Governor's committee approves student rep.

By Elliot Njus

Published Feb. 1, 2008

Hours before heading to St. Louis for two days of UM system Board of Curators meetings, Tony Luetkemeyer, the board's student representative, was confirmed for a two-year term in the position by the Gubernatorial Appointment Committee. He still needs to be approved by the full state Senate.

Luetkemeyer had served the remainder of former student representative Maria Kerford’s term. Kerford served a full term, but was appointed on an offset schedule.

“The governor’s office is trying to fix that,” Luetkemeyer said.

The governor appoints the representative, and the position rotates between the four UM system campuses. Luetkemeyer’s re-appointment means that an MU student would fill the position for about four months longer than the usual two-year term.

Luetkemeyer said he might graduate a semester before his term is finished.

Then, he said, how to fill the position would be up to the next Missouri governor.

“I think the main things that I want to accomplish are to ensure tuition and student fees on the campuses remain affordable,” he said. “One of the other things is make the board more transparent to students.”

Luetkemeyer said one of his goals is to visit the student government on each system campus and give a presentation about the Board of Curators. He said he hoped to bring a member of the board with him on each of the visits.

“I think that would help to open up dialogue between the board and the students that, outside of the student curator, hasn’t really happened,” Luetkemeyer said.

During Wednesday's hearing, Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Crystal City, asked Luetkemeyer if he received a vote on the board.

“I think we ought to let the student have a vote on the board,” McKenna said.

The student curator is a nonvoting member of the board, though Luetkemeyer noted he was a voting member of the UM system Presidential Search Committee.

Graham has sponsored legislation to make the student representative a voting member of the board, and he has said he’ll make the issue a priority again this legislative term.