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(02/07/92 10:00am)
Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson has established an advisory board to help the Judicial Inquiry Office determine sanctions and provide information about the JIO to the University community. The Judicial Inquiry Advisory Board will recommend possible sanctions to the JIO for student violations of the University's codes and policies, including the codes of conduct and academic integrity. The eight-member board will also help the JIO establish informational materials about the University's judicial system and procedures. But the advisory board does not give the body the power to reevaluate the role of the JIO if administrators decide to consider splitting the position into a "prosecutor" and "settler." Provost Michael Aiken said earlier this week that if the University's new judicial charter requires further study, as student leaders have demanded, the advisory board would conduct the review. Aiken said that rather than create a new committee to revamp the judicial system, he would rely on Morrisson's new board. But Morrisson said that should review of the charter become necessary, the board could only serve in an advisory role to any committee the provost might form. She added that the board is entirely separate from the new judicial charter. Aiken could not be reached for comment last night. Because of the JIO's strict rules of confidentiality, the advisory board will only discuss hypothetical cases, not specific incidents. Members will not be privy to identifiable details of individual cases. "[The board] will advise the JIO on a range of sanctions that would be appropriate [in each hypothetical situation]," Morrisson said yesterday. "[It will] help the JIO think through the issues that are in front of him or her." Morrisson said she hopes to have the board, which will consist of four students, three faculty members and one staff member, operating by March. Student leaders said last night that the board is "a step in the right direction," but added that the continued confidentiality of the judicial system may impede the board's operations. "It could be a waste of time if they end up only talking about hypothetical [situations]," Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Mitchell Winston said. "Every situation is different and every incident is different." And graduate student activist Elizabeth Hunt said the board "seems like a lot more bureaucracy for a little more enlightenment." "Given that the information has to be hypothetical and confidential . . . that committee is not going to have any muscle at all," she said. Winston said the board is most likely "a compromise by the administration to appease the students," who want to split the role of the JIO into a "prosecutor" and "settler." "Basically, the [office of ] the JIO is the equivalent of a high school principal or even a grade-school principal," Hunt said, adding that the system needs to be "more sophisticated" in order to handle the complicated issues that it faces. But the students conceded that the information the board will provide University members may be extremely valuable. Faculty members of the board will be chosen through the Faculty Senate, the Nominations and Elections Committee will choose undergraduate representatives and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will choose graduate student representatives. (CUT LINE) Please see JIO, page 4 JIO, from page 1
(02/07/92 10:00am)
Could mean slashed programs The Morris Arboretum will have to slash its programs drastically if it does not receive the funding it requested from the state, officials said yesterday. Gov. Robert Casey ignored the arboretum's request for $400,000 in Wednesday's budget proposal -- an amount equalling almost twenty percent of its annual budget. "We can run, but it would cripple our operation," Arboretum Director Paul Meyer said yesterday. "The Arboretum will survive at some level . . . but to lose this kind of support it would affect its ability to be a world-class botanical garden." The University-managed Arboretum has recently been plagued by state-caused financial problems in addition to being left out of Wednesday's budget proposal. Last month, Casey froze $250,000 of the Arboretum's appropriation for this year as a precaution should the state not take in enough money to pay its bills. Meyer said the Arboretum is still trying to have this year's funding restored. The Arboretum's annual budget is $2 million, generated by a combination of grants, endowments, memberships and admissions fees. The Arboretum was also ignored in Casey's original budget proposal last February, before securing its $400,000 appropriation in the Pennsylvania state legislature's budget in August. "It is not rare for them not to be [included in the governor's proposal]," Executive Vice President Marna Whittington said yesterday, adding that the Arboretum usually receives its money from the legislature. Whittington added that the University has strong ties to the Arboretum which it has does not intend to abandon. "We have an obligation [to the Arboretum]," she said. But, "we all have to figure out a way to get through this." Casey's budget proposal, announced Wednesday, allocated no state funding to the University. The University, which received $37.6 million last year after heavy lobbying, asked for nearly $41.2 million in state funding.
