The dust has settled after student radio station 90.7 WKPS-FM relinquished its independence to the university, and most noticeable changes are off-air.

In July, WKPS-FM partnered with the College of Communications and the Division of Student Affairs because of financial difficulties acknowledged in the spring.

Financial difficulties began when the University Park Allocation Committee cut the station's funding by 80 percent. After the partnership was approved, the College of Communications hired a full-time, non-student station manager, with a promise that the increased involvement would not translate into diminished student control.

While some, including the new manager, maintain that nothing has changed at the station, some of the students are less confident about the transition. And all agree that the last six weeks have been difficult at times.

Drew Hall (sophomore-information sciences technology), director of operations, said most station workers were wary of the partnership at first.

"We knew we needed the money, but we didn't know what we'd have to give up," he said.

Andy Nagypal (senior-history), host of Radio Free Penn State, agrees with Hall about the changing atmosphere around the station.

"We realized we had no other choice," he said of the merger. "But we went there with the expectation that we would maintain certain controls."

One source of contention for many at the station was the hiring of Jeff Brown, the new station manager brought in by the College of Communications.

"College of Comm(unications) made the final decision without even consulting the students. We know it was not a requirement, but there was no cooperative effort. And they hired Jeff as a manager. We asked for an adviser, and they hired a manager," Nagypal said.

Brown agrees there is some confusion as to what his exact role is. "There were some problems at first because the students thought -- and understandably so -- that the College of Comm(unications) was overstepping (its) bounds," he said. "The students didn't really like that I was a general manager because they already had one that they elected. So I'm calling myself the professional adviser."

Aside from uncertainty about Brown's position, some students also are unclear as to what is the exact nature of the relationship between the College of Communications and the station.

"We're still up in the air about who has authority over decisions. The College of Comm(unications) says it's clear, but it's not," Nagypal said. "We're at the point where we're desperately trying to define in writing rights and authority."

Despite these misgivings, many at the station are positive about the partnership.

"As with any kind of business deal, it had a rough start, a rocky start. There were some miscommunications as far as where we're going," General Manager Mike Gogel (senior-telecommunications) said. "Once everybody stepped back, they saw it was going to be OK. Everybody was ready to push the panic button. But then they saw, no, we don't have to."

Chris Buchignani (senior-journalism), station vice president, agreed. "Whenever you bring a new person in, there are going to be questions as to what responsibilities belong to who. But, honest to God, the primary focus has been keeping this place going."