Committee for an Accessible University (CAU)

Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs

Mission Statement of the CAU

The Committee for an Accessible University (CAU) serves as an advisory committee to the Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services, the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, and the Office of Student Disabilities Services. The Committee works closely with the University Architect to implement the Architectural Barrier Removal and Prevention Program (ABRP) effort. Included in the Committee's charge: monitoring major renovations, landscape projects and new construction; identifying barriers; and recommending, prioritizing, and requesting individual projects.

Members are University-wide representatives from Schools, Centers, Offices, and Programs who come in frequent contact and/or work with, or are themselves faculty, students, and staff with disabilities. Meetings are held in the fall and spring of the academic year. The ABRP Subcommittee meets as needed throughout the year.

The CAU advances three major objectives:

To provide students, faculty, staff and guests with disabilities the opportunity to fully access, participate in, and contribute to the University's academic, social, and employment activities.
To ensure that every teaching and research opportunity is conducted within barrier-free facilities, so that Penn will not be denied the minds and talents of gifted and highly motivated students, faculty, staff and guests.
To contribute to the protection and enhancement of Penn's physical plant and financial assets by removing and preventing the creation of both landscape and architectural barriers that limit the full utilization of Penn's facilities; and, by contributing to the continuing optimum maintenance and service effort.

Participant List

NAME	TITLE	DEPARTMENT	SCHOOL / CENTER
Chris Adams	Building Manager	Wharton	Wharton
Tonya Bennett	Director	Vet School	Office of the Provost
Taylor Berkowitz	Senior Planner, Special Projects	University Architect	Facilities & Real Estate Services
Michael Bernhardt	Director	Penn Transit	Executive Vice President
Jessie Burns	Director, Strategic Projects	Office of the Provost	Office of the Provost
Frank Caldera	Clinical Associate Professor	Rehabilitation Medicine	Perelman School of Medicine
Carolyn Couture	IT Support Specialist	Information Systems & Computing	Executive Vice President
Susan Dever	Administrative Assistant	Department of Public Safety	Executive Vice President
Joanna Ellis	Nurse	Penn Physical Medicine and Rehab	Penn Medicine
Jennifer Feldman	Associate General Counsel	Office of General Counsel	President’s Center
John Gustafson	Assistant Manager	Transportation	Executive Vice President
Uri Hangorsky	Associate Dean	Student Life	Vice Provost for University Life
Tracey Hawkins	Manager	Business Services	Executive Vice President
Peg Heer	Associate Treasurer	Treasurer’s Office	Office of the Executive Vice President
Jane Holahan, Co-chair	Executive Director	Weingarten Learning Resources Center	Vice Provost for University Life
Bryan Isola	Director	New Bolton Center	Office of the Provost
Elizabeth Jamieson	Associate Director	Penn Live Arts/Guests Services	Annenberg School for Communication
Eugene Janda	Chief	Department of Public Safety	Executive Vice President
Christian Kittrell	Business Administrator	Development & Alumni Relations	Office of the Provost
Mark Kocent	Principal Planner	University Architect	Executive Vice President
Helene Lee	Director	Operational Services	School of Nursing
Eva Lew	Director	University Architect	Facilities & Real Estate Services
Kate Lynch	Senior Developer	Library Computing Systems	Office of the Provost
Debra Mancinelli	Manager	Student Life Events	Vice Provost for University Life
Suzanne Marsh	Career Planning Professional	Career Planning	Law
Chris Phillips	Director	Facilities Services	Vet School
Deborah Porter	Building Administrator	Annenberg School of Communications	Office of the Provost
Jennifer L. Rappaport	Associate Director	Affirmative Action	President's Center
Aaron Spector	Director	Weingarten Learning Resources	Vice Provost for University Life
Sam Starks, Co-chair	Executive Director	Office of Affirmative Action	President’s Center
Margaret Stineman	Professor	CCEB	Perelman School of Medicine
Kirk Trasborg	Executive Director	Information Systems & Computing	Executive Vice President
Paige Wigginton	Associate Director	Special Services	Executive Vice President
Olivia Wilson	Associate Director	Human Resources – Wharton	Wharton
Margaret Yang	Associate Director	Student Life	School of Dental Medicine