The University of Iowa Student Government voted unanimously to create a permanent student-athlete liaison position on March 26.

The position is designed to increase collaboration between UISG and student-athletes and give the student-athlete community an opportunity to communicate its unique interests.

Ben Collins, a co-chair of the Iowa Student Athlete Advisory Committee, said the position will help form connections among student-athletes and the rest of the students during a presentation to UISG in a discussion over the proposed position on March 5.

“It seems like student-athletes are really in a bubble on the West Side … we’re trying to integrate them back into [the campus],” Collins said.

Collins said student-athletes from various sports have expressed interest in the position.

Both Collins and UISG Sen. Alexia Sánchez, the sponsors of the legislation, said intersectionality is an important focus for the position; 12 percent of student-athletes identify as international students, and 20 percent of student-athletes identify as an underrepresented minority.

The position will be a non-voting member of the legislative branch, creating an additional speaking seat in the Senate. The position is non-voting in order to prevent conflicts of interest between university administration and UISG.

Sen. Joseph Verry spoke in support of the legislation, saying it could increase representation in UISG.

“It does a great job of trying to increase representation in the organization, and I appreciate the thought process it has gone through in maintaining the integrity of our organization,” Verry said. “I think this is a great place to start the conversation about representation in UISG, especially when it comes to certain colleges like the College of Nursing or the College of Education.”