Student and town government leaders say more students should take part in borough politics.

Only 2,576 students living on campus registered to vote in November's general elections, and only 14 percent of those who registered actually voted, said Mary Corman, an employee at the Centre County Voter Registration Office.

"If students register (to vote), we can have a say on council because the borough is 67 percent students," said Kurt Derr, president of the Undergraduate Student Government Senate.

Few students vote in local elections because most think their votes will make no difference and because they are uninformed about the candidates, Derr said.

Eric Stamper (junior-finance) said he registered to vote in the November elections but did not know enough about the candidates.

"I was interested in voting, (but I) wasn't sure who I wanted to vote for," Stamper said.

Other reasons students do not vote include scheduling problems and ignorance of local politics, said Joe Atkinson, chairman of the USG Government Relations Committee.

"(Some) students don't know where the polling places are," he added.

The committee will set up registration tables, distribute candidate information and go door-to-door to encourage students to vote in the May elections, Atkinson said.

Gina Zanardelli (senior-psychology) said she remained registered at home because she will be returning there soon.

"I thought about (registering in State College) but I don't see the point of transferring," Zanardelli said.

Borough council could be more understanding of student needs, she said.

"I am a member of a Greek organization and sometimes we get out of hand. (Borough council) could be a little more tolerant because we also do philanthropic events," Zanardelli said.

State College Borough Council President Ruth Lavin said the council does understand students' needs.

"I have gone to bat for students. I feel I have gone the extra measure (to include students in borough government)," Lavin said, referring to her work with interns and other students assigned to the mayor's office.

Students can also become politically active by running for borough council or other positions, State College Mayor Arnold Addison said, but he stressed that students need to be interested in both town and University issues.

Students have also been appointed to various authorities, boards and commissions in recent years to make them an integral part of local government, Lavin said.

Abbas Aminmansour (graduate-civil engineering), vice-chairman of the Commission for Pedestrian Traffic and Safety, applied for the position because he wanted to serve the community and students. Student involvement in committees can influence policy because the committees send recommendations to borough council, he said.

"We should set aside indifference (to local issues). How much difference can one person make? A lot," Aminmansour said.

Ron Marlow, a 1990 alumnus, lost his bid for a borough council seat two years ago, but he applied for a position on the Citizen's Advisory Committee to fulfill a campaign promise to get more involved in local government.

Lavin said students do not seem terribly interested in town government.

"The primary reason for students to be here is to get an education," she said.

Increased political activity by responsible students would probably not alleviate tensions between the students and residents, she said.

"I don't think it's student vs. town so much. . . . It's the disrespectful ones (that aggravate residents)," Lavin said.