Founded more than two years ago, Safeguard Old State was established with the goal in mind of protecting and advancing the student rights and traditions that were central to the campus experience of generations of Penn Staters, from students to alumni, faculty to staff, townsperson to friend of the University.

Over these past 26 months, we’ve had an exhilarating and memorable journey together as we’ve sought to rediscover some of the fundamental founding principles of Penn State and articulate a clear vision for steps that we believed needed to be taken in order to preserve those principles to ensure the University remained committed to its mission in the 21st century.

We’ve accomplished some truly remarkable goals. Safeguard Old State was the only campus group to speak out against destructive policy decisions being made by since-dismissed administrators in 2007.

And we proved that we were about more than just criticism by offering a comprehensive plan for reform in Sept. 2007 with “The Roadmap for Change in Student Affairs,” which advocated 16 key policy changes for student affairs which we believed would most positively enhance student life.

As a result of months of open dialog with administration, Safeguard Old State achieved many of these policy reforms, proving that honest and frank criticism of a failed status quo can still result in a positive dialog and real working relationships with the administrators in charge of overseeing that status quo.

Led by Gavin Keirans during 2007-2008, who just recently won an unprecedented second term as student body president and head of the University Park Undergraduate Association, Safeguard Old State became the major force and resource for campus policy discussion and debate.

We’ve appeared in more than 50 newspaper articles and other media appearances since our founding on every issue from electing a student mayor off campus to administrative budget transparency on campus, from student traditions to alcohol abuse and enforcement, from student government reform to tri-partite shared governance to trustee stewardship to respecting the land-grant mission of the University.

We caused controversy, too. We spoke out against the closed door nature of the selection process for the “student trustee” appointed by the Governor. We broke the story about Penn State’s Development office secretly siphoning off donation interest revenue to cover its own costs without telling donors. We never sought to exaggerate, but only to hold up a mirror to administration and shine a light onto the darker edges of our campus.

Despite these remarkable achievements, it has become less clear that Safeguard Old State’s founding role as independent advocate for campus reform is as relevant in 2009 as it was in 2007.

Historically speaking, Safeguard Old State represents some of the most successful and most targeted strategic advocacy and activism that has taken place by students at alumni at Penn State, but at the same time, our successes have resulted in a newly strengthened student government, and a student affairs system with wholly new personnel who are fundamentally more open to the type of constructive dialog that we felt was being stamped out in 2006 and 2007.

For these reasons, and after lengthy and serious conversations with the other principle leaders and advisers to Safeguard Old State, I’ve concluded that in order to continue our mission of “rekindling the spirit of the classical university within the modern research institution” we would be most wise to focus our efforts more quietly and more judiciously outside of Safeguard Old State.

So, after publishing nearly 700 articles, exposes and blog posts, Safeguard Old State will indefinitely cease its public advocacy operations and retire its status as a student club at the Pennsylvania State University.

Safeguard Old State was born out of a cross-generational movement among students, alumni and others within the Penn State family, all who seek a more transparency, more accountable and more classically-minded University climate.

So, while Safeguard Old State is closing its doors, the movement and the personalities that have guided it, advised it and funded it, will, I’m confident, remain a part of this movement, and remain committed to the values that have guided us from the beginning, namely a rigorous academic environment, intellectual pluralism, a commitment to our land-grant founding and a sense of what it really means to be a Penn Stater.

Those who love Penn State, our Dear Old State, will forever seek to safeguard its timeless virtues and character, and for that reason if no other, the mission of Safeguard Old State continues.

Fondly,

Thomas A. Shakely, Founder
President & General Manager, The LION 90.7fm (WKPS) The Soundtrack to Penn State, 2008-2009
Off Campus Representative, The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) 2006-2007

State College, PA – Safeguard Old State, a student-alumni advocacy group at Penn State, is excited to announce the third annual “State Patty’s Day” to be held on Saturday, February 28 in State College.

State Patty’s Day was originally started in 2007 to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day due to the scheduling of Penn State’s Spring Break over that holiday. In 2008, the student-led holiday returned as an attempt to provide a means for students, alumni and townspeople to celebrate a new, uniquely “Penn State” holiday tradition.

