In a decision that may change the way students influence governing bodies at Penn State, Undergraduate Student Government Senate passed legislation at their Tuesday night meeting to consider a groundbreaking policy of shared governance.

The plan would give students official representation on university committees that influence student life and education.

Town Sen. Justin Zartman emphasized that this will be a way for students to have their voices heard and to understand that it is their right to be heard.

"I think this will improve the whole university," he said.

USG Senate has mirrored a Wisconsin state statute that was established to give students a chance "to have the primary responsibility for the formation and review of policies concerning student life, services, and interests," according to the statute.

"It (the statute) set the standard for us," Zartman said. "It is something for the rest of us at Penn State to strive for."

Town Senators Leslie Saucedo, Mike Byrne and Zartman all agreed that the process of getting this resolution passed could be a long one.

"I don't think that this will go through within the rest of my years at Penn State," Saucedo said.

Senators want to make a joint resolution with the USG Academic Assembly. If the assembly passes the resolution at their next meeting, it will then be in the hands of USG President Matt Roan to pass or veto.

USG wants to involve members of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, Students for Accountability and Reform, and the Association of Residence Hall Students in planning the implementation of the policy.

Zartman said if passed the organizations will take the resolution to a Faculty Senate meeting to grab the attention of the administration in Old Main, Penn State President Graham Spanier, Vice President of Student affairs Bill Asbury, faculty and staff.

Steve MacCarthy, Penn State spokesperson, said he would have to actually see the legislation to make a clear decision of how administration would take to it.

MacCarthy added there is already a lot of student input and students involved in university committees.

The plan, Zartman said, will be to start shared governance at Penn State, and then to take it to all the other state schools in Pennsylvania.

"If we're going to go to through with this, we want and need the support of all other state schools. We need to work with them to get this enacted," Byrne said.