RESPONSE TO GOV. BLUNT CUTTING STUDENT CURATORS!!!

The Associated Students of the University of Missouri sent me the following response to a veto by Gov. Matt Blunt of a bill that would have given a vote to the student member on the UM System Board of Curators. It's worth reading and may not bode well for the future given that the move gives college students a glimpse at Republican incompetence and elitism.

Check it:

BLUNT OUT OF TOUCH WITH MISSOURI STUDENTS

Columbia, Mo. (July 9, 2008) – Today, students at the University of Missouri were disappointed when Governor Blunt vetoed Senate Bill 873. The bill had bipartisan support from the Missouri General Assembly, winning an overwhelming majority in the House and Senate. The votes were 31-2 in the Senate and 100-47 in the House.

"This bill honored and respected students' input in the University of Missouri,” Speaker Pro-Tem Bryan Pratt (R-Blue Springs) said. “(SB 873) opened the curators' ivory tower to students.”

In a statement, Blunt said the current makeup of the Board of Curators “balances numerous factors and interests.” Students advocating for the voting student Curator position are concerned, however, that their interests are not being heard as college tuition continues to rise.

“Students and their families have to pay a higher and higher rate of tuition every single year, and yet they have no say in the matter,” said Sen. Graham (D-Columbia). “He (Blunt) will be remembered forever as the Governor that believes student opinion is worthless.”

“The students of the University of Missouri are deeply troubled by this veto,” said Craig Stevenson, Board Chairman of ASUM. “ASUM intends to overcome Governor Blunt’s veto and encourages those who are concerned about higher education issues to become involved by contacting their local representatives and senators. With the help of our friends in the legislature, students will rally to take on this new challenge in the same bi-partisan manner in which the bill was forged.”

“As a student, it was with disbelief and incomprehension that I learned of Governor Blunt’s veto of SB873. ASUM and students across the state feel it is important that our opinion be indelibly recorded with a vote on our governing board,” said Ally Walker, ASUM Legislative Director. “While Governor Blunt may disagree with this philosophy, students must continue to fight for what they believe to be right, and will continue to do so in the future.”

SB 873 would give students and their families a vote on important matters like tuition and fees. Currently, the Missouri Constitution designates that a Board of nine Curators will govern the University system. Statute also states that no two Curators can come from the same Congressional district (Missouri currently has nine Congressional districts). The bill stipulates that in the likely event that Missouri loses a Congressional district in the 2010 census, the student representative will become the ninth voting member of the Board.

The Associated Students of the University of Missouri is a nonpartisan lobbying group that represents the interests of the 64,000 students attending UM schools in Columbia, Kansas City, St. Louis and Rolla. ASUM selects a team of interns to serve in the Missouri state capital and one student to serve in Washington D.C.

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