At the onset of the restructuring debate, ASPSU President Jonathan Sanford succinctly summed up ASPSU’s position when he told the Rearguard, “No corporate takeover!” It’s been interesting to watch the evolution of ASPSU's position as the debate has progressed.

On January 29th, shortly after the administration published a report stating the need for a fundamental reform of PSU budgetary structure and ruling laws, Sanford took the issue of student involvement to the Park Blocks. Armed with a megaphone and an audience of students (some reports counted the audience at up to 90 students, others as low as 20), Sanford encouraged his audience to oppose any proposed restructure that was passed without student input. The aim of the protest in the park was to put public pressure on Dr. Wiewel's office. This action by ASPSU leaders echoed earlier efforts by the student administration to enforce their interpretation of the Shared Governance Agreement, which requires a degree of input by students into the major decisions that affect students at PSU. Obviously a restructure into a possible public corporation qualifies as such a policy change.

On February 5th, President Wim Wiewel, Chief of Staff Lois Davis, and Dr. Melody Rose (serving as an adviser) met with members of ASPSU, including President Sanford. This public meeting was important because, due largely to the efforts of ASPSU, students were included in the process. Wievel and Sanford have agreed to work together to educate the student body on the various proposals being examined.

"We are looking forward to working with Wim Wievel and the administration on this matter, as far as making sure that the largest shareholders of this school are represented, because that's the students,” Sanford said in an interview with the Rearguard. “It's not their decision to make, it's the students'." This statement calls attention to what may be the core of the issue for ASPSU — student government does not oppose restructuring PSU's funding mechanisms, even if this may require some form of incorporation; rather, student government opposes the exclusion of students from the process. The Shared Governance Agreement, enacted in May 2005. requires student input: Section II, subsection “C” states, “The decision-making powers of students shall be granted significant weight in the policies and procedures affected by this agreement.” ASPSU argues that restructuring the fundamental structure of PSU falls into this category.