After nearly a year of debating, two student groups have merged, creating the largest LGBTA group on campus.

The fusion of Allies and Lambda Student Alliance (LSA) will give members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community and allies (LGBTA) a chance to focus on political and social issues that face the community, said Chris Brown, former social chair of Lambda Student Alliance.

Brown has been at the forefront of negotiations.

"We're hoping that [the merger] will give us more of a political voice," Brown said.

"But at the same time we want to make sure we maintain the social aspect of the group," Brown said.

Negotiations will continue throughout the summer while members work on modifying the group's constitution to resubmit to Undergraduate Student Government (USG) in the fall.

The new group has to be accepted by USG in order to be an official student organization.

Modifications will include a changing of the group's name, which is tentatively "Allies."

Although the new group will be large in size, Brown anticipates students wishing to join will not be intimidated.

Traditionally, LSA has been a politically active group, working with organizations such as USG to make Penn State a hate-free campus.

Allies has been more socially oriented, geared toward those wishing to come out in regard to their sexuality, Brown said.

To preserve the group's social aspect, the new group will hold a weekly meeting in a "safe space," like a classroom, where individuals can gather for a movie or to play board games. All students are welcome, and it will be a casual but secure atmosphere, Brown added.

"Everything that is said behind the doors won't leave the room," he added.

The group will also organize a formal social, like a dance or dinner, once a month, he said.

After a nearly four-hour meeting Wednesday night, members of both groups elected members to the new group's executive board and to chair the group's four committees.

Sara Ryan, former USG director of LGBTA affairs, and Kelly Ross, former director of Allies, were elected to the dual presidential position.

The group voted to have a dual presidential position, as opposed to a president and vice president, to emphasize that both positions have equally important roles, Ryan said.

Ryan will work with student government and administration to make sure LGBTA issues are not overlooked. But her efforts won't be just concentrated locally, she said.

"One of our biggest goals is to get ourselves more politically active in the rest of the state," she said.

The controversy over Sen. Rick Santorum's remarks is an example of a debate that Penn State's LGBTA community should be more vocal about, Ryan said.

The other co-presidential position has an "internal emphasis." Ross will direct board meetings and work with chairs of the committees to create group cohesion.

She would also like to stop hate language on campus and to start letter-writing campaigns, she said.

The new group will provide an atmosphere where people can choose which aspects of LGBTA affairs they want to be involved in, Ryan said.

"You don't have to be an activist to be a part the community," she added.