Making do in a pinch

P hiladelphia's mass transit system may be shut down, but that is not stopping Penn. It hurts -- a lot. But it's not shutting down the University thanks to what seems so far to be a well-thought-out and -executed contingency plan.

Security guards are on patrol. Maintenance workers are on the job. And thousands of other workers have been able to make it to their posts at Penn thanks to the efforts of the University's transit services and subcontractors.

It's good to see that Penn is serious about helping its own when it could have just as easily ignored the problem.

Granted, the University had plenty of time to prepare with, the Transport Workers Union threatening to strike since April. But considering the scale of this contingency operation, it is impressive that many parts have gone off without a hitch since the strike began Monday morning.

The University should be commended for its efforts to get everyone through this transit crisis as best it can. Providing buses for those commuting from New Jersey helps, as does issuing PennCards to University affiliates who may not otherwise be able to use Penn transit. And lending a hand to Drexel is a nice gesture.

AlliedBarton Security, to which Penn contracts its security service, has set up a shuttle network for its employees, which has proved to be effective. Aramark, on the other hand, could step up its efforts to help food-service employees get to campus.

Penn should be putting more of its weight on city officials to bring about a quick end to this strike, especially because of the cost of taking over SEPTA's job of getting people to work.

At least for the mean time, the University will be able to function without the city's maligned transit system.

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