In a spark-filled Undergraduate Student Government debate last night, USG presidential candidate Jim Ryerson came on strong, dismissing accusations against him and asking for a return to the issues.

He targeted USG presidential candidate Rob Kampia and running mate Beth Schneck for losing track of student concerns and criticizing him about living in his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, 524 Locust Lane, while he was a USG town senator.

Instead of showing concrete programs, Kampia and Schneck have been trapped in "some sort of bizarre '60s nostalgia," Ryerson said, referring to their activist approach.

"The candidates are really hedging on their issues," Ryerson added after the third of the USG debates.

Ryerson said he and running mate Candice Anderson are willing to go as far as necessary to serve students, offering to be the first to sue the University if the state House and Senate pass House Bill 1075 -- the Cowell Bill -- and the University still refuses to open the budget.

Schneck was asked which open budget bill she and Kampia support -- the Cowell Bill, which would completely open the University budget, or the Rhoades Bill, which would leave individual faculty salaries closed.

Schneck deferred to Kampia, saying she was not an expert on the University budget. Kampia said they support the Cowell Bill.

Kampia asked Ryerson to defend his cover-up of his residency and justify his characterization of the accusations as "silly."

But Ryerson said he did nothing wrong in representing the town area from his fraternity.

"I never covered anything up --you dug it up," Ryerson said. "I would do it again."

USG presidential candidate Rich Schaffer also answered questions about his stance on gay rights.

Although his religious beliefs do not support homosexuality, Schaffer said he would put aside his personal values as USG president to combat harassment and violence on campus.

"My religion says toleration, my religion says mercy, my religion says justice," Schaffer said, adding that he didn't have to put aside any of that to do the job.

Schaffer and running mate Chris Groton said they would decline the tuition break they would get as USG president and vice president to use on other programs, and challenged Ryerson and Anderson to do the same.

But Ryerson said he could not afford to work as USG president during the entire term -- which includes the summer session --without the tuition break because he could not earn money at a summer job.

Groton said he receives a full-tuition Navy ROTC scholarship, but Schaffer does not and never has.

The candidates also addressed borough issues for the first time during the three debates.

Ryerson said he will educate students on issues such as parking, the availability of property inspectors and the fair housing ordinance -- in which he wants sexual orientation and educational status included.

Kampia said he wants to give students specific issues to deal with in the borough, including zoning laws and parking.

The "party animal" reputation of students needs to be improved through having community members meet students at fraternities and in USG Senate meetings, Schaffer said.