seated on the dais” during council meetings, but during Committee of the Whole meetings the student liaison “shall be seated in the audience.”
Working on establishing the position at the time were then-Ward 4 Councilman Tom Blanford, a 2013 UNI grad in political science and law, and Drew Stensland, a 2019 UNI grad who then served as NISG senator and chair of the student government’s External Relations Committee.
The candidate has to be a member of the student government in order to qualify for the position. Cade Olmstead, sociology and philosophy major, held the position from 2017 to 2018.
After the position was temporarily disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noah Hackbart stepped in to rebuild and reinvigorate the role, restoring its presence and purpose. He served from 2022 to 2024.
“I told our leadership, ‘I’ll be interim. You can replace me at any time. We just need somebody at City Hall,” Hackbart recalled. “The pandemic really sidetracked our efforts to have a student there consistently.”
During his 18-month stint, Hackbart worked under two different mayors and two councils, making connections and collaborating closely with city officials while they made the transition to post-pandemic operations. Hackbart took part in the discussions of the College Hill Vision plan, gave voice to student perspectives in public safety conversations and sat on committee meetings, including closed meetings.
Reflecting on the history of the position, Stensland, the former UNI senator who later became UNI Student Body president, said it is fulfilling to know that student voices are still being heard in the council chambers.
“It makes me so happy that the position is still around,” Stensland said. “We had no idea when we set out creating it that it would still be going strong today.”
A 2023 graduate of Cedar Falls High School, Benton is looking forward to serving as a connector between the campus and the community she grew up in.
“I was born here, lived in North Cedar all my life,” she said. “My dad taught me it’s important to be involved in your community in any way, shape or form. I’ve always grown up a Panther.”
In high school, Benton took multiple dual credit courses her senior year. That decision allowed her to major in three fields of study at UNI – political science, political communication and psychology – while also pursuing minors in international affairs and social justice.
Earlier this year, Benton was suggested to the council by former liaison Isaac Mata. She said she joined the student government in order to be eligible for the post.
“My goal is to create a big brainstorming session with NISG and City Council members,” she said. “Let’s talk about how we can show up for each other. How can students engage more with Cedar Falls? And how can residents engage more with UNI?”
Benton says it’s important for UNI students to attend community events off campus as a way to immerse themselves in the city’s culture. Engaging students in the revitalization of College Hill is one of her priorities as is bringing attention to small businesses in the area.
“I’m shocked how many students don’t even know what Four Queens is,” she said. “We should be more engaged with the smaller local businesses. There’s so much joy students can get out of them.
“It’s about connection,” she said. “Because the university brings so much life to Cedar Falls – and Cedar Falls gives so much back. We need to keep that energy going past the block party [a city festival that takes place in August].”
After graduation, Benton plans to set her sights on law school, with the focus of studying state law.
“I want to help people achieve their goals,” she said. “State law allows me to do that without being as emotionally taxing.”
If the opportunity presents itself, Benton does not rule out the possibility of politics in her future.
“If lawyer life ever gets too boring,” she joked, “I could see myself getting involved at the city or state level.”
Benson believes her time as the student liaison will help her learn the ropes of local government and understand how decisions are made.
During the council meeting on Oct. 6, Kelly Dunn, a councilwoman-at-large, praised Benton’s willingness to serve.
“It’s not just sitting up here,” she said of the position’s impact. “I appreciate when we have young folks that are willing to speak up and let us know how the students feel about a particular topic so that we can better serve our student population, not only at the university, but hopefully, in turn, they’ll consider staying here forever.”
Speaking to the Cedar Falls News Hub later, Benton added: “I’ve always loved Cedar Falls,” she said. “It’s home. And I just want more students to feel that way, too.”
