Staff Editorial: Levy's many tasks as chair

New Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Jason Levy will have a very short grace period in taking the reins of Penn's largest student government body.

And while we believe he has the ability to do a fine job as chairman, we offer some suggestions -- based on Levy's stated goals and on the work done by the UA this past year -- about where Levy should get started.

Relevance was a major sticking point for the UA this past year. The body spent far too much time discussing and passing resolutions on national issues, an area in which representatives have little tangible impact, and we are concerned that Levy will spend too much time lobbying Congress instead of College Hall.

There are plenty of issues -- retail, dining and education to name a few -- on which the UA could have a sizeable impact. While so-called "baby projects" should not dominate the agenda of every meeting, it is crucial that the body keep its main focus on tangible, campus-oriented issues. That will help solve the problem of relevance to the student body.

Levy must also make more of a concerted effort to be accessible to the student body. The UA was a largely unknown group this year, as evidenced by the recent Nominations and Elections Committee survey. And while students did not do a good job of holding their representatives accountable, the burden is on student leaders to make themselves available to their constituents.

Levy mentioned that he is interested in bringing the weekly UA meetings to different locations on campus. This would be a good start, but UA representatives should also be gauging the opinions of the students they represent and incorporating them into resolutions and policies. Only then will Penn officials take UA representatives seriously enough to listen to their grievances.

Finally, the UA must work significantly harder at retention this fall. Clearly, five out of 33 members quitting over a five-month span is too many. Either these representatives aren't aware of the commitment required to be a contributing member or they are not taking their voting mandate seriously. In both cases, the issue must be addressed internally.

Levy is well experienced, having served as a committee chairman and on the University Council steering committee. He knows the system well enough to make an immediate impact. We hope he wastes no time in creating a more responsive, more productive UA for the upcoming school year.

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