The Fourth Wall
page 3
Though the amount of
State money Penn State receives is
a comparatively small portion of
the schools total budget, it is used
to “offset tuition for Pennsylvania
residents,” said Mont Alto Cam-
pus Chancellor Dr. Gnage.
“Without that money from the
State, Pennsylvania students
would pay the same amount.”
Penn State has begun a
website (Openness.psu.edu), per-
haps as a middle ground between
total compliance with Right-To-
Know and losing public funding.
The site includes a breakdown of
the budget, among other infor-
mation. However, many financial
specifics, including research con-
tracts, specific salaries, and dona-
tions, are not given.
“It is not open enough,”
said Cate Barron, executive editor
ilzzard
et one free!
of The Patriot-News, about the
new website. “We need to know
meeting minutes... A lot of ac-
tions, a lot of documents... We
also had to go to court to get sala-
ries, and that’s never as transpar-
ent as it should be.”
In addition to the court
case The Patriot-News led in 2007
for Penn State to release their em-
ployee’s salaries, the university
was involved in a court case last
year about the records of the 1998
investigation into Jerry Sandusky,
according to PennLive. The Office
of Open Records ruled in favor of
Penn State and the records remain
unavailable to the public.
In the wake of the
Sandusky scandal, Penn State offi-
cials have been pledging a policy
of openness and transparency, yet
continue to resist compliance with
1951 East Main Street
Waynesboro, PA |
Right-To-Know. Many feel that in
keeping with a policy of transpar-
ency, complete compliance with
the Right-To-Know law is a nec-
essary step.
“I feel that Penn State
should absolutely comply with the
Right-To-Know Law,” said the
student government president at
Mont Alto, Coty Covert. “After
the scandal and everything that
happened [Penn State] is preach-
ing transparency, [saying] ‘change
the rules so there’s more transpar-
ency’. And they don’t give you
any, and it’s frustrating... It’s
hypocritical.”
Dr. Gnage is among
those in the university who oppos-
es releasing all of Penn State’s
financial information.
“I think it’s very im-
portant that there be financial ac-
countability,” he said. “My con-
cern is... there are various deci-
sions that are made in the course
of running a campus or running a
university, certain discussions go
on, that really should be confiden-
tial.”
These include donations
and the conversations between the
university and the donors regard-
ing the size and intended purpose
of their gift. “Some donors don’t
want their names used,” said Dr.
Gnage. “Even [with anonymous
donations] we don’t get into all
the discussions that go on with
that individual.”
The chancellor also feels
that personnel and hiring issues
should remain confidential,
though these are typically consid-
ered exceptions to the Sunshine
Act, a law related to Right-To-
Know.
There are those, includ-
ing SGA President Covert, who
feel that Penn State compliance
with the Right-To-Know Law will
bring about more positive than
negative consequences.
“The State would have a
more favorable attitude toward
Penn State,” Covert said, “and it
would plant seeds for future in-
creases in allocation, rather than
preparing for the decrease we re-
ceive [every year].”
This wave of public pres-
sure on the University comes at
the same time that student pres-
sure is increasing on the Board of
Trustees. Chief among these stu-
dent pressures is the recent Six
Points for Change legislation
passed by the three largest student
organizations in the Penn Sate
system — the University Park Un-
dergraduate Association (UPUA),
the Graduate Student Association
(GSA), and the Council of Com-
monwealth Student Government s
(CCSQG).
The primary point on the
list demands that the Board of
Trustees change its bylaws to al-
low a permanent student trustee
position and that representatives
from the UPUA, GSA, and CCSG
be given access to the standing
Board of Trustees committees. If
accepted by the Board, the student
body would have more power than
ever before in university policy.
The fact that this legisla-
tion comes at the same time as
public pressure on Penn State
about the Right-To-Know Law is
viewed by some, such as Dr.
Gnage, as a coincidence. Others,
such as Coty Covert, view the two
as strongly interconnected
“The student government
associations of Penn State are
coming to a point where we need
to be aggressive about how we
feel about Penn State’s position on
the Right-To-Know Law,” said
Covert.
Penn State’s ultimate
decision about the Right-To-
Know Law remains unclear.
“They’ve got to become transpar-
ent,” said Barron, “...but at least
they’re thinking about it and
they’re hearing from their alum’s
and other people... so there’s a lot
of pressure on them to become
more open.”
[13
BRITTNEY WILMER
The Mont Alto Student
Government Association
(SGA) has been busy planning
many events for our student
body. The members of student
government have planned a
dinner, a meet your SGA
night, and a trip to Harrisburg
for a day.
In the coming months,
students will have the oppor-
tunity to meet with the mem-
bers of the student government
at the Meet Your SGA Day.
During this event, students will
be able to come to meet and
talk with the members of Mont
Alto’s student government.
Current SGA president Coty
Covert states: “The SGA is the
vehicle to effect change for the
students.” It is a chance for
them to interact with their
SGA and ask them any ques-
tions they might have about
what is going on at Mont Alto
and express any concerns they
have.
The Student Govern-
ment has also planned a Pride
Dinner for later in the semes-
ter. Like the Meet Your SGA
Day, the student body will be
able to interact with SGA
members. The dinner will also
be a chance for students to
come out and show their Penn
State pride by sporting their
Penn State attire while listen-
ing to speakers and learning
how to build leadership and
pride within in our Penn State
Community. It’s a great time
for you to come out and show
your pride and support Penn
State Mont Alto!
In addition to these on-
campus events, SGA is plan-
ning a trip. On Wednesday
April 4, 2012, there will be a
trip to Harrisburg for Capitol
Day. Capitol Day is the time
for us as students to go to our
state capitol in Harrisburg and
talk to our legislators and ex-
press any interest or concerns
that we have about any issues
involving Penn State. Covert
hopes to have a bus load of
students to take to Harrisburg.
Everyone is welcome to at-
tend. “It’s your chance to have
your voice heard as students,”
says Covert.
Students are always
welcome to attend the Execu-
tive Board meetings that take
place every Monday at 2 p.m.
in Conklin, room 205. In addi-
tion, all students are welcome
to attend General Assembly
meetings as well, which take
place after every CCSG week-
end, and are listed in the Mont
Alto activities calendar. Over-
all, what our SGA hopes to
accomplish this year is for stu-
dents to take an interest in not
only the student government,
but government in general and
realize that they have a voice.
“I want the students to know
wield,”