MSA proposes bill to fund KCOU

IT fee carryover may be used to fund the new MUTV and KCOU space.

By Amanda Wysocki

Published April 16, 2009, last updated 12:21 p.m., April 17, 2009

A proposed Missouri Students Association Senate bill would match funding raised by KCOU and MUTV/Channel 23 for equipment and furnishings in the new student center.

Since going online this semester, KCOU has faced some difficulties maintaining listeners, General Manager John Dobson said.

"People can't listen in their cars anymore," Dobson said. "That's been kind of difficult."

The main expenses KCOU will face over the next year will come from costs of moving to the new student center.

"Up until this year, we hadn't asked MSA for a dollar for the new student center," Dobson said. "Vice President Colleen Hoffmann came to us with the option to apply for carryover funds."

KCOU and MSA settled on a deal that would have MSA matching KCOU dollar for dollar over the next three years, up to $75,000 over that period of time.

"We pitched them a reasonable plan," Dobson said. "They saw it was reasonable and logical. We did everything they asked us to do."

Along with KCOU, MUTV also faces expenses due to their new studio in the new student center.

"The studio can benefit the entire campus," MUTV General Manager Sarah Schultz said. "The technology we want to use is very new and innovative."

Schultz said MUTV had also planned that MSA would help provide some funding for the cost of the new studio.

"We're still going to be looking for as much funding as possible to minimize the impact on MSA," Schultz said. "It's a large chunk of money that we're going to need from different places to help, but it is a very doable process."

MSA President Jordan Paul proposed a plan that would use some of the Division of Information Technology carryover funds toward the new studio costs.

DoIT recently revealed they had more than a million dollars in carryover funds.

"They were pretty diplomatic about how they wanted to spend the money," Paul said. "They said they would like to involve students on how to spend it."

Though the plan is still in the rough stages, Paul said early conversations have gone well.

"It seems like a use of the fee that is in line with what the Board of Curators encourages for IT and technology," Paul said.

MSA Budget Committee Chairman Matthew Sheppard said he is also optimistic about the proposed use of carryover.

"I'm all for funding that doesn't involve putting more pressure on students," Sheppard said. "I am looking forward to working on legislation with them about this issue."

Sheppard said he feels both KCOU and MUTV are vital to the campus.

"I don't know of a university without a radio station or student-run television station," Sheppard said. "It's especially important with us being a journalism school."

Outside of the potential DoIT funding, MSA would match MUTV's costs at $36,000 for the 2010 fiscal year. After that, they may match up to $20,000 per year through 2014, or up to $175,000.

MSA passed their budget for the next fiscal year at the full Senate meeting Wednesday night. The budget listed exactly how much each auxiliary would be getting in funding.

"A lot of the auxiliaries are at the point now where they are going to need more help unless we want to let them go under," Sheppard said.

Paul said MSA has been promoting self-sufficiency among the auxiliaries for a few years.

"By putting pressure on them to go out and find ways to generate revenue, it makes it more rewarding for them when we can then match whatever they have raised," Paul said. "That way, we're not saddled with a massive cost and neither are they."