LETTERS: Restructuring editorial unfair to employees

To the Editor: A significant number of individuals whose positions have been eliminated have found other employment, which speaks well of both the individual's efforts and of Penn's. Position elimination does not necessarily mean that additional work is assumed by other staff. A careful review of work processes is conducted, keeping effective service as an overriding goal. Changes in process or technology often support better ways of working with less positions. I disagree with the editorial's assertion that more work means more staff. More or different work can often be handled by improved processes or technology, rather than adding staff. Penn is committed to improving its operations and reducing costs. We will continue to do so for the benefit of our students, faculty and staff, and we will continue to handle situations in a fair and equitable way. John Fry Executive Vice President Clearing the record To the Editor: Mike Nadel is very misinformed about what is going on at his alma mater (Rodin 'master' of missteps, SP, 7/17/97). His claim that "[t]he University was forced to close the American Civilization department" is wrong. Former School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens made a much debated decision to close American Civilization. There was nothing forced about it. Nadel also missed the fact that the plan to close Religious Studies was not implemented. We presently have nine faculty members, more than a dozen graduate students in residence and a flourishing new undergraduate program. There are in fact two Ivy League schools that do not have religious studies departments. Harvard has a very strong interdepartmental program that is supported in part by faculty from Harvard Divinity School, and Cornell has a program as well. Stephen Dunning Chairperson Religious Studies Department Movers beware To the Editor: Near the end of the spring semester, I hired Wayne's World Movers to move me from High Rise East to my off-campus apartment one block away. The company arrived several hours late, stole my laptop, broke several of my things, demanded an extra fee when it came and stole a cart from another student. When I complained to them later on, they finally returned my laptop but refused to reimburse me for my items and insulted me in the process. I recently found out from another moving company that Wayne's World Movers is not a real moving company. It has no license and no insurance. They're just a couple of guys with a van and two T-shirts. In fact, it's a one-man operation with a guy who's the manager and the mover -- but he pretends there are other people. I had found an advertisement for them on campus and thought they would be legitimate; obviously they are not. I had hoped they would stop with me. But when I visited Penn July 22, I found other ads from them in Hamilton Court targeting Penn students. One student had already taken a tear-off tab, which frightened me. I originally found their ads on kiosks and in the high rises. I don't want what happened to me to happen to other Penn students. I even tried to take them to court, but they ignored the summons, and I am still trying. I do not consider myself a naive person, yet I was taken for a ride in a big white moving van. I hope that this warning will help Penn students. Anita Nicholson College '97