Amy Guttman joins the ranks of self-identified liberal academics-turned-administrators more sympathetic to unions in theory than in practice: Since assuming the presidency, Gutmann has enthusiastically embraced the recent regional National Labor Relations Board decision that ruled that Penn's graduate-level teaching and research assistants are students and do not have the right to unionize under the umbrella protection of the NLRB. The decision reflected a similar national NLRB ruling concerning Brown University, which was handed down in July. 'I definitely agree with the decision, and I'm really delighted that it gives me the opportunity to work with our organized graduate student groups to make graduate education even stronger at Penn,' Gutmann said. While Penn has the option of voluntarily recognizing a graduate student union -- and in fact, some graduate students have pinned their hopes on the possibility -- Gutmann's administration is highly unlikely to make this move. The president's acceptance of the perceived anti-labor ruling comes as a surprise to some who regard Gutmann as a 'liberal' administrator. Her writings, including works that have reviewed unions positively, have indicated a liberal ideology. In her book Democratic Education, Gutmann critically examines teachers' unions and concludes that there is a need for them in today's school system..."It must be pretty embarrassing for [Gutmann]. ... She talks about democratic education, and within two weeks of arriving, she is already giving all her support to a blatantly anti-democratic NLRB ruling," said Joe Drury, GET-UP co-chairman and an English Ph.D. candidate. He added that "it's a bit mystifying, and it's a conflict." The graduate student organization has sent letters to Gutmann, but she has not yet set a concrete date for a meeting.