UA annual report 47th session

Annual Report
47th Session
2019-2020

The Undergraduate Assembly (UA) is
the elected, representative branch of
Penn Student Government, charged with
improving life for all students through
lobbying, representation, togetherness,
services, and funding.

Table of Contents
Purpose 2
Letter from the President 4
Vice President’s Report 6
Speaker’s Report 9
Treasurer’s Report 11
Secretary’s Report 14
Academic Initiatives 17
Community Engagement and Sustainability 22
Dining, Housing, and Transit 25
Equity and Inclusion 29
Student and Campus Life 34
Communications Report 40
Cabinet Administrator Meetings 43
UA Special Projects 46
UA Events 48
UA Member Directory 52
UA Steering Directory 54
UA External Seat Directory 56
COVID-19 Response 57

The purpose of this report is to hold the
Undergraduate Assembly accountable to the
student body and to the promises that we as
an organization make in furthering our goals.
We are committed to working to improve the
student experience at Penn, and we welcome
any and all feedback that students wish to
provide.
2 | Purpose
Purpose

Executive Reports
Executive Reports | 3
exec@pennua.org
The UA Executive Board is charged by the UA
Constitution with setting UA meeting agendas
and discussing internal and external issues
related to the UA. It has the right to invite
anyone to meetings and may establish
charges for the UA as a whole.

Letter from the President
Natasha Menon C20
president@pennua.org
Dear Penn Community,
I am humbled and honored to have served as President of the 47th Session of the Undergraduate
Assembly. Last Spring, Brian and I decided to run together because we both are dedicated to creat-
ing tangible change on campus and advocating for a better Penn for all. I am grateful to be able to
share with you all a report of our progress toward that goal.
The Undergraduate Assembly is the elected, legislative branch of Penn Student Government
whose job it is to represent, lobby for, and provide services and funding to the undergraduate stu-
dent body. This year, our 47th Session, we worked to ensure the voices of the student body were
being elevated to the highest administrative levels. Internally, we introduced the Project Report,
which allowed members to provide in-depth analyses of the issue they were addressing and gather
student opinions on potential solutions (p. 46). We also forged new partnerships with administra-
tive offices, as our UA Cabinet met with the Center for Teaching and Learning, as well as Penn First
Plus for the first time.
The platform that Brian and I ran on was built on five pillars:
Transparency: Improving communication between the student body, Penn administration, and
the Undergraduate Assembly
Inclusivity: Empowering marginalized groups by advocating for equitable resources and in-
creased funding
Accessibility: Promoting access to and increasing the visibility of current resources on campus
Wellness: Alleviating stressors across Penn’s campus by supporting student and administrative
wellness resources
Academics: Improving the academic landscape of Penn by strengthening university support sys-
tems
With the work of the UA members alongside whom we served, we were able to make great strides
toward advancing those themes. Some highlights of project work include working with administra-
tors to ensure Undergraduate School Chairs engaged in inclusive classroom workshops (p. 44), dis-
tributing free menstrual products in academic buildings (p. 31), creating a guide that facilitates the
use of tutoring services (p. 36), advocating to push back the pass/fail deadline (p. 62), and more.
Looking outward, it was crucial to this Session’s success to be able to publicize the work that we
were doing on the student body’s behalf. To reach out to the Penn community, we tabled on
Locust Walk throughout the year with Steering groups (p. 6), consistently publicized our online
suggestion box, and co-hosted a Town Hall with the 6B (p. 49), a coalition of minority umbrella or-
ganizations. We published a Mid-Session report at the conclusion of the Fall Semester, and we are
proud to present this Annual Report to hold ourselves accountable to the promises that we make to
the student body in elections and throughout the year.
4 | Letter from the President

Letter from the President | 5
Over the course of this session, we observed and took part in a great deal of change, reacting and re-
sponding to administrative decisions, world events, and the needs of the student body. The greatest
obstacle we faced, however, was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The session ended abruptly
in March as the University decided that a transition to virtual learning was necessary to reduce the
spread of the disease and to protect the student body’s health. There was a subset of members of
the Undergraduate Assembly that were willing and able to mobilize in response to this crisis. This
ad-hoc committee recognized the severity and unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 outbreak
facing the University and world and how it had significantly altered the normal state of operations
at Penn. In a matter of days, the committee had sent out a survey to gather student feedback on the
significant policy changes the administration had announced, and produced a detailed report that
was presented to President Gutmann and Provost Pritchett (p. 58). The work of these members is
awe-inspiring, and their fortitude in this time of adversity exemplifies what the UA is all about.
While many of the projects described here in this Annual Report culminate in forward-looking
action, I would like to celebrate the progress that our members have made on advancing issues
that are impactful and often difficult to tackle on behalf of the student body. Whether
communicating resources, advocating for policy change, or providing services to students, each
hour of effort contributes to a larger goal. Our work is advanced by our partners in Penn Student
Government, UA Steering groups, and Penn administrators across the University. However, noth-
ing would be possible without all of you, the student body of the University of Pennsylvania, and
the support and engagement that you provide.
As I reflect on my year as President, I feel a great sense of pride in the work that the members of this
organization have accomplished. Our work is far from finished, as we are always striving to make
campus a more welcoming and inclusive place for our peers, but I firmly believe that what we do is
important and will provide for a better Penn for generations to come. Thank you to our advisors,
UA Executive Board, UA Cabinet, and everyone who made this session possible. I am confidently
leaving the Undergraduate Assembly in the hands of capable leaders, and I look forward to excep-
tional progress in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Natasha Menon
UA President 2019-2020
Natasha Menon C20
President
Brian Goldstein C20
Vice President
Jude Dartey C21
Speaker
Kevin Zhou C21
Treasurer
Dante Diggs W22
Secretary

Vice President’s Report
Brian Goldstein C20
vp@pennua.org
The UA is chartered to represent the voices of students and student groups to the
administration and by virtue, build a bridge between these entities. It is the responsibility of
the Vice President to serve as an advocate in addressing the concerns facing student groups on
campus as well as facilitating collaboration between these diverse groups. The Vice President
aims to accomplish these charges through chairing UA Steering and leading the undergraduate
delegation at University Council.
UA Steering
UA Steering consists of about forty of the largest student umbrella organizations on campus. This
coalition collaboratively represents almost all of the extracurricular involvements of undergrad-
uates at Penn, including student government, minority coalition groups, performing arts, policy/
advocacy groups, religious life, athletics, and health and wellness. UA Steering has three major
objectives: advocacy, administration, and action. It helps steer the agenda of the UA by bring-
ing up the concerns that face various constituencies. Steering also serves as a forum for student
leaders to voice their concerns directly to administrators who are invited to UA Steering. Finally,
it serves as a space which fosters collaboration between organizations working to address similar
issues.
This year, UA Steering met bi-weekly to discuss some of the most pressing issues on campus at
the time. This year we discussed the following issues: academic policy, faculty sensitivity, mental
wellness, and sexual assault awareness. We also invited various administrators to speak with us
to open a dialogue about these important topics. These administrators included: Provost Wendell
Pritchett, Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé, and Vice Provost for Education Beth Winklestein.
UA Steering was unfortunately cut short in the Spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The chief
priorities for Steering were advocacy, awareness, and action.
Advocacy: UA Steering allowed for members to advocate for their constituent concerns directly
to the administration through frequent meetings with administrators and passage of a UA Steer-
ing resolution. Throughout the Fall semester Steering members had the opportunity to ask ques-
tions directly to high-level administrators about current and future university policy. UA Steering
members also discussed and voted to support a UA resolution regarding faculty inclusion and
sensitivity.
Awareness: In order to increase communication between UA Steering members, UA members
and the student body, we developed two new programs; UA Steering Tabling on Locust Walk and
UA Steering Spotlight Series. Tabling on Locust walk allowed for UA Steering members and UA
members to work together to garner suggestions and feedback from the student body. This was a
huge success as not only did we receive hundreds of suggestions from the student body, but also
UA members and UA Steering members were able to learn more about the main initiatives of each
person’s work. The UA Steering Spotlight Series served as a way to bring UA Steering members
directly to UA members. Each week a different UA Steering member was invited to present their
organization’s main focus initiatives at our weekly UA general body meetings.
6 | Vice President’s Report

Vice President’s Report | 7
This allowed for UA members to learn more about these organizations’ concerns and find ways to
assist them. For instance, the UA Steering member from the Transfer Student Organization par-
ticipated in the UA Spotlight Series and received support from five members of the UA.
Action: In order to ensure that UA Steering resulted in tangible change for the university, each
group was added to a specific Advocacy Team. Advocacy Teams worked to create a smaller com-
munity within the large meeting where similar groups could learn about the initiatives and con-
cerns of other organizations. Advocacy Teams met during each UA Steering meeting to discuss
updates from their groups and provide feedback on UA projects. Each team also used Trello, a
project management platform, to keep track of their initiatives and work offline. The Advocacy
Teams paralleled the UA committees and were led by the respective UA Committee Director.
UA Steering & UA Member Collaborative Meeting
This year we held the first ever UA Steering & UA Member Collaborative Meeting. The main goal
of this meeting was to allow UA members and UA Steering members to develop connections and
better understand each other’s work. This meeting allowed for UA members to get valuable feed-
back on their projects from the relevant communities. It also allowed for UA Steering members to
voice their groups’ concerns directly to UA members and receive support.
University Council
University Council is the highest deliberative body at Penn and serves as a forum for students,
faculty, and staff to raise concerns and advise the senior administration regarding the current
state of affairs of the University. The undergraduate delegation has 16 seats on the Council.
This year’s mis- and/or underrepresented student group seat holders were:
Kai Song - Asian Pacific Student Coalition
Justine de Jesus - Assembly of International Students
Briar Essex - Consent Collaborative
Blake Rubenstein - Lambda Alliance
Frances Paulino - Latinx Coalition
Aisha Irshad - Muslim Students Association
Amanpreet Singh - Penn Association for Gender Equity
Sebastian Gonzalez - Penn First
Kathleen Givan - Penn Wellness
Anne Lally - Transfer Student Organization
Hadja Diallo - UMOJA
These eleven delegates along with the delegate from the United Minorities Council, Shriya Bees-
am, and four UA delegates who represent the UA Presidency, UA Vice Presidency, UA Speaker-
ship, and the fourth undergraduate school constitute the undergraduate delegation. Some of the
issues raised by the undergraduate delegation included: sexual assault awareness and prevention,
faculty sensitivity and diversity, support for immigrants and Latins students and Penn’s response
to climate change. The undergraduate delegation met before each University Council meeting to
discuss the focus issue of the meeting, the agenda items, and statements that would be presented
at the meeting. As a result, the undergraduate delegation did an impressive job of representing
the voice of their groups and the student body by responding quickly to meeting presentations
and open forum topics. The efficiency and accountability of our delegation would not have been
possible without the tremendous support and coordinating efforts from Urooba Abid and Omar
Bakri who served as Vice-Chairs of Nominations on the Nominations and Election Committee

