Clarification appended

The University Park Undergraduate Association has faced its challenges since day one as far as proving to be a legitimate student government, but the recent re-acquisition of Samantha Miller coupled with Keirans' serving his second term -- the first to do so since UPUA's inception -- has shown that Keirans and company are taking steps, albeit baby steps, to reach the level of validity our student government badly needs.

A former UPUA governmental affairs chairwoman and presidential candidate, Miller should prove to be nothing but an asset to this student government.

Though she initially decided to vote against offering free Legal Services to students, she can't be blamed for her reasoning at the time. It was unclear as to how the service would be paid for and one can't criticize a student representative who is looking out for the students' best interest.

Now, however, students have knowingly or unknowingly paid the $2 out of their Student Activity Fee, so it's time to get the ball rolling.

Miller's new position as director of a policy she voted against could reek of a self-serving "can't-beat-'em-then-join-'em" type philosophy. Or it could be that she actually cares enough to work for the students, even if it means working alongside the opponent she lost to on a project that she's questioned in the past.

The latter seems like the correct answer, if one had to guess.

Miller's own words her dedication: "...student government should never be about personal glory." We agree.

As governmental affairs chairwoman, Miller and her committee were responsible for hand-delivering an invitation to Gov. Ed Rendell for Tuition Awareness Day back in March 2009. His office initially declined the invitation but Miller persisted and eventually Rendell made a special trip to PSU just weeks later to talk about tutition.

This example proves that Miller's devotion to getting things done is alive and well and very-much needed for our student government.

Though Keirans has offered up positive ideas during his term as president, those ideas have not yet come to complete fruition.

Having the luxury of a second term, we expect serious results from Keirans and his administration this year.

Now that he has shown he has the smarts to recognize an asset when he sees one, there now remains just one step: getting the job done.

Now with the newly enlisted help of Samantha Miller, that plan might not seem so lofty.

Clarification: This editorial unclearly stated information about Samantha Miller's position. Miller is currently going through the confirmation process and has not been sworn into the position.