Last week’s column regarding the Associated Students of the University of Missouri lacked accurate information. No effort was made to contact ASUM. Here at Mizzou, ASUM is involved and excited for 2012.

The first thing we are the most excited about is our funding, support and involvement with #moreforless. We have allocated a significant amount of ASUM’s time and resources to the campaign — in fact, we were present when the 6,000 letters were dropped off at the Capitol. Students who signed letters did so beneath a tent with a banner that displayed our logo alongside Missouri Student Association’s logo. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience working with MSA. We will be continuing our funding, support and involvement with the campaign, for we are supportive of students having their voices heard at the Capitol.

ASUM is thrilled for student involvement in Jefferson City, but we are beyond excited for the co-sponsoring and funding of the #moreforless campaign with MSA because we believe it represents a common concern for all students in the University of Missouri System.

The #moreforeless campaign was brought to our attention the night that Rachel Herndon, Danielle Jablanski and William Lynch went before the MSA special committee regarding our positions. That week, our positions as chapter directors were appointed, approved and confirmed by MSA, which happened the first senate session of the year on Jan. 29. At the time of our confirmation, the concerns for the cuts were solidified into a resolution, which was passed by the Student Senate. MSA and ASUM then partnered and moved forward with the #moreforeless campaign.

The second thing we are excited about is our upcoming programming for the future. Coming up on Tuesday, March 6, we will be going to Jefferson City for our annual Lobby Day. Training for the Lobby Day will be Sunday, March 4. We hope students will become involved in this event as well as other upcoming political awareness opportunities around campus.

Every week, ASUM has interns in Jefferson City lobbying directly with legislators. These interns testify at hearings, find sponsors for legislation within the concerns of the student body and provide a regular student presence at the Capitol building. You will find directors in the ASUM working on annual goals such as Lobby Day and voter registration, as well as entertaining and pursuing creative programming ideas. We are actively recruiting delegates to assist programming and organizational efforts. We invite any students who would like to become involve with ASUM to contact us as asummizzou@gmail.com or to visit our website at www.asumissouri.com.

The column last week said that we should pick our battles. This is not a battle — this is a clarification. We are doing our job. However, sometimes the most uneducated of statements can lead to an opportunity for explanation and promotion, and we thank Sean for this opportunity. We at ASUM are excited to serve the students System-wide. Our office door at Mizzou is always open in Student Center 2511.

Best,

Rachel Herndon,
ASUM – Mizzou Director
Rh6df@mail.missouri.edu

Danielle Jablanski,
ASUM – Mizzou Director
Djjxx6@mail.missouri.edu