MSA recruits potential members
Officers discussed several new MSA programs.
Published Sept. 14, 2007
Nearly all the students who attended a presentation on the Missouri Students Association signed up to receive more information after the event Tuesday night. The presentation attracted 30 prospective members.
The night was held to educate interested students on the inner-workings of MSA and its future projects.
"It's a great way to get hands-on activity," MSA Vice President Andrew Cafourek said. "It also looks really good on resumes."
MSA is in the process of getting several programs running, MSA President Rachel Anderson said. These programs include ZOUpedia, an MU version of Wikipedia that will include all of the students, organizations and restaurants around Columbia. MSA is also starting iTunes U at Missouri. ITunes U is a program in which professors can put up lectures on iTunes for students to download.
The presentation also gave information on MSA's inter-workings. The group is composed of three branches — executive, legislative and judicial — that carry out all of its functions.
In the executive branch, there are several auxiliaries and departments.
Anderson and Cafourek head the executive branch, and the auxiliaries for the executive branch of MSA include safe-ride program STRIPES, student-run television station MUTV, student radio station KCOU, and the MSA/Graduate Professional Council Box Office.
"I wanted to work for and with the students," Anderson said.
One of the departments run by the executive branch is the Department of Student Activities, which is headed by Director Nick Trusty. DSA is responsible for booking concerts, comedians, speakers and other special events on campus.
DSA's goal is to bring both educational and fun things to campus, Trusty said.
Another department run by the executive branch is the Department of Student Services. DSS takes ideas from students and faculty and puts them into action. This includes online services, special programs, campus safety and other student programs.
The final department controlled by the executive branch is the Department of Student Communication. Junior Amanda King is the director for DSC. DSC performs public relations, publicity and promotion and special projects for MSA.
King said she joined MSA because she felt like the minority community didn't have a lot of support from MSA. Before becoming DSC director, King was vice president for the Legion of Black Collegians.
"I wanted to aid in bridging the gap between those two organizations," King said.
Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays also spoke at the meeting.
The legislative branch consists of the senate, which has six committees. These committees are Academic Affairs, Budget, Campus and Community Relations, Multicultural Issues, Operations and Student Affairs.
The judicial branch, which consists of the Parking and Transportation Review Panel, the Academic Integrity Board and the MSA Student Court, hears cases under the MSA constitution. The court consists of nine judges.
At the presentation, MSA members offered students a number of ways to get involved.