Trustees appear likely to OK Trammell Crow deal

If the leanings of the Board of Trustees' leadership are any indication, the full Board should vote Friday to approve the decision to outsource facilities management to Trammell Crow Co. effective March 1. The vote at Friday's 2 p.m. meeting will bring this week's Trustees meetings to a close -- and conclude heated debate about whether the University should go ahead with the deal. Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos, Vice Chairperson Gloria Chisum and General Alumni Society President Elsie Sterling Howard all expressed their support this week for the administration's decision and agreed that the outsourcing would benefit the campus. Vagelos said he considers the deal "very important for the University." Years of concern about facilities management and the University's "excellent experience" with Trammell Crow's management of University City Associates -- the University's real estate arm -- convinced him the outsourcing will serve Penn well, he added. Chisum she has not "seen anything to make me doubt it's a good thing." "Unless I see something that really changes my mind, I will vote for it," she added. And Howard said Trustees will keep the concerns of the University community in mind and "make sure Trammell Crow [outsources facilities management] with honor, dignity and exemplary behavior." Several other Trustees also expressed confidence that the Trammell Crow deal is "the right thing" for the University -- despite concerns that University officials kept the decision under wraps until the October 8 announcement. "I'm certainly not going to quarrel with the way it was handled," Trustee Arthur Makadon said. "It is often very difficult to consult with people and maintain the confidentiality necessary." Last week, each Trustee received a comprehensive packet of information from Executive Vice President John Fry detailing the deal. At the same time, the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly mailed copies of resolutions urging the Board to reject the contract -- resolutions which University Council passed yesterday. Some Trustees refused to comment about their position on the deal until they meet and discuss the agreement with other members of the Board. In order for the Trammell Crow deal to go through, a majority of at least 30 Trustees attending Friday's meeting must vote in favor of the deal. Of the 58 Trustees with voting privileges, approximately 35-40 usually attend meetings, according to Jason Horger of the University Secretary's office. "Usually by the time it gets to the meeting, it's pro forma [basically a formality]," he added. Only on rare occasions have Trustees rejected the administration's recommendations. In 1991, for instance, the Board struck down the administration's proposed undergraduate tuition and fee increase, lowering the hike from 6.9 to 6.7 percent. Employees opposing the deal will rally on College Green today from 12:30-1:30 p.m. as part of an ongoing efforts to convince the Trustees to reject the deal. "Wherever the Trustees go, we will be there," Physical Plant Systems Control employee Richard Cippolone said. Trustees will begin discussing the Trammell Crow contract at tomorrow morning's Budget and Finance meeting in the Club room of the Faculty Club at 10 a.m. The full Board will vote later that afternoon.