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Khoury/Cortes 2
Table of Contents
Mission Statement
............................................................................................................................................3
Opening Letter
............................................................................................................................................4
Communication
............................................................................................................................................5
Leadership Development
............................................................................................................................................6
Green Initiatives
……....................................................................................................................................7
Central Staff
............................................................................................................................................11
The Committees
………………....................................................................................................................12
Academic Affairs
Governmental Affairs
Student Affairs
Student Life
THON
The Caucuses
………………....................................................................................................................24
Geographic
Commonalities
Showcause budget
………………....................................................................................................................30
Closing Thoughts
………………....................................................................................................................31
Mission Statement
University System.
Khoury/Cortes 4
Opening Letter
Respected members of the Council,
This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Council of Commonwealth Student
Governments. This organization has stood the test of time, successfully advocating on
behalf of the students of The Pennsylvania State University. What started off as one person
has grown into the premier student government with representation from all campuses,
including University Park. The Commonwealth Campuses are an integral facet to the
University’s infrastructure. They are what make Penn State unique among our Big 10
colleagues and campuses of higher education across the country. They are embedded in their
respective communities working to positively expose the great image of Penn State.
Justin and I have been molded by our time at our home campuses. We would not be
the leaders we are today without our engagement on our campus and with YOU, the student
leaders of the Commonwealth. We have both been active members of CCSG for over three
years. We have worked closely with many previous CCSG Presidents such as J.J. Livingston,
Bobby Casiano, George Khoury, Nicholas Borsuk, and Mohamed Raouda. We have gained
experience through our collaboration with YOU, working to better the Commonwealth
campuses on every level academically, environmentally, and socially. Our success in
completing initiatives serves as a testament to what effective communication, transparency,
and passion, can do to put forward student ideas to University Leadership. As you read this
platform, we invite you to engage us in discussion on the topics covered.
Justin and I share a vision molded by our interactions with you, the ones who are
facing challenges every day. We have been here for you when you needed to share your
problems and we have helped to shape solutions which not only sound good on paper, but
are tangible and achievable. We are here to support, advocate, and ensure that your needs are
met through the Council and Central Staff.
Communication
Communication issues are ever-present in everyday life and can often present a
hindrance on production both in the academic and business worlds. While there is no quick
improving the lines of communication between CCSG central staff and the commonwealth.
One strategy that we find to be of the utmost importance is to have pre-council conference
calls between the Campus Presidents and DSA’s and the CCSG President and Vice-
President. These conference calls will serve as avenues of communication so that Central
Staff and the members of the Commonwealth can enter council weekends on the same page
with the same goals in mind and so that council can produce the best possible legislation and
discussion topics for the good of the Commonwealth. The Presidents, DSA’s, and CCSG
President and Vice-President will also be able to discuss campus to campus issues and how
CCSG can assist in any way necessary before things are brought to council weekends.
Khoury/Cortes 6
Leadership Development
It is well known that other than student advocacy that CCSG has a long tradition of
developing strong, well rounded, and motivated student leaders. These student leaders are
the driving force of the Commonwealth and of the Pennsylvania State University as a whole.
The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes that this is an element of CCSG that is often overlooked
and through various efforts such as the Summer Leadership Conference, Regional
Presidents Retreat
Through the years ongoing issue has been the SGA presidents and incoming CCSG
administration not coming into the year on the same page with each other and many times
nearly wasting the first council weekend. The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes that a weekend
retreat over the summer or early fall semester at University Park with the 19 campus
presidents and the CCSG President and VP would help to bridge that gap and bring
everyone into the 1st council weekend working as a cohesive unit ready to take on and
A few facts:
The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes in the 5 pronged plan of the University in its efforts to
bolster its energy efficiency through awareness, conservation, management, monitoring, and
procurement.
Awareness - The goal of the awareness initiative is to make the University community more
aware of their impact on energy consumption, and thus the operating costs of the University,
and the pollution impact on the environment. This portion of the program is directly linked
to education.
