The Undergraduate Student Government is one step closer to its goal of granting university-approved excuses for students participating in Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

The USG Academic Assembly has approved legislation to be reviewed by the University Faculty Senate on Monday night. The legislation will now go before the undergraduate education committee of the Faculty Senate. If approved, the full Faculty Senate will look at the proposal in December.

The proposed legislation would allow students to miss class on the Day of Service when taking part in a service project. The Day of Service would be added to the university's list of approved excuses, which already includes athletic contests, debate contests, field trips and choir trips.

USG is looking for more students to get involved with this day.

"We're looking for student participation, that's why we're supporting this bill," said Bill Campbell, Smeal College of Business senator for Academic Assembly.

The projects being planned for the day include going to school districts to run diversity-focused activities, going to non-profit agencies like Habitat for Humanity or Second Mile, doing on-campus service projects like minority bone marrow drives or in-class workshops, said Tony Huang, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service director for USG.

Huang is pushing for the legislation to be passed because he said that students should be able to be exempt from class for doing a service project.

"I believe in being consistent with the mission of the university to allow students to have the day off in order to participate in service. . .It should be part of the new focus of our grand destiny," Huang said.

Mike Fazio, USG Senate president, also approves of the resolution. If approved by the undergraduate education committee, the USG Senate will endorse the resolution sometime in November, he said.

"Students want to do service but also are very academically inclined and don't want to miss class. It would allow conscientious students go do a service project. Last year, students have to make a choice between going to class and doing a service project," Fazio said.

Fazio also added that putting the legislation in front of the Faculty Senate would help increase the faculty support for the Day of Service.

"If more faculty get involved, it will be a total community event," he said.