OSGA General Assembly—" UNIVERSITY PARK (APS)— Accord was reached within the Or ganization of Student Govern ment Associations after a two-day struggle, which ended on the floor of the OSGA General Assembly Saturday morning. Delegates from all 19 Common wealth Campus student govern ments- were meeting for a state conference at the University Park campus. These delegates comprise the General Assembly of OSGA. The conflict between the Execu tive Committee and the General Assembly had been developing since early September, and it sur faced during discussion sessions late Friday afternoon. Members of the Executive Com mittee are elected by the General Assembly, which meets twice a year, 'to conthict the admbaistra- tive affairs of OSGA. The OSGA executive includes the main of ficers of OSGA, the Common wealth Campus representativves to the University Senate and four regional coordinators. These are all former Commonwealth Campus students. Four campuses comprising the Piedmont Region challenged the Executive Committee by refusing the pay annual assesments. The Piedmont Region includes Ogontz. Delaware County, Mont Alto, and Becks Campuses. (The Mont Alto Campus had already paid its as sesment, but requested that it be refunded.) OSGA finances its activities through these assesments which total about $801) from all Com monwealth Compuses. The dissident members cited four reasons for this action. - --OSGA did not hold a summer conference as voted by the Gen eral Assembly. —OSGA did not publish a newsletter as voted by the Gen eral Assembly. —The Executive •Committee is too slow in processing the char ters of campus organizations. Un til the beginning of this term, final charter authority rested in the Administrative Committee on Student Affairs. Now OSGA ex rcises this authority through a chartering committee. —OSGA did not produce legis lation to reorganize the Intercam pus League. —During a separate meeting Friday and, again Saturday morn ing, members of the Executive Committee defended these allega tions. —lt was not feasible to hold a summer conference. —Member student governments did not contribute material for the newsletter. —The chartering committee was faced with more than 36 constitutions when it assumed the chartering authority. All of these had to be carefully examined to insure that they adhered to 'Uni versity policies and regulations. The chartering committee had no previous experience, since this was the first term that OSGA had the responsibility. Many of the con stitutions had to be returned to the campuses for revisions.) The call for a change in the Intercampus League 'was introduc ed last Spring Term, because of the high cost of carrying out the pro gram. The new legislation was tabled until the "next meeting" which. would have been the sum mer conference. The legislation was Presented at last weekend's conference and passed. —Jer Natoli, Ogontz Student Government Association president, said, "We came here with ques tions. We've got some answers." —Piedmont Regional Represen tative Dick Hagen said, "Speak ing for the region, I recommend Student Body President Boy Kirkley. OIR Wittatty Volume XXI—No. 10 OSGA Request Student Seating With Trustees by Char Crotty UNIVERSITY PARK (APS) The Organization of Student Government Associations passed a resolution last weekend re questing that the University Board of Trustees be expanded to include the president of OSGA in an ej-officio capacity. The resolution was part of the agenda considered by the OSGA General Assembly meeting at University Park. It called for OSGA to "work in cooperation with , the Graduate Student Association and the Un dergraduate Student Government for the inclusion of their respec tive Presidents on the Board of Trustees, in a, similar capacity. In other action, the assembly voted to support the Executive Committee's endorsement of "The Year of the Black." The Graduate Student, Assoc iation passed -this resolution as GSA's intention of postponing other issues of importance and concentrating "on the resolu that we pay our assesments." The four campuses involved stated on the floor of the General Assembly that they would pay. —Hagen is a former student at the 'Schuylkill Campus.) Dissatisfaction of some OSGA delegates with the role of the Ex ecutive Committee resulted in the possible resignation of OSGA President Ron Batchelor because of a racial barrier: "Some of the attitudes of racism that existed in some of the work shops cannot be avoided and can not be repeated, at least while I'm p r.e s i ti e n t of OSGA," Bat chelor said. He was speaking dur ing the second session of the Gen eral Assembly Saturday morning. Scheduled discussion groups Saturday morning were dropped •kr • • • _MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY NEW YEAR tion of black student problems at the University." Emphasis will be placed on admissions, more black faculty and administrators and an off-campus black cultural cen ter. OSGA also voted to support the concept of student govern ments as the legitmate repre sentative of all . .students,, urging that the University and its ad ministrative and legislative - bod ies recognize