The Undergraduate Assembly is discussing several online projects meant to build on existing campus resources — such as creating a virtual marketplace modeled on eBay.
Members asked the general body for input on a possible public art project that is being discussed for the area under 1920 Commons.
UA representative and College sophomore Jane Meyer, who presented the topic, envisioned an installation inspired by the photo blog Humans of New York that would feature photos of different undergraduates — mimicking Cornell University’s 161 Faces exhibit. Depending on funding, the project could also include a digital display.
The project’s sponsors are scheduled to meet with Pamela Lampitt, the director of Business Services at Penn, later in the week.
Other UA members solicited ideas for a new university-wide Lost and Found system. Currently, the Information Center in Houston Hall is the main Lost and Found destination, but the service is “crude,” said UA representative and College junior Joyce Kim.
Suggestions for a revamped system included dividing the campus regionally, more efficiently marketing a central Lost and Found location, and setting up online methods for returning lost items.
Making campus buildings more energy-efficient was another topic on Sunday night’s agenda. In conjunction with the UA, Greenvote, an initiative started by three M&T students, is working to provide data about “occupant comfort” in buildings.
Their website is surveying building occupants’ feelings on dimensions like acoustics and thermal comfort; survey results will then be forwarded to building administrators, who can process the information in order “to optimize the comfort-efficieny balance of a building.”
UA representative and College junior Danielle Golub said that the Engineering Quad is already on board to start using the service and that she is hoping to market the idea to other campus building administrators in the near future.
Another online project the UA is starting up is the idea of an eBay equivalent for Penn.
UA members are investigating the potential for a website that would aggregate sales of furniture, textbooks, and other commodities by Penn students.
The Office of Student Affairs and Business Services had already been consulted and are scheduled to meet about the idea some time during the week of Sept. 23.
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