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

The meeting began with a special presentation from Frank Guadagnino, the vice president for administration at Penn State. Guadagnino spoke about his role at the university and talked about his time as a student at Penn State. Guadagnino encouraged representatives to follow their passions and get as involved as possible.

Next, Renata Engel and Yvonne Gaudelius presented and spoke about One Penn State 2025, the university’s initiative that aims to make it a more integrated, flexible, and responsive institution. Engel and Gaudelius also spoke about their roles in Penn State’s coronavirus relief team.

The two shared that one year ago today was when the task force first convened with a group of 14 people. At one point, that group grew to include more than 300 members.

The final special presentation of the evening was Nicole Jara Andrade, the Latino Caucus president.

Following reports from UPUA Vice President Lexy Pathickal and a few liaisons, the assembly moved into new business for the evening.

New Business

The first piece of new legislation for the evening was Bill 19-15. This bill will allot $8,500 of UPUA’s budget for a public guest speaker event which will take place later in the month.

Susannah Temko, a policy and communications expert who focuses on increasing positive visibility for the intersex community, is the guest speaker. In 2015, Temko was recognized in the Independent on Sunday’s Rainbow List as one of the most influential LGBT+ people in the United Kingdom.

Temko will speak about a variety of topics, like mental health and wellness, to state and local intersex policy in Pennsylvania. There will also be a Q&A session in addition to Temko’s lecture.

Bill 19-15 passed unanimously.

The next piece of legislation for the evening was Resolution 51-15.

In response to the growing acts of racism within the community and country, like the Black Caucus Zoom bombings, under this resolution, UPUA will create a “Communities of Care” night of dialogue. This event will take place on Thursday, March 4, and include half-hour dialogues discussing events of racism in the State College community, the impact on students, and how UPUA can assist communities of color.

Resolution 51-15 passed unanimously.

Resolution 52-15 was the next piece of legislation up for discussion. This resolution is in support of H.R.5 – Equality Act. This act was recently introduced to the House of Representatives and expands current civil rights law to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. This resolution also passed unanimously.

The final piece of legislation for the evening was Resolution 53-15. This resolution is in support of a collaboration with the HUB-Robeson Galleries for mental health programming in March.

UPUA will host a “Breathe Together” event on March 9 to promote dialogue, mindfulness, and creative expression. UPUA will partner with the Centre for the Performing Arts at Penn State and the HUB-Galleries to put on the Jane Marie Foundation’s virtual “Breathe Together” event.

On March 11, The HUB will host a dramatic and comical theatrical piece, Frozen in the Toilet Paper Aisle of Life: Man Up! and UPUA will assist in hosting watch parties and student-led discussions for the event.

Resolution 53-15 also passed.

After representatives passed Resolution 53-15, the meeting adjourned at 9:01 p.m.