(02/06/92 10:00am)
University officials said yesterday they were "stunned" by Gov. Robert Casey's budget proposal which denied funding for the University, ignoring administrators' request for nearly $41.2 million. "This is my eighteenth budget and I have seen funds frozen and cut, but I have never seen us eliminated before," said James Shada, assistant vice president for Commonwealth relations. "I was certainly shocked to go to zero." The University, which last year garnered $37.6 million from the state after heavy lobbying, has received state funding every year since 1903. Administrators said they did not expect to be completely left out of Casey's proposal this year. Stephen Golding, executive director of planning and budget, said while he did not expect the University to receive a funding increase, he hoped the budget would reflect the status quo. "I couldn't have anticipated that the governor would entirely take the University out of the [state's] budget," Golding said. "I thought that after last year when we demonstrated the value of the University to the Commonwealth . . . there was a greater understanding of its importance and contribution to the Commonwealth." Casey's proposal is just the beginning of the state's budget process. The Pennsylvania state legislature will consider the proposal before devising the final budget for fiscal year 1993. Administrators said it is too early to tell what impact Casey's proposal will have on the University's programs. "There's no crystal ball here," Golding said. But Executive Vice President Marna Whittington said that the University's schools have almost finished their budgets for fiscal year 1993 and will have to reopen and adjust the numbers to account for the lack of state funding. Administrators added that it is also too early to know if the University will have to cut financial aid, institute a building moratorium or ask the Trustees to approve a University-wide deficit to counteract the potentially devastating effects of the proposal. All of these options were considered last year, when Casey proposed cutting the University's state appropriation almost in half, from $37.6 million to $19 million. In fact, the University Trustees last spring approved a $6.7 million deficit which became unnecessary when the state legislature restored most of the University's funding. "If we asked for [a deficit] on a $19 million cut, I would have to speculate that it is a potential part of the strategy for 1993," Golding said. Whittington said that while a deficit is a possibility, she does not think it is a good policy for the University to adopt. In his proposal yesterday, Casey cut $118 million dollars from higher education, including state-related universities such as Pennsylvania State University and Temple University and private institutions which receive state aid such as Drexel University and the University. Administrators vowed to fight Casey's proposal, which they said reflects his lack of commitment to higher education. "It's clear we have to challenge the budget," Whittington said. "[Casey's is] a short-sighted solution that does not really consider the long-term ramifications." But she added, "we have to displace somebody else in the budget to get our money back and that is a tough thing to do. $37.6 million is a lot of money." "All institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania -- both public and private -- deserve more support than the Governor is recommending," President Sheldon Hackney said in a statement yesterday. "We will be appealing in the strongest possible way to the General Assembly of the Commonwealth to help us avoid these cuts that would seriously harm the University of Pennsylvania." Staff writer Stephen Glass contributed to this story.
(01/30/92 10:00am)
When some people think of Philadelphia, soft pretzels come to mind. But for Harris Wofford, the city of brotherly love means the sweet taste of victory. Now Wofford, who overcame a 44-point deficit to defeat former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh in last November's senate race, will return to Philadelphia on February 10 for a day-long visit to the University. The senator will deliver a speech in the Medical School's Dunlop Auditorium, and a spokesperson for the University's Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics said he may address his interest in nationalized health insurance. The speech will be open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis. There will be no advance ticketing, but two television monitors will be set up in the hallway for the overflow from the auditorium, Institute spokesperson Jennifer Conway said yesterday. "We do expect a fair crowd," she said, adding that the Institute is "very pleased to have him [as their guest]." Wofford will kick off his day at the University with a brown-bag lunch with a small "selected" group of students and several deans. He will also meet with University officials and senior fellows of the Institute. Wofford will also attend a reception hosted by President Sheldon Hackney and his wife, Lucy. Wofford will speak as the Institute's first annual Center for Health Policy Visiting Congressional Fellow. Governor Robert Casey appointed Wofford to the late John Heinz's Senatorial seat in May 1991 before he won the special election last November. Wofford, who was a special assistant to President Kennedy and served as Pennsylvania's Secretary of Labor and Industry, is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
(01/30/92 10:00am)
A study to determine whether or not to convert the building at 3609-11 Locust Walk into residences as suggested by the Committee to Diversify Locust Walk is nearly complete, administrators said yesterday. Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson commissioned the study last semester to assess the cost and feasibilty of revamping the building, which currently houses the University Counseling Service, the Management and Technology department and the Tutoring Center. "This [study] is the first in what I expect will be a list of steps over time [toward implementation of the Locust Walk report]," said Morrisson, who co-chaired the Walk committee. Morrisson said the architectural firm of Venturi Scott Brown was asked to look at three options for the building. She said the University could renovate the current structure, maintain the current facade but build an addition to increase the number of bed spaces or tear down the structure and rebuild. But Morrisson added that administrators do not yet know if they will change the building. However, she said if making the building into a residence proves feasible, it will be occupied by fall 1993. The study will assist Morrisson in deciding what should be done with the building. "We will evaluate it together with the Provost [Michael Aiken] and the President [Sheldon Hackney] and figure out what is the best solution and how we would pay for it," she said. In its 54-page report, the Committee to Diversify Locust Walk suggested converting the 3609-11 Locust Walk building as one of three physical changes which can be accomplished by 1993. The other short-term suggestions of the committee include revamping the University Police Department building at 3914 Locust Walk and the building which houses WXPN at 3905 Spruce Street.
