No. 23 February 24, 1981
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Tuesday, February 24, 1981 Volume 27, Number 23 Affirmative Action: Provost's Search: Call for Nominations First The Consultative Committee on the Selection of a Provost requests that nominations or Substance for the with documents, be sent by March 10, applications position, supporting Tuesday. At the end of Wednesday's meeting with to Professor Irving B. Kravis, in care of the Office of the Secretary, 121 College Hall/CO. some 30 faculty, staff and student members of Members of the community also are encouraged to make formal or informal University the University interested in affirmative action, to other members of the committee. Members include: suggestions President Sheldon Hackney announced that will with Irving B. Kravis, University Professor of Economics, chairman the University proceed the imple- mentation of its affirmative action March Jacob M. Abel, associate professor and chairman of mechanical engineering plan Diana L. Bucolo, FAS' 83 2, without waiting for final sign-off on data the of Federal Contract Dr. Peter A. Cassileth, professor of hematology-oncology displays by Office Helen C. Davies, associate professor of microbiology Compliance Programs. 2, Dr. on Irwin Friend, Edward J. Hopkinson Professor of Finance and Economics On page Hackney reports that and its for decision-mak- Henry B. Hansmann, assistant professor of law meeting implications Robert F. Lucid, professor and chairman of English ing styles. 'The sense of the was that we Larry Masuoka, Dental '83 meeting should not lose time in the substantive areas George Rochberg, Annenberg Professor of Humanities and Composer in Residence while for technical data to be Rosemary A. Stevens, professor and chairman of history and sociology of science waiting grouped to final satisfaction," Davida Samuel Sylvester, associate professor of social work everyone's Ramey of the president's staff said afterward. Ann of the serves as to the Consultative Mary Meyers, Secretary University, secretary Among items she called substantive were Committee. improved recruiting, training (of affirmative As chief academic officer of the the is for educational University, provost responsible action officers as well as of promotable staff) research, the and other academic ser- programs, faculty appointments, library support and monitoring systems. "We start with good vices, and student life. In the absence of the the serves as president, provost acting presi- policies, and we have basically acceptable dent. Candidates should have a record of or distinguished scholarship scholarly profes- goals. What we have to move on is something sional achievement; academic administrative is experience preferred. in the middle: good administrative implemen- The to the committee President Sheldon that the charge given by Hackney suggests tation so that the policies are put into action." search focus upon internal candidates without precluding consideration of unusually quali- fied external candidates. Penn Nobelists: Seminar in Exile Penn's Nobel laureates Baruch Blumberg Following Dr. Azbel's emigration Dr. and Lawrence Klein will be the principal Viktor Brailovsky, a computer scientist, be- speakers at the "Moscow Scientific Seminar came the leader. in Exile" to be held at the center city home of Since Brailovsky's arrest in November, Physics Professor Sidney Bludman on March "Seminars in Exile" have been held in many 8 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Scientists from Penn, cities (including Ithaca, New Haven, Wash- Temple, Drexel and other area schools will ington, D.C.; and Pittsburgh) under the co- join to protest the suppression of the Moscow ordination of the New York-based Committee Seminar on Collective Phenomena and the ar- of Concerned Scientists. rest of its leader, Viktor Brailovsky. They will At the local one, Dr. Blumberg, professor hear of recent developments in Brailovsky's of Medicine and anthropology, will speak on case from his brother, Mikhail Brailovsky, "Hepatitus B Virus and the Prevention of who is currently traveling throughout the Cancer of the Liver". Dr. Klein, Benjamin United States on Viktor's behalf. Franklin Professor of Economics, will speak The March 8 seminar is modeled on those on "Soviet Economic Prospects". Soviet scientists who, on applying to emi- The Philadelphia seminar was organized by grate, were dismissed from their positions and Dr. Bludman, Dr. Herbert Callen and Dr. Ger- denied access to libraries, lectures, and other ald Porter of Penn; Temple Professor Jacob scientific activities. For many years the Zabara; and Drexel Professor Bernard "refuseniks" met for scientific discussion in Kolman. Dr. Bludman's address is 2027 the Moscow flat of Dr. Mark Azbel, now ad- Waverly St. Interested scientists may RSVP to at junct professor of physics Penn. Ext. 8151 or 732-9393.Dr. Klein Dr. Blumberg FROM THE PRESIDENT Water Conservation Policy On February 12, 1981, Mayor William J. Green announced a city-wide mandatory