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(04/17/00 9:00am)
As they have done all year, the Quakers closed hard but dame up just short in their try to improve on a disappointing Ivy campaign. The Penn men's lacrosse team finished its less-than-stellar Ivy League season with a 9-7 loss to Brown at rainy Franklin Field on Saturday. The Quakers (5-7) finish the Ivy loop at 1-5, their lone victory a tough, 7-4 win at Dartmouth. As they have so many times this season, the Quakers came on strong late, scoring four times in the fourth quarter, including the game's final three goals. But, as it has so many times this season, the final push fell just short. "It's starting to sound a little old," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "[It was] our last crack at a win in the league, so there's a little bit there, but more than that, it's just another tight game that you feel you could have found a way to win." The Quakers controlled the ball for the majority of the first stanza, firing eight shots on goal to the Bears' five. While Quakers goalie Ryan Kelly didn't let a Bears shot get by him until 30 seconds remained in the quarter, the Quakers only managed to get one shot past Bears goalie Beret Dickson. "I think early on when we were playing pretty well, getting good looks at the goal and playing well defensively, we didn't score as much as we needed to," Van Arsdale said. "A lot of that was good goaltending, and some of it was not great shooting by us." Dickson, coming off a disappointing midweek showing in Brown's loss to Harvard, made some very impressive saves and ended with 17 on the day. "[Dickson] got a lot of them in the first quarter, when we could've built ourselves a little bit of a cushion," Van Arsdale said. "To end the first quarter 1-1, when I really felt we had controlled play, was a key factor. Then, over the next seven, eight minutes they scored three in a row. I think we would've been able to absorb it better had we scored [more] in the first." After the Bears scored three straight goals in the second, the Quakers scored two goals with under five minutes remaining in the half and headed to the locker room down by just one. If the Quakers thought that their efforts had gone unrewarded in the first quarter, they were only bound for more disappointment in the third. Despite taking 15 shots on goal, Penn was shut out in the third quarter, 3-0. Eight of those shots were stopped by Dickson, while the rest simply sailed wide. "I didn't think we were as controlling of the play in the third as we had been in the first, but if you get eight shots on net, you've got to [score]," Van Arsdale said. "Not all our shots were great shots, but we had some pretty good ones. And on some of them the shooter didn't execute as well as they could've." Van Arsdale thought that, because his offensive players were encountering a goalie on a hot streak, they started to press a little too much, thus knocking themselves out of an offensive rhythm. "We missed the cage completely on some shots that we should've made [Dickson] make saves on," Van Arsdale said. After getting blanked in the third, the Quakers came out in the fourth trailing 7-4 and got three goals out of the nine shots they took. However, all three goals came after Brown scored twice to push its lead to 9-4. That meant that the Quakers comeback ended two goals too soon. "I guess there are things you could try to point to," Van Arsdale said of his team's inability to solve the Ivy puzzle, despite being very competitive in every single contest. "It's a game of spurts and back and forth flow," he said. "And we sometimes have a little bit too much trouble stopping the bleeding, and we let teams get on runs." These runs are expected in the ultra-competitive world of Ivy League lacrosse, where nearly every team is nationally ranked. But according to Van Arsdale, that's exactly why his team should be prepared for them. "When you play a good opponent, they're going to get a run on you at some point, but I think it tends to affect us for a longer period of time than it really needs to."
(04/14/00 9:00am)
A cultural treat was in store for classical music amateurs and aficionados alike when some of Penn's finest musicians took the stage on Wednesday night with the University Symphony Orchestra. Irvine Auditorium had a nearly packed house of students, parents and classical musical lovers for the performance. Under the direction of conductor Ricardo Averbach, who is in his fifth year as the music director of the orchestra, the University Symphony played four selections from notable classical works. Their pieces included Mozart's Violin Concerto no. 5 in A major, which set violinist Daniel Cohen, a College freshman, against the rest of the orchestra. College junior Talitha West-Katz, William Lai and Tony Park fronted the orchestra in violin and viola for the Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major, also by Mozart. The "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture" by Tchaikovsky concluded the performance. The highlight of the evening, though, was a performance of Peter and the Wolf, a well-known musical story composed by Prokofiev. Serving as narrator for the piece was none other than College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman. At ease on the Irvine stage, he joked,"Our wolf is so terrifying, it will be represented by six horns instead of the usual three." Wednesday's concert was the last of the year for the orchestra, which marked its return to the newly-renovated Irvine last semester with a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. It was a momentous occasion for the orchestra, as the performance marked the Philadelphia premiere of the Urtext edition of the piece. The University Orchestra, which just celebrated its 122nd anniversary, has reached a broad and diverse audience under the direction of Averbach. Over the past three years, all of the orchestra's concerts have been sold out, and recordings of the performances can be heard in over 50 countries thanks to Art in the States, a program produced by WGBH Radio in Boston. The group has been a part of numerous exchanges with ensembles such as the Columbia University Orchestra, the Haverford College Orchestra and Orchestra 2001, and in 1998 toured France. Averbach himself is a noted music director worldwide. A native of Bulgaria, he will be returning to the National Opera of Sofia this June for their production of Mozart's opera Le Nozze di Figaro. His latest CD was recorded with the Sofia Symphony Orchestra and has sold more than 500,000 copies. None of this, though, compares to his most recently released project -- the Penn Wind Ensemble's first CD, narrated by University President Judith Rodin. With such a following, one might think there would be no problem attracting students to performances, but the number of students attending isn't as high as audience members say it could be. "I think students are aware that there are performances, but on-campus interest isn't very big," College sophomore Adrienne Moore said. "It's mostly family and friends."
