ALTOONA -- Commonwealth campus student services are still inadequate compared to University Park's, University President Bryce Jordan told several representatives of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments yesterday.

Jordan spoke to representatives from Altoona, York and Ogontz campuses, in the Eve Chapel social room on the Altoona campus about improving those commonwealth campus student facilities.

Brian Donaldson, Altoona Student Government Association president and CCSG representative to the University Board of Trustees, said the most important issues for Altoona campus students are to upgrade their facilities and to unify all the Penn State campuses.

Jordan said expanding commonwealth campuses is hard to justify because they have no masters or doctoral work, little research and no juniors or seniors. "But the first two years of an undergraduate education are the most important," he said.

"We're trying to do a better job. We've got to do a better job," Jordan said. Commonwealth campuses are important because "Penn State extends itself into every community in the state and that gives us clout in the legislature. University Park is big enough --bigger than it should be but competition in the graduate and research area is intense," he said.

CCSG representatives outlined problems with lack of campus facilities, teaching assistants and advising.

"York rents space off-campus for classes," John Huang, York SGA president, said.

"We're bustin' at the seams at Ogontz," Ron Fischer, Ogontz SGA president and faculty senator, said. "We've had the same facilities since 1983 but our enrollment has increased from 1500 to 5000."

Fischer said commonwealth campuses should have strategic plans.

Jordan agreed, "Every CEO ought to have a strategic plan in his back pocket."

Fischer said funding for commonwealth campuses seemed to be low priority for the University.

Jordan said the University is trying to improve facilities but it "requires expenditure of funds."

CCSG representatives also suggested requiring TAs and instructors to take teaching and communication proficiency tests.

Fischer said, "I had a chemistry teacher from Korea and I did worse just because I couldn't understand him."

"We have to be careful that we don't attack international teaching assistants, but they should be required to take a class," Donaldson said.

"Problems with TAs are a national concern," Jordan said. "They have improved at University Park but the standards are not rigorous enough." Jordan suggested a buddy system for new teachers but added students must "get deans concerned about quality teaching in their colleges."

"Students are concerned about advising," Fischer said. "When journalism students are advised by science professors they end up taking extra classes, and waste money. Some advisors do nothing but sign papers."

Fischer said offering reimbursement to professors who take the time to advise students might be an incentive.

"When teachers are pressured to research, advising comes last," Fischer said."Some teachers think that students should not be advised."

Jordan agreed that advising is important and described the College of Business Administration's professional advising program as a successful example. But that kind of advising is expensive, he added.

Before Jordan's arrival the CCSG representatives said commonwealth campuses and University Park need to be more unified.

Ron Fischer said, " (Undergraduate Student Government) could be a part of CCSG, but they don't see us as equal."

"CCSG represents 47 percent of Penn State students," Donaldson said. "Altoona is not a branch or satellite campus, it's a Penn State campus just like University Park," he said.