The 16th Assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association met Wednesday night for another regularly scheduled meeting.

UPUA President Erin Boas and Vice President Najee Rodriguez welcomed the assembly, provided individual reports, and quickly moved on to new business.

New Business

The first item on the agenda for the group was the confirmation and swearing-in of Chief Justice Andrew Waldman. Waldman received the necessary votes and was sworn in by Boas. He begins his term immediately.

The assembly then began discussing Policy #07-16. Speaker Sydney Gibbard led the discussion about making necessary updates to the 2021-2022 UPUA Election Code. Several changes were made to the diction of the code including clauses about campaign requirements, election scheduling, and finances.

After nearly two hours of discussing election codes, the assembly accepted the revised terms and moved into Resolution #18-16. Black Caucus Representative Jeanelle Loiseau proposed the resolution for UPUA to launch the Village Protest Plaque(s) campaign in remembrance of the racial injustice that Lakeisha Wolf and six Penn State football players experienced in 2001. The resolution was passed unanimously.

The next piece of legislation on the agenda was Bill #19-16. The bill proposed that UPUA fund the annual “Coffee for Finals Program” in which the assembly pays for 56 gallons of coffee for students during finals week. The cost analysis concluded that UPUA would allocate $1,361.92 toward purchasing the coffee from Starbucks. UPUA unanimously passed the bill to fund $1,361.92 worth of coffee.

The final item on the agenda was Bill #20-16. First-year representative Zach Perrin proposed that UPUA continues the “Know Your Rights” campaign, which will distribute a QR code in residence halls that depicts the rights of students and professors within the classroom. This information includes, but is not limited to, syllabus update information, grade interpretations, and excused absences. The bill passed unanimously.

The meeting’s length was extended twice on Wednesday night, mostly to accommodate the lengthy discussion about the election code. UPUA adjourned at 10:39 p.m.