The group charged with analyzing the relationship between the Penn police force and people of color on campus is gearing up to issue a report in the coming weeks.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Safety in a Diverse Environment met for the second time on Tuesday to discuss communication strategies and specific policy recommendations for the Department of Public Safety.
Interim Provost Peter Conn, who chairs the committee, however, was reluctant to name any policy suggestions the group will make to the DPS at this point.
"I think it's too soon to predict specific policy changes," Conn said. "It's still very much a work in progress."
The 32-member committee -- composed of administrators, faculty members and students -- was formed in response to the Penn Police's mistaken apprehension of College sophomore Warith Deen Madyun on Nov. 21.
At the time of the incident, Madyun and three friends matched the description of four men who police wanted for stealing a cell phone.
Madyun and a number of protesters presented three requests to University President Amy Gutmann. One of those requests was to form the advisory committee.
Gutmann said she would measure the committee's success by the precision of its policy suggestions.
"I have one very specific goal for the committee, which is to come up with a set of specific recommendations that are constructive and can be carried forward," Gutmann said.
While Conn said the committee has not finalized its proposals at this point, he was optimistic about its progress.
"I am confident that we are going to emerge from this process with some very helpful, concrete recommendations," Conn said. "I think it's probably as much a question of implementation of existing policy changes, which I think are quite good."
Gutmann said she expected recommendations from the committee within one month.
Conn said he wanted to focus Tuesday's meeting on effective communication strategies because of the controversial nature of the committee's goal.
"Race is a very difficult subject for people to discuss," Conn said.
Michael Delli Carpini, the dean of the Annenberg School for Communication, attended the meeting to help facilitate a candid discussion between committee members.
Delli Carpini "did play a very useful role by asking important questions about what our strategies were ... and what our measures of success might be," Conn said.
"We are simply addressing, here at Penn, the kinds of issues that the society as a whole has to address," Conn said. "We aspire that Penn should play a leading role in that. ... There will be no simple measurements for that kind of ambition."
The path to changeNumerous events led to the formation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Safety in a Diverse Environment.
Nov. 21: College sophomore Warith Deen Madyun and three other males unaffiliated with Penn are mistakenlyapprehended by the Penn Police. Madyun said police used excessive force.
Dec. 6: Approximately 80 students and faculty members silently protest Madyun's apprehension. President Gutmann meets with protesters and calls for the creation of the committee. Dec. 20: The committee meets for the first time to discuss its objective of "improv[ing] relationships between the Department of Public Safety and community members of color." Jan. 18: The committee meets for a second time, discussing policy recommendations and communication strategies.
