Almost 10 months after the 1993 Undergraduate Student Elections, we are coming upon the time of reviewing what our student government has done for us in the past year. The problem is that most people do not even know what USG is.

Barely 10 percent voted in the election last March, and this is because the student government usually has no bearing on the typical student's four year stay here in Happy Valley.

On Wed. Jan. 12, the front page of the paper had an article that described recent conflict in USG. In just a few sentences, Mike Devine, whom I do not know, summed up our present day student government. He explained that USG President Chris Saunders, talks down to the members of the USG Senate, that Mike King is using his power to become USG president and that everything he does is not on behalf of the student body, but merely for himself.

I have no idea what the line is in Vegas, but I'll bet the house on Mike King becoming the new president. No doubt about it. We are in a vicious cycle where our student leaders are serving themselves and not doing anything for the student body.

Just like Chris Saunders was buddy-buddy with Rob Kampia and was ushered into the position of president, Mike King will be escorted by Saunders. To be quite honest, the whole elections procedure is dirty as hell.

The election last year was run by Rob Kampia's friends and Chris Saunders' supporters. I would not be surprised if a similar situation occurs again this year. In addition, many of the things that you will read about the election in this paper will be twisted and biased, working to get one person in office: Mike King. Even last year's election commissioner, Greg Hamluk, was charged with stealing money from a student organization.

USG is built around the idea of power. How many people can I run, how much can I get away with and what can I do for myself? Rarely is the concept of doing something for the greater good of the student body addressed. No wonder the administration of the University doesn't take us seriously -- we have a bunch of clowns running our student government.

Until we unite as a student body under true leadership, the circus will continue, and the powers of a democracy will continue to be obscured. Our life at Penn State will continue to be in the hands of the people who have the money and the people who decide where it goes -- the town and the administration.

The sad part is, despite all of the negatives that are apparent within a student government that has no following, we have some very effective committees which are overshadowed by the spin doctors.

The Academic Assembly is taking substantial step in increasing the benefits that we will be able to experience in the classroom. The Environment Committee is always looking to increase recycling or take new steps in saving resources. The people in these committees are the ones that are doing the real work. Sadly enough, most of this is never heard about because most of the print is taken up by our leaders writing back and forth to each other.

Hopefully, there will be two people in the student body that will run as a ticket in March that want to make a difference. Unfortunately, I think the election may be over before it begins, as it will all be decided on the inside.

Who knows, maybe USG will somehow turn over a new leaf in the next two months and decide it is time to do things with honesty and integrity. But most people in this world rarely ever change and the majority of our leaders' time will continue to be spent on interviews with the Collegian and writing letters to the editor.