Crowd treks to Old Main

More than 30 students -- including candidates from seven of the nine Undergraduate Student Government presidential tickets -- trudged up Old Main's steps yesterday into the Office of the President. The crowd squeezed into the office, determined to confront University President Graham Spanier about his stance on borough housing issues, as well as other issues that concern students.

Although he was meeting with representatives from another University, Spanier answered the students' questions about the State College Borough Council policy that restricts student housing. Other administrators, including Vice President of Student Affairs William Asbury, were also on hand to answer questions.

USG Presidential Write-In Candidate David Lubkemann wanted to know why Spanier did not voice his support for students in their dealings with borough council.

Spanier said voicing his personal support was not the issue he addressed at Friday's University Board of Trustees meeting.

"I feel that (the borough council ordinance) is a discriminatory policy that has been directed toward the students," Spanier said.

But, he added, he did not feel it was his place to tell elected officials what to do. The administration has to walk a delicate line of wanting to be advocates for the students, he said, and not acting as if it were the administration's right to tell elected officials how to act.

USG Presidential Candidate Hank Saur also asked if Spanier would give his support to the students in their efforts to deal with the council.

"Your presence -- saying that 'I support the students that support me' -- is so important and helps our cause immeasurably," he said. Saur also asked Spanier to support the student candidates running for seats on borough council.

After Spanier did not respond to her satisfaction, USG Vice Presidential Candidate Kendra Ciesla also requested Spanier's appearance in front of borough council.

Spanier answered Ciesla's comments by committing a senior member of the administration representative, probably Asbury, to attend the next borough council meeting on April 7.

Borough council wants to listen to more permanent residents with concerns about the housing issues, Asbury said. He has a concern with the borough singling out students, he said.

At the end of the meeting, USG Presidential Candidate Michael Landsberg and Vice Presidential Candidate Brent Barbe presented Spanier with a carton of several multicolored eggs, each symbolizing the USG presidential candidates' dislike for the ordinances, they said. Each egg Lansberg gave to Spanier bore the name of one of the seven candidates present at the meeting.

Also sitting in the office and voicing their concerns about topics concerning University students were USG Presidential candidates Jason Covener, Wesley Bowser and Darin Loccarini.

The USG Presidential tickets led by Jaime Desmond and Thane Fake were not at the visit to Spanier's office.

Desmond, who did not attend the debate in front of Willard, said she and Polk understand how to work with University administration.

"I've spoken to Dr. Spanier and other administrators on the issues that are on our platform," Desmond said.

Fake, who did attend the debate, said he hopes the candidates who visited Spanier approached him with appropriate questions.

"I would have participated had I been around," Fake said. "I wasn't aware that they were actually going up."

Other topics discussed at the meeting included additional fees that may be tacked onto student bills, and the equitable distribution of tuition so that it is the same for students majoring in technical fields and the arts. Spanier said the administration is looking into implementing tuition differentiation, meaning that tuition will vary in regard to a student's major.

The students did what they felt they had to do to contact the administration about issues they felt were important, Asbury said.

"They were orderly and presented their concerns very articulately and, I think, appropriately," Asbury said, adding that the president was not really upset about the impromptu visit.