Att. Gen. Reno may visit U. in November

Though details haven't been set, officials said Reno will discuss crime fighting with u. officials. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno has expressed interest in visiting the University and will likely do so sometime in late November, according to several Penn officials. Though details of the visit have yet to be confirmed by either the University or the Justice Department, Reno is likely to be on campus as part of a special colloquium entitled "Corporate-Community Partnerships for Public Safety: The Role of Business in Building and Sustaining Safe Communities," Fels Center of Government Director Lawrence Sherman said. The event was initiated by Reno's office and Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, who was recently named head of the Democratic National Committee. It is part of an initiative to highlight private institutions taking an active role in enhancing communities and fighting crime. The exact date, time and location of Reno's visit have not yet been firmly established, though Sherman said other speakers on the panel could include Rendell, University President Judith Rodin and Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney. It also remains unclear what segment of the University community would be invited to the event. According to Sherman, Reno's potential visit would provide an ample opportunity for the University to gain recognition in an area of national concern. "I think it's a magnificent opportunity for us to put the outstanding efforts of the University forward in terms of building public safety," Sherman said. "It's very appropriate to be having this kind of discussion at this University because of the strides Penn has taken in the community." Reno has served as attorney general since 1993, when President Clinton made her the first woman to occupy the top spot at the Justice Department. Over the past six years, she has been a controversial political figure, often drawing fire from Republicans for such issues as the FBI's 1993 raid of the Branch Davidian compound, as well as a decision not to appoint an independent counsel to examine campaign finance irregularities in Clinton's 1996 campaign. Throughout her term in office, Reno has visited the University on several occasions. In 1993, she was on hand to dedicate the Law School's Tannenbaum Hall and to receive the University's first Medal for Distinguished Achievement. And in 1998, she addressed the graduates of the Law School at their May graduation. Sherman, a Sociology professor and noted criminologist, was appointed to head the Fels Center in July. The center had been without a permanent director since 1996.