Editor’s note: This article has been issued the following corrections:
The Full Senate meeting has been changed from Oct. 26 to Oct. 25.
All of the picture captions in this article have been changed from Academic Affairs Committee to Campus Affairs Committee
Amy Bianucci was wrongly titled as the chair of the Internal Affairs Chair. We have corrected it to the Campus Affairs Committee Chair.
Aiden Schaeffer was wrongly titled as CAI Treasury Secretary. We have corrected it to the MSA Senate Budget Chair.
The graf, “MSA will now bring the initiative to Jim Spain, vice president of undergraduate studies, who will decide whether MU will implement the database.” Has been corrected to “the MSA Senate will now write a draft for the initiative to send to Academic Affairs Committee, then to the Faculty Council for voting. If the initiative passes both the Committee and Council successfully, Jim Spain, vice president of undergraduate studies, will decide whether MU will implement the database.”
The Missouri Students Association proposed a number of student-led policies during the association’s Full Senate meeting Oct. 25.the MSA Senate will now write a draft for the initiative to send to Academic Affairs Committee, then to the Faculty Council for voting. If the initiative passes both the Committee and Council successfully, Jim Spain, vice president of undergraduate studies, will decide whether MU will implement the database.The Missouri Students Association proposed a number of student-led policies during the association’s Full Senate meeting Oct. 25.
One of such policies is an initiative to create a course-specific database holding each course’s respective syllabus prior to Spring 2023 class registration.
Academic Affairs Committee Chair Delaney Cannon said students should be able to refer to attendance and exam policies to find as much information about a class before registration.
“Right now, most students rely on websites like RateMyProfesor to make these decisions, and the information from these sites doesn’t always give the full picture,” Cannon said. “With a syllabus bank, students would be getting the best, most accurate information straight from the professors themselves.”
the MSA Senate will now write a draft for the initiative to send to Academic Affairs Committee, then to the Faculty Council for voting. If the initiative passes both the Committee and Council successfully, Jim Spain, vice president of undergraduate studies, will decide whether MU will implement the database.
Amy Bianucci, MSA Campus Affairs Committee Chair, discusses ideas for safety week with committee members during the Campus Affairs Committee meeting on Nov. 1, 2022 in Columbia, MO.
The Senate also discussed plans to increase student accessibility to polling places during the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
MSA senator Zeb Howell discussed the importance of college student participation during the midterm elections. Previously, Memorial Union served as a polling place for students and faculty. This year, the Hearnes Center, more than half a mile away from the Student Center, will be the closest voting center. The resolution would allow students to vote throughout the school day, allowing make-up class work in case of an absence . The senate unanimously passed the measure.
The Cultural Association of India and the Legion of Black Collegians were present at the meeting to discuss their respective budgets. Both organizations asked for increased funds to accommodate increased costs of renting venues for association-wide events.
CAI president Amarnath Chakraborty sought $2,402 for CAI’s annual “India Nite.” CAI made the request due to the increased cost to rent out Jesse Auditorium.
The event celebrates the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
“India is a nation of … a lot of diversity, and we just want to bring a flavor of that here in Columbia,” MSA Senate Budget Chair Aiden Schaeffer said.
LBC Executive Secretary Carrington Peavy petitioned for a $1,000 budget to host an event celebrating LBC’s Homecoming week efforts.
“[LBC] spent … extra moments putting in effort for events for other people, and that was all out of their budget,” senior Anthony Moses, LBC senator and MSA senator, said.
Various senators proposed to add an additional $700 to LBC’s budget, acknowledging that LBC will be attending the Big 12 Student Government Conference in early November.
The Senate approved both LBC and CAI’s requests unanimously.
Danny Daughtery, MSA Legislative Assistant, discusses ideas for safety week with committee members during the Campus Affairs Committee meeting on Nov. 1, 2022 in Columbia, MO.
MSA Senate Speaker Lane Cargile introduced Jamie Shutter, executive director of MU Student Health and Well-Being, and Christine Even, director of the Counseling Center. Shutter and Even discussed new initiatives aimed at increasing student access to health and counseling services on campus.
Shutter discussed partnering with MU Health Care in the near future to introduce new check-in kiosk pilot sites for students seeking medical assistance.
“It could be as early as the spring semester,” Shutter said.
Even introduced an upcoming partnership with MizzouRec to help students with sleep and stress management through movement coaching.
“If you’re a student who is interested in learning more about sleep and how to sleep better … those sessions will be available,” Even said.
The program does not have a set startup date but is expected to begin in the next couple of months, according to Even.
MSA Internal Affairs Chair and senior Samantha Hole spoke on the accessibility of the wellness center compared to her freshman and sophomore years.
“It was a really long wait time for everything and it was hard to use, and I am really impressed with the progress you guys have made; I can’t imagine how it would have made a difference my freshman year,” Hole said.
Students can voice concerns and share feedback with MSA using suggestion boxes within the Student Center and can attend MSA Full Senate meetings held every other Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. in Leadership Auditorium.
Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.comCopy edited by Jacob Richey