The University Park Undergraduate Association convened for its eighth meeting of the semester Wednesday night in the HUB. Assembly members confirmed appointees to several new positions and passed a slew of resolutions aimed at establishing an Outreach ad hoc committee, supporting the Borough’s new fair housing reporting form, and supporting “What to Fix Day” 2019.  

At-Large Representative Tyler Akers delivered a presentation at the beginning of the meeting, providing an overview of an internship he recently completed for the Development & Alumni Relations division. He spoke about the skills and insights he acquired through the internship relating to alumni fundraising and the promotion of professionalism at Penn State. Akers encouraged people interested in the internship to attend an information session that will take place Wednesday, November 13 at 5 p.m. inside the Hintz Family Alumni Center.

During Open Student Forum, State College Borough Council member Dan Murphy encouraged student participation in the upcoming appointing process to replace Mayor Don Hahn. This process is set to begin October 21.

Reports by the President and Vice President were brief, but President McKinney strongly condemned behavior recently observed among members of the 14th Assembly, which to her was unbecoming of UPUA’s standards.

“I ask every person in this room to remind yourselves why you are here,” Mckinney said. “If that reason is not for the students we serve, you need to think that through. We are not here to further any agendas but to serve our constituents. We are no better than anybody who walks on this campus. We work for all of them.”

After these powerful remarks, the 14th Assembly went on to confirm Kazi Asifa Ashrafi, a sophomore Industrial Engineering major, as the first Director of Educational Equity. In her address to the Assembly, Ashrafi talked about her experience as a research assistant, which piqued her interest in student mental health awareness. Although Educational Equity is a broad topic, Ashrafi stated she would focus on the mental health aspect and organize workshops to help students build emotional skills.

In the next order of business, Aiyana Southerland was confirmed as the College of Agricultural Sciences Representative. Southerland talked about her passion for animals and aspirations to be a vet, in addition to highlighting her city background in an academic college flushed with rural residents.

“I want to give people like me a chance, one to get acquainted with agriculture in general, and two to get ahead academically,” Southerland said.

After both confirmed members were sworn in, legislation for the night began with Resolution #12-14: Establishment of an ad hoc committee on Outreach. The committee’s primary focus will be evaluating the subcommittee structure of Outreach, examining the current status of diversity and inclusion in CORE, and gauging ideas for future programs.

This bill received the majority of discussion, which centered on a proposed amendment to allow any member of the executive board to sit on the committee as an ex officio non-voting member with approval. This amendment was defeated 17-19-0, but the bill overall was approved unanimously.

The next piece of legislation of the night was Resolution 14-14: Support for Online Fair Housing Violation Form and Creation of #KnowYourBorough Campaign. This legislation backs the State College Borough’s initiative to consolidate the fair housing form for off-campus students by putting it online. This resolution also passed unanimously.

The last bill of the night was Resolution 15-14: Establishment of “What to Fix Day” 2019 which authorizes the creation of an initiative on Oct. 29, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the HUB Ground Floor Stage. Students will have the opportunity to fill out Qualtrics surveys and win various prizes. The Assembly passed this bill unanimously as well.

After a lengthy three hours, the meeting adjourned at 11:09 p.m.

We’ll see you next week, folks.