NIU students can apply for DeKalb’s 1st Ward alderman which is up for grabs this fall.

Christine Hoagland, the current 1st Ward alderman, is resigning from her position at midnight on Jul. 31, said Mayor Greg Sparrow. Although he has not received a letter of resignation from Hoagland, he said she told him she would be leaving the position.

Hoagland was an alderman for more than three years. She said she is leaving her position on the city council to earn her master’s degree in public administration from NIU.

Sixth Ward Alderman James Pennington said he does not like the fact that Hoagland is leaving midterm. He said aldermen should try to fulfill their terms but it might be impossible to do so when other things such as education conflict.

Pennington said he certainly respects Hoagland’s decision to resign and wishes her the best of luck.

Sparrow will be left with the duty of finding a replacement for Hoagland this fall. He said he would like “to pull a name out of a hat…just kidding.”

He will follow the same procedure used last fall with the appointment of Jeff Monroe to 7th Ward alderman. Sparrow said he “will leave the seat vacant until late August or early September” which allows all interested students to apply for the position.

All students interested in the position must submit their names by September 30. Sparrow said he will review the applications himself and narrow them down to two or three.

He will interview the remaining applicants and submit his choice to the city council for its approval on Oct. 22. Hopefully the new alderman will be slated by Nov. 1, he said.

An overwhelming majority of the 1st Ward population is comprised of NIU students; many of them Greek, Sparrow said. It is not a must that the new alderman be a student but since 80 percent of the ward is comprised of NIU students, the probability of that is high, he said.