Student body President Gavin Keirans said Wednesday night that now eight weeks into the semester, any major plans or initiatives need to be acted on -- as soon as possible.
Keirans (senior-business management) said last night that while University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) is "moving in the right direction," they do not want to end the semester without doing anything.
The Student Life and Diversity Committee was given confirmation to hold their "Campus Night Out" event, which will be a campus-wide safety effort.
The event will be held on the HUB-Robeson Center lawn next week, said Student Life and Diversity Chairman Christian Ragland.
He said the event is an effort to promote the awareness of any kind of conflict on campus -- from fights to sexual assaults to underage drinking.
"We want to get as much support as possible," Ragland (junior-political science) said, adding that he wants to encourage anyone who thinks they have "something to bring to the table" to be a part of the event.
Ragland said he met with university police, State College borough officials and many members of campus organizations that expressed interest in being a part of "Campus Night Out."
Ragland said he is excited to see so many people getting involved with student life.
Debate persisted last night about two open representative spots. Some members attributed the discussion to potential conflicts in the candidate's schedules and issues with UPUA's lack of advertising the positions.
However, there were enough "yes" votes to confirm both Josh Crawford and Andrew Ott. Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Colleen Smith spoke on behalf of both candidates and said she is glad to see them as an official part of UPUA.
"These two candidates really stood out," Smith (sophomore-biology) said. "I'm really excited because both of these positions have been open for a month, and now we have full representation for both at large and off-campus constituencies."
Crawford (sophomore-crime, law and justice) was sworn in as the new UPUA off-campus representative. He additionally serves as the director of student life in the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG).
Ott (senior-marketing) was sworn in as the new UPUA at large representative. He is also on the Penn State basketball team.
