On Tuesday night, the Undergraduate Student Government Senate approved new legislation that condemned acts of discrimination at the university and stated that if any staff or faculty member conducted such acts, it should lead to their dismissal from the university.

This noble act was an indirect response to women's basketball coach Rene Portland's alleged anti-gay bias: Portland wasn't named in the legislation, however, and it's likely that this legislation won't have any appreciable impact because of its redundant and merely symbolic nature.

It should go without saying that student representatives won't tolerate discrimination or bias. To waste precious meeting time passing a piece of meaningless legislation when it could be planning the next tuition rally, especially in light of the recent room and board hike, is ridiculous.

The university already has an official anti-discrimination policy, which raises the question: How much will USG's effort help end discrimination at Penn State?

Probably not a whole lot.

Though USG responded directly to the concerns of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and its allies (LGBTA), it seems like more of a goodwill gesture than something that will actually improve the welfare of students.

USG didn't address the situation immediately after the National Center for Lesbian Rights alleged discrimination on behalf of former Lady Lion Jen Harris and sent a letter outlining their concerns to Penn State President Graham Spanier. It was prudent on the part of USG to wait to hear more facts before addressing it.

Despite this aspect of student representation and the recognition USG members may get for doing something seemingly tangible, efforts should still be placed on advocating for lower tuition and increased state appropriations, which ultimately needs to be the group's primary concern.

Passing such feel-good, anti-discrimination legislation is easier than advocating to decrease costs for students.

In the end, no one will remember the piece of legislation that had absolutely no bearing on the university's response to the NCLR's complaint -- the university doesn't need encouragement from the student body to move forward.

This piece of legislation will go to USG President Galen Foulke for his signature, but as of now there are no plans to send it to university officials, either. Senate President Andy Banducci said it is at the discretion of individual senators to send the recommendation to administrators. This would be inherently more powerful than letting the legislation collect dust or plastering it on posters around campus.

Imagine how much more effective USG would be if it sent legislation to university officials with thousands of student signatures. Now that would be power.