(04/14/00 9:00am)
Spring Fling begins today with festivities in the Quad ranging from performing arts groups to food vendors and games. After much anticipation, Spring Fling is finally here. The festivities will be unleashed at 11 a.m. today in the Quadrangle, commencing Penn's 27th annual Spring Fling. With all the activities in store, everyone will be asking to "Fling Me Baby One More Time." The Quad will rock for two days with a variety of musical acts, games, local food vendors and student groups. This year's Fling is themed after the first hit single from teen pop queen Britney Spears. Student performing arts groups as well as local bands will take the stage throughout the day on both Friday and Saturday. "We have lined up some really great bands and performing arts groups," said Fling Co-Chair Mike Silverstein, a College junior and 34th Street magazine editor. On Friday, groups including the Arts House Dance Company, Flights 19 and the Penn Jazz Ensemble will perform on stages in the Upper and Lower Quads. Also on Friday, singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham will perform in the Quad at 2:20 p.m. Bonham, who recently released her third album Down Here, is opening for Ben Folds Five on their current tour. In the Upper Quad, various student groups -- including the College Republicans, the Korean Student Association and the Penn Leukemia Society -- will set up booths. This year, local companies including Parfumerie Douglas, Philly2nite.com, Council Travel and others will also host booths. Hungry students can head down to Lower Quad, where food vendors such as Allegro's Pizza, Kiss Foods and Smitty's Fries will offer edible treats. After sampling all the refreshments, students looking for a bit more physical activity can surmount a giant mock-rock climbing wall that will be erected in Upper Quad. Friday will feature a mock joust and on Saturday students can look forward to a bungee challenge. All the activity is not restricted to the Quad, however. From 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. today, Locust Walk will be filled with artisans selling their wares at Crafts Fair 2000, which will feature everything from picture frames to silver jewelry. Though activities in the Quad officially end at 6 p.m., the fun will not stop as the sun goes down. On Friday night, DJ Young Eller, the Philadelphia-based Roots and Ben Folds Five will take the stage on Hill Field -- rain or shine. The concert is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., with admission to the field opening at 7 p.m. Tickets have been on sale all week on Locust Walk and will be available at the door. Prices are $20 for students with PennCards and $25 for the general public. Saturday's schedule in the Quad features Strictly Funk, the Quaker Notes, Pennsylvania Six-5000, Mask and Wig and others. Saturday evening, students can head over to Hamilton Village for a tropical adventure at the Hawaiian-themed carnival. Beginning at 8 p.m., the event will feature free games, prizes, novelties and food. And afterward, the Social Planning and Events Committee will be hosting a pancake breakfast in the Class of 1920 Commons dining hall from midnight to 3 a.m. Throughout the weekend, souvenirs will be available in the Quad. Fling T-shirts are priced at $10 each, and key chains, frisbees and glowsticks will also be available.
(04/14/00 9:00am)
The Quakers host Cornell in two doubleheaders. The grand opening will take place tomorrow. A famous alum, the newest installments to the Penn baseball Hall of Fame, the Phillies' organist, 500 free pennants and free food are just a few of the things that the Penn baseball team is promising fans for the official dedication of its new stadium at Murphy Field tomorrow afternoon. "We're going to be doing a lot of neat things," Penn coach Bob Seddon said of the weekend's festivities. "It's going to be fun." The dedication ceremony will occur during the intermission of the Quakers' (13-13, 4-4 Ivy League) Saturday doubleheader against Cornell (5-16, 4-4). The first game begins at noon. The teams will also meet for a second doubleheader beginning at noon Sunday on Murphy Field. Autograph seekers should definitely be on hand for Saturday's dedication, as Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder and Penn baseball Hall of Famer Doug Glanville will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to officially open the ballpark. Also planned for the dedication is the induction of the Penn baseball Hall of Fame's six newest members -- including Mike Shannon, the 1996 Ivy League player of the year and the Quakers' record-holder for hits in a season. Additionally, Seddon and Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky will say some words about the new park and the Quakers baseball program in between games. And during both games of the doubleheader, Phillies organist Paul Richardson will pump out ballpark favorites for the Murphy Field crowd. "This will be a good time for everybody to come out and see the stadium and see the team," said Penn Athletic Communications Assistant Stephen Haug, who helped plan much of the dedication's events. "It should be a good weekend." Of course, the weekend could be spoiled for Seddon if the Quakers get too caught up in the festivities and lose focus on their games against the Big Red. Cornell visits Murphy Field coming off a successful Ivy League weekend last weekend at Brown and Yale. Similar to Penn's home results against the Ancient Eight, the Big Red split with the Bears and swept the Elis in their doubleheaders. And despite Cornell's subpar overall record, the team's fortunes in Ivy League play make Seddon leery of the folks from Ithaca. "Cornell doesn't have a good record, however. I think you can throw that out when you talk about the Ivy League weekend games," Seddon said. "It's really apparent that all the teams in our division are very equal." The apparent equality of the two teams could be broken, though, by the red-hot bats the Quakers have been swinging lately. Over the past six games, Penn has racked up a whopping 62 runs on 82 hits -- including a 33-run night at La Salle last week. The Quakers' opponents, on the other hand, can only claim 39 runs on 62 hits over the same span of games. These batting statistics give Seddon confidence in his team's chances this weekend against the Big Red's experienced pitching staff. "Whoever pitches for [Cornell], they'd better be good because our kids will hit the ball," he said. "A good pitcher will slow us down, but for the most part we hit the ball." Marked improvements in other aspects of his team's game has Seddon even more sure of Penn's chances against Cornell in the four games the teams will play. "We're playing very well right now, even in [the] games we've lost," Seddon said. "We're running the bases well; we're playing good defense; [and] we've been getting better pitching in the last three weeks. "The games [this weekend] are going to be very competitive, and they can go either way. But I'm pretty certain that our kids will rise for them." Slated to start on the mound for the Quakers in tomorrow's first game is sophomore Mike Mattern, who will try for his second win of the season after nabbing his first last weekend against Dartmouth.
