From cries against the removal of the Class of 1923 ice rink to advocacy for more bicycle access, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of opinions about the University's eastward expansion.
But when it comes to the future of Penn's development, administrators do not necessarily have all the answers.
Different members of the University community came together yesterday to express their concerns about development of the postal lands -- the 24-acre plot the school will acquire in 2007.
During the town hall meeting, organized by the Campus Development Planning Committee, officials were reluctant to address many of the specific demands brought up by the audience.
Much of the development right now concentrates on working with Sasaki Associates, a multidisciplinary architectural and planning firm, to explore the technical capacities of land use in the area.
Greg Havens, a senior associate at Sasaki, presented options for pedestrian bridges and other infrastructure that could be used to circumvent the numerous railways and the highway that cut through the postal lands.
But when it came to the request by the Penn club ice hockey team to keep the Class of 1923 Ice Rink or questions about whether there will be more day-care facilities for faculty and graduate students -- issues that some specifically came to the meeting to voice -- the committee uniformly said that it was too early in the development to deal with such inquiries.
"We will be getting to that level of detail as we move forward," Havens said.
Different members of the audience expressed some frustration regarding the lack of specific uses given for buildings to be erected in the area.
There are "many people wanting more answers on the programmatic side than what we have at this stage," University Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli said. Carnaroli and Provost Ron Daniels are chairing the committee.
Daniels was not present at the meeting, though he was scheduled to attend both this event and another town hall meeting last week. He also missed last week's session.
Carnaroli said that because the committee must submit a final report of proposals to President Amy Gutmann by June 2006, it must examine the technical capacities at the same time it collects input from the University community. By this spring, he said, there will be clearer indications of what needs will be addressed in the eastward expansion.
"What is striking is how many of the ideas that came out were ones that we have heard before and are struggling to deal with," Carnaroli said.
Both Carnaroli and Senior Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik said they were pleased with the event turnout.
However, besides the seven Penn hockey members present, the meeting was attended by fewer than 10 undergraduate students.
Cynthia Wong, a Wharton senior who sits on the student advisory committee for campus expansion, said that yesterday's turnout was better than at the last town hall meeting.
"I definitely wish there were more [students], but unfortunately that was not the case," she said, adding that the fact that the meeting was not targeted specifically toward students may have explained the lack of undergraduates.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
