COUNCIL

The format described below will be followed for the University Council Public Forum on Wednesday, November 29, 1995.

-- William L. Kissick, Chair, University Council Steering Committee

Format for the Public Forum November 29

The University Council will devote a substantial portion of its November 29, 1995 meeting to a public forum, in accordance with the terms of the University Council bylaws (Almanac March 21)

The purpose of the open forum is to inform Council of issues important to the University's general welfare and of the range of views held by members of the University.

The forum is open to all members of the University Community under the conditions set by the bylaws following guidelines established by the Steering Committee of the Council:

1. Any member of the University Community who wishes to do so may attend the Council meeting. Persons who wish to speak to Council, however, must inform the University Office of the Secretary (898-7005) by November 21 indicating briefly the subject of their remarks. Those who have not so informed the Office of the Secretary will be permitted to speak only at the discretion of the Moderator of University Council and in the event that time remains after the scheduled speakers.

2. Speakers should expect to be limited to three minutes with the possibility of additional time in cases where members of Council engage the speakers with followup questions or remarks. The Moderator may also restrict the repetition of views. Speakers are encouraged to provide Council with supporting materials and/or written extensions of their statements before, during, or after the Council meeting.

3. Following the deadline for speakers to sign up in the Office of the Secretary, the Chair of Steering and the Moderator of Council will structure the open forum session in terms of subject matter themes, speakers, and times. In the event that there is not enough time available at the meeting to provide for all of the requests to speak, these two officers may make selections which accommodate the broadest array of issues having important implications for Council's work and representing the breadth of Council's constituencies. The resulting Order of the Open Forum of University Council will be made available no later than the Tuesday before the meeting, to be published in The Daily Pennsylvanian, and posted on Penn Web on that day and, if possible under publication deadlines, in Almanac/Compass the week of the meeting.

4. Speakers' statements should be framed in terms of policy issues and directed to University Council as a body through the Moderator. The Moderator will have discretion to interrupt statements that are directed against persons and otherwise to maintain the decorum of the meeting, as provided for in the bylaws. In cases where questions or positions can be appropriately addressed by members of Council or where a colloquy would seem to be productive, given the time constraints of the meeting, the Moderator may recognize members of Council to respond to speakers' statements, with opportunities for followup by the speakers.

Almanac

Tuesday, November 14, 1995
Volume 42 Number 12