Commission meets in secret

Members won't discuss details, Chisum says things 'on schedule' The Commission on Strengthening the Community spent seven hours yesterday meeting with each other and their four working groups behind closed doors. But Commission Chairperson Gloria Twine Chisum, who said she closed the meetings to foster an atmosphere of candidness, was short on specifics. She said the Commission is "right on schedule" as far as compiling information for its preliminary report in January. "We've identified [problem] areas having to do with administration, policies and practices, housing, and student social life and we're wrestling with organizing them," she said. "The Commission has talked to so many people over the past months; the working groups are still digesting the information." College senior Mita Sanghavi, the sole undergraduate on the Commission, said last night she thinks the group is making good progress in tackling campus issues. "I found it interesting to see the dynamics of Commission members," she said. "No statement made went unchallenged." There were some noticeable absences at the meeting, however, including Harvard Professor and former U.S. District Judge Leon Higginbotham, United Negro College Fund President William Gray, University Emeritus Trustee Jacqueline Wexler and History Professor Mary Frances Berry. College sophomore Mike Nadel, the judicial working group's undergraduate representative, said last night he was disappointed that these prominent figures were absent. "I would like to say things are going well, but I think things would be going better if there were more Commission members at the meetings," he said. "It seems like members such as William Gray, who hasn't been to one meeting so far, were appointed for show." Nadel said he thinks those spots on the Commission might be better used by more student representatives. "We were told that there couldn't be more students [on the Commission] because of size restrictions," he said. "But since many of those spots are empty most of the time, I think it would be more effective to give undergraduates those spots." Chisum said no Commission member is "just for show," adding it is difficult to arrange meetings that everyone can attend. And since all the Commission members are volunteers, Chisum said, she sees no way to force them to come. "We're trying to get as much participation as we can, but [members] are paying their own way to come here and volunteer their own time," she said. Chisum said she does not think replacing members who skip meetings is the answer. "I know the issue of student participation is a hot topic, but you can make a group so big that it won't accomplish anything," she said. "And I don't think students would offer the same perspective as members like Reverend Gray." Currently, Chisum said, the Commission is soliciting students to make appointments with the Commission to participate in a 10-minute telephone poll. "That's the one area that I'm beginning to be concerned about," she said. "We're having difficulty getting student participation. They're never at their telephones." The Commission, which will release a preliminary report at the end of January, will have its last open forum for students December 6 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in room 215 of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.