minutes

1. Adoption of the agenda
Sydney gibbard: hi this is going to be like an orientation into UPUA, there are a lot of new
people. We will have a special presentation about proper etiquette for in person meetings. To
start off, we will talk about the google drive, what is on it and how to navigate it, and utilize it
frequently. This will be the best way to communicate with people in other branches and there is a
lot of cross over throughout the assembly. This drive is a one place for everything you could
need. We went back to find past assemblies, here you can go back and see past legislation,
resolutions etc. you will have access to all of these, your chairs can add meeting notes,
committee relations and other pieces of information that you can access.
Sarah Jordan: we are trying to bridge the gap between the branches. So, if you need to see
something you can see everything in here, the committee relations, etc. you don’t have to check
on this regularly, but it’s here if you need it
Sydney gibbard: thanks to the department of records, we have access to all past assemblies and
their histories, even though they are all PDFs you can still look for words. We have the current
constitution which will be updated every time we pass legislation, there are also blank legislation
templates here. The contact sheet is here as well, this will be continuous running log, with all
their information. In the google drive, we are working on (thank you to the chairs and steering) is
a general programming timing for the year, this is broken down into what we do so everyone can
see it all on one document here. These will all be continued to be updated. The overall legislative
initiative spread sheet, it is continued to be updated with which representatives are working on
these initiatives, and which committee, all of it is in here, you can see how all the chairs are
organizing it as well. I usually add it to every single one of my emails but be sure to bookmark it.
Sarah Jordan: going into teams, everyone should be added, the general teams is where our
general information is, add the general upua 16th assembly when you do this, and have all
activity clicked, everything is here. Nikhil did add a request record form so if you need
something Nikhil and his team can provide it for you. Please check this frequently, this is going
to be the most prominent form of communication. We will still be using this for voting as well.
For opportunity of external events please add what you will be attending there, and tag upua in
everything. Our GroupMe is here too, sweet16 GroupMe is our official GroupMe, sour16 is our
more fun one, so please pay attention to where you are messaging
Sydney gibbard: external events- you may have heard of that, as we go more into person it will
be a more formal process, you are required to attend 2every 4 weeks. If you are part of an org.,
you can count that as one of your external events, this is to make sure you are meeting with
constituents and meeting new people. I will be reminding you about this with emails and
GroupMe, so don’t stress. This will be submitted via google form, it will have the event date, and
something you learned. You get attendance points if you don’t fill out this form, so please go!
We are trying to make sure you are learning new things and seeing all Penn states has to offer.
There are a lot of opportunities for external events; I will be making an external events calendar
so you can see them there. We will now go over the onboarding packet. I have been working on
putting this together that has everything you need to know upua related, who the chairs are etc.
most of the committees have director positions. One of the biggest things I stress is to promote

2. our events in a positive way via social media etc. We need students to hear about them because
this is the only way it can affect them. Upua structure, I go into that, we have 3 branches, with
the long-awaited executive branch structure, you may not be as familiar with all of the members
and those who hold positions so you can look here for the positions. You can see how
departments are organized here, what offices the departments have etc. The legislative structure
is also here, we have 5 chairs and vice chairs, we also have the judicial structure here. Thank you
to the cabinet and Sarah for collecting these descriptions of what the positions do. Attendance-
general assembly, the biggest take away is that if you miss it, you lose 1 point; once you get 3
points you are removed as representative, I will reach out to you, and we will discuss it before
you are removed. This 1 point is broken up to if you miss the beginning and the end (.5 each)
missing committees also have point values, talk to your committee about that. Retreat is also a
required event; you will know well before about mandated events. Legislation- most of you are
familiar 3 types-bills, resolution, policy changes- policy changes are rare, bills and resolutions
are frequent, you will see these often, these have to do with just about everything we do.
Resolutions- when we are in support of something, establishing a campaign, changing something
etc. if anyone is interested in voting procedure let me know. How to be successful? Be open
minded to new ideas, ask for help, everyone is here to hello you, everyone is passionate about
what they do, so just ask. The creation of waitlist from lion path, you are welcome sign
downtown are also all from UPUA, so is alternative grading, the white loop bus is as well. The
last thing is the commitment, general assembly is at 7 pm sharp, at the hub. It has a maximum of
3 hours; rarely do we go over. If you are not attending that meeting you can’t vote on that
legislation, but please reach out to let us know. Committee meetings you have to attend and be a
part of one. Tabling events, where you might be asked to sign up for a shift; it isn’t as fun when
you first sign up, but once you are there it is great! You get to meet people, talk about what you
do and give advice and answer questions. They know we are the student government and that we
can have the answer or know who to direct them to. Link and resources- these are all you need in
one location, and I will be updating this. Does anyone have any questions?
Najee Rodriguez: assembly etiquette- in case you all didn’t know already, this guide is attached
all the events that we have specially these meetings, so when you see this, please open it up. At
first it may be overwhelming, but you will get the gist of it all. Our goal here, is to help everyone
understand how we can be successful. So, I consulted with all the past VPs and how can we
handle a general assembly meeting. Some fast facts, we get here at 7, get here a little earlier, be
punctual, we want to aim to be completed at 10 pm, so you can all get sleep. It is vital that we
follow these guidelines. The first meeting of our assembly is known as the initial meeting,
quorum is very important, we need this because if we do not have 50% plus 1, we cannot have
this, and it becomes difficult, and we cannot transact business. If you ever here point of proceed,
what is quorum, we need to check the numbers because if we have elections and we do not have
these numbers it becomes very difficult. This is extremely not recommended., there is the
opportunity to extend time, it is not recommended, but when we need to get things done in time
sensitive matter it may happen. Why is the vp chairing this meeting, in our constitution and a lot
of student govs. The vp is given this role, I do have some floor privileges, like casting certain
votes, I cannot do. Veto. I do have authority over the conduct of the meeting. If you know me, I
am not a mean individual, however when it comes to the effectiveness of getting this meeting
done by 10, we have to start being firm, we have a deadline, if there is disrespectful behavior, I
will call it out, it’s how I have to be, it’s not personal it’s so we can get through, no one wants to

