News in Brief

Council: Re Benefits Study

At the University Council's December 4 meeting, Steering Committee Chair Peter Kuriloff, also chair of the Faculty Senate, said "SEC is anticipating with great interest the report of the committee that is looking at the restructuring of benefits, and has in place its own small, very competent committee to look at the proposals that come out of the committee. SEC has assurances from the administration that we will have the time to do that very thoroughly. I assume other constituencies will have that opportunity as well."

The speaker who followed, Marie Witt, chair of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly, reported that in November's Assembly membership meeting on communications: "The topic of most importance to staff over the next year, as Dr. Kuriloff said of faculty, is benefits redesign," alone or in combination with compensation strategy and administrative restructuring/outsourcing. Safety was also high on lists.

"Particular interests were on the status reports of working committees and consultant groups that are working across campus," she continued. "Suggestions for additional communications mechanisms included more brown-bag forums, all-staff meetings with town hall formats, state-of-the -university addresses from top management to staff in particular; and special inserts in Almanac."

As for the best way to communicate, she said the November meeting concluded, "no one best way. There need to be multiple methods and multiple media used to get information across to the staff--and that there's definitely a desire to have input early in the process and have the ability to give feedback when information and proposals are available."

[More on Council]

Trustees' Council Grants

The Trustees' Council of Penn Women announces the establishment of a grant program available to members of the University community. The grants, in amounts from $1,000 to $5000, will be made pursuanat to an application and approval process.

The grant program is potentially available to an individual who, or organization which, promotes "women's issues..the quality of undergraduate and graduate life for women...the institutional advancement of women...the physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing of women." The Council is inclined to give favorable consideration to projects, that

affect a broad segment of the University population,
move the university community to a higher awareness of women's issues,
provide seed money for pilot programs that show potential for becoming ongoing self supporting programs.

For applications: Sharon Hardy at 3533 Locust Walk; phone 898-7811. Applications must be submitted by February 1, 1997; awards will be announced in April end grants will be awarded after July 1.

Almanac

Volume 43 Number 16
December 17, 1996

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