8 | Vice President’s Report
(NEC). This year a new initiative was started in which undergraduate council members prepared
reports with their major initiatives to present to the administration during University Council.
This initiative was unfortunately cut short as the Spring University Council meetings were can-
celled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UA Steering, 2019-2020

Speaker’s Report
Jude Dartey C21
speaker@pennua.org
My goal for the 47th Session centered around three core ideas. Rebranding, efficiency and effec-
tiveness, and community building.
Rebranding
Rebranding was an effort to focus on aspects of the UA that were altered in order to help the body
do its best work in addressing student needs.
Cabinet Meetings: UA Cabinet meetings were filled with a lot of brainstorming this ses-
sion. With this meeting being composed of all of the UA’s internal leaders, most of the time
was spent discussing different ways the UA could accomplish its agenda and strict self assess-
ments on the actual effectiveness of the UA.
Associate Membership: The UA rebranded itself this year by taking a new approach to
attracting and retaining Associate Members (AMs). 15 members of the general student body
were invited to serve as AMs. They witnessed an increase in privileges like being able to at-
tend UA retreat and also having an expansion in rights to hold internal leadership positions.
Finances: I worked with the UA Treasurer to create a systematic way to report the UA’s
internal revenue to the rest of the UA body and to members of the public. This helps keep a
sense of accountability and allows us to vet ourselves for our annual budget season.
Efficiency and Effectiveness
My second goal as Speaker was to not only find ways in which the UA could be efficient but also
finding avenues to be effective as well.
GBM Time: The UA moved the time it holds its General Body Meetings from 9pm on Sun-
days to 8pm on Sundays. This was in an attempt to ensure that our meetings conclude at a
reasonable time during the night.
Meetings: The change in GBM time was also accompanied by meetings that remained under
2 hours for the entire session. This was achieved through a strict adherence to Robert’s Rules.
Community Building
The social atmosphere of the UA was particularly important to me so I aimed to create an atmo-
sphere of inclusivity for all members.
Diversity Retreat: The UA participated in the annual Diversity Retreat held by the NEC.
At this retreat, members were encouraged to be aware of their own privileges as well as being
conscious of implicit biases in large group settings. The training created awareness for all of
its participants and the UA looks forward to being involved with the NEC’s Diversity Retreat
in future years.
Restorative Justice: UA members showed their sense of maturity by being involved in a
restorative justice opportunity. In this conflict resolution setting, members of the body were
able to air their thoughts about certain issues and work together collectively to come up with
tangible solutions to deal with the problems that were being discussed.
Social Committee: A social committee was created this session to plan social events to
bring members of the body together. The committee created a sense of cohesiveness in the
UA by putting on events like a group excursion to the Morris Arboretum and Movie Night.
Speaker’s Report | 9

10 | Speaker’s Report
Changes to UA Bylaws
Bylaw Amendment Concerning Cabinet Members
This amendment gives Associate Members the opportunity to represent the UA on a universi-
ty-wide committee or board and apply for the appointment to the role of UA Committee Director
and UA Communications Director at the discretion of the UA Executive.
Bylaw Amendment Concerning the Use of UA Revenue
This amendment details how revenue gained from the UA’s Airport Shuttles service will be used.
It gives a portion of the money to the UA’s internal revenue and outlines the process by which all
leftover money is reinvested back into the student body.
Bylaw Amendment to the Anti-Violence Statement
This amendment states that the UA will not tolerate any discriminatory actions, practices, or
language (e.g. slurs) regarding an individual’s gender, race, sexuality, religion, immigrant status,
or identity from any of its members. Engaging in such behaviors are grounds for removal from the
body.
Resolutions Passed by the UA’s 46th Session
Resolution on the Termination of University Relations with Amy Wax
This resolution demands that the University terminate Professor Amy Wax’s tenured status and
any other affiliations with the University. It also asks for an explanation for the lack of any sanc-
tion for Professor Amy Wax’s continued violation of the University’s standards, rules, and mis-
sion. In addition to the first two parts the resolution asks for supporting faculty with resources to
improve their pedagogical practices with regards to students’ diverse backgrounds and identities.
Lastly, it urges the University to ensure future faculty hires embody the values of the University.
UA Retreat at Chamounix Mansion, October 2019

Treasurer’s Report
Kevin Zhou C21
treasurer@pennua.org
Budget Committee:
Elena Hoffman C20 (elenaho@sas.upenn.edu)
Tori Borlase C22 (tborlase@sas.upenn.edu)
The role of the UA Treasurer is to act as the chief financial officer of the University’s activities
fund that is derived from the General Fee. In addition, the UA Treasurer serves on the Student
Activities Council (SAC) to ensure the efficient allocation of student funds. The UA Treasurer is
the resident expert on University funding for student groups, as well as the representative to
various funding boards across campus.
2020-2021 UA Annual Budget
This year, the UA allocated $2,758,118.28, which was a 4.0% increase from last academic year’s
allocation. The following chart is a breakdown of the budget:
Treasurer’s Report | 11

12 | Treasurer’s Report
Funding Sustainability of Senior Class Events (Feb Club)
Feb Club has always been funded through a combination of UA allocation and Class Board’s own
fundraising efforts. However, its current format as a month-long tradition makes it difficult for Class
Board to meet their long-standing priorities of inclusivity and affordability. Instead of spreading its
budget too thin by hosting many small scale and non-inclusive events (with a typical capacity of less
than 100 people), future Senior Class Boards should focus on hosting bigger events with greater
capacity and expanding financial aid and other accommodative measures to ensure the participa-
tion of students of all backgrounds. As it would be financially irresponsible and unsustainable for
the University to sponsor a tradition with more than a one hundred thousand dollar budget, it is
imperative that future Senior Class Boards balance their competing goals of scale and inclusivity/
affordability.
Expanded SAC Funding Guidelines for On-Campus Facilities
In an effort to mitigate the fundraising pressure on student groups to meet the ever-increasing
facilities and security costs on campus, the UA Budget Committee has collaborated with the SAC
Exec Board to expand the SAC Funding Guidelines and fund on-campus conferences. The updated
language is of the following:
Beginning in 2020-2021, SAC will fund facilities costs only for on-campus conferences up to a cap
of $2500, under these conditions:
• These funds will only be allocated during the Spring Budget and Allocations process.
• Conferences must have occurred at Penn for 2 of the last 3 years, with documentation from the
Office of Student Affairs if requested.
• Each group may hold a maximum of one conference that this funding will go towards.
Other initiatives as ongoing as there are still confusions regarding the exact facilities costs at the
earlier stages of space reservation from Perelman Quadrangle (e.g., undeclared costs revealed later
on during the reservation process). UA will continue to work with Perelman in hope to generate a
spreadsheet of exact facilities costs of various spaces on campus.
Increased Transparency to UA Internal Finances
This year, the Treasurer and the Speaker have collaborated closely in order to ensure clarity and
transparency in regards to UA internal finances, especially through better accounting practices
as well as a bylaw amendment giving the UA body institutional oversight over the use of Airport
Shuttle Revenues. Internal spendings are now well documented and available for inspection and
the use of future Airport Shuttle Revenues will be proposed by the Speaker and confirmed by the
body through a vote.
Increased Transparency on the SAC Reserve Fund
In light of the continuous build-up of the SAC Reserve Fund, a fund that houses all unused UA allo-
cations from the previous academic years, the UA Budget Committee has established an agreement
with OSA staff to ensure student input to the management and allocation of these unused funds.
The UA shall check in with OSA at the beginning of each UA session to receive an update on the SAC
Reserve Fund and determine any potential allocation if possible.
Expanded UA Contingency Guidelines
In recognizing the importance of food to student programming on campus, especially for groups
of cultural backgrounds and underrepresented interests, the UA Budget Committee has decided to

Treasurer’s Report | 13
expand the UA Contingency Guidelines to fund limited food expenditures. The exact language is
of the following:
Food costs – the Budget Committee will typically refrain from funding food expenditures, unless
such expenditures are crucial for the success of the event (i.e. cultural cuisine) or would support
underrepresented student interests on campus.
• We also operate with a general rule of $5 per head for all food expenditures.
UA Funding Guide Revamp
In order to reduce the steep learning curve for students who want to familiarize themselves with
the funding system on campus, the UA Budget Committee has decided to update the current UA
Funding Guide. The new guide is set to consist of more specific details for each funding board, such
as constituency requirement, expenditure type eligibility, funding process, and etc. This initiative
is set to be completed by fall of 2020.
Contingency Requests
Date Group Event Name Granted
9/28 Hindu Jain Association Navrati Garba $425.10
10/24 Alpha Delta Pi Mental Health & Suicide Prevention
Spea er: Emily Torchiana
$1,375.00
10/27 Hindu Jain Association Diwali $600.00
10/31 AfroLatinx at Penn Black Latinas Know: A Conversation with
Dr. Shantee Rosado
$100.00
11/9 Penn Ivy Council Ivy Leadership Summit $441.48
12/8 Black Student League (BSL) Faces of Black Penn Launch Pary $2,000.00
10/31 Muslim Student Association Cultural Lounge $300.00
11/22 Chinese Student Association Annual Cultural Show $440.00
12/8 Lambda Theta Alpha and
Latinx Coalition
La Luna Ball 2019 $979.56
11/15 Caribbean American Stu-
dent Association (CASA) &
Natives at Penn (NAP)
Kutural Shock $50.00
12/7 Caribbean American
Student Association (CASA)
Dinner with Carribean Professionals $375.00
12/7 Orthordox Community at
Penn
Banquet $2,750.00
1/19 Penn African Student
Association
Election GBM $275.00
2/22 BARS Conference: Breaking Chains, Building Co-
alitions: Diversifying the Face of Criminal
Justice Reform
$772.00
2/22 Latinx Coalition Festival Latinx $2,147.68
2/23 Penn Raas Penn Raas Show $2,665.00

Secretary’s Report
Dante Diggs W22
secretary@pennua.org
The UA Secretary is the manager of UA administrative business and services. Their role is to
keep track of UA meetings by taking attendance and minutes, acting as a liaison to Penn Labs,
and overseeing services such as Fall and Spring Airport Shuttles, Legal Services, and more.
UA Airport Shuttles’ Committee
Carson Sheumaker C23 (csheu@wharton.upenn.edu)
Sachit Gali W23 (sachit@sas.upenn.edu)
Jonah Schenk C23 (jrschenk@sas.upenn.edu)
In continued tradition, the UA partnered with Penn Transit to provide shuttles for students trav-
eling to the airport over Thanksgiving and Spring break. The shuttles operated for two days before
each break. In the Fall, the UA was able to provide 682 students transportation to the airport, and
in the Spring, the UA provided this service to 445 students. The airport shuttles committee cre-
ated flyers with QR codes and distributed them on locust and implemented the use of Facebook
profile frames in addition to traditional advertising techniques.
14 | Secretary’s Report

