The April 2024 meeting of the University Council was held on Wednesday, April 17 in the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall. Interim President J. Larry Jameson began the meeting by expressing sorrow for the loss of College of Arts & Sciences student Nathaniel Gordon and leading a moment of silence in Mr. Gordon’s memory.

Council moderator Melissa Wilde introduced Associate University Secretary Lizann Boyle Rode, who updated the council on topics raised by new business speakers at the March 27 meeting. Regarding a call for Penn Transit to better accommodate disabled users, Ms. Rode said that these concerns have been shared with Penn Transit, which has agreed to expand advance notification for rides for disabled users from 5 to 15 minutes. Ms. Rode also mentioned that Penn community members have access to SEPTA paratransit services, which operate for more extensive hours than Penn Transit. Regarding a request for Penn to include chest binders for transgender people in health insurance coverage, Ms. Rode said that Penn’s administration is working with the LGBT Center and the Lambda Alliance to increase access to chest binders. Regarding concerns about the namesake of Penn’s rowing center, Ms. Rode referred the speaker to Penn’s comments from the March 27 council meeting.

Year-end reports were make by University Council committees, including its Committee on Committees.  Presenters included:

• Eric Feldman (Committees on Committees)
• Domenic Vitiello (Campus and University Life)
• Guobin Yang (Diversity and Equity)
• Rashida Ng (Committee on Facilities)
• Olivia Mitchell (Personnel Benefits)
• Lisa Bellini (Open Expression)
• William Burke-White and Daniel Smith (Academic and Related Affairs)

See Almanac’s University Council Committee Reports supplement for each committee’s report.

In the New Business portion of the meeting, speakers:

• Called for Penn to address concerns registered via the Bias Incident Report forms more transparently.
• Urged Penn to dedicate more funding to cultural student groups on campus, many of which have had to fund events out-of-pocket.
• Shared the need for more affordable transportation options for students who commute and suggested that Penn work with SEPTA to implement a discounted student monthly pass.
• Highlighted events happening this month that promote awareness of sexual violence.
• Called for more consistent access to curricular practical training (CPT), which students need to find industry positions, among all of Penn’s graduate programs.
• Requested more lenient late fee policies for FGLI students who use PennPay.
• Called for more consistent daycare services on campus—the services Penn already offers have limitations that disrupt the studies and work of Penn community members who are parents.

Interim President Jameson thanked the members of the council and its committees for their thoughtful work this academic year.