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(04/26/00 9:00am)
Cuban students protested the government's decision to take the six-year-old boy by force. The now-famous photograph of Elian Gonzalez closeted with an armed immigration agent in the house of his Miami relatives was dramatically splashed across countless newspapers and televison stations last weekend. And now that the government's return of the six-year-old to his father Saturday morning has ignited passionate nationwide debate, Cuban-American students at Penn are making their own statement about the controversial situation. Members of Penn's Chapter of the Youth Leadership Committee of the Cuban American National Foundation were out on Locust Walk yesterday to demonstrate against the government's decision to return Elian to his father. The political group -- which has about 12 members and was established at Penn last semester -- handed out copies of its statement regarding Elian and other documents on Cuban President Fidel Castro to students and other passers-by. Members said the goal of the demonstration was to educate Penn students on the issue, as well as to tell local media about their perspective. "This is about a child that's being returned to a father who is unable speak for himself," said the group's founder, Engineering senior Andro Nodarse. Nodarse, who lived in Cuba until he was 12, said the media has portrayed Cuban-Americans unfairly. "No one, no one can possibly be against a child being with his father," he said, but added that sending Elian back to Cuba is returning him to a repressive nation. As they handed out information and talked to students, the demonstrators got mixed responses, according to College sophomore Philip Riveron, a member of the Foundation, as well as treasurer of the Cuban American Undergraduate Students Association. "Some people were receptive, some were very skeptical," Riveron said. Although it is a cultural rather than political group, CAUSA -- which has 20 members, about half of whom are in the Foundation -- fully supports the Foundation statement and demonstration, Riveron said. In its statement, the Foundation chastised the U.S. government, saying that Saturday was "a sad and reproachable day in this nation's history." Since November, Elian has been trapped in a seemingly endless custody battle between Cuba and the United States. The boy was taken in by his Miami relatives after he survived a refugee trip to Florida, during which the boat sank and his mother drowned. The family had refused to give the boy back to his Cuban father, spawning a passionate response from Cuban-Americans in Miami -- who believe that if Elian does return to Cuba, the U.S. government is effectively caving in to the Castro dictatorship. Protests exploded on Saturday after armed immigration agents forced their way into the home of the boy's Miami relatives and took him to his father in Maryland. The father and son have reportedly had a happy reunion. Penn's Cuban-American faction also said the Miami protesters had been given a bad rap. "The vast majority of them were holding up posters," Riveron said. "I have family down there [and some were] tear gassed." Riveron said the Penn students may hold another demonstration in the upcoming week, possibly with the support of other universities, such as Harvard and Duke.
(04/26/00 9:00am)
Eleven Penn students will receive the prestigious grant for international study. Six Penn undergraduates and five graduate students with a passion for international living and a dream to conduct their own program of study have recently been awarded the prestigious Fulbright grant. As Fulbright scholars, these students have been offered the opportunity to travel to the country of their choosing and carry out a program of research and study that they have selected -- all paid for by the United States government. Additional students may still win the award. "I wanted to go to a new country and learn a new language," said College senior Katrin Fraser, a recipient of the grant. "And I will be able to learn the language at the beginning of this program." Fraser, an Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations double major, plans to travel to Korea as part of the program to teach English as a foreign language. The most current list of this year's undergraduate Fulbright recipients also include College senior Kristina Herbert -- who will head to Germany to study force measurements of nucleosome DNA using atomic force microscopy -- and College senior Miriam Joffe-Block, who will be researching migrant labor and civil society in Bangkok and northeastern Thailand. Also on the list are College senior Laura Robbins, who plans to go to Spain to study Spanish views on race in colonial Alta California; Wharton junior Adam Kaufman, who is traveling to Mexico to study information systems; and College and Wharton senior Christopher Murray, who has a bi-national business grant to Mexico. The grants provide students with travel expenses, tuition, language orientation courses and overall living expenses for one academic year. As part of the intensive application process, recipients conceptualize and plan their own intended course of study, which may include independent research, field work and/or traditional university course work. Fraser -- who has already traveled extensively to the Far East to countries such as Japan and Singapore -- said she is pleased that her year-long Fulbright will allow her to explore before committing to a "serious job." Her plans eventually include graduate school and extended study in China. And Murray, who is fluent in Spanish, said the program gives him an interesting post-graduation option. "I did not know what my plans would be after graduation," he said. "So I applied for the grant." The Fulbright program was created by the United States government after World War II. As a result of a piece of legislation sponsored by Senator J. William Fulbright, the grant allows American students to engage in a cross-cultural exchange with over 100 nations worldwide. With over 4,000 applicants nationwide, the program is very competitive. Of the thousands of applications received, only 800 students are offered the grant. Each year, Penn has approximately 55 applicants. Of those an average of 10 to 12 undergraduate and graduate students receive the grant, according to Clare Cowen, the on-campus Fulbright advisor. "Basically, Penn has a good way of working with the students," Cowen said, noting the high percentage of Penn student recipients. So far, graduate students in the College who have received the grant include Jeanne Nugent, who will travel to Germany to study history and identity in Gerhard Richter's photo paintings; David Heaney, who will also go to Germany to research Leberecht Migge and modern landscape in Weimar Germany; and Bruce Baird, who will travel to Japan to work on Butah philosophy and the burden of history. Also, Solimar Otero will go to Nigeria to study the Brazilian and Cuban Yoruba community in Lago, and Nick Sawicki will spend his time in the Czech Republic studying Czech art. "It is a prestigious award with an international reputation," Cowen added.
(04/26/00 9:00am)
In the United States, blacks have been officially free from slavery for more than 130 years. The Israelites -- the ancestors of the Jewish people -- were also enslaved, over 3,000 years ago, until Moses led them out of Egypt. This shared historical experience was the impetus for Monday night's program called "Once We Were Slaves." About 50 students -- most of whom were Jewish -- gathered in W.E.B. DuBois College House for an address by Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Professor Jeffrey Tigay, small group discussions and a symbolic meal. The program coincided with Passover, the annual Jewish celebration of the Exodus from Egypt. "I think it's a wonderful idea for these two communities to share a Passover meal," Tigay said, referring to the seder, a ritual feast at the beginning of Passover that marks the end to Jewish enslavement and the continuing struggle against oppression. Sponsored by Alliance and Understanding -- an award-winning program for fostering Black-Jewish interaction at Penn -- and Tzedek Hillel, a Jewish student community service initiative, the goal of the program was to "facilitate a dialogue about our histories and oppression," said College sophomore Noga Newberg, a member of both organizations. After Tigay drew historical parallels between African American and Jewish struggles, students from both communities enjoyed symbolic seder foods, such as parsley dipped in salt water -- a metaphor for the pain and tears of slavery -- and boiled eggs, which represent hope and rebirth. Four suggested discussion questions -- modeled after the four questions asked at the beginning of every seder -- prompted intense discussion at the five tables of participants. Some students noted the similarities between the experiences of African Americans and Jews, which have contributed to effective communication between the groups at certain points in American history. "If you have a real threat that you see and you feel, you tend to overlook differences," said Charise Lindsay, a College junior and member of Alliance and Understanding. Even today, some people -- such as white supremacists -- "have just as much hatred for both of our groups," added College sophomore Samantha Cohen. Still, some students felt that tension still exists between African Americans and Jews in America -- and at Penn. "The atmosphere at Penn is not neutral, so it's actually going against integration," Lindsay said. Others agreed that the University must actively facilitate interaction between different ethnic communities. College junior Beth Harkavy, who coordinated last night's program, said she believes that students don't voluntarily place enough emphasis on increasing African American-Jewish dialogue on campus. "I went to a Jewish school for 18 years," College freshman Jonah Lowenfeld said. "I come here and I don't know what to do with myself." And College sophomore and Alliance and Understanding member Wayman Newton emphasized the need to take individual responsibility for one's social circle. "I have Jewish friends. I choose to live at DuBois. It's a choice," he said. The program closed with a chorus of "Let My People Go," an inspirational song about the Exodus which is well-known in both the African American and Jewish communities. Alliance and Understanding, now in its third year of existence, sponsors African American-Jewish programming and educational spring breaks for Penn students. Newberg said last night's program was an important step in "creating awareness about the relationships that are possible between black and Jews."
