The UPUA’s 7th Assembly is now almost finalized following the confirmation of several Executive Board members at Wednesday’s general assembly meeting. It was a somewhat tedious process, but all six candidates were ultimately approved. (Note: The executive is still looking for people to fill a few more positions.)

The first order of business, however, was appointing a Borough Council Representative. After last Wednesday’s general assembly failed to select a representative, both Laurel Petrulionis and Michael Kramer were nominated for the position last night.

Petrulionis cited her public speaking and communications experience as an Obama campaign intern and her knowledge of the community as a Centre County resident. Kramer referenced his “poise and ability to communicate effectively with others” through previous experience. But in the end, it was their availability to attend summer borough meetings that likely swayed the assembly, with Petrulionis gaining the majority vote.

And then came the executive appointments…

Chief of Staff – John Zang

After a disappointing loss in the race for Liberal Arts representative, Zang was nominated by Lennartz for the position of Chief of Staff, who oversees the executive board. He told the well-dressed group in 302 HUB that he hopes to manage the flow of information and work with every member of the assembly. “If I don’t know you yet, I will find you,” Zang said. When asked by Spencer Malloy, the Chair of the Assembly, what he plans to improve about the position, Zang said that he wants there to more visibility and increased productivity.

Confirmed by a vote of 34-1-1

Director of Finance – Matt Falcon

This was seemingly a no-brainer for the assembly. Falcon was the finance chair of Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity. Come on, how good do you have to be with numbers to become the finance chair of the business fraternity?

Confirmed by a unanimous vote, followed by what seemed to be an awkward attempt at a slow clap

Director of External Affairs – Vincenzo Lizza

Lizza, the current IFC president, began his speech by explaining that he had previously discussed running for this executive board position with T.J. Bard before he decided not to run, but Courtney Lennartz agreed that he is a good fit for Director of External Affairs. Lizza cited his positive relationship with the borough, including the police chief, as well as various student leaders through his work on the State Patty’s Day task force.

During the discussion that followed his speech, Elias Warren chimed in, contending that while he agrees that Lizza is a great fit for the position, he doesn’t believe the issue of bridging the gap between UPUA and IFC exists. “There are a lot of greeks in here,” Warren said. “I’m not Greek, I’m Hispanic.”

Confirmed by a vote of 33-2-1

Press Secretary – Kevin Horne

Yes, you read that correctly, Courtney Lennartz nominated Onward State editor and former UPUA reporter Kevin Horne for the position of press secretary. Horne has gained infamy amongst the general assembly for his consistent criticism of UPUA, but he vowed that his disparagement was purely a result of his intense interest in making the organization better. He plans to revamp their social media use and will take control of their official Twitter account. “I’m very savvy in social media,” Horne said, referencing his work with Onward State’s Twitter and Facebook. Horne was also able to cite the fact that eight UPUA members currently don’t have a Twitter account, telling them to “get on that.”

The assembly only had good things to say before putting his confirmation to a vote. Spencer Malloy spoke in support of Horne, stating that he truly believes that Horne wants to put an end to student apathy directed at UPUA. He went on to say that Horne is a “dynamic individual who brings a lot to the table.” Fellow Onward State writer Laurel Petrulionis added that she can vouch for Horne when he says that there will be no conflict of interest regarding a position with both UPUA and Onward State.

Confirmed by a vote of 29-3-4

Deputy Director of Housing – Ali Fogarty

Keeping up with the theme of Onward State representation in UPUA, staff writer Ali Fogarty was up for confirmation last night as well. She was formerly the Vice Chair for Facilities and listed several ideas including laundry, gyms, and housing affairs. Fogarty said that East Halls is currently piloting a wireless program, but in the mean time she thinks that guest access to the current Ethernet system would make it easier for students to study in friends’ dorm rooms.

Confirmed by a unanimous vote.

Director of YOUSRV – Tonia Damiano

UPUA’s “intern” program allows students who wish to one day join the organization or who simply want to be more informed the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of our student government. Tonia Daimano was formerly a member of the program and had a long list of innovations that she plans to make to YOUSRV, including more conservation amongst interns about UPUA’s purpose, more interaction between interns, and discussions about what they would if they were a representative in a variety of situations.

Confirmed by a vote of 35-0-1

Following the confirmations, all of the new executive board members and the new IFC representative, Garuth Acharya, were sworn in by Lennartz.

Elias Warren Quote of the Week: “[inaudible mumbles] … You can’t hear me? Ok, gotta speak up. One of Onward State’s criticisms of us last year was that we have to speak up, which is phenomenal. It’s one thing that we should work on. Use your diaphragm. I’m a singer. If I can do it, you can do it.”

Editors note: Don’t think this feature was going away just because Kevin isn’t writing about UPUA anymore.