After several student deaths within the past year, campus leaders had hoped to plant a tree as a living tribute to the students.

However, recent developments have brought doubts as to whether the tree memorial will still occur.

Yesterday, Vice President of Student Affairs William Asbury sent an e-mail to Undergraduate Student Government President Justin Zartman indicating this event seemed unlikely. In the e-mail, Asbury said the Office of Physical Plant and the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments showed no indication of support for the act. The nondenominational service held by the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs would be the way the university would memorialize the students each semester, he added.

Zartman expressed disappointment in the implications of the e-mail.

"Because of the red tape, we can't remember their lives," he said.

Arthur Carter, assistant vice president of student affairs, said a final decision has not been reached.

"I don't think the door is closed on this issue," he said. "There needs to be some further discussion on it. Student Affairs is looking at all the options."

Carter added he believed all of the e-mails sent between students and administrators had left a gap in communications between the two groups.

Asbury, who was unavailable for comment yesterday, sent the e-mail in response to one from Zartman asking about the progression of plans to plant the tree. Zartman, Black Caucus Secretary David Davis, and USG Public Relations Director Beenu Puri each expressed their surprise at the content of the e-mail. The three students said this statement ran contrary to what they had believed to be the positions of OPP and CCSG.

Lyndsey Bowen, CCSG public relations director, said many group members, including the officers, still support the idea of the tree memorial.

"We all came to the agreement that it would be a really good idea," she said. "To my knowledge they're in favor of it. If anything has changed, I was unaware."

The idea to plant a tree near the HUB-Robeson Center came about as an effort of students to recognize the lives of the deceased students. A plaque listing the names of the students would be presented at a memorial service accompanying the tree planting. All of the funds toward implementing the ceremony would be raised by students and the university community.

Puri said she believed a lack of communication was the cause of the discrepancies.

"Ideally, to include us in the decisions would be nice," she said. "It seems like they've been talking amongst themselves."

Penn State typically offers the nondenominational service arranged by CERA as its memorial for students.

Carter confirmed this fact, saying that CERA is currently working on its plans for the service.

However, this service is not widely known among people within the university community.

Davis said that because few people are aware of the service, the idea of planting a tree in memory would be a way to bring family and friends of the students together with the Penn State community.

"We made certain pledges to them because they felt very limited by what they could do," he said. "We wanted something living for them at Penn State."