Secretary’s Report | 15
Legal Services
Coordinator: Edward Jiang C21 (legal@pennua.org)
The UA, in partnership with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA), pro-
vides general legal services for Penn students. This academic year, the UA has received a total of
11 requests from Penn students. Of these 11, were 4 requests from undergraduate students and 7
requests from graduate students. Among both undergraduates and graduate students, many of
these issues were related to leasing and housing.
Penn Labs
Fall Directors:
Davis Haupt (dhaupt@seas.upenn.edu)
Valencia Fu (vfu@sas.upenn.edu)
Penn Labs is a team of student software engineers, product designers, and business develop-
ers. Their ultimate goal is improving the Penn community. In addition to creating 100% free
high-quality products, they give back to the Penn community by providing educational resources
and technical support. Here are some of the highlights from the year:
Penn Course Plan
Penn Course Plan is an online platform that allows students to populate a schedule for their
upcoming semester, which integrates data from Penn Labs’ other flagship offering, Penn Course
Review, as well as data concerning the requirements that each course fulfills. Students are able
to use Penn Course Plan to customize their schedules based on the timing, requirements, and
course/professor quality that best suits their needs. Although Penn Course Plan is not a complete
substitute for registering for courses on Penn InTouch, it provides a useful, user-friendly planning
mechanism for students to adequately prepare for an be made aware of the course offerings to
best suit their academic needs.
Spring Directors:
Davis Haupt (dhaupt@seas.upenn.edu)
Armaan Tobaccowalla (armaant@seas.upenn.edu)

16 | Secretary’s Report
Penn Labs Staff 2019-2020 (photo from Spring 2019)

Academic Initiatives
John Casey W21
Committee Director (ai@pennua.org)
The Academic Initiatives (AI) Committee is tasked
with lobbying for academic-related topics across all
4 undergraduate schools. AI works closely with other
student lobbying groups, like SCUE and the Deans’
Advisory Boards to best serve students. This year, AI
focused on a holistic, student-led discussion-based
approach to improving academic policy at Penn.
By doing so, AI was able to bring together students
and administrators to provide the best education
possible for students’ evolving needs.
In addition, AI explored large-scale
lobbying initiatives, including tutoring
reform, academic rights, syllabi
accessibility, transparency for
international students,
and much more.
Academic Initiatives | 17

Amending Midterm Dates Project
Tori Borlase C22 (tborlase@sas.upenn.edu),
Janice Owusu C22 W22 (jowusu@wharton.up-
enn.edu)
Janice and Tori worked to make grades of
midterm assessments or assignments available to
students before the end of the drop period. They
surveyed professors as to why midterm grades mi-
are not be returned prior to drop deadline, and ex-
plored solutions (e.g., extending the drop period).
Access to Tutoring Initiative
Hiba Hamid C23 (hfhamid@sas.upenn.edu)
There has arguably been a lack of sufficient ac-
knowledgement of the services that the tutoring
center provides for undergraduate students at the
University of Pennsylvania. The need for tutors
has always been a significant need among students
at Penn, who may be facing difficulties in their in-
troduction classes or may have trouble balancing
a difficult course load. Similarly, there are diffi-
culties in navigating the website, which could use
some reform as well. This project’s aim was to start
Tutoring Awareness Week in October, which can
be used to increase the knowledge regarding the
services provided by this center to the students at
Penn. Also, Hiba worked on creating a guide that
will allow for easier navigation of the tutoring web-
site, which has been a source of confusion for many
students as well.
Alternatives to Tutoring via Study-Match
Daniel Iglesias C22 (digle@Wharton.upenn.edu),
Hiba Hamid C23 (hfhamid@sas.upenn.edu),
Thomas Kaupas C22 (Kaupas@sas.upenn.edu)
Hiba, Thomas, and Daniel worked on creating
a platform to allow students of the same class to
study together, regardless of whether they knew
each other beforehand. This was an alternative to
using the tutoring center, and the goal was to allow
another avenue of assistance when studying the
material for a class. Their goal was to ensure that
students feel as if they have another option of being
able to review material in a helpful manner.
Allocation for Campus Space Rental Fees
Elena Hoffman C20 (elenaho@sas.upenn.edu),
Kevin Zhou C21 (treasurer@pennua.org)
After discussions with OSA about how to best uti-
lize the reserve fund, UA and SAC have made the
18 | Academic Initiatives
decision to launch a pilot program that will fund
spaces for groups that hold annual, larger scale
on-campus conferences. SAC will primarily use its
own budget to fund this initiative to see if this re-
duces the amount of money left over at the con-
clusion of the academic year. If this pilot program
leads to SAC going over budget, money from the
reserve fund will be used to break even.
Allocation of UA Seats
Elena Hoffman C20 (elenaho@sas.upenn.edu)
After presenting a discussion paper on the matter,
the UA has come to the unofficial decision that the
lack of Nursing representation on the UA merits
a referendum to amend the UA Constitution. The
possibility of adding an additional Nursing seat
will be considered in the Fall.
Augmenting Job Recruiting Resources
Jennifer Ahn W22 (jenahn@wharton.upenn.edu)
The project’s aim was to increase availability and
awareness of resources for on-campus recruiting.
Jennifer met with Career Services administrators,
including Director Barbara Hewitt, OCI Recruit-
ing Manager Deborah Koita, and a few of the Se-
nior Associate Directors to discuss the feasibility
of new ideas. During their meeting, she assessed
that Career Services already had many of the re-
sources students were looking for on Handshake
and their website — unfortunately, they were not
well known. She continued to work on looking for
ways to increase the awareness of these resources.
The project was concluded after it was determined
that there was no profound way the students could
publicize the information.
Basing Printers on West Side of Campus
Jennifer Ahn W22 (jenahn@wharton.upenn.edu)
While there are many printer locations on the east
side of Penn’s campus, there is lack on the west.
Further, printers in Huntsman and the High Rises
are limited, i.e. only catering to students in Whar-
ton, students who live in the High Rise. In search
for a place, Jennifer suggested spaces within 1920
Commons, like the Amazon Distribution Center or
Starbucks. After reaching out to Business Services
and getting their feedback through a meeting with
Elena Hoffman, they were in fact interested in pur-
suing this idea. Unfortunately, the project has been
on pause due to the situation with the Coronavirus.

Boosting Accessibility of Course Syllabi
Tori Borlase C22 (tborlase@sas.upenn.edu)
The goal of this project was to make sure that stu-
dents had access to syllabi for classes before they
register. Because Wharton already has a compiled
list of syllabi, Tori wanted to help students in all
colleges by making all syllabi available on Penn In-
Touch. After collaborating with College Dean’s Ad-
visory Board, a college-wide survey was sent out in
order to demonstrate student interest. This project
is still in progress, and the survey results will be
compiled and sent to the administration to support
our advocacy.
Climate Town Hall
Tori Borlase C22 (tborlase@sas.upenn.edu), John
Casey W21 (ai@pennua.org), Kevin Zhou C21
(treasurer@pennua.org), Natasha Menon C20
(president@pennua.org)
In order to elicit more communication between ad-
ministration and students on the topic of climate
change and environmental initiatives, the goal was
to organize and plan a town hall for students to
voice their opinions. With an emphasis on student
input, the team worked with SSAP and other envi-
ronmental constituent groups to draft a town hall
proposal, met with Faculty Senate, and sent the
proposal to administration. The team is aiming to
schedule this town hall next semester.
Club Recruitment for First Semester Fresh-
men Revamping
Carson Sheumaker W23 (csheu@wharton.upenn.
edu)
Carson began by lobbying different funding and
governing boards to im-
pose club recruitment
guidelines to improve the
club recruitment process.
He has met with SAC,
Wharton Council, and
various leaders. His goal
was to lower the stress on
freshmen by extreme club
recruitment deadlines,
and he is also trying to give
freshmen more time to ex-
plore clubs in their first se-
mester. This project seems
like it will take more time,
and Carson hopes to continue this project next year
when freshmen recruitment is occurring in order
to collect more data when clubs have their recruit-
ment information posted online.
Excess Meal Swipe Utilization
edu)
Carson has been working with the Penn Dining Ad-
visory Board to discuss the problem of excess meal
swipes on campus along with advocating for more
options for swipes to be spent on. He regularly met
with the Penn Dining Staff and has met with Penn
Labs to add light lunch hours to the Penn Mobile
app. It seems that light lunch hours will be added
to the app in the future. Carson has also discussed
and participated in a focus group on how to change
meal plans for the 2021-2022 school year.
Improving Advising Outreach in the School
of Arts and Sciences
Joan Dartey C23 (jdartey@sas.upenn.edu)
Students in the College of Arts and Sciences (Col-
lege) are often unaware of the full extent of ad-
vising services provided by The College Office. To
help combat this problem, Joan met with Dr. Janet
Tighe, Dean of First Year Students & Director of
Academic Advising and Dr. Tanya Jung, Associate
Director of Academic Advising & Assistant Dean.
They discussed the options available to students
who may have strained relationships with their
peer or pre-major advisors, and other general ac-
ademic concerns. They acknowledged that the
College Office may need to find ways to better dis-
seminate information to College students. Joan is
in the process of
working to in-
crease the Col-
lege’s social me-
dia presence, and
hopes to aid in
the College’s ini-
tiative to provide
college-related
updates through
Instagram for the
class of 2024 and
those following.

