At the Undergraduate Assembly’s weekly meeting on Sunday, the agenda included the passage of the Green Events Checklist Resolution, a discussion of the Nominations and Elections Committee elections change and a budget request for the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
The UA discussed a Penn Student Government-wide collaboration on sustainable events.
This Green Events Checklist would include a list of best practices for all the UA branches and student groups covered under the Student Activities Council to comply with, according to Housing, Sustainability and Facilities Director and Engineering senior Dan Sanchez.
There would be a certification system, in which student groups can include a UA “Green Events-certified” logo on their banners, Sanchez said.
Because student government doesn’t currently have a standard for sustainability from the student government, “this resolution would mobilize the student government and the student groups,” Sanchez said.
Three amendments to the Green Events Checklist resolution were adopted, including an amendment stating that any revisions to the document would have to be recertified by the UA General Body following a challenge by any UA member. The resolution was passed with 23 votes for it and two against, with two abstaining.
The general body also discussed the NEC’s elections changes — one of which requires that the NEC seek the UA’s “advice” on potential changes to the election rules.
Another change stipulates that presidential candidates must participate in at least three debates and that the vice-presidential candidates participate in at least one, according to NEC Chairwoman and College senior Rachel Levick.
The NEC made this change in order to maintain consistency between the new UA Constitution and the UA Bylaws.
The UA also debated the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships’ budget request to sponsor its first Undergraduate Research Symposium.
One of the purposes of this event is to encourage and educate freshman students to pursue research, CURF Vice President and College senior Christine Nieves Rodriguez said. Because CURF allocates all of its funding to research and fellowships, it does not have any funding of its own to sponsor the 65 students who wish to present, Nieves said.
This budget request passed unanimously.
