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(02/07/97 10:00am)
Under the current plan, part-time employees are not eligible for health care, dental coverage or disability leave. Many University employees are anxiously awaiting a new benefits plan slated to be presented early next week. But for part-time employees, the wait has already gone on for nearly four years. Part-time employees -- who work between 17.5 and 28 hours a week -- are not eligible for benefits such as paid health care, dental coverage or disability leave. The workers do benefit from a University group health care rate. And part-time workers hired after 1989 cannot participate in a retirement plan. In December 1995, a group of part-time employees asked University Council to consider granting benefits to part-time workers on a pro-rated basis. A UC committee studied the issue and recommended little change to the current plan, according to graduate career counselor Julie Vick, who works part time. Vick added that the recommendation was mooted anyway by a Coopers & Lybrand study later that year which suggested revamping the entire benefits structure. "This is just saying that we are second class citizens," Vick said. "Denying this was a significant wage penalty and they haven't really dealt with it." And some part-time employees claim they are really working full-time hours, since their jobs demand extra effort. A Dining Services employee who wished to remain anonymous said he worked well over 28 hours, but was still considered part-time until he switched to an official full-time schedule later. When he made the change, he said, he was promised that his date of hiring --Ewhich is used to calculate seniority and benefits -- would be considered the date he began his part-time job. But those calculations were later made based on the date he became a full-time worker. Another Dining Services employee said she was hired as a part-time worker, only to be told later that she was a "temporary worker." While part-time workers have access to limited benefits, such as vacation and sick leave, temporary workers have no benefits and cannot work more than 999 hours a year. She added that she didn't receive any description of her job status or benefits when hired. Glen Lyons, a temporary employee in Dining Services, said he was told he would be eligible for a part-time or full-time position after working for a few months. Lyons has already worked over a year -- beyond the 999 hour-maximum -- without a change. Many Dining Services employees have had similar confusion with their work status, the male employee said. They receive no description of their status or benefit upon hiring and are led to believe they are part-time. Vice President for Human Resources Clint Davidson declined to comment on specific complaints, explaining he has never heard criticisms of that nature before. "If these are concerns, these staff members ought to bring them forward," Davidson said. "They would be reviewed and reviewed seriously." He added that there is some possibility for confusion between part-time and temporary status workers, since temporary workers are hired by a separate temporary program and not by the University. "It is possible that someone who came to the University thought it was a University job and not that they were hired for the temporary agency," he explained. But Jim Gray, a library services assistant and tri-chairperson of the African American Association of Faculty and Staff, said he is familiar with these types of problems. "We are seeing a pattern of greater use of part-time workers in full-time positions and a greater promotion of part-time workers to full-time jobs rather than just making those workers full-time in the first place," Gray said. "That is also exploitation, and that is dehumanizing." Gray added that despite the complaints, "they don't seem to be getting any respect." "It is unfair for an educational institution that has a responsibility to shape the minds and education of our young people to exploit labor that way," he said. Vick said that although she has not had to work overtime on a regular basis, people "should say, 'No, I will not work more unless you reclassify me'." Faculty Senate Chairperson Peter Kuriloff said he would guess that the part-time workers are disproportionately women, making this both a benefits and an equity issue. Vick explained that many of the part-time employees have worked at the University for over 10 years. "These are not people who come in and leave," she said. "They are true professionals and do many of the same things as their full-time colleagues." She added that her group spoke to other Ivy League universities and that their part-time worker benefits far surpass those of Penn. "It would be nice for the University to recognize that being part-time does not mean that you are not a committed employee," Van Pelt Librarian Illene Rubin said.
(02/06/97 10:00am)
The "American Reads' initiative will pay work study students to ensure literacy among third graders. By next fall, several hundred University students will have become part of President Clinton's "citizen army" to increase literacy. In his State of the Union Address Tuesday night, Clinton announced the "America Reads" initiative -- an effort to mobilize one million volunteers to ensure literacy among American third graders. The volunteers will include at least 100,000 college students. America Reads comes as a result of increases to the Federal Work Study program, which allows college students to receive financial aid in exchange for part-time work at their colleges. Approximately 3,500 Penn students currently participate in work study, according to Frank Claus, director of Student Financial Services. The federal government has asked universities to devote at least 50 percent of the additional funding to allow students to work in local literacy programs, according to Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman. The program -- which will begin recruiting student next fall -- will include both students already involved in the work study program and current tutors who may apply for work study funding, according to Amy Cohen, Penn Program for Public Service associate director. University administrators hope the increased funding will broaden opportunities for students to qualify for work study, though students must still demonstrate financial need to be eligible for the program. Cohen said the work study literacy project will take a different approach than some of the University's other West Philadelphia tutoring programs. "You may have [Penn] students going in and training high school students and adults to increase the amount of people who are able to work in literacy programs," Cohen said. And Scheman explained that the program will require students to interact with younger children than those involved in most of the University's current tutoring programs, and to use different teaching approaches. "What students are going to have to bring to this is a huge tolerance for short, young people," Scheman said. "There are going to have to come prepared with tissues and a lot of patience and blue jeans so that you can sit on the floor." Students in various tutoring programs said the idea of tutors receiving financial aid through work study was a good one. "Many students do this type of thing because they want to, but this may help get new students involved," said College sophomore Rebecca Heller, who participates in the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project. But Scheman said the program presents several organizational difficulties, most of which should be worked out within the next few weeks by the Center for Community Partnerships and Associate Vice President for Policy Planning David Morse. "For work study programs that are internal to the University, it is easy to manage the forms you needs to get people paid," Scheman said. "We may have to organize this differently." She said it may be difficult to determine how to match tutors with students, adding that these issues will probably make the start-up time for the program slower than administrators would like. And she said there is some anxiety that the program could undermine current West Philadelphia educational projects. Cohen said she does not see the new program as a threat to existing ones, although care must be taken to ensure the program is organized carefully to fit into its future home -- the Center for Community Partnerships. And students involved in tutoring programs said West Philadelphia schools could always use more tutors. But College junior and West Philadelphia Teach Director Sara Newman expressed some concerns about so-called "paid volunteers." "I am not sure how much I agree with paid volunteer work," Newman said. "I'm not sure how that would affect the quality of the work if people were there because they had to be." Scheman said the project is currently in a state of "ambiguity" and that such issues would have to be worked out as planning begins over the next few weeks. "Anyone involved in this is going to have a high tolerance for ambiguity, but what goes along with that is an opportunity for creativity," Scheman said.
