Student body president Christian Ragland has a simple motto: No days off.

Though it was summer, many University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) student leaders did not take a break.

Ragland (senior-political science) said his main goal this summer was to prepare for the fall.

“The No. 1 goal was to lay the foundation for the assembly — to lay the groundwork in the summer,” he said.

To make sure he was ready for fall, Ragland said he tried to get as many meetings out of the way as possible.

“My goal was to get all the meetings accomplished this summer, so I don’t have to take too much time in the fall, so I can be flexible and act on the things in the fall,” he said.

Ragland held one of the meetings with the State College Borough Council, discussing his proposal to have a non-voting student member on the council.

Though some council members criticized the idea, Ragland said he is now going to work with the assembly to strengthen the proposal.

Ragland wants a non-voting student council member to increase student representation.

“All the council members are non-student, and we make up the majority of the town,” he said. “It’s very unbalanced.”

But council member Don Hahn said he and other council members are concerned the non-voting member would be appointed and not elected.

“Council members are elected by the voters, and I think that all the scenarios that we seem to be presented with involves an appointment by UPUA,” Hahn said.

He said the council would like to see how the concept works in other towns that have a non-voting member on borough council.

“We’re receptive to the idea of a student voice on council,” Hahn said.

While Ragland reached out to the borough, he also reached out to freshmen.

Ragland said UPUA has already received between 50 and 60 applications from freshmen. He said he plans to continue the freshman outreach throughout the year at various events.

Ragland also contacted the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) to ensure the extended White Loop program — providing late night White Loop service every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night — is still in place.

UPUA has not only been involved with local affairs — Ragland said the student government has also continued its outreach to other state schools. Travis Salters, UPUA director of governmental affairs, said he has reached out to state schools to start a Pennsylvania Student Association.

Salters (junior-broadcast journalism and African and African-American studies) said he was able to connect with a few student leaders at other schools.

“It’s a good starting point,” he said.

Salters said a Pennsylvania Student Association would help student leaders across the commonwealth have a “unified voice” in tackling issues like tuition hikes.

At this summer’s Association of Big Ten Students conference — held at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio — Ragland and other Big Ten student leaders planned a spring trip to Washington, D.C., to talk with congressional leaders.

Overall, Ragland said he is pleased with what UPUA accomplished this summer.

“By far it was successful,” he said. “It was a great opportunity to prepare for the fall and spring, and now we can move forward.”