University Park (APS)--Student courts will be the major topic of new business at the Winter Conference of the. Organization of Student Gov't. Associations. The conference will be held in the Hetzel Union Building here Feb. 16 and 17. According to Bob Bauer, OSGA president, Student Government Association presidents and vice pres idents from all 19 commonwealth campuses are planning to attend. In the past, all action concerning student affairs, conduct and discipline was handled by the Student Affairs Committee on each of the campuses. Recently, the University Senate passed rule W-16 which states, "Cases of alleged student misconduct shall be adjudicated by a student court..." The job before this OSGA Conference concerns the establishment of such courts. Bauer said that there is still the question of whether or not to set up general guidelines and iet - each campus fill in the details or — whether to write a constitution which would govern all cases on all campuses. Several campuses--including McKeesport, Beaver and Mont Alto--already have operating student courts. However, until the OSGA makes a decision, the individual student courts will have to wait to receive official status. Several items of old business are - on-the agenda. Constitutional revisions will be discussed, but no action on these will be taken until the Spring Conference, May 17 and 18. One section under revision would make the duties of the OSGA president more specific. The undergraduate Student Government has passed a bill, requested by OSGA, to allow the branch campuses to select their own rperesentatives to the Faculty Senate Committee for Student Affairs. Until now, USG had selected the representative for commonwealth campuses without consulting OSCA. The University policy requiring all transfers to live on campus during their first year at University Park is also under consideration as old business. OSGA is investigating the policy since many transfers have already spent at least one year in branch campus dormitories when they come to University Park. OSGA, the Men's Res idence Council and the Town Independent Men's Council are investigating student interest in a change of this policy. Condidering the past confusion and mis understanding between USG and OSGA, the prospect of cooperation between the two organizations far the present and in the future looks bright, according to Bauer. No longer is there disagree ment and open contradiction between the two group's charters. Last Spring Term OSGA amended its constitution stating that it is the governing body representing the commonwealth campuses. USG is the governing body of the students in matters of an all-University nature. However, OSGA is consulted before action pertaining to policies affecting commonwealth campus students. "The stage of rivalry between the two or ganizations is passed as I am sure Jeff Long (USG president) will probably agree," said Bauer. OSGA WINTER CONFERENCE STUDENT AID SURVEY University Park, Pa.--A college freshman has supported his family since his father was disabled four years ago. working 40 hours a week, he is carrying a full academic load, but his grades are slipping because he lacks time to study. A junior in sociology is trying to keep herself and her sister in school. The family income is $2,020, derived entirely from Social Security. Her father is paralyzed, and her mother had to quit work to care for him. A boy with an extremely high math score is working almost full-time to pay his tu ition. He had preivously withdrawn from school for two years in order-to earn-the money to return. Now his wife has become pregnant. These youngsters--and thousands like them--emerge from the pages of a newly re leased report prepared by the Pennsylvania State University's Office of Student Aid. "They aren't in the least unuaual," according to Ralph N. Krecker, director of the Office. "Roughly one third of all the students at Penn State's 20 campuses are re ceiving some form of financial assistance to help them remain in school." A profile of the 1965 and 1966 freshman classes shows that about 30 per cent of the University's students come from families with incomes under $6,000, and 62 per cent from families who earn less than $9,000 a year. Students at the Commonwealth Campuses throughout the State generally indicate even less affluent backgrounds than those at University Park: Eighty-one per cent reg istered in two-year programs noted family earnings under $9,000. "We try not to reject any qualified students because of financial need," Krecker says, "and happily, today there is more money available to help them than there used to be." During 1966-67,the University was able to distribute $3,043,148 in scholarships and laoans and through employment opportuni ties. An additional $4,042,125 was forth coming from non-University sources, principally in the form of State guaranteed loans and scholarhips. "Basically, however," Krecker explains, "We expect the student to furnish a reasonable amount toward his own expenses. "Experience has shown us that in his freshman year, a boy can be expected to earn a minimum of $3OO, and a girl, $2OO. By the time they become seniors, the boy should be able to contribute $450, the girl, $350." Last year, the Unviersity helped students obtain over 7,000 jobs during the school terms, and, of course, many students found off-campus employment for themselves. "Most of these youngsters are used to hard work," Krecker points out. "They want to find jobs, but they also have to worry about maintaining their grade point average. Sometimes they may prefer to borrow money in stead of working in order to devote extra
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