The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) met on Wednesday for the last meeting of the 19th assembly. Over 20 pieces of legislation were passed before the upcoming election of the 20th assembly.

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

Old Business

First up for Old Business was Policy #07-19: Revising the UPUA Constitution. The policy contained minor changes to the election codes and was passed unanimously.

Next up was Resolution #26-19: Menstrual Products in Common Spots and Residence Halls, which brought attention to the lack of free menstrual products on campus for Penn State students. It highlighted numerous Big Ten schools that offer students free feminine products across campus and urged Penn State to adopt the same policy.

The UPUA hopes to create an initiative alongside the Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS) and Days for Girls to give students access to menstrual products free of charge to add convenience and affordability into the lives of the students affected.

Resolution #26-19: Menstrual Products in Common Spots and Residence Halls passed unanimously.

Following that was Resolution #27-19: Reconsideration of A+ Grading Policy, which appeals to Penn State students applying to law school after graduation. Penn State operates on a grading scale that doesn’t include A+ grades, which puts students applying to competitive law schools at a disadvantage because of their GPA. Schools with A+ scales allow students to surpass a 4.0 GPA, therefore appearing more impressive on an application. Adding an A+ to the Penn State scale will keep Penn State students on par with other students applying from universities across the country.

Resolution #27-19: Reconsideration of A+ Grading Policy passed unanimously.

Resolution #28-19: Roommate Compatibility Survey looked to add a helpful survey into the roommate process for students. The initiative would offer students the optional chance to fill out a survey regarding basic questions like, “What time do you go to bed?,” which could help reduce roommate tension and ensure students are rooming with compatible people.

Resolution #28-19: Roommate Compatibility Survey passed unanimously.

Next up was Resolution #40-19: Replacement of Missing Bathroom Hooks following a survey of the campus bathrooms to see which lacked spaces to hang a bag or jacket. The resolution will solve the problem of missing hooks on bathroom doors, making sure students have clean spots for their belongings while they use the restroom.

Resolution #40-19: Replacement of Missing Bathroom Hooks passed unanimously.

The last item of Old Business was Informational Report #07-19: Information on 2024 Election Day Survey. The report contained continued information surrounding the 2024 Election Day survey that advocated for asynchronous instruction on Election Day to allow students to easily get to the polls.

New Business

First up for the numerous New Business items was Bill #68-19: Funding for Greek Gala During Greek Week Decorations. The bill hoped to sponsor decorations for the Greek Week event, Greek Gala: Letters in Lights. The event offers a chance for students involved in Greek life to come together and appreciate the various impacts it has on Penn State.

Bill #68-19: Funding for Greek Gala During Greek Week Decorations passed unanimously.

The second bill of the night was Bill #69-19: Funding for Keynote Speaker Pattie Gonia Bill. Pattie Gonia, a drag queen and environmentalist, will speak in Heritage Hall on March 25 for Penn State students. As part of the Sustainability Showcase Series, she will highlight her work toward helping the environment. The event will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. on March 25 in Heritage Hall in the HUB.

Bill #69-19: Funding for Keynote Speaker Pattie Gonia Bill passed unanimously.

Next up was Bill #70-19: Funding for Sexual Violence Awareness Prevention Tabling. The UPUA will sponsor a table in the HUB from April 9 to 10 to bring awareness to sexual violence through an interactive and informative approach.

Bill #70-19: Funding for Sexual Violence Awareness Prevention Tabling passed unanimously.

Following that was Bill #71-19: Funding for Resource Week 2025. Resource Week will give students the chance to learn about all the campus resources available throughout the year. This event from March 24 to 28 will remind students of the help they can receive from campus offices, especially focusing on financial help.

Bill #71-19: Funding for Resource Week 2025 passed unanimously.

Next up was Bill #72-19: Funding for Justice and Equity April Tabling, another tabling event to bring awareness to campus. To celebrate Pride Month, a table will be set up to give out pins and stickers to students in the HUB. The bill hopes to involve more students in Pride Month celebrations and help the members of the community feel celebrated and included.

Bill #72-19: Funding for Justice and Equity April Tabling passed unanimously.

The following bill of the night was Bill #73-19: Parent Kit Funding at University Park Libraries. This initiative hopes to help undergraduate students with children on campus. The library will provide kits with activities and books for children that can be checked out. The kits will help to keep kids occupied so that their parents can study and get work done in the library without having to worry about simultaneously entertaining their children.

Bill #73-19: Parent Kit Funding at University Park Libraries passed unanimously.

Continuing on was Bill #74-19: Funding to Purchase a Photo Booth. The bill will fund the purchase of a photo booth that will be owned by the university and available for events instead of continuously renting one. It will also be able to be rented out to university clubs and groups for a fraction of the cost of a rental.

Bill #74-19: Funding to Purchase a Photo Booth passed unanimously.

Next was Bill #75-19: Advice Nurse Ad, which aims to highlight a university service not many students know about. University Health Services (UHS) employs a nurse who is available to contact 24/7. While many students have been to UHS, not many know that there is someone they can call at any time for advice with medical issues without having to make an appointment. The bill will fund an advertisement for the advice nurse so more students can utilize it.

Bill #75-19: Advice Nurse Ad was passed.

Following that was Bill #76-19: Funding for Penn State Sustainability Summit. The Department of Environmental Sustainability will host the Sustainability Summit on April 23 that will offer opportunities for learning from groups like the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm and EcoReps. The day will focus on increasing sustainability on campus and how students can live a sustainable life.