(04/26/00 9:00am)
Although the folks at home might miss out on the flavor of the nation's loudest, most raucous track and field event, a national television audience will get a chance to watch action from the 106th Penn Relays. USA Track and Field announced last Wednesday a first-ever event that will pit America's finest track athletes against top international competition in a relays-only format. Using the Saturday of Penn Relays as a staging ground, ESPN will televise a series of intercontinental battles -- ominously titled "USA vs. The World -- on Sunday, April 30 from 4 to 5 p.m. Michael Johnson, Marion Jones, Maurice Greene, Inger Miller and Gail Devers will headline the event, which will feature five relays of international importance: the men's and women's 4x100 meters, the men's and women's 4x400 and the men's 4x1500. It's the hope of USATF that in this, an Olympic year, the tape-delay broadcast will prime the American public for the Sydney Games in September. "USA vs. The World is a new concept for our sport," USATF CEO and track luminary Craig Masback said in a press release last week. "With its deep heritage and 40,000-spectator crowds, the Penn Relays provides an ideal setting. It is a tremendous opportunity for our athletes." The USA vs. The World format is not only a convenient way for the Carnival to get back on the tube. It's also being billed as an opportunity for America's track athletes to begin the stretch run of preparation for the Summer Olympics in September. Two USA teams will enter into each of the featured relays. "The concept is basically to have the Relays serve as a U.S. Olympic training sight for the relay teams," Penn Relays Director Dave Johnson said at a press conference last week. In the pool for the 4x400 are Tyree Washington, Antonio Pettigrew and Michael Johnson, who were all part of the USA quartet that set a world record in the event in 1998. Pettigrew also ran the second leg of an Adidas team that won the 4x400 in 1999 at the Relays. Veterans Jerome Davis, Angelo Taylor and Calvin Harrison will also be on hand at Franklin Field to face teams from Jamaica, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago. Michael Johnson, whose wife is very close to giving birth, is clearly in tip-top shape this spring. In his very first race of the season, the defending Olympic champion ran the fourth-fastest time in the 200 in history. The women 4x400 teams at Penn look like definite challengers for the gold Down Under. Shanelle Porter, national indoor 400 champion Suziann Reid, Kim Graham, Michelle Collins, 1996 Olympic 400 hurdles bronze medalist Tonja Buford Baily and former world champ Jearl Miles Clark will all appear on 33rd Street. In the 4x100 races, the Americans will turn hold the crowd captive as well. World record holder Green leads a pool that includes 1996 4x100 silver medalists Jon Drummond, Tim Montgomery and Tim Harden. On the female side, the U.S. will boast Devers and her 1996 Olympic teammates Chryste Gaines, Inger Miller and two-time world champion Marion Jones. With the financial support of GMC Envoy, Nike and the U.S. Air Force, this event brings the Relays back to television after a one-year hiatus. CBS televised portions of the Carnival in a two-hour, tape-delay special in 1996, '97 and '98, but the network's contract with the Relays expired two years ago. Last year, there was no TV coverage of the event, and the three-year stint for CBS marked only the second time that the Relays had been televised in their vaunted history. In 1966, ABC featured segments of the Philadelphia event in the very first telecast of Wide World of Sports.
(04/25/00 9:00am)
College senior Lauren Mucciolo won the $250 Burr Book prize for collecting interesting books. Most prizes awarded annually this time of year honor students for writing accomplished essays or completing difficult scientific experiments. But one award stands out among the others, offering kudos to students who spent their time in local bookstores scouring the shelves for interesting reading matter. The obscure Charles W. Burr Book Prize is awarded annually to the student who has collected the most interesting and intelligently selected library of books. After purchasing The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and Ulysses by James Joyce among others, College senior and English major Lauren Mucciolo came away with the $250 prize this year. Students may include any book, except text books, purchased within the last academic year. The committee of Penn faculty and administrators generally looks for students who have pursued a particular theme or academic interest in building their library. "College is a place where you pick up a reading list for the rest of your life," said John Richetti, chairman of the English department. "Students who go to the bookstore just to pick up books -- that is what being educated is all about." A regular at used book stores around the city, Mucciolo pursued four categories -- feminist literature, African-American literature, French language literature and European authors. "There's no science to it," she said of her book collection. "If I see something that jumps out at me I buy it." Deborah Burnham, acting director of Writing Across The University and an English lecturer, serves on the selection committee. She emphasized that books become more than just objects; they are a collection of thoughts and ideas. Noted Sandra Schwartz, assistant director for student services and a fellow committee member, "We were impressed by Mucciolo's considerable depth of interest and eclectic taste in literature." The idea -- and the endowment -- for the prize came from Charles W. Burr, a man with quite an interesting history. A Philadelphia native and Penn graduate, Burr was a noted neurologist, psychiatrist and professor emeritus of mental diseases at the Penn School of Medicine. He carved out a niche for himself as a proponent of some very radical viewpoints. In addition to endowing the prize which he hoped would encourage ownership of worthwhile books by students, Burr is noted for having been largely responsible for the formation of the "Friends of the Library" organization. The Burr Book Prize, however, remains relatively unknown to most. Schwartz said that this year there were only five applicants for the award. "We were definitely disappointed with the response," she said. Still, Mucciolo was excited about her win. And how will she use the prize money? To buy more books.
(04/25/00 9:00am)
Kicking off the first meeting of its new term, the Undergraduate Assembly met last night to establish a stance on Penn's proposed electronic privacy policy. University Council informally proposed an Electronic Privacy Policy earlier this month. Currently, there is no policy in place to determine such things as when administrators can read students' or employees' Penn e-mail accounts without permission. The proposal, which has been debated throughout the year, is up for public comment until June 1. Electronic privacy took up more than half of the night's agenda, with Penn American Civil Liberties Union Chairman Yoni Rosenzweig informing the body about the ACLU's problems with the policy. Rosenzweig emphasized that the ACLU had two major complaints regarding the proposal. First, they disagree with the rules concerning which administrators would have access to student e-mail, saying that the Office of Student Conduct should not have those privileges. The policy would allow the deans of a student's school, the OSC and the Office of Audit and Compliance to access the content of students' messages in consultation with the Office of the General Counsel. Secondly, he said the wording on the conditions for searching e-mail was too broad and allowed too much access. The proposed policy as it stands gives the University the liberty to check students' e-mail if they feel that it is out of a "good faith effort," which Rosenzweig said lacked objectivity. He proposed that this terminology be changed to "probable cause," which would mean that there was legitimate and sound reason for invasion. After Rosenzweig's comments and a discussion among the body, the UA decided to release a statement today expressing their dissatisfaction with "the way in which the policy was created and the way in which e-mail messages can be accessed by the administration," UA Chairman and College junior Michael Bassik said. Along with its prepared statement, the UA will also propose several amendments to the policy that are similar to those demanded by the ACLU. The amendments ask that Penn maintain a proper log of searches and that the OSC not be included in the organizations that have access to e-mail. They also say that instead of the OSC, the Information Systems and Computing office should be allowed to monitor e-mail in order to "maintain the integrity of the network." Finally the body asks that the University require a "probable cause" instead of a "good faith effort" to search correspondence.
