bill 1.16

1. THE UNIVERSITY PARK UNDERGRADUATE ASSOCIATION
The Pennsylvania State University
16th Assembly
2022 - 2022 Session
Bill #01-16
June 2nd
, 2021
Be it decided by the Assembly of Student Representatives,
having been brought to the floor by the Committee on Justice and Equity,
a
BILL
Funding for the “Every Person Belongs Here” Banners in Partnership with
the State College Borough
Nature of the Situation:
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On February 14th, 2018, the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) passed a bill
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titled the “Funding for the You Are Welcome Here Banners in Partnership with the State College
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Borough” in support of international students. The former Borough Council President, Evan
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Myers, states that “The banners we celebrate today further the Borough’s efforts in ensuring that
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all residents and visitors to our community know that we affirm our commitment to all, to be
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welcoming to all, and to be inclusive of all.”1
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In an effort to expand the original goals of the UPUA and the Borough, and in the spirit of
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promoting a true town-gown relationship, the UPUA’s first Justice and Equity Committee
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pursued the production of a banner campaign that was inclusive of a plethora of diverse
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communities on campus and in State College which was then titled the “Every Person Belongs
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Here” campaign. With town-gown support from the University and the Borough of State
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College, approximately 90 banners will be placed along sidewalks and walkways on campus and
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around town beginning in August. Of the campaign, State College Borough Manager Tom
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Fountaine explained, “We are so pleased to be able to continue to work alongside the University
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and UPUA to help support this town-gown initiative. We are one community and are jointly
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committed to fostering a welcoming and engaged community for everyone who lives and visits
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here.”2
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1
https://onwardstate.com/2018/04/03/borough-student-leaders-officially-unveil-welcome-banners/
2
https://news.psu.edu/story/657765/2021/05/05/campus-life/upua-leads-fall-welcome-banner-campaign-town-
gown-support

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The titles for the banners and reasoning are as follows:
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Students & Community Members with Disabilities Belong Here
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Spiritual & Religious Diversity Belongs Here
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Every Person Belongs Here
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Black Lives Matter
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Indigenous Students & Community Members Belong Here
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Latinx Students & Community Members Belong Here
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Asian Students & Community Members Belong Here
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LGBTQIA+ Students & Community Members Belong Here
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International Students & Community Members Belong Here
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Diversity of Thought Belongs Here
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According to the Penn State Admissions Office, 7.65% of the undergraduate population is
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classified as Latinx.3
These students are an instrumental part of the Penn State community and
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deserve to be recognized as such. The United States Census Bureau, those who may identify as
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Latinx account for 18.5% of the United States population, demonstrating a consistently growing
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segment of the populace, while further exemplifying the need for ample representation for the
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group.4
According to the Education Writers Association, “those with a college degree were more
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than twice as likely to report discrimination in five different categories: slurs; insensitive or
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offensive comments or negative assumptions; people acting afraid of them; threats or non-sexual
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harassment; and sexual harassment” which indicates that college communities can be extremely
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toxic and discriminatory environments for Latinx people, even more so than the workplace.5
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LGBTQIA+ students are at a higher risk than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. In a
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meta-analysis relationship, it was seen that by just identifying as LGBTQIA+ places someone at
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an increased risk of being victimized in an academic environment.6
LGBTQIA+ individuals have
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overwhelmingly been victims of a hostile school environment. It was reported that in 2019 that
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59.1% of LGBTQIA+ students felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, 77.6%
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avoided school functions because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable, 95.2% of LGBTQIA+
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individuals heard homophobic remarks (e.g. “dyke” or “faggot”), 87.4% of LGBTQIA+ students
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heard negative remarks about transgender people (e.g. “he/she” or “tranny”), and 86.3% of
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LGBTQIA+ students experienced harassment or assault in school. 7 These students suffer greatly
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at university because of the victimization they experience. Across different gender and sexual
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identities, it was seen that GPA was significantly impacted because of discrimination when
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compared to their heterosexual, cisgender peers.2
It is imperative that LGBTQIA+ students feel
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welcomed and celebrated in the Penn State community.
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3
https://admissions.psu.edu/apply/statistics/
4 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/RHI725219
5 https://www.ewa.org/blog-latino-ed-beat/educated-latinos-discrimination
6 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15388220.2020.1725530
7 https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/NSCS19-111820.pdf

