MSA argues name change
Published Feb. 6, 2004
Senior Daniel Jacob is "pissed off."
At Wednesday's Missouri Students Association Senate meeting, Jacob urged senators to get involved in stopping the name change of Southwest Missouri State University to Missouri State University.
For the third consecutive year, a bill was proposed in the General Assembly to drop the regional moniker of "Southwest" from SMSU's name. Each year, it was successfully blocked by Jacob's father, Sen. Ken Jacob, D-Columbia. This year, however, the bill passed the Senate when legislators agreed to an amendment granting the UM system a $190 million bond and the authority to lease a plot of land for construction of a hotel and convention center. The bill is in the House.
"I've been here for four years, and I'm upset with a lot of things," Daniel Jacob said.
Tuition increases and a lack of on-campus parking spaces are some of the problems he's upset with, Daniel Jacob said.
"MSA gets a lot done, but there's a lot more they can do," he said. "This is the biggest issue we're facing, and they need to get involved. We have a situation where they are trying to take our name. You cannot give the name Missouri to another school. We own it. The Board of Curators owns it. It was given to us by the constitution."
Jacob said the Alumni Association also is trying to stop the name change.
MSA President Brian Laoruangroch said he thinks Jacob is doing a good job of rallying support.
"But I think he needs to take a softer approach to make sure he doesn't lose any of that support," Laoruangroch said.
Also during the meeting, Laoruangroch updated senators about his West Coast trip to see other student unions to get ideas for a renovation of Brady Commons.
"The good thing about Brady is that we give a lot of space to campus organizations," he said. "I would like to see more expanded student space here."
Laoruangroch toured student unions at the University of Arizona and the University of California at San Diego with other members of MSA.
Laoruangroch said he would like to see a locker and common area for any organizations that don't have office space.
"It would be good to have everyone centrally located so we can interact with them," he said.
MSA Senate Clerk Damon Ferlazzo, who also is the Operations Committee chairman, told the Senate the committee is looking into restructuring the Senate.
"The major discussion in the committee has been how representation will be established for next year," he said. "Before we make any changes, we will have to hold an election at the end of the year to modify the constitution."
The plan is similar to last year's Proposition Omega, which would have pared the senate down to 100 members.
Any restructuring plan would be proportional to the current representation with fewer actual seats in the Senate, Ferlazzo said.
The committee probably will present a plan to the Senate within the next month or two, Ferlazzo said.
Laoruangroch said he hopes to see about 50 senators in any plan that crosses his desk.
"I've asked a lot of schools about the sizes of their senates and most of them have under 50 members," he said. "We may have the largest senate in the state."
Laoruangroch compared the size of the senate to large classes.
"I would be more likely to attend a class with a size of 30 students rather than a large lecture hall," he said. "It's easier to notice if someone's not attending, and you feel more needed. It's the same way with the Senate. With a smaller size, people won't have the idea that it's OK to skip meetings. It will allow closer working relationships."