COLLEGE STUDENTS FORM GROUP TO GIVE VIEWS ON EDUCATION ISSUES

A new organization has been formed to provide student governments at Missouri's public and private colleges and universities with a statewide voice.

The new group hopes to become an effective lobbying voice for the state's college students, said K.C. Martin, president of Student Government at Southeast Missouri State University and a leading supporter of the group.

Ultimately, the group, Missouri Association for Student Government, might be able to hire a lobbyist to voice its views to the state legislature, said Martin.

The Missouri Association for Student Government was formed last Saturday at a meeting of about 30 student leaders from around the state. The meeting was held at Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville.

Seven members of Southeast's Student Senate attended the meeting, including Martin.

Besides Southeast and Northeast, students attended from Central Missouri State, Washington University, William Jewell, Missouri Southern and Cottey College, a two-year independent school.

Melissa Knapp of Southeast was elected vice president for the new organization. Andrew Kline, president of the Washington University Student Union, was named president of the statewide organization.

Martin said he hopes all 96 of Missouri's public and private colleges eventually will be represented in the organization.

The Missouri Association for Student Government will hold a meeting on the Southeast campus Feb. 21, 22 and 23, Martin said. He said he hopes for a large turnout at that meeting.

"I say primarily the reason the group exists is to lobby the state legislature on issues that are relevant to Missouri institutions of higher education," he said.

Martin said he doesn't believe the group's creation is a response to the recent defeat of Proposition B, the tax-and-reform measure for education.

"This kind of organization exists in almost every state," he said.

The University of Missouri system has a similar type of organization, but it doesn't represent student governments at the state's regional colleges and private institutions, he explained.

To join the group, student governments would pay membership fees of 1 percent of their operating budget or $200, whichever is less, Martin said.

The possibility of hiring a lobbyist on a part-time basis is a long-range goal, he said. "Right now, the way the dues are set up, there is not enough money to do anything like that."

Martin said the creation of the association stems from a desire to give students a greater voice in higher education. "I think for too long we have been acting as consumers and not treated as such," he maintained.

As students continue to be shouldered with higher costs to get an education, students want to have a greater say in how education funds are budgeted and spent, he said.

Martin said there are student representatives on the boards of regents at Missouri's public colleges and universities, but they don't have any voting power.

A Southeast Missouri State task force is currently studying the possibility of eliminating the textbook rental system and requiring students to buy all their textbooks.

Martin said that the final decision would rest with the regents, "but the student regent doesn't have any vote at all, and it is a very student-related issue."

Students, he said, need to have a voice in such decisions.