Students will have the opportunity today to elect their representatives for the positions of Undergraduate Student Government president and vice president. Six registered tickets are battling for the chance to lead Penn State in the 2001-2002 school year.

For the first time, students will be able to cast their votes online at www.psuvote.com.

Beylus/Murtaugh

www.katelyntom.com

Katelyn Belyus (sophomore-liberal arts) and Tom Murtaugh (sophomore-business administration) want to be approachable to students, one of the main reasons they do not go by their last names.

One of their main focuses of their campaign is diversity.

She said they would like to implement a program called "race talks" that would be a forum for discussion on diverse ideas.

Also, she and Murtaugh would like to collaborate with Black Caucus in their efforts with the "hate log." She said they would like to use USG as a resource for students with problems concerning diversity.

"A lot of acts of hate would be really hard to hold up in court as a legal issue, but it's still an act of intolerance," Belyus said.

Working with Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Association (LGBTA) concerns by continuing with a "safe sticker" campaign is another concern of the Katelyn/Tom ticket.

The "safe sticker" would be placed in the windows of downtown stores to state the business' support of members of the LGBTA community.

Because over 60 percent of the students at University Park initially began their education at branch campuses, they also want to work on rape awareness. Belyus said that those students did not go through the program given to the University Park campus freshman.

Belyus and Murtaugh feel that the existing programs only scratch the surface.

They want to create a multicultural listserv for all students that would provide a place for minority groups to support each other with common causes and common links as well as a USG newsletter for student organizations to have input.

Murtaugh said they are striving for a completely democratically elected University Park Allocations Committee (UPAC).

The existing student trustee was approved by Gov. Tom Ridge and Tom believes that he or she should be elected by the students with more of a "confirmation" by the governor.

Tom said they would like to further pursue shared governance in the university.

A textbook swap run by USG through the USG office would be a fairer way for students to obtain used textbooks at a lower cost, he said.

Although Belyus and Murtaugh agree that some corporate sponsorship is needed, they want the administration to carefully consider when signing with a sponsor.

"We want to make sure they're making these decisions for the students and the faculty," Tom said.

They also would like to work to make the university more environmentally friendly. They want to work to get more bike paths to make it "safer and easier to get around." As well as incorporating more paths, they want to make sure the buildings that will be built will be environmentally friendly.

Belyus said that, overall, they want to make USG a more active organization.

Burke/Gerald

www.burkegerald.com

Terry Burke (senior-aerospace engineering) and Benjamin Gerald (senior-architectural engineering) have the knowledge seniors in college would have — because they are seniors in college.

Burke and Gerald said they want students to know that they've had experience at Penn State and intend to use that experience to benefit everyone at this university.

One of their platforms is focused on university diversity and the role that it plays at Penn State.

They said they want the administration to be held more accountable for promoting university diversity. They said they want the administration to further pursue and promote diversity on campus and also work with their campaign to help make the university a more diverse climate.

"We want to add more input to this plan, be a part of the development of the plan," Gerald said.

Burke and Gerald want to bring together different ideas about diversity. They want to discuss — together, with other students — the things that make people different including race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

They also want to have classes cancelled on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They believe that the only way for students to truly get involved with service during that day is to have it off.

Another issue on their platform is the improvement of University Health Services by expanding the Ritenour Building.

Gerald said that although the employees of health services are "working their hardest," the services need more room and need to be more accessible to students.

Burke also wants to improve women's health, especially when dealing with sexual assault and rape and what "consent" means.

"Everyone has to have a clear understanding of what it (consent) means," he said.

Burke said they want to have programs that help women have an understanding about rape and that it is not their fault before it even happens.

Their goal is to empower women with a system that lets women know they aren't to blame.

Because of their experience as Penn State students for four years, another part of their platform is improving academic life.

They want to give the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off as well as incorporate more study days into the academic schedule without lengthening the school calendar.

"Study days should not begin with the letter 'S,' " Gerald said.

Burke stressed that USG cannot provide these days off but that by lobbying to faculty senate, "we think we have some ground to stand on."

Burke and Gerald want to implement a six-month lease program for students who go abroad for a semester or take an internship.

They want to help students and leasing agents work out a way to have six-month leases available to students.

Burke and Gerald believe their ideas are feasible.

"We know what students need," Gerald said. "If we were to take office, we would be leaders that have integrity."

Linde/Murphy

John Linde (junior-mechanical engineering) and Nathan Murphy (sophomore-earth and mineral science), while recognizing the limitations placed upon USG, have big plans if elected.

The first issue that they want to stress is tuition. The two say that Penn State is underfunded and overpriced.

"All of the statistics show that Penn State tuition is too high, and state funding is too low," Linde said.

If elected, they want to increase lobbying in Harrisburg so Penn State will be given more funding in the future.

"There needs to be year-round lobbying," Linde said, "not just trips. We need to utilize our broad student base."

They also want to freeze tuition so that next year's costs will not be increased.

"We will work tirelessly on this issue," Linde said. "It is most certainly a challenge, but it is not the impossibility that many believe it to be."

They also plan to lobby Faculty Senate to get the Monday after Easter off.

"It is not because of religious reasons," Linde said. He went on to say that it was simply a good way to break up what is this year a seven-week straight span of classes.

"It also seems like a good idea in light of the fact that lots of students go home that weekend," Linde said. They say having the day off would make travel easier for the large number of students who do travel that weekend.

Linde and Murphy cite the success of fall break in support of their suggested plan.

Finally, the pair wants to institute service-learning at the university.

"The plan is that students would sign up for community service the same way that they would sign up for a class," Linde said. "But, instead of going to a class, they'd do service."

