A junior transfer student from the York Commonwealth campus was elected Saturday as the new Council of Commonwealth Student Government executive coordinator.

"We must unite ourselves as one to carry the issues to the administration and faculty to let them know we're together here at the campus and to let them know we're looking for changes in the future," said Executive Coordinator-elect Perry "P.J." Sternberg (junior-veterinary science).

Sternberg, who was elected after four voting rounds, will replace current executive coordinator Tony Bottino. Sternberg officially takes office on April 17. He has served as executive assistant of CCSG, and also represented the group to the University Student Advisory Board.

The council's executive board is comprised of transfers from Commonwealth campuses. Two delegates from each Commonwealth campus address the specific interests of their constituents on the overall council.

Sternberg's competitors were Chuck Evans, (Ogontz Campus), and J. David James, (Allentown Campus). James was eliminated in the first round of voting, but Evans remained in the race until the fourth.

All the executive coordinator candidates said they wanted to increase the Commmonwealth campuses' influence and to work more closely with the two other student governments -- University Student Government and the Graduate Student Association.

In elections for USAB representatives, Jerry Martz, (New Kensington Campus), and Ron Fischer, (Ogontz), were elected to replace Evans and Sternberg. Allen Robinson (York Campus) also ran for this position.

Serving as new Faculty Senate representatives for CCSG are Greg Erdman (Altoona Campus) and Gregg Lalle (Beaver Campus). Fischer and James held these posts previously. Andy Hilt, (Delaware County), was nominated also.

"I think (CCSG) is starting to get a lot of respect now . . . we still have a lot of other things we want to get passed (in the Faculty Senate)," Erdman said.

Decreasing the gap between Commonwealth campuses' and University Park's faculty's salaries, improving instructors' teaching and communication skills, revamping advising programs, and increasing respect for Commonwealth campuses are some of the issues Erdman said he and Lalle want to address.

Kendall Houk, former USG Senate president, gave a brief talk about the importance of opening the University's budget and said he hoped all student governments could help this cause.

"The open budget is not an abstract thing that has no tangible effect on the students . . . we need complete unity between students," Houk said adding that the real issue behind opening the budget is student empowerment.

In other business, Bottino appointed Paul Coulehan, (McKeesport), to direct a new CCSG committee for minority concerns.