3. 59
The Pennsylvania State University hosts more than 6,000 international students campus-wide.8
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Nationally, international students face ethnic and racial discrimination and prejudices. According
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to a study by Jenny J. Lee and Charles Rice, “Negative social images of particular racial groups
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are thrust upon immigrants...long before they understand the implications.”9
Discriminations can
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lead to negative feelings about cultural identity or result in discomfort and inhospitality.
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International students are often also subject to microaggressions pertaining to race, accents,
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culture, and nationality.10
All considered, proactive inclusivity and initiatives pertaining to
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diversity are essential in fostering a positive environment for international students on Penn State
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campuses.
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Among all underrepresented groups at The Pennsylvania State University, Indigenous students
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(American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) are represented by an
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underwhelming 0.2% (0.1% and 0.1%, respectively). Nationally, over the past decade,
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Indigenous student undergraduate enrollment has trended downward. Currently, only 1% of all
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undergraduate students nationally are Indigenous.11
Accordingly, it is imperative that indigenous
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students on all college campuses are recognized and celebrated.
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With the rise of COVID-19, the Asian community around the country have faced discrimination
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and racsim at higher rates than the previous year. Asian hate crimes have increased at a rate
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150% in major cities.14
Asian students make up about 6.40% of the undergraduate student
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population at Penn State. It is important that Asian students feel safe.
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In higher education nationwide, 19% of all undergraduate students report having a disability.12
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Additionally, students with disabilities report feeling less safe on their campuses than students
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without disabilities. In fact, according to the National Center for College Students with
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Disabilities (NCCSD), 33.7% of students with disabilities experienced “exclusionary,
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intimidating, offensive, or hostile experiences on campus” compared to 17.1% nondisabled
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students. Additionally, 23% witnessed discrimination and 22% experienced verbal harassment,
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second to African American students.13
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Since the United States was founded, it has been known as one of the most religiously and
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spiritually diverse nations in the world. This pluralism has brought unique traditions and cultures
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to the United States, but it has also led to significant conflict as people debate how religion
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8
https://datadigest.psu.edu/dashboards/student-enrollment/
9 Lee, Jenny J., and Charles Rice. “Welcome to America? International Student Perceptions of Discrimination.” Higher Education,
vol. 53, no. 3, 2007, pp. 381–409.
10 Hanassab, 2006; Lee & Rice, 2007; Houshmand, Spanierman, & Tafarodi, 2014.
11 https://pnpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020_NativeAmericanFactSheet-November-2020-FINAL.pdf
12 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2019).
13 http://www.nccsdonline.org/uploads/7/6/7/7/7677280/nccsd_campus_climate_brief_-_final_pdf_with_tags2.pdf

