UA extends its constituents an invitation to the inside

Some say communication is key. And recently, the Undergraduate Assembly has been taking this to heart and is working to reach out to Penn students and organizations. Through the first-ever "Bring a Friend to a UA Meeting" event -- also billed as a UA Open Forum -- last night, a "UA on the Walk" event last Thursday and the ongoing Campus Organization Outreach Project, UA members are putting hours into general outreach. About 40 students attended the UA Open Forum to enjoy free pizza and soda, as well as learn about the UA. "I definitely found it interesting to come and find out what the UA does and how it works... and who they are," Engineering freshman Natasha Sardesai said. UA Chairman Michael Bassik, along with other UA members, spent the first hour of the approximately two-hour meeting giving an overview of the history, accomplishments and inner workings of the UA. The body then held an open forum, during which guests could bring up any issues they felt the UA should address. For example, the group discussed the flow of UA-related information to the student body, and whether the UA newsletter should be distributed to the student body. The second half of the meeting was dedicated to "regular" UA business, such as the passing of a budget request. Most non-UA members left after the first hour, but some stayed for the whole session. "I thought it was informative and interesting to come to a meeting because people don't really know what goes on behind the scenes," College freshman Samantha Franks said. During the "UA on the Walk" event last week, UA members passed out a survey on dining and retail services both on and off campus, and gathered signatures for its petition to bring HBO and Comcast SportsNet to the Penn Video Network. "I thought [the UA on the Walk] was really successful," UA member Arshad Hasan said. And last night, the UA also discussed the recently created Campus Organization Outreach Project, which aims to increase UA awareness of student group issues. COOP assigns UA members to student groups as liaisons. The UA liaison must contact the particular student group's leader regularly and remain familiar with the group's issues, while keeping the group aware of UA projects. College sophomore Sharon Hsu, co-chair of the Penn Environmental Group, said she was pleased with the project. "It seems like a great idea," she said. "Our group can definitely use some help in the future when we need the UA's help in reaching the administration and student body." College freshman Kirsten Grubbs, UA liaison to Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape, expressed her belief in the importance of COOP. "It's really important to me for groups that aren't as well known on campus to have their voices known too," she said. "I really feel that COOP is going to be instrumental in helping a group like STAAR be more widely known."