(04/14/00 9:00am)
As a reporter for Newsday on Long Island, N.Y., Randi Feigenbaum spends much of her day busily writing from her small cubicle. Come 7 p.m., she'll make a stop or two at the grocery store and the dry cleaners and head home. Fast forward several hours, and Feigenbaum, a 1997 College graduate, receives her sole respite of the day when she transports herself back to her alma mater simply by logging on to the Internet. Feigenbaum and nearly 200 other alumni are participants in a Kelly Writers House book club, which is conducted entirely via e-mail and run exclusively for alumni. Alumni who take advantage of the program -- which launched in January with an online discussion of two novelists led by Writers House Faculty Director Al Filreis -- agree that it does exactly what it had been intended to do: allow them to maintain intellectual contact with their fellow Penn graduates. Each month, a group of alumni sign up to read and discuss a book chosen by one of the moderating faculty members. For the next several weeks, each alumni then e-mails his or her responses to the listserv so that others may comment. And then comes an online conversation, similar to one that might happen in a Bennett Hall classroom. "They cut across the years and the miles, and they mix people who might otherwise never have an opportunity to come into contact," 1981 Wharton graduate Richard Stein said. So far, four different professors -- Filreis, Classical Studies Professor Jim O'Donnell, English Professor Dan Traister and Religious Studies Professor Ann Matter -- have led three month-long sessions on topics ranging from the study of contemporary Jewish American author Saul Bellow to a discussion of Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire. The book club is the brainchild of Filreis, who conceived the idea following his involvement in a program called Alumnverse. In 1996, as part of Alumnverse, 160 alumni discussed poetry over e-mail. But instead of duplicating Alumnverse's one-year discussion, Filreis decided to hold short one-month book discussions this time. Richard Ross, a 1982 College graduate and now a top Disney Channel executive, then provided a boost to the project by donating $500 for the purpose of hiring someone to maintain the listservs. That's the only expense of the entire program as alumni utilize the listservs for free. After e-mailing various alumni list serves and Writers House contacts and publicizing the club in the Pennsylvania Gazette, Filreis had a group of 25 alumni sign up to participate in his first discussion on Bellow and novelist Mary McCarthy. Volunteer efforts by the five faculty discussion leaders and students at the Writers house took it from there. Alumni had initially been restricted to participating in one club, but when Filreis found the initial group to be so enthusiastic, he allowed them to sign up for a later book club. By now, more than 200 alumni have participated in the discussions. "There is a history of post-college-age people participating in post-college discussions," Filreis said. "In the 1950s people sat around and read books together." These virtual book clubs carry advantages besides eliminating the need for a central meeting place, according to those who participate. In fact, the online discussions have made it possible for alumni with full-time jobs, families and hectic schedules to still have time for intellectual discussions. "I will say that I think this medium actually allowed, in some cases, for more thoughtful discussion than a regular classroom because you didn't have to cram everything into a two-hour window once a week," Stein said. "We could take time to refer back to the text or other sources -- do our homework in class, as it were," 1963 Wharton graduate Alex Newmark added. Participating alumni are quick to point out that the initiative keeps them learning in an organized fashion. In short, no matter the drawbacks, it's still better than nothing. Still, many also recognize that the book club is far from a substitute for face-to-face learning. "You can't respond to each other [in] real time, so you can't have a real debate back and forth quickly," said Feigenbaum, a former Daily Pennsylvanian editor. "Sometimes, if I missed a day due to work related stuff, I missed whole topics and discussions, some of which I would have liked to respond to -- but they were yesterday's news." Michele Root-Bernstein, a 1975 Wharton graduate and member of the session on Nabokov, added, "Spontaneity gets lost, of course, since we are all composing our thoughts, editing them with second thoughts and, at times, suppressing them with third thoughts." The upcoming fourth book group -- moderated by Filreis and Writers House Director Kerry Sherin-- focuses on the works of Jennifer Egan and Ellen Umansky, two up-and-coming alumnae authors. The discussion is open to New York-area alumni only. The goal in restricting participation to New York residents, Filreis explained, is to encourage alumni to take their conversations from the chatroom to bars and restaurants. "[This is to] see if you can create an online learning community that actually can become a physical community," he said. With a large number of alumni located in Boston and San Francisco too, Filreis said he hopes to try the same sort of book discussions in those cities next year.
(04/14/00 9:00am)
A policy requiring notification if officials read e-mail was informally approved by University Council. After months of debate in University Council among faculty, staff, students and administrators, Penn may soon have an official policy governing the privacy of e-mail and other electronic information. A proposed electronic privacy policy was approved informally last month at a Council meeting that lacked a quorum. The proposal -- the third version brought before Council in as many months -- has been put out for public comment by Provost Robert Barchi through June 1. The new policy states that notification will always be made if someone's electronic privacy is violated and it outlines four conditions that must be met before any person's e-mail or computer files can be read by administrators. The four conditions apply to students, faculty and staff members, who had been given differing levels of protection in previous drafts of the policy. If the proposal is accepted, specified University officials will only be able to access a person's files or e-mail without consent if there is a "good faith belief" that doing so is required to comply with the law; if doing so may provide information needed for an investigation of a violation of law or school policy; if doing so is necessary to ensure the integrity of University computing systems; or if doing so may provide information needed to deal with an emergency. In the case of staff members only, a search of electronic data without consent may also take place if it will "yield information that is needed for the ordinary business of the University to proceed." The policy also would require that the person be notified "as soon as practicable" of the involuntary disclosure of information. Previous proposals had stated that students would "ordinarily" be notified when their e-mail was read, but did not guarantee notification. "Except as may otherwise be dictated by legal requirements, individuals will be notified of access to, or disclosure of, the contents of their e-mail, voice mail or their computer accounts as soon as practicable," the newest proposed policy states. Physiology Professor Martin Pring, who headed the effort to create a University-wide policy governing electronic privacy as chairman of Council's Committee on Communications, said that comments made at previous Council meetings this year helped the committee gain concessions from the general counsel's office for stronger policy protections. University attorneys had previously been hesitant to accept some of the stronger proposed protections because of the constraints they would place on the University's ability to act in many situations. "When University Council started asking the same questions [as the committee], it helped our argument considerably," Pring said, calling the latest version of the policy "substantially strengthened" from earlier drafts. Pring said he expects the policy to be approved and take effect this summer unless Barchi receives substantial negative comment before June 1. Because there was no quorum at the meeting, the majority of Council members present gave an informal approval to thepolicy, though several Council members still voiced some objections. On the recommendation of Council, a review of the privacy policy and its effectiveness will be made two years after it takes effect.
