Council to vote on UMC seat at today's session

At least 40 percent of Council must attend to make the vote binding. By this afternoon, the long-standing debate over whether the United Minorities Council will finally get a seat on University Council will be over -- that is, if enough Council members show up to vote on the proposal. Adding a UMC representative to Council -- a three-year long effort for the student organization -- is one of the agenda items for today's University Council meeting, scheduled for 4 p.m. in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall. "I look forward to Council's deliberations tomorrow," University President Judith Rodin said. If approved, the UMC would receive a 16th undergraduate seat on the advisory body. The Undergraduate Assembly currently holds 15 spots. At last April's meeting, Council failed to meet the quorum necessary for a binding vote. But last month, in an effort to make reaching a quorum easier, the advisory body lowered the percentage of University Council members necessary to constitute a quorum for voting. Even if enough members show up at the meeting to vote, it is unclear whether adding a UMC seat will receive the necessary support from Council members. On Monday, the Undergraduate Assembly voted against a resolution to support adding a UMC seat to University Council, although that does not mean that the 15 UA representatives will vote against the UMC seat. And although last year's Council appeared to support adding the seat, Rodin emphasized that this year's Council members will not treat the issue as "an old agenda item." "This year's Steering Committee believes there ought to be a full conversation," she explained. Prior to spring 1994, the UA unofficially allowed a UMC member to occupy one of its 10 Council seats, complete with voting privileges. But that April, as Council increased the UA representation to 15 students, it also decided that the unofficial seat violated Council bylaws, which state that only actual UA members may fill the UA's seats. Although the UMC issue is likely to be the most hotly contested one at today's meeting, the session will also feature Rodin's yearly State of the University Report. Rodin said she will address the issue of administrative consultation of the campus community, following recent charges that officials failed to consult enough members of the University before signing a letter of intent last month outsourcing facilities management to Trammell Crow Co. "There has been great focus on this particular issue and people's concern about the consultative process," Rodin said. "The issue of consultation and its role in the community is one which I take seriously." Additionally, the chairs of the Steering Committee and Graduate and Professional Student, Undergraduate, Penn Professional Staff and A-3 assemblies will give status reports. Other proposed changes to Council bylaws include the addition of faculty to the committee on Open Expression and the addition of A-1 and A-3 assembly staff members to the Disability Board. And Council will vote on a Steering Committee recommendation to abolish the Student Fulbright Awards Committee. The Council's Bookstore and Facilities committees will also issue reports. Council members -- including administrators, faculty, staff and students -- meet monthly to discuss campuswide issues in a public forum. They serve as an advisory body to the University's president and provost.

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