Council holds open discussion

Six students signed up to speak at the University Council's first open forum yesterday in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall. Two did not show up. And one, College junior Michael Nadel, did not sign up by the deadline, but was allowed to speak in the last five minutes. Despite this, Council conducted an hour-long discussion on various other issues, ranging from the weight room in Hutchinson Gym to the Commission on Strengthening the Community's report released last spring. College junior Eric Tienou came to Council to speak about conditions in the weight rooms. He said he wanted to know a timetable for repairs and whether money has been allocated to renovate and repair the weight rooms. Tienou told Council that he objected to the weight room's policy requiring students to pay to use the equipment that "we should be able to use for free." "We're paying to be stuck with a weight room that is cramped, hot and doesn't have enough air," he said. Vice President of Government and Community Relations Carol Scheman said Athletic Director Steve Bilsky has allocated money toward the repairs, but added that she did not know how much. She said she hopes to "move forward as quickly as we can." Provost Stanley Chodorow said the University needs "a comprehensive plan," but added that he did not know details regarding the cost and timetable involved. Council then moved on to Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" exhibit, which is slated to open this weekend. College senior Jeremy Chiappetta said he strongly objects to the exhibit, which will be on display at the University's Institute of Contemporary Art. Chiappetta compared the display to the recent outbreak of swastika carvings in the Grad A Tower. Whereas the University immediately condemned those incidents, he said the same administration is welcoming the "man who has desecrated the crucifix." Chodorow said the two incidents were not comparable since one is graffiti and the other a "work of art." Chiappetta responded by saying he only recently found out about the exhibit, and was not "adequately prepared." Council debated the merits of a policy that would provide advanced notice of controversial speakers or events and University sponsored forums to discuss these activities. Past Faculty Senate Chairperson and Mathematics Professor Gerald Porter said it is "absolute nonsense" to require the University to provide alternate forums for controversial events. United Minorities Council Chairperson and College senior Liz Melendez then spoke to Council about policies regarding the hiring of minority faculty. "I implore Provost Chodorow and members of the faculty to work on improving efforts of attracting faculty of color to the University," she said. Melendez said these efforts should include encouraging minorities to apply for faculty positions and using race as a criterion in the selection process. Although most Council members agreed with Melendez's former idea, some voiced doubts about the latter. "Academic teaching ability should be the sole criteria," Undergraduate Assembly member and College senior Dan Schorr said, adding that every final decision in hiring should be "color blind." Graduate student David Mestre, chairperson of the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly, said the University should "search wider [and] increase the pool of applicants." Chodorow said he shares Melendez's concerns, adding that it is "not an easy problem to solve." College freshman Steven Schorr told Council about a new program called Penn Watch that will group students in teams of three to patrol various sections of campus and the surrounding areas with portable scanners and police radios. Schorr said the radios would allow the teams to directly contact the University Police if they see a crime. He added that Penn Watch has already received some funding from the Vice Provost for University Life, GAPSA and the Undergraduate Assembly. The police department also supports the program, he said. Although several members of Council appeared to be in favor of the program, some raised questions about the safety of the student patrol teams, and whether legal liability issues could pose difficulties to the University. "We're taking it on a step-by-step basis," Schorr said, noting that the program was only in its beginning stages. Nadel concluded the open forum by asking the provost and Council members to focus on the Commission for Strengthening the Community's report developed last year. Nadel said the "lack of implementation" could be stopped by appointing an administrator to oversee the process. During the meeting, Council also discussed the Student Judicial Charter and Code for Academic Integrity, both of which have undergone many changes since last year.