(02/05/97 10:00am)
Despite complaints from deans, "responsibility center budgeting" will not be replaced by a centralized system. The University's decentralized budgeting system will not be changed, despite complaints from deans that it discourages Penn's "one university" ideal. The system -- called "responsibility center budgeting" -- will nevertheless be examined this spring or next fall to determine whether other methods are available to reimburse individual schools for teaching students from other schools. The University's current budget system allows individual schools to control their own students' tuition dollars rather than receiving funds from the central administration. As a result, schools are required to transfer funds to any other school where their students take classes. At the same time, schools that borrow professors from other programs must contribute to their salaries. This practice has lead some deans to complain that there is a disincentive for their school to allow students to take classes in other schools or to borrow professors. Recently, Graduate School of Fine Arts Dean Gary Hack mentioned this budget system as a fundamental problem with the Fels Center of Government program -- which is currently under review -- since it inhibits the program's ability to attract students from other graduate programs. Hack said students from the Wharton School's graduate division, the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Education would benefit from classes in government, while adding to the school's vitality and helping to alleviate shrinking attendance. But Deputy Provost Michael Wachter said the current budget system allows, rather than inhibits, study outside of students' home schools. If the schools did not receive compensation for teaching outside students, they would not allow those students in their classes due to the opportunity cost of letting in students without payment, Wachter said. "This system creates incentives for schools to develop cross-school programs," he added. "They couldn't afford to do it otherwise." Wachter said there are few barriers to students taking classes outside their school, adding that the restrictions that do exist -- such as the rule that College of Arts and Sciences students receive credit for only four outside classes -- are for academic, not financial, reasons. But School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Gregory Farrington said responsibility center budgeting may create disincentives towards interdisciplinary study. "It can tend to discourage a school from having their students take courses outside the school," Farrington said. And School of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Walter Wales concurred, explaining that the system is particularly harmful to undergraduates, who, unlike graduate students, are not studying specialized topics and often require a broad education. But Farrington added that despite such disincentives, a number of programs at the University require course work outside the home school. In Engineering, for example, over half of tuition credit is taken in other schools. Wachter said the current budgeting process is preferable to the alternative of a completely centralized system. "In a centralized system there is no incentive to schools to raise money because they can't keep it," Wachter said. He added that this system also discourages deans from making necessary budget cuts since they will not benefit from the savings. "The incentives to cut budgets are that if you as a dean take the hard steps to cut expenses you will get to use the money yourself," Wachter said. "Centralized budgeting takes that away." He added that many universities with centralized budgets simply rely on the same budget every year, since the center does not have as much information as the schools with regards to changing needs. This method causes stagnation in the budget process and a certain expectation from schools that they will receive at least the same funds as the year before, he said. And University President Judith Rodin said the University cannot abandon the current system for fear of plunging SAS into further debt. SAS -- which is projected to end the fiscal year with a $2.1 million deficit -- receives large tuition transfers from Wharton, SEAS and the Nursing School, whose students must take up to 50 percent of their classes in the College. But Wales said the system does not serve the needs of students. "The present system puts too much emphasis on financial resources and not enough on [the University's] educational responsibility," Wales said. He added, however, that the University has benefitted overall from decentralized budgeting. "We are much better off because of that system," Wales said. "It just does not work as well as it might where the undergraduate education is concerned."
(01/31/97 10:00am)
Initial analysis has indicated that it may be too expensive to implode the high rise dormitories, University President Judith Rodin said yesterday. An early engineering survey -- charged with examining the structural aspects of the buildings -- has determined that the costs of destroying the high rises combined with the price for new dorms would be "quite high," Rodin said. Speculation regarding the fate of the high rises began in November when Rodin announced at University Council that the consulting firm of Biddison Hier would consider various options for the buildings, including demolition. "Superblock seems, to me, to be a real missed opportunity for this University," Rodin said at the meeting. "I think we can rectify the error." Provost Stanley Chodorow also suggested that demolishing the high rises may prove prohibitively expensive at this week's Trustees Committee on Student Life meeting. "I know there have been times when I have been signed up to be the first one to pull the plunger, but studies done now show that we can't afford to implode them," Chodorow said. Rather, he said, the University will consider repairs to "fix them up and make them more attractive," he said. Chodorow later explained that his statements were not meant to indicate a final decision, since no such decision has been made. He said he merely wanted to indicate to the Trustees that the high rises were not slated for certain destruction. These primary engineering analyses are intended to give the University an idea of the costs of renovating the buildings compared to the cost of destroying them and beginning from scratch, Rodin explained. "The initial engineering analyses are giving us some prices," Rodin said. "There is no decision on whether that is too much or too little, but the prices are quite high." She added that these are standard evaluations which the University requested for all campus buildings. "We asked [Biddison Hier] what it would cost to renovate [Superblock] to really bring them up to 1990s standards and what it would cost to just destroy it," Rodin said. "There is no question the cost of destroying it and building another dorm instead is much higher than just renovating it," she added. But officials are looking for funds to cover a variety of projects -- most notably several academic programs released last week in conjunction with the Agenda for Excellence. This week's meetings of the Board of Trustees saw several donations announced, but Rodin said the University is soliciting more gifts for several other capital projects. Also, administrators said they will seek donations, rather than tuition increases, to cover most of their ongoing initiatives. And price is not the only factor in determining the fate of the three buildings, which serve as the most popular upperclassman dorms, Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta said. Moneta explained that University officials are looking at a combination of factors -- including aesthetics and population capacity -- in determining future residential space. Administrators are also trying to coordinate residential plans with changes in dining, retail and safety. But price is still a consideration. "Cost is certainly an important issue," Moneta admitted. "We can't do something we can't afford." He added, however, that the preliminary renovation estimate does not include costs for any changes in the current use of the dorms. If the University maintains the current high rise buildings, but decides that more common space for lounges or faculty apartments is needed, costs could go up, he explained. Moneta emphasized that these analyses are "very preliminary stuff" and that regardless of the financing issues the final decision will be made by Rodin, Chodorow, school deans and the Board of Trustees.
