by Isaac Will and the UPUA Freshman Council

To the Penn State Community,

Penn State University is one of the greatest universities in the country. Some may simply call it a school. Some may call it a campus. Others call it a gateway to their future, while others call it their home. Though students express their love for this university in a variety of great ways, we hope to show it by giving back to our college. We knew this from day one and accordingly sought to give back the way we knew best — by joining student government.

However, it has come to the attention of the Freshman Council, as it has to many other students, that a select number of members of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) have failed to uphold the values of integrity and virtue that the Oath of Office, mission statement of our organization, and Penn State embodies. We realize some members have fallen short of the standards that must be honored by all members of the UPUA.

By no means will this misconduct be accepted or tolerated in the current or future assemblies. To the absolute best of our ability, Freshman Council members who continue to participate in the UPUA will honor Penn State’s values to the absolute highest degree. Acting in any way otherwise is irresponsible and negligent to the interests of the undergraduate student body, our constituents whom we have sworn to represent. We had the opportunity to see the 10th Assembly with fresh eyes. We have the opportunity and obligation to prevent future mistakes with the lessons we have learned and capitalize on successes that may have been overlooked and overshadowed in light of this misconduct. The future of the UPUA, with our hopeful participation, will raise expectations and maintain the demanded standard in hopes of continuing to benefit our fellow classmates to the best of our abilities.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the hard work of the many current UPUA Executives and Representatives. In no way does this misconduct represent the work or attitude of this organization as a whole. We hope the great accomplishments by our representatives in the 10th Assembly are not overshadowed by this unacceptable behavior.

May No Act of Ours Bring Shame,

The University Park Undergraduate Association Freshman Council, the hopeful future of the UPUA