(04/14/00 9:00am)
Penn named interim coach Mike Schnur as the permanent coach of both the men's and women's swimming teams. Mike Schnur, who served as Penn's interim coach this past season after the departure of Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert, was named the Quakers' full-time men's and women's swimming coach yesterday. "[Being named head coach] is a great honor, and I'm really excited about the challenge ahead," Schnur said. "It's something I've been working for for a really long time." Schnur served as assistant coach at Penn from 1991-1999 and stepped in as interim coach when Lawlor-Gilbert retired in September. A 1988 Penn graduate who majored in American History, Schnur guided the Quakers men to a 7-5 record (4-5 in the EISL) this year -- a three-win improvement over 1998-99. He also led the women to their first Ivy League win in 42 tries -- breaking an embarrassing, seven-year winless streak for Penn in the league. The Quakers ended up with two league victories and a 6-6 dual meet record -- their best in both categories since the 1989-1990 season. Schnur, who was a four-year letterwinner for the Quakers, starred under Lawlor-Gilbert in the mid-1980s. He captained the team as a senior and twice made the finals in the Eastern Seaboard 1,650-yard freestyle race. "His experience as a student-athlete at Penn as well as his Ivy coaching background has prepared him to provide outstanding leadership for our athletes," Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said in a statement released yesterday. "Everyone felt that Michael did an outstanding job serving as coach for the past year." Schnur was chosen partially through the recommendations of a committee that included men's captain Blake Martin and women's captain Cathy Holland. "I think it's great," Holland said. "Mike has been a fantastic assistant coach, and he was great as the interim coach this past year. The positivity he brings to the pool is unparalleled." Schnur said that he will not alter his style of coaching, despite a change in his official status. "I'm going to coach the same way I always have," Schnur said. "It's nice to have security, but I had that this year. "It doesn't matter whether you're interim or head or assistant, coaching is coaching." According to Schnur, the biggest benefit from his change in status is in recruiting, where he will no longer have the hindrance of a non-permanent status. "No other coaches in the league can use that against us any more," Schnur said. "And believe me, they have done that this year." While Schnur led Penn to improvements in dual meets this year, the Quakers still struggled in their biggest meets of the year. In the Easterns, the men's team finished ninth of 10 teams, while the women finished last in the eight-squad Ivy League Championship field. "It's probably going to take us two, three, four years to get the program back to where we want it to be," Schnur said. "But I think next year we can have a program that's a real pride for everyone." Prior to stepping down, Lawlor-Gilbert coached Penn for 17 years, guiding the men's program to a 65-118 record and the women's program to a 115-124 mark.
(04/14/00 9:00am)
The Quakers, losers of six in a row, host Princeton and Cornell hoping for better outcomes. If the Penn softball team hopes to make some noise in the Ivy League this season, the time to get some wins is definitely right now. The Quakers will try to get their first Ancient Eight win of the year today when they go against Princeton in a home doubleheader. Penn (11-22-1, 0-4) has been struggling offensively of late, scoring only five runs in the last six games, all losses. In its four league contests thus far, the team has totaled a mere four runs. "We definitely know that we're capable of beating Princeton," sophomore Jen Moore said. "But at the same time, we knew we could've beat Drexel, Yale, and Brown, but that just isn't happening." On Wednesday, the Quakers played Drexel in an away doubleheader and dropped both games, 4-1 and 1-0. The highlight of the day for Penn had to be the near no-hit performance turned in by freshman pitcher Dina Parise. Parise, starting in only her third game, showed an impressive array of pitches and took a no-hitter into the last inning. Unfortunately for Parise, her no-hit bid was spoiled when Kelly Donahue led the seventh off with a double. The game was over when Jodi Devine hit a two-out double to drive in the winning run and break the scoreless tie. "I was really pleased with my pitching, and I thought that our defense did an awesome job backing me up," Parise said. "It was a tough loss after holding them hitless for six innings, but I can take away a lot of positives from this." If the Quakers are going to beat Princeton, which stands at 4-0 in the Ivies, they will probably need some great pitching because the Orange and Black will make it difficult to score. Tigers pitcher Brie Galacinao took home last week's Ivy League Player of the Week honors. She helped Princeton start league play off undefeated by getting at least one hit in all four games and allowing no earned runs in two starts and twelve total innings. Despite Penn's offensive difficulties of late, returning first team All-Ivy selection Moore is having a great year with the bat. She is batting a whopping .394 with two homers and 15 RBIs. "I think that our biggest problem is that we always have one aspect of our game missing," Moore said. "One day we'll be hitting and pitching well, but our defense will be poor, and then the next day we'll play well on defense but we won't be able to get any hits." The Quakers will also face Cornell in a double-dip on Sunday afternoon. If Penn can take four straight home games, the Red and Blue could even its Ivy League mark at 4-4. "We seem to be hitting the ball consistently in practice, but when it comes to games we just seem to scatter our hits," Parise said. Cornell has been playing well thus far and stands at 17-5 on the year. The Big Red have played only one league game, however, and were shut out by Harvard, 1-0. Cornell has been potent offensively, with nine players batting at or above .300. "Our intensity needs to be up, and we have to be much more aggressive and really play like we believe in ourselves," Moore said. "We know we have a lot of talent, so it is just a matter of going out there and performing."
