Platform Statement

Courtney Lennartz
Katelyn Mullen

UPUA President and Vice Presidential Candidates

Lennartz-Mullen Platform

Table of Contents:
Experience with a fresh perspective Courtney Lennartz Katelyn Mullen Platform Statement Academics

Six Points for Change Subsidized Test Preparation Tuition Student Loan Debt Education Lower Textbook Costs Off-Campus database Laundry Automation Downtown Code Inspection Recreational Facilities CATA Bus System Sustainability Campus Community for Organizations Big Ten on the Hill UPUA Accessibility Trustee Exposure

Housing

Student Life

Campus and Community Outreach

Lennartz-Mullen Platform

Experience with a fresh perspective

We hope that the student body will look to our records, and see the service and dedication we have to this University and the Student Government. Since arriving at Penn State, we have been involved with several groups, organizations, and activities. We are confident that our varied and diverse experience has prepared us to hit the ground running on day one.

Courtney Lennartz
Courtney is currently a junior majoring in Health Policy and Administration with a minor in Labor Studies and Employment Relations. Courtney is the current UPUA Vice President, Executive Director of the Association of Big Ten Schools (ABTS) and Scholarship Chair for Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. Throughout her time here, Courtney has served as the Academic Affairs Committee Chairwoman, College of Agricultural Sciences Representative (2 years), PA State Board of Education Student Representative, Student Senator of the University Faculty Senate (2 years), and Welcome Week Captain.

Katelyn Mullen
As a sophomore at The Pennsylvania State University, Katelyn Mullen is double majoring in marketing and public relations and minor in international business. Katelyn is currently the President of The Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS), a Lion Scout and is a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary . Residing in New Jersey, Katelyn decided to come to Penn State because of its combination of strong academics and pride. Throughout her time at Penn State, she has also been Vice President of East Halls Residence Association (EHRA), played intramural volleyball and has served on numerous student advisory committees by virtue of her positions.

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Platform Statement
We invite you to read our platform statement. Inside, you will find our goals and initiatives for our term as student body President and Vice President. Many of the initiatives you will see originate from the discussions we have had with students, organizations, and the administration here at Penn State. Our mission is to bring University governance back to the students, in order to provide a better future for our University.

Academics
Six Points for Change
We pledge to continue the work of the current Presidents of the UPUA, CCSG, and GSA in bringing the Six Points for Change (6P4C) to fruition. After the scandal that shook our University earlier this year, greater transparency and access to administrative decisions is necessary for the success of this University. With the 6P4C, student leaders will have a bigger seat at the table in order to ensure your voices will be heard. The Six Points for Change are as follows: - Expansion of student representation on the Board of Trustees - Creation of an All-University Cabinet including students, faculty, alumni and trustees - Student involvement in the search committees for new University Presidents and senior administrators - Frequent town hall forums to increase student dialogue with the University President, senior administrators, and Trustees - Student leaders access to a university-wide listserv - Student engagement with administrators regarding internal investigation led by Judge Louis Freeh

Subsidized Test Preparation

The UPUA has recognized the need to provide students with convenient and affordable MCAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, DAT, and OAT test preparation options on campus. The Princeton Review has agreed to offer Penn State both comprehensive and streamlined programs for the many students considering graduate and professional programs at a discounted price. Courtney has worked with the Princeton Review for the last year creating the partnership agreement and scheduling the courses so that they are provided at an on-campus location.

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Moving forward, we want to see more advertising for the courses so that students know what preparation classes are available to them. We also hope to offer the courses for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters instead of just the Spring Semester as the classes currently run. With more students signed up for the test preparation classes, the UPUA can provide full tuition scholarships to students that submit an application for financial assistance.

