Profs host students in W. Phila. homes

Travelling in a telltale herd, but not headed to any of the weekend's fraternity parties, several groups of freshmen ventured into West Philadelphia neighborhoods Sunday afternoon as part of a new Penn Reading Project initiative. In an attempt to eradicate some of the negative stereotypes associated with West Philadelphia, faculty members hosted nine of the 141 reading project discussion sections in their area homes. The students from the fourth floor of the Quadrangle's Coxe building discussed Garry Wills' Lincoln at Gettysburg at History Professor Walter Licht's home on St. Mark's Square, just a few blocks away from campus boundaries. "We thought it was important for freshmen to see first-hand that there is a group of people who calls West Philly their home," Licht said. "And since students move into West Philly, they should help us keep it clean and safe. "We who live out here are very aware of the crime, but we don't feel it's a war zone," he added, noting that his 15-year old daughter has enjoyed growing up in the area. This new addition to the reading project allowed freshmen to gain an early sense of their surroundings, said Chris Dennis, director of Academic Programs in Residence. After leading a discussion of the novel, Licht brought the students on a brief tour of his neighborhood's tree-lined streets and Victorian-style homes, highlighting the ethnic mix of residents and a 19th century cemetery, similar to the one written about in Wills' novel. "I know that there are bad parts of West Philly, but I know now that there are beautiful parts like this one, and I'm glad [Licht] let us see that," College freshman Molly Selzer said. "I thought it was cool that [Licht] let us into his house -- it's a more intimate atmosphere than a classroom, and the area didn't seem bad at all," College freshman Kari Feinberg said.

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