The designed program would have faculty advisors to ensure that the service is in fact done.

The two stress that while diversity and women's issues are not specifically part of their platform, they want such issues to be considered part of the character of USG.

They said they don't believe in creating more programs to address these issues.

"We think that USG can do its best work supporting, not creating," Linde said. "We've heard so many complaints that USG just gets in the way, and we want to get away from that."

They stressed that they want to help all of the students at Penn State.

"We want to do things that will affect every student, not just some," Linde said.

Michaels/Lum

www.michaelslum.com

Robert Michaels (junior-political science) and Claudia Lum (freshman-premedicine), have what is arguably the most noticed campaign slogan in the election.

"Let us Drink in Peace!" read signs hung throughout the campus as a way of promoting the top platform issue of the group.

They say that the slogan is not meant to be pro-drinking, nor is it designed to promote reckless behavior. Instead, they maintain, it is meant to show that the administration is interfering in the lives of students in a way that is not appropriate.

"I've been here for three years," Michaels said, "and the administration has gotten more and more involved in the alcohol policy. We think that there's too much administration involvement in our personal lives, as well as with things like UPAC."

They said that they chose their particular slogan because they feel that the alcohol policy is one that everyone can relate to.

Michaels and Lum believe students should have a greater voice in administrative decisions and plan to pursue methods that would give students that opportunity.

The two also believe that UPAC should be elected entirely by the student body.

"It causes tension, because students don't have a say," Michaels said.

They feel that safety is one of the most important issues on campus, and they want all students to feel safe in their dorms. Therefore, they want to equip all dorms with "panic buttons" that could be pushed in the event of an emergency, sounding an alarm system.

They also think that more blue-light safety phones and security guards are necessary.

A major part of their platform is increasing the English sufficiency requirements for teaching assistants. They say that it is essential that educators be able to communicate with students.

Finally, they want to create Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council liaison positions to be added to the executive cabinet of USG as a way of opening communication and dealing more with Greek issues.

Rokita/Nanavati

www.votern.com

While campaigning for USG president and vice-president, Matt Rokita (junior-chemical engineering) and Sushil Nanavati (junior-computer engineering) have learned the power of a lollipop.

At a "Meet the Candidates" program last week in East Halls, Andy Cassel, the candidates' campaign manager, sat at a table piled high with lollipops, which he was taping to fliers.

"People don't like paper, but they like candy," Cassel said.

Nonetheless, it turned out to be an effective way to draw in students and talk to them about their campaign issues.

"Sushil and I have a lot of ideas for Penn State -- ideas that can be realized during our time in office," Rokita said. "We are excited to start tackling some of these ideas while also taking on projects suggested by the students."

Rokita is involved in the engineering leadership development minor and its partner student organization, Engineering Leadership Development Unlimited, where he works in marketing.

A Philadelphia native, Nanavati has served as treasurer for the Association of Computer Machinery and helped incoming engineering freshman adjust to Penn State through the Engineering Mentorship Program, an initiative in which Rokita also participated.

If elected, the candidates want to improve communications between the student body and USG. They have suggested that a weekly column in The Daily Collegian written by the USG president would allow more students to be aware of the current issues student representatives are debating.

Rokita and Nanavati are concerned about the lottery that serves as the core of the new on-campus housing assignment process. They are pushing for the restoration of the previous system.

They are also worried about how quickly the funds from UPAC dried up this year. They want to investigate what happened, while also increasing student awareness about the availability of UPAC money.

Increasing campus security is on Rokita and Nanavati's platform as well.

"Students should not be afraid to walk around campus at night or to shower in their dorm," they said. "Our approach to this problem involves education, not engineering.

"Instead of relying solely on increased lockdowns of buildings where non-residents could still piggyback into a building, we want to educate students so they realize the importance of locking their door and being aware of who may be around them."

Zartman/Hudnall

"Putting students first" is the campaign slogan of Town Sen. Justin Zartman (junior-political science) and Amanda Hudnall (junior-industrial engineering).

Chair of the political action and lobbying committee, Zartman has served on the USG Senate — first representing South Halls and currently the Town area — since he was first elected in the spring of 1999.

Hudnall represents the College of Engineering as a student faculty senator and chairs USG Academic Assembly's course selector committee. Last year, she also directed business affairs for USG.

One of their main goals is to develop a program to allow undergraduates to participate in Penn State-sponsored fitness classes to fulfill the health and physical activity requirements typically covered by Exercise and Sport Activities courses.

They hope offering students the chance to conduct a sort of "independent-study" exercise program to cover that branch of general education would alleviate some of the current scheduling issues and lack of availability of ESACT classes.

"Students would be able to choose from the 144 currently offered fitness classes, such as STEP aerobics and kick-boxing, and could attend different types of classes at times convenient for them," they said.

Another plank in their platform is creating an additional safe means of transportation from the downtown fraternity district to campus and outlying apartment complexes. Zartman and Hudnall hope to make the service free to students and unhampered by "designated stops or times."

"Providing this service is one step to help ensure student safety as well as community safety by keeping potential drunk drivers off the road," they said.

To foster diversity, the candidates also want to add an executive position within the student government entrusted with "the responsibilities of educating the community as well as working with other student organizations and administrators to create a forum for students to speak up against acts of intolerance."

During the election season, Zartman and Hudnall have been planning events to speak to student organizations and students about their campaign.

"It's not about bringing the students to us. It's about going out and talking to them," Zartman said. "We're really trying for one-on-one contact with students."

Collegian staff writers Jeremy R. Cooke , Lynne Funk and Alison Kistler contributed to this article.