COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- The University of Missouri Board of Curators has voted against hiring a campus lawyer to represent students in court.

The board voted 4-4 Friday on the proposal, but it failed because one curator was absent.

Student leaders for three years have pushed for lifting restrictions on how campus lawyers can work with students. Currently, they can give students 30-minute consultations but can't represent them in court.

The lawyer would be paid from student fees and help students in landlord-tenant disputes and credit issues, not criminal cases.

Six other schools in the Big 12, including Kansas, have campus lawyers to represent students.

University officials say they'll continue to discuss the issue with students this summer.

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