Khoury/Cortes 1

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Table of Contents
Mission Statement
............................................................................................................................................3

Opening Letter
............................................................................................................................................4

Communication
............................................................................................................................................5

Leadership Development
............................................................................................................................................6

Green Initiatives
……....................................................................................................................................7

UFS / 90 Day Plan

……………………............................................................................................................9

Penn State Courses / Regional Meetings

……………........................................................................................................................10

Central Staff
............................................................................................................................................11

The Committees
………………....................................................................................................................12
Academic Affairs
Governmental Affairs
Student Affairs
Student Life
THON

The Caucuses
………………....................................................................................................................24
Geographic
Commonalities

Relationship with the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA)

………………....................................................................................................................26

Historical Foundations of CCSG

………………....................................................................................................................27

Showcause budget
………………....................................................................................................................30

Closing Thoughts
………………....................................................................................................................31

Curriculum Vitae Peter Khoury & Justin Cortes

………………....................................................................................................................32
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Mission Statement

The Khoury/Cortes ticket is committed to providing Penn State students

with the best collegiate experience. We are devoted to ensuring that

students have the complete student experience through scholastic

achievement, community service, and co-curricular involvement. We

pledge to advocate on behalf of the student of the Pennsylvania State

University through the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments

by ensuring the proper representation of the Commonwealth in the

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.

Forever and always for the Commonwealth,

Peter Khoury Justin Cortes

Presidential Candidate Vice Presidential Candidate
 Khoury/Cortes 5

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

fix for communication issues as a whole the Khoury/Cortes ticket is committed to

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

Leadership Conferences, and Council weekends can be even further enhanced.

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

execute business for the good of the commonwealth.

 Khoury/Cortes 7

Green Initiative Plan of Action:

A few facts:

EPA recognizes Penn State as a top green power purchaser - #3

Improved ability to measure progress, make better informed resource allocation

decisions, benchmark performance with other similar institutions and be a leader in
the development of sustainability metrics.

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.

Management - A successful energy management program depends on current, accurate

data in order to:

o Determine priorities for action.

o Monitor and evaluate the success of a program.
o Discuss energy management problems and opportunities with consultants
and others.

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.

Procurement - The University purchases energy commodities in the following forms of

energy: electricity, coal, natural gas, fuel oil, propane, and renewable energy. Procurement is
a vital portion of the energy program because of it's direct link to the operating budget and
the associated risk management. The energy program must consider energy market trends,
forward prices, procurement approaches, and assessment of energy procurement approaches
and how to improve them. (University Strategic Plan – 2014)
 Khoury/Cortes 8

What else can be done?

Encourage increased green initiatives on all campuses:

o Commonwealth & Food Services/Auxiliary Business Services

o Instigate excellence in research, teaching, and outreach in environment and

energy

o Ensure proper recycling

 No mixing of recyclables with non recyclables

o Decrease Electricity Usage

 Motion Sensors

o Decrease unnecessary printing

 Encourage the use of Angel and online media

Khoury
&
Cortes

We Bleed Blue, White, AND Green

 Khoury/Cortes 9

The University Faculty Senate

The University Faculty Senate is the governing body which passes all academic

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

University Leadership, Central Administration, Faculty, and Students to successfully

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

Penn State Courses

This year Peter Khoury had the opportunity to serve on a subcommittee of the

Administrative Council on Undergraduate Education (ACUE) which determined that

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

is an equal educational opportunity throughout the University System.

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

expose members of the Commonwealth to different Campus cultures and leadership

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

costs and be fiscally responsible with CCSG funds.

 Khoury/Cortes 11

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

Pennsylvania State University as a whole.

 Khoury/Cortes 12

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

Directors, Associate Directors, and Coordinators be strong, hardworking, and diligent

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

existence stronger than ever, ushering in a new era or Commonwealth success.

 Khoury/Cortes 13

The Committees: Academic Affairs

Overview

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,

and make proper progress towards the completion of their major.

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

success of the students at our University.

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

should be available at each campus of the University.

The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes that communication and transparency of

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

choose to attend. Through communication of text books, syllabuses, and curriculums

academic affairs departments in conjunction with students can bring this goal to fruition.
 Khoury/Cortes 15

The Committees: Governmental Affairs

Overview

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

year with the Capital Day event.

