- To kick off the LAST Assembly meeting of the 70th Assembly of GPSA there were special presentations from Perry Dripps, Program Coordinator of Sustainability Engagement in Sustainability Institute and from Damon Sims, the Vice President of Student Affairs.
- Everyone is eligible to sign up for vaccines on April 19th and phase 1B date of vaccine eligibility starts April 5.
- President Alex Zhao thanks everyone for all the hard work they have put in this year and to be proud of the results GPSA has achieved to better the life of students.
- Resolution 70-25 Constitutional Amendment (Meeting Minutes and Special Presentations) was passed which is a constitutional amendment to record and publicize meeting minutes and special presentations and formally add that to the constitution since the recording of special presentations has been relatively new and requires permission of special presenters
- Resolution 70-26 Constitutional Amendment (Removal Proceedings) was passed which is a constitutional amendment to distinguish removal proceedings for absenteeism from the other removal proceedings as outlined in the constitution.
- Bill 70-25 Volunteering with Clearwater Conservatory was passed which is an event where ten students will be able to volunteer by participating in spring planting at the Clearwater Conservatory on Saturday, April 17.
- Bill 70-26 Personal Herb Planting Kits was passed which aligns with a goal of the new Climate Action Subcommittee to promote sustainable behavior, the event will distribute 80 herb-planting kits to students who register.
- Bill 70-27 Huck Life Sciences cosponsorship was passed to support The Life Sciences Symposium (LSS) which is a student-oriented conference dedicated to promoting collaboration between the various branches of life sciences research at PSU.
- Resolution 70-28 Disability Accommodations gives recommendations for the university to follow to better support students with disabilities
- The Philip J. Burlingame Advocate for the Arts Award goes to Lan-Nhi Phung for her dedication in organizing the pottery events.
- The George Atherton Outstanding Dedication to Penn State Award went to Emory Robertson for their work on the Student Fee Board, as a liaison, and his efforts on behalf of graduate and professional students across the University.
- The Kenneth Martin Exemplary Service Award goes to Ali Watts for her work on the Advocacy and Diversity Committee and her willingness to step in and serve on the Graduate Council midway through the year.
- The Delegate of the Year award goes to Jocelyn Delgado because of her leadership in the Programming Committee.
To kick off the LAST Assembly meeting of the 70th Assembly of GPSA there were special presentations from Perry Dripps, Program Coordinator of Sustainability Engagement in Sustainability Institute and from Damon Sims, the Vice President of Student Affairs.
Dripps encouraged everyone to think about the indigenous people that lived in the lands everyone is standing on now in the past. He shared the the Sustainable Development goals and said the university applauds the work GPSA has done in order to help achieve these goals through various resolutions and initiatives. Positions for Sustainable officer positions will open and encourages GPSA members to apply if interested.
Sims asks for members’ help in amplifying graduate students’ voices further on how to effectively transition back into an in-person setting for next school semester. He urges all to to do what they can to be responsible so that an in-person semester can successfully happen next semester.
In Executive Officer reports, President Alex Zhao reported that student leaders met with Student Affairs recently about the transition back to person next semester. The student leaders will have a meeting soon about the university budget. Everyone is eligible to sign up for vaccines on April 19th and phase 1B date of vaccine eligibility starts April 5. Tomorrow, will be the one-year anniversary of GPSA meeting fully virtual. He thanks everyone for all the hard work they have put in this year and to be proud of the results GPSA has achieved to better the life of students.
Treasurer, Matt Billups reported that the amount budgeted to total active bills is $30,000 which will be taken care of soon. Personal reimbursements are still being distributed as well. For Graduate Council, Claire Kelling reported that the dual-title changes mentioned last Assembly meeting will not be in effect until at least Fall 2021.
In Unfinished Business, Resolution 70-25 Constitutional Amendment (Meeting Minutes and Special Presentations) was passed which is a constitutional amendment to record and publicize meeting minutes and special presentations and formally add that to the constitution since the recording of special presentations has been relatively new and requires permission of special presenters.
Resolution 70-26 Constitutional Amendment (Removal Proceedings) was passed which is a constitutional amendment to distinguish removal proceedings for absenteeism from the other removal proceedings as outlined in the constitution. This is brought up due to the differences in removal procedures between removals due to absenteeism and general removal of members. The new wording will direct to removal procedures as outlined in the Bylaws.
In New Business, Bill 70-25 Volunteering with Clearwater Conservatory was passed which is an event where ten students will be able to volunteer by participating in spring planting at the Clearwater Conservatory on Saturday, April 17. This resolution authorizes the Community Outreach Committee to purchase up to ten $25 ride vouchers from Lyft for the students volunteering with Clearwater Conservancy who cannot provide their own transportation to the planting site.
Bill 70-26 Personal Herb Planting Kits was passed which aligns with a goal of the new Climate Action Subcommittee to promote sustainable behavior, the event will distribute 80 herb-planting kits to students who register. Each herb kit will consist of a terracotta clay pot, a packet of dehydrated potting mix, and a packet of seeds. The pots will be sourced from Jamali Garden, a wholesale pottery supplier and family-owned business based in New York.
Bill 70-27 Huck Life Sciences cosponsorship was passed to support The Life Sciences Symposium (LSS) which is a student-oriented conference dedicated to promoting collaboration between the various branches of life sciences research at PSU. This event will feature keynote speakers, presentations, a ‘my research’ video contest, cash prizes for presentation awards and gift giveaways for attendees.
Resolution 70-28 Disability Accommodations gives recommendations for the university to follow to better support students with disabilities. Some of the recommendations include: creating a policy requiring all Zoom classes to offer closed captioning, to work with the Student Disability Resources Office to include information on the availability of accommodations in every acceptance and offer letter sent out to graduate students, requiring more training done through the annual compliance training for instructors, and make a policy forbidding professors from enquiring about the nature of a student’s disability.
In presentation of awards, the Philip J. Burlingame Advocate for the Arts Award goes to Lan-Nhi Phung for her dedication in organizing the pottery events. The George Atherton Outstanding Dedication to Penn State Award went to Emory Robertson for their work on the Student Fee Board, as a liaison, and his efforts on behalf of graduate and professional students across the University. The Kenneth Martin Exemplary Service Award goes to Ali Watts for her work on the Advocacy and Diversity Committee and her willingness to step in and serve on the Graduate Council midway through the year. The Delegate of the Year award goes to Jocelyn Delgado because of her leadership in the Programming Committee.