UA begins outreach program

The group distributed flyers in dormitories last week to inform students about its membership and genda. In an attempt to inform students of Undergraduate Assembly activity, the UA launched the first stage of an outreach campaign last week by slipping information sheets under the doors of campus residences. The group also plans to contact umbrella student organizations -- ranging from the Panhellenic Council to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance and the First Amendment Task Force -- by e-mail or telephone in order to learn about their specific policy needs. The information sheets contained UA telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, in addition to each member's name and committee affiliation. One UA member signed each sheet to add "a personal touch" to the paper, which also contained a definition of the UA and described current projects. UA Vice Chairperson and College junior Larry Kamin, a moving force behind the project, said the sheet was needed because the UA is often criticized for "being out of touch with students and not having a purpose." This apathy was seen in a group of surveys the UA compiled last January and February. Of the 100 randomly selected students surveyed last February, 19 percent could not define the function of the UA and half did not know how to get in touch with a UA representative. Another 73 percent of the students said they did not receive the informational folders the UA gave out in its last outreach campaign. "The outreach done in the past was not comprehensive," Kamin said, adding that "communication and leadership are inseparable." UA members distributed sheets to all campus residences -- excluding Butcher, Speakman and Class of '28 in the Quadrangle and Van Pelt College House, which will receive the flyers later this week. UA member and College sophomore Dave Futer, who helped coordinate the project, said there is no tangible way to gauge the effectiveness of the sheets. And despite Kamin's assurance that "students have been receptive," many said they either did not receive the flyer, skimmed over it or threw it away without having read it. "There were too many words so it hit the trash can," College freshman Al Luna said. Other students offered criticism of the UA's current projects. "I think we need a Quad scanner at the lower gate," Wharton freshman Jonathan Meltzer said. "[The UA] talks about making Penn a safer place to live, but it's a pain to get into the Quad." Others students expressed concern with the sheet's definition of the UA's annual disbursement. "$960,000 is a lot of money and the UA's interests were vague," noted a College senior who requested anonymity. "I just get the idea that they stick their feet in every door, and it's up to them how they spend it." Many students, however, said the sheet helped familiarize them with the names of UA members and their specific positions. "The UA has never really been in the forefront of University politics, and many students don't know what the UA is all about," College sophomore Ryan Mann said. "The sheet was a good way to show their agenda." Members have not distributed sheets to any students living off campus, and Futer said the UA will rely on communication with student organizations -- beginning next week -- to reach those students. UA members plan to distribute an additional information sheet in approximately two weeks.