Conservation - Our conservation initiative takes several forms, including standards for new
facility construction and renovations, guidelines for purchasing energy intensive equipment,
and facility operating conditions standards. Some of these standards are dictated by codes,
including building codes which must be followed in order to get building permits for
construction.
Monitoring - The University meters all utilities to the facilities on the University Park
Campus. This includes electricity, water, steam (measuring steam or condensate), and gas. In
addition, the Central Control System (CCS) monitors the electrical load on the main feeders
to and around campus, and the steam and water distributed to the campus distribution
systems. Chilled water metering is being added as work continues on our Chilled Water
Campus Loop.
Motion Sensors
Khoury
&
Cortes
policy. Peter Khoury has served as a Student Senator for the past three years. He was elected
as a University College Senator Freshman and Sophomore years and then further elected by
his peers as Chair of the Student Caucus for the 2009-2010 year and then re-elected in 2010-
2011. This year he served as the CCSG representative to the Senate, working closely with
advocate on behalf of the Commonwealth. CCSG created and initiated the investigations
into the extension of the drop add period which has now been extended 8 hours after the
drop period, minors being awarded to students as long as they complete the requirements,
and the course watch list on Elion. All of these initiatives have passed through the Senate in
the past two years, and serve as a resource and benefit all Penn State Students.
90 Day Plan
The Raouda/Khoury administration was the first in the history of CCSG to
implement a 90 day plan of executing and initiating the goals outlined in the platform. The
90 day plan which outlined a 5 year plan for a Peer Mentorship program, educational equity,
green initiatives, and an abundance of other student services, was completed and executed in
the time allotted. This speaks to the magnitude of committeemen of the Raouda/Khoury
administration to the Commonwealth and how they have worked tirelessly to ensure that
ideas are not only put on paper, but executed, and followed to completion. The
Khoury/Cortes ticket if elected would craft a 90 day plan for executing and investigating the
topics outlined in this platform. The Khoury/Cortes ticket shares the same knowledge,
passion, and drive needed to fully complete all the initiatives outlined in this platform with
your support and collaboration to ensure that the Khoury/Cortes vision is YOUR vision.
Khoury/Cortes 10
Minors should be awarded by the University as long as the student completes the
requirements for the Minor, no matter what College or Campus the student is from. This is
one step forward in recognizing that a course is a course no matter where the student takes it
within the Penn State Educational System. From this, a recommendation was accepted that
deliration of intent to pursue a Minor would be integrated into Elion. This revolutionary
proposition faced challenges from Colleges at University Park, but the Central
Administration and Students remained steadfast in achieving their goal in ensuring that there
Regional Meetings
This year the Raouda/Khoury administration acknowledged that CCSG must re-
evaluate its operating procedures in an effort to be fiscally responsible. They have worked
closely with DSA’s and CAST members to establish regional meetings which would also
settings. Peter Khoury and Justin Cortes have pioneers in advocating for this to happen.
