A great deal of newsprint was devoted in the Thursday and Friday issues of the Daily Collegian to USG presidential candidate Jim Ryerson's residence in a fraternity while representing the town area in the USG Senate. Ryerson refers to the issue as "silly and bureaucratic." When examined only in the context of the violation, the issue probably is "silly." However, the big picture tells a different story.

Ryerson has rejected the activism of the Rob Kampia/Beth Schneck ticket by referring to their approach as "bizarre '60s nostalgia." Joseph Palmieri, a supporter of Ryerson, stated in a reader opinion Friday that a more pressing issue is Rob Kampia's prison term. The only reason Rob Kampia's prison term may be more pressing is because it illustrates the Kampia/Schneck ticket will not be afraid to go to any length to represent student concerns.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was guided by the philosophy that unjust laws must be broken to affect change. Whether the issue be an unwarranted invasion of privacy or the administration's secrecy on how our tuition money is being spent, the Kampia/ Schneck ticket will work to undo unjust laws and policies.

Unfortunately for Ryerson, expecting a senator to live in the area they represent is not an unjust law that should be broken. Even if it was, by rejecting activism Ryerson implies he wants to work within the system. He even asked in the first USG debate if the Kampia/Schneck ticket would alienate the administration. If Ryerson is so concerned about playing by the rules of the administration bureaucracy, why did he not play by the rules of the USG -- rules which the students themselves created?