3. be here longer than they have to be. I also have to be fair, there’s checks and balances in all the
rules, I will get the general vibe of what the assembly comes from and that’s where I’ll go with
rit. When we talk about reasonable conduct, you will always standup and address the chair, you
will not direct a representative or get aggressive with them, but I cannot allow things to get
heated, I will shut that down, we have to be civilized and that that comes across. Together we
can be very productive and friendly and professional. I have the ability to speak on rare occasion
and suggest motions, add a reminder of one. Modern rules of order- this is a 30-page book that I
read, so we can condense the essential informal that you need to know on how we operate and
move through business. Its parliamentary rules, its basic framework for how we work, we moved
from Roberts rules to these in the 14th assembly. All motions must be 2nd personal incentive and
inappropriate language will not be accepted; it will be ruled out of order. It does not need to get
to that point, but I do have to be firm on that. I highly encourage to read these modern rules of
order. Point of privilege- there a power outage- can you turn the power on, no, you can’t the
power is out- it’s okay to ask questions- we all have questions. Motion to appeal, this happens
specifically with one of the resolutions in the past, I regret that I prematurely closed a debate
when there was a more discuss, you do have the ability to debate that, and motion to recess a
meeting, it is a break, it can be debated for ex. We are in the middle of 6 hr election meeting,
and then we recess the meeting to allow people to move cars so they don’t get ticketed, but one
person can say something and try and rebut this. If there is a lack of information in something
and you notice that, and think there needs to be more to it, you can motion to postpone that, and
bring that up and have it taken care of. Motion to amend- if there is a grammatical error, or
debate and realize we can compromise- you go on the form, which is at the bottom of speaker
gibbards email, submit it, and we will go about it from there. Motion to limit and close debate- if
you think things are getting repeated, I won’t call it out, we may suggest moving on or bringing
up new points it is closely regulated. Motion to recount. The vote- if I cannot get a clear reading
on resolutions, which are done by vocal vote- if I cannot dictate which one is stronger than the
other- someone or I can ask for it. Motion to pass by unanimous consensus- we do not have to go
through a form, it needs a second, and cannot have the slightest disagreement. You are given
speaking privileges. In order to be recognized, you are sitting, you must pop up and I make eye
contact with you, we record your name on the piece of paper, and we go in that order- you will
get a nod when I make eye contact with you and that’s how you will know you were
acknowledged. When you stand up, you say your name and your position- always remember that
these should be the objectives, everyone’s points should be conveyed. Open forum you have the
use of the floor for 5 minutes and up to discretion to the chair as well. Chairs will probably never
exceed 10 minutes; caucus breakouts are usually 5 minutes unless there is some rare
circumstance. In discussion you cannot speak more than 2 times unless someone yields you time.
These are really good expectation to keep in mind. General etiquette- if someone is speaking to
do not engage inside conversation, be respectful, for special presentation please have questions,
they really want to hear that- they are taking time out of their day to explain something they
love- lets show them how much we are interested and engaged in it. Some come prepared with
questions. It’s important for all of you to listen and learn. Pleas utilize abstaining for only
conflicts of interests. For instance, speaker gibbard could not vote because of her internship with
J&J, so do not abstain because you think it is controversial, save it for when you really need it.
You do have the ability to say pass and take some more time to think when secretary campos
calls your name. this covers most of everything, are there any general questions? This guide is