(04/25/00 9:00am)
When the Penn men's golf team left for the Princeton Invitational this past Thursday, it had one thing on its mind -- redemption. The Quakers finished behind Princeton last weekend in the Ivy League Championships and were confronted with a chance to save face. Unfortunately for the Quakers, the golf gods were wearing orange and black. Due to inclement weather, the tournament was shortened to just one day. Saturday's round saw the Quakers shoot an impressive 295. Princeton finished first, though, with a terrific four-over 288. Leading the Quakers was sophomore Mike Russell with a round of 72. Junior Kyle Moran fired an impressive 73, freshman Endel Liias posted a 74, senior captain Rob Goldfaden shot a 76 and freshman standout Chad Perman shot a 78. "Losing to Princeton is not my idea of fun," Perman said. "It always helps to play your own course." According to Perman, "If you hit the ball in the correct place, you can definitely score well on this course." Princeton's Judd Pritchard did exactly as Perman said, as he shot a blistering, three-under 68 to win top individual honors. For Russell, the gloomy skies and rain-soaked course could not put a damper on his excitement. A two-handicap, Russell fired a one-over 72 to lead the Quakers. His rise to the top of the Quakers, however, was even more impressive than his Saturday score. Russell began the season not knowing if he would ever see action for the Red and Blue. He tried out for the men's golf team in his freshman year, but narrowly missed the cut. This year, he made the team, although it took him nearly the whole fall season to do so. "I tried out the entire fall," Russell said. "I didn't make the team officially until I shot a 75 and led the team at the Princeton Invitational in the fall." According to Russell, his real break came during the annual spring break golf trip. "The seniors were unable to go on the spring trip," Russell said. "[Penn coach] Francis [Vaughn] gave me a chance. It felt good to get my first tournament [in the top five] under my belt." Since the spring trip, Russell has played in half of the spring tournaments. But it has certainly not been easy for Russell to qualify for these tournaments. Vaughn has each player try out the week prior to the tournament. "It's a dogfight," Russell said. "Four or five guys are all vying for one or two spots. Luckily, I played well at Philly Cricket and was able to get into the starting lineup. It's exciting." According to Russell, next year the Quakers will be extremely deep, especially in the bottom of their lineup. "If one guy isn't playing well one week, we have three of four guys who can replace him and play well," Russell said. As strong as the Quakers can potentially be next year, they will no doubt miss the leadership and outstanding play of senior captain Rob Goldfaden and senior Rob Hunt. Both of these players set the stage for what might be imminent dominance for the Red and Blue.
(04/25/00 9:00am)
Penn's Hillel director found the white powder in a piece of hate mail sent to the Jewish center. The Hillel Foundation received a virulently anti-Semitic piece of mail yesterday containing a suspicious powdery substance that the letter claimed was the lethal toxin anthrax. Federal authorities determined later in the day that the substance was in fact non-toxic. According to police, Hillel Director Jeremy Brochin was the first to open the envelope, which was not addressed to any specific person. Brochin called police at about 9:45 a.m. Within minutes, units from the University Police, the Philadelphia Fire Department, the FBI and a federal counter-terrorism task force were on the scene to close the building and investigate the matter. After quarantining both Brochin and the entire building, police and fire investigators determined that the substance was in fact not anthrax. The building was then reopened and the substance and letter were sent off to an FBI laboratory for further analysis. "The FBI has now determined [the substance] not to be a chemical hazard at all," said University Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Thomas King. "They're still not exactly sure what it is, but as far as the tests for dangerous substances, those have all come back negative." Neither Hillel leaders nor University Police would speculate on who might have sent the threatening piece of mail. "I have no idea [who sent the letter]," Brochin said. "The letter mentioned the Holocaust vigil last week and expresses disgust with the vigil." Earlier this month, the Jewish community observed Yom Hashoah, a holiday commemorating the Holocaust, with a vigil on College Green. Though they have few leads at this point, the initial belief of investigators is that the letter likely came from an individual with little or no affiliation with the University. "It's difficult if not impossible to tell initially where the letter came from, though we believe it came from somewhere far off campus," King said. University officials were shocked that someone would choose to send such a threatening and derogatory piece of mail. "It was a distasteful and despicable hoax and it has no place here or in society," University spokesman Ken Wildes said. Leaders within the Jewish community said that while acts like this should always arouse concern, this particular incident appears to be an isolated event and the work of an individual or a small group -- not that of a larger hate group. "It's important to look at the incident in a larger context," said Barry Morrison, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia. "It appears to be an isolated incident not explicitly related to anything else anywhere in the country." The timing of the letter -- which was postmarked April 19 -- should also cause suspicion, Morrison said, as it could have likely been sent in conjunction with a number of infamous anniversaries. "We're certainly aware of the fact that April 20 both fell on Passover and was the anniversary of Hitler's birthday," Morrison said. "April 19 was also the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the fire at Waco and the execution of the white supremacist Richard Snell, so in one context these dates could mean something." Brochin echoed those sentiments, saying that while the incident was certainly disturbing, it was likely not indicative of any larger trend of anti-Semitism on campus. "I think this is a disturbed person, and there's not much you can do about it," he said. "I think I might now be a little more vigilant when it comes to opening a letter, and I think the staff [at Hillel] will be more vigilant as well."
(04/25/00 9:00am)
Penn lost the second game in the bottom of the ninth inning. PRINCETON, N.J. -- All day long yesterday, the Penn baseball team looked like it was on the verge of losing any chance at the Lou Gehrig Division title. After a brief glimmer of hope, the Quakers (17-18, 7-9 Ivy League) finally succumbed, and the Princeton Tigers(19-14, 12-4) captured the Gehrig crown with a doubleheader sweep. Needing a win to stay alive, the Quakers trailed 4-1 after six in the nightcap, and Tigers sophomore Tom Rowland was cruising. But Penn struck for four runs in the seventh to turn the tables and make it seem that they might force Princeton to wait until next weekend to clinch. The Quakers, however, failed to push home an insurance run in the top of the ninth, and in the bottom of the inning, Penn starter Andrew McCreery finally ran out of gas. McCreery, who pitched brilliantly to keep the Quakers in the game while they were trailing, hit Princeton catcher Casey Hildreth with a pitch with one out to start the rally. It was the fourth time that Hildreth had been plunked in the game, and McCreery's sixth hit batsman. The bases filled on a seeing-eye single and a walk before McCreery walked No. 9 hitter Jay Mitchell in the tying run. Penn coach Bob Seddon then went to the bullpen for Paul Grumet, but he gave up a long single to outfielder Jon Watterson to end the game and Penn's title hopes. "If we had won this one, then maybe we could have hoped for Cornell to pull something [and beat Princeton next weekend]," Penn first baseman Ron Rolph said. The only thing that was hard to take about the first game was Princeton ace Chris Young's pitching. The sophomore was simply dominant as the Tigers romped, 7-1. Fortunately for the Quakers, the opening game was only seven innings long. Young went the distance, allowing just one run on three hits with a career-high-tying 10 strikeouts. "I wasn't as sharp as I normally am today," Young said. "Trying to work my fastball, I couldn't seem to locate it." Young's ERA did jump from 0.90 to 1.00 with the Penn run, but he spent the day utterly dominating a Penn lineup that came to Clarke Field sporting a .321 team average. The Princeton sophomore struck out at least one batter in every inning and fanned every starter for the Penn except for Rolph and McCreery. With about 25 professional scouts looking on, Young only got into trouble once all afternoon. He walked designated hitter James Mullen to lead off the fourth inning. After a passed ball sent Mullen to second, Young looked like he might escape, retiring Glen Ambrosius and Jeff Gregorio. But Ron Rolph poked a single into right field to break up the shutout as Mullen hustled home from second. But by that point, the game was already all but out of reach. Penn starter Mark Lacerenza spotted the Tigers five runs in his 2 2/3 innings of work. The southpaw gave up three in the second and a two-run homer to right fielder Max Krance in the third before being pulled in favor of Brian Burket. Penn did not have to go to the bullpen so soon in the second game. Although McCreery was wild, plunking five in the first five innings, he pitched well enough to keep his team in it. "He's either throwing the ball on the corner or at your head," Tigers coach Scott Bradley said. "He was wild, but he threw strikes when he had to." But the Quakers didn't exactly have their hitting shoes on early in the second game either, as they only had two hits off of Rowland until the rally in the seventh inning. In the first six innings, only Chris May's double, a Mullen fly to left and an Ambrosius fly to right made it out of the infield for Penn. Rowland was as stifling as Young, although the scouts were long gone. But in the seventh inning, the Princeton southpaw ran out of gas. Rolph drew a leadoff walk and was driven home with one out on a triple by May. Ralph Vasami doubled him home and scored after a bunt single from Nick Italiano and a single by Mullen between third and short. Ambrosius capped the four-run rally with a single to right that brought in Italiano. But Penn lost the lead in the ninth and will have to wait for another day to beat the Tigers.
