Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Academic Assembly learned Monday that it will have to restructure its existing seats in the University Faculty Senate because of changes made at the Senate's October meeting.

Faculty Senate, citing a hiring freeze, told the Academic Assembly it would eliminate two seats of student representation.

Students currently hold 22 seats, or 10 percent, of the total number of faculty seats. The Faculty Senate then gave the Assembly the option of restructuring to accommodate the changes in student representation.

In October, the Senate increased the faculty senator ratio from one senator for every 30 faculty members to one for every 25.

During the same meeting, it changed the number of student representatives from 21 students to 10 percent of the total number of senators.

At that time, Academic Assembly President D. Josh Troxell said he believed the change would increase the number of student representatives by at least one student.

The current breakdown grants four graduate students, six students from the Commonwealth Campus Student Government (CCSG) and 12 Academic Assembly members seats on Faculty Senate.

"If we don't use the voice we have, then we lose out on a chance to have input," USG Academic Assembly President Troxell said. "If we don't make a decision tonight, they can do whatever they want."

The Assembly voted 9-3-3 to give four graduate students, two USG members, two CCSG members, six University Park students and six non-University Park students seats at Faculty Senate.

After further deliberation, the Assembly decided the Senate and Assembly Presidents would serve as USG's representatives.

Student representatives in the Faculty Senate currently represent specific colleges. With new regulations, not every college will be represented every year.

Agriculture Faculty Sen. Sonya Gomes' proposal that colleges with similar interests be paired and rotated annually won approval from fellow Academic Assembly members.

This new legislation will be added to the Academic Assembly bylaws.

Academic Assembly members also discussed furthering current International and Intercultural Competence (GI) legislation Monday.

A conference committee is working on proposals to add requirements of completing both U.S. and international competence courses.

Troxell said students would need to take six credits, but overall credits required per major would not increase. Instead, diversity credits would be built into major requirements.

The change would only affect students who have not been accepted to a major.

Kevin Shah, a non-voting representative from the Schreyer Honors College, said he felt individual colleges would complete this requirement haphazardly if forced to implement changes on a strict deadline.

However, Troxell referenced the writing across the curriculum requirement, suggesting the new condition would not create new curriculum.

Jennifer Haines, a representative from Health and Human Development, suggested adding the requirement to first year seminars. But Troxell said there would be a significant cost incurred.

Troxell said the committee will be meeting five or six times within the next three weeks and will send a recommendation to Faculty Senate for the February or March meeting.

Other announcements at the meeting were made regarding new academic policies at Penn State.

Part-time students that accumulate 12 credits and maintain a 3.5 GPA will now be included on the Dean's List.

Penn State also strengthened language requirements, requiring students to complete at least two units by the end of their second year.

Also, minors must be decided by the add/drop period in a student's last semester.