What do you call a university that can snub 42,000 students and get away with it?

Penn State University.

At Friday's Board of Trustees meeting, no one represented our undergraduate student body.

At Penn State, the board is the king. All the big decisions -- the budget, the appropriations request -- must pass through board members for approval.

Because the university administration is now acknowledging the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) as our student voice instead of the Undergraduate Student Government, a student representative from USG wasn't invited. And because UPUA has not yet had elections, one chair at the meeting remained empty.

Ours.

The chair that represents 42,000. The chair that stands for who this university claims to care about.

The chair where our student voice to the administration should be sitting.

And so we, the students, got the shaft.

In place of our representative, we were given -- by default -- the promise that Galen Foulke would be there to represent us.

Foulke, last year's USG president and UPUA's biggest fan, has been criticized for favoring the administration's interests over those of the students.

Plus, he's actually on the board.

It was certainly not his top priority to vouch for us.

Apparently, the board that makes the big decisions at Penn State didn't feel it was important enough to hear what we had to say.

In case the trustees forgot their mission, its Web site says, "The Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania State University is the corporate body established by the charter with complete responsibility for the government and welfare of the University and all the interests pertaining thereto including students, faculty, staff and alumni."

It is horrifying that we are not represented and disturbing that we don't seem to care. There is strength in numbers, and a student body 42,000 strong should flex its muscles.

Before Penn State President Graham Spanier brags about this university being "student-centered," maybe he should look around.

He swears he's listening -- but who cares if we don't have a voice?

Who needs students anyway, President Spanier? -- oh, except to pay your salary.