Last week several Penn State students announced the formation of the Student Party, a political group aimed at bringing a student voice to local government.

The party last night announced its first candidate, who will run as an independent for one of three Borough Council seats that are up for re-election this year.

Although student concerns do need to more local government attention, the Student Party is not necessarily the answer. Rather than running for positions that they may not have time or possible commitment to fulfill, organizers of the Student Party should concentrate on improving relations with area leaders and getting the student body more involved in local government.

Borough Council seats are four-year terms. The terms are year-round — that means the council is in session during semester breaks and summer sessions. Also, considering most Penn State students leave State College once they have their diplomas in hand, student Borough Council members would likely have to give up job or internship offers to stay in town to fulfill their terms.

Unfortunately for the Student Party, Penn States students also are not active voters in Center County. Many students are either registered in their home counties or do not vote at all. It is imperative that the party members assess how much student support they have before attempting to represent them.

The platform of the Student Party also needs reform. While the group recognizes many student issues which need Borough Council's attention, such as parking and off-campus housing, it seems to be running on an "anti-Borough Council" platform, rather than one centered around reform.

If its candidates are unable to work with current Borough Council members — who will retain the majority of the seats — they will be ineffective leaders. Instead of blaming Borough Council for all of State College's problems, Student Party members should start working with them.

Sean Clark, one of the organizers of the party, said Student Party members would start attending Borough Council meetings following last night's announcement of the candidates. Student Party members Martin Austermuhle and Justin Leto both attended Tuesday night's Borough Council meeting. Each man addressed the members of the council — and then left the meeting. Before the political process has even begun, the students have already shown signs of non-commitment. Moreover, why did they wait until they were formally running to begin formally addressing the council? In order to be as convinced as they appear to be of the current council's inability to handle certain issues, shouldn't the party members have been actively attending the meetings previous to last night?

To be an effective Borough Council member, the candidates need to understand the organization they are trying to join. Borough Council is an important governing body of State College, and it deals with a lot of issues, not just the ones that make the headlines. If Student Party members are serious about running for election, they need to demonstrate their ability now.

A better way for members of the Student Party to make changes in local government is to improve communication between students and Borough Council members. The first step is to start regularly attending Borough Council meetings — and staying beyond the public forum segment of the meeting. The second step is to involve the Undergraduate Student Government.

One solution may be to ask USG to create a new liaison position. Such a position would give the student body a designated representative responsible for bringing students' concerns and problems to Borough Council. It would also ensure a much-needed direct link between our representative body and that of the borough.

As a majority of State College's population, students do need representation and members of the Student Party should be lauded for wanting to gain that representation. But they also must realize Borough Council is not a political game. Membership requires time, commitment and willingness to work and compromise with current members. It is a partnership, not a battle.

Rather than merely opposing local government, Student Party members should find ways to work with leaders — and gain better student representation.