Executive Director David Thornburgh of the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government explained the good news and the bad news for student teams participating in Penn’s third annual Public Policy Challenge, which took place at WHYY on Sunday. 
 

The competition judges are knowledgeable enough for fast-paced pitches of fluent complexity. However, no grad student knows as much about the issues as the judges already do. 

The judges of this student-led public policy competition were PA Rep. Dwight Evans, Knight Foundation Program Director Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Deloitte Consulting Principal Patrick Joyce, SRC Chairman Pedro Ramos, PA Rep. Chris Ross, and Councilwoman Marian Tasco. 

At stake for five teams who had invested hundreds of hours in developing their proposals was a $10,000 prize: $5,000 for the students and $5,000 to further their policy initiatives, as well as a spot at the National Invitational Public Policy Challenge, hosted by the National Constitution Center on April 22. 

Teams had a scant ten minutes to make their pitch, followed by fifteen minutes of intense question-and-answer with the judges.

First up was Liberty Bike Share, a proposal for a bike sharing program in Philadelphia. Three presenters emphasized existing bike-friendly infrastructure, a high number of local per-capita bike commuting, and the health and ecological benefits of biking. Questions from the panel included concerns over securing the necessary city spaces and the proper role of the city in the sharing program.

Next, four students presented Educa Philly, a Spanish-language radio program targeting Philadelphia’s Latino parents with tips for their children’s educational success in the face of grim high-school graduation statistics among Philly-area Latinos. The proposal emphasized the social and economic benefits of better educational outcomes for Latinos. The panel questioned whether the program’s impact could be quantified. 

Third was Triple Helix Care, a Medical Home Model proposal with a pilot program targeting Philadelphia’s overflowing Health Center 6 at 3rd and Girard. A network of staffers and nurses would facilitate better follow-up and preventive care for the health system’s poorest users, ultimately reducing the strain of uninsured hospital and clinic visits. The panel wondered whether successes of similar programs in other cities were applicable, due to varied demographics. 

Next, four students presented Closing Schools, Opening Opportunities, outlining an innovative plan to partner with the School Redevelopment Initiative of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. They proposed facilitating the sale of closing Philadelphia school buildings by repurposing and updating them, including green retrofitting and the removal of environmental hazards, instead of leaving the school district to attempt selling them as-is while bearing onerous maintenance costs. A discussion ensued on the proper extent of educational institutions’ real estate responsibilities. 
 

Finally, five students pitched Philly Benefits Bus, a mobile service that would bring counseling and information on social services and entitlements to poverty-stricken residents who are ill-informed of their benefits and suffer barriers to obtaining them. Panelists asked whether legislators focused on reducing entitlement spending would support a program with the potential to increase or aid claimants of government help. 
 

Ultimately, the biggest thrill for participants was presenting their concepts to such a high-powered Philadelphia forum. The prize went to law students Sarah Besnoff and Aaron Tjoa and their School of Design partners Evan Litvin and Lea Oxenhandler, presenters of Closing Schools, Opening Opportunities. Thornburgh and the judges congratulated all participants for their excellent proposals, praising them as worthy of pursuit regardless of the competition’s outcome.