With several members of the Missouri Students Association shifting roles following the resignation of former President Mason Schara, junior Kevin Carr was nominated as Student Affairs Committee chairman but was denied by the Operations Committee Tuesday night.
Carr will have a chance to appeal the decision at next Tuesday’s committee meeting.
He said he was shocked that he was declined by the committee, and was anticipating the confirmation process to just be a formality.
“I am very charismatic, I am outgoing and sometimes I can be interpreted wrong, and that was the largest complaint they had,” Carr said. “I’m a little bit overbearing sometimes and I think one of the strongest things any leader could be is not necessarily overbearing but enthusiastic, and very committed to what they are into.”
The decision made was due to a lack of communication between the candidate and the committee, but Carr said he does not believe it was entirely his fault.
“(The Operation Committee) asked me for a list of projects … but see the thing is, they didn’t ask,” Carr said. “I could have given them five off the top of my head that we’re going to be looking into and researching this semester.”
During Operations, the committee as a whole said Carr needs to focus on projects he wants to work on, how he will handle other senators and what his purpose is in MSA.
Senator Dan Paterson said during Operations that this is the first time he has ever seen a candidate denied confirmation.
The Operations Committee had four votes against Carr and two in affirmation.
Those who voted against Carr declined comment, but Operations Committee Chairman Nick Schwartz, who voted in affirmation, said he believed in Carr.
“I voted the way I did because I felt (Carr) would be able to adjust to the critiques that we had for him and that he would be able to fill the position according to his leadership responsibilities, per the questions I asked and the way he answered them,” Schwartz said.
Carr was nominated to fill the Student Affairs position after it was vacated by Mitch Moonier, who left to become MSA Chief of Staff. Moonier was confirmed in his new position by the Operations Committee Tuesday night.
If Carr is eventually confirmed as chairman of Student Affairs, he said he hopes to change the Student Affairs committee internally. He wants to ‘rebrand’ the committee and make it even more efficient than last year.
“Last year everyone was working together on one project, and this year we’re going to have more smaller groups, like little task forces,” Carr said. “With these forces, we have people who are doing more projects and people who are more able to meet people or research ways to help students.”
Carr said he also wants to make a culture change within the committee, and wants to call the group the ‘Paws and Claws’ of the Missouri tiger.
“I want the people to think they are an agent of change if they are in this committee,” Carr said. “If you believe that you are something, you’re going to be more incentivized to work hard on projects and do good work, and that’s what I want out of my committee this year. That is what makes us the paws and claws of the tiger.”
Moonier said the position Carr hopes to fill is a very challenging one.
“You have to put your committee before yourself, because it’s not about the chairman as a person, it’s about the committee and the students as a whole,” he said.
Carr will be interviewed again at next week’s Operations Committee meeting, and Senate Speaker Ben Bolin said he remains confident about the candidate.
“Student Affairs has made a lot of great changes, (and) it needs a great leader to fulfill those expectations and more,” Bolin said in a text message. “I’m confident in (Moonier) and (my) decision, (and) I know (Carr) will impress Operations, and make Student Affairs the best committee in Senate.”
_Waverly Colville contributed reporting to this story._