Tuition
Tuition is an issue of utmost concern especially during Pennsylvanias current financial situation. Our university faces the burden of a decrease in state aid towards higher education. Last year, students across the state saw their tuition bills increase by 5.5 to 9.9 percent depending on their institution. These continuous tuition increases must be curbed. The 2011-2012 budget for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania cut more than $182 million dollars in appropriations from Penn States state allocation. We must do our part to inform our legislators of the importance of funding for higher education, following the trend of an inverse relationship between the decreases in budget cuts and increases in tuition. As student body President and Vice President, we will work with legislators and administrators to ease the effects of these cutbacks and assist in the prevention of future increases in appropriation cuts. In order to fulfill these goals, we must stand as a united student body. As a first step, we recognize the importance of lobbying the legislators of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. We will continue to voice our concerns regarding the importance of appropriations for higher education until the final budget for 2012-2013 is passed. It is our job to inform the student body about how they can reach out to their legislators. It is our job to rally and encourage students to go to Harrisburg to speak to these legislators in person. It is our job to further conversations to create change for our university. Having our opinions displayed directly in Harrisburg will inform legislators that we will no longer settle with having constant reductions to our appropriations. It is essential that we restrain the State of Pennsylvania from limiting our appropriations further. We are committed to fostering closer relationships between the student body, administrators, and legislators. It is our duty to ensure that these relationships are upheld. We have already built some of these bonds through our regular meetings with multiple members of the Penn State administration, and we have begun to take a more active role in Harrisburg by attending Capital Day. As your student body President and Vice President, we will inform, unite, and guide Penn State to our legislators so that they better understand the significance of higher education. In doing so we will continue to fight against reductions to Penn States appropriations.

Lennartz-Mullen Platform Student Loan Debt Education

Recent studies have shown that college students deal with at least two types of financial debt:; student-education loan debt and personal credit card debt. Many students do manage their finances responsibly; but studies show that as many as half of all college students are not equipped with the skills needed to make wise personal financial decisions. There are three primary forms of assistance Penn State students can receive: federal and private educational loans, which make up 65% of all financial aid for undergraduates, state and federal need-based grants, which make up 29% of financial aid, and lastly, scholarships that students apply for and receive from either Penn State or a private party. Only 6% of student aid is in the form of scholarships. In order to supplement the loans they are receiving, a study in 2008 by the Sallie May Foundation found that the average credit card debt of graduating seniors is $4,138. Even more concerning is the increasing amount of first-year students coming into school with an average credit card debt of $2030. The need for a financial literacy program exists. We will work with the University Faculty Senate to create a program similar to the World in Conversation project in which students are encouraged or required by their Freshman Seminars to attend the program to receive course credit. If students are better educated about the dangers of debt accumulation and are taught how to make good financial decisions regarding loans and credit cards, we can help combat the accumulated debt graduating seniors are faced with currently.

Lower Textbook Costs

Each year students are told to purchase books for their classes to ensure that they receive their full education. Unfortunately, buying these books comes with an unappealing price. We acknowledge the problem of being required to pay large sums for certain textbooks for classes that cannot be rented or returned, and we strive to resolve these concerns. We find great value in the Reserved Reading facility offered by Penn State. This is a domain in which instructors and professors can set aside the books for their courses. Students, with a Penn State ID, can access these books for a two-hour time interval by simply checking the book out. We will work with the Faculty Senate to make it mandatory for instructors and professors to set aside enough books for 2% of the students enrolled in that class. Having a larger amount of books available to the students will relinquish the need to spend excessive amounts of money on textbooks.

Lennartz-Mullen Platform
Another way that we aim to reduce the costs of textbooks is by increasing the amount of online books. Technology is an aspect of our society that is only becoming more and more prevalent and the student body looks for additional online resources. Through the Bookstore, we will encourage the purchase of books that can be accessed online to suit the needs and preferences of our constituents. Oftentimes, our instructors and professors will post notes that need to be printed out. The amount of paper and ink used to print these notes accumulates, and we want to reduce this cost as well. Penn State students are allotted a fixed number of sheets of printing paper a semester. By increasing this number, students will be able to focus on obtaining the necessary notes for class and not about whether they have the proper means to obtain their notes

