The Task Force on a Safe and Responsible Campus Community was charged in February 2017 by President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price to focus attention on, and develop a collective understanding of, how best to promote a respectful and healthy campus environment. The Task Force members convened campus conversations and gathered as a body to discuss and formulate recommendations to the President and Provost.

The recommendations below were submitted to the President and Provost in April 2017, and the Task Force will meet with the President and Provost in May 2017 for a final discussion. The Task Force Tri-Chairs and other University leaders will work to implement the recommendations in the coming academic year.

—Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, Vice Provost for University Life
—Maureen Rush, Vice President for Public Safety, Superintendent of Penn Police
—Beth A. Winkelstein, Vice Provost for Education

Update the Alcohol and Drug Policy to:

• Clarify how the policy applies to different individuals, groups and organizations, including undergraduates, graduate and professional students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors.
• Directly address the distribution and sharing of prescription drugs.
• Clarify the responsibility and accountability of students, irrespective of their place of residence.

Update the Anti-Hazing Regulations to:

• Make clear that hazing is prohibited in any organization, regardless of whether the group is registered with the University.
• Educate students that all organizations and all students are subject to these regulations, regardless of where the activity takes place.
• Educate students about Pennsylvania laws related to hazing.

Collaborate With Student Leaders on an Educational Campaign to:

• Reinforce that expectations of individual behavioral responsibility set forth in the Code of Student Conduct, Code of Academic Integrity, the Guidelines on Open Expression and other University policies apply to students anywhere in the world.
• Reiterate that all students are members of the Penn community, regardless of their personal group affiliation or location, and that we hold all members of our community to the same high standard.
• Communicate to all Penn students and organizations the consequences of unsafe party hosting, including potential sanctions for violations of Penn policies and/or criminal citations.

Establish Closer Collaboration With Off-Campus Landlords to:

• Provide off-campus residents and landlords with information about safe living and event management in collaboration with the Office of Off-Campus Services, including information on University anti-hazing and alcohol policies.
• Ensure that off-campus residents are aware of their responsibilities as tenants and expectations of the “good neighbor” clauses in leases.  Assist landlords in communicating to families/parents about their responsibilities as guarantors. Encourage landlords to communicate with students that they too expect student-tenants to uphold expected standards of conduct.
• Communicate with landlords as they address concerns including, but not limited to, evicting tenants for lease violations and preventing leases from being passed down in identified nuisance houses.

Create “Identified Off-Campus Group” as a New Category of Student Organization to:

• Establish that “Identified Off-Campus Group” is defined as a group of predominantly Penn students which may meet some or all of the following characteristics:
• Mimic, mirror or align with registered groups’ organizational structure;
• Mimic, mirror or align with fraternity/sorority pledge/initiation process;
• Have formed as a result of a registered group being sanctioned or closed;
• Occupy or gather in communal off-campus housing for social events;
• Form primarily for social purposes.
• Require Identified Off-Campus Groups to provide the University with leader contacts, member rosters, and off-campus residence addresses annually. Cross-reference member lists with off-campus landlords to ensure that Penn knows which students hold the lease for each address.
• Communicate to students and families that all events sponsored by Penn students, irrespective of event location, must adhere to Anti-Hazing Regulations, the Alcohol and Drug Policy, and all other University policies to ensure that Identified Off-Campus Groups are held to the same behavioral standards as any organization.
• Explore developing a registration process to Identified Off-Campus Groups hosting events in their houses. However, in no way should the University take responsibility for, or subsidize, these groups.
• Communicate to students and parents/families that every member of Identified Off-Campus Groups will be held responsible for unacceptable behavior. Thus, if an Identified Off-Campus Group violates Penn policies or community standards, and responsible parties do not self-identify, or fail to cooperate with the investigation, the entire membership of the group and/or all students on the lease may be sanctioned by the Office of Student Conduct regardless of individual students’ attendance or participation. Students also may face eviction from landlords for violating the terms of the lease.
• Ensure that Identified Off-Campus Groups are eligible to receive educational programming (MARS, PAVE, MERT training, I CARE) to be responsible members of the Penn community.

Explore Creating a Second-Year/Sophomore Experience Program to:

• Address the unique needs of sophomores related to academics and research, co-curricular opportunities, social standing/community, housing choices, personal finances, budgeting, and pre-professional exploration.
• Develop a comprehensive two-year College House program. This would encourage students to take full advantage of the educational and social opportunities on campus as first- and second-year students. The program would begin with their orientation to living on campus and conclude with supporting their transition to living off campus.

Appoint a Chief Diversity Officer to:

• Provide the community with a single, senior-level point of contact to address concerns about diversity and bias incidents on campus.

Promote Student Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation Programs (OFSL, OSC) to:

• Enable students to raise behavioral complaints with each other.
• Provide students and groups with a process to mediate concerns that might not rise to the level of policy violations, but which do challenge Penn’s standards of community expectations.
• Foster diversity conversations and education within the student body.