Conference examines Penn's role in W. Phila.

Erin MalecErin MalecThe Daily Pennsylvanian The event -- "A Conference on Penn's Role in West Philadelphia"-- was held at the Faculty Club and sponsored by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education and the Undergraduate Assembly. The conference was divided into three discussion panels which examined the University's role within the community in terms of research, teaching and action. The panelists -- ranging from University students, professors and administrators to several community leaders -- examined the history of Penn's often turbulent relationship with the community, as well as what many described as the University's "responsibility" to the surrounding area. Several panelists said the University's continued expansion has damaged its relationship with the community -- especially because many community leaders feel that they are left out of the University's decision-making process. Although University President Judith Rodin praised Penn's "leadership role in serving the community" during her address to the conference, other panelists were far less favorable towards an institution which they said had "wreaked havoc" on West Philadelphia. "Penn needs to start using research not just to publish it but where it can have a real affect on people," University City High School teacher and Penn graduate Theresa Simmonds said. College senior Ben Rubin added that the University must be careful to realize that West Philadelphia "is not a laboratory and should not be treated as such." And Social Work Professor Walter Palmer told the audience that as a lifetime community resident he considered Penn "more foe than friend." He questioned the "arrogance of a school" that believes "because we are here in our ivory towers that somehow we are the caretakers" for the community. Instead, Palmer urged students and community members to turn the tables and "research the University" to determine how it can do a better job of interacting within the community. But Executive Vice President John Fry maintained that all the University's efforts to improve the surrounding community are undertaken with the cooperation of neighborhood residents. Although Fry acknowledged that "in the past we haven't always followed that principle," he focused on several of the University's current initiatives, such as lighting and retail improvements. Simmonds, along with several other panelists, expressed her hope that the ideas discussed in the conference would lead to ongoing interaction between the two sides. "Looking at the extreme intellectual and economic differences existing in this community, I would not ask why Penn should make this investment in the community but ask how could Penn not?" she noted. Former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford (D-Pa.) delivered the event's keynote address, which asked the audience to consider its larger responsibility of service to society. "If the era of big government is over, then an era of big citizenship must begin," he said. Wofford, the chief executive officer of the Corporation for National Service, is organizing Philadelphia's upcoming Presidents' Summit on community service. And while praising the University for its contributions to the April summit, he noted that "Penn has been perceived as an outsider by members of the [West Philadelphia] community."