UA tackles minority representation issue

At its second meeting of the semester last night, the Undergraduate Assembly announced a new initiative to encourage minority students to have a larger role in the UA's affairs and formally introduced its new Alcohol and Drug Committee. The UA elected Engineering sophomore Michael Krouse to serve as the body's first-ever representative to the United Minorities Council as part of a larger initiative to increase the role of minority students in student government. According to UA Secretary Megan Davidson, the UMC's constituent organizations -- including such groups as the Black Student League, the Chinese Students Association, the Caribbean-American Students Association and the Penn Nihon Club -- will each send representatives to serve as non-UA members on each of the UA's various committees. UA Chairperson Michael Silver noted that UMC Chairperson Chaz Howard, a College senior, was responsible for initiating the new relationship, which was formed at a UMC retreat last weekend attended by members of the UA's executive board. And Davidson noted that the UA currently has only two minority members out of 25 total members and that minority students have historically voted in fewer numbers and been represented less in student government than have non-minority students. "As long as that's true, we're not fulfilling our obligations," she said. "Minorities don't have a vested interest in the UA." Calling the lack of representation and voting participation "a self-perpetuating problem," Davidson said she has high hopes for the working relationship with the UMC planned for the future. In its other major action at last night's meeting, the UA formally introduced its new alcohol committee -- formed in response to the University's new alcohol and drug policy -- which is designed to act "in support of [the policy's] implementation and the continued education of the undergraduate body on alcohol-related issues," according to the UA's official announcement of the committee's creation. Originally designated the UA's Ad Hoc Alcohol Committee, the group's name was changed to include its role in drug abuse after several members expressed concern that an alcohol-only committee would ignore the serious problems of substance abuse in general and noted that the University's new policy covers both alcohol and drugs. The new committee will be chaired by College sophomore Jo Piazza, a first-year member of the UA who was also recently chosen to serve as UA historian. Piazza, who is also a 34th Street magazine staff writer, said her goal is for the committee "to be the active voice of the students concerning the new alcohol policy." "I know that we're not going to alleviate drinking on campus," she said, while also stressing her hope to make drinking safer in general for the student body. Davidson said the alcohol committee will focus on "education and facilitating interaction between the student body and the administration." "The policies are in place and now it's a matter of addressing Penn's drinking culture," the College senior added. And UA Treasurer Michael Bassik, a College junior, said the committee will be used to develop a "social marketing campaign" to inform students of the new alcohol policy's contents. "The policy is really poorly publicized," he said, noting that many people are unaware that the policy mandates that all registered undergraduate events allow alcohol on a BYOB basis only. Bassik said that the UA was in a better position than any other student group to help students understand and comply with the new policy. "There is no organization currently at this university that truly represents the student body as well as the UA can with its alcohol committee," he said. "We're able to assess the larger picture."