MSA Senate rejects enrichment hour
Published March 5, 2004
Missouri Students Association President Brian Laoruangroch said he will not give up on a resolution to add an "enrichment hour" to class schedules. The hour would be a set time in the schedule in which no students would have class.
On Wednesday, the MSA Senate rejected a resolution supporting an "enrichment hour trial for the spring and fall semesters of 2005 on Tuesdays and Thursdays anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.," as the bill read.
The hour could be used for guest speakers, organizational meetings, lunch, a visit to the Student Recreation Center or meetings with teachers, Laoruangroch said.
"I'm disappointed because I'm not sure how many senators consulted their constituents before rejecting the resolution," he said. "Not one person I've spoken to has been against this bill. It's clearly something the students want. Everybody likes this bill except the MSA Senate."
Laoruangroch said he thinks he could have done a better job presenting the bill to the Senate.
"I spent so much time consulting the student body that I didn't take time to promote it to each committee," he said.
Many senators said their main concern was a lack of space for students to gather.
Student Affairs Committee Chairwoman Tiffany Julian said until there is more space on campus, the plan for an enrichment hour is not logistically sound.
"There's nowhere to sit in dining halls and at Brady during lunch as it is. What are people going to do?" she said.
Another concern Julian said she has is that students won't use the hour for its intended purpose.
"When I was a freshman, if I had an hour break in the day I'd go back to my dorm and take a nap," she said. "If you put it in the middle of the day, I think a lot of people will leave and not come back."
The academic affairs committee unanimously approved the bill in its meeting Tuesday, chairman Joshua Judy said.
"Academic affairs loved that it would have provided the chance for us to meet on chancellor's committees," he said. "Right now, I can't be a part of them because of scheduling conflicts. Having an hour when everyone would be free would help a lot."
Judy said he was surprised the resolution didn't pass.
"This would really help people not involved with campus activities become involved," he said.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs suggested the idea for a common hour fall semester, Laoruangroch said.
Laoruangroch said he will submit a similar bill to the Senate and will spend time promoting the bill to the committees.
Laoruangroch also said the resolution is important because it will allow the university to see if the enrichment hour will work.
"It's a trial period," he said. "It's not going to hurt. If it doesn't work, we can do away with it. We can talk about the benefits and concerns, but until we actually try it, we won't know how it would affect the student body."