(01/30/97 10:00am)
The University raised $99.4 million by the end of 1996, nearly half of the $200 million it aims to collect by June. The University has completed nearly half of its fundraising goals for the 1996-97 fiscal year after a record breaking December, University Trustee Alvin Shoemaker reported to the Board of Trustees yesterday. New gifts and pledges totaled $99.4 million at the close of 1996, almost half of this year's goal of $200 million. The figure represents a 5 percent increase over last year. In addition, receipts for the same period totaled $87.7 million, which is a 20 percent increase over last year. Receipts are the actual dollar amounts received from donors, while pledges are merely a commitment from the donor. New gifts and pledges equaled $50.5 million and receipts totalled $46.9 million in the month of December alone. These numbers include former University Trustee Jon Huntsman's $10 million endowment to the International Studies and Business Program, as well as several other large gifts. Gordon Hattersley, a 1954 Wharton graduate, donated $3 million towards the construction of the new Wharton Classroom Building, which will built on the current Book Store site. The fundraising numbers for December also include a $2.1 million contribution from the estate of Louise and Edmund Kahn for an endowed fund in faculty excellence and a $1.5 million donation from James Dunning, Jr., to renovate the William White Training House. A $2 million gift from the Boettner Institute of Financial Gerontology will serve to establish an endowed chair in financial gerontology -- the study of the costs of aging. This is the first endowed chair in the School of Social Work. During two days of meetings, the Trustees voted to allocate $10 million to cover planning and pre-construction costs for the Sansom Commons project. And the Graduate School of Fine Arts received permission to begin four practice professorships. The program -- similar to one already in use by the Law School, the Social Work School and the Graduate School of Education -- will allow GSFA to appoint "practicing practitioners" for an initial period of five years, said Trustees Academic Policy Committee Chairperson Donald Langenberg. The Trustees also heard financial reports indicating that the College of Arts and Sciences is projected to end the year with a $2.1 million deficit. The Annenberg Center is projected to run a $250,000 deficit, although all other schools are expected to break even. The Trustees Committee on Internationalization discussed attracting additional foreign students and foreign donations by strengthening relationships with alumni abroad. Alumni living outside the United States have complained they feel out of touch with the University. Some Trustees expressed dismay with the quality of support for foreign students within the University. "One guy in the Alumni Office just isn't going to do it," Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Susan Catherwood said. "There needs to be something in each of the schools." The Trustees acknowledged outgoing term Trustee John Harkins, Jr., for his ten years of service to the Board. The 1953 College and 1958 Law graduate will continue to serve on the Executive Committee of Health System and the Health System's Board of Overseers. Five-year alumni Trustee Andrea Mitchell, a 1967 College for Women graduate, was voted to an additional five-year term.
(01/29/97 10:00am)
The gift will support the University's International Studies and Business Program, founded in 1994. Wharton alumnus Jon Huntsman has donated $10 million to fund the University's International Studies and Business Program. The three-year-old ISB program -- which combines international studies, foreign language and business education -- is the first of its kind in the United States. Huntsman, who graduated from Wharton's undergraduate program in 1959, is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation. He also served as a University Trustee from 1987 to 1994 and currently holds a position on Wharton's Board of Overseers. His son, Jon Huntsman, Jr., is also a Trustee. The endowment will be used to maintain the program -- established in 1994 on "shaky funding" from Wharton and the College of Arts and Sciences -- according to Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity. "We launched it with no funding other than limited resources from each of the two schools," he said. "Providing an endowment always stabilizes a program even during hard times," University President Judith Rodin said. "This allows it to really excel, to become a crown jewel in the University." The donation -- which will be in use by next fall -- will also allow ISB to expand its programming and course offerings, Gerrity added. Some programming improvements will be made in the area of ISB's language training, according to Arabic Professor Roger Allen, who coordinates the College's side of the program. Allen said ISB has become a "flagship" for the rest of the University and will be the testing grounds for plans to strengthen students' foreign language skills. He added that the endowment will allow ISB to experiment further, testing many ideas under consideration as part of the University's Agenda for Excellence. Huntsman expressed a wish to support the program -- which focuses on the international complexities of business -- since his company and his family have a particular interest in the globalization of the business world, Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos said. "It is a wonderful thing when you want the University to increase internationalization and a family, a company is thinking globally and these interests coincide," Vagelos said. Rodin said she is "thrilled" with the donation, and Vagelos noted that it will fund one of the interdisciplinary programs outlined as a strategic goal of the Agenda for Excellence. "I see the International Studies and Business program as one of the outstanding examples of interdisciplinary inter-school work at the University of Pennsylvania that makes us quite unique," Vagelos said. He explained that the program -- which attracts students from across the globe -- also fits into the long-term goals of the University and its Trustees to increase the internationalization of the Penn community. Huntsman has made several large donations in the past. In 1989, he established the Huntsman Center for Global Competition and Leadership -- a Wharton research program. And in 1993, he made a $4.4 million donation to the "Campaign for Penn" fundraising effort. Rodin added that although the University is pleased with the number of the donations announced recently, donors are still being sought for the new Wharton building and the University's other capital projects.
(01/29/97 10:00am)
The gift will support the University's International Studies and Business Program, founded in 1994. Wharton alumnus Jon Huntsman has donated $10 million to fund the University's International Studies and Business Program. The three-year-old ISB program -- which combines international studies, foreign language and business education -- is the first of its kind in the United States. Huntsman, who graduated from Wharton's undergraduate program in 1959, is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation. He also served as a University Trustee from 1987 to 1994 and currently holds a position on Wharton's Board of Overseers. His son, Jon Huntsman, Jr., is also a Trustee. The endowment will be used to maintain the program -- established in 1994 on "shaky funding" from Wharton and the College of Arts and Sciences -- according to Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity. "We launched it with no funding other than limited resources from each of the two schools," he said. "Providing an endowment always stabilizes a program even during hard times," University President Judith Rodin said. "This allows it to really excel, to become a crown jewel in the University." The donation -- which will be in use by next fall -- will also allow ISB to expand its programming and course offerings, Gerrity added. Some programming improvements will be made in the area of ISB's language training, according to Arabic Professor Roger Allen, who coordinates the College's side of the program. Allen said ISB has become a "flagship" for the rest of the University and will be the testing grounds for plans to strengthen students' foreign language skills. He added that the endowment will allow ISB to experiment further, testing many ideas under consideration as part of the University's Agenda for Excellence. Huntsman expressed a wish to support the program -- which focuses on the international complexities of business -- since his company and his family have a particular interest in the globalization of the business world, Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos said. "It is a wonderful thing when you want the University to increase internationalization and a family, a company is thinking globally and these interests coincide," Vagelos said. Rodin said she is "thrilled" with the donation, and Vagelos noted that it will fund one of the interdisciplinary programs outlined as a strategic goal of the Agenda for Excellence. "I see the International Studies and Business program as one of the outstanding examples of interdisciplinary inter-school work at the University of Pennsylvania that makes us quite unique," Vagelos said. He explained that the program -- which attracts students from across the globe -- also fits into the long-term goals of the University and its Trustees to increase the internationalization of the Penn community. Huntsman has made several large donations in the past. In 1989, he established the Huntsman Center for Global Competition and Leadership -- a Wharton research program. And in 1993, he made a $4.4 million donation to the "Campaign for Penn" fundraising effort. Rodin added that although the University is pleased with the number of the donations announced recently, donors are still being sought for the new Wharton building and the University's other capital projects.
