Two slates, Mizzou4U and Reimagine Mizzou, are running for MSA President and Vice President. All MU students are eligible to cast a vote from March 7 through 9.
The voting period for the Missouri Students Association presidential election will open on March 7 at noon and will close at 11:59 p.m. on March 9. All undergraduate MU students are eligible to cast their ballots online through this link.
Two slates will be on the ballot this year, Reimagine Mizzou and Mizzou4U. Reimagine Mizzou is composed of presidential candidate Zeb Howell and vice presidential candidate Taylor McMahan. Mizzou4U is composed of presidential candidate Miyah Jones and vice presidential candidate Cydney Perkins.
To maximize voting access, MSA will host in-person polling places in the Student Center and Memorial Union from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 8 and 9, with another location pending confirmation. These polling locations will all have devices for students to place their vote.
Slates will continue to campaign on campus throughout the voting period. Reimagine Mizzou will table in Speakers Circle and Mizzou4U will host a pep rally in Speakers Circle on March 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mizzou4U will also be featured at ZouSoul at 8 p.m. on March 8 and will host a campaign celebration at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center on March 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Mizzou 4U’s Platform
Presidential and vice presidential candidates Miyah Jones and Cydney Perkins pose on the Mel Carnahan Quadrangle in Columbia, MO on March 6, 2023.
Mizzou4U’s platform is comprised of three goals: “circulating knowledge,” “establishing culture” and “allocating resources.” The goals are consecutively ordered and aim to make MSA a more available space for student voices to be heard.
In order to circulate knowledge of MSA across campus, they plan to provide informational presentations across campus about MSA’s current projects and create a website to update students about the MSA executive cabinet’s progress.
Jones and Perkins plan to establish a culture of safety and transparency for all students by prioritizing diversity in the MSA executive cabinet and providing more opportunities for student input.
Finally, they plan to better reallocate MSA’s resources, providing more fiscal support to other student organizations on campus, while advocating for the subsidization of emergency contraceptives and developing an emergency fund.
For more details on each campaign promise, see The Maneater’s complete Mizzou4U platform breakdown.
Reimagine Mizzou’s Platform
Vice presidential and presidential candidates Taylor McMahan and Zeb Howell poses in front of the Mel Carnahan Quadrangle in Columbia, MO on March 6, 2023.
Reimagine Mizzou’s platform also contains three key goals: “reimagining governance,” “reimagining our communities” and “reimagining our relationships.” Howell and McMahan said they recognize MU as a place of rich tradition, but hope to reimagine various policies they think need change.
Howell and McMahan will prioritize social media outreach, work to fill the vacant MSA adviser position and advocate for changes to MU administration staffing practices in pursuit of ‘reimagined’ governance.
They plan to work on the MU community as well, developing a more concise MU alert system, promoting transparency to students about MU administration and MUPD actions, and increasing funding to student organizations on campus.
Relationships between campus entities are the final reinvention target. They plan to organize “coffee hours” between students and administrators, expand the MSA First Year Council program and promote relationships with Greek Life and identity-based organizations.
For more details on each campaign promise, see The Maneater’s complete Reimagine Mizzou platform breakdown.
Ballot Measures
According to a press release from the MSA Board of Election Commissioners, a referendum will be on this year’s ballot. This will ask the student body whether the name “Missouri Students Association” effectively communicates the function of the organization. This is not a binding policy question but the survey seeks to gain insight for further decision-making.
Additional ballot questions will ask for clarity about what students believe MSA does and what they would like to see more of from the student government going forward.
Edited by Zoe Homan | zhoman@themaneater.comCopy edited by Lauren Courtney