Student government leaders come together
Published Nov. 13, 2007
Student government leaders from Missouri public universities came together on Saturday in Memorial Union
to discuss higher education issues.
"We wanted to start a discussion on issues that affect higher education institutions," Missouri Students Association President Rachel Anderson said. "We realized we're more likely to agree than
disagree on general education issues."
Delegates from 10 universities came together as the Missouri Higher Education Consortium to discuss issues including financial aid and to the cost of tuition for
veterans.
"It was really effective," Anderson said.
Orlando Hodges, Missouri State University's student government president, said this was a meeting that needed to happen.
"Students need to stand up and say what issues matter to them," Hodges said.
The future plan for MHEC is to create a publication that explains the position these 10 universities have on a variety of issues.
For now, each school was assigned an issue to research.
"We divvied up the topics so the universities could share the burden of work," Hodges said.
MU is responsible for looking at issues of textbook transparency, and gaining a student vote on university governing boards and university's budget, Anderson said.
MSA submitted a resolution to be approved in Senate that recommended to the Missouri General Assembly that publishers be required to disclose the "necessary information" instructors need to select a course
textbook, according to the bill's text.
MSA Senate also approved a resolution earlier this semester that recommended that the Board of Curators give the "student curator" a recordable vote, a step toward gaining full voting rights.
MHEC will meet again in the spring to discuss their findings, Hodges said.
At the meeting, delegates also discussed the dynamics of their respective campuses.
"We were able to learn from each other," Anderson said.