(01/28/92 10:00am)
The offices of President Sheldon Hackney and Provost Michael Aiken will be moved from College Hall to the Mellon Bank Building in June, administrators said yesterday. Both offices will occupy the fourth and fifth floors of the building on the corner of 36th and Walnut streets for approximately two years to allow for College Hall renovations, said Arthur Gravina, vice president for facilities and management. "As we begin to move into the next phase of College Hall [renovation], because of the disruption . . . we've advised the president and provost that they need to vacate [their College Hall offices]," Gravina said last night. The president and provost have opted to relocate themselves at the same time because they work together so closely, according to Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons. Hackney and Aiken are being moved so work can begin on the front part of the building where their offices are located. Gravina said that the concurrent relocation of the offices is an advantage for those who are working on the renovation project. Administrators speculated that the Mellon site was chosen to allow the president and the provost to remain close to the center of campus. Many of the University's departments and administrative offices have been moved to such locations as 4200 Pine Street and 3440 Market Street as a result of recent renovations to both College Hall and Logan Hall. Administrators who will have to relocate this summer said last night they have mixed feelings about the move. "It's always a challenge to relocate an office," Assistant to the President Linda Hyatt. "[But] unless we leave, the work can't go forward." Hyatt added that Hackney's staff members will be free to design the floor space and will be able to create a conference room which they lack in College Hall. "I think that like everyone else who has had to move it's been difficult," Koons said last night. "But we have no choice, College Hall needs to be renovated." The top floors of the Mellon Bank Building are currently occupied by the Psychiatry Department, which will move to 3600 Market Street. This will allow the department to consolidate its offices since it needs more space, Gravina added.
(01/27/92 10:00am)
and STEPHEN GLASS The Wharton School expects to finish the current fiscal year with a $750,000 deficit, administrators told the Board of Trustees Friday. Two of the University's 12 schools -- Wharton and the Graduate School of Fine Arts -- project a deficit for this fiscal year, based on their financial standing after six months. GSFA is anticipated to run a $525,000 deficit. Administrators said that some of the reasons for Wharton's financial woes include firms pulling out of the executive education program at the Steinberg Conference Center because of an uncertain economy. But in a statement released by the Wharton administration, the business school's financial situation is "sound." "Executive education operations continue to make financial contributions to both the school and the University, even though, given the weakened economy, enrollments were softer than targeted," the statement read. Administrators added that Wharton's addition of faculty members last year have also placed strains on the schools' pocketbook. Stephen Golding, executive director of budget and planning, said last year's faculty hirings were supported by the University's administration. The Wharton statement also said the school's faculty hiring was within levels authorized by the University for the fiscal year. Golding added that the schools are currently looking at methods to rectify the situation. "The deans are looking at ways to reduce expenditures without impacting programs," Golding said. "In essence they are going to control spending and squeeze additional revenues out of their lines." "The deficit is manageable," Executive Vice President Marna Whittington said Friday. The schools may also use a multi-year budgeting plan to resolve the anticipated deficit, which administrators said may make balancing next fiscal year's budget difficult. The Wharton unrestricted budget is $57 million and GSFA's unrestricted budget is $12 million. Golding outlined several ways the schools could improve their financial situation, including borrowing money and transferring unrestricted spending to restricted spending if deemed appropriate. Spending is divided into two categories. Restricted funding, is dedicated to a particular project or program, while unrestricted funding can be used for general expenditures. "I'm not ready to say that any programs will be cut -- both deans have a long list of strategies to deal with these issues," Golding said. "But they probably will withhold those decisions until they have a clearer sense of the size [of the deficit's impact]." The Graduate School of Education has projected a $500,000 surplus this year and all of the other schools anticipate breaking even for the fiscal year. It is not clear what specific circumstances are causing the GSFA to predict a deficit. GSFA Dean Patricia Conway could not be reached for comment. A staff member said Friday she was out of the country. In other business, the Undergraduate Assembly made its annual plea to the Trustees to lower the rate of tuition increase. "[We're seeking] a long-term policy to keep tuition increases at a minimum -- not just an artificial remission from a steadily increasing trend," College sophomore David Chun said. "When the trustees commit to a long-term plan to lower the rate of tuition increase at Penn, the students will finally be free to explore and enjoy the academic opportunities that Penn is so famous for." Trustees said they would consider the students concerns, but that the University's financial condition, particularly its state appropriations, would ultimately dictate their decision.
(01/23/92 10:00am)
University Trustees are expected to approve the name change of the Oriental Studies department to the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies during their two days of meetings on campus this week. The Trustees will spend today in separate committee meetings and will culminate one of several sets of meetings held during the academic year with a full Board meeting tomorrow. The full board will vote on the name change, which was decided upon by department faculty last semester after some Asian students said the term "Oriental" offends them. This afternoon, the Facilities and Campus Planning committee will review the administration's plans for building the Institute of Advanced Science and Technology. Tomorrow, the Budget and Finance Committee will discuss several resolutions when they meet tommorrow, including upgrading the mainframe computer at the University Data Center. The committee will also be addressed by James Shada, assistant vice president for commonwealth relations, who will update the committee on the state of the Commonwealth budget. The committees on Student Life, External Affairs, Academic Policy and University Policy will all meet this afternoon. A dinner and reception for the Trustees will be held tonight at the Faculty Club. A second meeting of the Committee on Facilities and Campus Planning and the meeting of the Development committee will be closed to the public. The full Trustee meeting will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in Vance Hall's Hoover Lounge.