State Patty’s Day, in the words of its founder Joe Veltre (Class of 2009), was borne out of a desire by students to “prove that despite a reputation for excess, we might just be able to teach ourselves moderation if given the chance.”

Safeguard Old State founder Thomas A. Shakely elaborated on the idea behind State Patty’s Day: “The holiday offers the opportunity for students to come together outside of the normal, artificially-programmed settings of initiatives like ‘Late Night Penn State’ and academic roundtables and see if they can learn how to celebrate and drink responsibility in the real world.”

Shakely, elaborating, said: “Look, administrators have been pouring millions into anti-drinking programs for decades that simply haven’t worked. Undercover programs, education initiatives, source investigation projects – they all fail, because they miss the point that you can’t teach responsible drinking without, first, letting the drinking actually occur and, second, letting folks drink in an environment where other students, their peers, can keep them safe.”

“We’re working to partner with local bars, bands and music venues to provide events that don’t necessarily involve alcohol,” said Joe Veltre. “We’re having State Patty’s Day on a Saturday so Penn Staters can avoid missing classes by celebrating on the actual ‘St. Patrick’s Day’ in March.

State Patty’s Day 2008 resulted in a slight increase in police calls – 121 – over the average 80 calls to police on a typical weekend at Penn State. Blue-White 2008 weekend, by comparison, resulted in 327 calls to the police.

“State Patty’s Day, when you look at the numbers, is a much safer weekend than Blue-White weekend, when calls to police are nearly triple what they were on State Patty’s Day,” said Veltre in defending State Patty’s Day at beginning to be effective at proving students can engage in both celebration and drinking without a negative impact, as with the riots in late 2008.

A number of local bars have already signed on to host State Patty’s celebrations. Additionally, Got Used Bookstore on College Avenue has partnered with Veltre as the exclusive merchandiser for State Patty’s Day 2009 merchandise, including the official State Patty’s t-shirt.

State Patty’s Day’s official website is www.statepatty.com, which includes merchandize for sale, a history of the holiday, and resources for healthy consumption and information on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Our local leaders are more inclined to squabble about chickens and dogs, than deal with the big, complicated, and weighty issues of our local economy and future as a town and gown. State College, as it has been pointed out in recent months, is considered to be “almost recession proof”. The operative word here is ‘almost’.

If we take our collective heads out of the sand for merely a couple moments, one can see stores in downtown State College are hurting. Old State Clothing is shutting its doors to downsize to a smaller location. Tadpole Crossing is having a 50% off moving sale – they too are downsizing. Uni-Mart is closed altogether with brown paper over its windows. The Artisan Collection is also gone. …And more closings are coming.

Fraser Centre, the cornerstone to a newly revived, growing and prosperous town center, is having trouble getting financing. The banks are refusing to issue the loan if there is no pre-signed lease on the commercial space prior to construction.

And our local leaders continue to haggle over chickens and dogs.

At the University, meanwhile, Governor Rendell is proposing significant funding cuts to its coffers. Students are locked out of financial aid options. Staff is not getting raises and hiring freezes are in place. All the while tuition continues to increase at better than three times the rate of inflation!

Or, are economic times really that difficult for the University?

Let’s consider….in the past twelve months alone, Penn State has purchased the Smith property (across Atherton Street from Kinkos and the Walker Building), the Houtz property in the West End (formerly Urban Village), and the James Building (home to The Daily Collegian). And Penn State is in the midst of a lawsuit to purchase the fraternity house on Burrowes Street. All totaled, that is around 15 million dollars in land acquisitions this past year alone.

The real salt on the wound to State College Borough is that these formerly privately owned properties are now public, hence, have been removed from the tax roles. This significantly further complicates State College’s financial situation.

These developments have very real consequences for both students and fulltime residents alike. The economic situation in the Borough is weakening drastically. It will take all our efforts to move past them; but to do so will require a focus on the things that matter most, not chickens and dogs.

