O'Brien vows commitment to students' issues

By BETH YOUNG
Collegian Staff Writer

Undergraduate Student Government President-elect Corey O'Brien and Vice President-elect Kara Annechini plan to kick off their administration by tackling three main student issues.

On his first day in office, April 12, O'Brien plans to make phone calls to Gov. Tom Ridge, State College Borough Council President Jean McManis and University President-elect Graham Spanier.

O'Brien said his call to Ridge will be to inform him on how the cutbacks are crippling Penn State.

The second call, O'Brien said, will be to notify McManis that students will not allow a discriminatory housing plan to pass.

In his third call, he plans to give Spanier "the student agenda."

Some issues included on that agenda are University Health Services reforms, advising contracts, tenant/landlord off-campus relations, more study days for finals and a comprehensive sexual assault bill of rights that would provide immediate service to victims.

The O'Brien/Annechini administration will not be one to shy away from the issues, O'Brien said.

Former USG President Chris Saunders said he believes O'Brien and Annechini will be a change from past USG administrations.

"Their platform strikes to the heart of the issues that need to be addressed," Saunders said. "I'm looking forward to a USG that really focuses on the issues."

Although he will take a soft approach in dealing with the administration and the borough council, O'Brien said he will not be quick to back down.

"We in no way want to take an adversarial role, but on the same token, we must implement the student agenda," he said.

Current USG President Mike King said he plans to make the upcoming transition as easy and efficient as possible. King has prepared a report for O'Brien and Annechini that addresses the demands of the presidential and vice-presidential positions and the current standing of all projects King and Pennay have worked on this past year.

King said he has also planned an intense schedule of meetings to introduce O'Brien and Annechini to key people in the administration, government and faculty.

"I'm really serious about passing on the work we've done so the new administration doesn't have to reinvent the wheel when they come in," King said.

O'Brien said he also expects the transition to run smoothly and plans to continue on many of the projects implemented by King and Pennay, including Big Ten relations and leadership development.

Of all the issues O'Brien and Annechini will need to address, King said the most pressing are state appropriations and the borough-housing debate. King regrets not being around long enough to solve both problems.

Although King said he feels uncomfortable having to leave before the issues have come to a close, he said he has faith in the abilities of O'Brien and Annechini to handle the situation successfully.

"I'm confident that O'Brien and Annechini will continue the strong tradition we built over the past couple of years," he said.

O'Brien also said he will look to the platform of former presidential and vice-presidential candidates Josh Bokee and Kerith Strano as a source of viable projects for the future.

"There is no doubt about it. We will definitely take those into consideration," O'Brien said, adding that he would be more than willing to work with Bokee in the future if Bokee remains active in USG.

Bokee and Strano could not be reached for comment.