(01/23/92 10:00am)
The fate of bicycles on Locust Walk has been passed on to faculty and students after University Council members yesterday failed to act on a proposal to ban bikes from campus. And Safety and Security Committee member Helen Davies said the committee plans to increase student input on security issues by appointing alternates to sit in for students who she said are frequently unable to attend meetings. Davies' proposal will compensate somewhat for last November's Council decision to increase the number of faculty members on the Safety and Security Committee, giving professors more votes than they had had previously. The committee's bicycle control proposal would prohibit bicycle riding on Locust Walk, Hamilton Walk and Smith Walk. It would also provide suitable bicycle parking facilities on the periphery of campus, and mandate a five-mile-per-hour speed limit on other areas of campus. Safety and Security Committee Chairperson Adelaide Delluva said that while she knows the recommendations are "rather Draconian," she hopes they will be discussed and suggestions for improvement made. UA, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and Faculty Senate leaders were told to ask their constituencies for suggestions on how to control the bicycle problem. Both students and faculty members at yesterday's monthly Council meeting criticized the proposal, saying bicycle control is an issue, but the recommendations are too drastic. "I find it hard to tell fellow undergraduates that they can no longer ride [down Locust Walk]," said Council Steering member You-Lee Kim. College junior Kim added that she found the proposed five-mile-per-hour speed limit on all other University walkways difficult to understand. "I can walk faster than that," she said. But other Council members supported the committee's reccomendations, citing the dangers that bicycles pose to pedestrians on the Walks. "I've had more close encounters with bicycles than I care to recall," said Finance Professor Emeritus Jean Crockett. "I don't understand why bicyclists cannot walk down Locust Walk if that's the way they have to go." In other business, Council members voted to table a resolution that would have abolished the Council Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid. Instead, Council Steering Committee members will review the Admissions Committee charter and will rework it to cover a broader range of topics in order to prevent overlap with the Provost's Committee on Undergraduate Admissions. At last month's Council meeting, faculty and administrators proposed abolishing the committee because they said the same work is done by the Provost's committee. Undergraduate and graduate students, however, opposed the resolution because they said it would decrease their voice in the admissions process. Both Dean of Admissions Willis Stetson and Director of Financial Aid William Schilling addressed Council, saying they had mixed emotions about what should happen to the committee. They said they enjoy the feedback they receive from the student representatives but that an extra time committment is involved in preparing to attend two different sets of meetings.
(01/22/92 10:00am)
University Council members will discuss a proposal to prohibit bicycle riding on Locust Walk, Hamilton Walk and Smith Walk at this afternoon's Council meeting. Currently, people are officially forbidden from riding bicycles over the 38th Street bridge, but if Council members approve the Safety and Security Committee's proposal, an enforcement program would also be established to deal with those caught riding on campus. The proposal also recommends that the University provide suitable bicycle parking facilities on the outskirts of campus. President Sheldon Hackney's advisory board will discuss what action it should take regarding bicycles although the president himself will not be present at the meeting. Political Science Professor Henry Teune, a Council member with a long-time concern about bicycle-related issues, said Monday that bicycles disrupt an otherwise peaceful campus. "When I walk down Walnut Street . . . those bicycles just come whizzing right by," Teune said. "A lot of faculty have gotten zinged." "I can't think of an urban campus that's nicer [with the exception of] one scar -- the scar of the bicycle," he added. Teune also said that while he likes the proposals and thinks they would improve the atmosphere on campus, he does not think they will be passed at today's Council meeting. "It will be a close vote," he predicted. Council members will also vote on the resolution to abolish the Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid. Council will reopen debate that began at the December meeting centering on the issues of excessive time committment and overlap of topics with the Provost Committee on Undergraduate Admissions. Many faculty and administrators argue that since the committees discuss the same issues, and since the statutes of the University officially charge the faculty with admissions, the Council committe is obsolete. But student Council representatives argued last month that the students who serve on the Council committee should retain their voice. And graduate students argue that since no graduate students serve on the Provost committee, they will lose their only input in the undergraduate admissions process. William Schilling, director of financial aid and one of the staff members of the Provost committee, said that while overlap is a concern and preparation for each meeting requires a good deal of time, it is important to have a large variety of input on matters of admissions and financial aid. The Council committee, however, has met only once this year, Schilling said. Schilling added that he has yet to decide whether or not he is in favor of abolishing the Council committee. Dean of Admissions Willis Stetson, who will attend the meeting along with Schilling, declined to comment. The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. today in Hoover Lounge in Vance Hall and is open to the public. (CUT LINE) Please see COUNCIL, page 2 COUNCIL, from page 1
