Williams focuses MSA race on experience, advocacy

Phyllis Williams believes that personal involvement speaks for her.

By Campbell Massie

Published Nov. 6, 2008

Phyllis Williams said she believes that there has been a clear understanding of what differentiates slates, and it is not just that she and running mate Jonathan Snipes are running without a platform. The pair prefers to look at the candidates themselves and their qualifications, an area they both feel they excel in.

Williams has worked within the Missouri Students Association as well as around campus with different groups and departments.

She has had the unique experience of working directly with important people at the university through initiatives in and out of MSA, like the admissions office and administrators, she said.

Williams said she entered into her former position as MSA Academic Affairs committee chairwoman with the same attitude that she would enter the presidency: with no preconceived notions. During the next year she worked with the University Bookstore, the Associated Students of the University of Missouri and MSA on a bill that would encourage more transparency with booksellers and the people who buy and choose books for classes. Their work ended with the Missouri General Assembly passing the Textbook Transparency Act, which gives students more information about the books they choose and professors the ability to keep price in mind when choosing books for classes, Williams said.

ASUM Board Chairman Craig Stevenson, MSA Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays and Williams saw the bill through until it became law.

"She isn't satisfied just bringing awareness to an issue," Mays said of William's follow-through.

Mays is not endorsing any candidate.

The bookstore saw an increase to 70 percent of professors turning their book orders in on time this semester, which directly correlates to getting students more money in buy-back and more used books to choose from.

Snipes urged voters to look at candidate's experience and qualifications for the positions they hope to fill, pointing to his extensive work with budgets as a finance and banking major, a former finance chairman for the Legion of Black Collegians, the treasurer for Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the Black Business Students Association vice president.

Snipes said he hopes students see he and Williams have the students' interests at heart and would be active leaders on campus for them.

"We make a lot of sense for these positions," Williams said.

Williams said she would like to see safety go beyond just prevention but to transform into a culture where crime is simply not tolerated. She would like to hold people accountable and make the campus a community of safety, she said.

Beyond violent crimes, she feels it is unacceptable that some groups feel unsafe going to certain places off-campus, a point she brought up again at the a debate Wednesday night, sponsored by Four Front and The Maneater.

Williams and Snipes both said they love MU and have gotten involved with different areas on campus because they wanted to, not because they were being watched, Williams said.

"We cared when no one was looking," Williams said.

She said she knows not having a platform is a risky technique. Whatever happens in the election, Williams said she ran the campaign she wanted to without pandering or making promises that she might not be able to keep.