. Opi •
nions .
6 The Daily Collegian
Tuesday, Jan. 11, 1994
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Editorial Opinion
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. Do sometning AND FND Our WW 4
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Student leaders must act
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in the New Year • ~......:::::.......::::::::::::....:::::::...
Studentgovernment must set 111 Be thrifty. As college stu
some New Year
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's resolutions dents know, having money is
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that will help it be more pro- crucial to a successful semes
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ductive in 1994. Here are some ter. The ESAC student activity •i:::i•.iini
familiar suggestions for our fee could prove successful to I , pASCIISWI‘ ip l i ii i . s: : • l: •:iii::::giii::iiigE:ii::
fearless leaders to add to their student organizations. Let's ' :iiiii • ":::i :i:iiiiii§::iiiiii§giiiiiiiiiii:iiiiii:iiii'
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resolution list: hear more about the plan USG . ,
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• Lose weight. USG President announced in November to
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Chris Saunders put the organi- allocate a percentage of tuition I Q ATO.MAPT ~.. • • .
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zation on a diet to be more increases annually to the Office :::::::::::::::::•:„. --,::::::::.:::.:. ...
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efficient. But following through of Student Aid. Saunders also _.
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on promises becomes difficult suggested monitoring tuition L = .. - 1 m, IIII MMIBM . ....-........
as members get caught in red increases by having a tuition 7:-. ifteet %It I FIG '4I- E REDUCnONSW _
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tape and bickering. It's obvious jury in the Office of Student J I
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USG lacks focus when it uses Aid and distributing grants to .....-
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meeting time to argue about students who can't pay tuition. gqlrfr 'tg '• ii fiwu - n - -- *ll
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trivial items, such as tape But good intentions don ' t pay
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recorders - instead of issues. the bills. SAA.r, if 111g11,7;, h .- llM l____lr- 44 111re li t! 1111:k
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Abolishing the University M Visit old friends. Remember 7'1"111.211 :AfiV leck:i::jiiiiki:i:::•.
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Student Advisory Board was those campaign promises - _ -
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supposed to replace it with increased campus lighting and
something better, not with a campus emergency phones?
fancier name like Executive Promises are promises so stu- wo),„k-5•iec•ia.0.4.42.4a5931.-nm0,...a
Student Action Council. Let's dents expect results from corn- wtair lb SEE PinuRES
see some of that "action." mittee meetings and
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Exercise. You can hop on discussions. The course selector
the Nordic Track, but never go guide concept made the Saun
anywhere. So far, USG has dis- ders/Shore ticket unique, and
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cussed establishing new Uni- now we want to see real results.
versity internships and Rumor has it the course guide •
addressing student concerns will be out early this semester. i• -,
between Association of Resi- Rumors don't get anyone any- il /7 .. ..,
dence Hall Students, Organiza- where - make it a reality. The A ‘' ' • '
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Lion for Town Independent open budget was another good 1,4/6 20. ,
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Students and USG. It also idea, but don't stop halfway and 0 1 P - 4;1 , s •%.`•
formed a committee for mid- forget faculty salaries, which • ItAtk
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semester evaluations and talked could reveal inequities across 44 680 01 30 174 L '4l
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about forming joint committees the board. .7414 p tAIFP 01. 1 6.%. •
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made up of ARHS, OTIS and It ' s time for student leaders
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USG. While planning is good, to put away the champagne 4 1 A.t (1/// . p
execution of these ideas is glasses and, party favors and r-9b
,„(AN 10U WAIT
essential for change. get to work.
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Students' letters should include semester standing, r '
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Tuesday, Jan. 11, 1994 should include the major and year of graduation of ,a, . •-E ati Lr= _
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USG members should worry about students, not resumes
Spring at University Park
brings us record amounts
of brown slush, two straight
months of rain and Undergraduate
Student Government elections. It's
hard to figure out which to look
forward to the least.
As a seasoned USG watcher (I
was the student government beat
reporter two springs ago and have
been an editor ever since), I've
always encouraged people to get
involved in USG and vote in elec
tions. Last spring I wrote a column
sarcastically declaring my candi
dacy in part to stir up interest in
student government.
