Editorial:

LBC should work to get demands passed

Published April 28, 2006

If you walked by Speaker's Circle on Thursday afternoon, you might have seen members of the Legion of Black Collegians protesting. The organization protested because of a perceived inaction regarding its List of Demands that it presented to Chancellor Brady Deaton last year.

Most of the demands are relatively reasonable. On the list is naming a university building after a prominent black Missourian. There are several new residence halls in construction. It's do-able. LBC could also convince students to increase its budget. It's do-able.

Those examples and the other demands are all do-able — with a little bit of work from LBC. Naming a building involves several meetings regarding the idea with Residential Life Director Frankie Minor and the Residence Hall Association.

The Missouri Students Association has recently separated itself from the Student Fee Review Committee, which would handle LBC's budget increase. It's up to LBC to work with SFRC to make the increase happen. It would also help if both governments follow through on the recently revised articles of cooperation.

One thing is clear: Nothing happens if LBC doesn't keep working with the necessary people to accomplish its goals. LBC has a clear vision, but it needs to regroup its efforts with administrators and student leaders to achieve that vision.

The Hispanic American Leadership Organization has a similar list of suggestions. HALO is also working with student organizations and administrators to make progress on these goals.

Both groups have good goals. Both groups want to increase MU's diversity. Both groups want to make MU a better campus, with a wider range of opinions, for all students. Both groups deserve to have their goals met and the best way is through clear, thoughtful cooperation.