Committee votes 'yes' on SMSU
Published Jan. 28, 2005
On Tuesday, the bill to change Southwest Missouri State University's name to Missouri State University moved one step closer to a full Senate vote.
The bill, which also would rename three other schools in addition to SMSU, passed the Republican-dominated Senate Education Committee by a party-line vote of 6-3.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Norma Champion, R-Springfield, also would rename Missouri Western State College, Harris-Stowe State College and Missouri Southern State University-Joplin.
Missouri Western and Harris-Stowe would replace the word college with university, and Missouri Southern would lose its Joplin reference.
Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said he was not surprised with the committee vote. He said he was willing to revive the filibuster tactics of former Sen. Ken Jacob D-Columbia, to defeat the bill.
"I will spend as much time as I need to convince my colleagues that this is a bad idea," Graham said.
Kelli Wolf, student representative to the SMSU Board of Governors, said she was pleased with the vote.
"It's one step in what is obviously a long political process," Wolf said.
Chris Roepe, legislative director for Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, said the bill would be put on the Senate calendar next week and then come to a full vote.
"That will be one of the first bills from the education committee put in" the calendar, Roepe said.
Roepe said he did not know when it will come to a full vote on the Senate floor, but he said the bill is "obviously going to receive its time."
Wolf said SMSU deserves the name change because it no longer operates at the level of a regional university.
"SMSU operates as a major state university" this bill is just giving us the name we have already fulfilled," Wolf said.
Opponents of the measure contend the name change would steal MU's "historic name" and siphon funding away from the UM system.
Wolf said SMSU will lobby for higher funding with or without a new name.
"We are funded lower than almost any higher education institution in the state," Wolf said. "Regardless of what our name is, we're going to be working for more funding."
Shields is willing to make a compromise on the bill, Roepe said.
"We always try to make a compromise," Roepe said. "We are definitely willing to do that. I don't know how open (Graham) is to that, however."
Jacob filibustered a version of the SMSU name change bill last session and reached a compromise that would have netted the system a $190 million bond package. The bill died in the House.
Graham didn't indicate how well his technique might work during debate about the bill.
"You never know till you get out there," Graham said.