(01/28/97 10:00am)
President Rodin estimates the "Agenda for Excellence" proposals will cost the University at least $1 billion. The University's "Agenda for Excellence" and the component plans released by the individual schools last week feature more than just requests for new faculty and programs -- they also carry a hefty price tag. University President Judith Rodin said the complete list of programming and capital projects discussed in the Agenda will cost no less than $1 billion. This estimate does not include any plans to alter the residential system -- which may be forthcoming later. Rodin said the University will use three major techniques to cover the Agenda's costs -- capital ventures, administrative cost-cutting and fundraising. Vice President for Business Services Steve Murray explained that the PennCard computer chip -- scheduled to be incorporated in cards issued next fall -- may provide the University with a new profit opportunity. The cards will be capable of handling banking, phone card and credit card services, and the University plans to establish a partnership with a local bank to allow students access to money access center (MAC) services using their PennCards, he said. This option would represent the reversal of the strategy of outsourcing University operations to independent corporations. The University would actually take on functions of independent companies for profit reasons, Rodin explained. But she added that administrative cost-cutting --which could mean outsourcing and employee benefit restructuring -- remains a major way to generate funds. Executive Vice President John Fry said administrators are looking at the benefits system to find a way to cut costs while still offering competitive packages. He added that the University is on track for the $50 million in administrative cost-cutting the Agenda specifies. Initial cuts have been made in areas that do not directly affect employees, including energy, purchasing goods and services and contracts like life insurance. But Fry added that certain areas which have been overstaffed or have not produced quality output have been targeted for direct cuts in the number of employees. Staffing levels in the University's purchasing department, for example, have been cut by 50 percent. And the University continues to study whether it is the "best provider of services" or whether it could cut costs and increase services through outsourcing, Fry said. Outsourcing will be considered for all areas in which external providers are available. "We will continue to ask that question, not because we are going to outsource everything, but because we believe that unless we are asking that question we are clearly not doing the students and faculty a service," Fry said. He added that while maintaining expensive and less efficient services may preserve jobs, that would hurt student and faculty satisfaction. Outsourcing is currently being considered for dining and residential services, he said. Rodin said outsourcing and capital venture efforts will help keep the University's focus on education. "Penn is trying to run less and not more so that we can run what it is -- an institution of higher learning" Rodin said. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations will spend the spring term determining a target amount and a plan for fundraising efforts. Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos said University officials plan to approach corporate donors, foundations and alumni for funds. Vagelos noted, however, that while corporations and foundations often fund programs, these grants are usually given in support of technical areas such as research. "Generally [corporations and foundations] don't like to fund bricks and mortar," Vagelos said.
(01/28/97 10:00am)
The University's Board of Trustees meetings will begin today to discuss the campus master plan, the University budget, safety programs and fundraising and development efforts. Although the majority of Trustees have already been briefed about the campus master plan for facilities development, a general session will address the plan's priorities and potential sources of funding, according to Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos. The Trustees will also discuss planning and pre-construction costs for the Sansom Commons project. "We are having successes [in fundraising] -- but never enough, of course, and we clearly can't do everything simultaneously," Vagelos said. The priority list for future programs and development will follow those outlined in the Agenda for Excellence, he said. The major fundraising question facing the Trustees concerns efforts to raise funds to cover the costs of plans described in the Agenda. While some Trustees would like to begin a major fundraising campaign, others fear that beginning another large campaign so soon after 1994's "Campaign for Penn" might alienate potential donors. Vagelos said fundraising may be more successful if it attacks one project at a time, since donors can be targeted to fund individual projects of interest to them. Another question facing the Trustees involves the time frame for raising the $1 billion President Judith Rodin said the Agenda's plans will cost. Rodin said she believes the money could certainly be raised, although she is not sure how long it would take to amass that large a sum. "The needs are enormous, but... the trick is to say in how long," Vagelos said. "It is not so daunting if you put it off. The key is to convince people we would like to get it done in a reasonable time." The Trustees will also be brought up to date on the recent safety improvements. "Safety is critical to the immediate future of the University," Vagelos said. "I don't worry for the long-term future because there are so many things in the mill that will change West Philadelphia, but we have to move the long-term to a closer term." In addition to attending the official board meeting, Trustees will meet with students dining at Hill House, King's Court/English House and the Trainer's Club tomorrow for informal lunch discussions.
(01/28/97 10:00am)
Although this marks Donald Trump's first gift to the University, administrators hope the 1968 graduate will donate more in the future.
(01/27/97 10:00am)
Initiatives announced last week as part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science's follow-up to the "Agenda for Excellence" focus on research priorities and interdisciplinary programs. The Engineering School has decided to concentrate its research on three programs in particular -- Information Science and Technology, Biological Science and Technology and Materials Science. "These are three topics in which we have every reason to believe that we should be fantastic and we know we can be fantastic," Farrington said. He added that the school will review each of its departments and terminate unsuccessful programs. Farrington said new interdisciplinary programs are a major theme of the plan, since one of the school's major strengths is its "linkage" with other schools. Towards that goal, he explained that the Engineering School will develop two major educational programs directed at "people outside our normal educational focus." In addition to continuing the Telecommunications master's program begun this fall, the school will add a Biotechnology master's program -- run jointly by the School of Arts and Sciences and the Engineering School -- next fall. The school will also make minors in several Engineering programs available to non-science or math majors. Farrington said he anticipates the largest amount of student interest in a proposed Computer and Information Science minor, although the school will also consider minors in Telecommunications and Biotechnology. But he added that the Engineering School must take into account which subjects can be adequately taught to a non-science major in the course of a minor. CIS Professor Dave Farber said that although CIS minors may not be equipped for a computer-intensive job, they will benefit from greater understanding of the field. "They're not going to be able to go and be practitioners, but when they run in to things in the computer area they'll develop a smell for it," he said. Farrington also proposed the addition of one or two interdisciplinary programs similar to the Management and Technology program. Possible subjects for the new programs include Biotechnology, Telecommunications and International Technology. The school has hired five new faculty members over the course of the semester, including its first African American professor. The school will continues its search for new faculty in the areas of computer science, biotechnology and telecommunications. Faculty members said they are pleased with the plan, adding that it successfully focuses on the school's strengths while developing new ideas for programs. "It will bring the school forward," said Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Chairperson Jan Van Der Spiegel. "The dean has chosen the right priorities." Director of Advising and Admissions John Keenan said both the Faculty Senate and individual faculty members provided input for the plan at various stages. Beyond academic changes, the plan outlines several facilities projects. The school will continue to improve facilities with the IAST-II project slated to house Computer, Information and Cognitive Science facilities. Farrington said he hopes to renovate the current Engineering facilities and build an engineering and science library. Further renovations will be made to the Towne Building over the summer. The building -- which received a facelift prior to the ENIAC anniversary -- will now undergo heating and air conditioning repairs. Farrington added that the school opened a new computer lab over winter break, while upgrading its computers. "This is Pentium heaven," Farrington said.
