Pres. Rodin named to White House safety panel

University President Judith Rodin is working to keep President Clinton safe and sound. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen announced earlier this week that Rodin and five others will form an independent panel to analyze security and safety at the White House. The panel will work with members of the Secret Service and other various government agencies, he added. Bentsen's announcement follows two breaches of security at the White House within the last two months. In September, Maryland resident Frank Corder crashed a plane into the White House, killing himself. And last Saturday, the White House was barraged by bullets when Francisco Martin Duran, a 26-year-old Colorado man, shot 27 bullets at the White House from outside gates on Pennsylvania Avenue. These two events have led to calls for increased security measures for the families of the president and vice president. The advisory committee, which will be chaired by the Under Secretary for Enforcement Ron Noble, will review "every aspect of how the White House could be attacked, from the ground or from the air," Bentsen said during a press conference. Bentsen added that the committee's members are "some extremely qualified and well-respected Americans." And University spokeswoman Barbara Beck said Rodin is an ideal choice, noting that she is the only woman and the sole University president on the panel. "It is quite a coup and is quite prestigious," Beck added. "She knows her first responsibility is to Penn, but when the president calls, you come." The report will examine all feasible means to protect the White House and its residents, while keeping the national landmark as open and accessible to the public as possible, Bentsen said. "There will be both a classified and an unclassified report," he added. "I have directed that the review examine the adequacy of the procedures and policies now in place to deal with the risks." Special Agent and Secret Service spokesperson Dave Adams said the panel will "give suggestions and alternate ways to enhance security." "It is always nice to get another insight," he said last night. "The panel needs to review the conditions presently found at the White House, and then present their new ideas and approaches later." Adams said the report will go to Bentsen for discussion and approval. Beck said Rodin will bring a different perspective to the discussions. "She's a renowned research psychologist, she's a leader of one of the largest and best research universities in the world, and she is well known for having great leadership qualities," Beck said. "She knows the kind of problems that a presidential family and a vice presidential family would face." Beck said Rodin's selection to the committee is an indication that "she is on everybody's short list no matter what it is." "Her problem from here on out is that she's going to have to learn to say no," Beck added. The review committee will consider issues including the possibility of closing Pennsylvania Avenue to pedestrian and vehicular traffic from 14th to 16th streets. This move, however, would prevent tourists and others from seeing the White House from its most famous angle. Rodin could not be reached for comment last night.

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