U. Council to hold open forum tonight

The forum allows students to express their views on a variety of subjects to the 92-member body. The University Council is holding its annual open forum today -- its fourth and final gathering of the semester. Council's meeting, which will be held in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., will allow members of the University community to state their opinions on a variety of issues before a representative body of students, faculty members and administrators. The topics on today's agenda include Penn's involvement in an anti-sweatshop organization, women's safety on campus, the relationship between the administration and the University Police, the University's investment of its endowment and minority recruitment and retention. College sophomore Matt Grove, a member of the United Students Against Sweatshops, said he would like to encourage University officials to switch their affiliation from the Fair Labor Association to the Workers Rights Consortium -- both of which are anti-sweatshop organizations. The FLA, which monitors the locations of various clothing manufacturers, is comprised mostly of corporations, Grove said. He likened corporations being allowed to monitor each other to students being allowed to grade their own tests. "None of the items in its charter protect worker rights because it was just an organization set up to look like it's addressing the issue of sweatshop labor," Grove said. "This is not so much a meeting with [University] President [Judith] Rodin as it is a meeting with the rest of the Penn constituents," he added. Women's safety was also an important topic on last year's agenda following the attack of a female sophomore in a basement bathroom of the Steinberg-Dietrich Hall last November. "Any sort of safety issues, whether they're specifically related to women or not, are important," said Undergraduate Chairperson and College senior Michael Silver, who sits on the 92-member Council. An additional topic that will be discussed is the pending lack of daily prayer space for the Muslim community. Muslim students currently use the Christian Association building to pray daily, but they are now requesting an alternative space since the University recently purchased the Locust Walk facility. Penn officials have yet to announce what purpose the building will serve. "The University is committed to providing space," University Chaplain William Gipson said yesterday. "Exactly where that's going to be, I don't know." Council holds an open forum each December to allow members of the University community to air their grievances or address issues that are of particular relevance to them. Today's meeting will also feature monthly status reports given by Rodin, Provost Robert Barchi and other top administrators and student leaders.