U. Council sees a lack of faculty

Last Wednesday at the University Council meeting, role call may have gone a little something like this:

President? Here. Provost? Here. Student government? Here.

But one group was noticeably underrepresented: faculty.

Fewer than 10 faculty members regularly show up at the monthly meetings, and at least 30 have not attended a single meeting this year.

"It's disappointing that more faculty don't show up and . partake in discussions," said Wharton senior and Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Brett Thalmann.

At the UC, which is charged with advising the administration on University-related issues, the majority of the 116 seats are held by Penn faculty and staff. The faculty who sit on the executive committee of the Faculty Senate - a deliberative body of faculty members - are automatically awarded 40 seats.

"I think it would be better for the solidarity of the body to have all constituents represented," said Graduate and Professional Student Association chairman Lee Shaker.

But University Secretary Leslie Kruhly, who manages the UC, said that, because of varying opinions among faculty, increased attendance on their part "wouldn't necessarily give [University Council] a sense of what the faculty as a whole needs."

She added that, when there is an issue that is of great interest to the faculty, they turn out "en masse."

Communications professor Vincent Price, who is the chairman of the Faculty Senate, said there is a lot of overlap between the presentations to the UC and the Faculty Senate, the governing body for standing faculty.

There has been encouragement for more faculty to attend the UC meetings in addition to the Faculty Senate meetings, resulting in a "small increase" in recent attendance.

In general, faculty agree that the biggest obstacle to attending the UC meetings is time.

"It's kind of juggling priorities," said Nursing professor Barbara Riegel. "I love the dialogue; I just can't fit it all in."

Marketing and Statistics professor Eric Bradlow added that his teaching commitments prevent him from attending the meetings.

But, he said, the Faculty Senate meetings are much more "intimate" than the UC meetings, so he feels like he gets much more information there.

"It's essentially a matter of not being willing to devote all of my time to University governance," noted English professor John Richetti.

Only 16 seats are allotted to students - 10 automatically go to the Undergraduate Assembly, and the other six are allocated to students groups who feel they are either misrepresented or underrepresented on campus.

Those groups must apply for the seats through a rigorous process involving an interview with the Nominations and Elections Committee.

"The allocation of the seats needs to be looked at again," said College junior Kevin Rurak, the head of the Lambda Alliance.

"There are undergraduate students who apply and want to be on [the UC] and would very likely be able to contribute."

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