Students call on Board of Curators to address subsidized contraception and racism

By Avery Everett

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    COLUMBIA, Missouri (KOMU) — Two issues were top of mind Thursday on MU’s campus, but neither were addressed in the UM System Board of Curators meeting.

Students wanted responses on two issues: subsidized emergency contraception and recent racism. Dozens of students sat in on the meeting and others rallied outside Memorial Union, where the meeting was held.

Senior Mel Tully joined in on the rally held by MU’s Coalition for Bodily Autonomy. The group called for subsidized contraception for MU students, specifically free Plan B. Tully said going to the meeting was about accountability and exposure.

“This is the biggest opportunity we have had so far in making a difference here,” Tully said. “There has been a lot of buzz and a lot of energy behind this and I’m thankful that it seems like many people, including faculty, administration and the student body, are taking this seriously.”

Dozens of students held signs and yelled chants during the rally. Junior Sarah Brady said she wanted their voices to be heard inside the meeting, too.

“Most of us are going to be in debt for the rest of our lives because we need to pay them six figures so that they can ignore their students,” Brady said.

The coalition is asking for a public conversation with university leaders to talk about subsidized contraception. MU spokesperson Christian Basi said the university has offered private conversations, and the group has declined. Basi also said a town hall was held in the fall to discuss these matters, and that it was open to the public.

Other students also showed up and sat in during the meeting hoping to have a conversation about recent racism on campus. Junior Cydney Perkins said she left the meeting disappointed.

“Students just wanted to hear from their leaders, the people making the decisions,” Perkins said. “We just want to know what’s going on and a lot of the issues that we feel are important to us students weren’t really reflected on.”

It comes just two months after a screenshot of a Snapchat post began circulating on social media that showed a student’s face with the words, “If they would have killed 4 more n****** we would have had the whole week off,” written on it.

Transfer student Treasure Smith said she’s gone online for the semester because she fears for her safety as a Black woman.

“It’s unfortunate that I can’t have fun and be on campus and enjoy the things that I want to enjoy with my last year,” Smith said. “I’m just at the point where I’m just like, I want to give up so bad, but it’s hard.”

President Mun Choi addressed the students who attended the meeting in a news conference. He said he wants to start having these conversations.

“My door is always open to have a meeting with the coalition, as well as any other student group that would like to discuss any concerns that they may have,” Choi said.

Smith and Perkins spoke to Choi following the conference and said they were told to email him to schedule a time to talk.

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