(04/14/00 9:00am)
In order to do so, the Quakers will need to come out on top at this weekend's Ivy Champs. This year, there are two ways the Penn's men's golf team could qualify for the NCAA regional golf tournament. Either finish in the top four out of their 50-team district, which is too late to happen, or win this weekend at the Ivy League Championship at Metedeconk National Golf Course. According to Penn golf coach Francis Vaughn, his Quakers will face an uphill battle -- with themselves. "Our biggest threat is ourselves," Vaughn said. "We have to play within ourselves. We have to play our own game and not worry about any other team." According to Vaughn, "Ivy League golf has seen much more parity among its teams in the last few years." At the Ivy League Championship last year, four teams broke 900, an average score of 75 per player. The Quakers will play 36 holes on Saturday and the deciding 18 holes on Sunday. This year, two freshmen will represent the squad at the tourney. Freshman standout Chad Perman will team with freshman Endel Liias to comprise the freshman contingent. "The last time I played two freshmen," Vaughn said, "we won." Rounding out the starting five are three-time All-Ivy selection and senior captain Rob Goldfaden, All-Ivy junior Kyle Moran and junior Todd Golditch. Hopefully for the Quakers, Vaughn has found the right mix of youth and experience. "Each of the players has the ability to play well and to find themselves in the winner's circle," Vaughn said. If the Quakers were to win this weekend, they could attribute their victory to their hard work throughout the season. "We've worked very diligently to prepare for this weekend," Vaughn said. "It has been our focus." According to Perman, the key to a Quakers win is patience and few mistakes. "It is so important to play smart golf and to limit dumb mistakes," Perman said. A personal key for Perman is a quick start in the first round on Saturday. "A good start will make it easier for me," Perman said. "It would certainly put me in a good frame of mind, a good flow." If the Quakers hope to be victorious this weekend, they will have to defeat defending champion Columbia, as well as 23-time NCAA Division I national champion Yale. The Elis' most recent NCAA title, however, came in 1943. Princeton, a 13-time NCAA Division 1 champion, will also pose a challenge. For the Quakers to reach the NCAA East Regional Tournament, they must go through Metedeconk National Golf Course. "You can't go to second base without touching first," Vaughn said.
(04/14/00 9:00am)
With five games still remaining on its schedule, the Penn women's lacrosse team (5-4) has already surpassed last year's squad in total wins. But if you look solely at the Ivy League standings, it might appear that little has changed since then. Penn still sits near the bottom of the league with just a single victory over Columbia to speak of. The Quakers have not beaten another Ivy opponent since April 11, 1998. The Red and Blue can break that streak tomorrow when they travel to Hanover, N.H., to face Dartmouth (6-1, 4-0) at noon. But if the national rankings are any indication, the No. 9 Big Green will offer a more imposing challenge than typical Ivy foes. "They are a different level, and that's just a fact," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "We're not there yet. Penn hasn't recruited, and they get the best kids in the country." The Big Green have compiled a perfect league record, coupled with non-conference wins over New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Boston University. Senior captain Brooke Jenkins said tomorrow's game will definitely be Penn's toughest to date. "We're just hoping to give them a good game," Traci Marabella said. "But it would be nice if we could come up with the upset." If the Quakers hope to win, they will need an answer for Dartmouth's Jacque Weitzel, the nation's leading scorer with 4.57 goals per game. "[Weitzel] is about 5'11'' and left handed, so she's tough to guard," Jenkins said. "She's a big strong girl who can really beat you with her size. We just have to stick on her like glue." But Brower said that even if Penn loses, it will still benefit just from facing Dartmouth. "I think it's great for us to play a team like this because it shows us where we need to go," she said.
(04/14/00 9:00am)
The surprising snowstorm that blanketed campus early Sunday morning probably convinced most students to remain in bed a few more hours. However, for 100 or so dedicated do-gooders, the weather was hardly reason to stop them from what they had set out to do: community service. Several dozen students, most of whom were Jewish, participated in the annual Mitzvah Day, in which they performed a variety of community service activities throughout the city. Mitzvah is the Hebrew word for "commandment," but is traditionally thought of as a good deed. This year, for the first time, Penn collaborated with students at Drexel and Temple universities. The goal of the day, coordinator David Glasner explained, is to bring together the Jewish community for the shared purpose of service and charity. Glasner, a College senior, said the collaboration with other schools was beneficial because "every campus really feels ownership of the event." College sophomore Albert Sultan added that this day was in keeping with the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, which means "repairing the world." "These are the ethical values that Jews and Judaism want to represent to the world," he said. "One thing we all agree on is that the world needs to be fixed." The day began with a brunch at the Veranda on Locust Walk. Most of the participating students had found out about the event either through Hillel or through their friends. The Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity showed a strong charity commitment by turning participation into a pledge event for its freshman class. Wharton freshman and AEPi pledge Michael Sand said, "Part of being in a fraternity is doing philanthropy and donating time to the betterment of the community, so Mitzvah Day gives everybody a chance to give back and have fun doing it." The students was allowed to select which community service event they wanted to attend. Possible choices included going to the Thrift for AIDS store to sort clothes, cleaning and preparing an old synagogue for Passover, celebrating Christmas in April with underprivileged Philadelphia residents and visiting a geriatric hospital. Though most volunteers sported Mitzvah Day T-shirts, College senior Ben Schein got a little more creative by dressing in a large blue and red button, the symbol of the Half Shekel campaign -- a student effort whose goal is to create a unified Jewish community on campus by sponsoring social events and an annual charity drive. At the end of the brunch, Renee Bebe, a volunteer with the Philadelphia Cares organization, spoke to the students about the value of participating in community service projects. "One project at a time is how we change things," she said. At the end of the day, those that had participated felt accomplished and proud. Malka Hoffman, a Temple University sophomore and organizer of the B'nai Synagogue trip, said she was impressed by the commitment of the volunteers. "I'm so excited that so many people cared enough to come out and help clean up," she said.
