Pick up the phone

Penn’s non-commercial, member-supported radio station WXPN is planning its Spring Fund Drive June 6-12 and needs friendly volunteers. Sign up to answer phones, take donations and provide membership information to callers. Shifts run 3 to 4 hours. Food and drinks are provided. For more information, contact Melissa Brown, volunteer coordinator at 215-746-5457 or go to www.xpn.org/volunteer.php.

Crossing disciplines

Integrating knowledge is one of the goals set forth in the Penn Compact, Dr. Gutmann’s bold vision to take the University from excellence to eminence. Now the University has hired its first Penn Integrates Knowledge professor, John L. Jackson, Jr. Jackson, who comes to Penn from Duke University, will hold the title of Richard Perry University Associate Professor of Communications and Anthropology, with a joint appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Arts and Sciences. Jackson is a leading scholar of cultural anthropology whose works have included an award winning feature film and the publications “Real Black: Adventures in Racial Sincerity” and “Harlemworld: Doing Race and Class in Contemporary Black America.”

Calling all parents

The Provost and the EVP want to know more about you as a parent. As part of the multi-year planning process for the soon-to-be-acquired Postal Lands, Ron Daniels and Craig Carnaroli have hired a national expert, WFD Consulting, to prepare and manage a child-care responsibility survey. By now you should have received this survey by e-mail. If you currently have child-care responsibilities or anticipate having them in the next few years, or if at any time during your working life at Penn you were in that role, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Your responses will be seen only by WFD Consulting, so you can feel comfortable answering the questions frankly. Your finished survey is requested by May 18.