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
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