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Daniel Becker, the resident nose job expert at HUP, performs around 100 rhinoplasties a year. Daniel Becker has probably seen every nose shape and size there is. A professor in the Ear, Nose and Throat Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Becker is HUP's resident expert rhinoplasty -- the technical name for a nose job. The nose guy, as he calls himself. Since Becker arrived at Penn 3 1/2 years ago, his practice has grown to the point where he now performs the majority of the rhinoplasty operations in his department-- about 100 a year on patients ranging in age from 16 to 78. And much of his practice -- about 40 percent of the rhinoplasties he performs -- is fixing nose jobs that did not heal properly. "My specialty is taking care of the nose inside and out," he explained. It used to be that surgeons would remove tissue and bone when performing rhinoplasties. But that technique often results in problems later on, such as obstructed breathing or a skeletonized shape, which is what Becker often finds himself correcting. "The nose has a structural support like a bridge," Becker said. "If you take away too much, then it doesn't have the support it needs and it doesn't work." Otorhinolaryngologists now resect swaths of cartilage from the ear or septum -- the wall that divides the nose into left and right halves -- and insert them into the nose through incisions made either in the inner nose -- a technique known as endo nasal rhinoplasty -- or on the columella, the bridge that separates the nostrils, known as open rhinoplasty. Many of the revisions that Becker does are on patients who had rhinoplasties 10 or 15 years ago. But he also sees patients who had more recent surgeries, which he views -- to some degree -- as a sign of incompetence on the part of the surgeon who did the original operation. "Clearly, there is not enough understanding about rhinoplasties out there," he noted. "Some things are done improperly." But not all of the revisions he sees are necessarily the result of a poor nose job, Becker points out. About 2 to 8 percent of any surgeon's rhinoplasties will need touch-up operations. But Becker says he strives for perfection with every rhinoplasty. "There is an expression that the best outcome is a happy patient and a happy surgeon," he said. "The worst outcome is a happy surgeon and an unhappy patient. The most common should be a happy patient and an unhappy surgeon." Striving for perfection is important because, for many people, a changed nose can mean a changed self-image. "It can make a wonderful improvement in people in the way they view themselves," he said. "If you ruin someone's nose, then it can be devastating." And Becker wants to dispel the image of nose jobs patients as rich people who are never satisfied with themselves. He points out that a good number of the rhinoplasties he performs are on students. Students, according to Becker, have the same reasons as anyone else for having their noses done: function, aesthetics or both. But students tend to wait until graduation before they have their noses done. "When people begin a new life, they want a new appearance," Becker said. "That's a good time for them to make that change." Whatever the reason for the operation -- Becker has even operated on men whose noses were crushed in fights -- the goal is always the same. "You don't want someone to look like they just had an operation," Becker said. "You just want them to look good." Modern surgical tools and techniques have been so refined that patients experience little or no scarring or bruising. Even the incision wounds are barely visible when they heal. And the pain is minimal. About the only post-operative symptom is fatigue. Otorhinolaryngologists like Becker now use powered instruments for tissue shaving and specially made osteotomes, which are used to reshape bone. "He utilizes traditional techniques combined with new approaches and instrumentation," said Andrew Goldberg, a fellow HUP otorhinolaryngologist. A typical rhinoplasty can last anywhere from one to three hours plus recovery time and costs a few thousand dollars. But for most patients, the outcome is well worth the price. "I've never seen a smile on a face as big as the smile on the face of a rhinoplasty patient after you take the cast off," Becker said.
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International Monetary Fund and World Bank, look out. What happened to the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle last year is expected to re-occur at the IMF and World Bank meetings in Washington, D.C., this weekend More than 50 students attended a discussion at Civic House Tuesday night to hear why thousands of students, some from Penn, will be descending upon the nation's capital in protest. The discussion, or IMF Teach-In, was sponsored by Groove Phi Groove, Penn Students Against Sweatshops and Civic House. History Professor David Ludden began the discussion by giving a broad history of the IMF and the World Bank. He highlighted both the goals and the shortcomings of these international financial institutions. The IMF, formed in 1946, began as "the lender of last resort for countries in financial crisis," Ludden said. Along with the World Bank, it was intended to promote a "flourishing environment for international investment of private capital." Both institutions exist largely to enable needy countries to receive financial capital from private investors. But what was originally intended to fund post-World War II recovery has been transformed into a multilateral force in effecting policy change in debtor countries, according to Ludden. The IMF now has to "get into governments and alter the way governments work," he said. One major problem with the IMF's operations Ludden said, is the issue of structural adjustment. In the 1970s, saddled by debt, many developing countries found themselves dependent on international finance for survival. These countries began to look to debt-driven development to solve their problems. "Businesses do not invest in infrastructure," Ludden said. "They depend on government investment in infrastructure." The IMF, in a position to loan this needed capital, then dictated the ways in which debtor nations had to change their budgets. Ludden left Civic House after his 20-minute talk. Exiting audience members who left with the professor said they were pleased with his historical viewpoint. "I thought that it was about as unbiased as one could make it," College sophomore Alice Pink said. But after Ludden's exit, the discussion quickly changed to a more partisan viewpoint. College senior Miriam Joffe-Block, who participated in the Seattle protests several months ago and is a leader of Penn Students Against Sweatshops, took the floor to discuss the workings of the IMF. She concluded that the IMF is doing more harm than good. "The IMF is forcing a market economy and integration into the global economy much, much faster than happened for the U.S.," read one of the visuals that she showed. But audience member Alex Robinson, a College senior, pointedly asked Joffe-Block after her presentation, "Instead of protesting against the IMF, why aren't you pushing for another multilateral body?" Emily Nepon, a member of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, responded in her presentation that one cannot afford to be objective. "People are fucking dying because of changes being made in their countries by the IMF and the World Bank," Nepon said. Nepon was referring to the fact that the IMF has, in some cases, dictated the release of price protections sponsored by debtor nations. This could then limit the availability of food to poor people.
