Last night, the start of election season was evident at the UPUA general assembly meeting. The average non-media student crowd of two duodecupled as many candidates and their campaign staff filed in to 302 HUB to watch the wheels of democracy in motion. In fact, there was barely an empty seat in the house, as the Sixth Assembly of the UPUA winds down into its final weeks.

During his presidential address, T.J. Bard reiterated that the Sixth Assembly still had a lot to accomplish. “I want to urge everyone to please not lose sight of the job we still have left to do,” he said.

It was not an uneventful meeting; five pieces of legislation were voted on and thousands of dollars were spent. As opposed to making fun of all the legislation, per usual, I’ll just detail them for you below. Because frankly, the legislation last night was not all that bad. In fact, each piece of legislation passed unanimously (not that that usually means anything, but still).

• Policy 12-06: Executive Bylaws — Unbeknownst to me, apparently there have never been bylaws in place for the Executive Board of UPUA. Pure anarchy if you ask me. Luckily, T.J. Bard’s anti-bylaw shenanigans will no longer be tolerated, as this piece of legislation aims to “hold all members of the Executive Board accountable.”
• Policy 12-07: Co-sponsorship Guidelines — This policy update requires clubs interested in receiving co-sponsorship funding from UPUA to notify them at least three weeks in advance to be eligible. This takes pressure off UPUA to fund student orgs that realize at the last minute, “Oh shit, we need more money,” and makes organizations more accountable for planning events. Kudos UPUA.
• Resolution 31-06: Budgeting of Funds for Movin’ On — This allocated $16,950 to help buy the stage structure for the upcoming Movin’ On concert. In other words, more than a year’s tuition for an in-state student. For a stage. This is the second year in a row UPUA has paid for the Movin’ On stage, a cause championed by Programming Chairman Kyle Lorenz. He must really love the Avett Brothers.
• Resolution 32-06: Cosponsorship of SASA Spring Event — UPUA is sponsoring the  South Asian Student Association spring show, set for April 1 in the HUB Auditorium. UPUA pledged $138 to rent the auditorium for SASA. (Sidenote: Smeal Representative and friend of the site, Elias Warren, is “performing” at the event. You know where I’ll be.)
• Resolution 33-06: Endorsement of Coach Paterno — This resolution was passed faster than any UPUA resolution I have ever seen, and rightfully so. The legislation commended former football coach Joe Paterno for his service and generosity to Penn State, particularly in his academic initiatives.

After a few more reminders (some people might even call them threats) for the Assembly members to sign up for Capital Day, which will be held on April 4 in Harrisburg, the meeting was adjourned. There are only a couple more weeks left for UPUA’s 6th Assembly, and it’s sure to be an emotional ending. They say all good things must come to an end I suppose. Or something.

T.J. Bard Tie Rating of the Week (4/5) – This was a really impressive showing, especially coming off the mess from the last meeting. The tie was silver with a little bit of purple and a light purple undershirt. The game changer — as pointed out by College of Engineering Representative Erik McCann — was that the combination matched almost exactly the newly painted walls in 302 HUB. There was a significant window of time where I looked at the tie, back at the wall, and then again at the tie without paying attention to the meeting. Did President Bard know about the new paint job beforehand, and only wear purple to pander to the Onward State Tie Rating Committee? Is President Bard firmly in the pocket of the Onward State PAC? Only he knows for sure, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Elias Warren Quote of the Week: “As one of the performers, I urge you all to please go [to the SASA Spring Event]…err..I mean vote for this. It will be a good time.” *laughter “It’s not that funny!”