Any student knows that frustration can often turn into stress. One student, however, is making his voice heard concerning facilities for persons who are disabled.

At the age of 19, Danny Freund (senior-human development and family studies) was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that eventually led to the amputation of his right leg above the knee.

For some people, that would have been an event that would remain forever defeating. After surviving his cancer, Freund has pledged himself to try to make things a little easier for persons with disabilities on campus.

"I feel it's my responsibility as a disabled person here to leave a better disabled-friendly environment as part of my legacy to Penn State," Freund said.

Freund is dissatisfied with many of the mechanisms built to address the needs of persons with disabilities both on and off campus.

He joined the University Access Committee over a year ago to voice concerns about some of the problems he sees. The committee is meeting tonight, but it is only open to its members.

The mission of this committee, which was formed in 1994, is to prioritize barrier removal projects in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines within available funding.

The process by which buildings are evaluated includes obtaining an evaluation and analysis of project scope, preliminary cost estimates, prioritizing projects and recommending the implementation and funding of projects.

Part of the committee meets once a month to collect data while the whole group meets every other month, which Freund does not consider to be nearly enough. He says that because the group only meets around three times during the school year, there are bound to be days when issues go unexamined because of scheduling conflicts.

Jim Lettiere, however, manager of facilities resources and chairman of the committee of UAC, believes that UAC is doing a satisfactory job.

"Danny expressed that concern that he wanted us to have meetings more frequently . . . It really doesn't have to meet more frequently. What seems to work, does work," he said.

Freund, however, expressed doubt over the adequacy of the UAC system for addressing grievances. He cited numerous examples of difficulty on campus for himself saying that nothing was being done about those grievances.

"My adviser's office, which is on the first floor of Henderson Building . . . is inaccessible to me," he said. He was told that it would be the adviser's responsibility to schedule meetings with him in an accessible area.

"That means I have to schedule an appointment with my adviser in a different area," he said.

Also of importance to Freund is the idea that UAC addresses campus grievances alone. Complaints about off-campus living go directly to the different borough departments surrounding each Penn State campus.

"If they (UAC) were really interested in helping people, they would go beyond the minimal requirements by law," he said adding that UAC actions should not end when the campuses do.

Lu Hoover, planner for the State College borough, has only recently begun to become familiar with the committee.

"I really didn't even realize this committee existed," she said. "If anyone has a concern about the borough facilities, they should get in contact with us . . . I think we're in pretty good shape in the borough."

Lettiere dealt with the idea of UAC branching off from the Penn State campuses.

"Our committee serves the campuses . . . (boroughs) have their own offices. Certainly we would cooperate with the borough and they would cooperate with us," he said. "We don't have a formal meeting with this borough."

Freund also believes that he is being kicked off UAC, because he has been too vocal about the aforementioned issues as well as others.

"Why am I being kicked off this committee? I think it's because I bring up some issues that they're not willing to deal with . . . whenever I contact either Bill Welsh (director of the Office of Disability Services) or Jim Lettiere, it takes them weeks for them to get back to me . . . I just think it's unjust," he said.

"UAC are really not aware of the true issues that students bring out," he said.

He also stated in an e-mail that he would not consider recommending Penn State to other incoming students because of these unresolved issues.

"Until I get more of a sense of the sincere commitment PSU has to making this place an equal opportunity place, I would not recommend PSU to prospective students with disabilities who are considering Penn State," he said.

Lettiere, however, maintains that it is the tradition of the UAC that students serve for only one year. He added that students who wish to remain on the committee might do so.

"If more than one student wants to participate, they're more than welcome to participate," he said.

Freund said he wants students to do that through him.

"I feel like I'm a spokesperson for the disabled community . . . I would love to be able to empower somebody to speak up about these things," he said.

For those students that do have problems they believe need to be addressed, Freund asks them to e-mail him before tonight's meeting at daf146@psu.edu.