UA reorganizes, looks toward spring

After listing several initiatives earlier this year, the Undergraduate Assembly has progressed with most of its plans.

In September, UA Chairman and College senior Jason Levy announced several goals for the UA.

First off, he wanted the body to better utilize its steering committee in hopes of increasing its accountability to student groups.

Noting that UA Steering meetings were typically used only as calendar meetings where groups would publicize their events, Levy felt that it was "essential that [the UA] realize this body's [greater] potential."

The UA also looked to fight self-segregation by tackling it early on in students' careers at Penn. Specifically, they wished to target freshmen by creating an environment in which they could foster relationships with people of different backgrounds.

Finally, the UA wanted to make use of its education committee, which was reinstated this semester after many years of absence.

Looking back on the first half of its term, the UA appears to have gone far in accomplishing these goals. Yet, many have legitimate gripes about UA progress.

"If you're talking about fighting self-segregation... I'm not aware of the steps they've taken to combat that," College sophomore Michelle Chikaonda said. "There have been many race issues this past year and I haven't seen the UA stance on that."

Other complaints center on the visibility of UA actions.

"It seems like they've been trying awful hard to get things accomplished," Engineering sophomore Jonathan Beus said. "I haven't noticed any physical manifestation of that, but it looks like they're trying to put things forward."

With regard to its first two goals, the UA has utilized the Steering Committee by allowing it to guide the body in its mission to improve and develop programming ideas for freshmen both before and after New Student Orientation.

In addition to passing a collective proposal to improve NSO, the Steering Committee has also "influenced the manner in which [the UA] sought funding for the expansion of preorientation programs," Levy said.

The UA Education Committee, chaired by Wharton sophomore Cynthia Wong, was a driving force behind the proposals to expand preorientation programs, which included PENNacle and PennQuest, and took a big hand in resurrecting the Penn Course Review.

"I'm very pleased with the hard work the Education Committee members have put in this past semester," Wong said. "We've accomplished a lot with Penn Course Review and the expansion of the preorientation programs."

On top of moving forward with its original three goals, the UA was also able to pass several additional proposals that will directly affect student life at Penn, if implemented.

It has passed recommendations to have coed dormitories where both men and women could live in the same room, to eliminate smoking from dormitory rooms, to establish a Medical Emergency Response Team on campus and to allow for food trucks to be open past 6 p.m.

The UA continues to look ahead, as each committee has established further goals to help improve the school.

The UA Education Committee has already begun to pursue additional projects, including proposals for changing the College's language requirement, which will allow students to fulfill their language requirement with a pass/fail course. The committee is also hoping to create a new Social Impact Management concentration in Wharton.

Members of the Facilities Committee are looking into projects that range from helping create free group exercise classes at Pottruck Gymnasium to bringing back student discounts on weekends at the Bridge: Cinema de Lux.

In addition, the Student Life Committee is conducting research on whether or not to recommend a policy change in the school's reading day structure, and is pursuing other initiatives, such as the reinstatement of late-night dining in Penn's student dining halls.

Furthermore, the Internal/External Committee aims to make changes within the UA so that it can reach the student body as a whole. Some of its current projects include restructuring UA elections, helping recommend changes to the Nominations and Elections Committee's bylaws regarding endorsements for UA elections and establishing a UA newsletter.

Reflecting on this past semester, Levy said that he feels elated with the body's work and is optimistic about the future.

"This past semester has been by far, the most successful semester of all the school years that I've been on the UA," he said, noting the UA's accomplishments in its three intended areas. "A lot of our projects have been driven by suggestions and input from students and I hope to continue these lines of communication."

Next semester, "we want to follow through and make sure that the policies we've advocated this past semester are implemented," he added.

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