(01/15/92 10:00am)
The Vice Provost for University Life has chosen Larry Moneta, a student life official at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, to serve as the Associate VPUL. Moneta, who currently oversees housing services at UMass, will fill a post which has been vacant for the last 18 months when he begins on March 2. Barbara Cassel, the Executive Assistant to the VPUL, has served as interim Associate VPUL since June 1990, when Patricia Karouma, the only person to hold the post, left the job after six months. The Associate VPUL position is one of the top posts in the VPUL's office. Outside consultants suggested creating the post when they found that directors of too many campus offices reported directly to VPUL Kim Morrisson. The Associate VPUL eases the burden on Morrisson by supervising departments she called "important areas of student contact," including Student Health Services, University Counseling Services, the Judicial Inquiry Office, the Greek system, student activities and facilities, student life programs and drug and alcohol education. In addition, the Associate VPUL position is responsible for "advancing the quality of life for graduate students," said Carol Kontos-Cohen, the director of Human Resource Planning for the Division of University Life. The division hired Moneta after conducting a year-long national search for a candidate. "It's a long process and sometimes it takes longer than you wish," said Morrisson, adding that she thinks Moneta will be "a real asset" to the University. Members of the search committee gave high marks to Moneta, noting in particular his past achievements and his ability to relate to students. "[We were looking for] people who really make a difference," said Kontos-Cohen, who led the search committee. "[Moneta is] a wonderful student advocate and that's what we want." And Undergraduate Assembly member Kirstin Bartok, one of the students who met the candidates during the selection process, said she was encouraged by Moneta's youth and energy. "He was definitely my favorite," the College sophomore said. "I was especially impressed with him. [Moneta seemed] receptive and understanding of student needs." Moneta said last night that he is looking forward to "becoming part of the Penn family," and becoming involved in "anything that touches the lives of students." "It's kind of exciting to have the opportunity to do something with a group of people who are likely to be leaders in the future," he said. Moneta said he was content with his current position at UMass until he "got a call out of the blue" and was ultimately offered the position at the University. "[The offer] seemed so attractive," he said. Moneta held administrative positions at the Universities of Bridgeport, Michigan and Rochester before arriving at UMass Amherst nine years ago.
(01/14/92 10:00am)
Student government leaders said yesterday they will fight to guarantee that student voices are heard by restoring the faculty to student ratio on one of University Council's top committees. Undergraduate Assembly representatives said they want to reverse a November Council decision that made faculty members outnumber students on the Safety and Security Committee, an action they say will squelch student voices. UA Council members have criticized faculty since last semester for adding two faculty members to the large committee and are demanding either a repeal of the decision or a reciprocal increase in student representation. Previously, three undergraduate and three graduate students sat on the committee with five faculty members and two administrators. "We want to have a strong student voice on any body at the University that has any impact on students," College junior You-Lee Kim, a Council Steering Committee member said. "[The item is] not on the [January] agenda, but ideally we want to see it discussed." UA Chairperson Mitchell Winston said last night he does not know if Council by-laws will allow members to reverse their decision, but said he and Kim will propose a counter-amendment to restore the strength of student participation on the committee. At last month's meeting, Council members voted against adding two faculty members to the Council Bookstore Committee, giving students hope that they will also be able to regain their status on the Safety and Security Committee. "The student victory at the last Council meeting does encourage us, but it's not the only impetus," Kim said. "We would have brought it up anyway." "I think especially with the last vote faculty understood how serious we are on this issue and how much it means to us," said UA Vice Chairperson Ethan Youderian. But since both students and faculty have claimed that safety and security issues affect them most, the students' demands this month may prove harder to meet. While faculty members have traditionally outnumbered students on University Council committees, Council by-laws do not stipulate that faculty members maintain a majority on committees. Rather, faculty members said yesterday that the committees have been dominated by faculty as part of an "understanding." "The general idea has been that for the sake of long-term view and for some continuity and institutional memory, the idea was clearly to have a substantial faculty majority," said Statistics Professor David Hildebrand. But students, who fear the loss of their vote and their voice, said they were disturbed by the automatic majority given to faculty members. "When any one group automatically has a simple majority that group can always direct debate and whenever there's a vote, it will go in their favor," Youderian said. Graduate student activist Elizabeth Hunt, who said graduate students are in favor of reversing the Safety and Security Committee decision if such action is possible, said while she is not surprised that the faculty were guaranteed a majority on committees, she feels that changes are in order. "It is an old convention that needs to be taken apart," she said.
