EDITORIAL: Ignoring Students

University President JudithUniversity President JudithRodin has put students onUniversity President JudithRodin has put students onthe backburner during herUniversity President JudithRodin has put students onthe backburner during hertenure in office.University President JudithRodin has put students onthe backburner during hertenure in office.___________________________ One and a half years later, she has not lived up to her own standard. We must applaud Rodin for so quickly improving the University's public image in the national media and boosting financial support from alumni. But she has simultaneously forgotten about the people whose lives she is working so hard to improve. In the past, former presidents Sheldon Hackney and Claire Fagin were constantly seen mingling with students and faculty members. Hackney danced at Spring Fling, partied on Hey Day and ate a cheesesteak with fraternity pledges to satisfy a house requirement. Fagin was also no stranger to students. She dined with a different group at least once a week and held three town meetings to solicit student feedback on issues affecting the campus. Rodin has done none of that, unless a television camera or photographer accompanies her. Her meetings with students seem to be more strategic than genuine. And faculty members have also criticized her for not listening to their concerns. Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell seems to have a greater presence on campus than she does. We recognize that Rodin cannot be all things to all people, and that the time constraints of her job necessitate setting priorities and making sacrifices. But in order to correct this situation, we recommend the following: · Rodin should set aside at least one hour of her time each week to talk to any students who show up at her office; · She should dine with various student groups in order to gain a feel for the dynamics of the student body; and · She should hold brown-bag lunches or hold town meetings to interact with larger groups of students in an intellectual context (especially since she is not teaching a course this semester or next). Despite Rodin's shortcomings, she does deserves credit for rapidly rebuilding Penn's image and strengthening its economic base and relationship with the city. Penn is more popular than ever. We only hope that she will not forget her constituents.