EDITORIAL: A Penny Saved

The Daily PennsylvanianThe Daily Pennsylvaniangladly joins the administrationThe Daily Pennsylvaniangladly joins the administrationin its quest to cut the fat.The Daily Pennsylvaniangladly joins the administrationin its quest to cut the fat.________________________________ Under a program appropriately named "A Penny Saved" those students, faculty, staff and administrators who come up with the "best" ideas for cutting costs will receive $100 gift certificates. We think this is a wonderful program, and are eager to offer our two cents worth. · Get rid of the Allied guard in the lobby of the Franklin Building. All he guards are DPs and course registers. · Why must the Penn insignia be imprinted on Sweet n' Low packets at Dining Services? Stop ordering specially made Sweet n' Low and save the cost of the logo. We see enough of it around campus. · Reorganize work study jobs so as to consolidate unnecessary A-1 and A-3 positions. We know it's Uncle Sam's money, but using it properly would save money, because departments wouldn't have to dip into their budgets to make up for work-study inefficiencies. · Use automatic paycheck deposits. It's (almost) 1995, we do not need to spend money on checkbooks. · In another paper-saving move, send memos via the Internet. This would mean making everyone get an account, but, after all, progress is inevitable. · Do not send intramural mail out by regular mail. A lot of departments do this because they know how bad intramural mail is. Why not improve intramural mail instead of paying 29 cents (soon to be 32 cents) a letter? · Or, if you're not going to improve intramural mail, then fire the retired postal workers who don't seem to be doing much to improve the efficiency of on-campus delivery. Surely, using U.S. mail would cost less than paying mailroom workers' salaries. · Consolidate The Almanac and Compass. There is no reason why there should be two University mouthpieces. · Don't go out of your way to plant flowers, rake leaves and generally make the campus spic and span right before parents' weekend and alumni weekend. They're not fooled, and it won't affect whether or not they give money.