UA discusses subsidized printing for all schools

The Undergraduate Assembly wants to equalize the right to print for all students.

Sunday night, the UA met to discuss subsidized printing for students across all four undergraduate schools, as well as meal plans for residential advisors and a new advisory board.

UA representative and College sophomore Justin Taleisnik said that he has researched printing policies at peer institutions and that Penn is one of the few that does not offer at least a limited number of pages to all students.

UA representatives raised concerns about where students would be able to print, noting that the printers in Huntsman Hall already sometimes have long lines. They also considered how difficult it would be to figure out the appropriate number of pages to subsidize.

Currently, only Wharton undergraduates have the ability to print for free. They receive $25 on their Penncard toward printing each semester. Taleisnik envisions a similar model if subsidized printing is expanded to all undergraduates.

“It would be a new fund that students could use exclusively for printing,” Taleisnik said, noting that the fund could not be used like PennCash at multiple campus locations. “Whether we label that currency in dollars or in page numbers, it’s still adding [a function] to the Penncard.”

UA members also discussed meal plan options for RAs and graduate advisors.

Currently, RAs and GAs are given free meal plans, but the UA sees an issue with the limited scope of those plans. The plan currently offers very limited quantities of guest swipes and Dining Dollars.

College senior and speaker pro tempore Will Smith, who is an RA, said that because those who use the dining halls are mostly freshmen, RAs would benefit from additional guest swipes so that they can eat with their non-RA friends.

Another item on the agenda was a new advisory board for the Penn Bookstore.

Vice President and College junior Gabe Delaney said that the Penn Bookstore is looking to create a student advisory board similar to the ones that exist for other campus services, like the Residential Advisory Board for the College Houses.

Delaney said that although many of the store’s functions are overseen by Barnes & Noble, its parent company, that the advisory board would help brainstorm ideas that could make it a more utilized place on campus rather than a once-a-year stop for gear. He cited the new study area near the Starbucks on the second floor as an example of something that the Bookstore is doing to make itself more of a destination for students.

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