Issue 7: Communication with students

Every issue, The Maneater will choose a topic important to students and ask the Missouri Students Association presidential candidates to explain what they plan to do about it.

By Erica Zucco and Gwen Daniels

Published Nov. 6, 2007

Dustin Barker

Jessica Ekhoff

Missouri Students Association presidential candidate Dustin Barker and vice presidential candidate Jessica Ekhoff have made communication plans with the student body that focus not only on getting

news out but also on taking it in.

They want to create a monthly "State of Mizzou address" and have plans for a MSA news broadcast produced in conjunction with the School of Journalism and aired on

MUTV 23.

The "State of Mizzou address" would invite all students to monthly meetings, where Barker and Ekhoff would discuss MSA

activity.

Students would be able to provide suggestions, ask questions and make comments, they said.

Barker and Ekhoff would also receive student feedback by attending a variety of student organization meetings at least once a week.

"Some people are often more comfortable giving ideas in their own settings," Barker said. "Groups could make suggestions together, rather than individuals having to bring things up themselves in MSA

meetings."

Jim Kelly

Chelsea Johnson

Presidential candidate Jim Kelley and vice presidential candidate Chelsea Johnson stressed the importance of action to publicize MSA.

"We feel like students don't know about MSA because they really don't know what MSA does," Kelley said. "We feel like they don't know what MSA does because MSA doesn't do enough."

Kelley and Johnson said addressing problems with innovative solutions should be the ultimate priority of the MSA president and vice president.

Communication is the vehicle to get from goal to action, Kelley said.

"You start where you are, and you have where you want to be further down the line," Kelley said. "You get from one point to another through communication."

The slate cited "MSA Monthly," a monthly newsletter sent to some students through e-mail every month,

as one good way MSA communicates this year.