(04/25/00 9:00am)
The Red and blue rowers captured the Raritan Cup for the first time in a long time. For the Penn women's crew varsity eight, nine was the magic number this weekend. After winning the Raritan Cup in 1991, the Quakers never had it in their possession any time in the last nine years. Until Saturday, that is. With a time of 6:02.6, the Red and Blue edged Cornell -- last year's Cup winners -- by nearly two seconds and Rutgers by eight seconds. "To be successful under pressure is just continuing to build our confidence," senior co-captain Loren Berman said. "I have not beaten Cornell once in my Penn career, so it was nice to get that under my belt before graduation." The junior varsity boat did not fare as well as expected, placing behind the Big Red. The Scarlet Knights did not enter a boat in the JV race. "We just didn't row to our potential. We were solid, but there was just something missing. Now we're going to go back to the drawing board to try and pinpoint and fix what went wrong," senior co-captain Kealy O'Connor said. Both varsity four teams placed behind Cornell A and B, despite rowing solid races. "We've been working really hard on our aggressiveness?. We had a great race," Penn sophomore Cathlyn Sullivan said. The first and second novice races were both won by Cornell, with the Quakers placing third and second, respectively. "Both schools traditionally have strong freshman boats. Going in, we knew they were going to be very fast boats," first novice coxswain Haben Goitom said. Cornell won the Class of '89 plate, awarded to the team that wins the most races in the regatta. "Cornell raced extremely hard in every event. They have tremendous depth. Winning the points trophy was no surprise for them," Penn coach Barb Kirch said. All boats seemed to be pleased with the continued progress they have been making but still know that they have yet to peak, a good sign heading into the culmination of their spring season -- Eastern Sprints. "There's still more there -- we haven't reached our full potential yet. We're looking forward to tapping into that as Sprints come up," O'Connor said. The regatta, besides showing the individual strengths and weaknesses of each boat, demonstrated how solid the team has become as a whole. "They have succeeded so far based on courage, desire and strength. To go to the next level, they need a little more feeling for the boat," Kirch said. "They need to beat Dartmouth and come as close as they can to Princeton to be able to say they've had a tremendous season, no matter what happens at Sprints." Up next for the Quakers is a trip to Princeton with Dartmouth on Saturday. Rivalries will be abundant with both the Tigers and the Big Green. "Barb [Kirch] coached Dartmouth before she came here, so they're always looking to beat us. We want to make her proud," O'Connor said. "And the Tiger-Quaker rivalry is just as true in women's crew as it is in men's basketball." In the last regatta before Eastern Sprints on May 14, the Quakers are looking to build confidence and momentum that will hopefully result in their second trip to the NCAA Championships in three years. "We're definitely still improving. We need to keep up this intensity until Sprints," Sullivan said.
(04/25/00 9:00am)
Chris Young dominated Penn yesterday in front of scouts, Princeton hopes he won't leave for the draft. PRINCETON, N. J. -- With radar guns and camera shutters clicking away at Clarke Field yesterday, the most noticeable sound of all was a familiar one at Ivy League baseball games. It was the sound of Princeton pitcher Chris Young's fastball hissing as it sliced through the air, lacing its way to an inevitable pop in the mitt of Tigers catcher Buster Smalls. The 6'11" Young made mincemeat of the Ivy League's top offense yesterday, allowing just three hits and striking out 10 in a seven-inning complete game victory in front of a bevy of scouts. Penn catcher Jeff Gregorio was Young's most frequent victim. The Quakers' leading RBI man fanned in the first inning, was caught looking in the fourth inning and seemed fortunate to finally make contact when he bounced harmlessly back to the box in the sixth. Young said that despite his impressive afternoon, he did not have his best stuff and struggled to spot his fastball. Still, the scouts left Old Nassau with something to think about. "He's got a good fastball, throws well," one professional scout said. "There's interest in the kid. He was 87-88 [miles per hour on the radar gun]." As Young was busy shutting down the Quakers, questions loomed about that other place that he gives Penn headaches -- the basketball court at Jadwin Gym, barely visible beyond the hedges in center field. "It's a concern and a positive thing," one American League scout said of Young playing basketball for Princeton. "The draft and money aside, does he want to throw those next two years away? I've watched him play basketball, and you can tell on the court that he likes it." Young, who was a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy first team in basketball this past season, likes playing baseball, too. Since he is eligible for this June's draft, it will be interesting to see how his two-sport stardom affects his baseball draft position. "You can't even say enough about what this kid has done," Princeton coach Scott Bradley said. "To be a two-sport athlete, to be a student, to handle himself with more class than anyone I've ever been around in my life, it's just a real credit to him. "He's got a real future on the baseball field," Bradley added. "Chris is such a baseball rat. He loves the game. We talk a lot about baseball. He's such a special kid. We're in a spot where a lot of people at Penn and Cornell and Columbia and everyone else are hoping that Chris is selected pretty high in the draft, because he's going to have a decision to make." Penn coach Bob Seddon can't wait to get Young out of his hair, but he'll believe it when he sees it. "They'll have to throw a ton of money at him," Seddon said. "And personally, I don't think they will." Young has clearly had his eyes on pro ball for quite some time, even since before arriving at Princeton. "I think [not going to] Penn was probably more of a baseball decision," Young said. "With coach Bradley's expertise, and his having handled Randy Johnson in the big leagues, a 6'10" pitcher. From a baseball standpoint, if I was going to go to an Ivy League school, Princeton was the right place." It has indeed been the right place for Young. He has helped to lead the Tigers to Gehrig Division titles in both his years in the Orange and Black and was the first man ever to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in two sports. Although Princeton's basketball team has not risen to glory with Young, the scouts are impressed by his leadership qualities with both teams. "He's athletic and competitive," the American League scout said. "[Success] doesn't hurt. The further they go, the more exposure it is. And everybody wants a winner." Young was a winner yesterday on the mound, and he's been nothing but a winner for the Tigers all season. He is 3-0, and his ability to shut down a lineup at a moment's notice will definitely come in handy when Princeton plays for the Ivy League title after clinching the Gehrig Division yesterday.
