Responding to the administration's decision to ban alcohol at undergraduate parties, University of Pennsylvania student leaders organized a rally attended by 1,000 to 1,500 students yesterday to criticize their lack of influence on the sudden policy.
The hour-long protest was held on Penn's College Green at 3 p.m. According to Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson William Conway, who assisted in the organization, a diverse crowd attended the rally, which featured speeches by past and present student leaders.
"We wanted to make our voices heard. We addressed the issue of consultation, and how this policy was crafted without first talking to students after we were promised consultation [with the administration]," Conway, a senior, told The Dartmouth in a phone interview yesterday.
After the alcohol-related death of Penn alumnus Michael Tobin, University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi announced the indefinite suspension of alcohol at all registered undergraduate parties.
Seven student leaders, including Conway and Undergraduate Assembly Vice Chairperson Michael Bassik, orchestrated the rally in which Conway delivered the opening and concluding remarks. Bassik also spoke at the protest.
"The rally served as a means for students to unite and let the administration know that [students] can no longer be ignored when creating policies that affect all undergrads," Bassik, a sophomore, said.
The crowd included "students from all different facets of the Penn community, including the leaders of the Greek and minority communities and students from all four undergraduate schools," Bassik said.
According to Conway, the crowd was animated and cheered loudly, and while some students displayed banners such as one that proclaimed "[President] Rodin is a Fascist," the throng remained orderly.
"I thought [the rally] went extremely well," Conway said. "I was very pleased with the turnout, and I think that [through our numbers], we really got our views heard by the administration."
Others described the scene as a more festive gathering which some students cut class to attend.
"I'm not sure how successful the rally was, but it was a good show. There were a lot of people and it was a beautiful day and [before the speeches] music was playing," said a freshman female sorority member who requested to remain anonymous.
In addition to the rally, a working group composed of students, faculty and administrators convened for the first time yesterday to make recommendations for future policy.
According to Bassik, the meeting initiated student and administrator dialogue, as student leaders began discussing alternative policies to replace the ban on alcohol.
In the working group meeting, the administration in fact "acknowledged the message of the rally and praised the rally's organizers for uniting the student body and for encouraging student debate on new policy," Bassik said.
"We realized that the issue isn't about drinking, but excessive and abusive drinking. The administration, students and student leaders have vowed to meet at least once a week until a better policy can be created to replace the current [ban on alcohol]," Bassik said.
University Spokesman Ken Wildes said the working group will have a strong influence on future policy, and students should support the committee's members.
"It falls to that committee to come up with a set of recommendations, which will be prudent for us to follow for the rest of the semester and in the future," Wildes said.
The Penn Undergraduate Assembly is the umbrella branch of student government whose charge is to represent the views of undergraduates to the administration.