Although we will be entering a year without a Presidential or Gubernatorial election

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

Commonwealth, and education on government issues will be just as important.

The Khoury/Cortes ticket believes that the Governmental Affairs Director and Associate

Director should serve as the following:

 A Lobbyist- On behalf of the students at the Commonwealth Campuses of Penn State

 An event organizer- Plan and execute Capital Day and the Drive Across the Commonwealth

 A Representative- of the Commonwealth Students at PASS

 And most of all- An Advocate for all Commonwealth Students in all matters of a Political

nature
 Khoury/Cortes 16

The Committees: Student Affairs

Overview

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

having an Information Technology Services Coordinator this coordinator must be an

individual with a wealth of knowledge in the arena of Information Technology and its

relationship with the students of Penn State.

The Student Affairs Directors/Coordinator will:

 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

goals concerning each fee and its respective issues

 Attend all Student Activity Board meetings

 Develop strong relationships with all nineteen Commonwealth Campuses

 Khoury/Cortes 17

STAC

The legislation to form an Information Technology Allocation Committee to oversee

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

Arthur Smith under the Raouda/Khoury administration. The persistence of the

Raouda/Khoury administration warranted an answer from Vice President for Student

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.

Going forward the Student Affairs Committee Directors and Commonwealth

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

The Committees: Student Life

Overview

The Student Life Committee, established by the Raouda/Khoury ticket has

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

Commonwealth Campuses by focusing on issues concerning: Student Transition Services,

Greek Life, Diversity Affairs, Drug and Alcohol use, Judicial Affairs, Club Strength and

Coordination, and General Campus Issues.

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

Student Mentorship Program and the Direct Club Membership Program.

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

Director will also be expected to sit on the Transition Steering Committee.

Diversity

Enhanced Diversity at the Commonwealth is absolutely essential to enhance the out

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.

Judicial Affairs Coordinator

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

determined on a council to council basis. The Coordinator will be expected to follow up on

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

The Committees: THON

Overview

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.

The Khoury/Cortes ticket will advocate for the creation of a Commonwealth

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

efforts between the Commonwealth and THON.

 Khoury/Cortes 22

The Caucus System

The Caucus system is one that is re-evaluated annually to understand where changes

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 Geography Caucus System:

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

together to discuss topics of interest, legislation, and campus/caucus events. Geographic

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

time of the geography caucuses unless warranted by an extenuating circumstance, which

would be handled on a caucus to caucus basis.

The distribution of campuses and caucuses is as follows:

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

Geographic Caucus Directors:

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:

- Filling out a weekly report (New)

- Bi-weekly conference calls with presidents (New)
- Participate in the Regional Phone Conferences before each Council weekend
o Between CCSG President, Vice President, Caucus Director, and Advisor
(New)
 Campus President, Vice President and DSA (New)
- Visit every campus in their caucus at least 1 time a semester (Enforce)

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

the student leadership of the campus.

 Khoury/Cortes 25

The Commonality Caucus System:

The Raouda/Khoury administration made positive changes in the realignment of the

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

commonalities system with 3 directors. Two primary directors would be in charge of

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

of interest that can be explored and discussed.

Some suggestions on hot topic issues:

o Student Leadership and Student Apathy

o Community Engagement

o Undergraduate Research / Green Initiatives

o Degree expansions at Campuses

o Housing and Food Services

o Sports system throughout the Commonwealth (PSUAC)

 Khoury/Cortes 26

UPUA: The University Park Undergraduate Association

Both members of the Khoury/Cortes ticket have worked closely with members of

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

students at the Commonwealth and at University Park.

 Khoury/Cortes 27

Historical Foundations of the Council of Commonwealth

Student Governments
October 29 1960 March 3 1961
Students and Administrators meet OSGA Ratifies First Constitution
to establish the Organization of Student
Government Associations

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

May 26 1967 May 23 1968

The OSGA Approves Amendments OSGA Votes to Exclude USG
to Constitution

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!

Forever and always for the Commonwealth,

Peter Khoury Justin Cortes

Presidential Candidate Vice Presidential Candidate