Bill #76-19: Funding for Penn State Sustainability Summit passed unanimously.

The next bill, Bill #77-19: HUB Lawn Gazebo Revitalization, wanted to fix up a University Park campus staple, the HUB Lawn gazebo. The UPUA will fund the restoration of the gazebo, cleaning it up and painting it to restore it to its former glory and allow it to be enjoyed for continued years to come.

Bill #77-19: HUB Lawn Gazebo Revitalization passed unanimously.

One of the last bills of the evening, Bill #78-19: Funding for Movin’ On Water Buggy, will fund a water station for students during the annual Movin’ On Music festival. The buggy will allow students to fill up during the event and ensure everyone stays healthy, hydrated, and happy while enjoying the music.

Bill #78-19: Funding for Movin’ On Water Buggy passed unanimously.

The last bill passed on Wednesday night was Bill #79-19: Funding for “Person First, Student Second” Advertisement. The bill will pass an initiative to bring awareness to some of the resources that Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) provide. With so many students on campus utilizing individual counseling, appointments can be difficult to come by. The UPUA hopes to highlight CAPS Group Therapy, Life Hacks with CAPS, CAPS Chat, and the Penn State Community Provider Locator to show students that there are numerous other options besides individual therapies.

Bill #79-19: Funding for “Person First, Student Second” Advertisement was passed.

Moving on to resolutions, the first up was Resolution #29-19: Water Filling Station Filter Status Campaign. The resolution will push to implement a learning initiative to make students feel better about drinking the water on campus. Many water fountains across campus have red lights on their filter statuses, but students can be assured that that does not indicate dirty water. Many of the stations have clean filters but the lights do not change after the filter has been changed. The UPUA will help bring attention to this so that students feel safe to drink from any water-filling station.

Resolution #29-19: Water Filling Station Filter Status Campaign passed unanimously.

The second resolution of the night hopes to bring a fun activity to HUB Lawn. Resolution #30-19: Installation of Public Chess and Checker Tables on the HUB Patio hopes to install chess and checkers tables outside of the HUB for students to play on. The tables will encourage socializing and spending time outdoors, especially as the weather improves.

Resolution #30-19: Installation of Public Chess and Checker Tables on the HUB Patio passed unanimously.

Next up was Resolution #31-19: Extended Dining Hall Hours. This resolution looks to increase dining hall hours across campus to 9 p.m. from the previous 8 p.m. so that busy students get an extra hour to eat dinner. After a busy day of classes, many students do not have time to eat by 8 p.m. and then have to turn to off-campus eateries for their meals. Extending it by the hour will give students more time to enjoy the many food options the campus offers.

Resolution #31-19: Extended Dining Hall Hours passed unanimously.

Following that was Resolution #32-19: Accessibility Task Force. This resolution will aid the UPUA’s Accessibility Task Force in becoming a bigger entity on campus. The task force looks to help all of Penn State’s students feel included and comfortable across campus. The current main goals of the force are to make sure roads and sidewalks stay clear and accessible for disabled students on campus.

Resolution #32-19: Accessibility Task Force passed unanimously.

Continuing on was Resolution #33-19: Support for academic college student councils to integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles into their leadership structures. This is another resolution that hopes to keep Penn State a welcoming environment for all on campus, regardless of race, gender, or any other factor.

Resolution #33-19: Support for academic college student councils to integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles into their leadership structures passed unanimously.

Next up was Resolution #34-19: In Support of Expanding Pattee and Paterno Library Hours of Operation. This resolution will expand the Pattee and Paterno Libraries’ hours of operation to 24/7, giving students more time to get their work done. Many other Big Ten campuses offer 24/7 access to their libraries, and this resolution wanted to add Penn State to that list.

Resolution #34-19: In Support of Expanding Pattee and Paterno Library Hours of Operation passed unanimously.

Following that was Resolution #35-19: HACU resolution, a resolution to join The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). The organization would allow Hispanic students on campus to get involved and apply for scholarship opportunities. The organization’s goal is to improve life for Hispanic students in universities across the country.

Resolution #35-19: HACU passed unanimously.

Although warmer days are coming to State College, the next resolution hopes to improve a cold weather problem. Resolution #36-19: Call for Improvements of On-Campus Sidewalk De-Icing Procedures calls for a change and improvement in the de-icing of sidewalks across campus when the weather gets bad.

Resolution #36-19: Call for Improvements of On-Campus Sidewalk De-Icing Procedures passed unanimously.

After that was Resolution #37-19: Stone Valley Shuttle Bus to Stop at Shaver’s Creek, which pushes for a shuttle bus to bring students to Shaver’s Creek, an environmental center off campus. For students without cars, it is hard to access, so the UPUA hopes that by adding a shuttle, more students will be able to enjoy the area.

Resolution #37-19: Stone Valley Shuttle Bus to Stop at Shaver’s Creek passed unanimously.

The second to last resolution of the night was Resolution #38-19: Campus Operations Master Infrastructure Plan. This resolution addresses Campus Operations and calls for a few items: the expansion of Curtin Road, more water refill stations on campus, more charging stations, and increased Wifi accessibility, among other things.

Resolution #38-19: Campus Operations Master Infrastructure Plan passed unanimously.

The last resolution and the last legislature passed by the 19th Assembly of the UPUA was Resolution #39-19: Break Housing Initiative. The resolution wanted to amend the process for students who opt to pay and stay on campus during school holidays. The resolution hopes to increase access to resources for these students to make it a more welcoming environment during the breaks.

Resolution #39-19: Break Housing Initiative passed unanimously.