There are Campuses who have already volunteered to host Council weekends. The
Khoury/Cortes ticket would like to fully endorse to have two regional meetings a year; one
in the west, and one in the east. In addition, alternative media would be explored to further
save money. If elected, we would work immediately to find suitable campuses to host
Council weekends and execute logistics to ensure that every campus can attend and
participate. This is another component of the Khoury/Cortes platform which aims to cut
Central Staff
The CCSG Central Staff consists of all members of the Executive Board, Committee
Directors, Caucus Directors, and Department Directors of CCSG. Through the years the
membership, goals, and procedures of CCSG Central Staff have changed depending on the
current administration, however one ideal has remained ever present and that is that CCSG
Central Staff functions as one cohesive unit. Being former Commonwealth Campus students
themselves, the members of central staff work tirelessly to advocate for the betterment of
the commonwealth from the perspective of their respective position. With that common
goal in mind over the past fifty years members of central staff have done incredible things
for the good of the commonwealth while also bettering themselves as student leaders. The
Khoury/Cortes ticket hopes to continue the tradition of having a strong and motivated
Central Staff to enter the next era of CCSG. Once again working as a cohesive unit alongside
Peter Khoury and Justin Cortes great things can be achieved for the Commonwealth and the
The Committees
The committees of CCSG have long proven to be essential aspects of our
organization and the success that has been achieved throughout the years is a direct result of
the contributions and hard work of the members of council. Vital to the continued success
of each committee are the Directors, Associate Directors, and new Coordinators. These
individuals work endlessly and tirelessly to prepare for council weekends, meet various
members of University administration, and prepare legislation, discussion topics, and plans
of action all for the betterment of the Commonwealth. The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes in
the strength of the standing CCSG committees (Student Affairs, Student Life, Academic
Affairs, Governmental Affairs, and THON) and in their continued success. The Committees
have served as the primary legislative outlet for CCSG which mandates that Committee
student leaders who will work to the best of their ability to bring the most Commonwealth
beneficial legislation and discussions to the table. The Khoury/Cortes ticket feels
passionately about ensuring that all bases are covered when it comes to student issues and
concerns and have created two new Coordinator positions. The first Coordinator position
will be for Judicial Affairs and along with the Associate Director will report to the Student
Life Director. The Second Coordinator position will be for Information Technology
Services and in the same manner as the Judicial Affairs Coordinator will report to the
Student Affairs Director. The Khoury/Cortes ticket feels that with strong student leaders in
each of these positions and the correct guidance CCSG will enter its next fifty years of
Making changes to the academics of Penn State is no easy task as the process by
which items are evaluated and reviewed by administrative committees is highly effective, yet
lengthy. Thus with the passage of the Academic Warning legislation and highly productive
discussions fostered by Directors MJ Worsham, Joshua Devine, and Kristi Farinelli it is vital
that the next Director and Associate Director follow up on items that have been scheduled
to be discussed next year. These items include potential issues such as the ongoing issues of
advising and the SRTE’s. For the success of these pieces it is important that all student
members on the senate are in agreement over the details to present a unified student front.
As a result, it is integral to the benefit of the students that UPUA and CCSG work in strong
collaboration with one another particularly on these topics. In 2011-2012 the Academic
Affairs committee will not only be responsible for the classroom experience and academic
realm of the Pennsylvania State University but also for the enhancement of the educational
reputation of the Commonwealth Campuses and their respective colleges (The University
College, Altoona College, Abington College, Berks College, The Behrend College, and the
Capitol College).The new Director and Associate Director for Academic Affairs must follow
up on past issues until completion as well as bringing new initiatives front and center to
council.
Khoury/Cortes 14
Advising
This topic remains one of extensive discussion as there is no quick fix that will
ensure that every student receives the proper and necessary services that they will need to
make successful academic decisions, seize the academic opportunities offered at Penn State,
The Khoury/Cortes ticket realizes that often there is little that student governments
can do to directly ensure that advisers give their advisees the appropriate time and convey
correct and appropriate information to their students, particularly those changing campuses.
However we are dedicated to making several integral moves that will significantly improve
and simplify the availability and access of academic information that will help relieve
knowledge requirements from the advisers. We realize that we, as the representatives and
advocates of the students of the Commonwealth Campuses, can take various steps to help
enhance the availability of information as we can act as great benefactors to the academic
Educational Equity
It is true that we are all one Penn State, a University geographically dispersed across
the commonwealth, and by that token we believe that the same educational experience
information is key in the resolution of the problems of educational equity. While the specific
identity of each commonwealth campus is something vital to university life we believe that
students should be able to have the same educational quality no matter what campus they
academic affairs departments in conjunction with students can bring this goal to fruition.
Khoury/Cortes 15
The Governmental Affairs committee will be charged with advocating on behalf of the
students at Penn State by interacting and maintaining communications with state legislators
and student leaders at the campuses. The Governmental Affairs committee will continue the
Drive Across the Commonwealth campaign that will encourage students to register for the
Penn State Grassroots Network to become more knowledgeable on the state of our tuition
rates and the decisions taken by government leaders in Harrisburg. The Governmental
Affairs Director and Associate Director will also culminate their efforts at the end of the
our efforts and relationships in Harrisburg and Washington will be just as important as ever.