It might sound odd. After all, what is a real university if not Penn State? (In fact, we explored that question last semester here at Safeguard Old State.) What we mean is actually pretty simple, though.

We believe it’s time that our administrators and planners begin focusing on education — not research or outreach — as the most important of our school’s three-fold mission as a land-grant university.

Since Dr. Spanier arrived in 1995, we went from being the Keystone state’s most reasonably priced public educational institution to being, as of this year, a “private school with a public mission” focusing primarily not on education but on “research,” according to Dr. Spanier in recent remarks.

A startling turn-around in ten years … from public to “private” university, from reasonably priced to financial monster, from focusing mainly on classroom education to research programs. And what have been the consequences?

Penn State is the educational leviathan of Pennsylvania. Despite Dr. Spanier’s assurances that our university is being “conservatively managed” by his administration, we’re confident from a broad analysis of the numbers that spending at Penn State is about as out of control as can be.

For instance, do you remember this insightful letter to the editor that appeared one year ago in the Centre Daily Times where Jude Spak, a resident of Patton Township, points out that highlights the fact that Penn State’s budget has exploded from $2.4 billion in 2002 to $3.4 billion in 2007.

This at a time when enrollment increased by only 3.1 percent. This meant a tuition increase from $8,008 in 2002 to $12,284 just five years later. It’s tough to imagine that even the accountants at Enron would have been able to pass off a 5-year, billion dollar spending increase as “conservative” fiscal management.

If there’s one resolution we hope that those who make the long-range decisions at our university take for 2009, it’s to return to the primarily mission of Penn State as education, and eschew needless spending for research and outreach so long as student tuition and state taxpayer appropriations are expected to cover the cost.

Our campus is beautiful, but so too is a real education that doesn’t break the bank.

Like many of you, I consider it a pleasure and an honor to be a member of the Penn State/State College community. There are few other locations in our country that have what we have. We are an urban forest – a little known fact. With a population density comparable to Toronto, we have more trees per capita than most urban centers. Consider that the next time you walk through town and through the fraternity district.

Look up and you will be amazed at the number of trees. We are regularly ranked in the top-ten safest communities to live and most recently were declared to be ‘almost’ recession proof. Students continue to raise incredible amounts of money FTK (for the kids) and the THON tradition goes on. Students continue to sacrifice by staffing Alpha Fire Company, saving lives and property. Alpha is the largest all volunteer fire department in the state. From the State College Food Bank, to the AIDS Project, to the Women’s Resource Center, to church groups, Arts Fest and the Fourth Fest, students contribute in amazing ways!

So, it is pleasure to live here.

And it’s a pleasure to be able to tell you, that despite some missteps along the way (Ohio State victory riot) there are more good deeds than bad. It is important to note as well that these good deeds are noticed, and more importantly, the citizens of State College appreciate all the good work you do.

I know that you can sometimes put in a long day and wonder if anyone has really noticed.

I want to reassure you: we do notice, we do appreciate what you do, we do value it, and we are grateful.

So thank you for your dedication, thank you for your imagination, and thank you for being part of another very good year.

On a more personal note, a notable example of the types of exemplary citizenship displayed in our community is the regular contributors to SOS. Those who blog here and submit articles exemplify the best Happy Valley has to offer. I am honored to know you and work with you. You all set a good example of the type of citizenry that community across the country envy. Your contributions to town and gown are noticed and appreciated. In particular I would like to thank Tom Shakely for not just talking, but acting – being an active participant in helping us all rediscover our country’s best traditions, both academic and public. Tom exemplifies those traits that made (make) our country great and State College is the richer for having him in our midst. Thank you Tom.

It’s true; we did have some missteps along the way. Some of our usual high expectations were tainted by a celebration gone badly. We all know that is not the best we have to offer. Let us resolve that we will learn from these mistakes and move forward, celebrating our school and town pride with honor and not disgrace.

And I have to tell you, if this stain on our community is the biggest worry in the world, things are not altogether bad.

