The Van Horn/Wilmer ticket will try to stop 23 consecutive years of tuition increases by creating an organization to lobby state legislators in Harrisburg.

Their ticket also proposes two new USG departments -- one to work on off-campus issues and one to form a board of alumni.

"Every year tuition goes up higher than the cost-of-living," Denys Wilmer said. "We realize a tuition freeze is impossible because inflation goes up, but it would be nice."

The Higher Education Lobbying Program, or HELP, will be an organization led by the student government presidents at the four state-related institutions -- Penn State, University of Pittsburgh, Lincoln University and Temple University. Student institutions will work together to lobby state legislators to increase funding for higher education and stop cuts in financial aid.

"One way that has never been effectively carried out is to have 130,000 students who attend the four state-related universities to speak as one voice in Harrisburg," James Van Horn said.

Van Horn said that HELP will also try to aid fifth-year students in obtaining financial aid.

Fifth-year students need financial aid because a study done by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency found that 25 percent of all students pursuing an undergraduate education in Pennsylvania needed a fifth year to complete their degree, Wilmer said.

The Van Horn/Wilmer administration also plans to create a new department in USG -- the governmental relations department -- to work with issues off-campus, such as coordinating Penn State's lobbying efforts and working with the State College Borough Council.

Van Horn added that the organization will be responsible for organizing a "borough day," a meeting with University administrators, student government leaders and borough officials to discuss issues informally.

Van Horn and Wilmer also plan to create an alumni relations department within USG.

"We can use their knowledge, wisdom and experience so we don't repeat what has been tried or done before," Wilmer said.

Van Horn and Wilmer also plan to address academic concerns by working with Academic Assembly to create a course and a professor evaluation guide and try to put a student representative on each college's faculty tenure review board.

Van Horn and Wilmer will also pressure administrators to make expanding the HUB a higher priority and increase funding.

Van Horn, a resident of State College, is editor of The Lionhearted, a literary journal, and serves as state secretary of the College Republicans of Pennsylvania. He is active on the Republican State Committee. Previously, Van Horn served as vice chairman of the Penn State College Republicans. He was also the moderator for a program sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association titled "Perspectives on a University Community."

Wilmer, a resident of Valley Forge, is a founding member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, 3 Stone and a town senator. Previously, she served on the ARHS Council and the USG Department of International Affairs.