For the first time in quite a few weeks, UPUA was in complete agreement about all new business at its general assembly meeting last night. The meeting was quick, everything passed unanimously, and everyone was free to move on to their respective Halloween celebrations.

The meeting began with a presentation from Lunar Lion representative Ajeeth Ibrahim. Ibrahim’s presence at the meeting was the kick-off to a large PR campaign Lunar Lion plans to launch in mid-November, and the ultimate goal of the group is to send a robot into space by 2015.

The report from President Katelyn Mullen detailed her recent efforts to determine a selection process for the student representative to the Board of Trustees, while Vice President Brenden Dooley’s report revealed that eLion is currently being revamped to a new program called LionPath. The new program promises to be more user friendly than the current system.

Dooley also met with Human Resources to discuss the Affordable Care Act. While the act does provide healthcare for many Americans, it is forcing employers that hire many students, like Penn State, to cut back on hours so employees don’t meet the threshold for healthcare coverage. For instance, RAs are considered to work 20 hours, and cannot work a second job on campus, which seems counterintuitive. Employers are in a tough situation here so it will be interesting to see it all unfold.

On to the new business:

Confirmation of BOA Justices Mike Perez & Wesley Wong

Mike Perez and Wesley Wong were confirmed by UPUA last night, expanding the Board of Arbitration to seven justices. Each mentioned that they’d have no problem remaining neutral in any decision, which means that they’ll both be ready for the this year’s version of  inevitable iPad scandal.

Both were confirmed by unanimous consent.

Policy 06-08: Addition of ROTC Liaison

Following a recent push by some folks in Penn State ROTC, UPUA has officially recognized the military group as a liaison, putting it among the ranks of CCSG and UPAC.

The policy adds a ROTC non-voting liaison position to UPUA, which brings a total of seven liaison positions to the assembly. Basically, ROTC will be able to stand up in the beginning of the meetings to update UPUA on its projects or other relevant endeavors.

This policy has been in the works for several months now. The only real concern from UPUA was in how ROTC would determine its liaison, which has still yet to be entirely fleshed out among the the branches at Penn State.

The policy was passed by unanimous consent.

Resolution 11-08: State College Borough Issues Opinion

This resolution sets a firm UPUA opinion on the upcoming Nuisance Property Ordinance (NPO), which is being voted on at the borough meeting this Monday. With this legislation, UPUA intends to have a closed discussion with the borough and IFC leaders to possibly amend the NPO to allow for more leniency. Currently, the borough operates on a point system that penalizes properties where ordinance violations occur. Enough points could mean eviction or suspension of your lease.

UPUA outlined three goals for the discussion:

• A higher point threshold for suspension of fraternity properties
• Few points assessed for violations inherent to larger properties, such as daytime noise violations
• A system to “work off” a  certain number of points for specific violations by performing community service or volunteer work

The resolution passed unanimously.

Tie of the week: John Lombardo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a boring week for legislation, so I’m glad Rep. Lombardo decided to spice things up and go with the seasonal tie. It looks like a tie you’d snag off a clearance rack in Kmart, but its overall charm is undeniable. Props to Lombardo going with the bold tie this week. Here’s hoping that he busts this one out the week before Thanksgiving.