Petition demands U. commitment to area

Nearly 500 faculty and staff signed a petition last week calling for President Sheldon Hackney and the Board of Trustees to maintain a commitment to the neighborhoods and communities surrounding campus. The group sponsoring the petition submitted signatures to Hackney and in an attached letter charged him "to make community relations one of your legacies to Penn." The petition warned that unless he and the Trustees make "the well-being of the communities . . . among the highest priorities of the institution," these communities would "fall into decline, with extremely serious consequences to Penn." Richard Shell, associate professor of legal studies and chairperson of the group's public safety committee, said the University has taken "a number of steps and initiatives" to improve the community already. Shell added, however, that before his group became active, the administration did not often consult faculty living in nearby communities when forming University policy. "In many areas faculty and staff had no effective voice in the decisions," Shell said. Shell cited the need to break down myths and misconceptions about University City, Powelton Village and other local neighborhoods. "There was a perception that the University was erecting a type of wall -- that the [neighborhood] was so dangerous that you can't live there," Shell said. According to Shell, influential faculty and staff sometimes promoted these stereotypes. Anne Froehling, chairperson of the group's university models study subcommittee, said she became involved with the organization after hearing that graduate students are discouraged from living near campus. "The administration responded to certain things, but they didn't involve the community as much as they should have," Froehling said. "We want a fair shake," she added. "A chance to put things in their proper perspective -- we've got nice places out here, nice people." Although the group is still in its nascent stages, Shell said the organization's members who actually live in the community are its most valuable asset. "As distinct from some other groups, we are really a resource to the University," he said. "We come up with ideas, we want to see the University and the community succeed together." Froehling said she hopes the University, with the Penn Faculty and Staff for Neighborhood Issues, will take a more active role in the community. "We want big things to happen. Other institutions are making multi-million dollar, in some cases billion-dollar commitments," she said. Shell said that he would like Hackney to issue a statement or reaffirmation of the University's commitment to the community before he leaves for Washington, D.C., where he will be chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities. "I think the administration is quite supportive and quite relieved that we're here," Shell added. "Sometimes they need that extra push. One person, even at the top, can do only so much."

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