Student leaders would like to see a fair housing ordinance passed by the State College Borough Council, and they'll be working for it at tonight's council meeting.

Housing discrimination exists in State College -- especially toward students --said Joe Atkinson, Undergraduate Student Government Senate president.

Last November, the USG Senate recommended that the council support a fair housing ordinance encompassing marital status, student status and sexual orientation. Mike Gillespie, USG Governmental Relations Committee chairman, then presented the recommendation to the council.

A housing analysis commissioned by the council also showed a need for the ordinance, Gillespie said. Diana T. Myers and Associates, housing and development consultants, conducted the study.

"The study was pretty thorough and didn't seem to have too many problems with it," Gillespie said.

Gillespie will attend tonight's council meeting to represent student concerns again.

Some council members said they want to see more input from students on the issue.

"They haven't done a thing yet," said council member Thomas Daubert, adding that almost no students, with the exception of Atkinson, regularly attend council meetings.

When Atkinson addresses the council, he said, he speaks as a student -- not as a USG officer.

Council members respect the views of students who are well-informed and concerned about the issues, Atkinson said.

Council meetings are generally difficult places to get student input, so informal meetings should be scheduled about twice a semester between student leaders and council members to discuss issues affecting students, Daubert said.

Student input supporting the findings of the Myers report would help to establish the need for a fair housing ordinance, said council member Jerry Wettstone.

Few cases of actual discrimination were cited in the report outside of the affordability issue, Wettstone said, adding that he would like to see further proof of discrimination.

But just because discrimination may not exist in large quantities doesn't mean a rule shouldn't be passed, Atkinson said.

In a separate student perspectives report done by the USG Governmental Relations Committee, 20 to 30 percent of the students interviewed said they had difficulty finding housing because they were undergraduates, Atkinson said.

"They're saying you have to have a college degree," which would cause an uproar anywhere else, Atkinson said.

Although some students may be destructive or cause problems, all undergraduate students should not be punished for the problems caused by a small percentage, Atkinson said.