Philadelphia is all but bankrupt, Florida’s home foreclosure rate is at an all-time high, the Gulf Coast is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina, California has burned and now is flooding, and Illinois’ governor makes our own governor look like an angel. No, by comparison, things are pretty damn good here!

So let’s count our blessings, and then let’s focus on what matters most: making sure we’re on top of our game. Let’s root for a victorious Rose Bowl and celebrate with dignity.

If we’re the ones to emulate, if we set the standard, we’ll be the ones to gain the most ground. And so in the next year, we have some great opportunities to do just that.

I think the Borough of State College can be the standard bearer of good governance and citizenry for the rest of the free world to emulate.

So what does that mean?

It means we can probably expect some changes in the months and years ahead. I know that’s not something we always feel eager about. We have upcoming debates on liquor taxes as a source of new revenue for the Borough. We have exciting construction projects about to break ground (Fraser Center) and we have a new direction for The West End.

When we step outside our normal, existing boundaries, we begin to feel a bit anxious. But I think we’re up to the challenge.

Why?

Because we have a great record for setting a target, and doing everything we can to meet it. We’re determined, we’re motivated, and most of all we’re adaptable.

I know our people are good. I know our students are good. And I want you to know that I have faith in you to keep us on the cutting edge.

So, I want to promise you these things: I can promise you some exciting and challenging times ahead, and I can also promise you this: you will have one hundred percent support from our town – which is your town.

We will make sure that State College’s goals are achievable, and we will make sure that your efforts in attaining those goals are as rewarding as it can be.

So thank you for all the effort that that has brought us to this point, and here’s to a future that’s every bit as bright as we believe it can be.

Merry Christmas and may you all have a healthy and prosperous 2009!

Case finalized; rates may increase $18M (TDC) Dec. 10 – After the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) finalized the case between Penn State and Allegheny Power on Dec. 4, the university is preparing for its electricity rates to increase by as much as $18 million during the next two years beginning Jan. 1, a university official said.

Though Penn State plans to appeal the decision in Commonwealth Court, it is not likely a decision will be made on the appeal before Jan. 1, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers said, adding the likely increase in rates is “an unfair action.”

“We know it will take a while to work its way through the court system once we file it. So, in reality, we are going to be paying higher prices for our electric costs,” Powers said.

The increase in costs could result in an additional $25-per-semester increase in room and board rates to defray rising electricity costs if the university’s appeal is denied, according to a university press release.

If one were to read only today’s article, excerpted above, one would have little idea how it came to be that Penn State was confronted with this mess to begin with. To find out, we have to go back a bit further in time…

Electricity costs to rise (TDC) Sept. 26 – The company notified the university in 2004 that it had to apply to participate in a petition case if it wanted to extend its rate caps beyond Dec. 31, 2008, Colafella said.

But Powers said the company’s notifications were unclear and did not explicitly indicate that Penn State would be paying market rates two years before any other customer in the state.

“We don’t feel that that was clear,” Powers said. “We feel we are being treated inequitably.”

Colafella said Penn State missed the opportunity to extend its rate caps.

“They could have made an argument to participate, but they did not participate,” he said.

So, we now recall how this all began.

What the dispute boils down to is this: the administration received notice from Allegheny Power in 2004 that the rates for the University would increase within four years.

Whoever received the notice in the administration didn’t understand what he or she was reading, apparently opted not to ask a superior or contact Allegheny Power, and now 38,000 undergraduates are being stuck with the bill four years later.

“Obviously we don’t have $9 million just sitting around,” Powers said, adding the university plans to appeal the decision. “If you didn’t plan to spend $9 million in your budget, it’s not there to be spent. This would be an additional burden on students.”

On this final quote, excerpted from the Sept. 26 article in The Daily Collegian, we have another example of the administration’s status quo attitude toward the running of our University. When an unexpected bill comes in, they’ve got no savings account.

The finances are so precisely budgeted that nothing can be spared or cut, so, naturally, they let the bankers loose on the undergraduates. Isn’t the point of responsible governance to ensure your institution is prepared to cope with the unexpected?

