During the University Council meeting on October 18, held in the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall, Penn President Liz Magill opened the meeting by acknowledging the intense loss, hurt, and worry being experienced by members of the Penn community with family members in Israel and Gaza. She led a moment of silence to honor the innocent lives lost during the conflict.

Lizann Boyle Rode, associate vice president in the Office of the University Secretary, addressed a question about disability studies raised during the September Council meeting. She said that disability studies courses are currently integrated into several programs in the School of Arts and Sciences, including the gender, sexuality and women’s studies major and the American Sign Language minor. She suggested that students interested in a dedicated disability studies major talk to faculty in SAS, with whom proposals for new majors originate.

President Magill gave the President’s Report. She acknowledged that Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim members of the Penn community are hurting and reaffirmed the need members of the Penn community to be respectful and compassionate to one another. She stated that Penn would not tolerate hate speech and threats of violence. President Magill noted that peaceful protest is a feature of campus life and central to open expression.

President Magill called on Provost John Jackson, Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity & Community Charles Howard, and Vice President for Public Safety Kathleen Shields Anderson then elaborated on ways their respective offices have been leading, advising, providing support to, and ensuring the safety of the Penn community.

During the Provost’s Report, Provost Jackson introduced Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen and Senior Vice President for Institutional Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Joann Mitchell to discuss Penn’s reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a process that now happens every eight years. Ms. Mitchell and Dr. Detlefsen discussed the stages of the reaccreditation process, which is organized around the theme, “Inclusively and Effectively Educating the Whole Person for the 21st Century.” They noted that the chair of the external evaluating team will make a preliminary visit to campus on  November 6, which will include open meetings during which faculty, staff and students would be invited. The full review team will visit campus in March 2024.

Vice President Kathleen Shields Anderson and Penn Police Chief Gary Williams gave the first focus issue presentation of the year about Penn’s Division of Public Safety. Vice President Shields Anderson discussed the seven offices that are part of public safety and their functions (PennComm Emergency Communications Center, Special Services, Penn Police, Fire & Emergency Services, Security Services, Information Systems & Computing, and Finance & Administration). She indicated that Penn Police is a fully accredited police department and that the Division of Public Safety’s service to the Penn community ranges from walking and riding escorts to emergency response. Police Chief Williams provided an overview of the Penn Police patrol are and noted that, as Penn transitions out of the pandemic, retail thefts, assaults, car thefts, and bike/scooter thefts have risen. A recent pilot program, TOGETHER, pairs Penn police officers with mental health professionals when responding to those in crisis, and the results thus far are promising. In the near future, Public Safety will also pilot an outreach program for people who are unhoused.

Topics raised during the new business portion of the meeting included a call by the Muslim Students Association for Penn to recognize the grief of Palestinians; a request for Penn to provide financial support to graduate students affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict; a call for increased security on campus for affinity spaces; and the need for all campus buildings to be  physically accessible.