Possible meal plan adjustments on UA agenda

The Undergraduate Assembly convened with its newest members for the first time this Sunday.

At the start of the meeting, UA President and College and Wharton senior Abe Sutton welcomed the eight new members to the Assembly. The meeting continued with project updates concerning campus dining, civic engagement and student health.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s projects.

Meal Plan Amendments

UA representative and College sophomore Bill Ding led a discussion on possible meal plan adjustments. Ding cited a Daily Pennsylvanian survey in which 60 percent of students identified dining as the most important campus concern.

“You wouldn’t go to the same restaurant with the same menu for four years,” Ding said. He said that the unvaried menu is one thing that dissuades upperclassmen from sticking with a meal plan.

The high price-per-swipe— calculated to be between $10 and $12 — was another issue that motivated the discussion.

“This is not a grand conspiracy by Penn to make money off the dining options,” UA representative and College sophomore Varun Menon said. He explained that Bon Appétit has to contend with the cost of unionized labor.

The discussion also touched on the dining halls’ hours of operation and the need to use a complete meal swipe regardless of the amount consumed.

Intercultural Civic Engagement Institute

UA representative and College junior Joyce Kim presented on the completion of a pilot program meant to teach volunteers about West Philadelphia. The UA collaborated with Civic House and the Graduate School of Education to implement the program, which had about 50 registrants and was held Friday.

Topics covered in the four-hour seminar included the history of West Philadelphia and how to build “authentic relationships” with those in the community. Kim said that Civic House and GSE were pleased with the outcome and foresee running a similar program every semester in the future.

Student Health Appointments Online

The UA has completed its investigation into expanding Student Health Service’s online appointment system as an alternative to calling. UA representative and College sophomore Julie Bittar said she had spoken with Evelyn Wiener, director of Student Health, and that Wiener had justified the need for phone calls extensively enough that the UA would not be looking any further into the issue.

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