The 16th Assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association met Wednesday night for its first official in-person meeting in almost two years.

The meeting began with a special presentation from Leah Zimmerman, director of Student Disability Resources. She emphasized the need to support all disabilities, especially hidden disabilities by raising awareness, creating a safe and welcoming community, and providing a wide array of resources for students.

President Erin Boas and Vice President Najee Rodriguez later spoke about their progress with the COVID-19 vaccination incentive program as well as their meetings with President Eric Barron and the Board of Trustees.

New Business

The first order of new business was to elect the Chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Continued Policy and Planning for COVID-19 and Its Variants. There was a motion to table the matter until next week.

Next, Patrick Kridaratikorn was confirmed as the Director of Facilities.

The only piece of legislation on the agenda was Bill 05-16, Renewing Penn State University Park’s PLAN (Post-Landfill Action Network) Membership and Endorsing Director Anne Lai’s Recommendations. In 2019, a Penn State Solid Waste Management Audit showed that Penn State was falling short in its plastic use and student participation in recycling.

The bill poses a renewal of Penn State’s membership in PLAN so that the university can systematically and sustainably improve waste management.

Emily Ciganik, Alysha Ulrich, and Director of Sustainable Waste Management Anne Lai, all from the Student Sustainability Advisory Council, spoke at Open Student Forum in support of Bill 05-16. Director Lai’s recommendations included informing student organizations about PLAN resources that can be utilized and requiring student-fee funded offices to develop zero-waste targets.

Bill 05-16 and the motion to endorse Director Lai’s recommendations passed 31-2-0.

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