Our administrators need to get out of the comfortable yet deadly mindset that students are open pocketbooks, ripe for picking from whenever necessary.

Frankly, I’d rather turn out my light than pay another increase in student tuition and fees.

SOS will be welcoming three speakers to campus over the next two weeks from national non-profits focused on higher education.

Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), Adam Kissel, executive staff member of the Foundation for Individual Rights In Education (FIRE) and Ben Novak, former Penn State Trustee and president of the Mount Nittany Conservancy and Lions Paw Alumni.

The speakers will focus on the relation of trustees and alumni to the university, the relation of students to their university, and the relation of faculty members to the university, respectively.

As a part of the mission of Safeguard Old State, we strive to provide education for our community on all fronts from individual rights to tuition and traditions. Anne Neal will speak tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 5pm and Dr. Adam Kissel will speak Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7:30pm in 101 Thomas.

Anne D. Neal
Anne D. Neal “is the President of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni and manager of the Fund for Academic Renewal. She is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College with an A.B. in American History and Literature. She received her J.D. degree from Harvard Law School where she served as the first woman editor of the Harvard Journal on Legislation.

From 1980 to 1982, Ms. Neal specialized in the First Amendment at the New York City law firm of Rogers & Wells. Subsequently, she has served as General Counsel of the Office of Administration, Executive Office of the President; associate at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Wiley & Rein; Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the Recording Industry Association of America; and General Counsel and Congressional Liaison of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

She sits on the boards of All Hallows Guild, Washington National Cathedral, Friends of the U.S. National Arboretum, Paine Art Center and Arboretum, and the Sabre Foundation. She is also a member of the Washington Founders Committee for Historic Mount Vernon. She is a founding member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the US House of Representatives Child Care Center.

Adam Kissel
Adam Kissel graduated from Harvard University and from the University of Chicago, where he served as Student Liaison to the Board of Trustees and earned an A.M. from the Committee on Social Thought. His academic interests include the history and theory of liberal education, the history and theory of rhetoric, and rhetoric’s relationship with philosophy.

He also has served as a professional editor for Nobel laureate James Heckman and for faculty in a variety of disciplines. Before joining FIRE, Adam was a director of the Lehrman American Studies Center and the Jack Miller Center for the Teaching of America’s Founding Principles. With Sharon Browne he wrote a Faculty Rights Handbook in 2007.

Ben Novak
Ben Novak was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on February 15, 1943. He graduated from Penn State University in 1965, having served as president of the Undergraduate Student Government in his senior year. He graduated from Georgetown University Law School in 1968.

He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, Infantry, from 1968 to 1970, including a year in Vietnam where he won the Bronze Star. Mr. Novak was admitted to the Bar of Pennsylvania in 1968. He is also admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, the District of Columbia, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States Third Circuit, and the U.S. Military Court of Appeals.

He has served on the Penn State Board of Trustees from 1988-2000, is a member of Lion’s Paw Alumni Association, former president of the Mount Nittany Conservancy, and a distinguished alumnus.

In last year’s General Elections, only one person was elected to control the Student Activity Fee (Collegian Archives). The board that allocates student fees should not only be made of students, but students who have been chosen by their peers to hold this position.

The SOS Vision for Fee Equity
The University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC), should be replaced, or augmented with members of student government, along with popularly elected students, directly for the purpose of dispersing the student activity fee.

It is time for Penn State to create a fair process for allocating its student activity fee, as is commonplace at our Big Ten peer institutions.

Big Ten Peer Comparison
At the Ohio State University, the total of their fee is 2.18 million dollars. Of that, 55% of the fee is allocated by the Ohio Union Activity Board, a collection of students who oversee campus wide programming. Another 20% of the fee goes to student organizations, and 10% goes directly to Student Government.

