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April 5, 2001

Other complaints surface over problems with different ID cards

A regional campus staff member last month filed a protest with Pitt's Human Resources that the new Pittsburgh campus I.D. cards penalized regional staff whose I.D.s were no longer recognized for certain University services, including free bus rides in Allegheny County. (See University Times, March 22.) This week, two faculty members raised related issues at Faculty Assembly, saying Pitt's I.D. card policies are discriminatory.

Pitt issued new identification cards to faculty, staff and students at the Pittsburgh campus that went into effect Jan. 2. The new cards are blue and, unlike their white predecessors, have expiration dates.

Faculty and staff at the regionals were not issued new cards.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County in January began honoring only blue Pitt I.D. cards for free bus rides, under instructions from the University, a Port Authority official said.

Donald C. Bell, chief operations officer for the Port Authority, said that Pitt was trying to cut down on abuse by people who were using invalid cards to ride the bus.

Pitt entered into a five-year contract with the Port Authority beginning Aug. 1, 1999, to let valid I.D. holders ride Port Authority bus and light-rail vehicles free throughout Allegheny County in exchange for an annual fee paid by the University.

(See related story beginning on page 1.) According to Bell, the contract language stipulates that the service is offered to "Pitt students, faculty and employees." But, Bell said, "the University can define that any way they choose and decide who qualifies as they see fit. That is totally up to Pitt. We keep track of the ridership and that's our bottom line, so if they raised the number of people eligible [for the rides] we would know about it that way."

Brandi Darr, president of the Greensburg Staff Association Council, sent a letter March 1 to staff representatives in Pittsburgh and at the other regional campuses regarding complaints that the Port Authority had denied free rides to Greensburg staff. "We need to do whatever it takes to ensure that staff at the regional campuses receive the same benefits as staff at the Pittsburgh campus," Darr wrote. "This may mean issuing special I.D. cards for employees at the regional campuses to use to gain access to those benefits or converting our present I.D. system to the one used in Pittsburgh."

Darr also stated in her letter that Greensburg staff were being denied parking privileges in Pittsburgh campus lots and access to Pittsburgh campus buildings because "they were told they did not possess a 'valid Pitt I.D.'"

Darr told the University Times she was assured by Pittsburgh Staff Association Council President Rich Colwell that her letter was passed on to Ron Frisch, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources. Darr said she had not received a response as of last week.

Colwell told the University Times he did not want to comment prior to a meeting today, April 5, with Frisch and Executive Vice Chancellor Jerome Cochran. Frisch could not be reached for comment yesterday.

At the April 3 Faculty Assembly meeting, Maria-Cristina Saavedra, associate professor of modern languages at the Johnstown campus, said that UPJ faculty had been denied I.D.-related services. In a separate interview with the University Times, Saavedra said,

"While I'm in sympathy for other groups of people affected by this, I feel strongly that this is an important faculty issue. The point I tried to make [at Faculty Assembly] was that we are being treated as an afterthought — or even we were not thought of at all."

Saavedra continued, "The regional faculty are faculty and we're University of Pittsburgh faculty. It's not the University of Johnstown. We deserve the same rights and status."

Saavedra said her work with the Center for Latin American Studies requires frequent visits to the Pittsburgh campus, which involves using her I.D. card for parking privileges.

She also said it bothered her that faculty at Johnstown were given no notice of the changes in Pittsburgh's I.D.s. "When we've questioned the administration about resources in the past, they always say that the resources in Oakland are University-wide resources. Well, they should put their money where their mouth is. I think this is symbolic of a two-faced policy," Saavedra said.

According to Christine Dollaghan, associate professor in the department of communication science and disorders at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, some on the Pittsburgh campus also have been affected by the I.D. change.

She told Faculty Assembly that there are as many as 200 people working as volunteers for the schools of the health sciences who were not issued new I.D.s and now are denied previously enjoyed services.

In an interview with the University Times, Dollaghan said, "There are fellows in our master's program who work under clinical supervision in hospitals and other settings, working with professors who are volunteers. We call them 'field faculty,' and they do a great service for us. Why is there a two-tiered I.D. system for them?"

Dollaghan said she has heard complaints from volunteer faculty who had been denied access to Port Authority transit.

"On the Human Resources web site, under 'why Pitt is such a great place to work,' it does not distinguish among the benefits granted to Pitt students, faculty and staff," Dollaghan said. "It says 'all University students, staff and faculty can ride buses for free.'"

She added that she was raising the issue for clarification and to prompt discussion, and was not lodging a protest.

Pitt spokesperson Ken Service acknowledged the faculty and staff concerns. "It is fair to say issues have resulted from the changing of the I.D.s on the Pittsburgh campus," he said. "People are aware of these issues and are looking into them. I will say it was never the intent to restrict library access or any of the access to buildings or parking privileges that valid I.D holders are eligible for, including those at the regional campuses."

Service declined to say which University groups or officials were studying the problems. "I can say it's a bigger issue than just for the Office of Parking and Transportation," he said.

"One of the reasons behind the change in I.D.s was because of the Port Authority agreement, where we wanted to limit or eliminate the abuses of invalid cards being used." He said he would not comment on the specifics of who is eligible for the Port Authority service.

"The overall process of I.D.s is being looked at and that will be addressed," Service said.

–Peter Hart


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