Housing and Food Services

Off-Campus Housing
We will create and launch a neutral off campus database for students to review and rate current downtown housing options. The database will consist of all student feedback and be available for review by all students. It will also include landlord information and ratings as well as rent prices, rent increases over the years, facility maintenance, and overall satisfaction. Students can also submit comments, issues or concerns that they may have pertaining to their housing. The UPUA will be able to field these concerns and direct students to the office of student legal services when necessary. We will also work with student organizations to compile and execute large-scale housing fairs in the fall semester. This is intended to allow students to explore all housing options early on. We will fight to have a representative from the major management agencies on hand to answer questions and provide detailed overviews of the rental process and the options for renting. These will especially be helpful for change of campus students as well as first year students.

Laundry Automation
We recognize the frustration and agitation that is brought upon on-campus students when time is spent searching the residence hall for an available washing machine or dryer. Through the creation of the laundry automation system, we will work with Residence Life to alleviate this predicament. Through an online system, open washers and dryers will be tracked throughout various buildings. By simply accessing the system, the student body is able to view where machines are available. Another attribute of this system is that students will receive a text message upon the 7

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completion of their laundry. We have already initiated conversation pertaining to this issue, and we look forward to launching the laundry automation system in the near future.

Downtown Code Inspection

We understand that the apartment buildings and Fraternity houses undergo code inspections each semester and often times they are fined for things that they didnt even know was a violation. We will work with the State College Borough preemptively to ensure that the Fraternities and apartment buildings downtown are aware of what constitutes a code violation before the code inspector shows up at your door. By working with the Inter-fraternity Council and the State College Borough to come up with a checklist of common code violations, this checklist can then be distributed to the individual chapters and posted in the large downtown apartment buildings. We also realize that many landlords are not held accountable for maintaining their properties to standards that they are legally obligated to. Students often are not educated on what rights they have when it comes to expectations of living conditions. If students feel there may be code violations that their landlord refuses to address, we will provide an educated and licensed third party to address the situation and make recommendations when necessary. We believe that through proactive education of students & conversations with Borough Officials that this current stressful task can transform into a more manageable one!

Student Life
Recreational Facilities
A common concern that we hear from students that frequently lift weights in the White Building is the lack of mirrors in the pit. It has come to our attention that mirrors are beneficial to those exercising for they allow those working out the ability to check and correct their form. Another change that we will fight for is the addition of smoothie bars either in the recreation facilities or within close distance to the facilities. A smoothie bar will allow for a quick and easy place students can go to get drinks that supplement their workouts. Gym memberships also come with a price that deters an incalculable amount of students. It is important to note that students pay the fee for an entire semester when they may wish to use the facility for a shorter period of time. Our goal is to create a way for the student body to purchase memberships for the gym based on their needs, whether it may be a weekly or monthly basis. We also acknowledge that students may only attend classes but not utilize the gym equipment, or vice versa.

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Creating separate passes for students based upon their needs would help reduce the price of a membership. The Intramural Expansion Committee is also preparing to initiate changes to the Intramural Building. With Courtneys position on Intramural Expansion Committee, we can assure that students voices are heard. Bringing attention to the current issues students have presented will combat these problems.

CATA Bus System

Off-campus students range from locating Downtown to North Atherton. No matter what your distance to campus, we believe that every student should have access to reaching our campus whenever necessary. It has come to our attention that there is a desire for service hours for off-campus routes be extended to later hours. Katelyn sits on the Transportation Advisory committee, and Courtney has worked closely with CATA. These relationships that are already created will contribute towards reaching a solution to address the student bodys concerns. Another initiative of ours is to better inform our constituents of the shuttle that travels to locations that are not reached by the more common bus routes. We wish for students to take advantage of the shuttle that extends to these locations that tend to be inconvenient, such as the Business Building and the Law Building. With more publicity for this service around campus and downtown, students will be more informed of the facilities available.

