As a USG Senator, and a member of that organization throughout one of its most tumultuous years, I wanted to take time to express my sentiments about this year's election, giving my support to the USG presidential ticket of Jim Van Horn and Denys Wilmer.

Jim Van Horn has extensive organizational leadership qualities, and has contributed more to Penn State University and the external community than any other candidate. He served as the vice chair of the Penn State College Republicans, and he currently serves on the state level as the secretary for the Pennsylvania College Republicans.

Jim has worked extensively in the Republican State Committee, through which he has developed close personal relationships with State Representative Lynn Herman, State Senator Doyle Corman, Congressman Bill Clinger and the members of the State College Borough Council.

Further, Jim serves as the editor-in-chief for Lionhearted, a journal of student, alumni, faculty and townspeople thought, and he has served as an organizer of The Arts Festival. Jim also acts as moderator of a program titled "Perspectives on a University Community," which is sponsored by the Alumni Association.

Denys Wilmer has also had extensive leadership and service roles in her time at Penn State. Denys has served as a senator for three semesters and was a representative to the ARHS Council. Denys was also a founding sister in her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and a member of the service sorority Gamma Sigma Sigma.

Two of the many innovative plans of the Van Horn and Wilmer ticket include the Higher Education Lobbying Program and an Alumni Relations Department. In an attempt to end 23 years of tuition increases, the HELP proposal creates a coalition lobbying program of the four state-related universities.

Van Horn and Wilmer are the only ticket to suggest such a coalition, and have already received full support on the idea from the student body presidents of Temple and Pitt.

As a member of USG, I can tell you that members are constantly attempting to re-invent the wheel, participating in repetitive cycles which deter progress for the students. By forming an Alumni Relations Department, information and experience can be gathered from the past and utilized effectively in the present, leading to a positive future for students.

Further, the Alumni Association is an extremely powerful voice within the University community. A productive relationship with the Alumni Association could lead to a more effective and productive USG.

Other tickets talk of minority recruitment and retention, but have little knowledge about the topic, or propose reducing class sizes, but have no realistic plan to consider the rise in tuition due to the faculty, and class and office space which would be needed.

Unlike those tickets, Van Horn and Wilmer propose a sound and innovative platform. They have the knowledge of the issues, and the productive relationships within the University, State College Borough and state government to extend their platform beyond ideas and into reality.

With Van Horn and Wilmer, students can expect a new era of student advocacy; an era of progressive change.