The cooler temperatures and overcast skies mirrored the goal Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senate wanted to accomplish on the steps of Old Main yesterday.

USG Senate's "Extend the Freeze to University Park" rally allowed senators and students to voice their views of the possibility of a tuition freeze at 20 of the 23 Penn State campuses, but not University Park, which may see an increase in tuition.

"It's not just about USG making a point," said Vicky Cangelosi, Senate governmental affairs chair and coordinator of the event. "We want to hear from students about this issue."

Those participating in the rally held signs saying, "Extend the Freeze, Please," "I got into an Ivy League?" and "Bowl games are meant to be played in warm weather. Tuition is meant to be frozen." Participants also asked passers-by to sign mock legislation written on long brown paper "scrolls" to ask the university to extend the tuition freeze to University Park.

The rally was intended to be directed toward the administration to freeze tuition at University Park; however, Bill Mahon, Penn State spokesman, said he did not see the rally, but he heard some claims made that were false and misleading.

"I think the rally was embarrassing," Mahon said. "The claim that tuition might be raised 20 percent next year is false. The claim that five cuts in state funding in the last four years had no impact on tuition is false."

Cangelosi said a non-USG student participating in the rally asked a passerby how much tuition had to increase -- 10 or 20 percent -- in order for him or her to be persuaded to sign the legislation. Cangelosi added she did not remember anyone at the rally saying that state-funding cuts had no impact on tuition.

Mahon said that the rally ignored the fact that Penn State's College of Medicine, at Hershey Medical Center, receives less state funding then any other public medical college in the nation, and Penn State receives less state funds per student than any other public school in the state.

"The facts are we're a low-funded institution," Mahon said. "The rally would have been better if the speakers used the facts."

The idea of the rally was in response to Penn State President Graham Spanier's proposal to freeze tuition at 20 of the 23 Penn State campuses, while raising the tuition at University Park 5.9 percent, pending next year's state appropriations.

Andy Banducci, Senate president, said it was important to go to Harrisburg to rally for state appropriations, but it was also important to hold the administration accountable because 90 percent of the budget is decided by the administration.

Alex Ibrahim, Senate vice president, said he was tired of putting out his "benjamins" to fund the construction of buildings on campus, which prevented him from using his money toward a new jacket or football tickets to the Michigan State game or Fiesta Bowl.

"We are Ben State," Ibrahim announced as he stepped up to the mic to address onlookers.

Banducci said after the rally that 413 signatures were collected in support of the mock-legislation.

"I think it demonstrates how important the issue is," he said. "I think this is an issue that really resonates with students. It's the one issue that unites the student body."

Cangelosi said she hopes to show the two scrolls of signatures and comments at the next Senate meeting and later present it to the administration in Old Main.

Jim Vomero (senior-mechanical engineering) said there were a lot of misconceptions made during the rally of why tuition is increasing. He said the university's budget increases to remain competitive with other universities and the budget does not go toward buildings. Instead, the money goes to faculty benefits, he said.

Jason Liberchuk (sophomore-psychology), who stood on the sideline watching the rally, said in order to make the tuition freeze possible, participants in the rally needed to get the attention of the administration, who were not in attendance.