(01/13/92 10:00am)
Student members of University Council scored a minor victory last month in their ongoing battle to maintain a student voice on several Council committees. Council members overwhelmingly rejected a revision of the by-laws at their December meeting that would have increased the number of faculty on the Bookstore Committee from six to eight members, giving faculty twice as many votes as students. Graduate and undergraduate students said the revision would further dilute their voices on committees, a process which they said began in November when Council voted to add two faculty members to the Safety and Security Committee. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Mitchell Winston, who called the recent changes "dangerous," urged Council to make no further changes decreasing the proportion of student committee members. "We don't see any reason why students don't deserve equal representation," Winston said. But City Planning Professor Anthony Tomazinis said faculty members are more vital to committees because they have "institutional memory" beyond the four years of students. He downplayed the danger of diluting student voices, saying faculty and students often vote together in committees rather than splitting into separate factions. Molecular Biology Professor Emeritus Robert Davies, who is a former Council member, said Council guidelines specify that the number of faculty on Council committees should be equal to the number of administrators and students on the committee plus one. For example, if there are a total of seven administrators and students on the committee, there should be eight faculty members. Currently, the Bookstore Committee has four students, three administrators and six faculty members and does not meet Council regulations. In other business, Council members debated a new comprehensive harassment policy which would protect "all legally protected categories of persons." Most Council members questioned the need for the new code since the University already has both racial and sexual harassment policies. The proposed policy would cover harassment on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran. Some Council members called the administration hypocritical for trying to stem harassment against homosexuals while maintaining the campus' Reserve Officer Training Corps, which prevents homosexuals from participtaing in its activities. "We can't even follow our own [anti-discrimination policy]," said Graduate and Professional Students Assembly member James Colgate. "Why have these policies if no one is going to enforce them?" Many Council members also said the two existing codes are sufficient, saying the University should pay more attention to educating people rather than creating new policies. "All these rules and regulations tend to trivialize the issues," said Chemistry Professor Madeleine Joullie. "I am for educating people." But Tomazinis, who in the past has spoken out against instituting harassment policies, said he was confused by Council's "contradiction." "We either support protection for all groups who are harrassed or we do not support any groups," he said. "[Those opposed to the policy are saying] it is OK to protect two groups, us, but not five groups, them." Council members also discussed a proposal to abolish the Council's Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid. The proposal will be voted on at next week's meeting. Students said they were also concerned about the loss of their voice on this committee, which Provost Michael Aiken said overlaps with his committee and a Faculty Senate committee that both deal with undergraduate admissions. Faculty Senate Past-Chairperson Almarin Phillips said that the committees that exist overlap "substantially" and waste faculty and administrators' time. But students criticized the lack of input they would have if the Council committee were eliminated. Currently, both undergraduate and graduate students sit on the committee, while the only student representative on the Provost Committee is one undergraduate. There are no students on the Faculty Senate committee.
(12/06/91 10:00am)
The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly elected its third vice chairperson for Graduate Inter-School Activities Council last night in what one executive board member called "the first contested election at a GAPSA meeting" in recent memory. GISAC is the graduate students' equivalent of the undergraduate Student Activities Council and gives money to over 20 graduate student groups, including the Ultimate Frisbee Club and the Penn Cricket Club. Brennen, who was praised by Vice Chairperson for Policy Susan Garfinkel for her work with GISAC in the past, fills the post vacated by graduate student activist Elizabeth Hunt last month. Later in last night's meeting, Engineering School graduate student Sarah Mooers, a representative of Academic Planning and Budget Committee, told GAPSA members that the committee is looking for a way to cut costs and increase faculty productivity during what she called a "budget crunch" at the University. "[The committee] is talking about doing away with classes that have fewer than three to five people in them," she said. "[Currently] there is no University-wide policy on this." GAPSA members said the elimination of small classes would "disproportionately affect graduate students" because their classes usually have fewer students than undergraduate courses. Graduate School of Fine Arts student Robin Landow said that the change would "drastically affect" her school. "Some specialized courses attract very few people," she said, adding that it is important for professors with specializations to spread their knowledge. Another possibility the committee may look at is holding small classes every other year instead of every year, Mooers said. The committee also discussed the future of need-blind admissions at the University, saying that the University can remain need-blind until 1995 but beyond that it is unclear, Mooers said. In other business, GAPSA members overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the body's by-laws which makes the normal length of meetings two hours long, instead of the previous 90 minutes. GAPSA also unanimously passed a resolution calling on HIV/AIDS Awareness Week to be held on an annual basis.
(12/06/91 10:00am)
The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly elected its third vice chairperson for Graduate Inter-School Activities Council last night in what one executive board member called "the first contested election at a GAPSA meeting" that she or anyone else could remember. GISAC is the graduate students' equivalent of the undergraduate Student Activities Council and gives money to over 20 graduate student groups, including the Ultimate Frisbee Club and the Penn Cricket Club. Brennen, who was praised by Vice Chairperson for Policy Susan Garfinkel for her work with GISAC in the past, fills the post vacated by graduate student activist Elizabeth Hunt last month. Later in last night's meeting, Engineering graduate student Sarah Mooers, a representative of Academic Planning and Budget Committee, told GAPSA members that the committee is looking for a way to cut costs and increase faculty productivity during what she called a "budget crunch" at the University. "[The committee] is talking about doing away with classes that have fewer than three to five people in them," she said. "[Currently] there is no University-wide policy on this." The elimination of small classes would "disproportionately affect graduate students" because their classes usually have fewer students than undergraduate courses, GAPSA members added. Graduate School of Fine Arts student Robin Landow said that the change would "drastically affect" her school. "Some specialized courses attract very few people," she said, adding that it is important for professors with specializations to spread their knowledge. Another possibility the Committee may look at is holding small classes every other year instead of every year, Mooers said. The Committee also discussed the future of need-blind admissions at the University, saying that the University can remain need-blind until 1995 but beyond that it is unclear, Mooers said. In other business, GAPSA members overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the body's by-laws which makes the normal length of meetings two hours long, instead of the previous 90 minutes. GAPSA also unanimously passed a resolution calling on HIV/AIDS Awareness Week to be held on an annual basis.
