The University Park Undergraduate Association has been on the books, so to speak, since last spring.

Yet, even as Election Day came and went, students still asked, "What is UPUA?"

Nobody really knew. And the ones who had a vague idea had no idea who was running or why there was a change. The UPUA transition team as well as the presidential tickets failed to make the organization a legitimate representative body of the students. Only 2,602 students sat down at their computers and voted last week.

That isn't exactly an overwhelming majority of the student body. It probably isn't even a majority of the students who normally care about campus issues.

The two-week campaign limit was hardly enough time to provide genuine political discourse. The campaigning was haphazard, the debate last-minute and the restrictions ridiculous.

Still, rules are rules. So, you'd think that the prospective student government leaders would have worked hard to get their names out there.

But they didn't.

In past years, Election Day has been more of a bombardment on the student population.

You couldn't walk out the door without being asked if you voted that day.

You had to watch your step if you went anywhere near the HUB-Robeson Center. It was life or death out there.

Not this year.

There were a few fliers found on bulletin boards across campus. If there were campaign supporters, they weren't particularly visible.

It was almost like there was no election.

Even the Election Day celebration was poorly planned. Few people even showed up to celebrate a new student government.

Yes, this is a new student government. Yes, we should expect a few bumps in the road. But we shouldn't be hitting major potholes.

Student government has existed at Penn State for more than a few years now. There is a blueprint for how the election process should work.

UPUA does not need to run its election the same way as Undergraduate Student Government did, but it should at least consider the methods it used for the campaign.

At least people knew there was a student government election occurring.

With the futile work done by the transition team and the lack of effort by campaigns, UPUA has truly been hindered as it tries to get off the ground.

With so few students voting, the new student government has so little legitimacy that it will have to work twice as hard to earn the respect of the Penn State community.

Regardless of who ends up in charge, the students of Penn State have hardly given them a mandate.