Facilities issues top UA agenda for the current school year

UA officials hope to give input on gimbel's future and build hoops courts. In fact, Gimbel's upcoming expansion will be one of the group's most significant issues, UA Chairperson and College senior Michael Silver said, noting that the UA might conduct a survey to find out what features students would most like to see in an expanded recreational facility. Separate from the Gimbel renovations, the UA plans to build outdoor basketball courts on campus available for student use. UA Secretary Megan Davidson, a College senior, agreed that facilities development would be among the UA's most significant issues this year, saying that the group will likely provide more "long-term input" on issues that affect future, rather than current, students. One project the UA might work on is the redevelopment of the Hamilton Village area, part of the University's $300 million dorm and dining renewal plan. "I think the UA this year has a lot more empathy for students in the future," she said. Another of the UA's priorities will be improving the University's financial aid packages, Silver said, noting that with less competitive financial aid offers, the University has been losing prospective students to other Ivy League schools in recent years. Penn's endowment is a little more than $3 billion, significantly lower than peer schools such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton, which all have smaller student bodies. The UA would like "to increase the amount of money available for potential students," Silver said, though he noted that the members of the body will need to learn more about the financial aid process and how it affects incoming students. "We have to really educate ourselves about the issue," he said. And the UA plans to be involved with the implementation of the University's new alcohol policy. The body might develop an ad hoc committee to study the issue and work with students to educate them about the policy's functions. Davidson added that she believes the "controversy has subsided" over the alcohol policy and that the UA's role will be to "facilitate" its smooth implementation among students. The issue will be "on the forefront of our minds" for the rest of the year, she said. Other issues the UA plans to be involved with in coming months include the second phase of the $2 million renovations to the Rosengarten Reserve Room in Van Pelt Library, the sale of SEPTA tokens at more locations on campus and the creation of a full-service on-campus video store, Silver said. And in November the University will be hosting the annual meeting of the Ivy Council, a body composed of members from all eight Ivy League schools' student governments, Silver noted. He said the meeting will "put [Penn] on the map" within the Ivy League, calling it an opportunity to show students at other schools the workings of Penn's student government. The UA will meet tonight at 9 p.m. in Room 214 of Harnwell College House.