Missouri Students Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Missouri Students Association (MSA) is the student government association of the University of Missouri-Columbia. The MSA is governed by a constitution and organized into three branches, executive, legislative and judicial. The MSA possesses sole authority to voice the opinion of the entire undergraduate student body, appropriate over $1.3 million, modify the student activity fee and recommend changes in campus wide policies.
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[edit] Organization
[edit] Executive Branch
The executive branch of the MSA consists of the President and Vice President along with the executive cabinet. The president and vice president are elected annually from the student body and run as a ticket during the fall semester. The president acts as head of the executive branch and performs such duties assigned to the office by the MSA constitution. The vice president, in addition to assuming the office of the president if a vacancy occurs, performs duties traditionally associated with treasurer. The president is empowered to appoint assistants that require MSA Senate confirmation, one of these assistants must be designated Chief of Staff. Additionally the president must appoint directors to each of the following executive departments which also require MSA senate confirmation.
- Department of Student Services
- Department of Student Activities
- Department of Student Communication
Each of these departments offer specialized student services that enable the MSA to serve the student body.
The Executive Branch also oversees each of MSA's seven auxiliaries:
[edit] Legislative Branch
The legislative authority of the MSA rests in the senate, which is composed of senators elected annually in both the fall and winter semesters and the nonvoting President and Vice President of the student body. The composition of the senate is established in the MSA constitution. The Senate is chaired by a Speaker elected from the senate. Additional officers of the senate are the committee chairs, Clerk, assistant clerk, Parliamentarian and Sergeant-at-Arms. The senate has six standing committees which are as follows:
- Academic Affairs
- Campus & Community Relations
- Operations
- Student Affairs
- Budget
- Multicultural
The MSA senate also has sole power to impeach and remove from office the members of the other branches of the MSA. As of 2005 the MSA senate is in its 44th session.
[edit] Judicial Branch
The judicial authority of the MSA resides in the Student Court which consists of nine justices one of which is designated Chief Justice, who presides over the court and is the principal adminsitrator to the branch. Each justice is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The justices serve for the duration of their membership in the MSA or until resignation, removal or death. The Student Court has authority to hear all cases and controversies in law and equity arising under the constitution or by-laws of the MSA and has appellate jurisdiction over all cases from inferior courts established under the MSA.
[edit] Compensation
Several officers of the MSA are given compensation allowances for the duration of their terms in office which are as follows:
- President of the MSA: $2097 per fall and winter semester and $1306 per summer.
- Vice President of the MSA: $1904 per fall and winter semester and $1192 per summer.
- Director of Student Activities: $1454 per fall and winter semester and $1092 per summer.
- Director of Student Services: $1454 per fall and winter semester and $1092 per summer.
- Director of Student Communication: $1454 per fall and winter semester and $1092 per summer.
- Speaker of the Senate: $1618 per fall and winter semester and $1014 per summer.
- The Two Clerks of the Senate: $450 per fall and winter semester.
- Chief Justice of the Student Court: $1250 per fall and winter semester.
- The President's Chief of Staff: $450 per fall and winter semester.
[edit] Current Officers
As of 2006 the current officers of the MSA are as follows:
| Office | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| MSA President | John Andersen |
| MSA Vice President | Brooke Moody |
| Speaker of the Senate | Davie Holt |
| Chief Justice of the Student Court | |
| Director of the Student Services Department | Andrew Cafourek |
| Director of the Student Communication Department | Beth Iten |
| Director of the Student Activities Department | Nick Trusty |
President Elect: Rachel Anderson
Vice-President Elect: Andrew Cafourek
[edit] Offices
The MSA has a suite of offices located in Brady Commons on the campus in Columbia, Missouri. These offices contain work areas for the various student organizations on the Mizzou campus as well as private offices for the MSA President, MSA Vice President and Speaker of the Senate. The senate holds its sessions in the Memorial Union on the Mizzou campus. The hearings of the Student Court, except in rare circumstances, are closed to the public.
