Working group created to study role of chaplain

The administration has created a working group charged with examining the role of a university chaplain in the current campus climate, Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons said earlier this week. The group will be chaired by Jane Lowe, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work. It looks as though the group has its work ready-made, since students -- if they know that there is an official chaplain on campus at all -- say they have virtually no idea of what Reverend Stanley Johnson does on an average day. However, College sophomore Mark Gengenbach said it is still necessary to have a school chaplain who can serve as a counselor -- although Student Health Service and the University Counseling Service also offer psychological help. "For some reason, when I think of chaplain, I think of religious connotations," he said, adding that he did not see a problem with the chaplain having a particular religious affiliation. Engineering freshman Shira Neustein agreed. "As long as [that religion] is not imposed on the student body, I don't think it's a big deal -- as long as [the position] embodies the goals and values of the institution," she said. "I think there's always a role for someone who helps to remind us that there are limits to whatever we feel we can do." Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel and Ralph Ciampa, director of pastoral care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, will also be involved in the discussion of the chaplain's role. "I think what we're doing, basically, is looking at the role of the chaplain from a historical perspective, [seeing] how that ties into the future of the institution, and examining what that role should look like in the future," Cassel said. Koons said she expects the group to meet for the first time next week.

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