Committees recommend giving UMC a Council seat

and Lindsay Faber University Council heard a positive recommendation yesterday on the possible addition of a permanent United Minorities Council seat. The endorsement came from the joint Committees on Pluralism and Student Affairs. And the Committee on Personnel Benefits recommended that the new benefits plan be altered to retain graduate tuition benefits for current University employees. Associate Director of African American Studies Herman Beavers, an English professor, presented the pluralism committee's proposal in an effort to discuss the UMC's potential acquisition of a seat on Council. "Our feeling is that because the UMC represents such a broad constituency of student groups, they should be allotted a seat on UC because they represent a broad variety of student interests," Beavers said. A discussion of the issue followed the proposal, as Council members raised questions and concerns. Larry Gross, acting-moderator of yesterday's meeting, clarified that "this seat would not supplant a member of the current Undergraduate Assembly -- it would add another member." Graduate and Professional Student Assembly representative Alex Lloyd, a second-year Wharton graduate student, asked why the UMC should be given priority over other student groups on campus. And other GAPSA representatives suggested that Council would lose credibility if it decided to give a seat to any student group aside from the UA. But Black Student League President Obinna Adibe, a College senior, said Council should change its bylaws -- which currently state that only elected representatives may serve on the body -- to meet the needs of the whole student body. "A democratic institution lets everyone be represented, but students don't feel that the UA is representative of the whole student body," Adibe said. Wharton fifth-year senior and Council member Gil Beverly added that "in a perfect world I would hope everyone would feel comfortable running for UA, but apparently that's not happening." But University Chaplain William Gipson reminded of the larger issue of "having a voice and an opportunity to be heard." "In an academic institution, that's much more important than power," he added. Beavers emphasized that the UMC wants a seat "not only because it wants to voice its own demands, but because it wants to have a voice at Penn." But UA Chairperson and College junior Tal Golomb said that "the best representation through the UA to the UC will come from students who run for those seats." UMC Chairperson Susie Lee, a College senior, closed the discussion by saying, "I have been saying continually that this is not UA versus UMC. This is an advisory board -- the more voices, the better." The issue is slated for a vote at Council's April 30 meeting. Radiology Professor David Hackney, chairperson of the Personnel Benefits Committee, reported that his committee had voted almost unanimously to change the current benefits proposals to allow faculty already employed or hired by the University to retain graduate tuition benefits. Hackney added that all but one committee member agreed they had not been given enough time to evaluate the proposals, seconding a Faculty Senate resolution earlier this week calling for a moratorium on the implementation of these proposals due to a lack of discussion time. The committee did support changes in paid time off and the elimination of summer hours, although they agreed the paid time off proposals are confusing. But Anthony Tomazinis, chairperson of the City and Regional Planning Department, said he was "alarmed" by the language of the proposals and the philosophy behind them, claiming the cuts represent broken promises from the administration. "Should we accept the word of our Dean, of our President, of our Provost?" Tomazinis asked. "Is it a word that is good for today but may change tomorrow? Are we a double-speak society here? We say one thing and we mean another."

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