The State Representative and Senator whose districts contain Truman State University — Nate Walker and Brian Munzlinger, respectively — will be leaving office in January. Rep. Craig Redmon, who represents the eastern half of Adair County, will also leave in January. Redmon and Munzlinger have served since 2011 and Walker has served since 2013, meaning the political landscape in the area around Truman has been largely the same for the past six years. But that will change in a matter of months, and the University community will need to form new relationships with the winners of November’s elections.
We, The Index Editorial Board, encourage the candidates in the upcoming elections to show their commitment to the University by visiting campus; meeting students, faculty and staff; and listening to the concerns of the community. By extension, members of the campus community must be open to new leadership and ideas.
In the midst of a budget crisis largely triggered by cuts to state higher education appropriations, Truman’s campus has become as politically charged as ever. It sometimes seems our very existence is at the mercy of state lawmakers. The vast majority of the student body and many faculty members have never known a time when this community was not represented in Jefferson City by Walker and Munzlinger with Redmon nearby. But with all three seats turning over in the near future, Truman has a new opportunity to forge good relationships with those who represent us in government at a time we desperately need it.