VPUL study will evaluate Res. Living

Safety, mail are top concerns Following complaints about the performance of the Office of Residential Living, acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain Cade McCoullum said last night that she has begun a "comprehensive study" of methods to improve the department. McCoullum added that she hopes a full plan will be ready for implementation by June 30, the day her tenure as acting VPUL ends. The focus of the study includes issues of mail service, maintenance, and safety and security. McCoullum said the three have common problems, and therefore common solutions. "Residential Living programs and services engage at least 40 percent of a residential community member's time," she said, explaining the department's importance. "And it is important to me that each department in the [VPUL] division, especially Residential Living, do their substantive planning prior to the end of the academic year?and include a complete timetable of implementation," she added. McCoullum said the problems with mail service are "mostly" not the fault of Residential Living. "The U.S. Postal Service sucks," she said. "I have received detailed information from a high ranking 30th Street? Post Office official who has recounted a litney of internal post office problems." Those problems include staff cutbacks, denied overtime, weather related problems and low staff morale, McCoullum added. But, despite the U.S. Postal Service's involvement in the University mail system, McCoullum admitted that solutions had to be made on a University level. Some of these include additional training, construction of new facilities and the possibility of a "unique zip code for the University." But McCoullum added that the "University's whole system" contributes to the problems. Mail which comes into the University can be handled by three different agencies -- the U.S. Postal Service, the Penn Mail Service and the Residential Living Mail Service. McCoullum suggested that the three organizations be combined into one, which would deal with all of the mail which comes into the University on a daily basis. The central problem of flawed organization occurs in the other two areas of Residential Living which the VPUL office is examining, she added. Problems with University maintenance, particularly in the residences, include paint, carpeting, heat, ventilation and air conditioning systems and roofs. The three offices of Physical Plant, Facilities and Planning and Residential Maintenance all control various aspects of the University's maintenance system. And McCoullum said these agencies, like those involved in the mail delivery, can be consolidated. The final issue, safety and security, is one of the most important, according to Executive Vice President Janet Hale. "Safety and security is something you always want to improve on campus," she said last night. "Probably nothing is more important than that." Though the VPUL office has already initiated mandatory background checks for all security personnel, McCoullum said she hopes that consolidating the offices involved in safety and security will be a more long-term improvement. Currently, University Police and Residential Living Security personnel deal with the safety issues which come up. But, McCoullum added, there are "a large number of security firms which provide services to one facility or another across the campus." This, too, can be consolidated. "I think we need one oversight officer identified for each of these administrative services," she said. "These are three areas where there are multiple oversight agencies and significant resource allocation challenges. "I hope to work?to reduce the number of redundancies and reallocate resources to improve student services," McCoullum added. She said the proposed changes should not be considered in a negative light in terms of the Department of Residential Living, though services would most likely be removed from the control of Director Gigi Simeone. "First of all, it's possible that everything could be put under Residential Living as the main body," McCoullum said. "But at this point nobody who cares about students should be concerned about where and who is responsible for providing the services." She added that those who "care less about students" might feel "threatened" by the proposals. This feeling is definitely unfounded, McCoullum said. "Every member of the Residential Living and Maintenance staffs has actively and openly partnered this public review of their area," she said. "Every possibility should be explored without fear of anything." Hale said the study will "look at each structure" and determine "how and who can best perform the services." She added that she will be considering the "business and administrative functions" involved in the process. Simeone, who would be the key department member affected by any of the proposed changes, was unavailable for comment last night.