Kite and Key YouVisit Virtual Tour of Penn
Joan Dartey C23 (jdartey@sas.upenn.edu) and
edu) Joan and Carson recognized the need for
a virtual tour of Penn’s campus, as it would help
guide the admissions process of low income, inter-
national, transfer, and other prospective students
who may be unable to travel to campus. They be-
gan their process by evaluating a proposal written
by Kayla Prezelski, a previous UA SEAS represen-
tative, who worked on the same project last year.
From her proposal, Joan and Carson decided that
YouVisit would be the best medium to present the
virtual tour. They reached out to Lindsay Duss-
ing, Director of
On Campus
Programs and
Kite and Key’s
president Sofia
Gonzalez, and
learned that
Kite and Key
had recorded a
Penn tour us-
ing YouVisit’s
platform. The
virtual tour was
launched on
Penn’s admissions website in Feb. 2020.
Major Transparency in STEM within the
College of Arts and Sciences
Edward Jiang C21 (yishengj@sas.upenn.edu)
Currently, there is ambiguity among students in
the College of Arts and Sciences regarding which
majors and concentrations are STEM designated
and which are not. This is due to an evolving list of
STEM designated majors and lack of awareness of
the specific needs of international students by advi-
sors. The proposed solution was to create FAQs on
individual department websites allowing students
to quickly ascertain whether or not their intended
major/concentration is STEM eligible based on the
model adopted by the Wharton School. As of April
2020, a comprehensive, updated list of all STEM
majors in the College of Arts and Sciences exists
and meetings have been arranged with Deans in
the College and the Wharton School.
20 | Academic Initiatives
NSO Video Series Initiative
Ryan Bush C22 (ryanbush@sas.upenn.edu)
This project’s aim was to create a video series of
student leaders throughout various Penn commu-
nities to include as part of the New Student Orien-
tation material for matriculating students, with the
goal of easing first-year students’ transition to life
on Penn’s campus. Ryan met with the Admissions
Dean’s Advisory Board in order to determine a
possible fit for this video series on the Admissions
webpage, and have upcoming meetings scheduled
with the New Student Orientation coordinators
to receive their input, as well. Ryan also is in the
process of creating a comprehensive list of Penn
student leaders
to interview who
represent a di-
verse slate of in-
terests, skillsets,
and community
backgrounds in
order to encom-
pass the com-
plete Penn ex-
perience. This is
currently an on-
going project.
Pre-Major College Advising Team Expan-
sion
Ryan Bush C22 (ryanbush@sas.upenn.edu)
This project’s aim was to attempt to revise some of
the gaps in pre-major advising within the College of
Arts and Sciences by offering the possibility of stu-
dents to sign-up for a mentorship opportunity with
a post-doc, PhD, or graduate student studying/
working in the field of their interest, with the goal
of adding another resource through which College
students can accumulate information about their
prospective fields. Ryan met with Dr. Tanya Jung
in the College Office, who remains very open to this
idea, and is eager to speak with her colleagues on
its feasibility. Ryan also is in the process of setting
up an appointment with both the Career Services
Office, as well as the Graduate Student Center in
order to receive their feedback on the feasibility of
this initiative, and if something like this currently
exists, but is underutilized. This is currently an on-
going project.

SEAS Embedded CAPS Psychologist
Ronak Bhagia E22 (bronak@seas.upenn.edu)
This project’s aim was to help address the mental
health concerns of SEAS students by increasing
access to trained psychologists by expanding the
CAPS embedded model (currently functioning in
Wharton) into SEAS. Simultaneously, work by
other UA members in conjunction with CAPS led
to psychologists being embedded in various cam-
pus locations, including Van Pelt. With this close
location, it appeared support for additional expan-
sion was lacking, and the project is now shifting
to awareness of new options until such a time as
the efficacy of the expanded embedded model for
addressing the concerns of SEAS students can be
determined.

Community
Engagement and
Sustainability
Arjun Swaminathan C20
Committee Director (ces@pennua.org)
The Community Engagement and Sustain-
ability Committee (CES) serves to enhance
public engagement as well as develop ini-
tiatives that promote sustainability within
and outside the Penn community. The com-
mittee concentrates on projects that
promote participation in areas such
as civic engagement, activism, and more.
Additionally, CES works in
conjunction with sustainability
organizations on campus to
combat climate change
and encourage students
to make sustainable
lifestyle decisions.
22| Community Engagement and Sustainability

Access to OTC Medication at the Student
Health Service
Jessica Liu W23 (jxliu@wharton.upenn.edu)
While the mandatory Penn Clinical Fee covers Pri-
mary Care and other services at SHS, students are
still redirected to buy medications themselves. In-
spired by UIUC’s McKinley Health Center (https://
www.mckinley.illinois.edu/health-education/
health-resource-centers), the goal of this initiative
was to work with SHS to offer access to basic over-
the-counter medications free of charge to students.
This would encourage students to seek help and
treatment earlier on, facilitate quicker recoveries,
and alleviate some of the added stress that comes
with being ill as a student. Jessica began the proj-
ect by profiling health center practices at every Ivy
League institution and several other peer institu-
tions, discovering that while free OTC medications
are an uncommon service, several schools have
on-campus pharmacies or at least limited medica-
tion supplies. She then contacted Campus Health
Director Ashlee Halbritter and was in the process
of reaching out to the UA’s Student Health Advi-
sory Board representative to pitch the idea to the
board before the closing of Penn’s campus.
Advancing Maintenance Requests
Gaby Montes de Oca C23 (gmdo@sas.upenn.edu)
Path lighting isn’t being fixed and maintenance
requests to actual changes are taking longer than
they should be, affecting student safety. Her goal
was to work with FRES to fix whatever is causing
maintenance delays and improve path/walkway
lighting on campus.
Anonymous Grading in Intro CIS Classes
Sravya Alla W21 (sravya@wharton.upenn.edu)
CIS 121 TA and sophomore JJ Kampf worked with
Sravya to anonymize grading in CIS intro courses
in which exams only asked for initials and Penn ID.
This project aimed to implement anonymous grad-
ing in CIS 110 and CIS 120, which is in progress.
Blue Emergency Light Boxes
The Blue Emergency Call Boxes on Penn’s campus
are old and not as impactful as newer models of
blue light boxes. Gaby spoke with DPS to replaceall
old blue light call boxes with newer light boxes.
DPS said they’re planning something along those
Community Engagement and Sustainability | 23
lines, but removal/installation work happens more
over the summer after DPS take in results from end
of the year surveys and Gaby will reconvene with
DPS in the Fall semester.
Cultural Centers on Campus
The goal of this project was to relocate cultural cen-
ters from the Arch basement to a more centralized/
accessible location that reflects Penn’s promise to
diversify Locust Walk and emphasize cultural rep-
resentation.
Free Printing for FGLI Students
Gaby worked on an initiative to bring free print-
ing on campus for first-generation/low-Income
(FGLI) students. Her short term goal was to pro-
mote free printing resources around campus and
her long term goal was to work with administration
to bring subsidized printing/printing allowances
across campus for FGLI or even specifically Highly
Aided students.
Introduce New Students to West Philly
Gaby spoke with the Netter Center and Civic House
on topics to include to explain West Philadelphia
for students like the Black Bottom, gentrification,
and the bubble that encompasses Penn’s campus
that needs to be fixed. They encouraged emphasis
on the impact of community engagement. Her goal
was to create a video that can be easily put on web-
sites or sent out in introduction emails for incom-
ing students.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Jessica Liu W23 (jxliu@wharton.upenn.edu), Al-
fredo Wolfermann C23 (alfredowolfermann@
gmail.com)
Jessica and Alfredo worked to increase student en-
gagement in the greater Philadelphia community.
Their goal was to collaborate with PennLabs to al-
low for a wider range of opportunities to be listed
online, raising awareness of lesser-known posi-
tions in outside organizations.
Penn Instagram
Jessica Liu W23 (jxliu@wharton.upenn.edu),
Gaby Montes de Oca C23(gmdo@sas.upenn.edu)

Gaby and Jessica worked to change the Penn Insta-
gram to include more of Penn’s achievements and
student/faculty/club spotlight. They encouraged
taking greater advantage of Instagram’s features
like Instagram TV and story highlights to promote
and show a deeper side of Penn. Their goal was to
check in with the Director of New Media Commu-
nications to ensure progress with initiatives.
Penn Tips for Incoming Freshmen
Incoming first-years need useful tips and resourc-
es to transition to campus. This includes advice
for study spaces on campus, best places to eat, etc.
Gaby spoke with PennLabs and discovered that
they are currently working on these features with
their new website, PennBasics.com
Pottruck Fitness Center and Commons Wa-
ter Fountains
Alfredo Wolfermann C23 (alfredowolfermann@
gmail.com)
Alfredo worked with building managers to increase
the amount of water fountains in the Pottruck Fit-
ness Center so that patrons could have easier ac-
cess to water when they need it. His goal was for
patrons to no longer wait in long lines to hydrate
and make it easier for them to refill water bottles
with water fountains that feature a bottle station.
Sports Engagement and Wellness Initiative
Daniel Ruiz de la Concha C22, (druiz99@sas.up-
enn.edu)
This project aimed to increase support to Penn’s
Athletic community by increasing attendance to
games. After meeting with representatives of the
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, different
proposals were drafted to increase school spirit
and therefore improve attendance to games,
24 | Community Engagement and Sustainability
which athletes noted would enhance their perfor-
mance. Discussion with the College Houses and
Academic Services is in progress to increase college
house attendance to sports’ games and to recognize
attendance as part of the College House Cup.
Study Spaces Outside Wharton Initiative
Daniel Ruiz de la Concha C22, (druiz99@sas.
upenn.edu)
This project aimed to increase the number of study
spaces available to students across schools, empha-
sizing the need for study spaces outside the Whar-
ton School. Research showed that access to study
spaces is highly inequitable. For example, students
of the Wharton School, alone, have access to over
60 group study rooms, while the total undergrad-
uate population has access to a total of 85 group
study rooms. Moreover, a survey of the student
body showed that over 75% of students believe that
Penn lacks study spaces. Discussion is under way
to improve existing study spaces and explore the
possibility of increasing study areas.
SRFS GI Bill Usage
Thomas Cosentino C22 (tcos02@sas.upenn.edu)
This project aimed to expand financial aid for stu-
dents from veteran families by ending the “Dollar
for Dollar Reduction” policy used for GI Bill Ben-
efits. The Modern GI Bill provides tuition aid for
9/11 first responders and military veterans and
their families. The Yellow Ribbon Program, a re-
cent advance in GI benefits, splits the difference
between a GI Bill student’s remaining balance after
tuition with the Veteran’s Association. Penn’s pol-
icy on the GI Bill “swapped” GI Bill benefits for fi-
nancial aid, with benefits reducing the financial aid
received dollar for dollar, effectively using the GI
Bill to reduce university costs. Penn was not a Yel-
low Ribbon participant. Just before spring break,
SRFS announced that they had adjusted their Yel-
low Ribbon policy for the 2020-2021 school year,
providing for a more clear, universal allocation of
$10,000 in funding per student qualified for the
Yellow Ribbon Program. While this does represent
progress, the University uses its “Dollar for Dol-
lar Reduction policy on non-Yellow Ribbon aid. A
military benefit, intended to significantly reduce
a veteran’s tuition costs, is instead enriching the
University by the exact amount that it otherwise
would have.

