U. Council discusses study abroad, charity

Only one community member speaks at the annual public forum. Although extensively advertised as an open forum for public comments and questions, yesterday's University Council meeting only heard from one non-member. Council held the annual forum during the second half of its two-hour meeting to allow students, faculty and staff to present issues to the body for consideration and discussion. During the first hour of the meeting in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall, Provost Stanley Chodorow presented his State of the University address, discussing research, graduate education and the University's expanded international programming. School of Social Work administrative assistant Paul Lukasiak brought several issues to Council for discussion during the open forum. The University, Lukasiak argued, should not be using central real estate for retail when there are academic departments that need new space. Lukasiak also discussed outsourcing and requested more community-wide involvement in the issue. "The decision to outsource academic services shouldn't be up to just the administration," Lukasiak said. Council Moderator Will Harris, a Political Science professor, said the body's steering committee would deal appropriately with each of Lukasiak's concerns and determine what committees should address the issues raised. When it was apparent no other students, faculty or staff wanted to speak, several Council members brought up concerns of their own. Microbiology Professor Helen Davies commented on the lack of staff consultation by the administration when turning Penn's Way -- the University's annual charitable donation campaign -- over to United Way. Harris recommended tabling that discussion until next September. But Executive Vice President John Fry said he would like to discuss the Penn's Way issue once the numbers are complied from this year's fundraising effort. "For a place of this size, $300,000 to $400,000 is probably not what it should be," Fry said about the decreasing contributions to Penn's Way. This year's Penn's Way drive will end Friday. City and Regional Planning Chairperson Anthony Tomazinas told Council the University should closely examine the potentially growing drug problem on campus. He added that Penn should consider publicly declaring its campus drug-free. Harris said Council would take the idea under consideration, adding that the body could assign a committee to report on drug use on campus. Before the discussion ensued, Chodorow presented his State of the University address, which was postponed from last month's meeting. He talked in detail about taking steps to make the University community more globally aware. The provost's office recently received a report on the foreign language curriculum that included the idea of teaching social science courses in foreign languages. The University's study-aboard programs are also going to be reviewed and some programs may be cut, Chodorow said. He added that the number of international students and visiting faculty from abroad at the University needs to increase. "The presence of foreign students and faculty and research personnel is one of the ways in which we can internationalize the campus," Chodorow said. Currently, there are roughly 2,650 foreign students at Penn -- approximately 850 undergraduates and 1,800 in graduate and professional schools. Chodorow also discussed research funding and sources during his speech. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave $186,538,693 in research money to the University in 1996, making it the single largest source of funding. The Medical Center receives the most research funding -- $171,500,848 -- of any school at Penn. Chodorow also discussed the results from the provost's first survey of doctoral students upon their graduation from Penn. The survey asked graduate students to evaluate their dissertation advisor, research opportunities and the quality of their time at Penn. And Harris announced yesterday he would step down from his position on Council effective next semester, since he will be on sabbatical in the spring. Rodin said she has asked someone to serve as moderator but would not release the name, since she hasn't yet received a definite answer. Harris served as moderator for four-and-a-half years, and previously held Council's parliamentarian position for three years.

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