4. should engage with our lives as members of the American community. There are several
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different resources from the U.S. Department of Education for education institutions such as
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Penn State to prevent religious discrimination in their communities.14
Penn State’s Pasquerilla
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Spiritual Center, home to the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development, is meant to promote
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appreciation, understanding, and growth in religion and spiritual experiences. According to the
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Jewish-Herald Voice, “65% of Muslim adults say they have felt disrespected in educational
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settings. Just over 80% of Muslim adults say people assume things about them because of their
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religion. Thirty-six percent of Jewish adults report sensing hostility, 35.3% report feeling
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disrespected.”15
In 2001, Dr. Elliot R. Eisenberg of Hazleton filed a lawsuit against Penn State
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University about religious discrimination in the workplace, seen in his salary limitations.
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Eisenberg won the case, demonstrating that Penn State has significant room for improvement
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regarding the welcoming of religious and spiritual identities in the University community.
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According to the FBI, in 2019, 48.9% of all hate crimes committed in America were motivated
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by anti-African American or anti-black bias.16
The Pennsylvania State University has
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experienced race-based hate speech and crimes throughout university history. In 1987, a Black
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student was verbally and physically assaulted on College Avenue. In 1990, two Black students
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were, again, verbally and physically assaulted. And, in 2001, the president of Black Caucus
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received death threats, requiring security to escort her on campus. However, events related to
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racially-motivated incidents are not historically isolated. On January 27th, 2021, Black Caucus
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members were verbally and visually assaulted during a Zoom bombing at the spring involvement
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fair.17
In mid-February 2021, two additional Zoom bombings occurred at University Park and the
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Brandywine branch campus and appear to be racially motivated.18
In 2019, only 5.63% of the
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university-wide student body were African American.19
Additionally, since 2016, the enrollment
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of African American students has decreased by approximately 11.5%.20
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The culmination of pertinent national hate speech, Penn State’s history of racist acts, and the
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university-wide decrease in African American student enrollment demands action for inclusivity
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and awareness.
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In conversations with officials from State College Borough and Student Affairs, there was a
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recommendation put forth to ensure an all-encompassing view of a welcoming University and
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overall community with the addition to ensure the encouragement of robust viewpoints in a
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community constantly growing and progressing. In order to have productive and meaningful
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conversations that allow for growth and understanding, all viewpoints must be discussed so that
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14 https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/religion.html
15 https://jhvonline.com/us-sees-surge-of-religious-hostility-discrimination-violence-since-p28542-164.htm
16 https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2019/topic-pages/incidents-and-offenses
17 https://blackcaucus.wixsite.com/pennstate
18 https://news.psu.edu/story/647764/2021/02/15/campus-life/two-zoom-bombings-under-investigation-university-police
19 https://admissions.psu.edu/apply/statistics/
20 https://datadigest.psu.edu/dashboards/student-enrollment/
14 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-crimes-increased-nearly-150-2020-mostly-n-n1260264

5. participants can meet others where they are in their journey of being a respectful and educated
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member of the community.
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Recommended Course of Action:
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The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), on behalf of the University Park
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undergraduate student body, commits itself to ensuring the needed advocacy for increased
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representation for all communities on campus and within State College as a whole.
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Banners will be installed on and off campus in roughly 65 locations. 40 on light posts on
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College, Beaver, and cross streets. Campus banners will be phased on 20-25 of the 41 Penn State
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on-campus locations (College Ave, Curtain, and Park Ave). It would be phased in after the Mask
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Up Pack Up campaign is gradually phased out.
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Installation would be done by the Borough and Penn State Office of the Physical Plant. Borough
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staff and contractors will take on the installation of the flags and the costs, while the Office of
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the Physical Plant’s sign crew will be utilized for Penn State installation. The UPUA will be
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responsible for solidifying placement for the signs, while the Borough and the UPUA will share
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the costs for the purchasing of flags. The Borough will cover the installation costs for the
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municipality, whereas the UPUA will cover the installation costs for the University. Once the
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initial installation of the project, the UPUA will be charged with managing and modifying the
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banner campaign for the foreseeable future.
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The UPUA will begin actively working on advocating for the modification and/or replacement of
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the “Diversity of Thought Belongs Here” banner set following the implementation of the initial
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project in consultation with the Borough and Student Affairs.
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The ordering and placement is as follows:
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Borough Banners (Total Requested Locations: 44)
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● 40 Identity Banners (5 of each)
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● 4 You Belong Banners
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Penn State Banners (Total Requested Locations: 28)
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● 24 Identity Banners (3 of each)
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● 4 You Belong Banners
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Total Banners:
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● 44 – Borough
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● 28 – Penn State
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6. ● 9 – Extra set (for vandalism)
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● 9 – Borough Building
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TOTAL: 90
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The Department of Public Relations is hereby charged with disseminating this information
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through all appropriate channels.
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Name of General Expenditure
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Item Quantity Total
Custom Printed Banners 90 $12,000
Total Cost $12,000
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Amount remaining in Type-40: $XX,XXX.XX
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Respectfully submitted,
Aarathi Kallur
APIDA Caucus Representative
Chair of Justice and Equity
Ryan Loscalzo
Lion PRIDE Representative
Committee Vote: 9/0/0
Assembly Vote: Y/N/A
Speaker of the Assembly ________________________________________________
President of the Student Body ________________________________________________
The University Park Undergraduate Association
Erin E Boag