Dining, Housing, and
Transit
Maria Curry C20 W20
Committee Director (dht@pennua.org)
The Dining, Housing and Transit Commit-
tee (DHT) is tasked with addressing some of
the largest and most tangible infrastructure
concerns at Penn. This year, DHT members
worked with Penn Transit administrators to
improve accessibility for students on campus
and in the Philadelphia community by expand-
ing transit operating hours and routes and
partnering with SEPTA. Students
worked with Penn Dining to improve the
value of dining plans and with Penn
Residential Services to improve
the process of on-campus housing
selection. Other large scale DHT
initiatives include addressing
food insecurity among the
student body, creating
mindfulness spaces
on campus, and
accelerating the
renovation of
on-campus
dorms.
Dining, Housing, and Transit | 25

Cleaner Penn Initiative
Kevin Arther C21 (karther@sas.upenn.edu)
Kevin noticed there were a few areas behind the
Quad where general cleanliness could be improved.
Waste from dumpsters and receptacles was contin-
uously spilling onto Woodland Walk, making travel
unpleasant. Kevin helped to move the dumpsters
out of sight from Hamilton Walk, which improved
sanitation and foot traffic along the route. Wood-
land Walk looks great now and Kevin encourages
everyone to take a study break out there sometime
next year!
Creating a Social Atmosphere in Houston
Hall
Isabella Hassett C23 (ihassett@sas.upenn.edu)
Although Houston Hall is the oldest student union
in the United States, it is one of the less social
spaces on our campus. By replacing much of the
outdated furniture and underused rooms, Isabella
hopes to make Houston Hall a place for students to
learn from one another as well as a space for more
social interactions.
26 | Dining, Housing, and Transit
Database Creation, Peer Advising, and
Community Building for Uncoordinated
Dual Degree students
Sachit Gali C23 (sachit@sas.upenn.edu) (kshi-
tizg@wharton.upenn.edu), Daniel Iglesias (Di-
gle@Wharton.upenn.edu)
The focus of this project was to improve the stu-
dent life of uncoordinated dual degree students by
increasing academic advising services and creating
a stronger uncoordinated dual degree community.
Uncoordinated dual degree students struggle to
navigate the requirements of both their degrees on
their own, which can lead them to spend extra se-
mesters to fulfill requirements. Additionally, unco-
ordinated dual degree students do not feel a strong
sense of community due to limited opportunities
to interact with one another. We met with several
Wharton administrators and are working towards
the development of an uncoordinated dual degree
database, peer advising walk-in hours, and social
events to assist in building a community of stu-
dents that can support one another academically,
socially, and professionally.

Expanding Dining Plan Options
Isabella Hassett C23 (ihassett@sas.upenn.edu)
Freshmen are offered only 3 dining plan options;
whereas, upperclassmen are offered about 11 dif-
ferent plans. Isabella hopes to expand the amount
of dining plan offerings freshmen are offered to re-
duce dependency on unfair exchange rates.
Expansion of Composting Program
Priya Bhirgoo E20 (priyabh@seas.upenn.edu)
Penn’s composting program currently does not
encapsulate the restaurants on Spruce St near the
Quad such as Wawa, JustSalad, Sobol, Beijing, etc.
The food waste from these restaurants is sent to
landfills and this is harmful for the environment
as waste in landfills decomposes to release meth-
ane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
Priya met with Lucy Bitton (Lucy.Bitton@am.jll.
com), Property Manager for the Stouffer Triangle
and Dennis Flannery (dfla@upenn.edu), Opera-
tions Manager to talk about expanding the com-
posting program to these restaurants so that food
waste at Penn is being diverted in an environmen-
tally friendly manner. Priya had an audit analysis
scheduled after spring break to determine the vol-
ume of food waste from these restaurants which we
couldn’t carry out due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Expansion of Mindfulness Spaces
Maria Curry C20 W20 (mariacu@wharton.up-
enn.edu)
For the past year, Maria has advocated for the
creation and expansion of mindfulness spaces on
Penn’s campus in central locations on campus. The
challenge with doing so is the decentralization of
Penn, which makes the channel of advocacy for
such spaces dependent on their location and in
turn, time consuming. This year, Maria met with
Laurie A. Hall, Associate Director of VPUL and Di-
rector of Design Services Marjan Gartland to dis-
cuss the creation of a mindfulness space room in
Houston Hall, an expansion of the current areas.
Maria also met with representatives of PRISM and
the University Committee on Facilities to advocate
for increased meditation and prayer spaces that
are inclusive of all identities. Maria has advocated
for administrators in Wharton Student Life to ex-
pand the current cubicle space in Huntsman Hall
and worked with students in Engineering to create
dedicated meditation spaces.
Dining, Housing, and Transit | 27
Expansion of Penn Transit and SEPTA Part-
nerships
enn.edu)
For the past two years, Maria has served on the
Penn Transit Advisory Board. This year, Maria was
involved with the promotion of the new PennRides
on Request app and gathering feedback from stu-
dents. She also advocated for an expanded Grocery
Store Pilot Shuttle service to affordable locations
in Philadelphia. She also met with SEPTA Student
Advisory Board Chair Will Herzog to advocate for
SEPTA partnerships with Penn and the integration
of PennCards with SEPTA Keys, a technology al-
ready available, to encourage student use.
Faculty and Staff Sensitivity Trainings
Brian Goldstein C20 (vp@pennua.org), Natasha
Menon C20 (president@pennua.org), Kevin Zhou
C21 (Treasurer@pennua.org), Maria Curry C20
W20 (mariacu@wharton.upenn.edu)
Prompted by student testaments of discrimination
inside and outside the classrom and lack of diversi-
ty within the Penn faculty, the UA Cabinet worked
this year to advocate for the expansion of current
diversity and inclusion trainings for faculty to
create a welcoming community for all students at
Penn. The UA Cabinet met with Provost Pritchett
and Vice Provost for Education Beth Winkelstein,
Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade
McCoullum and Center for Teaching and Learning
(CTL) to discuss this initiative. The UA advocated
for expanded promotion of the current offerings by
CTL and increased incentives and encouragement
by Department Chairs for their faculty to attend
such services.
Improving Housing Selection Process
Regan Mizrahi C22 (rmizrahi@sas.upenn.edu)
Regan worked to improve the housing selection
process before we adopted the sophomore housing
policy.. Regan felt the process could be made more
efficient and allow students to get better preferenc-
es in housing since some students either get kicked
out of their current homes or cannot register until
others have finished doing so.

Penn Student Government Diversity Initia-
tives
enn.edu)
This year, Maria met with Katie Bonner, Execu-
tive Director of the Office of Student Affairs, and
worked with members of the Nominations and
Elections Committee to advocate for a PSG-wide
diversity and inclusion training. The intention of
such programming was to ensure fairness and ad-
equate representation in the recruiting process of
PSG branches and to combat implicit biases within
the community. Having discussed the topic previ-
ously, the NEC hosted a Diversity Retreat in Octo-
ber 2019. In the future, Maria hopes that PSG can
build on the successful event and dedicate resourc-
es to an external program like EXUDE to facilitate
meaningful conversation and creative incentives
for all branches of PSG to attend.
Providing Free Cold/Allergy Resources
Sachit Gali C23 (sachit@sas.upenn.edu)
During the first few weeks of each fall semester,
there is often a rise in cases of common cold and
sick visits to Student Health Services among first-
year students. The goal of this initiative was to help
first-year students better adjust to Penn by provid-
ing them with self-care resources as soon as they
arrive on campus. The Undergraduate Assembly
is exploring options with Student Health Services
to provide first-year college houses with Self Care
Packs containing cough drops, Ibuprofen, Iodized
salt, Acetaminophen, thermometers, and tissues,
whichcouldthenbedistributedtostudentsthrough
Residential Advisors and Graduate Associates.
Tackling Food Insecurity on Penn’s Campus
Sachit Gali C23 (sachit@sas.upenn.edu)
Many low-income students across campus face
food insecurity on a day-to-basis. While some stu-
dents are eligible for free meal plans, work or other
obligations may prevent students from reaching
dining halls or retail locations during current oper-
ating hours. This project aimed to improve access
to food options by establishing 24-hour dining hall
or retail locations and increase fresh food availabil-
ity at the Greenfield Intercultural Center food pan-
try. It also aimed to improve awareness of existing
resources on campus for these students.
28 | Dining, Housing, and Transit
Transit Shuttles to Engineering Quad
Arnav Joshi E22 (arnavj@seas.upenn.edu)
Arnav surveyed around one-hundred and fifteen
students to see if they would be interested in hav-
ing morning shuttles to their classes that take place
in the Engineering Quad and the David Ritten-
house laboratory. This would have been especially
convenient for students living in the High Rises or
Off Campus who have classes in the Engineering
Quad or David Rittenhouse Laboratory. Arnav re-
quested Penn Transit to provide these shuttles, but
they said that it was not feasible for them to do so.
However, they suggested an alternative which was
utilising the LUCY gold loop buses which are free
of cost for Penn students. While these might not
directly go from the High Rises to the Engineering
Quad, they have similar routes and can be utilised
by Penn students. I hope to market this service
better and inform Penn students that they can ride
these buses free of cost.
UA Lunch and Learn
Kevin Arther C21 (karther@sas.upenn.edu), Pri-
ya Bhirgoo E20 (priyabh@seas.upenn.edu), Na-
tasha Menon C20 (president@pennua.org), Jude
Dartey C21 (speaker@pennua.org)
Lunch and Learn with the UA hoped to give the
student body a chance to learn more about the UA
and what each of the different committees are re-
sponsible for. It allowed students to interact with
their student representatives and share some of
their suggestions with us. It will hopefully start
next semester.

Equity and Inclusion
Mary Sadallah C22
Committee Director (ei@pennua.org)
The Equity and Inclusion Committee (EI) is charged
with focusing on initiatives related to improving the
experience of mis- and under-represented groups
at Penn. The committee focuses directly on working
with student groups and administrators to address
issues related but not limited to spaces, funding, and
wellness for marginalized communities on campus.
This committee works closely with Penn’s first-gener-
ation low-income community, the 6B minority
coalition, and relevant administration to
identify and eliminate the barriers that
impede students from getting the most
out of their Penn experiences. Projects
are often related to affordability,
accessibility, and sensitivity.
Equity and Inclusion | 29

