Only 3% of Penn State alumni say they “completely trust” the Board of Trustees. At least one candidate is trying to change that statistic with a new initiative called AccountableTrustee.com.

Alumni trustee candidate Gavin Keirans launched the website today in the hopes of restoring some of the trust and creating more communication between the trustees to alumni and students.

“With such low approval ratings, there’s clearly a problem with two-way dialogue with the Board of Trustees and the Penn State community,” Keirans said. “With Accountable Trustee, I hope to bridge that gap and give trustees a platform to show what they’re doing to make Penn State better.”

Before Keirans solicits contributions from sitting trustees, the website is in a preliminary survey stage to evaluate what folks are interested in knowing about. Ultimately, the website will track any number of the following:

• Engagements/meetings with student leaders
• Events with alumni
• Meetings with administrators and faculty
• Status updates on key initiatives
• Voting record & reflection
• Social media activity
• Time spent related to Penn State/in State College

“The public comment sessions at Board meetings just aren’t enough to create that trust — that dialogue,” Keirans said. “With Accountable Trustee, I hope to encourage more interaction, using the quarterly updates, Google hangouts, and even informal breakfasts or lunches.”

Keirans is part of a 32-person field in the upcoming Board of Trustees alumni election. The process is currently in a dead period — the time between when the ballot is announced and when voting opens on April 10.