To promote messages of inclusion, diversity and respect, the University Park Undergraduate Association will lead an âEvery Person Belongs Hereâ banner campaign for the fall semester.
According to Penn State News, UPUA will hang 90 banners along sidewalks and campus walkways beginning in August.Â
The âEvery Person Belongs Hereâ campaign stems from the âYou Are Welcome Hereâ banner initiative, which started as a collaboration between the State College borough and UPUA years prior.
Lexy Pathickal, the former UPUA vice president, said the previous âYou Are Welcome Hereâ campaign served to welcome international students to the State College community.
However, the message expanded to welcome âunderrepresented and marginalized groupsâ in recent years, especially with the âEvery Person Belongs Hereâ initiative, Pathickal said in Penn State News.
IMAGE: Penn State
“It’s like we’re laying out a welcome mat,” said Rodriguez, a sophomore who co-led the initiative while serving as the student government’s Justice and Equity Committee chair and College of the Liberal Arts representative. “The banners will be a physical representation of our University values to create a welcoming and inclusive community for all, and to promote the idea that Penn State is a family and a home for every student.”
What started a few years ago as a “You Are Welcome Here” banner initiative by UPUA in collaboration with the Borough of State College to welcome international students to campus and community has now expanded to offer a broader message of belonging and support for those from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, according to Lexy Pathickal, immediate past vice president of UPUA and Penn State senior, who collaborated with Rodriguez on the project.
Najee Rodriguez, a first-generation college student, is officially Penn State’s new student-body vice president.
As vice president, Rodriguez is responsible for chairing all UPUA meetings and sitting on various administrative task forces. Now, he’s finally getting a chance to stand up and have a voice in a room full of people to advocate for all students.
We sat down with Rodriguez to learn more about his diverse background, his goals for UPUA, and his favorite Creamery flavor is.
Onward State: Why and how did you first get involved with UPUA?
Najee Rodriguez: I think for me it all started at the involvement fair. Obviously, I did background research. I was involved in student government in high school, and I saw that UPUA was, of course, our student government here.
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