(01/24/97 10:00am)
Penn officials plan to continue transportation service to Center City and extend the Penn Loop bus schedule. Students expecting to wait a half hour after calling Penn Escort may soon be pleasantly surprised. The Penn Transportation Task Force has recommended several improvements to existing services, according to Vice President for Business Services Steve Murray, the Task Force chairperson. Murray said the University will also maintain transportation services to Center City, despite concerns that these services encourage students to move out of University City. Before the University even considers ending Center City services, it must make University City a better area in which to live, Murray explained. "[That way] you are not just taking away something and not providing an alternative for them," Murray said. Many proposed changes involve improving communication between the various components of Penn Transit and between the institutions that provide transportation services in West Philadelphia. Murray said he hopes to better coordinate walking and riding services by stationing walking units at sites where Escort vans stop, such as High Rise South. This would shorten the wait for students who need to walk somewhere from those transit stops. In the past, students have complained that after they are dropped off at a transportation stop by an Escort van they must wait for a walking escort home. "That? can compress what maybe used to be a 45-minute experience to a 10-minute experience," Murray said. The Penn Loop bus service --Ewhich circles campus -- will be extended from midnight until 3 a.m. Penn Escort will employ an additional phone operator during peak hours between 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., while also increasing its phone system's capacity to queue calls. Penn Transit Services will also distribute wallet-size schedules for its buses and vans, in addition to piloting vans with a center aisle to allow passengers quick entry and exit. Long-term goals for transportation include coordinating with SEPTA to make University City routes more useful for the Penn community. Officials may also use the PennCard as a method of payment for SEPTA rides. Murray said he is also looking to work with landlords and local institutions like Drexel University to reduce costs and redundant services. Murray said van service will be expanded despite concerns that Escort vans eliminate foot traffic and leave area streets deserted. He added that many residents have praised the van system, claiming it allows people to live in University City without the fear of walking home alone. But Task Force Committee member Hillary Aisenstein said she was upset the group did not address the issue of vans removing people from the streets. "University opinion is that [vans] increase safety and that is debatable," the College sophomore said. The Task Force reported that modifications made this fall -- in the wake of the crime wave -- have cut response time. This fall's changes included the addition of three new Escort vans and the extension of van services to involve more Greek houses. Students said the changes have had a positive effect on Escort services and response time. "The time it takes to get to your door has really improved, because I was really dissatisfied with them last year," said College senior Paige Greenlee.
(01/23/97 10:00am)
During a meeting yesterday, University Council heard a report stating that the University far surpasses National Collegiate Athletic Association academic standards. Vice President for Finance Steve Golding reported that the University's athletic program will be recertified when NCAA representatives visit the campus in April. University President Judith Rodin said there was little doubt that the University would meet the requirements, since Ivy League standards are more stringent than the NCAA's. "[The NCAA standards] are not geared towards Universities like Penn," Rodin said. "The NCAA is concerned with a set of regulations that have more to do with large state schools with football programs than with Ivy League institutions." Golding added that the committee will make some recommendations for change in the area of communications, including the establishment of a student-athlete advisory committee. Anesthesiology Professor Sean Kennedy reported that the Crime and Safety Committee deemed University crime-reporting to be sufficient under the federal "right-to-know" law. Kennedy explained that the law's definition for on-campus crime applies regardless of whether the University considers the definition appropriate for its campus. University disclosure is adequate independent of this definition, Kennedy said, since reports detailing crimes to which University Police respond and crimes within Penn's patrol area that are handled by Philadelphia's 18th District are both printed in Almanac, the University's official publication of record. Kennedy then asked Council to grant Almanac's request to print the 18th District crime report less frequently in order to reduce the publication's workload. The request upset some members of Council, who argued that public awareness of crime reports helps increase safety. Microbiology Professor Helen Davies objected to the request, explaining that several years ago she served on the Safety and Security Committee while it fought for frequent crime reports in an effort to increase public safety. The Admissions Committee announced two possible Internet developments designed to eliminate some of the 750,000 pieces of mail received from students during the application process. Meanwhile, the Book Store Committee presented a plan to foster competition between local bookstores and Barnes & Noble. The plan would allow local stores to stock textbooks based on a World Wide Web list of course materials. Provost Stanley Chodorow added a topic to the Council's agenda as he assured members that repairs had been completed on a faulty turnstile in the Quadrangle. "I can report from personal experience that it has been repaired," Chodorow said. "I was rejected; apparently my card has expired. I am lucky to be here."
(01/21/97 10:00am)
The plans stress the need for increased faculty positions, minority recruitment and endowed chairperson positions. Research, faculty recruitment and interdisciplinary programs are among the priorities of the strategic plans of the University's 12 schools, which were released yesterday as part of the "Agenda for Excellence." Administrators called upon individual schools to review their objectives within the framework of the plan, which was released in November 1995. In their plans, all four undergraduate schools stressed the need for increased faculty positions, minority recruitment and endowed chair positions. The College of Arts and Sciences, in particular, is looking to hire new junior faculty members in a effort to increase their current proportion from 20 to 23 percent by the year 2001. The Wharton School of Business also seeks new faculty in order to compete with student-faculty ratios at peer institutions. Student surveys will be used to identify areas in need of increased teaching resources. The College plans to renovate its Biology facilities and construct a new Psychology building as early as 1998. Other repairs will target Bennett Hall and the Music Building. The History Department will move into the newly renovated College Hall and various departments that "were temporarily exiled to Market Street" will return to Logan Hall, according to School of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Walter Wales. The School of Engineering and Applied Science has also begun planning for the Institute for Advance Science and Technology II -- which will provide modern space for the Computer Information and Science Department. The reports also stress interdisciplinary programs to encourage students to study outside of their home schools. "The goal is to create projects that will allow students to understand that the world in not divided up into disciplines," Provost Stanley Chodorow said. "[The world's] problems come to you in a sort of big mess and you have to apply everything you know to them." Many of the professional schools are seeking to develop undergraduate minors while also allowing undergraduates increased access to graduate level courses. SEAS's proposal includes developing one or two "flagship programs of the [Management and Technology] type" in topics such as Biotechnology, Telecommunications or International Technology. New minors for non-science and engineering majors are also in the works. Programming improvements will also be made in the College. "The school's efforts to reorganize the writing program, develop an emphasis on quantitative skills and promote language instruction in disciplinary context will benefit all of the undergraduate schools," according to College Dean Robert Rescorla. The individual school plans also echo the Agenda for Excellence's goal to emphasize undergraduate research. Research opportunities will open to all College undergraduates by 1998, while the Nursing and Engineering schools hope to attract further funding for research. The plans set high expectations for the University, and implementating them will be far from inexpensive. The College plan alone indicates a need for $100 million to cover facility costs and $200 million for undergraduate financial aid, faculty chairperson positions and start-up funds. And the School of Nursing has a $35.3 million fundraising goal, of which only $17.5 million has already been collected. Rodin said fundraising and administrative restructuring -- not tuition increases -- will be used to fund the initiatives. All new funds will be allocated to the programs and departments targeted by the plans, leaving remaining departments to make due with their current budgets. Rodin stressed that the plans outline a set of strategic goals and are not a curricular review. "The strategic plans really lay out the signpost, the pathways, but they don't put in the roads," she said. Several aspects of the Agenda are already underway, including the establishment of the joint Wharton-Law submatriculation program and a SAS committee to search for senior American and Comparative Political Science professors. The IAST phase I building at 33rd Street and Smith Walk -- which will provide SEAS with modern research space -- will be completed this summer. As for future initiatives, priorities vary between schools, according to Rodin. "The next step for some is faculty hiring," she said.