Tuition and state relations will once again be on the forefront of issues. However our
relationships with the members of PASS (Temple, Lincoln, and Pitt), the Drive Across the
The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes that the Governmental Affairs Director and Associate
An event organizer- Plan and execute Capital Day and the Drive Across the Commonwealth
And most of all- An Advocate for all Commonwealth Students in all matters of a Political
nature
Khoury/Cortes 16
The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes in and is confident in the current focus of the
Student Affairs committee and their primary responsibility of attending to issues concerning
the allocation and use of fees paid by the students of the Pennsylvania State University.
However the Student Affairs committee will no longer be charged with Judicial Affairs
initiatives but will have a focus towards that quality of information technology services at the
Commonwealth Campuses. Student expenses are some of the most paramount issues that
plague the student body of the Pennsylvania State University, the Director and Associate
Director of this committee who will be leading initiatives concerning these expenses must be
strong and innovational leaders. The committee will continue to heavily focus on the
Student Activity Fee, Facilities Fee, and IT Fee. Issues and topics of discussion that have
come to fruition this year concerning all three fees will not be ignored or held by the
wayside, in fact they will be prioritized and strategized to assure that no initiatives are left
unfinished. The Khoury/Cortes ticket will also charge the Student Affairs committee with
individual with a wealth of knowledge in the arena of Information Technology and its
Game plan initiatives to follow-up and continue the work of this year’s committee
In cooperation with the CCSG President, Vice President, and SGA Presidents set forth
STAC
the IT Fee paid by Penn State Students was passed under the term of Nicholas Borsuk and
has been extensively followed up on by the Student Affairs Directors Mike Alexander and
Affairs Damon Sims providing that a Student Advisory Committee should be created. The
need for the advisory committee comes with the need for a change from past procedures
and the desire for an efficient, innovative, inclusive, accountable and fiscally responsible way
to allocate IT money.
The structure would, like the SAF board be led by a central board with
representation from CCSG, UPUA, GSA, and various members of university faculty and
then be succeeded by three sub boards which work on initiatives by Campus, College, and
Special Mission. The structure of the advisory board would protect the interests of each
campus by not having CCSG representatives vote in matters that concern solely University
Park and UPUA representatives not voting in matters of a strictly commonwealth nature.
members would be charged with working towards the first meetings of STAC and the
central board, the writing of a handbook, and the creation of individual campus advisory
boards.
Khoury/Cortes 18
experiences tremendous success in its first year of existence. The committee will continue its
broad yet focused approach to the enhancement of the student experience at the Penn State
Greek Life, Diversity Affairs, Drug and Alcohol use, Judicial Affairs, Club Strength and
This year the Student Life Directors and the Commonwealth representatives to the
committee have done an incredible job of bringing this committee to life, keeping it strong,
and bringing forth Commonwealth student friendly initiatives including the Transition
The out of classroom student experience is one of the most important aspects of the
collegiate life for any student at any University. At Penn State we should take pride in that
experience and how it is provided to our students; however we should never stop working to
enhance it. To further enhance the effectiveness and strength of the committee, it will now
in addition to the Student Affairs committee feature a new Committee Coordinator. This
Coordinator the “Judicial Affairs Coordinator” will be responsible for all issues concerning
Judicial Affairs sanctions and issues surrounding Drugs and Alcohol, the Coordinator will
lead initiatives concerning the Judicial Affairs advisor program and will also be a member of
CSAP. In a mission to better transitioning services the Student Life committee will work to
strengthen relations with off campus living facilities at the University Park campus to
provide a better opportunity for these students. In addition, the Khoury/Cortes ticket has
been the sole proponent of a fall housing fair and if elected would do everything to see this
Khoury/Cortes 19
come full circle. Through the eight pronged approach at the enhancement of the student
experience we believe the committee will be able to do the best work possible for the
Commonwealth as well as being a strong insightful committee for the second consecutive
year.
