During the spring semester, the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) will further expand its major initiatives as well as add new projects to the association's extensive repertoire, according to its executive board.
"When you look at past years in student government, there weren't really too many tangible accomplishments," UPUA President Gavin Keirans said. "Every student government is going to have opinions, but you need something concrete to show students. ... We're well on our way to that."
Looking forward to the spring semester, UPUA plans to continue promoting previous initiatives and introduce more projects, including launching a state university coalition, which would allow students from all state-related universities to focus on tuition concerns, Keirans said.
"We will hopefully have that up and running in the spring to take a stand with the ongoing tuition crisis ... especially with the economic situation. If Penn State student government can lead that initiative, it would go a long way," he said.
In efforts to increase outreach to university students, UPUA will introduce its revamped Web site and send out legislative quarterlies in the spring to keep students updated on the association's activities, UPUA Vice President Valarie Russell said.
UPUA's spring budget has already been allocated to various committees and departments, Keirans said, adding, "This way when we get back for spring semester, we don't have to waste time discussing little numbers. We can just get going."
Other major initiatives and goals for the spring are yet to be decided because they are dependent on student concerns, said Ralph Crivello, UPUA student assembly chairman.
"A lot of our goals aren't set. They are just responsive to what students want," he said.
Though UPUA has its sight set on big goals starting in January, its members are proud of what was accomplished this semester.
The most notable programs UPUA has introduced in the fall semester are the Tenant-Landlord Mediation Center, a legal services program and an online book exchange, Keirans said.
"The big ticket issues are really coming into reality," Russell said.
Crivello said he felt "beginning the dialogue for student legal services" was an impressive advance this term.
"It was a big step forward. It takes years to do anything at Penn State. We accomplished what would've taken a year and condensed it into a semester," Crivello said. "The speed at which things are happening is very promising."
Legal services is being created in conjunction with the Dickinson School of Law and the Division of Student Affairs. The program will work to provide free legal aid and counseling to students.
Launching legal services, an idea introduced by Keirans and Russell last spring, took more time than expected, Russell said. But the process was appreciated because "it gave us more time to make these programs the best they can be and do it the right way," she added.
UPUA also held numerous meetings with Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs; the Graduate Student Association; and the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments throughout the semester, in an effort to keep communication open with other organizations and university leaders, Russell said.
"We've really worked to have a very strong student government," she said.
A smaller initiative UPUA took on to work on student relations was a president's dinner, which allowed presidents of various student organizations to voice their concerns to UPUA, Crivello said.
