MU students protest for free Plan B emergency contraceptives, public meeting with Choi

Outside and inside Thursday's meeting of the University of Missouri System Board of Curators' missing Mizzou student members of the Coalition for Bodily Autonomy made their issue known.

The issue: free Plan B emergency contraceptives for students.

Around 50 or so students stood outside Memorial Union, carrying signs and banners reading "We Won't Go Back" and "Take Back Our Rights." Their chants, heard clearly inside the meeting included "M-I-Z-Z-O-U, the blood's on you," and "What do we want? Plan B."

Also visible inside the meeting, members sat quietly on the front row of the audience holding signs, one reading "You have had more than enough time." The meeting wasn't interrupted at any point.

The free Plan B is crucially important to students since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned abortion protections in Roe v Wade, said spokeswoman Mel Tully, a senior computer science major from Elmhurst, Ill.

"It's an opportunity to make our voices heard," Tully said of the meeting.

The university administration wants to meet with them in private, but Tully said they want everything in public.

"I think they hope they can wait us out," Tully said, noting it's the tactic officials used in doing nothing about the Thomas Jefferson statue on campus.

The coalition comprises members of the Coalition of Graduate Workers, Sexual Education and Advocacy, Queer Liberation Front and Mizzou Young Democratic Socialist of America.

They got the attention of Robin Wenneker, chairwoman of the board, and Mun Choi, UM System President and MU chancellor.

"We certainly heard you," Wenneker said during a news conference after the meeting. "We are staunch defenders of your First Amendment rights."

"My door is always open," Choi said.

It has to be private, though.

"Let's have that private conversation first," Choi said. "I'm open to meeting with members of the coalition."

Officials have private conversations all the time in addition to public ones, like Thursday's meeting, he said.

"I think it's healthy for university leaders to have a candid discussion," in a private meeting, Choi said.

The board supports Choi's approach, Wenneker said.

"My message to the students is please come and see me," Choi said.

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Find out what this coalition of students wants from MU administration