(12/03/91 10:00am)
The Judicial Inquiry Office has leveled a host of sanctions against a male student after the JIO ruled he sexually harassed a female graduate student, according to the student who filed the charges in October. Amy Iwata, a third-year Fine Arts student, said she filed charges against Richard Clark, an exchange student from Scotland, complaining that he harassed her on a University Green Route Safety Shuttle van on the Saturday night of fall break. Iwata said Clark grabbed her and refused to leave her alone during the course of the ride to Center City. She said last week that the JIO ruled against Clark and that sanctions against him include a permanent notation on his transcript, a fine, a private letter of apology, a public letter of apology and enrollment in a sexual harassment education class. But Clark said last night that he "on no occasion touched" Iwata and that he had not heard of any sanctions leveled against him. Clark said he believes the case is still under investigation and he will learn of the outcome in a meeting with the JIO tomorrow. "I am shocked and horrified by this claim," he said. Interim JIO Jane Combrinck-Graham said yesterday that charges were filed by Iwata against Clark, but she said she could not discuss the details or the status of the case, including whether sanctions had been handed down. "I'm not willing to discuss any individual cases," she said. Iwata said that Clark, who she alleges was intoxicated, and a group of other "big, rowdy guys" boarded the van and asked to be taken to a Center City bar. She added that she told the driver that the men were drunk and should not be allowed to board the van. The van driver, Iwata said, "wasn't doing anything." "[Clark] sort of lunged back [from the front of the van] and grabbed me . . . around the neck with both arms," Iwata said. "[Then] he sat right next to me . . . and was brushing up against me." Iwata said that she repeatedly told Clark to move away. "I had to raise my voice and shout to him to get away," she said. Iwata said that Clark also used "coarse, vulgar language" and "simulated masturbation and a few other gestures." Clark denied the allegations, saying "I did not say anything or make any physical gesture which had a sexual connotation." But Iwata said he was continuously mocking and mimicking her and trying to get her attention. "I think [the driver] should have called the University Police or the dispatcher," she said. "He handled it really badly." Clark said that the driver did nothing because there was no need for him to act. "I, in no way, committed sexual harassment," he said. "I am bewildered how this girl can deduce this term sexual harassment." Clark said that he told Iwata to "mind her own business" when she attempted to convince the driver not to let them on the van. He added that she asked him to move away and he complied. That was the end of communication between the two of them, he said. Iwata said she was very intimidated by Clark's actions and her discomfort was one of the reasons she chose to file charges. And she added that an escort van was a place that she used to rely on as a "safety zone" and that she no longer takes advantage of the service. "I feel safer in . . . any clubs downtown than I felt in that van," Iwata said. But she added that she does not feel escort is primarily to blame. "I blame [Clark] and I don't really blame escort," she said. "You don't go out of your way to hurt somebody." Iwata said she reported the incident to University Police and filed charges with the JIO the week after the incident happened. While she described the JIO procedure as "a major hassle," she added that she is sorry she waited so long before going public with her complaint. "I wish now that I had done it right away," she said.
(11/22/91 10:00am)
With the future of the graduate Japanese Studies program up in the air, officials in both the Wharton School and the Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies said yesterday they are unsure how closing the program could affect students. The Wharton School currently offers a humanities course with "a Japanese cultural perspective" taught by Japanese Professor and Japanese Studies graduate program Director William Lafleur, according to David Reibstein, head of the Wharton graduate division. "[Although] it is unclear whether the program will continue or not, it does benefit Wharton," Reibstein said. "[But without it] we will survive and move onward." "It is a loss for the University and for the Wharton School," he added. And while the current state of the program does not affect the Lauder Institute, it could be hurt if the department gets any smaller. "It will not drastically alter our program unless there are further changes," said Marcy Bevan, a Lauder Institute spokesperson. "One doesn't know what is going to happen." Reibstein said that while Japanese Studies is not a "major" part of the MBA curriculum, a large number of students do study Japan and Japanese. Both Wharton and Lauder currently supplement their Japanese Studies curricula "from services outside the University." Bevan said Lauder hardly uses the graduate program and that "most of our program would continue" should the program be shut down completely. "We would prefer to have a graduate program," Bevan added. The University decided earlier this month not to accept students into the graduate program of Japanese Studies due to a lack of faculty specializing in the area. The current status of the decision is unknown. Lafleur is in Japan for the rest of the month and could not be reached for comment.
