Depending on whom you talk to, Penn State student representation will soon become either a unified, effective voice -- or an administration-controlled echo chamber.

Unless "something drastic happens," the transition group in charge of implementing the new University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) will hold elections on Oct. 11, said Andrew Reeve, chair of the group.

The Penn State administration recognized UPUA as the new official voice of Penn State students last spring after a referendum held by a group called "Students for Real Advocacy" showed a majority of students favored the new organization over the 44-year-old Undergraduate Student Government (USG).

UPUA advocates say the new government will provide a more unified voice for students because it has just one 25-representative body. USG, modeled after the United States government, has a legislative, executive and judicial branch, and its legislative branch consists of two bodies -- the Academic Assembly and the Senate.

"It's not about government. It's about advocacy," Reeve said. "[Currently] there's no unifying voice that is overarching for all students."

Critics of UPUA have expressed concern about the Penn State administration's input on approving future amendments to the group's constitution and the way the group was created.

"There's a process that was not followed," USG President Nick Stathes said.

Reeve said the nine-member UPUA transition group currently has two committees: an elections committee and a constitution committee. He said the elections committee is developing an elections code and organizing the voting process.

The constitutional review committee is reviewing the UPUA constitution and making changes to make it compliant with Student Affairs constitutional guidelines, Reeve said. For example, the constitution needed to contain the Penn State non-discrimination statement, he said.

"The spirit of the constitution is exactly the same. The vast majority of it is exactly the same," he said.

Reeve said the administration had been in contact with the group, but it had not tried to influence its decisions.

"They haven't been leading us," he said.

USG will continue to be active, even after UPUA holds elections, Stathes said.

"USG will 100 percent exist," he said.

The group will continue to hold Academic Assembly, Senate and executive cabinet meetings, he added.

Stathes said issues USG would focus on include voter registration, developing a Wikipedia-style Web page to facilitate communication with students and organizing a yearlong constitutional convention to examine the structure of Penn State student government.

He added that while he wants to "stop the fighting," he doesn't see a quick resolution of his objections to the UPUA.

"My overall goal is for there to be a student government where dissention and disagreement with student affairs and the administration at large will be accepted," he said.