The 19th Assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) met on Wednesday to pass one bill and two resolutions.

The meeting opened with the open student forum as well as the confirmation and swearing-in of At-Large Representatives Carlos Bennetts, Madar Samakab, Lindsay Freedman, Avery Landis, and Jude York.

Following reports from President Zion Sykes and Vice President Rasha Elwakil, the assembly moved into new business.

New Business

First up for new business was Resolution #18-19: Active Attacker Response Canvas Page. The resolution addressed the “Active Attacker Response” module that was added to all students’ dashboards on Canvas last October. Students received no explanation for this addition and it resulted in confusion, anxiety, and low levels of engagement. While the module contains valuable content for students to know in the case of a real scenario occurring on campus, the way it was rolled out rendered it ineffective.

To remedy this, UPUA offered a few recommendations. It plans to engage with the Penn State University Police and the Learning Resource Network to create a more effective way to publicize the course. It also will highlight the importance of the course objectives through emails, workshops, and social media campaigns. It hopes that through more regular reminders, students will engage more with the information and remember the importance of this training without raising unnecessary stress or concern.

Resolution #18-19: Active Attacker Response Canvas Page passed unanimously.

Next up was Resolution #19-19: Know Your Resources: Underage Drinking & Sexual Misconduct UPUA Instagram Post. Along the same lines as the previous resolution, the resolution wants to address student safety on campus. Amid the sorority and fraternity recruitment period, UPUA hopes to limit sexual misconduct and underage drinking. Surveys have revealed that 19.6% of students have experienced sexual misconduct and 50.2% admitted that they had engaged in “high-risk” drinking behavior.

In response to these findings, UPUA hopes that through social media posts, it can raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and sexual misconduct. The posts will compile places through the university that you can go to report sexual misconduct, reinforce the negative consequences that accompany a sexual misconduct charge, and resources for underage drinking problems. Through these posts, UPUA will remind students to act according to the university standards and laws, as well as to look out for their own health.

Resolution #19-19: Know Your Resources: Underage Drinking & Sexual Misconduct UPUA Instagram Post passed unanimously.

Rounding off the new business for the evening was Bill #57-19: Cosponsorship of Penn State Fashion Showcase. Behind the event is the Entertainment Business Club, which focuses on the business aspects of the entertainment industry. It works to network its students through guest speakers and events. This year, it is hoping to host the fashion show and asked the UPUA to cosponsor the event.

The Penn State Fashion Showcase will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, and will feature seven different student brands on the runway. There will also be a popup shop after the show that offers a chance for students to buy the designs they saw. The event will allow students across multiple academic disciplines to showcase their organizational and creative talents in a fun and engaging event.

Bill #57-19: Cosponsorship of Penn State Fashion Showcase passed unanimously.