UA discusses food truck fee and possible public speaking curriculum

The Undergraduate Assembly wants to make it easier to bring new food trucks to campus.

A fee imposed on food trucks near campus was one of the topics on the UA’s agenda during their Sunday night meeting. They also discussed the possibility of adding public speaking to the mandatory curriculum and arranging an appreciation event for Penn’s staff.

The Daily Pennsylvanian takes a look at the topics of discussion.

Food truck fee

UA members are investigating a fee on some food trucks near campus that they believe is unfair. These fees are generally applied to food trucks that park at spaces in the heart of campus, members said.

“Clearly, this is inhibiting really cool food trucks,” UA representative and Wharton junior Christian Cortes said.

UA representative and College junior Joyce Kim said that the fee was originally imposed because “each food truck has a generator that they must use and those get really loud.” Professors in Williams Hall historically complained about the noise, and the fee was imposed to reduce the concentration of food trucks near Williams and the Quad, she said.

Cortes plans to further research the fees.

Related: Philadelphia Mobile Food Association is a community for mobile food vendors

Public speaking curriculum

The UA also discussed the possibility of mandating public speaking proficiency for undergraduates. UA representative and College sophomore Varun Menon noted that public speaking is often perceived as “not Ivy League enough” to be emphasized.

One representative suggested adding public speaking to the writing seminar syllabi. UA representative and College sophomore Yessenia Moreno said that the suggestion has been raised in the past, but that she was worried it would not fit into the current curriculum under Valerie Ross, director of the Critical Writing Program.

UA president and College and Wharton senior Abe Sutton added that the provost believes a public speaking requirement is “fundamentally” at odds with the University’s curricular aims.

The UA plans to follow up with administrators on options for expanding course offerings in this area.

Related: Women’s Political League tackles public speaking

Staff appreciation event

The UA also raised the idea of planning an appreciation event for security guards and dining hall workers. A similar idea was raised in past years, but the execution was poor, according to UA Treasurer and Wharton senior Tiffany Zhu. One representative thought planning a dinner would be the simplest option, while another suggested bringing “coffee and donuts” to staff instead.

Zhu supported the initiative but cautioned the representatives to “be more organized than we were back then.”

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