The Undergraduate Student Government Academic Assembly met yesterday and continued work on several joint-effort initiatives that include an academic advising Web site, an online course evaluator, further involvement in the international teaching assistant program and obtaining dual degrees.

The assembly will be creating a position to work with the Penn State advising Web site, said Assembly President Paul Ricciardi. The new position, which could be filled by Adam Travis, representative for the Division of Undergraduate Studies, will act as a liaison between students and the site.

"Having a student in there, they'll know what the students want," Ricciardi said.

The Web site, which the assembly helped create last year, contains information and advice for students and advisers, and can be found at www.psu.edu/advising.

The assembly also plans to continue its involvement with the online course evaluator, a cooperative effort with the Penn State Daily Jolt Web site. Ricciardi said the assembly is working to update the site, as well as to make it easier to use.

The course evaluator was launched last March and allows students to rate courses and professors. Ricciardi said the assembly has been pleased with the response it has received. Students can find the course evaluator at psu.dailyjolt.com.

The assembly also continued work toward the addition of a full-time position to work with the international TA program. The class, which is offered by the department of speech communication, helps prepare international students to serve as TAs.

Ricciardi said USG should act as an intermediary to get other groups and students involved in the program.

"It really is a university-wide issue," Ricciardi said.

Currently, Keil Norris and Stephanie Wasson, assembly staff members, are working with the speech communication department on the program. The full-time position should begin next fall, he added.

The Academic Assembly political committee also plans to continue its work on addressing the issue of obtaining a dual degree.

D. Josh Troxell, assembly senator for Division of Undergraduate Studies and committee chair, said the political committee is working to "better inform ourselves to represent students."

The issue, which will be addressed by the University Faculty Senate in the coming months, concerns the difficulty and lack of procedural precedent for students to obtain degrees from different colleges.

Troxell said that the issue would be another way for the assembly to cooperate with Faculty Senate and voice the views of students.

"We're going to continue to strengthen that bond with Faculty Senate through political committee," he said.