Officials hit the phones to answer safety questions

Clad in turtlenecks, sweaters and Penn hats, the University's top administrators met in the basement of the Faculty Club yesterday to man a bank of phones for an important telethon. Instead of a typical University effort to request alumni donations, officials spoke with parents and students concerned about safety. The University mailed a letter to parents advertising the event and the special, toll-free telephone number before fall break. The administrators answered approximately 90 calls between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. yesterday, most about Penn Escort services, University Police patrols and recently purchased security technology. Most of the parents University President Judith Rodin spoke with were surprised she answered their calls personally, she said. Rodin sipped hot tea between calls to soothe her hoarse voice. She said the event provided valuable communication with parents, since almost a month after College senior Patrick Leroy was shot, their letters and phone calls to the University have lessened. "It reminds us that as many different ways as we have tried to communicate, we can never do enough," she said. Provost Stanley Chodorow spoke with the parent of a student who was mugged, another who was concerned about his daughter's safety and an alumnus who recommended a security company he works for. Also working the phones yesterday were Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon, Chief of Police Operations Maureen Rush, Executive Vice President John Fry, Deputy Provost Michael Wachter and vice presidents Steve Schutt, Virginia Clark, Barbara Stevens and Carol Scheman. "They're all very real questions from parents who care a lot about their kids and the University," said Schutt, Rodin's chief of staff, adding that some of his callers were also alumni. When callers asked to speak with specific administrators, like one woman who would only talk to Rodin, the person taking the call took a message and the intended administrator returned the call. Officials took notes during the calls, including the name and address of the caller and the nature of their questions. Rodin's office will respond to the calls with personal letters that include more information on their specific questions, said University spokesperson Barbara Beck. "What the parents are searching for is reassurance that the University is doing everything it can to protect students here," she said. Rodin, along with Chodorow, Seamon and Rush, will hold a question-and-answer session on the Saturday of Family Weekend. Chodorow said Rodin might direct questions to specific administrators, or each will talk with a group of parents in attendance.