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Penn will put the wraps on a disappointing year in the ivy League. After a heartbreaking, double overtime loss to Villanova, the Penn men's lacrosse team (5-6, 1-4 Ivy League) will try to right the ship tomorrow at 2 p.m. against Brown (4-5, 1-2) in its final appearance at Franklin Field this season. The Bears are also coming off a tough loss, a 10-7 defeat against Harvard, and Brown will be hungry for a win. "I think their team, much like us, feels a little bit wounded off that loss last night, and we're both looking to get a good win come Saturday," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. The question, therefore, is which team will carry the lingering effects of the Wednesday night losses into Saturday's game. "There's always a little concern about coming off of a demoralizing game like that," Van Arsdale said. "I mean, an overtime game's either euphoria or depression right when it's over. "[But] I thought our guys bounced back pretty well today, and they're looking forward to another good opponent on Saturday. Sometimes having another one looking at you in the face in a couple of days lets you put the previous one behind you." The Bears team staring down the Quakers for tomorrow is a formidable one. No. 14 Brown beat Duke, 10-9, early this season and Yale two weeks ago. The Quakers were edged out by the Elis, 11-10, in their first Ivy contest this season. The Bears, throughout their lineup, are a very strong team. They have excellent attackmen and midfielders and an above-average defense. "It'll be sort of what we went through last night [against 'Nova], with the first midfielders doing a lot of creating for them," Van Arsdale said. "I think they have a little bit better attack then we saw against 'Nova, and I think a little more solid defense. It's a good, solid Ivy League team." Van Arsdale wasn't going to make any adjustments -- he just wants to get them to play a little cleaner. "Last night we showed, I thought, our best offensive stuff in a long time, and I don't think we're going to change anything dramatically to get after Brown," Van Arsdale said. "We just need to be sharp and to avoid a couple of the turnovers that cost us in the third quarter yesterday." The Quakers aren't that worried about how the game against the Bears fits into the greater scheme of their Ivy League season. They are more concerned about getting a win on Senior Day on 33rd Street. "It's one game," Van Arsdale said. "I don't think it's so much the overall picture of the league that we're looking at for this one. Maybe at the end of the year, it'll look a whole lot better to say, 'Hey we won a couple of games in the league rather than just one.' But mainly it's a chance to beat a good Ivy League team, which Penn hasn't had much success with lately." Four Penn seniors will wear their game uniforms on Franklin Field for the final time. In addition to Quakers co-captains defenseman Bill Fowler and attackman Pete Janney, midfielders Billy Reidy and Mike Kehoe will also play in the last Ancient Eight contests of their careers tomorrow. "It's the last home game of the year, the last home game for four seniors, and I think that's more the focus for this one than that it's another Ivy game," Van Arsdale said. While there will be some recognition of the seniors and an alumni dinner on Saturday night, the planned festivities aren't that extensive. "We'll announce the four seniors playing in their last home game, and we also have an awards banquet Saturday night," Van Arsdale said. "Obviously with that kind of atmosphere, you'd like to make it a special one for them to remember because it's their last time out here."
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The Penn women's golf team wraps up its spring season with the Ivy League Championships this weekend. The 36-hole tournament will take place tomorrow and Sunday at the Metedaconk National Golf Club in Jackson, N.J. The five team members competing for the Quakers this weekend will be senior captain Natasha Miller, junior Jen Schraut, sophomores Rachel Slosburg and Victoria Entine, and freshman Stacy Kress. Both Schraut and Entine competed in last year's tournament in Bethpage, N.Y. While the Quakers competed in that tournament, their scores did not count in the official standings, as this is the first year for women's golf as a varsity sport at Penn. The Red and Blue shot a 442 and a 460, for a two-day total of 902. In this weekend's tournament, the Quakers will face Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard, defending champion Princeton and Yale. The only Ancient Eight schools without women's golf programs are Columbia and Cornell. Penn has already faced the Tigers and Elis once this spring, at William and Mary. In preparation for the Ivy Championships, the Quakers have been focusing on ironing out some of the kinks in their games -- especially long putting. "We want to go into the Ivies with a positive attitude," Miller said. The Quakers should have the benefit this weekend of five competitors, something that they have not experienced yet this season. Since only the top four scores each day count, having a fifth golfer would give the other four competitors some breathing room. The Quakers hope that the additional competitor will enable them to rebound from a last-place finish in the 17-team field at the William and Mary Invitational two weeks ago. The team also wants to focus on its season-long goal, which has been to shoot under 400 in every single round, regardless of the tournament. Last week, the Quakers added assistant coach Laura Hammond to the coaching staff. Hammond, who earned her master's degree in Elementary Education from Penn in January, was a four-year letterwinner for the Penn State women's golf team. Hammond was also a four-time Collegiate Tournament winner and was a four-time Philadelphia women's amateur champion as well. "Laura is a wonderful addition to an improving women's golf team," Penn coach Francis Vaughn said. "Her experience as a collegiate player will help develop future Penn golfers."