(11/21/91 10:00am)
Graduate students who receive University fellowship funds -- given to students who are working on their dissertations -- will be guaranteed funding for a full academic year starting next fall, according to a proposed policy issued by Vice Provost for Graduate Education Janice Madden. The proposed policy, issued in this week's Almanac, both reaffirms existing policies that forbid requiring students with fellowships to serve as teaching assistants in order to receive their funds, and explains policies which are new to a few departments. The changes, though, are minor and were written to clarify the administration's policy on fellowship funds. Madden wrote the proposal after collaborating with the Council of Graduate Faculties and the Council of Graduate Deans, who both supported the policy in principle. Madden said the proposal was issued this week to notify all involved parties of the changes before the policy is implemented next year. "[I want to] make sure that nobody's opinion has been missed," she said yesterday. Madden added that she has already received feedback on this proposal and that "most of it is positive." Graduate student activist Elizabeth Hunt said that while the policy shouldn't mark a drastic change, the policy will serve to protect students who receive fellowship funding. "[The policy will] keep departments from splitting fellowships between graduate students," Hunt said Tuesday. "It will prevent abuses in limited or specific areas." "This is the way it should be," she added. The portion of the proposal, which Madden described as "informational," also states that University funds should support only Ph.D. students and that all students receiving funding must be full-time students. The remaining parts of the proposed policy, which will effect only a few departments, include the assurance that students who take a leave of absence for one semester will be supported during the semester of the same year that the student is at the University, and the promise that funds will only be partially awarded when the students are receiving funds from other sources. Madden declined to say which departments would be affected.
(11/18/91 10:00am)
Graduate students on meal plan will not have to share their dinner hour with undergraduates anymore. Graduate students lost their only grad-student-only dining commons when the Law School dormitory was demolished earlier this year. This year, graduate students said they had nowhere to eat without being bombarded by undergraduates. Second-year Fine Arts graduate student Heidi Tarshis said she has been eating dinner at Hill House and has had to deal with "freshmen throwing food." "For a grad student, you don't really want that while you're eating," Tarshis said. And Dining Services Director William Canney said he understands the need for graduate students to have their own dining facility. "It's much like you have the UA to represent the undergraduates and GAPSA to represent the graduate students," Canney said last week. "Likewise the graduate students would like their own area [to eat]." But Canney said the problem was not solved before the school year began because Dining Service lacks space this year due to the closing of the dining rooms in English House and the Law dorms. "I'm space-poor right now," he said. "I'm serving as many people this year in two less facilities." The English House dining room will reopen next fall, while the new Law School dining room will not open until 1993. The Mendelson Room seats 120 people and as many as 350 graduate students are eligible for dinner, Canney said. But Canney said that he is "looking at about 250 people" to eat at the T-House during the 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. dining hours. Some graduate students have cancelled their meal plans this year because of the lack of a dining facility, according to Tarshis, who spearheaded the drive for private dining space. While the problem may be solved for now, graduate students will again lack dining space next fall when the football team, which normally dines there, returns to the field. "Come the fall, I'm still in the same dilemma," Canney said. If the number of students who use the facility is low, there is a possibility that the program may not continue through next year, but Canney said he is "optimistic about the count." Yet many graduate students, and Canney himself, agree that the location may keep many students away. "I think it's a good idea, granted I would like it a little closer to Grad Towers," said third-year law student Eric Costello, who added that he would "try it on opening night." First-year Law student Valerie Kelly agreed that the location was one of the things that may keep her from dining at the facility. "To me, it seems a little remote," she said. "They do have to walk a couple of blocks to get to Training House," Canney said, but he added that he thinks it is worth it. The Mendelson Room will also continue the tradition of serving wine on Friday nights, which was started by the Law School dining room. Canney also said that Dining Services has found a way to solve the problem of long lines during the lunch hours at Hill House. A second cashier will be added during the peak times around noon to ease some of the traffic, Canney said. The extra line will be in place sometime this week, he said.
(11/15/91 10:00am)
Six months after School of Social Work Dean Michael Austin announced he would leave the University next spring, a search committee has been formed and officially charged to fill his post. Associate Social Work Dean Peter Vaughan, who will chair the 11-member committee, said this week that the panel has met only once "to get the charge from the president and the provost" and has not devised a timetable or a definite plan of action yet. But Vaughan added that since Austin plans to leave in May to take a teaching post at the University of California at Berkeley, "the president and provost would like to name a dean in early spring." The committee's first step will be to decide how they want to conduct what Vaughan termed as a "national search" for a new dean. Vaughan, who has served on other committees in the past, added that the committee will publicize the search through a variety of media. Vaughan said that the committee is looking for a national leader and educator, someone with excellent leadership and development skills, and someone who can act as a mentor for junior faculty. "[But] that's what any dean is," Vaughan said. "[We want to] get the person who the committee sees as the absolute best person for our campus." Along with Vaughan, four members of the committee are faculty from the School of Social Work -- June Axinn, Jane Lowe, Roberta Sands and Mark Stern. Also on the committee are Frederic Burg, vice dean for education at the Medical School, Graduate School of Education Dean Marvin Lazerson, Assistant Nursing Professor Joan Lynaugh and University alumnus Wilbur Hobbes. Two students, who were elected by their peers in the School of Social Work, are also on the committee -- Anthony Butto and Katarzyna Malinowska. Dean Austin announced in May that he would be stepping down from the post he has held for the past seven years. Social Work becomes the tenth of the University's twelve graduate schools to lose or change a dean in the past two and a half years.
