The 21st Assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) met on Wednesday to elect, confirm, and swear in representatives, and pass one bill. 

The meeting opened with a presentation by AI Studio on AI use and accessibility at Penn State. The main topic of discussion was Penn State’s current project to develop an AI software program that allows all students access to major AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini through their Penn State login.

Members of the UPUA Assembly questioned the presenters about how this program will impact the sustainability of the university and how they will implement a sustainability acknowledgment into their AI literacy training course.

Following reports from President Kat Hogan and Vice President Maria Lopez, the assembly moved into the next phase of the meeting.

Swearing-Ins & Confirmations

The first confirmation of the night was for the Co-Executive Directors of the First Year Council, Noah Youcheff and Maguire Younes. Next was the confirmation of the presidentially nominated University Park Fee Board Representative, Jude York.

Following this, the assembly swore in Co-Executive Directors of the First Year Council, Youcheff and Younes, Deputy Director of Inclusion and Support, Michael Ferrick, Director of UPUA Benefiting THON, Emily Milton, Division of Undergraduate Studies Representative, John Wozniak, and Information Sciences and Technology Representative, Wyatt Corbin.

After that, the assembly moved into elections.

The first election of the night was for the Association of Big Ten Students Liaison. Representatives Chase Allen and Elizabeth Noel Malta were both nominated for the role.

Malta spoke about her expertise in professional communication, her organizational skillset, and how she plans to translate her leadership and involvement in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences to this role.

Allen shared how he plans to apply his knowledge and connections from his role as a Liberal Arts Ambassador and a Paterno Fellow, and emphasized his dedication to representing UPUA across the Big Ten.

After a vote by secret ballot, Representative Allen was elected the Association of Big Ten Students Liaison.

Following this was the election for the Association of Residence Hall Students Liaison. Representative Malta and Representative Maria Mahfuz were both nominated for the role.

Representative Malta spoke about her experience living on campus for three years, and how it has allowed her to understand RA operations and student needs in the residence halls. Representative Mahfuz spoke about her passion for UPUA and her willingness to collaborate and grow as a member of the assembly within this role.

After a vote by secret ballot, Representative Malta was elected as the Association of Residence Hall Students Liaison.

The election of the Borough Council Liaison and Movin’ On Liaison followed. For the Borough Council Liaison position, Representatives Parker Haun, Suri Phung, and Anjali Chungapally were nominated. After a vote by secret ballot and a further run-off election, Representative Chungapally was elected. For the Movin’ On Liaison, only Representative Lucas Yero was nominated and was then elected by the assembly.

This was followed by the election for the Faculty Senator, where Representatives James Dugery and Akshita Swaroop were nominated. Swaroop shared how she plans to focus on representing and informing students by increasing transparency with the faculty senate and ensuring diversity and inclusion. Dugery spoke about his plans to bridge communications and collaborations between students and faculty if elected to this role. After a vote by secret ballot, Representative James Dugery was elected.

Finally, the last two elections for the night were for the University Park Fee Board Representatives and the University Library Liaison. For the University Park Fee Board Representative position, two representatives were elected. Both Vice President Lopez and Representative Dana Malak were nominated, and after a vote by secret ballot, both Vice President Lopez and Representative Malak were elected.

For the election of the University Library Liaison, Representative Tatiana Wyche, Representative Mahfuz, and Representative Wozniak were nominated. After a vote by secret ballot, Representative Wozniak was elected.

Following this, the assembly moved into New Business.

New Business

The only bill of the night was Bill #05-21: Funding for Summer Break Lyft Subsidies. This bill provides funding for up to 71 $10 Lyft ride coupons for students to use from Saturday, May 2 to Saturday, May 16. It will allow students to get discounted rides to the State College Regional Airport to return home for summer break.

With this code, students can be picked up from anywhere in State College, but the drop-off location must be the State College airport. The code is set to be: UPUASUMMER2026. 

 Bill #05-21: Funding for Summer Break Lyft Subsidies passed unanimously.