(01/16/97 10:00am)
The government program still faces an uncertain future. A review committee has recommended not to abolish the University's Fels Center of Government, although administrators have not decided whether to accept the panel's recommendation. An external committee appointed to discuss the program's future met with Interim Fels Director John Mulhern and the program's faculty, alumni and students December 18 and 19. The committee, which included former educators at the Harvard, Yale and Princeton schools of government, addressed whether Penn should maintain a school of public management and, if so, what its character and organization should be, according to Graduate School of Fine Arts Dean Gary Hack. "The one thing that came out loud and clear is that [the panel] thought that we would not be a great University if we did not have a program in government administration," said Hack, whose school houses the Fels program. The committee also dealt with several difficulties Fels already faces. Fels student Mark Siedband, who heads his class's internal government, said Fels does not have the necessary prestige to compete with other schools. "Most [Fels graduates] put on their resumes 'Master's Degree from the University of Pennsylvania' rather than Fels because it just does not have the name recognition," he said. Hack said competition from Harvard, Yale and Princeton may cause another of the school's problems -- low enrollment. Fifty-five students are currently enrolled in the Fels program, but this is only two-thirds the amount of students enrolled in past years. Mulhern said he attributes the drop to a lack of recruitment last winter during the upheaval over the sudden resignation of then-Director James Spady. "When I came in January, we didn't have a new class and that is very late to begin recruiting a new class," Mulhern said. Hack said that while the program's size should be expanded through additional recruitment, he would also like to see more students from other graduate schools taking classes in Fels. Under the current system of funding for the University's graduate schools, if students wish to take classes outside of their home school, that school must pay a fee to the desired program. Additionally, if a school wishes to use a professor based in another program, that school has to supplement the professor's salary. This system, according to Hack, removes any incentive for schools to encourage students to take advantage of classes at other schools. He called the system especially detrimental to the Fels program, which is seeking to diversify its class offerings and would benefit from a class taught by a Wharton or Social Work professor. Hack proposed an alternate system in which Fels could borrow a professor from another graduate school in exchange for allowing a certain number of students in that school take a class in Fels. But either way, Fels's future as part of the GSFA is uncertain. The panel made several recommendations for relocating the school, and while Hack declined to comment on the recommendations, he admitted that Fels may not belong in his school. "Fels is unlike anything else we do at the GSFA," Hack said. "In that sense, for their benefit, it seems to me that it might be better served by a different school." But Mulhern said the program's needs are well-served under the auspices of the GSFA. Hack said he hopes decisions on the committee's recommendations will be made by the end of the month. Final programming decisions will clear the way for selection of a new director for the program. In the meantime, Fels operations are "pushing on," and and program coordinators are waiting for the administrative directives resulting from the committee's recommendations, according to Mulhern. And the recommendation to continue the program came as welcome news to Fels students. "The program is one of Penn's best kept secrets," said Fels student Lance Rogers. "Whereas the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton and the Kennedy School at Harvard teach governmental theory, the Fels program adds a unique dynamic -- a hands-on approach towards governing." But Rogers bemoaned the program's lack of adequate facilities and poor class variety. Siedband said Fels would benefit from more national recruiting and a more rigorous program. The school has already made attempts to address some of its shortcomings without administrative instructions, such as by hiring a new public management professor, revamping its course in computer and analytic methods and fixing up its facilities.
(01/13/97 10:00am)
'NBC Nightly News' named Rodin one of the outstanding figures of the year for overcoming gender barriers. University President Judith Rodin's public profile is rapidly expanding far beyond the confines of campus. She gained recognition when NBC Nightly News honored her as one of the outstanding figures of the year, while Philadelphia Weekly named her to its list of "Villains of 1996." And Rodin is no stranger to either negative or positive publicity, maintaining a large staff to facilitate relations with students, the media and the surrounding community. She explained that as one of the University's major spokespeople, she is eager to talk to the media in an effort to educate the public about Penn. Nonetheless, Rodin said she does not believe in establishing a "media image," adding that her on-campus constituency is still her first priority. But outside publicity often serves the same purpose as establishing successful relationships with students, faculty and staff, according to Rodin. "The people who hear about Penn are the students and faculty of tomorrow," Rodin said. "If we don't also inform the external constituency then we are not going to have the great community to draw from." She called the NBC segment extremely positive publicity, adding that "five minutes on national TV is just incredible." Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw began the network's yearly "Best of '96" series with a feature on Rodin praising her for typifying the achievements of women in new fields. The University drew national attention several times in the fall semester, with The New York Times covering September's crimes and Kathy Change's self-immolation in October. But unlike NBC's story last month, these notices were mostly negative. In a similar vein, while compiling this year's list of the city's villains, Philadelphia Weekly reporter Kelvyn Anderson criticized the way Rodin handled the controversy surrounding the University's reporting of crime statistics, calling her public stances "unnecessarily defensive and not very honest." But Rodin said the article in the alternative news and entertainment newspaper did not worry her. "I'm going to be criticized, and I'm going to be praised," Rodin said. "That is really not the issue. The issue is to be assertive and clear about what Penn is and is not doing? The information needs to be out there and I need to be out there giving it." The Weekly article did not alarm Rodin's staff either. "[Philadelphia Weekly] is an alternative paper that has a dozen or so pages devoted to adult entertainment," University spokesperson Ken Wildes said. "The reporter did not speak to anyone at Penn about the piece? It is a blemish, but it is a small one and there is no comparison between NBC and Philadelphia Weekly." And Anderson added that he feels Rodin has done a pretty good job on the whole, and that her media image has been very positive. Rodin agreed that most of the media coverage of the University and herself has been positive, adding that she often has to remind herself that articles such as the Weekly's are "small negative things in the context of an enormous amount of great news." The NBC segment, which aired on December 12, focused on Rodin's successes in areas such as the development of the 21st Century Plan and her response to rising campus crime. NBC staff members stay abreast of current events and look for possible candidates for the series throughout the year, according to Nightly News production assistant Kate Stockbridge. "They looked at a wide variety of people for the feature, said Nightly News spokesperson Heidi Pekorny. "She just really stuck out." Brokaw compared Rodin to Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Dole, lauding her ability to succeed in the male-dominated Ivy League. But Rodin said she was "somewhat taken aback" by Brokaw's focus, since she has found the Ivy League to be "fairly" diverse. Rodin added that Brokaw -- who she met last year when he spoke at Commencement exercises -- is eager to show effective female role models, since he has three successful daughters. Rodin said response to the NBC segment has been overwhelmingly positive, drawing her many letters and e-mails from around the country. She even received one marriage proposal, asking her to call "if you ever dump that guy you were walking with in the video."