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Penn finished behind Cornell but topped the visiting squad from Birmingham, England. For the Penn women's track team, it's starting to seem like a classic case of always being the bridesmaid, but never the bride. The Quakers secured runner-up position for the second consecutive week in a tri-meet on Saturday by recording 124 points, while Cornell led with 155 points scored. Also at the tri-meet, finishing a distant third, was visiting Birmingham (U.K.). The team, which arrived last Wednesday evening, ended the afternoon with 85 points. Saturday's competition marked the end of the regular outdoor season for the Red and Blue, as they now head into the much-anticipated Penn Relays to be held on Franklin Field's track this weekend. Though the weather on Saturday remained cloudy with light rain throughout the afternoon, the Red and Blue's performance had several bright spots. Recording first-place finishes in their respective events this weekend were junior Bassey Adjah, sophomore Liz Wittels and freshman Julie Siebert-Johnson. Adjah continued her dominance this season by finishing first in the long jump with a leap of 17'8". Sophomore Melissa MacIntyre finished second with a jump of 17'5", while freshman Meredith Bunche leapt to a fourth-place finish. Adjah's strong overall performance also included a second-place effort in the 100-meter hurdles. The junior also ran the third leg of Penn's victorious 4x400 relay. By the end of the afternoon, Adjah had contributed a total of 19 points to Penn's total score. The team has shaken off its slow and disappointing indoor season and has boldly proven itself thus far in the spring. Adjah attributes her personal as well as the team's overall success throughout the outdoor season to thorough preparation and to the squad's bonding over the past few months. "Everyone is finally stepping up and finally peeking," Adjah said. "The team is also coming together as [a unit] for the first time, and now it is more than just a few people doing the scoring." In the pole vault event, Liz Wittels' performance earned the Quakers seven more points, as she successfully cleared a height of 10'11" to win the event. The sophomore also recorded third-place points in the hammer throw event, throwing a distance of 136'6". Wittels' sophomore campaign has indeed been a successful one, as this week's performance almost eclipsed her first-place, school record-tying effort in the javelin throw at Yale last weekend. Also contributing to the Quakers' collective effort were senior captains Richelle Clements and Ruthie Neuhaus. Clements finished the afternoon adding nine points, as she finished second and third, respectively, in the 100 and 200. Meanwhile, Neuhaus led a dominant triple jump team that took second through fifth places. Finishing behind Neuhaus were teammates Jennifer Thompson, Bunche and Meghan Moran. In the 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Alicia Terry captured second-place as she finished just 2/10 of a second behind Cornell's Benita Gateman with a time of 63.0. And finishing fourth for the Red and Blue in the event was freshman Crystal Marsh, who recorded a time of 64.9. Though Penn finished the meet in second, the Quakers led Cornell early on. The Quakers ran into trouble down the stretch, however. "There were a few [events] that we should have won or scored in, and we didn't. That is what really hurt us in the end," Adjah said. Saturday's competition ended as the Penn 4x400 relay team won their event for the fourth time this season. The relay team, which on Saturday included Qianna Snooks, Adjah, Jeraldine Cofie and Petra Stewart, completed its outdoor season undefeated throughout Ivy League competition. Expectations are certainly high for the remainder of the outdoor season. The Quakers hope to prove themselves on a grand stage this Friday against Ivy League competition at Relays in front of thousands of visiting fans. The Quakers will follow up Relays with the Heptagonal Championships at home and IC4As.
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The Penn varsity eight took the cup home from New York by beating Yale and Columbia. The Penn men's heavyweight crew team made a victorious return to Philadelphia this past weekend after getting the best of Columbia and Yale on the Harlem River. With the win over the Elis and Lions, the Quakers made sure that the Blackwell Cup remained in the Penn boathouse for the second year in a row. The Red and Blue varsity eight was pleased to have a win to show for its efforts after a disappointing race at the San Diego Crew Classic and a down-to-the-wire loss only a week ago on Carnegie Lake in Princeton, N.J. With a time of 6:08.4, Penn clearly emerged the winner over Columbia and Yale, which clocked in at 6:12.8 and 6:13.5, respectively. Despite the less-than-perfect rowing conditions, Penn coach Stan Bergman was happy with his team's performance. "Our crew did a great job this weekend," Bergman said. "Although the conditions were tough, they handled themselves well. At this point we just hope to continue to improve and build off the victory." Penn was the favored crew entering the regatta and rowed with plenty of confidence, showing many improvements since their season opened on April 1. "We never underestimated our competition going into the race, but we didn't seem to attack it with the same mental intensity as the previous weekend against Princeton," sophomore varsity rower Mike Parker commented. "The first half of the race was somewhat tight, but once we hit the 1,000-meter mark, we separated the men from the boys and hammered it home." Despite an intense week of tough practices and a handful of sick or injured rowers, the Red and Blue were still able to come away in first place. "We are happy with the win since it is the first of the season. That was our goal -- to get the win," junior varsity rower Doug Sieg said. "However, we did not race technically as well as we would have liked and were also tired from a very hard week of training." The rest of the Red and Blue boats also showed progress, although they did not win their races. All other Penn crews -- the second varsity eight, the first freshman eight and the second freshman four -- finished in second place behind the Elis. This week, Penn will look to further improve as it prepares to race for the Adams Cup on the Severn River in Maryland on Saturday. "This week, we will focus on getting healthy and rowing better together," Sieg said. "We race Harvard and Navy on Saturday in Annapolis, and it should give us a good assessment of our speed. We expect to come away with a win." Parker echoed Sieg's sentiments and credits Bergman with the Quakers' continued signs of improvement. "We keep gaining more and more speed weekly thanks to a top-of-the-line coach who is constantly uncovering ways to increase boat speed," Parker said. "Our eight continues to gel as the season progresses both on the water at practice and on land at overpriced team dinners that charge us for extra bread." As the Quakers enter into the heart of their season, they anticipate more victories with each race. "This is just the first taste of success this boat will see," Parker predicted. "I have confidence in my boys to do whatever it takes to beat any crew out there. All nine of us have not given anything short of 110 percent all spring, and the Schuylkill Express will make no hesitation to plow through the Severn River on the 29th."
