STUDENT REGISTRATION AMONG EFFORTS TO PASS PROPOSITION B

Missouri's public universities are gearing up efforts to pass Proposition B, including efforts to register students to vote.

At Southeast Missouri State University, 1,000 students were registered last week, university President Kala Stroup said at Wednesday afternoon's Faculty Senate meeting, held at the University Center.

"I feel pretty positive about it," Stroup said of the chances of passing Proposition B, the tax hike and reform measure for education.

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast, said a student worker, deputized by the Cape Girardeau County Clerk's office, has been registering people to vote.

Wallhausen said a registration desk was set up last week in front of the textbook service at Kent Library. Students who went to collect their textbooks also had an opportunity to register to vote, he said.

People may also register to vote in Room 267 at Academic Hall.

Proposition B will be voted on in the November election. The deadline for registering to vote in the November election is Oct. 16, Wallhausen said.

Stroup said the university is making an effort to inform Southeast's employees, alumni and others about the measure.

In April, a statewide poll showed that 65 percent of the respondents favored the Missouri Senate bill that formed the basis for Proposition B.

Said Wallhausen, "We think that the issue will sell itself if the information is out there. It's really up to us to pass it or not."

He said there are probably enough votes in the education community statewide to pass the tax measure.

On another matter, Stroup said the university will seek another deadline extension from the federal Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for meeting handicapped accessibility requirements.

The university has not been able to meet the requirements because no state funding has been made available for construction of elevators for three university buildings.

Stroup said OCR officials will be on campus next month to assess the situation.

Southeast has been under an order to comply with handicapped accessibility requirements since 1984. In 1989, the deadline was extended until September 1991, Stroup said.

If Proposition B passes, she said, there will be additional state funding available as of January for capital and building improvements for Missouri's public colleges and universities. Southeast officials could request some of that funding to construct the elevators, she said.