GRADUATION: Luntz fighting to keep Am Civ course

The American Civilization Department and Associate Adjunct Professor Frank Luntz are fighting the University admininstration to keep Luntz's course on the roster for the upcoming fall semester. School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens said late last month that she was planning to discontinue the course, entitled "Candidates, Consultants and Campaigns," because of "the fiscal realities of the situation." Luntz, who was paid $5,000 to teach the course this semester, said because of the University's budget constraints he has recently offered to teach the course for free. But that offer was rejected. He said he makes $1,200 per day as a consultant to politicans like Ross Perot. "[Stevens] said that [teaching the course for free] would be exploiting me," Luntz said Sunday. "I will always try to teach at Penn, and they will always try to block me." But Melvyn Hammarberg, undergraduate chairperson of the AmCiv Department, said Monday that Stevens is reconsidering her decision to let Luntz go. Luntz blames the likely elimination of his course on the way the University reacted to a poll conducted by some of his students under his guidance. The poll, which gained national media attention, revealed that University students and students from other Ivy League universities rank the University last in the Ivies academically. Luntz said the reults of the poll were not the only problems that Stevens had with the project. He said that she was upset that his title of assistant adjunct professor was misrepresented in some of the news accounts, as he was given a higher title than he had earned. "Penn had got more airtime on the C-Span network than any other University in America because of that poll," Luntz said. "[Stevens] was more concerned about the words under my name than the effect on Penn students." Recently, the Undergraduate Assembly has begun lobbying the administration to keep Luntz. At Wednesday's University Council meeting, the UA presented a letter demanding that Luntz be retained. "We couldn't have demonstrated more student support for Luntz," Schorr said, noting that UA members passed the letter unanimously and that several students have called Stevens' office to register their support for Luntz. "Yet he is still not being allowed to teach this semester." Schorr complained that he is being given "the run-around" by administration officials, such as Provost Michael Aiken, who he accused of not sufficiently considering student backing for Luntz. Luntz's course was originally offered for next semester in the University's course register, and students were permitted to enroll. According to Luntz, as in years past, his course was overenrolled. Hammarberg said that he wants to keep Luntz at the University. "Luntz's class has style, it encourages debate," Hammarberg said last month. "[The course] makes a difference in students' lives." Hammarberg said his department wanted to offer Luntz's course next semester. "Rosemary Stevens and [SAS Associate Dean] Richard Beeman made a decision that was contrary to the decision of the department," he said. "I don't know what their motives are. I just think it's not good for the University." Some students in Luntz's class are upset that he may be leaving. "They think that he's using the University," College senior Edward Miller said. "That's not the way it works. This is an example of the repeated policy by the University to piss him off." Luntz said that if does not return, he will keep in touch with many of his former students. But he said he knows there are students who do not like him. "There are a good number of students who hate my teaching style and hate me as a person," he said. "[But] I would expect to go to about 20 student weddings." Even if Luntz does not keep his teaching post, he has plenty to keep him busy. The 30-year-old pollster, who spent this semester as a Harvard Universty Fellow, has recently signed with Newsweek and Nightline as a political consultant.

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