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Last night at the Kelly Writers House, acclaimed author John Edgar Wideman discussed his philosophies on literature and race before a standing room-only crowd comprised of about 90 students, faculty members and Philadelphia residents. Wideman is the third and final Writers House Fellow of the year. The program also brought Grace Paley and Robert Creeley to campus earlier this semester. His reading was co-sponsored by the Art Sanctuary -- a community arts program which celebrates African-American culture -- the Urban Arts Project and Writers House. Wideman, a 1963 College graduate who taught English at Penn in the 1970s is a past recipient of the Rhodes and Thouron graduate fellowships. He is also the only person to have won the Penn/Faulkner Award twice. In an attempt to keep the audience on its toes, Wideman read a not-yet-published short story entitled, Sharing. The story is a dialogue written in the voice of a white middle-aged suburban woman who is talking to her African-American middle-aged neighbor who had come to her door to borrow some mayonnaise. The author explained that this work forced him to adopt a persona of a character who was quite different from himself. "Seeing myself through her eyes. That was a real challenge, a challenge of voice, a challenge of sensibility," he said. Like this story, many of his literary works -- like Brothers and Keepers, Philadelphia Fire and his new release, Two Cities -- deal with race, a topic he believes should be addressed more substantially in society. "Our problem is that we are still dealing with an 18th century concept that has been quickly debunked," he said. "That idea of race was an invention with very specific purposes -- to justify oppression." The best form in which people can challenge racial assumptions, according to Wideman, is through writing imaginative literature. "I believe in literature," he said, noting that one must be willing to risk failure when creating. "I don't write books because I have answers. I write books because I have questions. What we are is the questions that we ask, not the answers that we provide," he explained. "It's all about that process of self-examination. I think that's what the best writing always contains." Not only did Wideman discuss changing common perceptions of race in today's society, he also pointed to the importance of cultural heritage. "Culture is real. There is an African-American culture that is very distinct and is very concrete, and I see myself as an inheritor of that culture. What I'm fussing about is the essentialism of race and the division of people into kinds," he said. Several members of Penn's English Department offered effusive praise of the author. Writers House Faculty Director Al Filreis said he believed Wideman's last novel is "among the few great books by an American. Finer and greater than anything Faulkner wrote." "He's really one of our most important writers," added English Professor Herman Beavers, who is also the director of the Afro-American Studies Program. Referring to the story that Wideman read earlier in the evening, Beavers said, "It's not about whether or not we can share a jar of mayonnaise. The story really is about the walls that we build up to keep us from asking questions." Most of the audience appeared to be longtime fans of Wideman's work. Many commended him for the political activism that has complemented his literary work. Most notably, Wideman wrote the introduction to a literary anthology called In Defense of Mumia. "The stance that he's taken on Mumia, as a writer and an academic, is really good," said Theodore Harris, a visual artist in Philadelphia. "We need those types of people working in that system to talk about what's going on with injustice."
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Thousands of fans and athletes will descend upon Penn for this weekend's track carnival For 19 years, Brigham Young assistant women's track coach Patrick Shane was satisfied with track meets in the West, content with not traversing more than one time zone to find competition for his Cougars. But a pair of sisters from Clifton, Va., were not satisfied. BYU distance runners Jessica and Laura Heiner had both competed in the Penn Relays while at Centreville High School, and both pleaded with Shane for another chance to run in what they thought was the pinnacle of track meets. For four years, Jessica was unsuccessful, but last year Laura finally got Shane to cave. The Cougars would take one -- and only one -- trip to the Penn Relays. That trip, however, would turn out to be much more than a one-time tool of appeasement for Shane. After a late-April weekend last year spent in and around Franklin Field -- a weekend of seeing more than 40,000 fans pack the stadium and thousands more athletes re-baptize the rubberized track with their blood, sweat and tears -- Shane vowed BYU would make the trek to the Penn Relays every year. "I just didn't realize what we were missing," Shane says. Shane learned his lesson. Once he came to Philadelphia for that storied weekend in April, he came to realize what the country's most spectacular track carnival is all about. · Coming from the west coast, Shane's ignorance was understandable. The Penn campus has no such excuse, yet it seems largely unaware of an event that brings almost 100,000 people to its eastern fringe every April. "A lot of people on campus don't understand what Penn Relays is about," Penn distance runner Sean MacMillan says. And unless you've experienced it first-hand, it's hard to comprehend exactly what the Relays are about. On the surface, the Penn Relays seem to be, plain and simple, one of the most competitive and high-profile track meets in the world. This is a track meet where you can see the pure greatness of Michael Johnson blistering through an anchor leg on the Nike relay team and the sheer competitiveness of 32 guys who can run under 50 seconds for a quarter-mile in the college men's mile relay. And this year "USA vs. The World" sprint relays and a Kenyan team trying to break a world record in the 4x1500 meter relay -- along with tape-delay coverage on ESPN on Sunday -- make the Relays even bigger on the scale of athletic grandeur. But the Relays are not just about athletic excellence. If you're looking for the acme of athletic greatness, turn to the Olympics. The Penn Relays, on the other hand, represent something more, albeit something a little less tangible. "The Olympics embodies all of the nations of the world," Penn assistant coach Tony Tenisci says. "The Penn Relays embodies every level of society, so it becomes such a human event." Put simply, the people that compete in the Penn Relays are not all world-class athletes like Marion Jones and Maurice Greene. Most of the people that compete in the Penn Relays are a lot more like Bassey Adjah. · Adjah -- a junior at Penn -- is a good jumper and sprinter by Ivy League standards, but at the Penn Relays she blends in as just another competitor, just a speck of red and blue amidst the spectrum of colors that permeates the event. Adjah practices nearly every day on the track and turf at Franklin Field, and while the clay-colored, 10-lane track and bright-green turf should be old hat to her, sometimes she can't help but marvel. Sometimes she can't help but look up at the clock and scoreboard or the rows and rows of empty bleachers with visions of Penn Relays dashing through her head. "All those stands are going to be filled, and I still can't fathom it," Adjah says in obvious awe. "Penn Relays just gets bigger and bigger every year." The first time Adjah came to the Relays was when she was a sophomore in high school, and her first impression of the event was like that of so many other athletes. "It was a lot to take in," Adjah says. "There were so many people, it was scary. I was in awe the first time I walked in." Adjah's team won its heat of the 4x400 meter relay that day, and four years later, she was a part of Penn's school record-breaking 4x200 relay team. Her Relays success, however, hasn't dimmed Adjah's reverence for the nearly week-long event. "Every single year I walk in awe," Adjah says. · It's not just the athletes who walk in awe -- it's the thousands upon thousands of spectators. Penn Relays Director Dave Johnson stumbles as he tries to describe his first Penn Relays experience, trying to reach for the right words to describe those initial impressions. "The first time I walked in, I was standing under the clock looking at that whole grandstand, in the east end, in the upper deck," Johnson says. "Seeing the whole place filled is just an amazing sight." Johnson, like Adjah, was introduced to the Relays as a runner in high school. But Johnson never actually competed in the Relays. Too slow to run in his Swarthmore High School team's mile relay, he first attended in 1968 with the team's alternate ticket. The highlight of the Relays that year was Larry James' 43.9 quarter-mile leg in Villanova's winning mile relay. But Johnson was outside the stadium -- his team had left early to beat the traffic -- and only heard a roar from the track when James became the first to split a quarter-mile under 44 seconds. "All I knew was something big had happened. We didn't know what," Johnson says. "I didn't learn it until I read the paper the next morning, and then I realized I'll never leave before the last event again." · The idea for the Penn Relays was spawned in 1893, as Chair of the University Track Committee Frank B. Ellis staged a mile relay race on Penn's athletic field, located where the Quad now stands. Two years later -- on April 12, 1895 -- the Relays were born at Franklin Field. Penn won that first official mile relay race in an atmosphere far different than that to which today's spectators and athletes are accustomed. Back in 1895, the Relays were just a one-day event that took place on a dirt track with the only seating being one wooden bleacher. Today, the five-day Relays take place on a synthetic track surface with automatic timing and thousands of metallic benches and plastic chairs for spectators. And the Relays are now officially called the Penn Relays Carnival -- an appropriate title given all that goes on outside the stadium. During the day, music blares as vendors set up shop along 33rd and Walnut streets and the surrounding streets become nearly impassable due to the crowds of track devotees. And when the sun goes down, Franklin Field releases its masses into the city, making the night air buzz with the electricity fans and athletes transfer to parties. · A big part of that carnival atmosphere at the Penn Relays stems from the Jamaican presence -- a presence that makes this more than just an ordinary American track meet. The stereos of the vendors unleash reggae onto the streets. Dreadlocks have a peculiar ubiquity in the stands, and the streets are filled with people carrying Jamaican flags. "It seems like a lot of people suddenly become honorary Jamaicans," MacMillan says. Typically, Jamaican supporters -- usually athletes from the island and expatriates from the Philadelphia or New York area -- take up residence in a certain section of the stands, making the divide between islanders and non-islanders quite tangible. Last year, the scene in the stands for the boys' high school 4x400 relay was one to watch. The race matched up several strong Jamaican squads with several strong American squads, and it seemed everyone was either chanting, "U-S-A" or screaming and waving a Jamaican flag. "I don't know if we could recruit Jamaicans if we didn't go to the Penn Relays," Texas Christian University coach Monty Stratton says. "It's a big homecoming for them because all of the high school contingent and all of their coaches and friends and family that comes in." · Obviously, the Penn Relays represent almost a Mecca for some, but others -- like many students on Penn's campus -- just don't seem to understand. And Dave Johnson can certainly see why. "If you're not tied in with the sport or the cultural flavor of the Relays, you have a difficult time truly appreciating it," Johnson says. But the Relays do open up new avenues for people who don't usually follow track. "It seems like everyone wants to run track for this one weekend," Penn jumper Tuan Wreh says. And for die-hard supporters, the Penn Relays is a celebration of the sport and a celebration of everything connected with it. Tenisci likes to relate a story about a man he met on the track, a man who related just how important the Relays were to him. "The two greatest moments in my life have been the birth of my children and my Penn Relays medal," the man told Tenisci. Patrick Shane would have scoffed at such a statement about the Penn Relays two years ago, but maybe now he's beginning to understand. Maybe now he's beginning to realize how, in this one weekend, track and its fans have a chance to crawl out of the woodwork -- to momentarily emerge from the usual shadows and, whether seeing the Penn Relays for the first or 71st time, return awestruck.