(12/09/96 10:00am)
University-initiated improvements to 40th Street will be extended to include the area between Baltimore Avenue and Sansom Street, according to Chief of Police Operations Maureen Rush. Over the past few weeks, the 40th Street Task Force has worked on the area between Locust and Walnut streets in the first phase of a program to revitalize the western edge of campus. Rush, who serves as co-chairperson of the 40th Street Task Force, said phases two and three of the program will begin next semester. She also said that she will look at further enhancing safety and retail along 40th Street. "This will create a concept of a 40th Street corridor," Rush said. "We want people to use public transportation and get off at 40th and Market and feel very secure walking to Baltimore." She added that 40th Street has been chosen as a priority because of its role as a transportation hub and as a "corridor into the community from campus." Long-term possibilities for the program include the potential relocation of 40th Street vendors and a reassessment of the street's retail operations, which has angered local vendors. "It doesn't bother us, but the [other] vendors are pretty upset," said Lavalle Randolph, a cashier at the 40th Street Uni-Mart. Task Force Co-Chairperson and Associate Treasurer Diane-Louise Wormley said students will be able to voice their suggestions for new retail operations through an on-line survey. She added that the 40th Street area is a possible location for a 24-hour diner, which many students requested in a recent Undergraduate Assembly survey. The corner of 40th and Spruce streets presents particular concerns with reference to juvenile curfew violations and other quality of life issues, according to Rush. According to Philadelphia law, minors may not remain on the streets past 10:30 p.m. during the week and midnight on weekends. Rush said a special response team has conducted checks of the area and found curfew violations in and around the 24-hour Game Room at 40th and Spruce streets. She added that the Task Force expects retailers to comply with city ordinances and to attract the "type of clientele which will enhance the living experience of neighbors." Businesses which refuse to work with the University and comply with city ordinances will be referred to city agencies, according to Rush. "We will work with city agencies to examine their operations and see what we can do about it," she said. Future plans for the area also include better lighting and paving of the parking lot at 40th and Walnut streets. A University employee who works at the parking lot said any changes in the area would be welcome. "At least if you have to run away from someone, you will be running on a flat sidewalk," he added. The task force has worked in the past weeks to prepare 40th Street for new lighting installation. It has also painted the 40th Street mall and fixed sidewalks. Wormley said the mall was originally painted because its brick facade could not be cleaned. She added that the new color is effective at reflecting light on to the street. Among other changes, the Public Safety Mini-Station will move to 202-206 40th Street, where it will house the new headquarters for Penn Watch, Spectaguard and the police bike patrol. Philadelphia Police will also be encouraged to utilize the facility, Rush said. Rush explained police services will move to the new police station at 40th and Chestnut streets when it is completed next year. After the move, the building will probably also serve as headquarters for the new special services district, she added. Rush declined to specify a final cost for the 40th Street project, saying "it was not cheap, but the budget has been reasonable in connection with the speed and the amount that has been done."
(12/04/96 10:00am)
New lighting on the 4100 block of Pine Street will demonstrate ways to boost safety in W. Philadelphia. The University launched its lighting improvement pilot plan last night, showing off the newly lit 4100 block of Pine Street to community residents, Mayor Ed Rendell and West Philadelphia Councilperson Jannie Blackwell. The block sports new residential lighting -- placed on short poles or on houses in front of every building -- designed to illuminate sidewalks rather than streets. Philadelphia Electric Company paid for the lighting improvements on Pine. PECO, the city and the University used the block to demonstrate possible neighborhood lighting upgrades for the entire West Philadelphia area. Officials have asked residents to replace lights near their homes with these residential lights, according to Larry Bell, executive director of the West Philadelphia Partnership, which is organizing the lighting program. The residents will be reimbursed for 50 percent of the new lighting costs through funds donated by the University and local landlords. Of the $25,000 that will fund the project, the University contributed $5,000, and Campus Apartments, University City Housing, University Enterprises and Allen Klein Properties each donated an additional $5,000. Bell estimated each new light will cost an average of $75 and can be installed in as little as one hour. If blocks work together to select a lighting contractor, the costs could be reduced to as little as $25 to $50, according to University President Judith Rodin. And electricity for a single light will cost approximately $12 a year, said Carol Scheman, vice president for government and community affairs. Rendell said the low costs should make better lighting available to all homeowners. If the program is successful, he hopes to expand it in the city. First-year Dental student Jason Shapiro, who lives on the 4100 block of Pine Street, called the new lighting installation a good step, adding that it was "about time." "[Before] you didn't feel safe walking around this block," College senior Andrew Boone said. "I do feel safer now -- safer -- not completely safe." Shapiro agreed that the area will not be uniformly safer until the lighting program is successfully implemented on neighboring blocks. Scheman said the next step in the lighting program will be to organize neighborhood block captains and town watches. These groups will survey University City to assess where lighting needs to be fixed first. "The issue isn't house by house, street by street and block by block, because it is the gaps that are problematic," Scheman said. Residents can receive lighting information by calling 38-BRIGHT. Meanwhile, the 40th Street Task Force continued its 45-day plan to clean up the area this week by painting the 40th Street Mall building and beginning the process of repaving the street. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Tal Golomb, a College junior who sits on the group, said they are developing a vendor plan for the area and looking at potential tenants for the street's store space. The group plans to continue working on the area through the semester.
