A preliminary lobbying platform for the Undergraduate Student Government Senate was approved last night, with a focus on cooperation between all branches of student government.

The plan pursues an increase in the appropriations in line with the rate of inflation, the establishment of grants for fifth-year students and an additional 5 percent of funding if Penn State keeps tuition increases under 4.5 percent.

This last point, known as the tuition challenge grant, was strongly contested by Council of Commonwealth Student Governments President Kris Ankarlo. The program was in place for several years during the 1990s.

Ankarlo said it was a short-term fix, "like putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound." More importantly, he said, going to Harrisburg to lobby for this program would show a division between students and the administration, and would result in the state giving less money to the university.

Ankarlo's suggestion to work closely with the administration was countered by Town Sen. Rob Michaels, who said USG should be more concerned with student interests.

"That's not our job to ask the administration what they want, but for what students want," Michaels said.

The proposal stated that the Political Action Lobbying Committee would be the overall authority in implementing the lobbying plan, which Ankarlo took exception to, saying that he had been lobbying for months, while PALC first looked at this issue three weeks ago.

Ankarlo also said he has developed relationships, both with state legislators and with Undergraduate Student Government President Justin Zartman.

"We're doing a great job," Ankarlo said. "I believe that this bill you have proposed is faulty."

Ankarlo said the plan was a failure when it was implemented and should not be reinstated.

"I will not lobby with the tuition challenge grant," he said. "I'm not doing it because I have angst for some 'conservative coalition,' it's because I've done research."

The senators later changed the proposal to plan a trip to Harrisburg in conjunction with the USG executive branch, CCSG and the senate. The PALC chair will have to present a final lobbying platform for approval by the senate.

Ankarlo said that between the 1991-92 and 1996-97 school years, when the program was in effect, Penn State lost 5 percent of its purchasing power, equivalent to $14 million.

"This is not fiscally responsible at all," he said.

Town Sen. T.J. Kokolis proposed that because the university would be limited in how it could spend its money, in order to keep the tuition from increasing more than 4.5 percent, it would prioritize spending.

Ankarlo said Penn State is currently the most efficient university in the Big Ten and the plan would set parameters on the administration, as far as how it operated financially. The ultimate would be negative, he said.

"The university would be treading water," Ankarlo said.

South Halls Sen. Chris Miller spoke in favor of the grant, saying that it would keep tuition down.

"What happens if we don't get more money and the administration raises tuition?" Miller asked.