water conversa- Affirmative Action and Collegiality tion program which includes penalties for failure to comply. The executive order calls for a ban on In my third week on campus, much happened of interest to you but I want to focus on the events nonessential usage which will not cause a hardship having to do with our affirmative action program because I think we can observe in them some to the general public or business community. general lessons for the University. The water shortage had by then caused the salt In 1976 our affirmative action plan was approved by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights (HEW), the line to move up the Delaware River to the Walt Whitman it is 25 miles from first plan approved in our region. In 1978 the federal government transferred jurisdiction from Bridge. Normally away the bridge. Estimates indicate that the needs HEW to the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. For two region 20 inches of rainfall June I to alleviate the years we have been involved in with OFCCP over the initial by extremely complex negotiations ap- drought, and that amount is in excess of normal of what is to be an revised The issues at stake thus far are tech- pre- proval supposed annually plan. cipitation. nical, to do with the the data are and and not substantive, having way arranged displayed, having In anticipation of the Mayor's announcement, to do with our in and performance keeping advancing women and minority faculty and staff.) Operational Services in late January began a water Apparently administrators two years ago, assuming that the HEW experience would be repeated conservation program for the University. The fol- and that our OFCCP plan would be approved in a matter of weeks, decided for what seemed to be lowing measures have been and will continue to be sound reasons to keep the details of the submitted plan confidential from the campus press. They implemented: Restricting orifices are being installed in all shower did not anticipate that the University, together with the bulk of other universities, would have heads in athletic and residential buildings. Physical a and two later. As the months Plant has an of that these unapproved plans year years wore on, however, ever greater con- ongoing program checking troversy swirled around that fact of confidentiality. When the administration then made the restrictors are in place. plan 2. All flushometers are to the lowest set- itself last the shifted to the still-confidential status of the being adjusted public spring, controversy ongoing ting, from five gallons per flush to three. 3. OFCCP negotiations over the plan. At the beginning of the air-conditioning season, a log is to be of The problem at root was a lack of trust within the campus community on this issue, and perhaps maintained all cooling towers, citing date of filling and monthly readings of water meters serving on other matters as well. An academic community cannot function very well without a reasonable these towers. level of mutual respect among its members and a willingness to put the institution's general inter- 4. Irrigation systems will be locked until further notice. ests ahead of the interests of a particular group or unit within the institution, or at least to do so on We are also starting a campus-wide education important occasions. Differences of opinion can and will occur, but they can be expressed, even campaign. Anyone who has suggestions for water- should in touch with Manko at Ext. passionately argued, within the bounds of collegiality while recognizing each other's integrity. saving get Lynn When I arrived it seemed to me that on both sides some of that had been lost on the issue 7203. spirit of - affirmative action. Arthur Hirsch, Acting Vice President Operational Services It has been reported elsewhere what our response was to this situation. Basically, it was two- fold. First, to confront a communal concern communally, by reasoned factual examination and House Master: Health & discussion together. Second, to shift focus away from what doesn't matter all that much-the Society technicalities offormat raised by OFCCP, and toward what does matter-steps implementing sub- The Mastership of Ware College House will be stantive affirmative action without waiting further for OFCCP to agree in every detail on the tech- available on or about August I, 1981. nical questions still at issue. Located in a renovated portion of the Quad, Ware House is a residential around the Even on contentious issues, it should be possible to find the core of values shared by almost all program organized theme of health and society. Bringing together stu- ofus in the University, to identify the University's long-term interests, and to agree upon a way of dents and faculty from a variety of disciplines. Ware putting those values to work to achieve I that we can, continue University goals. hope together, House provides an opportunity for intellectual ex- this We do not need that divide us, we need decisions and actions that unite approach.