In the coming weeks, a caucus consisting of politicians from across the political spectrum will bring UM System issues at the state level to the forefront in Jefferson City. Fifty-nine members, many of them UM System alumni, make up the caucus. Although the group has not set out a list of items to focus on, we’d like to put forward a few ideas of our own.

Here’s a newsflash: In these economic times, budgets are being slashed in every direction, be it on the national level to the grocery list of families, and the UM System is not immune. The system has already faced cuts in the past year, and an incoming 7 percent cut to the state’s education system would affect it even more. We would urge the caucus to discuss and consider how these cuts will affect students and take appropriate actions.

It’s important that the caucus acknowledge and address the financial hardships that student will face with the planned tuition increases. Yes, as we saw when the curators voted to increase rates in January, tuition increases are a reality, but we just hope legislators cut responsibly and modestly, understanding that the budget difference partly comes out of students’ pockets. And let’s not hide behind the naïve optimism that higher tuition makes UM universities more “desirable.”

Furthermore, we would also encourage the caucus to monitor and follow up on Gov. Jay Nixon’s proposal to increase funding for Bright Flight and the A+ Program — two state funded scholarship programs for Missouri students that help thousands of local students pay for their education. We urge the caucus to continue to press Nixon to follow up on this proposal and keep it as a viable option, which should eventually be realized, in coming years.

In fairness, Nixon’s announcement that the Access Missouri grant will be increased for the next school year is worth commending. Initiatives like this help students and their families continue their education in difficult times, and we believe that further measures should be taken to achieve more funding for students’ education. And it’s initiatives like these we hope the UM System caucus in Jefferson City will encourage.

And, as always, we urge the caucus to discuss the prospect of a voting student curator on the UM System Board of Curators. A bill to introduce a voting student curator was voted down in February, but the Missouri Students Association and Associated Students of the University of Missouri seem to be holding out hope and so will we. It’s important that the students, who are by far the largest voice in the UM System, have a legitimate say in how the System is run.

The coming UM System caucus offers a promising opportunity to discuss the prospects and problems of future of the UM System. It’s an opportunity to set goals, establish plans and address problems, and should be taken advantage of to make all the UM System schools in Missouri a better functioning educational systems that produces the highest achieving graduates possible.