38th St. parking garage proposed

and STEPHEN GLASS A Trustees committee recommended yesterday that the University build a multi-level parking garage that will house a chilled-water facility and ground-level retail stores near campus. The Facilities and Campus Planning Committee unanimously recommended that the garage be built on the northeast corner of Walnut and 38th streets. The facility will provide 660 parking spaces to absorb spots displaced by the construction of the Revlon Campus Center. The committee also recommended adding a temporary building on the corner of 33rd and Chestnut streets to house the Fine Arts School. The school now uses parts of Smith Hall, which is scheduled to be demolished. The garage, stretching from Walnut to Sansom streets, will house the chilling facility on the Sansom Street side of the building. According to Vice President for Facilities Management Art Gravina, the chilling facility will make ice at night when utility rates are low to cool the Law School complex and the planned campus center. In a 40-minute presentation before the committee, architect John Bower discussed both the aesthetic and logistical advantages of the garage. Bower said the red-brick style of the building will continue the same color scheme as Gimble Gymnasium and a tower on the southwest corner of the building will serve as a landmark. Several trustees questioned the value of building huge garages while neglecting the advantages public transportation provides for students and faculty who commute to the University. At one point, Gravina and Committee Chairman Myles Tanenbaum pressed the committee to approve the garage and cooling center. Several reluctant Trustees continued questioning the benefits of the garage, but Gravina forced the issue by arguing that if the proposal was rejected, the University would be unable to cool the Revlon Center or provide adequate parking facilities in the future. The recommendation passed unanimously by voice vote. The committee's recommendations will go before the full board of Trustees today. In other business, the Trustees' Responsibility Committee extensively discussed the University's commitment to community service and outreach programs. John Gould, executive director of the president's office, said that the accepted "Ivory Tower" perception of universities years ago has since passed and higher education is now under the microscope. "There is increasing suspicion of institutes of higher education," Gould said. "No longer separate and distinct, we are in an age of scrutiny." Gould endorsed what he called the "the Triad" as the ongoing mission of the University. The Triad links teaching, research and service in a unified purpose for the University. School of Arts and Sciences Vice Dean Ira Harkavy added that he believes teaching through service is an important educational model that is gaining in popularity at the University. Harkavy said that numerous other colleges were visiting campus to learn about a University program that revitalizes local communities by making a neighborhood school the focal point of the community. "It is believed Benjamin Franklin each morning said 'What good can I do?' " Harkavy said. "To his University he would have said 'What good may Penn do?' " The committee expressed interest in a community service center which would allow the University to continue its decentralized outreach work, but unite the many groups with a home base. The Student Life Committee sat through nearly two hours of presentations by several student counseling groups. Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson, who opened the meeting, described student peer counseling services as some of the most effective educational programs at the University. "Peer-to-peer discussion is one of the most effective means of education," Morrisson said, adding that students have a "legitimacy" when dealing with fellow students. University Health Educator Susan Villari said that Student Health has provided over 100 workshops on everything from sexual awareness to drug education to over 4000 students. Students from Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health, Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape, Drug and Alcohol Resource Team and Reach-A-Peer Phone Line described their accomplishments over the past year. Students from all groups stressed the importance of peer counseling, stating that students trust other students far more than they rely on administrators. Students representing two graduate counseling efforts described their successes in acclimating foreign students to the University and helping Medical School students cope with stress. Several Trustees praised the students' efforts, adding that the University has vast resources to help students deal with social problems. The Committee on External Affairs discussed trying to publicize the University's successful management in the wake of peer institution's financial woes. But some Trustees said they would prefer to stick to the University's traditional policy of "not knocking others." Committee Chairperson Leonard Lauder said he did not think it would be wise to allow Harrisburg and the general public to think the University was doing well financially since it is dependent on state funding. "I worry about Harrisburg at night," Lauder said. "We sell the programs and say second that they do well because of management." The committee overwhelmingly agreed. At the Academic Policy Committee meeting, the state of University research was considered "healthy" and is gaining ground with respect to its peer institutions. Trustees stressed the need for the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, noting that the University was "simply running out of space" for laboratories and other research. Staff writers Scott Calvert and Stephanie Desmon contributed to this story.

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