U. security tight for Gore's visit

The University community will witness one of the largest security efforts in Penn history today during Vice President Al Gore's visit to campus, according to Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush. Gore is coming as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for ENIAC, the world's first full-scale general use computer, which was developed at the University. Rush explained that University Police supervisors have been meeting with "advance teams from both the Washington and Philadelphia offices of the Secret Service" for nearly two weeks in preparation for the visit. Gore is scheduled to appear at Irvine Auditorium at approximately 11:50 a.m. for a speech to students and faculty. "The security there will be very tight," Rush said. "No backpacks, large pocket books or cameras will be allowed in." She added that everyone in Irvine, including workers and the media, will have to be cleared by the Secret Service. Following the speech, Gore is scheduled to walk along Locust Walk to the Moore Building, at 33rd and Walnut streets, for a ceremony to switch on the computer. Security personnel will clear the area immediately in front and behind the vice president, Rush said, but students on the side "will not be restricted." The Moore Building, where a VIP ceremony will feature Gore, University President Judith Rodin, Mayor Ed Rendell and other dignitaries, will be the site of "intensive security sweeps," according to Rush. "Students can enter the building for classes, but the building will be under strict scrutiny," Rush explained. And the Moore ceremony is closed to the public, she added. But students will be able to watch the ceremony via live hook-ups at Irvine, Annenberg School for Communication rooms 109 and 110, Maloney Hall at HUP and Alumni Hall in the Towne Building. Additionally, both 33rd and 34th streets will be closed at various times during Gore's visits, according to Rush. "They'll only be closed while he's moving around campus or leaving for the airport," she said. "The closures will not last for hours." Rush said that despite the added work and worries, she is proud of her involvement with the visit. "It's a very exciting event which puts Penn in the national spotlight," she said. "It's been a privilege to be involved in the event, and it's been a privilege to be involved with security for the vice president of the United States."