4. here and attached to every calendar invite. We will now move into open student forum. Seeing
no students, we will now hear a report form president boas.
Erin Boas: hi, welcome back to campus, I hope you are exploring campus again, thank you for
those who signed up for the involvement fair, let’s keep bringing the great energy, and thanks for
those who signed up for the vax-now table sheet. The tabling is set out until tmrw- but we are
looking to expand it- more information to come. We are looking to expand our social media
soon. T-shirts are coming in so look for that. We are going to keep continuing to update all the
links to come. The college OF HHD is looking to expand vaccination- so if you are an academic
rep reach out to me so we can look into working into our specific colleges. The website will be
released this week, any other information will be released through the email later this week. If
you have questions, please let me know. I know we are all excited to be back on campus, I know
that every semester comes with challenges and this one more than usual, but I am here for you al
at all times and so is everyone in this room. Please get to know each other and have a great
semester,
Najee Rodriguez: are there any questions, seeing none we will move into my report. I wanted to
state something really quick- Sydney gibbard is going to add line-item A our test resolution. Our
wellness fund is about to be released- they are asking for an initial cost of 10,000 this is paying
for all those that need coverage, this helps those who are out of state in addition who may not
have health aide that covers in PA. this is very exciting, we are in a dispute with student aid,
because they are consider it to be aid, but it’s not, so I will keep you updated on that. Penn state
has applied, EBT situation, they have made a USDA application, to establish a EBT system
there, they cannot be used for hot and ready meals, but for groceries. This is really important for
students who may be more insecure of it at east- those are the major projects we are undertaking.
I’m really excited about the website launch and PR team, we are collegiate student government
not federal, our mainstream is social media. This concludes my report
Lakyn meeder: when the wellness fund goes into action, for students to use it, do they have to
know or will it be an automatic thing
Najee Rodrigue: they will have a lunch marketing campaign, so when it does occur, all they have
to do is call a number or manager, and they will hear from a case manager. The goal is to get the
student the immediate medical assistance they need and have this very comprehensive support.
After they utilize this, the goal is to help them enroll in PA healthcare access funds. We are
compiling a report, where we were given a testimonial, it is heartbreaking because it us
impacting hundreds of students, it will be included in the appendix in more detail. There will be
information on the various websites providing the students with the information they need.
Nelson- you mentioned a new item to the agenda, a resolution, where will it be?
Najee Rodriguez- it is just going to be a google form, so we can test this style as we are trying to
go digital. Seeing no questions. If you are a Liaison affiliate and have any reports please stand.

5. Sean Terrey- moving on executive team, we are excited to have lights up on Saturday night it
starts at 5, Jeremy will be there starting at 9, not sure if this will count as an external event. We
have really been trying to incorporate safety measures for this event to get people to come.
Najee Rodriguez: seeing no other liaison or affiliate reports, we will now move into a caucus
report. We will now move into line-item A resolution 007 Starbucks vs. dunkin; I am suspending
to add line-item A.
Speaker gibbard- I am bringing forth this resolution to you all because I am having an internal
debate. I love dunkin coffee, but I like the Starbucks refreshers and I love their mobile app and
friendliness, so I am opening it up for debate. If anyone wants to bring up points of debate or
discussion, please do so. We are pretending this is real.
Najee Rodriguez- any questions
Steven zhang: why
Sydney gibbard: I am a big fan of the low sugar because I drink a lot of caffeine, and any chance
I can lower the amount of sugar would be great. By adding this to the student body, it will really
educate them as well.
Ryan loscalzo- this piece of legislation is titled Starbucks vs. dunkin but the legislation does not
mention this at all.
Sydney gibbard: I chose to promote start bucks instead of demoting dunkin.
Jordan diebler- in terms of low sugar, high caffeine alternatives wouldn’t bang be better
Sydney gibbard- I never tried it, but feel free to educate me, but if I have to keep my choices at
Starbucks and dunkin the bang doesn’t really stand.
Nelson- are we allowed to speak more than once
Najee Rodriguez- yes you can, you can say point of inquiry. Any other questions. No, we will
move into discussion.
Loscalzo- I would like to amend this, saying the upua resolves to make Starbucks the official
coffee est. of the upua.
Najee Rodriguez- is there. A second. We will now move into discussion.
Nelson- this would be better if we state why Starbucks is better than dunkin, Starbucks uses
higher quality ingredients, and is more invested in education.
Loscalzo- I would agree but would hope that the representative make this official with official
wording.

