ASUM promotes session goals
The lobbying group sponsored a news conference Wednesday.
Published Feb. 8, 2008
Optimistic student lobbyists outlined their plans for working with the state legislature to pass two bills they say would benefit UM system students.
Representatives from the Associated Students of the University of Missouri sponsored their first-ever news conference Wednesday afternoon at the Reynolds Alumni Association in an effort to raise awareness and support for their legislative goals for the Missouri General Assembly’s current session.
The organization will work to make textbook companies more accountable to consumers and to acquire a vote for the student representative to the UM system Board of Curators, the representatives said.
Rep. Jake Zimmermann, D-Olivette, was on hand to discuss a bill he is sponsoring that would require textbook companies to disclose the prices of textbooks to professors.
It also would require companies to unbundle supplemental materials that are packaged with textbooks and to make available information about changes between old and new editions of textbooks.
Zimmerman said this issue has come up in a number of states and on the federal level. He said he already had been looking into the issue when ASUM representatives approached him to sponsor the bill.
He said he “jumped at the chance” to work on the bill with ASUM when they approached him.
“I’ve always been impressed with them (ASUM),” Zimmermann said. “Nonprofessional lobbying groups are of mixed quality, but ASUM has always struck me as very professional. I can rely on what they tell me, and in the capitol, that’s what really matters.”
ASUM Legislative Director Craig Stevenson said ASUM has worked with state legislators including Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, and House Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt, R-Blue Springs, to draft a new approach to the decades-long fight to grant a student an equal vote on the Board of Curators, which governs the UM system. The plan would give the student representative to the board the ninth vote when congressional districts are likely decreased from nine to eight in 2010.
Missouri Students Association President Jim Kelley said he was impressed with ASUM’s effort to promote its plans.
“Since I’ve been here, I can’t remember ASUM ever having an event like this,” he said. “There’s an awesome group of people working in ASUM this year. They have a comprehensive plan for their goals, and chances are as good this year as any that they’ll be able to accomplish them.”
Kelley said he is particularly impressed with ASUM’s commitment to the “Textbook Transparency Act” because MSA tackled the issue in the fall with a resolution to push the General Assembly to require textbook companies to disclose prices to professors.
“I’m happy to see movement on it because we worked on the issue on a campus level and now they’re working on it on a state level,” Kelley said.
Stevenson said ASUM will focus most of its attention on these bills, but representatives also will pay attention to other higher-education issues that arise in the General Assembly.
“If need be, we’ll take a stance on an issue,” he said.
Stevenson said he is optimistic that ASUM’s lobbying efforts this session will be successful.
“We want to show students that we’re fighting for them at the capitol,” he said. “We’re there to be their voice.”
