Penn State administrative officials made it clear yesterday morning that the university would not reconsider a decision it made earlier this year regarding the process of student group registration.

A group of students calling themselves the Students for Accountable Administration at Penn State (SAAPS) met with Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey and other university officials with a list of demands, including the reversal of a the decision on group registration.

The new policy took the group registration process away from the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Supreme Court and gave it to the Office of Student Activities.

Triponey said the decision was made to protect groups' Constitutional right to free speech and assembly.

"It is not the right of the USG Supreme Court to register student groups," she said.

SAAPS member Andy Banducci (junior-economics) said students should have input on the registration of student groups.

"For 30 years, it was a student responsibility at Penn State," he said.

Triponey said that while the university had delegated the responsibility to the court many years ago, student group registration ultimately rests in the authority of the university.

"Probably, it was an authority that should not have been delegated to students," she said, adding that the university is liable for any lawsuits that could arise from groups that are denied official status.

Mark Levin (senior-meteorology), who attended the meeting, said he asked to meet with Triponey because he felt students needed to voice objection to the administration's removing power from students.

"We feel that the students have not been heard," he said.

Triponey said she has listened to students and has received official objections from both the USG Academic Assembly and the Senate.

Triponey said she had to change the process to protect students' rights.

"The decision is made. It is not going to be undone," Triponey said. "This is how it's going to be at Penn State."

Mark Faulkner, a university lawyer, said the issue was one of Constitutionality before a court of law.

"It's not the students' opinion that counts," he said. "It's external to everyone in this room."

Banducci said he was upset that the university made the decision during the summer and did not do enough to alert student groups to the change.

"It almost seems there's a shoot first, aim later mentality," he said.

Triponey said her office wanted advice from students on how to improve communication.

Levin said the meeting was "a start," but that he still had more concerns to address with regard to having administrators listen to student demands.