Council
Meeting Coverage
Provost
Robert Barchi called the February 25 Council meeting to
order since President Judith Rodin was in Harrisburg to
testify before the Appropriations Committee.
The
President's status report, which had been disseminated
to Council members, announced the launch of Dialogues
on Race, "a series of conversations exploring issues
of race and multiculturalism as experienced by members
of the Penn community." One such conversation took place
that evening and another is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March
18 in Houston Hall. On March 23, Dr. Rodin, and Spelman
College President Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, will present Presidents' Perspective
on Integration in Higher Education as part of this
series. GSE Dean Susan Fuhrman will moderate the event,
5-7:30 p.m. in Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall. For more information
see www.upenn.edu/dialogues_on_race/.
Dr.
Dennis Culhane, chair of the Pluralism Committee, gave
an interim report in which he said they are attempting
to measure how much social interaction and participation
there is among diverse student groups. He also said that
an assessment of the question of discrimination in the
University's housing policy will be part of the final report,
due out by the end of the semester.
Dr.
Steven Kimbrough, chair of the Communications Committee,
gave the final report (Almanac February 24, 2004)
which touched on their five charges: the Penn web site,
e-mail issues, personal privacy, access to electronic resources,
and changes to signage on campus which are expected to
be completed this spring.
Dr.
Yvonne Patterson, chair of the Community Relations Committee,
gave a final report (Almanac February 24, 2004)
which described their role as advocates for the local community
and their recommendations to improve outreach to those
who do not have internet access, and to make affordable
housing for lower income families available by changing
the boundaries of the mortgage program.
Ron
Ward, manager of Transportation Services, gave a presentation
on the PennPass Program. Through an agreement with SEPTA
that began in 1999, full-time Penn students can purchase
a semester-based discounted city-wide pass to ride on buses,
trolleys, and trains. SEPTA is not yet equipped, he said,
to read PennCards but may be able to in five years. Pennon
contributes to keep the price lower than what it would
cost for four monthly basenjis currently the only university
in Philadelphia offering their students this reduced rate
pass. A PennPass is $250 per semester and is non-refundable
if lost or stolen. Monthly passes are available through
payroll deduction for faculty and staff. Those who use
SEPTA less frequently can purchase tokens at several
campus locations (Moravian Food Court, Houston Hall, Penn
Bookstore, and the Student Credit Union).
The
Personnel Benefits Committee's interim report was given
by its chair Dr. David Freiman. He described a Caremark
disease management program for those with chronic conditions
that could help employees stay healthy and save Penn money
by avoiding the need for acute care. Keystone has switched
from using full social security numbers on ID cards to
a portion of the SSN. He also mentioned the funding requirements
for FAS 106, which the provost described as "a balance
sheet issue." Dr. Barchi also added that due to continued
inflation of medical care costs, Penn will have to consider
changes to keep costs affordable.
Dr.
Lance Donaldson-Evans, chair of Steering, asked for faculty
to serve on the Facilities and the Bookstores Committees.