The 20th Assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) met on Wednesday to elect the assembly’s Academic Affairs Chair, swear in two members, and pass one bill.

President Rasha Elwakil and Vice President Noah Youcheff told the assembly that they would be sharing their reports virtually. Following this, the assembly moved into elections and swearing-ins.

Elections/ Swearing-ins

The only election of the night was for the position of Academic Affairs Chair. Eberly College of Science Representative Josh Salinas was nominated by Representative Anish Amin for the position. Salinas was not in person at the meeting, and submitted a pre-recorded video that contained his speech. In his video, Salinas spoke about his dedication to bridging the gap between UPUA and Penn State faculty, and his promise to create more legislation in his role as Academic Affairs Chair.

Representative Samuel Conway was also nominated by Representative Grace Rothenberg for the position of Academic Affairs Chair. Conway spoke about his promises to support the UPUA assembly and uplift their ideas in his role as chair. He also shared that he hopes to bring his project management and leadership skills into the position, and allow UPUA members to have the opportunity to work on projects that they are passionate about.

Following discussion within the assembly, Representative Conway won the election of Academic Affairs Chair in a secret ballot vote.

Next, the assembly swore in both the Deputy Chief of Staff Dana Malak and the Latino Caucus Representative Ginevra Semprini.

New Business 

The only piece of new business for the night was Bill #11:20: Garment Bags for Career Services. This bill provides funding for the purchase of 2,000 garment bags to be given to the Penn State Career Services Center’s Professional Attire Closet (PAC). The PAC program allows any student the opportunity to rent a professional outfit once per academic year, free of charge. This program ensures that all students have the resources to dress professionally for interviews, career fairs, networking events, and more. 

The PAC utilizes zippered garment bags to ensure that the clothing given to students is in pristine condition, but has recently run out of bags. Having assisted in purchasing these bags in years past, the Career Service Center is looking to UPUA for assistance in purchasing another supply of bags. 

Bill #11:20: Garment Bags for Career Services passed unanimously.