MSA to hold constitutional convention
The restructuring will begin April 21.
Published April 9, 2010
Beginning April 21, the Missouri Students Association will start a constitutional convention to evaluate the MSA constitution and propose any necessary changes.
Senate Speaker Evan Wood said the convention will focus primarily on the portion of the constitution regarding the system of representation and what can be done to improve its effectiveness. The system is based on academic college, and students in their respective colleges elect their peers to Senate.
"The representation system that we currently have draws really arbitrary lines that don't mean anything in the ways of who we're representing," Wood said.
Wood said the system is ineffective because the issues MSA deals with and debates are not necessarily identifiable along college-lines.
According to the act passed through Senate on April 7, representatives from various student organizations and groups on campus will be invited to review the constitution and participate in dialogue regarding what can be done to improve the representation system.
"Basically, the idea is that the last time MSA was reformed, it was done by MSA, and it just seems to us that the best way to restructure, if there is to be a restructuring, is to do it with not just members of MSA but members of the student population in general," Wood said.
At Thursday's Student Leader Advisory Council meeting, MSA President Tim Noce asked for feedback on the current system from leaders of various student groups.
Sarah Kohne, president of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Student Council, said she agreed the system needed reform. One senator in MSA Senate represents CAFNR.
"CAFNR is really diverse,” Kohne said. “Everyone might not be represented accurately by one senator.”
Wood said he is confident the convention will produce many proposals and suggestions for reform.
"I don't really know anyone who is really pleased with the system of representation we have right now, so I do anticipate a change," Wood said.
Noce said before that system was instituted approximately three years ago, the Senate body consisted of about 200 senators who represented various residence halls, fraternities, sororities and other groups of constituents.
"People don't really vote based on how the College of Business or the College of Arts and Science would feel about this," Noce said. "However, in the past, people would vote on how would my fraternity feel about this or my residence hall, and I think that worked a lot better."
Interfraternity Council President Brandon Green said he would like to see a different type of representation but the Senate body need not be so large to do so.
"I wonder if you could make a list of the groups that need to be represented, and I don't know how many you would have on that list, but I don't see you needing more than 100 to represent every person on this campus in some way shape or form," Green said.
After the preliminary April 24 meeting, there will be meetings May 1 and May 2 during which the proposed changes will be evaluated. If one is selected by the convention, it will be presented to the Senate in fall 2010. Senate will be charged to vote whether to present the proposal in referendum form to the student body on the next presidential ballot.