Sides had been taken. The battle lines had been drawn. And Sunday afternoon's meeting of the UPUA's Steering Committee was shaping up to be one that defined the future of the organization. Rewind, if you will, to last Wednesday, when the UPUA passed legislation authorizing the purchase of promotional items, including sunglasses, cups, and pens, to the tune of $3,000 from its budget taken from the Student Activity Fee. During debate on the proposal, it received significant criticism from within, passing by a relatively slim 25-15 margin. It wasn't until the morning after that most UPUA members realized what they were getting themselves into. Academic Affairs Chair John Zang realized the negative implications immediately, but was on the short side of the voting Wednesday. And starting Thursday, he heard all about it.
It's a difficult economic time right now, to be sure, but it seems that higher education has had to bear more than its fair share as government looks to downsize its spending. Just months after state appropriations to universities suffered a major cut, a newly implemented regulation threatens to halt federal loans to students who require financial aid in order to pay for their college education. And if this news is a surprise to you, you're not alone. It came as a shock even to CCSG President Peter Khoury, who hadn't been aware of the new policy until last month's Faculty Senate meeting. But since then, he's become painfully aware of how many students might be affected by the change.
The time has come, Penn State. Homecoming Week is finally upon us. But before we can crown a king and queen, there's a few days packed full with exciting activities and events for students to celebrate in style.
Tonight's meeting of the University Park Undergraduate Association offered, in effect, a puzzling dilemma, a curious Catch-22. If students aren't aware of UPUA, how can the student government attract the attention of its constituency? And yet, for those students who follow the weekly soap opera, now well into its sixth season, an alternate question is posed--how can the UPUA justify spending more than $3,000 on branded sunglasses, cups, and pens?
It's hard to believe, but Homecoming Week is just a few days away. Before anyone realizes it, we'll be watching the floats parading down Curtin Road, cheering as a King and Queen are selected, and singing along as the alumni Blue Band gives it their all in Beaver Stadium. But the fun doesn't start there--let this week be the beginning of the excitement by participating in Homecoming's Spirit Week.
If you asked Christian Ragland about it, I'm sure he'd look back and say that the formation of Pennsylvania Association of State-Related Schools was the highlight of his tenure as UPUA President. Joining together Penn State, Pitt, Temple, and Lincoln universities, the coalition took on even greater importance as state appropriations to the four were cut in the spring. It will continue to live on, even after the departure of Ragland, and this afternoon, a contingency from the UPUA will join their counterparts from the other three universities in Pittsburgh for the organization's first conference of the year.