It's down to five students, and now it's up to the state.
A group of student leaders have selected five finalists for the position of student member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, and the student trustee will be chosen after the semester ends.
More than 30 students applied for the position that Geoff Grivner (senior-political science) now has. Grivner graduates in May but will remain an acting trustee until his successor is appointed.
A representative from Gov. Mark Schweiker's office will interview each finalist, then choose the trustee. The state senate must approve the governor's selection.
When Grivner was selected, he made two trips to Harrisburg, meeting legislators and encouraging them to bring the bill to the floor and vote on his appointment.
"It was a really great experience to meet all of them, and a lot of people have Penn State ties," he said.
"I think that they will be able to fill my shoes quite easily," Grivner said.
If the state senate votes in time, the trustee will be an official board member at the meeting when tuition is decided.
"The next student trustee, if they are confirmed before the July meeting, will have a monumentous decision to make," Grivner said.
The Student Trustee Finalists
-- Adam Duff (junior-finance), who said Penn State has been a part of his life since childhood, lists his most important involvement as the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. This year he served as Overall Morale Chair for Thon.
"That was just one of the most fulfilling experiences I've ever had, both on a spiritual level and on an organizational, planning level," he said.
-- Nicole Lobaugh (junior-public relations) said she plans to attend Dickinson School of Law, which would allow her to serve more time as a trustee after she gets an undergraduate degree. She was executive vice president of Panhellenic Council last year and was also a teaching assistant for Sociology 119 (Race and Ethnic Relations).
She said she is very proud of her work with SOC 119 and called it one of the most challenging things she has done that helped her grow as a person.
"I think that we're so lucky at Penn State that we have that position, and I would love to be a part of it," she said when asked why she applied to be student trustee.
-- Nicole Sandretto (sophomore-business logistics and hotel, restaurant and institutional management) has many involvements, including the Schreyer Honors College Student Council, University Park Allocation Committee and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. In high school, Sandretto served as the student representative to her school board.
"I recognize that Penn State is not the same as my hometown school district, but at the same time I think that a lot of the same basic principles, like listening to student concerns ... are the same," she said.
-- Adam Tarosky (sophomore-political science and journalism) has been involved in Thespian productions and mock trial, but his biggest involvement now is with the Day of Service. He and Sandretto will be directors for the service day next year, pending approval by the Undergraduate Student Government Senate. Tarosky interned in Washington, D.C., an experience that he said prepared him for the "dual role" played by a student trustee.
"When I heard about this opportunity, I thought this is the ultimate chance for me to give something back to Penn State and also for me to give something back to the student body," he said.
-- Blake Buzzini, the other finalist, could not be reached by press time.
