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MSUSA debate rages
 Media Credit: Adam Hammer Student Government President Cory Lawrence takes a seat on the Atwood Theatre stage to address matters of MSUSA and the upcoming ballot. Lawrence was among a panel of student government members at at the forum.
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When students dig out their checkbook to pay for tuition, they often wonder where all of their money actually goes. The long list of answers might leave some people thinking they are paying for things they don't need or use.
Student government feels that at least one of the many items on that list, participation in the Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA), presents a questionable use of student money.
As a result, student government unanimously voted to pass a resolution for withdrawal from the MSUSA system. Now students will have the opportunity to vote for SCSU's future participation in the system.
MSUSA represents 65,000 students from Minnesota's seven state universities.
Currently, students pay 39 cents per credit hour for up to 12 credits to be members of MSUSA.
MSUSA represents, discusses, lobbies and votes on issues they feel are important and affect Minnesota state universities.
"We come together and figure out which items campuses agree on," said state chair for MSUSA Sam Edmunds. "The majority of items affect students in a common way."
For example, last year MSUSA voted to reject a bill that proposed an opportunity for students to check a box that would have given them the option of whether to pay for student organization fees included in tuition. If the bill had passed, campus organizations around the state would have been significantly affected and possibly ruined, Edmunds said.
"Some of the biggest stuff we do is at the legislature," he said. "We can go to MnSCU and the legislature."
Student government, however, objects to MSUSA on several levels.
"There are structural things in the organization that aren't working right now," said Student Government President Cory Lawrence.
One of student government's main problems with MSUSA is a lack of representation on personalized issues.
"Overall, things that St. Cloud wants more than other schools can't happen," Lawrence said.
While MSUSA said it is open to addressing personal university concerns, Edmunds said that it is not their main goal.
"Student government is for campus and MSUSA is for all schools around the state," he said.
When asked to give one example of how SCSU students could see personal benefits as members of MSUSA around campus, Edmunds could not reply.
"The things that MSUSA has done for St. Cloud is the same things MSUSA has done for other schools," he said.
Student government also protests MSUSA's heavy price tag.
"We put in $179,000 into MSUSA, far more than the other schools," Lawrence said.
Smaller state schools receive similar representation to SCSU.
Although St. Cloud State pays more than any of the other seven state universities and has a larger student attendance, MSUSA only pays for six of the 12 SCSU student seats at conferences. SCSU cannot afford to send the other six.
Student government also questions MSUSA's use of funds. MSUSA has about 50 percent of its budget in reserve.
Instead of MSUSA, student government would like SCSU to send and appoint its own staff to represent, lobby, and interact in issues that MSUSA currently deals with.
Lawrence said that student government could re-assign budgets to save money and lobby on behalf of SCSU.
"We could change for about half the cost," Lawrence said. "We can send people to legislation with our money, if we assign more people there."
Voting on the referendum for withdrawal from MSUSA is slated for Dec. 2-4 on campus.
Although student government believes that MSUSA is ineffective, it is ultimately up to the students to decide. Eight percent of the student population must vote and a majority must approve to pass the referendum.
"We're going to do what the students want us to do," Lawrence said.
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