Missouri Candidate Assessment

As a part of the Educate the Vote candidate assessment, candidates for the Missouri legislature were asked to respond to the following questions on four key issues in Missouri higher education. Check below to see what your candidates think.

GO VOTE!

[tabgroup] [tab title=”University of Missouri Funding” ]

Legislators are asked to pass a budget yearly. In difficult fiscal climates, legislators are often forced to make budget cuts, including cuts to higher education. Since FY 2001, state appropriations per full-time student have decreased by 35%. Budget shortfalls require students to pick up the tab, making obtaining a degree prohibitively expensive for many.

What is your position on fully funding the University of Missouri based on the appropriation request from the University of Missouri Budget Office?
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Currently, The University of Missouri Board of Curators consists of 9 Curators and a non-voting Student Representative. In 2014, the state contributed 34% of the University’s budget, while the students were left to pay for 50%. Although students contribute a larger portion of the University’s budget than the state, the Student Representative does not have voting rights or a true voice in the decision making process.

What is your position on legislation that would make the Student Representative a voting member of the Board of Curators?

[/tab] [tab title=”Landlord-Tennant”]

ASUM aims to promote respectful relationships between landlords and tenants, many of whom are University of Missouri students. ASUM works to decrease the amount of wrongfully withheld security deposits and provide students with options in landlord-tenant disputes. Currently, the Attorney General has the authority to mediate security deposit disputes under the Consumer Protection Division. ASUM encourages the Attorney General to allocate more resources to this Division. ASUM also supports legislation that requires landlords to place security deposits in an escrow account, protecting security deposits from being wrongfully withheld by landlords. Current state statute includes a landlord’s collected security deposits in their seized assets when filing bankruptcy. The Associated Students of the University of Missouri advocates for legislation that removes security deposits from a landlord’s assets in bankruptcy. ASUM’s landlord-tenant initiatives benefit not only students but all Missouri renters.

What is your position on legislation that would safeguard student and MO renters in landlord-tenant disputes?

[/tab] [tab title=”STEM”]

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is an important factor in our state’s economy as Missouri competes with the rest of the nation in producing graduates in STEM fields. STEM education requires special attention as 91% of STEM jobs in the U.S. will require at least some college education by 2018 and it is critical for Missouri to produce graduates in STEM fields to fill these jobs.

What is your position on the current investment for STEM education?

What legislation would you support to keep Missouri competitive nationally in STEM education?
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J. Eggleston	University of Missouri Funding
	I would have to see the numbers on how much MU currently gets in state funding and how that money is currently being spent. The first issue would be to insure that MU is not being wasteful or inefficient with its current funding, thus saving money for both students and taxpayers. It would also seem MU could do a better job of using its big business athletic programs to fund the scholastic side of the university instead of itself, also relieving some of the financial burden on both students and taxpayers.
	Student Curator
	I would want to learn more about the function and responsibilities of the Board of Curators, but on the surface it would seem the Student Rep should have a vote.
	Landlord Tennant
	This actually happened to me when I was in college. Again, I would want to learn and digest the full details of these proposals, but I believe I would support the suggestion above to protect students from predatory landlords.
	STEM
	STEM education is vital for the bulk of tomorrow’s jobs, and it is important to host and cultivate those jobs here in Missouri so our grads can stay at home benefiting both the students and Missouri as a whole.

Nate Walker