Back in February, Penn Staters Reforming the Board of Trustees (PSU-ReBoT) proposed an idea to hold a meet and greet during Blue-White Weekend so that the candidates running for the three open positions on the Board of Trustees would be able to meet the public and potential voters. This first idea was originally rejected, prompting Sandy Deveney, a 1970 Penn State graduate, to independently release a press release on March 13, expressing frustration that the University had apparently rejected the idea to hold a meet and greet. After corresponding with Annemarie Mountz, Associate Director of Public Information for the University, I found out that the University had not rejected the proposal, but rather was overwhelmed with requests from varying groups, and they were trying to establish which groups were sending out the requests. Logistics needed to be coordinated as well, to find a proper place to hold an event like this.

Sandy Deveney, who is also a member of PSU-ReBot, said that an event like this would be very helpful for people, especially for those who are voting.

The alumni need to go face-to-face with the people they want to represent, especially in a circumstance like this.  The best voter is the educated voter.

The Alumni Association is facilitating this event for its members and others because they felt it was an event they could offer to help alumni with the election process on a weekend when a large number of alumni are returning to campus. We welcome all alumni and other members of the Penn State community to gather and express their views on any issues. We all have the same goal: the best interests of Penn State.