I know everyone wanted #moreforless, but judging by the UM Board of Curators’ recent vote, what we got is #thesameformore. The 3 percent increase for in-state tuition and 7.5 percent increase for out-of-state tuition could have been much worse, so I’m not going to bother haggling for decreased tuition today. Pick our battles, we must. Yoda definitely said it.

What really grabbed my attention were the lobbying efforts led by the Missouri Students
Association aimed at preventing proposed tuition hikes. People were all up in the MU Student Center under a fancy tent, soliciting signatures from anything that moved. Organizations were sought out and informed about the issue. All said and done, 6,000 letters were delivered to Jefferson City because of the #moreforless campaign. You go, MSA.

Unfortunately, it’s not MSA’s job to lobby like that for student interests in real world government. That responsibility lies in the lap of ASUM, the Associated Students of the University of Missouri, an organization created in 1975 by MSA with the purpose “to educate students about the political process; increase political awareness, concern, and participation among students; provide the public with information concerning student interests;” and to “channel student energy and interest in the governmental process.”

Call me crazy, but sounds an awful lot like a student lobbying group, which, according to MSA’s student fee infographic, receives 60 cents per student per 12 credit hours at MU. Now, MSA has every right to work for lower student tuition since it represents students and their concerns. But ASUM should have been the group that took charge of the tuition increase situation, educating and empowering us ignorant fools who know nothing about lobbying at the Capitol. After the increases passed, The Maneater did talk to some ASUM folk, but it was an afterthought. Why weren’t they the originators of #moreforless, front and center, increasing political awareness and participation?

MSA has made it a priority in the past few years to make the allocation of student fees more transparent, and the handy infographic on its website is quite helpful. Well, now that I know I pay 60 cents to a lobbying organization that isn’t operating in any sort of noticeable capacity, I’m all kinds of pissed off, and maybe you should be too.

In ASUM’s defense, there might be behind-the-scenes things going on. I’ve worked with enough student organizations to understand internal changes, major derailments, leadership issues and other college problems can cripple the work you intend to do. The thing is, the students paying your student fees need to know what’s going on, too.

I recently found myself flipping through some old Maneaters from the 1980s (hopefully this
isn’t completely indicative of the quality of my life) and I remember seeing some really cool
advertisements where ASUM was bringing senators and representatives to campus. Now,
that was before the days of glitter-bombing at town halls, but it’s still pretty cool and sounds
like the sort of event college students would benefit from.

OK, ASUM, I gave you a retro idea to raise awareness about yourself: self-promotion. I visited asumissouri.com for the first time in my four years as a student here to research this column…that’s a problem. If you don’t get your act together come student fee review time, more student leaders might start questioning whether ASUM deserves funding. Besides, MSA can create a new committee based on the leadership of the #moreforless campaign and bring lobbying back under their control.

MSA has enough to deal with as it is, so please, ASUM, just get your shit together.