Mentorship
One thing that the Student Life Directors will be immediately charged with is to
follow up on and continue the efforts of Student Life Director Justin Cortes and the
establishment of the Transition Students Mentorship Program. With the framework in place
and the organization up and running by this time the new Directors will be charged with
adding more academic colleges to the program to enhance and broaden the spectrum of
Commonwealth Students reached by the program to assist in their transition process. The
CCSG designee to the board of directors will be either the Vice-President of CCSG or the
Student Life Director that is yet to be determined. Along with recruiting more colleges and
members into the program the Directors will be expected to uphold the expectations and
strengthen the program so it can be available for the benefit of Commonwealth Students for
years to come. To gain more insight into transition issues as a whole the Student Life
Diversity
of classroom experience at the University. The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes that the best
way for this to happen is to take the models of campuses that have succeeded in enhancing
their Diversity and assisting all other campuses in reaching a goal of that stature. One of the
greatest examples may be Penn State Abington and their “No Place for Hate” campus. The
Khoury/Cortes 20
Student Life Directors will be charged with further investigating and learning the details of
the program and assisting interested campuses in establishing similar programs at their
campuses. The Student Life Committee will now plan the Annual Diversity Summit in
coordination with the External Programming Director and will be asked to showcase and
educate the members of council on many aspects of Diversity. The Open Forum
presentations will continue next year as well as the Student Life Directors being asked to
bring more guest speakers to their breakouts on various topics than they did this year.
While the title of this position may be new its ideals are not. Issues concerning
Judicial Affairs require more representation and attention than they have received in years
past. The Judicial Affairs Coordinator will hold breakouts only when necessary which will be
the legislation passed by former Judicial Affairs Director Suraj Sharma concerning the
Judicial Affairs Advisor Program and also work with campus representatives to establish that
program at all campuses with hope of creating a more student centered Judicial Affairs
process. The Judicial Affairs Coordinator will also be charged with leading initiatives
concerning Drug and Alcohol use and abuse throughout the commonwealth and will sit on
University committees such as CSAP that will give them further insight into said issues. If
there is no need for a Judicial Affairs breakout on a particular council weekend the
Coordinator will act as another associate director to the Student Life Director.
Khoury/Cortes 21
Thon is the most admirable display of sacrifice in one weekend put on by the
students of the Pennsylvania State University every year. Everyday throughout the year
students involved in THON are working hard to help raise money for pediatric cancer. The
Commonwealth has long been a part of this special cause and contributed its efforts to see it
succeed.
The Khoury/Cortes ticket will seek out the most qualified and passionate individuals
to serve in the roles of THON Directors. Together they will work to support and aid the
campuses with their events, totals, and any other help they may require.
Overall position to sit on the THON overall committee to maximize the Commonwealth
voice within THON. The role of the THON overall would be to maximize communicative
can be made to make it more efficient and effective. The Khoury/Cortes ticket wants the
time during Council weekends to be focused on deep discussion with every minute being
used constructively. With that said, we have solicited recommendations from the
Commonwealth and below have outlined what we believe will be the most organized means
of conducting business for Council. The Khoury/Cortes ticket feels that the dual caucus
system has been proven to provide for a unique experience where specific topics of
discussion which fall outside the realm of a committee have time to be discussed. The
importance of the Caucus system is to foster a stronger relationship between Central Staff
operating from University Park and the student leaders at the Commonwealth Campuses.
The Caucus Directors, with the exception of the President and Vice President, are your
strongest and most direct link to Central Staff. Their primary responsibility is to create a
strong dialogue about the general happenings of and events that are taking place at the
Commonwealth. Through the Caucus Directors you provide us with important information
about your successes and events that give us insight into your campus life. This allows us to
better plan visits to your campus and become a part of your activities. This in turn provides
us with a better understanding of your campus’ interest so that we may advocate on your
behalf.
