Columbia Collegiate Advisory Council identifies key areas of focus during first meeting Monday
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A group of college students in Columbia are hoping to tackle important issues in the city through a new advisory council.
The Columbia Collegiate Advisory Council met for the first time Monday night at city hall. The board is composed of nine college students, three of which are from the University of Missouri, along with another pair each from Columbia College and Stephens College and two from the Moberly Area Community College.
The idea of forming the group was proposed by Mayor Barbara Buffaloe in October, shortly after Stephens College Student Ayanna Williams was shot and killed downtown, sparking conversations from city leaders and UM System President Mun Choi.
During the board's first meeting, students identified four priorities and focus areas they hope to address: Safety, housing, accessibility and public/mental health.
The board also selected its chair to be Moberly Area Community College student Chloe Campbell, and its vice chair as Stephens College student Shana Nunn. Campbell said she was compelled to elect herself as chair to help get the ball rolling and said she believes she'll be able to help facilitate.
Campbell said she believes she brings a unique perspective to the group, calling herself a "nontraditional" college student, given that she is 30-years-old. She said she thinks it's important to have a variety of ages sit on the board to allow for diversity.
She also said she's hopeful the group will be able to make a difference in the city, also pointing out Buffaloe's reference to the city's youth advisory council formed roughly a decade ago.
"I just hope it gives a voice to the next generation... starts getting more people involved in politics, and hopefully some good changes," Campbell said. "I mean, like Barbara said about the high school committee, it's just as important for the college students to have their voice heard."
Campbell said she's most excited to tackle safety, an issue most students said they wanted to address during Monday night's meeting. She said it's hard to tell what the biggest safety concerns college students have are, but said she thinks giving students a voice in the matter can help identify solutions.
"College students you know, you got parties, you have somebody mentioned the homeless population, and you just have what's going on in the world. There's lots going on there," Campbell said.
Some students also voiced concerns over the homeless population in the city on Monday night. Campbell said she's hopeful the council will continue in the future and thinks it opens up the idea for college students to want to join other councils and continue to want to work in local government.
Following Monday's meeting, Buffaloe told ABC 17 News she was grateful to be able to hear from students about where they see the council going down the road, as well as what kind of impact they hope to have in local government.
Buffaloe said she expected to hear key issues such as housing and safety to be brought up.
"When we talk about accessibility, I think that's that kind of bigger project. Like how do you get your voice heard in local government? How can local government make sure that its voice is heard at the student level?" Buffaloe said.
Buffaloe said she's most excited to receive the opinions from students about what they want to see in the community and to be able to work with them to help deliver that expectation.
Buffaloe also said she had been thinking about the idea of forming a collegiate council for a while, noting she previously served as a staff liaison to a commission. She said she wanted to ensure that when the city is making decisions that impact students, their voice is at the table.
"I think having more voices involved in the conversation can only help us be better, impactful and more resourceful for what it is that we need to accomplish in our community," Buffaloe said.
The council meets monthly. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, Feb 23.