Academic Know Your Rights Campaign
Michael Arther C23 (marther@wharton.upenn.
edu), Natasha Menon C20 (president@pennua.
org), Tori Borlase C22 (tborlase@sas.upenn.edu)
Michael, Tori, and Natasha are worked to cre-
ate a resource guide for students to help navigate
through Penn’s numerous academic policies and
guidelines. It will allow students to easily deter-
mine if any violations are occurring in their class-
es, and how to resolve these issues. The gaol was
to increase transparency and help students under-
stand the policies created to protect them. This is
an ongoing project in collaboration with the Honor
Council, and will be launched in the fall semester.
Adding More Accurate Room Layouts for
Penn Housing
Michael Arther C23 (marther@wharton.upenn.
edu)
Michael was coordinating with RSAB to improve
the accuracy of provided room layouts during the
housing selection process. Currently these layouts
are generic, but building floor plans exist which
can offer exact layouts for each specific room. The
purpose of this was to better inform students of the
rooms they are selecting, allowing them to better
plan out dorm purchases.
Amy Wax Statement
Nikhil Gupta C21 W21 (nikhilgu@wharton.upenn.
edu), Elena Hoffman C20 (elenaho@sas.upenn.
edu), Natasha Menon C20 (president@pennua.
org), Maria Curry C20 W20 (dht@pennua.org)
The Undergraduate Assembly body and Under-
graduate Assembly Steering both passed resolu-
tions urging University administration to take ac-
tion to delegitimize her stance, provide resources to
faculty to improve their practices, and ensure that
future hires embody the University’s values. The
UA condemned the consistency of Wax’s inflam-
matory statements, specifically towards underrep-
resented backgrounds, that infringe on her role
as a teacher, as the views which she advocates for
threaten the cohesion and inclusivity of the Penn
community. As a result of the resolution, the UA
called for: the termination of Professor Wax’s ten-
ured status and other affiliations with the Universi-
ty; an explanation from the University for the lack
of any sanction for Professor Amy Wax’scontinued
violation of the University’s standards, rules, and
30 | Equity and Inclusion
support for faculty with resources to improve their
pedagogical practices with regards to students’ di-
verse backgrounds and identities; and assurance
that future faculty hires embody the values of the
University.
CAPS Advisors based on Industry
Sarthak Jain E22 (sarthakj@seas.upenn.edu)
Penn students go on to pursue a wide range of ca-
reers, often unrelated to their major. Given the
current structure of the Career Services, students
do not have access to advisors from other schools
who may be better equipped to guide with certain
industries. This was brought up at the Career Ser-
vices meeting, where they said it would unneces-
sarily increase wait times and that all advisors are
equipped to help all students. In the future, Sar-
thak will interview students to learn more about
their experiences with Career Services.
CAPS Subsidizing Therapy
enn.edu)
This past year, Janice looked for ways for students
to fund outsourced therapy. Janice met with the
Associate Director of SFS, John Haggerty. In this
meeting, Janice learned students could propose an
adjustment to their financial award. The student
must estimate the outsourced cost therapy, includ-
ing transportation costs. The student should visit
SFS, and communicate this need with their Finan-
cial Advisor. The Financial Advisor and their team
will deliberate and tell the student whether they
qualify. If the student is not approved, the student
can appeal this. Janice hopes to communicate this
to the general student body.
Chest Binder Program
Camilo Duran C21 (cduran@sas.upenn.edu)
Penn prides itself on being trans-, non-binary, and
gender nonconforming friendly, but there is still
room for improvement. A peer institution, Cornell,
has already implemented a chest binder program
which Penn lacks. This program provides students
at Cornell on the student health plan 2 free binders
each semester. The goal of this project was to make
a similar provision for students at Penn by peti-
tioning Aetna (our student insurance provider) to
include chest binders as a covered, medically-nec-
essary device.

Dining Dollars at the Starbucks in the Book-
store
David Jin C23 (jindavid@sas.upenn.edu)
Upon corresponding with the Director of Commu-
nications and External Relations, it is clear that
Dining Dollars will not be able to be accepted at
these two locations, due to licensing limitations.
The Starbucks is licensed to Barnes and Noble, in-
stead of Penn Dining’s caterer, Bon Appetit.
Free Access to the Philadelphia Inquirer
David Garnick C23 (dgarnick@sas.upenn.edu)
The goal of this project was to work with Penn Li-
braries to create a partnership between Penn and
the Philadelphia Inquirer, in order to receive free
subscriptions for every person with a Penn email
address. David believes that this would further
Penn’s mission to create strong community ties
with the Philadelphia area and keep students en-
gaged with Philly city life, like Philly politics, cul-
ture, and events. Although this project was cut
short due to the unprecedented circumstances of
this global pandemic, David looks forward to con-
tinuing this work with Penn libraries and the Net-
ter Center.
Free Menstrual Product Distribution Pilot
Nikhil Gupta C22 W22 (nikhilgu@wharton.up-
enn.edu), Mary Sadallah C22 (ei@pennua.org)
After securing the funds for 2500 tampons and
2400 pads last year, a distribution pilot was imple-
mented this fall. Restrooms in the following loca-
tions were designated as distribution sites: Hunts-
man Hall, Fagin, Williams, Towne, and Van Pelt.
Together with PAGE and the Penn Period Project,
menstrual products were distributed once a week.
Check-inswere alsocompleted weekly. Most weeks,
all products were taken. Next year, we will be using
the data we collected to reassess the demand for
free menstrual products and decide whether the
pilot should be expanded or distribution should be
taken over by administration.
GRIP Survey Charge
enn.edu)
This past year, Janice has been working to amend
the way GRIP charges for non-completion of sur-
veys/blogs. Janice contacted the Director of GRIP
in the Penn abroad office and exchanged some
emails talking about the fee and the purpose for
this. Through the correspondence with the presi-
dent’s office, Janice was able to get in touch with
Nigel Cossar, Penn, Abroad Director. Mr. Cossar
made note that there was a change made a couple
of years ago due to student feedback. They will con-
tinuously seek information about how the charge
impacts students.
Helping Social URM Student Organizations
Gain Institutional/Generational Funding
Kristen Ukeomah C21 (kukeomah@sas.upenn.
edu)
Kristen noticed that among organizations spe-
cifically supporting underrepresented minorities
(URMs), they have less money to put on larger so-
cial events (such as date nights, formals, etc.) to
support their community than other organizations,
hence revealing a disparity between two communi-
ties on campus’s social lives and experiences. Kris-
ten spoke to Daina Troy, the Associate Director of
Makuu, about her perspective on the issue.
Increasing Reserve Account Transparency
Kevin Zhou C21 (treasurer@pennua.org), Nata-
sha Menon C20 (president@pennua.org), Tori
Borlase C22 (tborlase@sas.upenn.edu), David Jin
C23 (jindavid@sas.upenn.edu)
Unused funds from clubs get redirected into a Re-
serve Fund, where neither amount nor transac-
tions are recorded. This projects aim was to at least
record the amount in the Reserve Fund regularly
(biweekly, or monthly). Optimistically, we can find
a sustainable method to record the transactions.
Increasing Student Access to PrEP
David Garnick C23 (dgarnick@sas.upenn.edu)
This project was intended to spread awareness
about PrEP, the anti-HIV drug, to the Penn stu-
dent body and greater community. David wanted
to make sure that every student who needed PrEP
had access to it. After meeting with Director of
Campus Health Ashlee Halbritter, David Garnick
learned that Campus Health had a multitude of
ways for students to obtain a perscription to PrEP.
Therefore, the aim of this project was to market
and educate the student body on the drug. The
project’s goals were communicated in a DP article
on the subject, yielding the first point of education.

David will continue to work with Ashlee and at-
tend Campus Health’s LGBTQ Healthcare Work-
ing Group to create signage about PrEP to post
throughout campus this upcoming fall.
Integration of DuBois College House
edu)
Kristen has noticed that the racial demographics
of W.E.B. DuBois College House has been notably
changing over the past few years. She has been do-
ing research about other African-American cultur-
al dorms at other comparable institutions to learn
more about how other schools determine who lives
in their own versions of DuBois. Her next steps
are to schedule meetings with the Dean of Dubois
College House, Dean Rhina, and the Directors of
Makuu to get their inputs.
Law School Resources + GPA Conversion
This initiative aimed to expand awareness of pre-
law resources available to interested students.
A number of the University’s websites exclude a
number of valuable resources, which causes sub-
stantial uncertainty of how a Penn pre-law student
can prepare for law school and practice. David met
with the pre-law advisors of Career Services to dis-
cuss how to increase the accessibility of these re-
sources. Many students are unaware that the Law
School Admission Council converts grade point av-
erages differently than the University. For exam-
ple, an A+ is reflected as 4.33, and an A- is reflect-
ed as 3.66. David plans to make this information
widely known to pre-law students.
Let’s Talk: Expanding the CAPS Embedded
Model
Mary Sadallah C22 (ei@pennua.org)
Last year, Mary lobbied various administrators for
the expansion of the CAPS Embedded Model, and
then pitched at the Big Idea Wellness Event in the
spring of 2019. On October 1st of 2019, CAPS be-
gan piloting Let’s Talk, a walk-in service that pro-
vides informal consultations with CAPS clinicians
to both undergraduate and graduate students. At
first, Yakob Tekie staffs Van Pelt, the GIC, Arch,
the Graduate Student Center, and the LGBT Cen-
ter, for a number of three to four-hour blocks each
week.
32 | Equity and Inclusion
In meeting with Batsi Bvunzawabaya, Director of
Outreach and Prevention at CAPS, and Erika Gross,
Chief Operating Officer for Wellness, Mary learned
that the pilot had seen success. In the spring, four
more clinicians were hired, and Let’s Talk was ex-
panded to Education Commons, Weingarten and
Pottruck. Multiple advertising campaigns have
been run as well. Batsi and Erika requested that
UA members try the program and spread the word.
Meet a Current Penn Law Student Program
This program matches Penn undergraduates inter-
ested in pre-law with Penn law students, to discuss
academics, activities, internships, LSATs, etc. This
program is still in development, and David aims to
make it available in the Fall of 2021. Upon com-
pleting a matchmaking form online, undergradu-
ates and law students will be offered a free lunch
at the University club. David has been in contact
with New Student Orientation (NSO) directors and
Business Services to arrange the logistics of paying
for meals.
Reflection Spaces in Engineering
This project focused on developing a reflection
space in the engineering quad. These spaces can be
used for meditation, quiet prayer, and reflection.
Students of various faiths who pray several times a
day would not have to walk back to residence halls.
Sarthak met with Sal Caputo, Director of Facilities
Management. Sal is now actively looking for space
and material to put up such a space on a trial basis.
One potential space is on the second floor of Skir-
kanich.
Residential Services Initiatives
Mary Sadallah C22 (ei@pennua.org), Janice Ow-
usu C22 W22 (jowusu@wharton.upenn.edu), Re-
gan Mizrahi C22 (rmizrahi@sas.upenn.edu)
This project’s goal was to implement a transfer stu-
dent living community in one of the highrises. After
speaking with Suchy Kahlon, the Co-Vice President
of Student Life on the Transfer Student Organiza-
tion(TSO), we learned about transfer student com-
munities currently located in Stouffer and Grego-
ry. While these communities have many transfer
students within the same buildings, transfers are
often placed on separate floors. Many transfers

also opt to live in the high rises. At the same time,
Regan lobbied Ryan Keytack and the College House
& Academic Services department for a more effi-
cient housing selection process that would accom-
modate for the sophomore housing policy. While a
process could not be implemented this room selec-
tion cycle, it was decided that the topic of a trans-
fer student community within the highrises will be
discussed again in the future.
University Disabilities Awareness Project
edu)
Kristen advocated for there to be more awareness
about invisible disabilities amongst the campus
community, through the proliferation of resources.
She plans hopes to implement a disabilities aware-
ness component to NSO programming. She also
hopes to develop mid-semester events with We-
ingarten discussing how disabilities can manifest
itself as students, using student liaisons.
Wellness TAs
This project focused on getting Wellness TAs for
introductory STEM courses. A wellness TA is a re-
source that students consult when they need advice
from someone who does not have influence over
grading. Additionally, this TA’s aim was to create a
welcoming and safe environment through various
initiatives like regular wellness posts on Piazza.
This idea was based off of Dr. Chris Murphy’s class,
CIS 350. Sarthak met with Prof. Murphy, past well-
ness TAs and various students who have interacted
with said TAs to learn more about the role of this
TA and the impact they can have. We have received
positive feedback from the Faculty Senate and var-
ious other faculty members. Since more lobbying
with administrators is needed, SEAS Wellness
Friends, a new group that focuses on wellness ad-
vocacy, will add this to one of their long term goals.

