If some Undergraduate Student Government members have their way, student government at Penn State could be radically altered.

All of USG may need to be restructured into a "student association" that would act as an "umbrella group" for other student organizations, said USG President Mark Stewart. In this plan, all student groups would fall under one centralized student administration.

"It only serves the purpose of the (University) administration for us to be fragmented in the way we are," Stewart said.

USG Senate President Joe Atkinson agreed, saying, "A student association would form a more unified and powerful voice for students."

The association would represent all students, with current student organizations functioning as departments, Atkinson said. The departments would work independently, and the student association president could not tell the departments what to do, he said.

This structure could help avoid problems like those that recently occurred between USG and Womyn's Concerns, Atkinson said. A former USG department, Womyn's Concerns officially split from USG Friday after disputes between leaders of the two organizations about how Womyn's Concerns should operate.

But Craig Waldo, political co-director of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Student Alliance, pointed to the problems with Womyn's Concerns as an example of what happens when one group tries to contol another.

LGBSA would never want to be part of a student association, Waldo predicted, adding that his group and many others need their independence.

"My group would never want to be told what to do by anyone else," Waldo said. "The whole idea of an umbrella group is ridiculous . . . It's another case of those in power trying to keep their power."

Atkinson admitted that some organizations might not agree to a student association, since they would lose their autonomy.

"The biggest barrier to restructuring will be those organizations that have a definite sphere of influence," Atkinson said, noting that they may not want to give up the influence they have now as a part of the University Student Advisory Board.

Stacey Ishman, chairwoman of the Student Organization Budget Committee, agreed that all of USG needs to change to make a difference. With SOBC as part of a unified student government, student organizations could have greater control over their budgets because the money would be distributed from a central point, she said. SOBC now works independently with each student organization's budget.

Other USAB members tried to work within the current structure, citing the need to get rid of seats filled by underrepresented groups and other student groups that don't represent the student body as a whole.

Tom D'Alfonso, president of the Graduate Student Association, said one group that may no longer be essential to the board is LGBSA.

LGBSA's membership on USAB was important a few years ago because of certain pressing issues, like the addition of "sexual orientation" to the University's non-discrimination policy and several acts of intolerance, D'Alfonso said. But LGBSA's presence on the board set a precedent that other underrepresented groups now feel they have to follow, he said.

The Latino Caucus tried last semester to join USAB but was denied a seat. The group plans to submit a petition Thursday night to gain a seat this semester.

Waldo disagreed with the idea that USAB should not include more underrepresented groups.

"I see more voices making it more effective," Waldo said. "All student opinions need to be heard."

Membership on USAB is not an appropriate way for all student groups to seek representation, D'Alfonso said. Leaders of student groups should come to USAB and relate their problems and concerns but not necessarily have a seat on the board, he said. More members do not necessarily make USAB more effective, he added.

USAB should be limited to student organizations, such as USG, GSA and the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, that are able to represent the concerns of all students, not just select populations, he said.

Atkinson agreed that USAB may currently include too many student groups to be effective.

But underrepresented groups definitely need a forum, Ishman said.

"Without USAB there isn't a place for them to go," she said.

Ishman suggested that the leaders of underrepresented groups like LGBSA and Black Caucus could be given Senate seats in a new government, giving them a direct part in legislative decisions.

Ideas about restructuring USAB led to the formation of a committee of USAB members in August. Committee members are trying to decide if they can better serve the student body by restructuring the board itself.

"A decision has to be made as to what we are trying to achieve and how best to do it," said E.J. Shaffer, USAB president.