The Penn State Student Fee Board unanimously elected Tyler Akers chair Friday. Akers serves as chair of the UPUA Student Life Committee and is one of four Fee Board undergraduate student government representatives.

Elissa Hill, an at-large Board member (also the managing editor of Onward State) nominated Akers for the position.

“As student life chair in UPUA, I have a great understanding, I think, of what the different, especially student affairs, departments need.” said Akers. “I work with them day to day to tackle issues from a UPUA perspective, so I think that gives me a pretty decent understanding of their needs and their wants for the upcoming year.” 

Akers listed streamlining the summer fee structure, implementing a general system of logistical standardization for the Board, and increasing Fee Board transparency among his top priorities as chair.

He also formed four three-member Board subcommittees during the meeting to address issues including University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC) academic travel funding clarification, the designation of a summer student fee, Fee Board handbook standardization, and the evaluation of the university’s liquidity program.

The Board appointed at-large member Vansh Prabhu and Akers to the university’s Fee Board Steering Committee. The committee connects University Park Fee Board members to their commonwealth campus counterparts to discuss the direction of the Student Fee as a whole. In addition to the Board’s two elected representatives, UPUA President Cody Heaton and GPSA President Brianne Pragg will also serve on the Steering Committee.

The Board also discussed the appointment procedure for its director of communications and alternative at-large member. 

Editor’s note: In the interest of transparency, Student Fee Board At-Large Member Elissa Hill is the managing Editor of Onward State. She was in no way involved in the production of this post and will not be involved in the writing or editing of future Student Fee Board coverage.