6. Najee Rodriguez- that was the perfect opportunity to utilize that
Cara fliegel- I would like to remove environmentally friendly- as no Starbucks cups are
recyclable
Loscalzo- I do not believe this is accurate
Cara fliegel- the plastic cups are not recyclable
Najee Rodriguez- will you accept that as friendly-
Loscalzo- yes
Najee Rodriguez- we will now move into regular discussion. If you asked me this s a few months
ago it would be a simple answer. But now, I’ve been going to the drive through and every time I
ask for my drink, they are always out of hat I need. For this reason, I will not be able to vote to
pass this.
Jordan diebler- point of procedure- do I have 5 minutes to speak
Najee Rodriguez- no you have 2.
Jordan diebler- these 2 brands are about coffee- Starbucks makes it through an actual process,
they actually roast, it. There is no reason to choose dunkin over Starbucks.
Laykn meeder- I joined upua to better the lives of students at penn. So, for this reason the only
option is Starbucks, Starbucks offers health coverage, stock owners, paid time off, and full paid
tuition at. Arizona state university, and other very beneficial benefits. Thus, I support this
resolution
Steven zhang- I like dunkin, because of their cream cheese bagel, and I don’t go to asu.
Najee Rodriguez- we are now on discussion of the amendment.
Hope steeger- I am in full support, I do not have 5-7 dollars to spend on coffee, but I do have 2-3
dollars to spend on dunkin, and being someone who drinks 2-3 cups a day, I am in support of
dunkin.
Carter gangl- as student representatives it is our job to represent our students, Starbucks has the
best representation for the lgbtq community.
Lakyn meeder- it does change the nature of this, it says I Sydney gibbard
Najee Rodriguez- given that statement we will continue

7. Sydney gibbard- I am opposed to this amendment because there is a point brought up about cost,
and the point about the higher products of Starbucks does go towards their benefit, so I am
willing to okay an extra dollar in order for it to go there.
Steven zhang- the cream cheese quality at Starbucks isn’t equal to that of dunkin. And I am
diverse and go to dunkin.
Najee Rodriguez- all those in favors of adopting this amendment. Please raise your hand. All
those against please raise you had. The amendment fails.
Ryan loscalzo- point of procedure don’t you have to count for abstentions.
Najee Rodriguez- back to discussion
Hope steeger- with the recent outages of every product they have, I don’t have time to wait in
line to figure out what I want to drink because they are out of everything on their menu. So, I
have never gone to dunkin and ask for a mocha iced coffee, I have never been denied. Between
that, the lower cost, and the speediness, there is no reason to support Starbucks.
Cara fleigel- I would like to point out the quality of Starbucks cream cheese
Matthew DeAngelis- Starbucks food has no taste, and if you taste something you are wrong
Jeannelle Loiseau - this mentions caffeine not coffee. I drink redbulls, and it gives me wings,
whereas dunlin gives me the runs. You can buy a redbull pack for $20 and buy many at once.
Ryan loscalzo- I would like to bring out that I was a previous employee of the Starbucks on
campus, they have a great relationship with the employees, and they have one the best part time
paying jobs on campus. I would also like to mention n how the upua has gone to the Starbucks
on campus during coffee for finals to provide. And thus, I think this is why they should be our
official coffee establishment.
Lakyn meeder- I would like to bring to the establishment that dunkin closes at 2, Starbucks does
not. According to tiktok traced amount of cocaine can be found in redbull.
Annemarie- rounds Sorenson- I motion to close discussion; it seems to be repetitive.
Najee Rodriguez- seeing overwhelming agreement, we will move into a vote.
Sydney gibbard- I do have stars on my phone
Annemarie rounds-Sorensen- there is a mobile app for dunkin
Najee Rodriguez- debate is closed, please vote in the best way possible, please abstain if you
have worked for one of these companies.