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Starting next year, Penn will observe MLK Day as a University holiday. Mark your calendars. University President Judith Rodin announced yesterday that Penn will officially observe Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday starting next January. To celebrate the legacy of the slain civil rights leader, all classes will be canceled for students and faculty and staff will be given the day off. The holiday is observed on the third Monday of January, which next year falls on January 15. The change means that the spring 2001 semester will begin on Tuesday, January 16. "Many members of our University community have strongly felt that Penn could not fully pay its respect to Dr. King's memory and legacy as long as it failed to observe his birthday as a holiday," Rodin said in a statement. "I hope this will encourage the creation and expansion of more events and enkindle even greater participation from all of us." While they were pleased with Rodin's announcement, some members of the Penn community said the University was slow to act. "I am very grateful. It has been a long time coming," said A-3 Assembly Chairwoman Debra Smiley-Koita. "The African-American community has asked for this day off for many years." Peer institutions like Harvard, Columbia and Brown universities remained closed for the day this year. Rodin had initially proposed that Penn observe the holiday this year, on the condition that it had the approval of the Council of Deans. Over the past few months, University administrators discussed her recommendation and unanimously agreed to add the holiday to Penn's academic calendar. The decision means that Penn will lose one teaching day during the spring semester. It remains to be determined how and if that day will be made up. Rodin's announcement has drawn praise from students, faculty and staff who say that the new policy will allow them to attend memorial celebrations without getting behind in work. "It is such an important day about such an important man," former United Minorities Chairman Chaz Howard said. "It's totally positive and I'm thrilled to hear Dr. Rodin felt that way." Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Michael Bassik echoed Howard's statement. "We're excited that the administration has decided to afford the students the opportunity to commemorate the legacy of MLK," the College junior said. "This will give students the chance to attend MLK events." The decision to have the University officially observe MLK marks a significant shift in Penn's official attitude toward the holiday. In the past, students were allowed to miss class to observe without academic penalty, but the University officially remained open. Sponsoring a series of events and engaging in meaningful discussion, University officials argued, was the appropriate way to honor an ardent supporter of education like King. But times have changed, and Provost Robert Barchi said he hoped that by having the University observe MLK Day, it would encourage students and faculty to celebrate King's legacy. "This shouldn't be looked at as a day off where everybody takes a long weekend," he said. "What we are hoping is that this will be a day for people to participate." In the past, minority leaders have said that attendance at many campus events was hurt by the absence of students concerned about missing class.
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After its first official year of varsity competition, the Penn women's golf team will look to carry the momentum of its progress into next fall. Overall, the Quakers competed in five tournaments and also spent a week practicing in Florida this spring. Their most impressive performance as a team was a 12th-place finish at the Rutgers Invitational in October, an event in which the Quakers shot under 400 on both days. The highlight of the season was without a doubt the individual performance of freshman Stacy Kress at this year's Ivy Championships. Kress' fifth-place finish was good enough for first team All-Ivy honors. "[Kress' performance] was a real thrill for all of us on the team," coach Francis Vaughn said. "Playing well [in the Ivy Championships] was a great story for the first year of women's golf at Penn." Vaughn -- who also coaches the men's team -- set the team's goals for its first year in terms of progress, not scores. Over the span of their first season, the Quakers clearly made a good bit of that. In their final tournament of the year -- the Ivy Championships -- the Quakers shot a two-day total of 784, breaking 400 on both days. While the Red and Blue still finished in the Ivy cellar, this effort was an improvement over the 19th-place finish at the Yale Invitational last September. "I think we're happy with how we've done this year," junior Jen Schraut said. "Hopefully we can come together next fall and keep improving and having fun." "The team's highlight is the improvement of our ladies over the course of the year," Vaughn said. "Each of the players improved on their own golfing ability. We've reached our goals in making sure that each of them improved." The Quakers should have a solid foundation to build upon next year, as the only loss to graduation will be senior captain Natasha Miller. "Miller's leadership will be missed," Vaughn said. "She was a very diligent practicer and set a good example for the rest of the players on the team." In addition to four returning players, the Quakers will also have the benefit of Vaughn's first real year of recruiting. "We do have a couple of young ladies who have been admitted, and [they] are very excited about coming to Penn," Vaughn said. "They will complement the rest of our team very well." Adding to the list of developments for Penn, this winter, the Quakers had the use of a new computer system within their indoor practice facility inside Hutchinson Gymnasium. As the golfer hits the ball into a net, a video camera records her form. She can then set up a split-screen in which she can compare her technique to either another one of her own swings or that of a professional. Between now and next fall, the individual team members will all go work on their games during the summer. "The majority of the young ladies will work individually during the summer months so that they will be prepared for the tournaments in the fall," Vaughn said. The Quakers will look to carry the momentum from a successful first season into next fall. "I think having more experience in tournament golf will help out," Kress said. Next year the Quakers will get that tournament experience, as they will compete in four tournaments in the fall. If things go well, an additional tournament may be added to the three planned for the spring as well.