Sustainability
Each year sustainability has become a growing concern and Penn State has taken great strides in reducing waste around campus. One initiative that we would like to implement is an herb garden. Not only will this garden provide fresh foods for those who live on-campus, but it will be visible for all students. The constant visibility will reinforce the importance of sustainability to every student who passes it. Aside from the garden, we wish to continue the efforts being made regarding the recycling incentive program with the Greek Councils. Courtney has worked with the former IFC leadership to construct a program in which the chapters will be given bags to dispose of recyclables. These bags will be collected weekly by the State College Borough and Center County Solid Waste Authority. Recycling in State College is required by law, and this program will save the community money, mitigate taxes and fees, and will lead to be more sustainable community.

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Campus and Community Outreach

Campus Community for Organizations
With over 900 registered organizations at University Park, there is a need for a centralized system to enable a sense of community. Numerous organizations struggle with effectively relaying information among members and transitioning materials to newly elected officers. Not only this, but organizations often long to work with other groups to acquire specific resources. With the installation of Org Sync, these groups will have a medium in which to accomplish their tasks. Students in each registered student organization will be able to access their organizations information with their Penn State username and password. Students will then be able to acquire the capabilities of sharing files and documents that can be edited on the site as well. A calendar for each organization will exist along with the capability to create calendars that incorporate multiple organizations. We also hope to integrate the room reservation system in order to streamline the process of reserving meeting rooms. The implementation of Org Sync at University Park will benefit our institutions growing number of organizations by creating a centralized location where students can fulfill their duties and foster new ideas.

Big Ten on the Hill

Big Ten on the Hill is an event put on by the Association of Big Ten Schools. Student leaders across the Big Ten Conference join together in Washington D.C. to advocate with federal leaders on higher education issues. At this past conference, the Big Ten as a whole voted to advocate for the following legislative priorities: Decreasing interest rates on Stafford Loans Preserving Pell Grants Preserving Federal Research Dollars Preserving Federal scholarship and fellowship programs

As Executive Director of the Association of Big Ten Schools, Courtney will ensure that Penn State is represented on Capitol Hill and that the Penn State delegation has meetings with key legislators that can address the aforementioned priorities. We understand the financial burden that students face by attending Penn State. Federal and state grants have remained relatively flat for the past ten years and with current economic conditions, federal scholarships and grants are at risk. We hope to preserve the grant and scholarship money that is allocated to Penn State so that we can keep our school affordable. However, with the ever-increasing cost of tuition, 10

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many students are forced to take out loans to pay for school. We will advocate for lower interest rates on Federal Stafford Loans to ensure that students can pay back their loans in a reasonable time. Lastly, with Penn State being one of the top research institutions in the country, it is imperative that we preserve the federal research dollars it receives.

UPUA Accessibility
The biggest complaint that we hear from students is that they do not know what UPUA is or what it does for them. We want to change this. By holding monthly General Assembly meetings on the first floor of the HUB, the UPUA can be more visible to students and provide the forum needed for students to voice their opinions and concerns. We will also launch a WTF (what to fix) campaign. This campaign is designed to provide an easy and accessible way for students to submit their ideas about how to better student life here at Penn State. We plan to place QR codes across campus, which students can use their mobile devices to connect with and submit their ideas to a website. This campaign will provide an easy and accessible forum for students to submit their ideas to the UPUA so that their student government can turn ideas into initiatives.

Trustee Exposure
The Board of Trustees is the governing body for our university. This body has the final say in any proposed tuition increases, construction projects, and academic policy. Unfortunately, the overall student body has very little exposure or interaction with our governing body. We recognize that students have many questions and concerns about decisions that Board makes. As your student body president and vice president, we will provide students with forums to address the Board of Trustees. These forums will function as mediums to address tuition issues, fundamental university concerns, and a way to gauge the overall feelings of the student body as a whole. We also hope to work with the Board of Trustees to interact more often with the Student Leader Roundtable. Currently, a select few students are invited to the Trustee dinners at the Schreyer House before the Board meeting that occurs the following day. It is our goal to extend this invitation to all organizations that sit on the student leader roundtable in order to provide an additional opportunity for student leaders to interact with Trustees.

Transparency, accessibility, and accountability.

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