But this year, I'm more dis
gusted with USG than ever. Maybe
I've just given up my faith that
anything will ever change, and that
new leaders I'm excited about for
a while won't let me down.
Student government at Penn
State seems to have one funda
mental flaw that shows up most
clearly when election time rolls
around. USG is supposed to serve
the students. But four years of
USG watching has convinced me
that many of the leaders in USG
are mainly out to serve them
selves.
It's obvious in the current
My Opinion
administration. USG President
Chris Saunders has given up the
fight for an open University bud
get because he would like to
believe that he has opened it
already.
But to get his ego boost he had to
abandon the long push for open
faculty salaries and detailed item
ization. If the whole budget is not
open to the public, there is no way
to make the University account
able on matters of equity in pro
fessors' pay or prevent fiascos like
D. Lewis Mothersbaugh's alleged
$22,932.13 in misappropriations.
Saunders did a lot to get the
budget open to the point that it is,
and he deserves credit for that.
But his desire for praise is pre-
venting him from continuing his
efforts on behalf of students.
Not that I have much more con
fidence in those who want to come
after him. One eager candidate has
already informed people of who
his running mate is and says he
has more than 200 people working
on his campaign. Apparently they
were meeting for much of last
semester. Another candidate has
not kept his aspirations or running
mate a secret either.
It's kind of funny that I know all
this, considering that the USG
elections code prevents any candi
date from informing people of his
or her candidacy or actively cam
paigning until a designated period
two-and-a-half weeks before the
election. And if the Collegian's
managing editor who should be
the last person they want to find
out a secret knows about it, how
quiet can they possibly be keeping
it?
Obviously people need to con
sider running long before the time
to actually declare comes. The
problem is that at least two people
in prominent positions in USG
seem to have put most of their
efforts this year into organizing
campaigns for USG president and
"Most USG members would rather piddle around
at meetings and throw away the chance that
involvement in USG gives them to do something
meaningful for students and this University."
gaining exposure, rather than
doing their current jobs as well as
they could.
And there is a reason for that
two-and-a-half-weeks rule. It gives
everyone an equal opportunity to
run for the position. Those already
in power shouldn't be able to use
their positions to promote their
own careers. Keeping the cam
paigning period limited and con
trolled gives all students a chance
to participate.
Even worse, two of the potential
candidates have apparently made a
deal to keep discussion of a pro
posed student activity fee out of
the campaign. The Executive Stu
dent Action Council is considering
having every student pay a fee
each semester to fund student
groups, but the candidates don't
want to be open about it with stu
dents because they are afraid it
could hurt their campaigns.
There are some honest, hard
working, concerned students in
USG I've met them. But getting
a close look at three USG Senates
and administrations has convinced
me that the good members are far
outnumbered. Most USG members
would rather piddle around at
meetings and throw away the
chance that involvement in USG
gives them to do something mean
ingful for students and this Uni
versity.
There are ways to make student
government at Penn State a real
force, and they have nothing to do
with restructuring USG or renam
ing USEC to USAB to ESAC or
hiding things from students so that
they get done in secret without
debate or controversy. '
They have to do with getting
USG members who really care
about making a difference, not
their resumes, and with students
who aren't willing to lay down and
let student government ignore
them.
I'm a skeptic now, but I'm
clinging to some faith. I want can
didates to convince me that they
care about attending and staying
awake at meetings, listening to
student concerns, working hard
and getting tangible results. And I
want the students to get behind
those candidates and vote them
into office in record numberS, then
support them and work with them
for an entire year.
More than anything else, I want
to see a USG that works its butt off
for the students of this University.
I'll tell you right now, there may
not be a lot of thanks for it, but I'll
be there to shake your hind
because I work for the students,
too.
My job is to inform them, and
I'm going to do my best to ;1e
sure they know exactly how you
are doing. If all of us are working
as hard as we can, there could be
great things ahead. If not, it'll be
another year of sloth in 203 A
Scott Dodd is a senior main
journalism and the Collegian's
managing editor.