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From the White House to the New York Times op-ed page, Fareed Zakaria says, politicians have been describing globalization as an irreversible process of Americanization destined to bring the world closer together. But Zakaria, managing editor of Foreign Affairs -- the premier journal of the U.S. foreign policy establishment -- insists that that conventional wisdom is flat-out wrong. Before a crowd of about 100 students last night in Logan Hall, Zakaria lectured on the politics and culture of globalization. In defiance of popular sentiment, the youthful scholar-journalist tried to impress on the audience his belief that American domination will not last forever. "It is worth remembering that while you hear the idea that the world is totally different from anything in the past, that is not necessarily the case," Zakaria said. "I do believe that Americanization will fail." Over the last decade, globalization has become the popular -- but often misunderstood -- buzzword for the spread of American economic and cultural norms through the Internet and lightning-fast capital markets. Zakaria hoped to set the record straight by emphasizing that politics still matter in a world preoccupied with the Internet Revolution. "If you have a big political crisis," he said, citing for example a Chinese invasion of Taiwan that would destabilize the world economy, "all the economics in the world can't save it." Eschewing the microphone at the front of the lecture hall -- "Sometimes you just have to go with the Old Economy," he quipped -- Zakaria walked a fine line in his analysis. While saying that no one would be able to challenge U.S. military and economic strength for decades, he stressed that we are not witnessing any permanent change in the international system. "Beyond a very superficial level, it's not clear that this is as profound as anyone makes it out to be," he said, pointing to "the virus of MTV" and the Coca-Cola brand name as the best -- but nevertheless weak -- examples of globalization. "At the end of this phase, Thailand will still look like Thailand. It won't look like Kansas." Those in attendance were appreciative of Zakaria's contrarian perspective on the state of global affairs. "These are the types of issues [that are] discussed ad nauseam," College sophomore Hanny Hindi said. "I thought it was interesting to hear a fresh perspective." In 1993, Zakaria, then 28, became the youngest managing editor in the history of Foreign Affairs. He is a contributing editor to Newsweek and has taught at Harvard and Columbia universities. Calling him "the most important foreign-policy adviser of his generation," Esquire magazine named him one of the 21 most important people of the 21st century. Zakaria, a native of Bombay, India, and a graduate of Yale and Harvard universities, took questions for about an hour after his speech. Though several students prodded him to name a country he thought could challenge the U.S. in the future, he said he was unable to think of one, and added that China, Russia and the European Union were all unfit for the task. But Zakaria insisted that the U.S. would not remain on top in perpetuity. "If Rome and Sparta died," he asked, invoking French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "can any republic last forever?"
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The Penn men's lightweight crew team kept its promise to beat at least one boat this past weekend when its varsity eight finished ahead of Navy. The Red and Blue finished in a time of 6:27.25, behind Princeton, which finished with a time of 6:15.81, but ahead of the Midshipmen, who finished in a time of 6:40.53. The Quakers had a similar performance in the fall, when they beat the Midshipmen in the Navy Day Regatta on the Schuylkill. While Penn's performance was good enough to place the Red and Blue above the boys from Annapolis, it proved insufficient when placed against Ivy powerhouse Princeton. The Quakers raced well for the first 1,500 meters, keeping within a boat length of the Tigers. But with about 500 meters left in the race, the Quakers began to fall behind and were soon an insurmountable distance behind Princeton. "We just didn't have the juice at the end," Penn varsity rower Joel Frankel said. "We didn't have the endurance to keep up with Princeton." The second varsity boat also had a good start. The Quakers were able to gain about five seats on Navy at the start, but couldn't keep their lead down the stretch. "We started out well," senior rower Eamon Jordan said. "But we started rowing sloppy and couldn't keep up." According to Jordan, the new lineup and changes in seat order that Penn tested out on Saturday did not prove to be very helpful for the Quakers. Penn finished in third place with a time of 6:46.31. The third varsity boat also placed last in its heat. The crew did not race as well as it could have, according to junior rower Ed Hetherington. "We were not rowing together. Everyone was doing their own thing," Hetherington said. "We kind of fell apart." A big factor in the loss was the fact that there was swamp weed caught under the boat, making it difficult for the rowers to gain speed. The Quakers were also rowing against a direct headwind. Both freshman boats also placed behind the Midshipmen and the Tigers. They finished in times of 6:46.94 and 7:11.28, behind Navy, which finished in a time of 6:45.32, and Princeton, which finished in a time of 6:27.36. The Quakers now have a month to prepare for the Eastern Sprints. With no other races in the meantime, the Quakers will be able to train more intensely for the Sprints than they have for any other event on their schedule. The varsity boat anticipates changes in its training over the next few weeks and hopes to gain speed for their next encounter with the Tigers. "The other teams won't know the speed we're gaining over the next few weeks," Frankel said. "We can surprise a couple of teams if we put together a complete race."
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Researchers working with human subjects are affected by the preliminary recommendations. Midway through its ongoing review process, a provost-led committee investigating Penn's human research protocols will submit to University President Judith Rodin today a list of procedural, interim recommendations aimed at more closely monitoring Penn's human research. In addition, the committee requested that a group from Penn's Center for Bioethics do a closer review of the University's Institutional Review Board system and that current Penn researchers be surveyed to provide the committee with feedback on the current review systems. The five recommendations include implementing external reviews of independent clinical research trials and the creation of an overarching formal code of standard operating procedures for all human research at the University. "I see these as mainly recommendations that will help us get to our conclusions," said Provost Robert Barchi, who chairs the 10-member internal committee of top administrators and faculty. "We are looking to receive the highest standards anywhere." Rodin, who is expected to approve the recommendations, charged the committee in January with reviewing Penn's procedures for using human test subjects as the scandal surrounding a controversial death in Penn's gene therapy program began to mushroom. The committee, which has been meeting regularly over the past few months, initially anticipated submitting its final recommendations by the end of this semester. But Barchi now says the committee needs more time to complete its investigation before releasing its findings, now slated to occur next fall. The internal University committee has been working in parallel with an external committee of experts charged with reviewing the research practices of Penn's Institute for Human Gene Therapy. That group was formed by Rodin after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put on hold all Penn gene therapy experiments four months after the highly publicized death of 18-year-old Jesse Gelsinger, who was participating in an IHGT clinical study. The FDA claims that IHGT researchers violated various research protocols during the trial. Penn officials said, however, that the internal committee was not formed as a direct result of Gelsinger's death but as part of a regular review of Penn's research practices. Of the committee's five recommendations, the most substantial one calls for providing an external review group to oversee the clinical drug trials that Penn sponsors independently. About 15 percent of Penn's clinical drug trials -- including the study in which Gelsinger participated -- are sponsored mainly by the University itself, leaving no formal external oversight. The remaining 85 percent of Penn's pharmaceutical research is sponsored by drug companies or the National Institutes of Health. NIH-funded studies require their own review committees to ensure that the investigators follow separate, strict protocols. The committee also recommended that members of the Center for Bioethics conduct a formal review of the University's Institutional Review Board system -- a series of internal committees that must approve all research involving human subjects before actual experiments start. Using a site-based benchmark study, developed by Penn's Center for Bioethics and used by large research organizations like the RAND Corporation, the group will compare how Penn's research procedures stack up to peer institutions. The committee also called for Penn to develop a code of standard operating procedures, formally stating protocol that University investigators have traditionally followed. The procedures will provide general guidelines for human research, such as rules for obtaining informed consent. It also recommended that Penn investigators be required to formally disclose any proprietary interest in a product or procedure on all research proposals to the IRB. This would serve as an extension of the practice currently overseen by University department chairmen and deans. The final recommendation will primarily serve to aid the internal committee in its investigation. A Web-based survey will be conducted among all Penn investigators involved in human research, providing the committee with feedback about how to improve the IRB and the human-subject protocol review process. "The committee has decided that it better get more information from the investigator's point-of-view," said School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston, a member of the committee. The external review committee investigating the IHGT -- headed by William Danforth, chancellor emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis -- has come to campus several times to interview administrators and researchers. It is expected to submit a final report within the next month.
