LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Give Rodin Some Credit

To the Editor: While I wholeheartedly agree that the president should try to increase the time she spends talking with students, I also think that your editorial does not give President Rodin full credit for the efforts she does make to get input from representatives of the student body. Every month, both the president and provost spend several hours in meetings with representatives of the Graduate and Professional Assembly and the Undergraduate Assembly. In monthly University Council, meetings, for example, the president and provost receive advice on the daily and long-term management of the University from representatives from Penn's student body, administration, faculty and other constituencies. This consultative body has few peers among top universities. President Rodin, and many senior officials in her administration, have also let me know personally on several occasions that their doors are always open to discuss any concerns of students. While I would like to see more regular, scheduled, exclusive meetings with student leaders, I think the president does deserve credit for the efforts she has made to build bridges with student government organizations at Penn. Victor Prince Wharton graduate student Graduate and Professional Student Assembly chairperson Is it Discrimination? To the Editor: I was handed a copy of Generation XX today on Locust Walk. I commend the magazine for some very interesting and informative articles. However, a deeper view of the publication shows that Generation XX is not making adequate efforts to stay in compliance with the University's non-discrimination policy. A quick look at Generation XX's Staff shows 19 members, all of whom are female. There is one article in the entire publication written by a male, Eric Austin, but for some reason he is not listed in the publication as a member of the staff or as a writer. When questioned about this problem, Generation XX Editor-in-Chief Colleen Mastony replied that, "He should have been listed." No question?he should have been. As a SAC and University funded group, Generation XX must comply with the University's policy on non- discrimination. Are they making every effort to do so when their organization is all female? When asked why there were only female members, a group member answered (I paraphrase), I have been to every meeting, no men have come out. In my opinion, the onus is on all student groups to make people of any gender or race feel welcome. No where in Generation XX's publication does it say that men are welcome to come to meetings, or to contribute. I would think that it would be in Generation XX's best interest to attract male members to further their worthy cause, but a reading of their paper shows no such effort. How are men supposed to feel welcome in an organization when all 19 members listed are female, and when one male does contribute, he is not listed as a member or writer? I call upon Generation XX to state in their publication that men are welcome to contribute, and to state that the organization if firmly committed to the University's policy on non-discrimination. Jonathan Slotkin College '96 Kudos to Penn Police To the Editor: The DP article "Penn Watch Aids in Arrest" (DP 12/6/95) finally gives the police department, as well as Penn Watch, the credit they are long overdue. Officer Al Sulpizio, who is mentioned in the article, spent one and a half hours in the freezing rain last spring apprehending the burglar of my apartment at 41st and Walnut St. They responded promptly and acted professionally throughout the incident. An officer at the scene claimed, and I quote, "Al always gets his man." These days, police departments around the country, as well as right here at Penn, are continually under attack for a variety of reasons. I do not mean to suggest that the Penn Police department does not have any problems, it does, but it is good to know that there are still officers like Al Sulpizio who continually show their professionalism and determination on the job. Chas Parsons College '96