Leaders rally to recognize student voice

The steps of Old Main came to life last night as students gathered with flickering candles in hand to speak about and pay homage to their student voice at the University.

"We're not complaining about the decisions that were made, we are complaining about how they were made," Rummel said.

Rummel is referring to the recent ruling by Office of Residence Life to ban kegs from the dorms. However, Rose said, the issue is not about alcohol.

"We didn't want to make this a keg issue -- we are in concern because the University did not ask for student input," Rose said. "The problem is administration is not always willing to listen. They present policies to us before they are about to happen when our opinions don't really matter."

Twenty to 25 students came to show their support, and various students spoke before the audience.

But the attendance at last night's vigil was not a representative cross-section of the student body. It was largely a virtual who's-who list of student leaders expected to run in or participate in campaigns for the April 2 Undergraduate Student Government elections.

Candidates for USG president and vice president are not permitted to declare their candidacies until March 17. But the actual process of building campaign support and getting candidates' names into the press often begins much earlier.

Though many student leaders are familiar with the likely candidates, average members of the student body often are not. Frequently, candidates try to attain name recognition, or observe their potential opponents, through rallies and other staged events during spring.

Entenberg added that she thought the group was a typical representation of concerned students.

Student leaders who attended the vigil include: Kendra Ciesla, USG Senate Appointments and Review Board chair; Tim Daniels, Council of Commonwealth Student Governments president; Jaime Desmond, USG co-chief of staff; Entenberg; J.K. Getz, CCSG director of governmental affairs; Jolaine Gravish, Association of Residence Hall Students president; Jana Hitchcock, USG treasurer; Ed Kilpela, USG vice president; John Polk, vice president of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity; Josh Smith, USG West Halls senator; Mark Sosnowsky, USG Senate president; and Brian Youngblood, Nittany/Pollock Residence Hall Association president.

Desmond said she hoped the organizers of the rally, Rummel and Rose, were planning to work beyond the vigil and continue to be involved with student organizations.

Speaking at the vigil, Daniels said the student-input issue goes deeper than the University administration.

"The majority of students are apathetic -- and it's everywhere you look," Daniels said. "Students need to get involved. They need to tell us what is right and what is wrong and give us solutions."

Rose said he acknowledges the dedication of organizations such as USG and CCSG to attempt to make changes. But, he said, nothing can be done if the University is unwilling to listen to the student voice.

Students have every opportunity to give their input, said Stan Latta, director of Student Life, in a phone interview last night. Latta did not attend the vigil.

"I'm for students having a voice; students have to give input," Latta said. "There's a difference between input and decision-making. The final decision may not be what the students wanted, but they had a voice in help shaping that decision."

The doors of residence life, the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Student Life are always open, Latta said.

"I think the institution provides ways for input but many students do not choose to use them," Latta said. "What students need to do is seek avenues of input."

Latta said he recalls many open forums for discussions on issues where only one or two students would show up. He said students do not want, or choose not, to take an active role in University issues.

The University nevertheless ignores the student voice, Rummel and Rose said, passing legislation and then discussing the issues in which students have no part influencing.

"We need to send a signal to the administration," Rose said. "This was an attempt to provoke the University to work with the students."

Collegian Staff Writer Jason Alt contributed to this report.