Committee issues report on McGinn contract discussion

U. may terminate contract soon A committee of University officials, students and staff members, charged with making recommendations about the future of the University's contract with McGinn Security Services, issued a report evaluating the guard firm's performance yesterday. And although the committee said McGinn "was found to be reliable, dependable and responsive to the needs of Residential Living," it also noted that "the overall security performance of McGinn staff received mixed reviews." The report lists three possible courses of action that the University can take concerning its agreement with McGinn. The most drastic option the committee lists is to serve notice to McGinn that its contract will be terminated in 30 days. Another option is to let McGinn know that the University will continue using the firm's services for an additional 90 day probationary period. If there are any performance standard violations, there would be cause for immediate termination. The final suggestion is to amend the current contract with McGinn to set the termination date for June 30 of this year. McGinn would then have to rebid, along with other security firms, in order to be awarded the contract. Last month, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that five McGinn guards were found asleep on the job during two-hour period on the "graveyard shift" one night. As a result, Acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum and Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone notified McGinn on March 18 that the University was considering termination of its agreement with the firm. The contract, which is not set to expire until 1998, requires that the University notify McGinn of possible termination at least 30 days before the actual termination is set to occur. The committee's report, written by University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, was a result of more than 16 hours of meetings which took place in the past month. Members from the Offices of the VPUL, Residential Living, Purchasing and Public Safety were among those who met to discuss ways in which McGinn's services can be improved. Director of Purchasing Robert Michel, the committee's spokesperson, said yesterday the purpose of the report is to provide options, not recommendations for the University to take. "All three options had to be presented," Michel said. "It is now up to McCoullum to make her decision." McCoullum received the report yesterday morning and said she intends to review it with Interim President Claire Fagin, Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson and Executive Vice-President Janet Hale before making a decision on whether or not to terminate the agreement with McGinn. Among the committee's other findings, the six-page report also states that the wording of the original contract between the University and McGinn is not specific enough to set up exact performance standards that the firm has to meet. McCoullum said she is thankful the committee illustrated the problems with the original contract. "I was concerned to learn that the original contract appeared not to provide measurable standards for performance," she said. She cited one of the committee's three findings as particularly disturbing. "Concerns were expressed over the effectiveness of the company in correcting performance issues...in fact, the performance issue of sleeping on duty has increased in reported frequency when compared to a previous time period," the report states. McCoullum said this will probably "weigh very heavily" in her decision. In addition to the continuing problem of guards sleeping on the job, she added that there are two other areas in which McGinn has tried, but failed, to improve their performance. The first concerns guards leaving their posts to go to the bathroom without having other McGinn guards back them up. The checking of identification cards was the other area cited by McCoullum. "These are three areas in which they have not been effective and which to me are absolutely critical," she said. Despite having concerns about sleeping guards, the committee also found that students generally feel the residences are safe environments. "I don't want anyone to panic unduly," McCoullum said in recognition of this fact. McCoullum originally had hoped to have the committee's report in hand before yesterday so she could release her decision no later than today. But, she said, she plans to release her decision no later than Friday, so students will know what she decides before the end of the semester. "This time there definitely will be action," McCoullum said.

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