Naming the Platform

Published by Gavin P. Keirans on March 14th, 2009 at 6:12 am

This past year was a succsesful one for UPUA, and looking through the archives, one of the most stable in decades for student government. A great deal of this was due to the top notch people I have around me, many of whom are underclassmen, returning to UPUA next year. With that in mind, I knew the type of talent would be coming back to serve the Student Body with me, and so I did not have any second thoughts about creating a platform that would challenge even the most ambitious student leader.

I began to concretely think of how I would write this platform about a year ago, during last year’s run. I knew at this time that the larger cultural changing ideas weren’t ready for the light. UPUA had for the first time had a legitimate consitution, was recognized by the other Big Ten Schools, and seemed poised to either move forward or completely fail.

Knowing this I approached this year with tangible goals: free legal services for students, tenant-landlord mediation program and securing long term funding for UPUA. In addittion to these big three, we are also able to tackle a great deal of other issues and initiatives often collaborating with other major student organizations.

I am very satisfied with the year that UPUA has had, but have a knowledge that there is a need to go deeper, to the core question of What exactly is a Student Body? More importantly does the UPUA President truly serve that role as Student Body President?

These philisophical yet tangible questions really played on my mind. As I sat down to write this year’s platform, I couldn’t quite figure out how to start it. The ideas were all there, but putting down a platform that is based on three years of research, and practicle experience wasn’t easy to begin.

But then finally it hit me, we didn’t need something brand new, the concept of which would take 3-4 years just to get off the ground. What we needed was a renassaince of tradition, interwined with experiences of the present. Alas, the answer was simple: The Platform for the Restoration of the Student Body.

As I wrote the platform in conjunction with Hillary, I finally felt that I truly have the knowledge as well as people around me to make the major goals of this platform a reality. Those coming back, know of the major expectations that that platform puts on them, and I have no doubt that we will all be up the challenge.

Once it was finished, I wanted to put a proper cover and index. I kept thinking what would be the most symbolic picture to represent The Restoration of the Student Body. It didn’t take me long to realize that Evan Pugh, our university’s first President would be the most symbolic of restoring the idea of our orgins and traditions. What I have also found is that Pugh makes for a good conversation piece, as I have gotten a great deal of questions as to who is that,with someone seriously asking: “Why did you put your Grandfather on the cover?”

This should never be, as Pugh’s image should be on the same par as that of the Nittany Lion or Joe Pa. That is why one of my top goals of next year is to go on every Freshman Dorm Floor to speak with Freshman. My goal is for students to not only recognize Pugh, but point him out to others and past alumni, saying “ohh thats Evan Pugh, the first President of Penn State, a Chemist and Philosopher.” The goal is for students to connect their current experiences with past experiences in order to create a true student body that has roots based on tradition and unity.

This may seem insignificant because you can not point to it and be able to define it (like a legal services or tenant-landlord), but in reality this type of outreach is at the heart of restoring a Student Body.

March 14, 2009 · Filed Under Gavin Keirans Blog