Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President Galen Foulke implemented a back-up plan yesterday by installing a new advocacy organization to replace USG, after the USG Supreme Court rejected the initiative.

Foulke said as a last resort, he created Students for Real Advocacy through the university in an attempt to garner student opinion about the effectiveness of the undergraduate government.

"[USG is] set up as a government when we need to be an advocacy body," said Students for Real Advocacy President Andrew Reeve, who also is the USG chief of staff. The group has 25 members who have supported University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) in the past, many of whom are also USG executive branch members.

The Students for Real Advocacy plans to help form the UPUA, which was proposed in March to replace USG.

Foulke said he received special permission from Student Affairs and $3,000 in anonymous donations through Stan Latta, director of union and student activities, to form the group after providing a 1,000-signature student petition and evidence that USG would not allow the proposal to continue.

"It's impossible to run a referendum through USG," Foulke said.

Last Monday, USG Supreme Court rejected the question -- do you feel that the USG effectively represents you -- because not all of the necessary 1,000 signatures were valid.

"The last two pages were handwritten by the same individual," said Supreme Court Chief Justice Brandon Rothey. "There were not 1,000 signatures."

USG Supreme Court deemed the initial question unconstitutional because according to the USG constitution, referendum questions must be designed to implement immediate action.

Students for Real Advocacy will administer the question next Tuesday. Because it is being administered independently from USG, it does not require any percentage of approval.

"It's very evident that students understand that USG isn't being effective," Foulke said. "I'm expecting a pretty loud vocal 'no' on the first [question]."

Students for Real Advocacy will then begin publicizing the proposed UPUA constitution and educating the student body on the advantages in order to present their new structure, Foulke said.

"I have to first prove that students do not have faith in the current USG structure," Foulke said.

The second question -- which asks students if they approve of UPUA -- is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 28. Foulke said he plans to immediately bring the results of that question to Penn State President Graham Spanier.

Foulke said he expects Spanier to acknowledge the need for a student advocacy group and endorse the UPUA.

However, the majority of senators disagree with this new form of student advocacy and the UPUA.

"We don't think it represents the student body very well," Town Sen. A.J. Fluehr said. "Administration is involved from the start, and student control is at a minimum."

UPUA will not replace USG, Foulke said, but will compete as the main student advocacy organization.

"[Senate] decided they didn't want to listen to the opinion of their constituents," Foulke said. "This is going to happen."

The UPUA was proposed by an independent committee formed by Foulke. It would contain an elected president and vice president, and a 34-member student cabinet -- 12 students elected by the students in their college, four appointed by the greek councils, three representatives elected by residence halls students, six elected by off-campus and non-greek students, one representative of University Park Allocation Committee and six seats open for any student.

Foulke said students should be able to access the group's informational Web site at http://www.psu-upua.com as of today.