Two students were selected yesterday to represent the undergraduate student voice in Penn's eastward expansion.
In addition to the chosen undergraduates and Undergraduate Assembly member Cynthia Wong, the student advisory committee on campus expansion will also consist of three as-of-yet undetermined graduate students.
The undergraduate members represent the UA, the UA Steering group and the student body at large.
Wong, a Wharton senior and UA Development Committee Chairwoman, was chosen by the UA earlier this week as the body's representative. The remaining two members were selected through an application process to the Nominations and Elections Committee. College senior Philip Berkman, a member of Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, represents UA Steering, while College senior Ethan Lipsitz will serve as the at-large representative.
"They really showed a passion for the issue," NEC Vice Chairwoman of Nominations Laura Brookover said.
Above all, those selected "were really willing to connect to the students ... to be a representative" rather than only voicing their own opinions Brookover, a College junior, added.
She said both applicants have relevant background in urban planning and access to students through different channels, and both showed original ideas that demonstrated their serious commitment to the University's eastern expansion.
The committee was proposed last spring by student-government groups to incorporate student proposals and feedback in the planning and development of the postal lands.
The property, which lies east of Penn's campus, comprises 24 acres of land that the University will be acquiring in 2007. The land extends from Locust to Market street and was bought from the U.S. Postal Service for $50.6 million.
The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke to Berkman yesterday about his vision for the future of Penn's campus:
Daily Pennsylvanian: What are your background experiences that make you qualified for this position?
Philip Berkman: Academically, I have taken a lot of urban-studies courses that look into city development, and even specifically looking at Penn's example of development into West Philadelphia and into greater Philadelphia in general. ... I'm a member of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education and I've, ... throughout my three years, been in touch and in contact with faculty and administration for various projects around campus.
DP: What are some of your visions for the eastern edge of campus?
PB: I have tons of ideas, but I'm going into this committee completely realizing that the undergraduate needs are one of many voices that are going to have to be weighing in the eastward expansion.
But I think one of the biggest draws for this eastward expansion for the entire campus ... is the connection of West Philadelphia and Penn to downtown Center City ... so a big thing for undergraduates would be to make them feel like they are part of the greater Philadelphia city.
Having just said that, it'll be important to make sure that this eastward expansion remains a part of the campus, that it doesn't feel like an added-on module or bubble. ... We are really lucky to have such a compact, centralized campus, with so many resources so close together.
Making sure that this new land expands in keeping with that centralization is important as well. I don't know what the specifics are, [but] looking at athletic fields, looking at academic buildings, possibly housing options ... are also going to be things that we are going to discuss.
DP: What do you feel is the one thing that is most lacking on the current campus, in relation to what you would like to see established in the eastward expansion?
PB: I really don't think anything is lacking on Penn's campus. The bigger issue would be [ensuring that] what they add to the eastward expansion meshes well with the facilities and resources that we already have.
DP: How are your views and visions going to represent the students at large?
PB: I'm going to both bring my own views and opinions and then put a lot of energy to make sure that I act as an advocate and am able to pull and represent accurately what the general undergraduate opinion is.
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