With half the year gone already, the Undergraduate Assembly is hopeful that the next semester will bring tangible results to its big plans.
The UA's Mid Year Report - released yesterday - lists over 40 initiatives that members introduced or worked on this past semester, but UA leaders say students will have to wait to reap the benefits.
"The best takeaway from this semester was a foundation of projects," UA Chairman and College senior Jason Karsh said. "Next semester, students will see tangible results from these project ideas."
Included in the report were newer initiatives, like adding a map of David Rittenhouse Laboratory to its lobby area and improving Penn apparel choices at the bookstore, as well as older initiatives, like Penn InTouch, iTunes U and the Free Newspapers initiative. Come Jan. 16, free copies of The New York Times will be available at popular locations every day for the rest of the spring semester.
This fall, students enjoyed airport shuttles during Thanksgiving break, extended library hours before finals and a push for off-campus recycling thanks to the body's work. Here is a sampling of the group's projects, both old and new:
n The UA plans to work with the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education to improve the course-selection period so that students can actually "shop around" for classes without falling behind in work.
n The group is collaborating with SCUE to launch a university-wide calendar to involve academic departments and student groups.
n The Academic Integrity and Grievance Procedures initiative will create clear, precise guidelines to help students answer questions like "What do I do if this grade seems biased? or "How can I find out why I received this grade and nothing better?"
n The UA is looking for ways to reduce used-book prices and increase Van Pelt's collection of reserved textbooks.
n The body is finalizing a wiki site, Quakerpedia, for everything Penn-related, including topics like campus events, administration and academics. The launch is set for Jan. 16.
n The Free Printing initiative may add "Printing Dollars" to PennCards, allowing students a quota of free printing pages to be used at printers across campus.