this concept and act accordingly. The General Assembly defeat ed a, bill demanding that all new bills or resolutions be distributed to the Common . Wealth Campuses at least seven days before they are voted on in the Executive Committee and that no new bills or• resolutions be' placed on - a conference agenda -less than 21 days before a confererice. The General Assembly passed "The Revised Inter-Campus Lea gue Act of 1969" to provide a fi nancially realistic inter-cainpus sports program. According to the legislation, Inter-Campus League and two-day struggle" when Batchelor decided that more important issues must be discussed. Issues which were "im portant to the preservation of the OrganizatiOn of Student Govern ment Associations." "What I was subjected to in a couple of rooms last night, I wouldn't like a repetition of," Bat chelor said. "When issues come down to black and white in re gards to student •government, we not only have to talk about im mediate problems, we have to talk about immediate problems, we have to talk about attitudes." The racial issue focused on Bat chelor's involvement in the Black Student Union demonstration on All-University Day. Some of the membership said he should have gone to Ernest McCoy, dean of the December 5, 1969 members will be required to com pete in all events: table tennis, chess and bowling. Four regions of competition were set up, each one to hold an elimination tournament. Region al all-star teams will be sent to the state championship tourna ment at University Park. The expenses of the all-star teams will be shared by all mem bers within the regions. An amendment to the OSGA constitution was brought before the assembly for position on the Winter Term agenda. This - bill divides the office of secretary treasurer into - three offices. The proposed offices of treasurer, re cording secretary and correspond ing secretary would be elected as voting members of the Executive Committee. The Inter-Governmental Rela tions Act, will be presented at the Winter Conference after some re visions. The bill concerns inter action between OSGA and the Undergraduate Student Govern ment. college of health and physical ed ucation, to protest a change in the day's program. Originally the halftime program had included the All-U Day bati ner contest. The contest was changed to the period between the third and fourth quarter to give the halftime program to ESU. Batchelor objected to the ques tioning of his integrity and con flict of interest. "Is there a conflict of interest if I'm in the Black Student Union and OSGA?" he asked. "Is there a problem when the OSGA presi dent walked out on the stadium Nov. 1 (as part of the demonstra tion)?" "Do I represent OSGA or do I represent black students? It's clear. I'm a black student presi dent of OSGA. The distinction is drawn where you make it," Bat chelor said. " Some of the membership, ac cording to Batchelor, felt that the halftime program should not have been for the Black students, but for the Commonwealth Campus students. "Many times in the past year and-a-half I have compromised my principles by attending OSGA meetings and not BSU meetings," Batchelor said. He -told the as sembly that he did not feel it was his role to protest the All-U shuf fle. "I don't think you can find anyone more pro-Commonwealth Campus than Ron Batchelor, but I thought a university was made up of all the people," he said. "If this is an opinion of the OSGA," he said, "then I would gracefully resign as your president of this organization.' The BSU involvement was only one issue that created what Bat chelor called a racial barrier be tween himself and some represen tatives. Other objections rose out of what types of activities the Ex ecutive Committee held priority over. "It is felt by some that we shouldn't discuss the problems of the disadvantaged in the Aca demic Admissions and Athletic Standards Committee or problems of recruitment of disadvantaged because we don't have any black students on our campus, or we only have two," Batchelor said. "This shows more of a prob- lem," he said. Batchelor described this as a "below the belt" attack by some of the membership who accuse him of pushing legislation for blacks in priority over what they want. "I vowed a commitment to OSGA when I ran for president last year. I repeated this commit ment by re=running," Bat&elor said. "At first I thought the problems were just with communications, but I don't think I can talk about ditto machines and cokes all year as President of OSGA. If you want to regress four years, just look in to the files and find these things," "I cannot remain president of an organization that uses these as its aspirations and ideals. We've got - to brace this paranoia, people, and' get dOwn to real business." Batchelor turned the chair over to his vice president, Pat Seaveny, for discussion. In his address, Seaveny urged the group to "look a little bit far ther than just the Executive Com mittee." "Thursday evening we were at a, dinner, and someone made the comment that within a certain number of years, the Common (Continued on Page $)
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