Students and representatives from around the state came together yesterday at the state capitol to discuss the future of Penn State education.

About 60 students gathered for a rally at the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. The students, mostly members of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, met with state representatives to discuss state appropriations.

In addition to speeches by several students, the rally included a speech by Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Centre and Clearfield, who spoke to the crowd for about 20 minutes. Herman presented information about the low level of state appropriations Penn State receives compared to other Big Ten universities.

"I thought he did an excellent job representing the students of Penn State," said Mike Cooper, CCSG director of governmental affairs. "He was a very powerful speaker."

Cooper has been working since January on making arrangements for the students' trip to Harrisburg, while preparations for the rally began in June.

"Today marked the end of a yearlong effort to support higher education," he said.

CCSG President Kris Ankarlo spoke at the rally as a student representative. Ankarlo addressed the merits of Penn State's educational curriculum and juxtaposed it with the low levels of state appropriation that it receives.

"We have the highest in-state tuition of the Big Ten due to the fact that we have the lowest appropriation," he said. "Penn State is the most applied to university in the country."

To illustrate Penn State's role in the community, Ankarlo spoke about the university's different community service projects, including the Interfraternity/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. He added that the activities of Penn State affect one in every two households in Pennsylvania.

"This is the first time we as Penn State students have really taken initiative to speak with representatives," said Eric Nakano, president of the Student Government Association at the Mont Alto campus.

Overall, students returning from the rally had very positive reactions.

"Our goal was to have the Penn State voice heard in Harrisburg," Ankarlo said, adding that he felt this goal was met.

"We got extraordinary feedback from representatives. I think the rally was definitely a step in the right direction."

Nakano said that CCSG wants to increase appropriations gradually, emphasizing the importance of showing student support in achieving this.

"Numbers really do speak volumes," he said. "As more Penn State students get involved, it's going to send a message to people that Penn State students are not apathetic."

Another important outcome of the rally was an increase in respect for Penn State students, Ankarlo said.

"We've lost some respect in past years," he said. "Today we took a huge step in gaining that respect back."