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

This time, the organization aimed to discuss the extension of Mutual Aid programs and Test Prep Week, as well as the support of American Sign Language as a qualifying Bachelors of Arts Program and on-campus housing registration dates.

The assembly heard from two special presentations at the meeting. The first presentation came from the Penn State League of Women Voters, which “strives to engage students in their community through the promotion of voter registration and education.” The presentation discussed the group’s work at Penn State and opportunities for students to get involved.

Bonj Szczygiel, chair of the Penn State Faculty Senate, was the next speaker. Szczygiel spoke about the roles of the Faculty Senate, the Student Sustainability Literacy Project that will be rolling out soon, and the Student Mediation and Restorative Justice project that is in development.

Reports followed from President Erin Boas and Vice President Najee Rodriguez. Both congratulated those involved with THON over the past weekend and discussed progress on recent projects they’ve been working on. Boas will host” Brunch with Boas” from 10 a.m. to noon in the Noontime Louge of the HUB on February 24 to meet with students.

Following liaison and affiliate reports, the assembly moved on to new business.

New Business

The first piece of legislation for the night was Bill #30-16: Funding for Additional Mutual Aid to Combat Period and Hygiene Poverty. The resolution aims to continue the Mutual Aid program established last fall to provide period and hygiene products to those who fill out an anonymous Google Form. Bill #30-16 passed unanimously with a vote of 27-0-0.

The assembly then moved on to discuss Resolution #24-16: In Support Of Moving Back the On-Campus Housing Request Period. The periods to request on-campus housing for the 2022-23 academic year have already passed after ending in January. The resolution, passed unanimously, called for changes to be made to the housing request process to push these windows later into the academic year to reflect the windows of other Big Ten schools.

Next up on the agenda was Resolution #25-16: Support for the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department’s Effort to Offer American Sign Language as an Option for the BA Language Requirement. Resolution #25-16 notes that of all language courses offered at the university, American Sign Language is the only language that cannot be used to fulfill a Bachelor of Arts. The resolution supports establishing a fourth-level ASL course in order for students to achieve 12 credit proficiency and the classification of ASL as a foreign language at Penn State. Resolution #25-16 passed unanimously.

Finally, the assembly discussed Resolution #26-16: Spring 2022 Test Prep Week Book Distribution. Test Prep Week has been hosted by the UPUA for the past 10 years and provided Penn State students with access to test preparation books for standardized tests such as the MCAT and LSAT. After passing this unanimously, UPUA will distribute test prep books from February 28 to March 2 in the HUB.