The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) met Wednesday to fund Lyft subsidies for spring break and transportation for Capital Day. The Assembly also supported diversifying hair products in on-campus convenience stores and learned more about student health insurance.

The meeting opened with a discussion of the upcoming student health insurance requirement, led by Cyndy Hill, director of the Penn State Parents Program, and Karen Kline, student insurance manager with University Health Services.

Starting this fall, full-time students will need to either show proof of adequate health insurance (like giving information for your parents’ insurance that you’re covered under) or enroll in the university’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Kline emphasized that any emails from “First Risk Advisors” deal with this new requirement and are not, in fact, spam, contrary to popular belief.

Once students register for their fall 2019 classes, they’ll need to log back in and complete the waiver information on LionPATH. For anyone who doesn’t waive the requirement, insurance costs for the semester will be included on the fall bursar bill that’s usually released in August.

Here’s what you should know about the legislation passed this week:

Bill 11-13, Funding for Capital Day Transportation

Even UPUA described this one as straightforward — the bill funds two buses to Capital Day, Penn State’s largest one-day advocacy effort, which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 in Harrisburg. The bill passed unanimously.

Bill 12-13, Funding for Lyft Subsidies for Spring Break ‘Airport Shuttle’

This bill is similar to one passed last semester that provided Lyft subsidies for Penn State’s Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. The coupon codes (“UPUAShuttle19”) will be available for students traveling to the airport between Thursday, February 28 and Saturday, March 2, as well as those traveling from the airport back to campus between Saturday, March 9 and Monday, March 11. Each period will have 75 subsidies available, each worth $15 for a maximum spend of $2,250. The bill passed unanimously.

Resolution 22-13, Support of Diversifying Hair Care Products in the Common Area Markets

During UPUA’s What To Fix campaign last year, it was brought to the Assembly’s attention that dining commons convenience stores did not offer diverse hair care products, nor did downtown stores like Target and CVS. UPUA advocated to Housing and Food Services and Auxiliary and Business Services, which will now be offering two new products based on student survey results: Carol’s Daughter Vanilla Replenishing Shampoo and Conditioner. The legislation also encourages HFS and ABS to continue exploring how they can diversify offerings to better serve Penn State’s student population. The resolution passed unanimously.