Student leaders calling for Penn State's inclusion in Gov. Ed Rendell's Pennsylvania Tuition Relief Act urged members of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG) to help advance their cause Friday at a CCSG meeting.
University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) President Gavin Keirans, Interfraternity Council (IFC) President Luke Pierce and a political consultant for the cause, Justin Braz, attended the CCSG meeting and explained why they think it is imperative to unite against Rendell's actions.
"What's really important is that we as a community need to show a united front," Braz (senior-sociology) said. "The more people we have to present to the government, the better."
Student leaders, including CCSG President George Khoury, Pierce (junior-economics) and Keirans (junior-business management), held a rally earlier this month on Old Main lawn to spread awareness of Rendell's plan. Rendell's budget proposal includes a $20.3 million decrease in appropriations to Penn State and excludes state-related universities from the Tuition Relief Act.
Pierce, Keirans and Braz want CCSG members to take information about the budget proposals and the work being done at University Park back to their respective Commonwealth Campuses to get more people working toward the cause.
"There is power in numbers," Braz said, emphasizing this is a "grassroots movement."
Braz added he will send CCSG representatives a packet of information on how to help promote this effort among students who are not at University Park and cannot attend the rallies.
"CCSG has already shown their efforts toward this endeavor," Keirans said. "Hopefully with all the help, we can provide a successful resolution for Penn State students."
Executive Vice President and Provost Rodney Erickson also addressed the council to discuss students' concerns about the economy and changes occurring at Penn State.
Erickson provided CCSG members with a "strategic plan to ensure student success," which included sharing facilities and faculty among Penn State campuses. The purpose for sharing within campuses would be to "spread faculty talent" and allow more majors at different campuses, Erickson said.
Penn State Abington student Mae Anna Hassell expressed concern that the university could lose credibility over the plan to share facilities.
Erickson disagreed.
"If anything, it would make [Penn State] more attractive to students to have a wider range of options," he said.
Penn State York student Rohan Chitalia expressed concern with the Tuition Relief Act, saying he has heard from many students at his campus that they wanted to transfer to a community college because of high tuition costs.
Erickson said he is skeptical the act will even pass, so students should not be too concerned.
"We will be blanketing Harrisburg with Penn State if the law passes," Erickson said.
CCSG also passed a resolution to change the policy on the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee at Commonwealth Campuses, asking that members from the student government other than the president can sit on the board, Khoury (senior-chemical engineering) said.