Student and Campus
Life
Elena Hoffman C20
Committee Director (scl@pennua.org)
The Student and Campus Life (SCL) Committee is
dedicated to improving the undergraduate student
experience across all areas and aspects of Penn.
SCL works directly with CAPS, VPUL, the Provost’s
office, and other relevant administrators and
campus organizations to pursue an expansive
breadth of initiatives addressing student needs.
The committee has prioritized addressing
the dynamics of student wellness,
expanding new and/or underutilized
resources, and lobbying for the
many communities within
Penn’s campus. SCL hopes to
continue to work toward our
goal of a better Penn
experience for all.
34 | Student and Campus Life

Availability of Grade Distributions for
Courses
Ozi Amuzie C22 (oamuzie@sas.upenn.edu), John
Casey W21 (ai@pennua.org)
A particular stress of many students when regis-
tering for courses is the potential grade they may
achieveintheclass.Amongotherunknownssuchas
theaveragenumberofhoursspentperweekonwork
for the class, this
i n f o r m a t i o n
may be help-
ful in allevi-
ating some of
the anxiety of
a new course
load at the start
of a semester.
Especially in
classes grades
are largely de-
pendent on
curves, having
this informa-
tion may be
useful for stu-
dents in plan-
ning out their
schedules and
managing expectations.
BS Degrees in the College
Ozi Amuzie C22 (oamuzie@sas.upenn.edu), John
Casey W21 (J.Casey260@gmail.com)
Upon graduating from the College of Arts and Sci-
ences, every student, regardless of their major, re-
ceives a Bachelor of Arts degree. At various peer
institutions (Brown, Princeton, and Stanford), stu-
dents can receive either a B.S or B.A regardless of
the school in which they are enrolled. This project
aimed to make that available to Penn students.
Digital/Phone PennCard Capabilities
This project was borne out of an idea brought to
former UA President, Michael Krone over the sum-
mer. The idea was to replicate the technology used
in things like Apple Wallet or Android Pay where-
in individuals can tap into buildings using their
phone, or to have their Penn Card be a part of their
existing virtual wallet. This would have
Student and Campus Life | 35
implications in access to College Houses, Academ-
ic Buildings, and for payment for library fees, din-
ing halls, etc.
Dining Plan Reforms
This project’s aim was to reform dining plan op-
tions for freshmen in order to give them more flex-
ibility and control
over what they get
to eat every day.
Jonah sat on an
external seat on
the Dining Advi-
sory Board, meet-
ing with the Ad-
ministrators and
those in charge
of Bon Appetit
every two weeks.
Jonah pitched the
idea of a dining
plan that had less
meal swipes and
more Dining Dol-
lars than any of
the current three
plans offered to
freshmen. He cited continuous reports from the
freshmen class that for those who enjoyed eating
at Dining Dollar-approved locations around cam-
pus, the majority would like more dining dollars as
they would run out way before the semester ended
if they kept using them at the going rate. On the
other end of the spectrum, there were no com-
plaints of those who chose the plan with the most
swipes, that they were going to run out of swipes.
He worked with administration, who subsequently
held focus groups with the intent of fielding a larg-
er amount of student-body response. After the fo-
cus groups took place, the administration claimed
that it was too late to change dining plans for the
next year.

Inclusivity at Penn Through Eat and Greets
Maria Curry C20 W20(mariacu@wharton.up-
enn.edu), Priya Bhirgoo E20 (priyabh@seas.up-
enn.edu), Thomas Kyong C23 (tkyong@sas.up-
enn.edu)
After the “Next Steps Meeting” with Benoit Dube
(Chief Wellness Officer), Erika N. Gross (Director
of Finance, Administration & Risk Management),
William Hess (Resident District Director), Pamela
Lampitt (Director of Business & Hospitality Ser-
vices), Savannah Sparks, Hadassah Raskas, and
Maria, Penn faculty has confirmed to 100% fund
E&G with their future endeavors. Events may be
co-hosted with E&G and the Undergraduate As-
sembly, and hopefully E&G will continue to pro-
mote inclusivity at Penn by connecting students
throughout the Penn dining halls.
Outside Scholarship Allocation
John Casey W21 (ai@pennua.org), Thomas Kyo-
ng C23 (tkyong@sas.upenn.edu)
A student who receives an outside scholarship ex-
periences a reduction in their Penn Grant rather
than true “additional” funds given through the
outside scholarship. This has historically disad-
vantaged students financially and disincentivized
the pursuit of outside scholarships, and all of the
universities within the Ivy League utilizes a simi-
lar system. Kyong plans to find a method to adjust
this system or at least improve the transparency of
Penn Student Financial Services’s monetary poli-
cies.
Penn Sustainability Project
Thomas Kyong C23 (tkyong@sas.upenn.edu)
Kyong advocated for better Penn sustainability
through its real estate. More specific examples in-
clude utilizing sensor-activated lights, using low-
er volatile organic compound paints, and adding
water purification systems to make the most out
of rainfall. Additionally, Kyong plans to work with
Penn Real Estate to further project and highlight
the committee’s eco-friendly projects and initia-
tives that help create a more sustainable future for
the Penn community.
Roadmap to OCR/OCR Reforms
Jennifer Ahn C21 (jenahn@sas.upenn.edu), Maria
Curry C20 W20 (mariacu@wharton.upenn.edu)
Jennifer worked to improve the availability of re-
sources for on-campus recruiting. She has been
working with Career Services to discuss the feasi-
bility of new ideas and is currently focused on in-
creasing awareness of the resources that they al-
ready offer. She plans to continue to look for ways
to increase availability of these resources as well as
explore new ideas to ease the OCR process for stu-
dents.
Subsidized Graduate Testing Materials
While in its earliest stages, this program aimed to
partially subsidize testing materials for Penn un-
dergraduates to prepare for the GRE, LSAT, and
MCAT. David plans to meet with University ad-
ministrators to consider this possibility.
Sustainability Stickers
Arjun Swaminathan C20 (aswam@sas.upenn.
edu), Thomas Kyong C23 (tkyong@sas.upenn.
edu)
In Hillel and Joe’s cafe, students have to separate
the waste themselves, and there are signs that
clearly delineate where to put trash, recycling, and
compost. We suggested to de-word the posters as
much as possible and to include images on these
signs that best reflect what waste could look like as

provided by that dining hall/cafe.
Transfer Inclusion in Pre-Orientation Pro-
grams
After numerous discussions with other UA mem-
bers about transfer student issues, Thomas real-
ized that transfer students had not been previously
included in pre-orientation programs and did not
even know that they were an opportunity that Penn
students had. For this reason, Thomas contacted
Rodney Robinson, Associate Director of the Office
of Student Affairs, to inquire about this issue and
explain that including transfer students in pre-ori-
entation programs as a great opportunity for trans-
fers to break out of the “transfer bubble” and meet
people from other years and different backgrounds.
After the conversation, he looked into the current
infrastructure and discussed the idea with some
of his colleagues. Rodney then confirmed that he
would ensure that the marketing department will
send materials regarding pre-orientation programs
to incoming transfers moving forward.
Transfer Student Peer Advisors
Many transfer students were interested in the rea-
soning behind them not being assigned Peer Advi-
sors. Instead of being assigned one like freshmen
are, transfer students receive a mentor from the
student-run organization, the Transfer Student
Organization. The difference between a mentor as-
signed to transfers and Peer Advisors assigned to
freshmen is the time in which they are assigned.
Peer Advisors are assigned during the summer pri-
or to starting freshmen fall, while transfer mentors
are not assigned until orientation at the end of Au-
gust. The reason for concern is that besides the as-
signed faculty advisor, Penn transfers do not have
a peer at Penn to reach out to with questions for
advising. To address this problem, Thomas initial-
ly reached out to Dr. Douglas Paletta, who is listed
as a point-of-contact for questions regarding peer
advising. He informed Thomas that the system of
assigning Peer Advisors does not have the resourc-
es to accommodate transfer students. After that,
Thomas reached out to the Transfer Student Orga-
nization and Penn Admissions to move up the time
that transfer mentors are assigned. Currently, they
are discussing the logistics to do so.
Student and Campus Life | 37
Transfer Student Writing Requirement
Prior to transferring to Penn, many students had
taken writing courses for their original school’s
writing requirement. However, it is Penn’s policy
to not count those courses towards the writing re-
quirement for sophomore transfer students and to
only count them if a junior transfer passes a diag-
nostic exam. After inquiring into the reason behind
the policy with Valerie Ross, Director of the pro-
gram, and Matthew Osborn, the Associate Director
of the program, Thomas learned that Penn’s Crit-
ical Writing program had conducted multi-year
studies as to the efficacy of their program in com-
parison to students who have either not taken it or
received transfer credit to exempt themselves from
it. Thomas was informed that students who took
completed Penn’s Critical Writing program per-
formed significantly better in courses that were es-
say/writing based than students who had not com-
pleted it. Thomas shared a synopsis of this meeting
to transfer students who displayed a lot of positivi-
ty upon learning the reasons behind the policy and
the impact the program will have on their future.
Voter Registration at NSO
Jessica Liu W23 (jxliu@wharton.upenn.edu),
Jonah Schenk C23 (jrschenk@sas.upenn.edu),
As the UA, we value voter engagement both in
our own elections as well as elections at large. We
strive to engage the Penn community in terms of
student politics and national politics, but approx-
imately 20% of Penn is still not registered to vote
despite collaborative pushes between the UA and
Penn Leads the Vote. Thomas and Jonah advocat-
ed for adding a voter registration table at Houston
Hall when incoming freshmen pick up their Pen-
nCards. PLTV was very receptive and supporting
of this idea, which we all hope will increase voter
registration among Penn students in general, not
just in those who wish to vote in Pennsylvania.
Wharton’s Actuarial Science Concentration
David Jin C23 (jindavid@sas.upenn.edu) Thomas
Kyong C23 (tkyong@sas.upenn.edu)
After meeting with Penn Actuarial Society (PAS),
Dr. Lemaire, Dr. Low, and Dr. Gibbons, Thomas
Kyong, David Jin, and Wharton students planning

to concentrate in the Actuarial Sciences lobbied
administrators to continue the actuarial program.
Wharton officials agreed to continue the program
for three more years including the conclusion of
the current 2019-2020 academic year. Dr. Jean Le-
maire, Professor of Statistics and Academic Advis-
er for Actuarial Sciences, will continue his respon-
sibilities as an adviser despite retiring.

