UA plans to address inconsistencies in Groups Online @ Penn database

You may no longer have to rush to return a lockout key.

The Undergraduate Assembly is working towards increasing the number of hours a student can keep a lockout key. At their Sept. 28 meeting, the UA discussed changing the lockout key policy and the structure of Groups Online @ Penn , a database of student groups.

Lockout Key

Currently, when students forget their key in their room, they can get a lockout key from their College House office for one hour, or they are charged a fine of $25 .

UA Representative and College junior Robyn Saad met with the Residential Services Advisory Board and discussed extending the time of the lockout key. Initially, the UA wanted to extend the time to 24 hours so that students do not feel as rushed. However, after RSAB advised that 24 hours may be too long, Saad is now advocating for six hours.

The project is still in its early stages and the UA general body was split over the decision to extend the time. UA Representative and College freshman Rahima Jamal said that she uses lockout keys occasionally and that extending the time would make her more likely to forget to return the key.

UA Representative and College sophomore Kat McKay advocated for extending the time, adding that students may have extenuating circumstances that prevent them from returning the key within the hour.

Groups Online @ Penn

UA Representative and College sophomore Marc Petrine updated the UA about a project to increase student group publicity via Groups Online @ Penn. For certain organizations, students can sign up for listservs and figure out who board members are by viewing the Group Online profile. Students can also fill out a profile so that the program can suggest groups based on their interests.

Currently, Groups Online is not being used as well as it could be, Petrine said. He commented that not all groups are on the interface or use it to interact with students. He hopes that the tool can serve as a comprehensive list of the clubs on campus and help students, especially freshmen, navigate the clubs at Penn.

Petrine met with Associate Director of Activities Rodney Robinson from the Office of Student Affairs and commented that Robinson was receptive to the idea of changing the model. Going forward, the UA hopes to revamp Groups Online but is currently unsure what the next step will be.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.