The remaining 15% goes to programs designed to increase cultural awareness in the City of Columbus, and 3% goes toward a substance free community service oriented Spring Break trip. (Ohiounion.osu.edu)

At the University of Indiana, a Student Life Committee meets annually to plan the distribution of the Student Activity fee. This committee is comprised of 8 students, 2 faculty, and 2 staff members. The committee directly solicits student input from and through the student government, which is represented on the committee. (www.ius.edu/studentaffairs)

Going outside of the Big Ten, the University of New York utilizes a similar student activity fee. This fee at their University funds such programming as, “Athletics, both Intercollegiate and intramural, student publications, recreational and educational activities, etc.”

This fund, of course, must be allocated, according to the Student Activity Fee Policy, effective September 28, 2004: “Proceeds of the student activity fee shall be disbursed by the student government, through the designated independent fiscal agent, provided that the proposed fiscal commitment for each expenditure shall have been approved by the campus president or designee.” (www.suny.edu)

At Northeastern University two student committees allocate the SAF. One committee allocates to student groups, while the other funds media directly. “Two student committees have the responsibility to allocate the SAF over the course of the year. The BRC has oversight of funding for all non-media student groups, while the Media Board Finance Committee (MBFC) allocates funding for all campus media groups.”

Conclusion
No institution or committee will ever represent a perfect system in our imperfect world. While the University Park Allocation Committee has performed its duties admirably and often efficiently, there exists the very real potential for a better, fairer and more equitable fee distribution system by merging with the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA).

Not only would this merger immediately signal greater transparency and openness in terms of how our student activity fee is utilized, but it would also represent a much more important coalescing of student authority at our university, allowing for true leaders to speak on behalf of all students, offering an opportunity for a new generation of student leaders to work in harmony, leaving the politics of division and fragmentation in the past.

SOS Executive Director Chris Morell first discussed this idea publicly last month, and we have since put together a straightforward, one page proposal for the purpose and scope of such a student relations committee, meant to be chartered as an advisory subcommittee of the borough council.

• Click here to view the SOS Proposal for a Student Relations Committee

We firmly believe that such a committee, while certainly not the ultimate desired means or end to fostering a healthier dialog in the borough, is a legitimate and modest first step in renewing lines of communication which have become frayed and fractured over the course of the past few decades.

In terms of student behavior downtown, it’s become clear to the majority of student leadership at Penn State that we have failed as students to inculcate the idea of a Penn Stater as a respectable and respectful member of the wider community.

On the other hand, recent comments by State College Councilwoman Theresa Lafer to the effect that, “I have neighbors who are thinking of using violence against students [in response to the recent downtown incident],” are both chilling and as discouraging to an open dialog as the actions of student malcontents.

Such a student relations committee would be well positioned, by its proposed membership, to tackle fundamental questions about the nature of the town-gown relationship, perhaps even diving into questions that examine the root causes of events and manners.

So, it is our small hope that Penn State Student Body President Gavin Keirans can work with State College Mayor Bill Welch and Borough Council President Liz Goreham to work toward a more healthy and fruitful dialog through our community’s first student relations commiteee.

Yet, for all the hyperbole and indignation from student government leaders about the failure of university administrations to “consult” the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) prior to the destruction of our historic benches, endowed by the Senior Gift of the Class of 1900, almost no thought was given to how the wrongs of the administration could be set right.

Safeguard Old State now calls for the student leadership at Penn State, along with our administrators, to truly honor the spirit of the gift of the Class of 1900.

Simply replacing the benches, as has been done, is not an acceptable resolution to the destruction of these benches, which were arguably a sacred part of our beautiful campus, as much as the graceful elms — now threatened — whose shadows fall on our mall.

The Safeguard Old State Proposal
Safeguard Old State proposes that a small plaque be placed on each of the new, black, iron benches with the simple words “Gift of the Class of 1900.”

This simple gesture of recognition for the enduring role of our senior class gifts would be a humble and fitting signal from the powers that be at Penn State that we have not lost a respect or appreciation for those things which many alumni of Penn State still hold dear.

Today, 108 years after the placement of the benches on the mall, we only remember who placed those benches because each was engraved simply with “Class of 1900″ on their sides. The new iron benches, though, bear no such information, and one wonders whether, in another 100 years when our university enters its fourth century and new benches will again be needed…

…will anyone then remember the Class of 1900?