Additional Reports
Contents:
• Communications Report
• Cabinet Administrator Meetings
• Special Projects
• UA Events
Additional Reports | 39

Communications Report
Camilo Duran C21
Communications Director (communications@pennua.org)
Communications Team
Hiba Hamid C23 (hfhamid@sas.upenn.edu)
During the 47th Session, the Communications Team continued several initiatives from prior
years. Members of the week were named and recognized in order to promote awareness of
project work each member of the UA was actively undertaking across committees. In addition to
this, the Communications Team continued a number of initiatives in order to increase transpar-
ency and accessibility with the student body. In the 2019-2020 school year, the UA continued
the Tabling Series in which UA members were periodically on Locust Walk distribut-
ing Project Summary Reports, Wellness Guides, and information about the UA and
their projects. At these tables, we had a physical suggestion box, encouraging people to voice
their concerns by incentivizing students through raffle tickets for Penn spiritwear for each sugges-
tion. Valuing interaction, we also had white boards at the table in which students could write what
they loved about Penn and what they wanted to see improved. An additional improvement that
was implemented this year was the integration of UA Steering groups into the initiative
so they also gained direct exposure to students passing on Locust. Lastly, in March, the Commu-
nications Team helped promote resources for students in light of the global COVID-19 health pan-
demic, including both the UA’s COVID-19 Guide and University-sponsored resources. Our work
served to help make sure students were aware of resources available to them during a crucial time
of centralized communication given the nature of both the public health crisis and the subsequent
university response.
Facebook was the primary medium of information distribution for the UA. Weekly General
Body Meetings continued to be streamed via Facebook. The Communications Team
made the decision to reinstate the UA instagram after having been deactivated the year prior, as
the Class of 2023 in particular engaged actively with other branches of Penn Student Government
on the app. This tool was used to help promote student resources more widely, both for initiatives
spearheaded by the UA as well as those in collaboration with other on-campus groups. We shared
University-wide events, important University announcements, UA announcements, and more. UA
members were also easily able to share these posts on their personal accounts. This year’s Com-
munications Team also focused on graphic design and released many infographics. We made
promotional materials advertising UA’s legal services, contingency fund, airport shuttles services,
resolutions, and members.
The Communications Team also heavily worked with The Daily Pennsylvanian (DP).
Internally, the Communications Team updated UA members on student news by summarizing DP
articles. Externally, the Communications Team worked with DP Student Government Beat report-
ers to coordinate and keep track of coverage.
40 | Communications Report

Communications Report | 41
News Articles
A student-led program will put free menstrual products in popular study spaces on campus
After two special elections, the UA has filled all of its Engineering seats
At UA VP debate, both candidates promise more campus spaces for student groups
College junior Natasha Menon elected next Undergraduate Assembly president
Halfway through their term, UA leaders cite condemning Amy Wax as primary accomplishment
In the wake of tragedy, student leaders focus on improving mental wellness among members
NEC amends UA resolution to demand Penn bar Amy Wax from teaching instead of firing her
NEC opts to violate bylaws and push UA, Class Board elections to fall due to coronavirus
Penn Student Government budget for next academic year reaches record-high $2.75 million
Penn Student Government holds diversity training after internal concerns about inclusivity
Penn Transit extends Trader Joe’s shuttles for two months after serving nearly 500 people
Penn will consider pushing back April 13 pass/fail opt-in deadline after students petition
PrEP is 99% effective in preventing HIV. The UA wants to raise awareness of the drug at Penn
SAC will fund rental fees for some on-campus conferences beginning fall 2020
Six UA members resign mid-term, prompting NEC to appoint reps. and hold a special election
Traveling to Trader Joe’s will be free on Penn Transit shuttles, the UA announces
The UA has struggled to fill seats for months — a special election looks to change that
The UA will launch projects to expand CAPS and study the mental wellness of Penn students
The UA’s new executive board plans to tackle efficiency and transparency next year
Two UA elections attracted zero Engineering candidates. Now, six will run for four spots
UA allows associate members to serve on the group’s cabinet after vigorous debate
UA and GAPSA to provide free menstrual products with new pilot program

42 | Communications Report
UA and SAC consider using surplus funds for student group on-campus space rentals
UA drafts proposal to provide free chest binders for transgender students
UA fills vacant Nursing seat with special election – but only 17 people voted
UA heads campaign to help students understand their academic rights
UA urges admin to push back pass/fail deadline and give timeline for housing, dining refund
UA wants to replace emergency phone boxes on campus with a button to speed up responses
UA works with Penn Dining Advisory Board to fix excess meal swipe problem
Undergraduate Assembly demands that Penn fire Amy Wax for violating University policy
Upcoming UA elections will include a seat reserved for new transfer students
Weeks after Amy Wax’s ‘dangerous’ claims, students urge UA to start diversity programs
While Penn’s ridesharing app grows in popularity, the UA pushes for longer hours

Cabinet Administrator Meetings
UA Cabinet
cabinet@pennua.org
Career Services - September 27, 2019
On Friday, September 27, UA Cabinet met with Career Services leadership, Barbara Hewitt,
Michael DeAngelis, Sharon Fleshman, Jamie Grant, and David Ross to discuss issues such as
the newly updated Career Services website, the progress of their peer advisor program, and the
On-Campus Recruiting timeline. Ryan Bush joined the meeting as a representative from the Aca-
demic Initiatives Committee.
Executive Vice President - October 4, 2019
On Friday, October 4, UA Cabinet met with Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli and Associ-
ate Vice President Tony Sorrentino. We discussed the various on-campus dining and retail op-
tions, facilities upgrades to campus living spaces, and how the University could work to prioritize
performing arts, cultural, and recreational space on campus.
President Gutmann - October 16, 2019
On Wednesday, October 16, UA Cabinet met with President Gutmann and Deputy Chief of Staff
Leah Popowich to discuss the progress that the UA had made. Projects that we highlighted in-
cluded syllabi on Penn InTouch, Van Pelt basement renovations, PennCard digital integration,
increasing mindfulness spaces, chest binders, club recruitment reform, and the longitudinal well-
ness study. President Gutmann commended the UA’s work and encouraged us to keep advocating
on the student body’s behalf.
International Student and Scholar Services - October 18, 2019
On Friday, October 18, UA Cabinet met with Director Rudie Altamirano, Senior Associate Direc-
tor Lily Zhang, and Program Coordinator Ryan Villanueva to discuss issues pertaining to inter-
national students. We discussed the promotion of ISSS as more than an immigration assistance
service, support systems in place for students who identify as DACA recipients, and how to prior-
itize international student space. Edward Jiang joined the meeting as a representative from the
Academic Initiatives Committee.
Vice Provost of University Life - October 23, 2019
On Wednesday, October 23, UA Cabinet met with Vice Provost Valarie Ena Swain-Cade McCo-
llum, Associate Vice Provost Will Gipson, Associate Vice Provost Tamara King, Associate Vice
Provost Sharon Smith, and Monica Yant Kinney to discuss the feasibility of faculty sensitivity
trainings, the presence of fraternity houses on Locust Walk, the expansion of mindfulness spaces,
DACA recipient support systems, and the longitudinal wellness study. The VPUL staff were very
impressed with our project work and discussions.
Division of Public Safety- October 30, 2019
On Wednesday, October 30th, UA Cabinet met with Maureen Rush (Vice President for Public
Safety), Stacy Ritchey (Associate Director for Operations and Ext. Affairs, DPS), and Kathleen
Shields-Anderson (Director of Operations and Ext. Affairs, DPS). We discussed bike and package
theft, UPenn Alert notifications, and how to publicize DPS initiatives.
Cabinet Administrator Meetings | 43

44 | Cabinet Administrator Meetings
Provost Pritchett- November 1, 2019
On Friday, November 1st, UA Cabinet met with Provost Wendell Pritchett, Vice Provost of Educa-
tion Beth Winkelstein, and Executive Director of Academics in the Provost’s Office, Gary Purpura.
We discussed the efficacy of sensitivity training for faculty, the admissions process and the role of
legacy students, as well as academic supports for first-year students.
Student Registration and Financial Services- November 1, 2019
On Friday, November 1st, UA Cabinet, met with SRFS. We discussed outside scholarship alloca-
tion, RA/GA compensation, nursing clinical travel costs, student access codes as course costs, and
language used by SRFS to explain financial aid. Tess Doran and Thomas Kyong both attended as
representatives of the Student and Campus Life committee.
Faculty Senate- November 13, 2019
On Wednesday, November 13th, UA Cabinet met with two of the Faculty Senate Tri-Chairs Jen-
nifer Pinto-Martin (Past-Chair) and Steven Kimbrough (Chair-Elect), along with their Executive
Assistant Patrick Walsh. Included in the discussion was how to frame sensitivity trainings to fac-
ulty members, expanding wellness TAs, and how to mitigate the costs of mandatory course access
codes.
Business Services- November 15, 2019
On Friday, November 15, UA Cabinet met with Business Services leadership, Marie Witt, Christo-
pher Bradie, Sandra Ardis, Douglas Berger, Barbara Lea-Kruger, and Brian Manthe. We discussed
the current options for meal plans, the automated cafes in ARCH and Van Pelt Library, PennRides
on Demand, and a new pilot program to provide shuttles to Trader Joe’s.
Facilities and Real Estate Services- December 6, 2019
On Friday, December 6th UA Cabinet met with the Facilities and Real Estate Services leadership,
Anne Papageorge, David Hollenberg, Jennifer Rizzi, and Faramarz Vakilizadeh. These adminis-
trators gave us an overview of the sustainability initiatives, renovations, and construction projects
that are ongoing. We also had discussions about lighting on campus, space considerations for cul-
tural and performing arts groups, and how the UA can help publicize the work of FRES. Thomas
Kyong attended as a representative of the Student and Campus Life committee.
Center for Teaching and Learning - February 6, 2020
On Thursday, February 6th, UA Cabinet met with Bruce Lenthall and Jamiella Brooks of the Cen-
ter for Teaching and Learning to discuss inclusive classroom workshops available to faculty. This
marked the first time that UA Cabinet has met with CTL. They gave great feedback on the feasibil-
ity of the recommendations put forth in our project report and provided new recommendations
we incorporated as we moved forward.
Executive Vice President - February 18, 2020
On Tuesday, February 18th, UA Cabinet met with Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli and
Assistant Vice President Tony Sorrentino to discuss the proposed UA-led Climate Town Hall, in-
troducing new spaces for marginalized communities on campus, the closing of Fresh Grocer, and
how the UA, SAC, and the EVP’s Office could work together to combat increasing facilities costs.

UA annual report 47th session

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