8. Ryan loscalzo- I used to work for Starbucks, is that a conflict of interest
Najee Rodriguez- no because used to- Starbucks vs. dunkin passes with vote of 20-13-2. We will
now hear a report from chief justice zaia
Jordan zaia- we will have our first in person meeting at 6 at the hub- the clerk position is open.
Najee Rodriguez- any questions, we will move to executive reports.
Sarah Jordan- hello, I have so much thanks for everyone who helped at the involvement fair. I
need help, I have class and cannot set up for the fair at 10:30, please if you can that would be
amazing, shoot me text, all the information is in the office. Someone will be there at all times,
but the more the merrier, it’s so fun to talk to people and try and get people to join. Its. A half
hour of your time if you can. We will be in the hub next week, if you need help, please let me
know. Say hi to our exec branch some of them are here. First cabinet on Sunday. They are. Great
asset! If you do need a graphic made, please look at the form I made, to request one a few days
in advance.
Najee Rodriguez- any questions, seeing none, we will move to co-exec directors of first year
council
Dan risser- if you haven’t seen already on our social medias, the official application is live, the
qr code is there, so please spread the word. This will help us get an incredibly diverse and
recruitment throughout the campus. We have hundreds of people interested at the involvement
fair today. We have 8 already!!
Najee Rodriguez- are there any other exec reports. Seeing none we will hear a report from the
speaker
Sydney gibbard- one, the policy working groups, please come to office hours to talk about
anything- the first one is at 9am in the office. The other is that I am very excited to do a relax
with a rep thing, it is informal, I will send a spread sheet, you can add events that you want to do,
and we can go outside and do things super chill, so put that in there. This will be a really great
way to get involved and get to know each other since we were able to do that for a while.
Najee Rodriguez- any questions? Seeing none, we will now hear comments from the chairs
Richardson- good to see everyone, first, it’s really important to make connections with your
deans and other members of your academic college and student council. Faculty senate is going
got start picking up, you will see this in an email. Committee- big part of what we do, first
meeting is going to be on Monday, hope to see you there.
Cara fiegel- I do not have anything tonight, if you have any questions, please let me know.

9. Lakyn meeder- gov affairs committee will be meeting next Thursday, and we will be having a
presentation with college pads, please come to that with questions. There will be a tutorial on
software. Please sign on for a 2 on one.
Aarthi kallur- some of you said I did not read my email J&E will be meeting next Friday, please
let km know if you cannot make it. I am looking for new vice chairs, please reach out to me. I
really need one!
Samantha Browne- student life will be meeting 4:30 Mondays at the hub, I am so excited, we
will be going over initiative assignments, goal setting, and expectations. There is a list of who’s
in committee please reach out to them.
Najee Rodriguez- we will now move into comments to the good of the order. But first I want to
mention- for abstentions, please mention in that in comments or point of inquiry…. When there’s
questions of complex…. I want to encourage the use of the VP guide for all of you, I’m really
lenient from motions from Roberts, but if we could include those from modern rules that would
be better. When we are in a meeting, what I advise against is laughing and clapping, I know it
might be harsh, but I have to maintain it. Please note, that I will be stoic I cannot react.
Abstentions will be remembered.
Nelson- I’m leading the covid committee and we are looking for members, I have designed
positions that are low commitment, but we have many roles that I would like to fill, please
contact me.
Ryan loscalzo- lion pride meeting tomorrow at 7, and involvement fair please come! I am trying
to also do a gender-neutral housing initiative.
Sydney gibbard- reminder, when VP Rodriguez adjourns a meeting, we will be doing a little
walk to the hub after this so you can see where we are going and how the room is going to be set
up etc.
Anne-Marie rounds Sorenson- college democrats meeting is meeting tomorrow, we will be
registering people to vote
Lakyn meeder- this summer I worked for the opts of the president, when I was a rep last year, I
struggled figuring out some of the issues, but the colleges all have lists of things they want to do
on their website, so read their strategic plans on their website
Ryan loscalzo- I’m going to Starbucks if anyone wants to come.
Lewis Richardson- I’m just trying to meet people so please feel free too.
Morgan- I have been working on a resolution which is trying to equate people of sexual violence
etc. here on campus so please reach out if you have any questions or inquiry.
Jeannelle Loiseau - next week is black caucus welcome week, we have a week full of events.

10. Sean Terrey- there are auditions for little women, so please spread the word, there is more
information on Facebook.
Najee Rodriguez- seeing no more questions, I want to say- that for electronic rules- unless we are
voting I ask laptops are closed and phones away. Whenever you are speaking, name and
constituency. And when you are speaking address the chair. Next week I am excited to see
everyone, with that we will move into closing role. This meeting is adjourned.