Khoury/Cortes 23
The role of the Geography Caucus system is very distinct. The Geography Caucus
system serves to bringing Campuses together from within a defined geographic region
Caucuses help to bring unity and strengthen bonds between campuses and student leaders
which may be facing similar issues due to their close proximity and can come together in
supporting one another through collaboration. In the past, the geography caucuses have not
been as focused as possible and the Khoury/Cortes ticket plans to fix this by shortening the
Northeast:
Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre, Worthington Scranton
Northwest:
Altoona, DuBois, Erie, Shenango
Central:
Berks, Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley, Schuylkill
Southwest:
Beaver, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, New Kensington
Southeast:
Abington, Brandywine, Mont Alto, York
Khoury/Cortes 24
The Geographic Caucus directors serve as liaisons to Central Staff, bringing concerns
from campuses to the attention of the President, Vice President, and appropriate committee
directors. They will be held responsible for staying engaged with your campuses by:
The Khoury/Cortes ticket fully understands the financial implications of visiting each
campus at least once a semester. Before a Caucus Director would visit, the campus would be
contacted to decide whether or not they would like the Director to visit and help establish an
agenda for their time on the Campus so the time is used productively and with the input of
commonalities system with suggestions from the Commonwealth. The current practice of
basing discussion topics on Commonwealth student interest and need has provided to be
very beneficial. To help focus those discussions the Khoury/Cortes ticket envisions the
researching and providing two breakouts every Council weekend on well researched topics
which encompass many of the campuses. A third Associate Director will serve support
staffing for the two primary directors and will be utilized for a break out when deemed
necessary by the Commonwealth’s desire. This setup on council weekends will present a
larger forum for the directors and keep a continuity of information presented. The
Commonality Caucus Directors will be able to bring in guest speakers to speak about the
upcoming hot topic and will leave time for discussion with the campuses. If an issue needs to be
followed up upon then the Commonality Caucus Director will allocate the appropriate time for
that discussion. The purpose of this system, therefore, is to allow for further discussion on
topics and concerns that are broader than the efforts of an individual committee and are points
o Community Engagement
the University Park Undergraduate Association both on the executive and the assembly level
and have established strong, working, interpersonal relationships with them. The
Khoury/Cortes ticket understands that UPUA is an advocate for all students at Penn State
and are therefore an important ally in ensuring the success of our own broader initiatives.
Constant and equal collaboration amongst the two bodies is essential to understanding one
another and working together to achieve common goals of advancing the student experience
at Penn State.
Along with continuing the aforementioned relationship with the incoming UPUA
administration the Khoury/Cortes ticket will charge the individual in the position of
Outreach Liaison with the responsibility of serving as the CCSG liaison at UPUA general
assembly meetings as well as collaborating with them on issues for the mutual benefit of
October 27 1961
First OSGA Meeting to Convene at
University Park
August 23 1962
The Need for OSGA ‘Continuity’
February 8 1963
Khoury/Cortes 28
December 6 1963
Altoona will host OSGA OSGA Conference at Hazelton
Convention
December 22 1964
GSGA Will Help Sponsor All-University
Day
February 10 1965
Campus Activities Organized by
SGA
Khoury/Cortes 29
January 30 1970
OSGA Supports Letter Writing
November 10 1975
Council of Branch Campus Student
Governments
March 11 1986
Student Government at Penn State
Khoury/Cortes 30
Khoury/Cortes 31
Closing Thoughts
Respective Members of the Commonwealth,
I hope you have gotten a glimpse at the vision that we have put forth to ensure the
further success of the commonwealth. With our combined years of experience in
advocacy for our respective constituencies we have developed a deep and intricate
understanding of the unique needs of the commonwealth campuses. We have also taken
all of our experiences to be learning experiences and not a day has gone by in our time as
student leaders where we have not learned a valuable lesson from each other, our peers
and all of you. The knowledge we have acquired has and will help us plan initiatives for
the future, initiatives to better CCSG, your respective campuses, and the commonwealth
as a whole. Finally, we are above all passionate student leaders and advocates. We truly
live every day For the Glory, For the Commonwealth, and For the Kids. Our passion for
all that we do has been the driving force behind our past successes and will continue to be
as we enter a new era for the success of the commonwealth. We are Peter Khoury &
Justin Cortes, and we have the Experience to Understand, the Knowledge to Plan, and the
Passion to Execute!