On April 10, the Missouri Students Association passed its 2013-14 budget. Having found itself $85,000 short of their planned revenues for the year, MSA had to make cuts accordingly, which meant the 11 auxiliaries under its purview, in addition to its student services and MSA’s own operations, would be affected. We felt that in this process, MSA Vice President Zach Beattie went beyond expectations to deliver a budget that is fair, accountable and rational.
We were disappointed and confused, then, to read MUTV’s inaccurate, disparaging [editorial](http://mutv.missouri.edu/?p=3682), which alleges that MUTV and KCOU (both MSA auxiliaries) were not given an adequate voice in the budget process for their concerns. The editorial details how MUTV and KCOU members attended two MSA Senate meetings intending to speak, but were not given the opportunity and did not voice their concerns before the budget was passed by the Senate.
Budget cuts will never be easy. Someone will always be hurt. However, the key for each person and group affected by possible budget cuts is to ensure their own voice is heard and their own needs are met — and that takes effort. MUTV and KCOU members were not proactive in talking to MSA leaders, who worked very hard over a course of several weeks to best set priorities and treat everyone affected fairly. After weeks of opportunity, waiting for the final seconds was irresponsible and unproductive.
MUTV even filmed the senate meeting and put up a live stream online. Yet they did not take the time to figure out whether or not there would be an opportunity for public comment or arrange with any of MSA’s 62 current senators to speak for them — we’re sure at least one senator would have been happy to give them the floor.
It’s reasonable that MUTV and KCOU’s leaders did not want to interrupt the MSA Senate meeting and it’s fair to be mad about cuts — who wouldn’t be angry about losing money? — but it’s unreasonable to claim their voice hasn’t been heard when they didn’t make an effort to speak, before or during the meeting. Senators cannot speak for you or argue on your side if you have not let them know what needs to be said.
We agree that MSA has the responsibility to keep their auxiliaries informed about the budget, and it seems they did. The Craft Studio and STRIPES, both of which faced tough cuts in the budget, were certainly aware of the cuts for weeks before the Senate passed it, and they organized opposition and met with MSA leaders. Had MUTV and KCOU members walked upstairs and approached MSA’s executives, who work in the Center for Student Involvement two floors above both KCOU and MUTV’s studios, the groups would surely have been heard and their concerns considered. It appears that this didn’t happen.
Furthermore, publicly berating MSA for its budget after it was passed misrepresented and belittled the hard work of MSA’s leaders, especially Beattie. It gives students the inaccurate sense that MSA is not listening to them or fairly weighing their priorities in the budget.
As MUTV is an auxiliary receiving student fees as well as a student news organization, we ask them to be informed and aware. If you feel students’ money is being allocated unfairly, speak up early and often. Fight vigorously for what you think is just. If you don’t raise your voice, you shouldn’t complain afterward that no one heard you.
