When she was first welcoming students to campus a year ago, University President Amy Gutmann pledged to make her College Hall office less of an ivory tower.
Now entering her sophomore year, the top administrator at Penn continues to stress her accessibility to students, though it is unclear exactly how far her efforts have extended.
"I like mixing it up with students," Gutmann said, adding that she is committed to being perceived as more than an academic and University administrator.
She expressed her eagerness to stay in touch with the Penn community and said she enjoys "unplanned encounters" with students on her Locust Walk commute to and from the office.
"I think [students] give me the pulse of the campus," she said.
Only a handful, however, can attest to a Locust Walk Gutmann sighting. For a greater percentage of students, the likeliest opportunities for a meet-and-greet with Gutmann are official University events -- like Convocation each fall.
"I was shocked, speechless," Milan Shah, a College sophomore and transfer student, said of his reaction when the president approached him to chat at the dessert reception following the ceremony earlier this month. "She sort of walked up ... and tapped me on the shoulder," Shah said.
Though he was initially nervous, Shah said that Gutmann's "calm" demeanor eased him into a brief conversation with her about life at Penn.
Gutmann emphasized her willingness to talk with students in person about their thoughts on the University.
"In every case when a student has wanted to meet with me, I've met them," she added, "and I have to say, I enjoy it."
She also stressed the importance of being accessible to campus leaders. Gutmann sees members of Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the InterFraternity Council, Civic House, the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Undergraduate Assembly on a regular basis.
"The main function of her job lies in other areas," UA Chairwoman Rachel Fersh said, "but I do not think that accessibility has been a problem in the past."
However, some speculate that part of Gutmann's positive relationship with student leaders last year can be attributed to the relative youth of her term in office.
"At the height of excitement of Gutmann coming ... we were enthusiastic to meet her," College senior and former United Minorities Council board member Fatimah Muhammad said.
Muhammad added that Gutmann's track record as a professor interested in democratic education and as provost at Princeton University adds to the impression of her as a receptive administrator.
But she fears the novelty will wear off.
"Excitement gets people moving," Muhammad added, "though as students, we know lip service is pretty common."
Not surprisingly, the flip side of the hype surrounding the president's move to Penn is the pressure to deliver on her promises.
"I expected more," College senior Elizabeth Curtis-Bey said. "Coming from Princeton, which is a smaller school, you'd think she'd be better at interacting with students."
Curtis-Bey, a former board member of the Black Student League, met Gutmann last year after a student claimed he was roughly handled by University Police who suspected him of involvement in a cell-phone theft.
"She sort of delegated tasks to the dean," Curtis-Bey said about Gutmann's handling of the issue.
She added that the president has some way to go toward becoming accessible and that learning more about the West Philadelphia region might be a good first step for Gutmann as she enters the sophomore year of her presidency.
Some, like the leaders of the Performing Arts Council, were unwilling to even discuss the president's accessibility altogether.
But others were enthusiastic about Gutmann's openness toward students.
InterFraternity Council President Spencer Scharff worked with the president's office last year to minimize violations of the University alcohol policy during Spring Fling.
The College senior said that he thought Gutmann was very accessible, adding that "it would be impossible over the course of the year for any student to not [have a chance] to meet Dr. Gutmann."