(12/03/96 10:00am)
The male student asked to return to classes despite his suspension. The first-year male Medical student accused of acquaintance rape has asked the Medical School to allow him to return to classes despite his suspension last week. Operating with the consent of the male student, the Medical School removed him from classes last Tuesday, spokesperson Rebecca Harmon said. According to Harmon, his recent request has "been taken under advisement." "However, at this time, the temporary leave of absence remains in place," she added. The school suspended the male after a female first-year student publicly accused her classmate of rape at a meeting of the Women Medical Student Association last Monday. The announcement prompted a 15-minute sit-in in the Medical School's main office in Stemmler Hall. Responding to the sit-in, Medical School Vice Dean for Education Gail Morrison held a meeting last Tuesday to allay student concerns. The female Medical student filed charges against her classmate through the Medical School's judicial system on November 19. She has not filed criminal charges, according to Harmon. Harmon said the decision to ban the student from classes was not a punishment or an indication of guilt. She added that at the time, the male student had indicated he was "more comfortable staying away from classes." His discomfort, she noted, may have stemmed from students who were jumping to conclusions about the case. But since then, the alleged perpetrator has expressed a desire to return to classes. By discussing her case at last Monday's meeting, the alleged victim violated the confidentiality clause in the school's judicial process, and therefore may be tried under the same judicial process as her alleged attacker. Harmon said she could not comment as to whether charges would be brought against the female student, citing the same confidentiality clause. "She did understand that the matter was to be kept confidential," Harmon said. "At the time of her meeting with the vice dean for education, she was handed a copy of the judicial code and was walked through it step by step." Second-year Medical student Vicki Noble, co-chairperson of the Women's Medical Students Association, said someone called her co-chairperson to "let her know that [the alleged victim] wanted some time to speak at the meeting." Noble said she believed the woman came before the group in search of support. Harmon said she was unable to comment about the case's current status. After charges were filed and nothing was initially resolved, Morrison initiated an internal investigation in accordance with the School's Policy of Governing Medical Student Academic Progress and Conduct. The process requires Morrison to select an investigative officer to compile the available information and decide what evidence will be presented at an internal hearing. A hearing panel comprised of students and faculty will then hear all arguments. After the panel presents its findings and gives a recommendation, Morrison will make a final decision. Second-year Medical student Louis Littman, who serves as his class's co-chairperson in the Medical Student Government, said last week that he approached the school's administration before Monday's announcement in response to several complaints about the handling of the case. After speaking with administrators, Littman said he discovered "the majority of complaints were miscommunication and stuff that was taken way out of context." "It looked like they handled it by the book," he added. But some students at Monday's meeting were upset by what they interpreted as inaction by the school's administrators. "It looked like there was a group of students who were out for a witch hunt," Littman said. Medical School Government President Sara Slattery said the "perception of the students present at meeting was that the administration had handled it incorrectly." "The female student felt that the lines of communication had broken down but in actuality, administration was working for the student," the fourth-year Medical student explained. "But because there are two students involved, they can't take sides." Harmon said some student complaints stemmed from hearing only one side of the story. "It is a very emotional topic that we are dealing with," Harmon said. "That just goes to prove how important? it is to maintain confidentiality." Morrison held the unprecedented open meeting with students last Tuesday in response to those who did not understand how the case was proceeding through the judicial process, Harmon said. "It became obvious to Dr. Morrison that she had to describe the process so that students would know that, in fact, we had responded immediately," she said.
(11/27/96 10:00am)
Residents of 4416 and 4418 Osage charged tha their landlords will not fix the troubled building. Sprawling trees and spacious buildings line the 4400 block of Osage Avenue, which many University faculty and students call home. But the condition of one apartment complex on the block has led some neighbors to label it a detriment to the neighborhood. Donald and Margaret Guinan, owners of that complex at 4416 and 4418 Osage Avenue, have been cited for numerous code violations by the Philadelphia Department of Licensing and Inspections, dating back to the summer of 1994. Guinan said last week he has successfully managed the building for 20 years and that the violations will be cleared up soon. But University City resident and Urban Studies Professor Michael Katz said he fears the two adjoining apartment buildings may deter potential residents. "I would certainly think twice about buying a house that is close to them," Katz said. "My guess is that they would be having a really bad effect on real estate on that block." History Chairperson Lynn Lees, a member of Penn Faculty and Staff for Neighborhood Issues, said she is familiar with the buildings, which she said "clearly need work." "I don't feel very good about [having such buildings] in the neighborhood," the 44th and Pine streets resident said. But University City Housing Manager Bill Groves said he owns four properties near the 4400 block of Osage and has not had a problem finding potential tenants to live there. Still, tenants of the complex itself cite severe problems with the building -- claims backed up by the L & I report. According to L & I, the complex did not receive heat until last week. And since the heat was activated, tenant Gregory Brake said it has not been on during the night and has not exceeded 68 degrees -- the minimum temperature required by L & I. Donald Guinan explained that the building's heating system was undergoing repairs that were delayed because he was waiting for a new part to arrive. Janai Gibson, a tenant of the complex since April, has refused to pay her rent for the past two months in response to what she calls unacceptable apartment conditions. Gibson said the apartment is covered with mildew. Gibson said she was forced to abandon the Osage Avenue apartment last week after the mildew damaged her furniture and the odor aggravated her five-year-old son's respiratory problems. Guinan, who sued Gibson for withholding rent, said the mildew is caused by moisture from a tree on a neighboring property. Guinan claims repeated requests to have the tree trimmed were denied. Guinan also called Gibson "a troublemaker who is going from apartment to apartment stirring things up." L & I spokesperson Thomas McNally said in cases of code violations, tenants are allowed to hold their rent in escrow until repairs are made. McNally added that while he knows of buildings in Philadelphia in worse condition, 4416 Osage certainly has significant problems. "It would seem to be a good idea to move elsewhere," he said. Katz explained that such buildings often have adverse effects on their neighborhood. "It is well-known that abandoned and neglected buildings have a negative effect on the neighborhood," Katz said. "It does take much abandonment or decay to have it spiral downward. Those structures are really detrimental to the neighborhood." Brake also complained that despite frequent requests, repairs have not been made to the apartment he has rented since July, citing a broken stove, door locks and electrical outlets. L & I has also cited the building for a lack of fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, as well as unsteady and uneven floors and walls. In response to fire safety concerns, L & I has issued what McNally called "a standard warning," demanding repairs by December 31. Guinan said he would take care of the fire code violations by the end of the year, adding that they only pertain to a recently enacted law. He explained that the smoke detector installations require the hiring of an outside firm, which takes longer than in-house repairs. Guinan added that concerns such as heating also require professional contractors which can not be hired overnight. "I don't know anything about damaged floorboards and would have to go into the building and see," he added. Guinan attributed other problems, such as the lack of fire extinguishers, to theft and damage perpetrated by the tenants. Some tenants, however, complain Guinan is rarely available to answer complaints, often leaving his secretary in charge. Grossbach explained that landlords who do not live locally, like Guinan, often concern residents in the neighborhood. Those landlords, Grossbach said, sometimes are not in touch with community needs and do not visit the buildings enough. Guinan lives in Moylan, Pa., about a half hour away from West Philadelphia, but said he is in the building "every day." But Grossbach said he doubts the validity of Guinan's claim. "What about in the winter -- is he there every day?" Grossbach asked. "What if there is a snowstorm -- who manages his property then?" Dee Bishop, who works in Guinan's rental office, said the charges are "B.S." "Some of the people exaggerate," Bishop said. "They pay little rent, and all they do is complain. If they wanted a real nice family place they should rent? somewhere else and pay five times that rent."
