The 17th Assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association met Wednesday night for the first time this fall semester. The assembly passed a bill to fund the student sustainability survey and voted on the election of a new vice president, Sarabeth Bowmaster. Bowmaster was not elected.

As there were no special presentations, the assembly moved into an open student forum. During the forum, one student expressed reservations about Bowmaster. Another two students expressed their support for Bowmaster’s nomination.

In Sydney Gibbard’s presidential report, she named Najee Rodriguez as the UPUA appointee on the Student Fee Board. She also talked about making information accessible to students about monkeypox and COVID-19 as cases become more prevalent.

Following liaison and affiliate reports, the 17th Assembly moved into new business.

New Business

The first piece of new business was the election for the vice presidential nominee.

As a first-generation student, Bowmaster emphasized her commitment to advocating for other first-gen students.

“I’m incredibly committed to student accessibility and student voice,” Bowmaster said.

She went on to explain her previous qualifications and her involvement with the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Lion Ambassadors, and the Office of Sexual Misconduct and Reporting,

“Above all else, I’m dedicated and ready to put forward that love, time, and care,” Bowmaster said.

In both questioning and discussion, several representatives pointed out Bowmaster’s involvement in the secret society Parmi Nous, as well as her abilities as someone with no previous experience as a representative for UPUA.

Bowmaster was open about her involvement with Parmi Nous. She stressed her abilities to put on and take off her “hats” as needed and that her involvement does not affect her commitment to UPUA whatsoever. As for her lack of UPUA experience, Bowmaster was confident in her abilities to adapt quickly to the structure of UPUA and bring an unbiased perspective to the organization.

Bowmaster was not confirmed as vice president. The assembly voted 16-12-4, which does not fulfill the 20-vote majority for the entire assembly.

Then, Jessica Jewell and Ainsley Novotny were confirmed as UPUA justices.

Finally, Bill #06-17: Funding the Student Sustainability Survey was brought to the floor. The bill provides $150 of funding to the newly launched student sustainability survey. The funding will be used for an Amazon gift card to use as a raffle prize for those who filled out the survey.

Bill #06-17 passed 33-0-0.