The 15th Assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association met virtually Wednesday night for its sixth spring semester meeting.

The meeting began with a special presentation from Penn State Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones.

Jones spoke about his role at the university and reflected on the past year and the ways administrators, faculty members, and students have adapted to the coronavirus.

Jones said that he never would’ve believed prior to the pandemic that Penn State could’ve transitioned from fully in-person classes to remote learning in only 10 days. He’s hopeful about the plan to return to in-person classes in the fall and said that the vice provost for Global Programs is working on ways to possibly support international students who may have trouble leaving their home countries and returning to campus due to travel restrictions that may still be in place this fall.

Following reports from UPUA President Zach McKay, Vice President Lexy Pathickal, and assembly liaisons, the assembly moved into new business.

New Business

The first piece of new business for the evening was Policy 13-15.

Under the policy, UPUA’s general assembly meeting will be limited to a three-hour time limit. The fall and spring semester meetings will begin at 7 p.m. and end by 10 p.m. If the time limit expires before representatives are finished all business, a motion can be made to either table the remainder of the agenda or extend the meeting.

UPUA’s Wednesday night meetings typically run a minimum of two to three hours. Last summer the 15th Assembly’s first meeting lasted seven hours.

Policy 13-15 passed 32-1-0.

The final piece of legislation for the night was Resolution 50-15.

This resolution on behalf of UPUA supports University Health Services’ proposal for free STI testing for Penn State students. In the 14th Assembly, UPUA representatives advocated for free STI testing and collaborated with UHS on the project.

In February 2020, the Student Fee Board approved a pilot program for free STI testing through UHS. However, due to ongoing complications stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the project was paused. UHS presented an updated budget proposal to the Student Fee Board earlier this month, which will be voted on during a meeting on February 26.

UHS proposed a budget of $420,000 for the 2021-22 academic year for the relaunch of the STI testing program.

After representatives passed Resolution 50-15, the meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m.