Safeguard Old State (SOS) executive director and last year's student government presidential runner-up Gavin Keirans became the first student to publicly announce a bid for a voting seat on the Board of Trustees yesterday.
Keirans publicized his application on his organization's Web site, www.safeguardoldstate.org, at 4:32 a.m. yesterday. He answered eight essay-type questions, which ranged from "What makes Penn State unique and why?" to "Describe the role of the Student Trustee as you see it."
The voting position -- designated for a student -- will be vacated by ex-Undergraduate Student Government President Galen Foulke after his three-year term ends July 1.
The student appointed to the position will vote on matters such as tuition increases and state appropriation requests.
Foulke, currently a student at the College of Medicine in Hershey, has appointed an eight-student committee that will represent "a broad cross-section of the university," he has said. Foulke could not be reached for comment.
The only identified student members of the committee are Foulke and UPUA President Hillary Lewis, Keirans said.
"It's a shame it's not a more transparent process," said SOS director of advocacy initiatives Tom Shakely.
Keirans, thus far, is the only applicant who has gone public with his intentions, though Lewis said yesterday she knew of two other applications that have been submitted. The deadline for submissions was Monday.
"I haven't been told how many total there are," Lewis said. "I know people that applied because I know them, and they told me."
After the applications are reviewed by Foulke's committee -- the members of which were selected on an invitation-only basis -- the best candidates are passed along to the governor's office, said Paula Ammerman, director of the Office of the Board of Trustees. The committee has two non-voting members: Ammerman and a representative from Student Affairs.
Gov. Ed Rendell will meet with the applicants and make a recommendation to the state Senate, which will decide whether to approve the student.
Ammerman said the applicants' names are not public information and the process is confidential.
Keirans' organization has been critical of Penn State's administration in the past, but said he hopes it will not affect his application, nor his tenure if he is appointed to the position.
"I would hope that they would be receptive to truthful things we've posted on our Web site," he said. "Hopefully, they'll be receptive to open communication and open dialogue because I do exemplify a lot of the thoughts of the student body."
