Rodin too busy to answer letters

If you sent University President Judith Rodin a letter this semester and have not gotten a response, you are not alone. Rodin said last week she receives "hundreds" of letters per day and is very behind in responding. "We try to get to them in a timely matter," she added. "I will respond but they can't always expect it will come immediately." Rodin attributed part of the problem to an understaffed Office of the President, especially since the departure of Linda Hyatt, former executive director of her office. "With so few staff, this is not unusual," she added. Rodin said Hyatt was the central administrator with regard to correspondences. Now, Rodin added, several different staff members open, read and respond to the mail. "Hopefully, we'll be able to accommodate everyone's needs," she said. "But they're putting in more hours probably than anybody should." She said she hopes a replacement for Hyatt will be appointed by next month. Rodin added that acting Vice President for Human Resources John Gould, who also serves as vice president for planning, used to work in the President's Office before he took over for William Holland, who left the University this summer. Gould and Hyatt were the two most senior personnel in the Office of the President. The issue of correspondence has come to the forefront recently after members of Dessalines, the Haitian Students' Association, wrote to Rodin regarding an article in The Red and Blue about Haiti. The students wrote the letter before Thanksgiving break. Since then, they have been in contact with the office many times. Rodin said she was unaware of the issue until The Daily Pennsylvanian brought it to her attention. Dessalines received a letter of response from Rodin last week. And some said they were still not satisfied with the reply. "I expected some kind of personal expression from her -- this letter is garbage," said Dessalines member Danielle Jean-Guillaume. The College senior said Rodin wrote that she supported dialogue and discussion on the issue more than "condemnations from on high." Rodin said there are alternatives to writing the President's Office that students should consider. "People can't always think that the president should solve the problem," she said, adding that contacting "local levels," such as the vice provost for University life, may be a better first step than coming to her. "Then, if there's no satisfactory response, come to the president," Rodin said. "That doesn't mean stop writing [to me]." Rodin said many constituencies believe the issues affecting them are the most important. "Anytime somebody writes, there's a certain issue in their mind and its very salient," she said. "They cannot imagine why that issue is not salient on someone else's mind. "But there are a number of critical issues that come across the Office of the President's desk," Rodin added. The difficulties with correspondence relates to broader issues in the internal workings of the office and its relationship to the University community. "I know how bogged down she must be, but if it's urgent, it makes students feel that she doesn't care when she doesn't deal with their concerns," said Black Student League President Robyn Kent, a College senior. But Rodin said she goes from appointment to appointment all day and is extremely busy. Besides her daily rigorous schedule, Rodin also finds herself fundraising for the school by meeting with donors in the area, throughout the country and even abroad. "I did very little traveling away from the University this semester, but I plan more next semester," she added, noting that she has gone to New York several times and took a "quick hop to Europe" over the last few months. She said she is planning trips to Texas, California, Europe and the Far East in the upcoming months. "Donors are eager to meet the new president," Rodin said. "I am getting to know people and beginning to make new friends." Rodin added that her schedule is packed every day, even requiring her to miss the first meeting of the White House security panel in which she is a participant.

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