Students for Real Democracy grabbed the attention of students and Undergraduate Student Government presidential and vice presidential candidates yesterday when they attempted to take over the USG election debate.

SRD is a newly formed group that is calling for the dissolution of USG. The group wants to fight sexism, racism, homophobia and other forms of elitism on campus.

Edward Yu, an SRD representative, claimed the microphone during the intermission and announced the debate would be resuming.

Yu and other SRD representatives wanted the chance to question the candidates in front of students. They said it is not fair that questions fielded from the audience at the debates were screened by the USG Elections Commission, adding that candidates did not devote enough time to the student questions.

"Why is it that we can't ask our own questions? Why is it that 10 minutes are allotted to the students while they spend two hours in the cross fire talking about nothing?" Yu said.

The group was asked to leave the debate. The Election Commission later decided to let them rejoin the audience. Members chose to remain in the hallway for the duration of the debate.

"This is what happens when students speak up at this University," SRD member Joanna Simpson said.

While leaving the debate, some members of SRD questioned how the USG candidates could talk about women's concerns and rape when most of them occur at fraternities, they said.

Melissa Troise, another SRD member, said SRD members probably meant that some of the candidates are fraternity members and would not attack fraternities.

Yu added that the candidates are not addressing the institutions responsible for the rape problem.

"How can you talk about USG when you don't know a damn thing about it?" USG President Chris Saunders shouted back.

SRD said the candidates are not concentrating on the cause of rape and sexual assault, but rather on educational programs about rape, improving lighting and expanding the Loop service. All of these things don't solve the problem, they said.

"People in fraternities protect their brothers above all else. More lighting is not going to help that," Troise said.

Troise said their solution would be to eliminate the fraternities. She added they are sexist institutions which contribute to the problems of sexual harassment and rape.

Dan Trapini, President of Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity, 339 Fraternity Row, said SRD just reinforces the negative stereotypes fraternities struggle to overcome.

"I challenge SRD to cite one convicted rape in fraternities in the last five years," said Trapini.

Trapini added there is a higher incidence of rapes on campus than in fraternities, and Greeks are more educated because pledges are required to attend programs about rape and sexual assault.

SRD called a campaign flier posted by USG Senate President Mike King and Lori Pennay (junior-speech communications) "racist." The flier focused on the International Instructor Review Program, part of the King/Pennay platform.

King said the flier was not meant to be racist and he and Pennay "addressed the issue as carefully as possible."

King said he talked to the SRD representatives after the debate and they agreed on a lot of valid issues. He was dissappointed SRD didn't come to him before the protest to talk about his flier.

He said he and the group ended agreeing on more than they disagreed on, adding they just have different ways of addressing the issues.

Former Academic Assembly President Erich May said, "I loved it," in reaction to the demonstration, adding that not everybody is meant to work within the system.

Pat Scanlan, former Penn State University Veterans Organization vice president and USG presidential candidate, said, "There are ways you speak out and ways you don't speak out. The SRD didn't go about it the right way."

Matt Thomas (senior-journalism and English) said the incident was funny, adding he and SRD are trying to see each other's viewpoints.