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the author came to speak at Penn about his remake of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet.' Famed American author John Updike came to Penn yesterday to talk about his most recent and arguably most challenging work ever -- a refashioning of Shakespeare's Hamlet. A crowd of more than 300 people filled Logan Hall yesterday, some crouching in the aisles or standing up in back to hear Updike, 68, read three excerpts from his newly released novel Gertrude and Claudius. The author appeared as part of the School of Arts and Sciences' annual Dean's Forum. But Updike's story isn't what one might expect from reading Shakespeare's version of Hamlet -- the classic tale of a prince, Hamlet, tortured by the murder of his father at the hands his uncle, Claudius, who marries Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Gertrude and Claudius tells a sympathetic story of the royal couple, while Hamlet and his father are portrayed more negatively than in the original. "I was curious about some of the questions Hamlet himself raises. Did they [Gertrude and Claudius] have an affair while she was still married to Hamlet's father?" Updike asked. "I decided to take a stab at answering them." SAS Dean Samuel Preston opened the forum by naming 19 undergraduates and graduate students as 2000 Dean's Scholars and speaking about featured speaker. "Updike is not only one of the greatest living American writers, he is also one of the most wide-ranging," Preston said. Following Preston's introduction, Updike began to read from the first few pages of his novel, in which Gertrude's father Rorik is convincing her to marry the elder Hamlet. Updike briefly explained that Gertrude eventually bows to her father's will and marries Hamlet, leaving herself in an unhappy marriage. He then read the scene where Gertrude begins the affair with her husband's brother, Claudius. Gertrude succumbs to Claudius after he gives her a rare and beautiful silk robe. "She touched that shimmering cloth and in that touch was her undoing," Updike read. When the king discovers their affair, Claudius murders him by pouring poison into his ear as he slept. From this point in the novel on, Updike is rewriting Shakespeare -- an experience no author has undertaken lightly. "Once you begin [writing], it's intimidating but also exhilarating to be in the same universe as Shakespeare," Updike said. After reading, Updike accepted questions from the crowd about topics including the author's responsibility, academic criticism and his views on writing short stories. The audience of students, professors, staff and community members listened attentively and showered Updike with enthusiastic applause when he finished. "You first hear about someone trying to do a prequel to Shakespeare," College junior Sara Honig said, "but only this man could pull it off." And History graduate student and Dean's Scholar Elizabeth Pollard said, "I thought he was a fantastic speaker." She added that she enjoyed the first passage the most -- especially looking at Gertrude as a heroine. A Pennsylvania native, Updike has published 19 novels over the last 40 years. Rabbit Run (1960) and The Witches of Eastwick (1984) are among his best known. He has won numerous awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes, and received the National Medal of Arts in 1989 from then-President George Bush. When Updike was asked whether he'll write more novels after taking on the Shakespeare re-write, he smiled. "I've written 19," he said and paused. "20 is a good number, isn't it?"
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A former professor's portrait was recently stolen from Leidy Labs. Edward Drinker Cope taught at Penn from 1887 to 1897. Former Penn Paleobiology Professor Edward Drinker Cope is missing from Leidy Laboratories -- or at least a picture of him is. According to members of the Penn Biology Department, a 27 1/4" x 22" portrait of the professor was stolen during the weekend of March 25 from above the first-floor staircase of Leidy Labs, where it had hung for more than 20 years. Cope, who served as a professor of Geology and Paleobiology at Penn from 1887 until his death in 1897, was part of the Penn-based explosion of knowledge about the physical world and human form. The portrait of Cope was painted in 1897. "It was there on Saturday, but when we came in on Monday it was gone," Biology Lab Coordinator Bob Kuniewicz said. "Someone stole it." Penn Police have been conducting an ongoing investigation since the portrait was reported missing three weeks ago. A story about a new Cope biography appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer around the same time, leading some to suggest that the picture was taken as a keepsake or prank. Although the portrait has little resale value, it does have historical significance to the Biology Department -- especially to faculty who are members of the quasi-secret Edward Drinker Cope Society, which is offering a $100 no-questions-asked reward for the portrait's safe return. "It's not like a million-dollar microscope was stolen," Biology Department Chairman Andrew Binns said. "It's like a picture of your great-grandfather. You don't really know who it is, but if someone came to your home and stole it off your living room wall, you would be a little miffed." A member of the American Academy of Science, Cope discovered more than 1,200 species of extinct vertebrates. But he was best-known for head-on "fossil feuds" with his one-time Penn mentor Joseph Leidy and Yale University paleontologist O.C. Marsh. It seems, however, that Cope's legacy is rather bone-chilling. Legend has it that when Cope worked at Penn in the late 19th century, he made an agreement with a group of Paleobiology colleagues that would allow the other scientists to do a post-mortem on the person who died first. Cope passed away in 1897, and his skeleton wound up on the shelves of the University's Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology. And besides the recent theft of his portrait, a bronze bust of Cope was stolen from Leidy Laboratories in 1996. It was subsequently found in a Pennsylvania State University dormitory room among memorabilia stolen from other colleges and universities. So does a "Curse of Cope" actually exist? "I don't think so," Binns said, "but we should do some forensic analysis."
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Members of the Penn Greek system took some time out on Tuesday to honor their accomplishments and reflect on the past year. For some, it was a particularly moving night. "This was the most challenging and rewarding experience I've had in college," said former InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl, a Tau Epsilon Phi brother and College senior. Metzl, who accepted an award for his work as the IFC head, had to pause several times to wipe tears from his eyes. Over 100 Penn Greeks from the IFC, the Panhellenic Council and the Bicultural InterGreek Council gathered in the Penn Tower Hotel for the annual Greek Awards banquet on Tuesday night. The evening's biggest winner was the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which won five awards, including the Alexander Award for overall excellence in a BIG-C chapter. "I'm proud," said Alpha Phi Alpha President Richard Adzei, a College senior. "We worked really hard to serve the entire Penn and West Philadelphia community -- and being a senior, it's great to leave on top." Phi Kappa Psi won the IFC award for overall excellence, the Crawford C. Madeira Cup. Phi Psi also took home three other awards. And the Alpha Phi sorority received the Helen S. Berkowitz award for overall excellence in a Panhel chapter, along with two other awards. "It was really nice to see everyone in our house get recognized, because every member of the house does something to contribute," said Phi Psi President Zac Costello, a Daily Pennsylvanian sports writer. The award winners were determined by the alumni council and student representatives from the three Greek umbrella groups. The awards for most improved chapters went to the Phi Sigma Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta sororities, while the awards for special accomplishments were received by Alpha Phi Alpha and Delta Delta Delta. Alpha won the award for encouraging its members to become involved in the fraternity's national board, while Tri-Delt's award was for the sorority's philanthropic projects. Other big winners were the Delta Upsilon fraternity and the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. The former presidents of each of the three umbrella groups -- Metzl, College senior Becca Iverson for Panhel and Wharton senior Ramon Marmolejos for the BIG-C -- were also honored at the ceremony. In addition, the Greeks honored Provost Robert Barchi for his work during the past year with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and with Greek chapters. "We don't see [the Greek system] as Dartmouth sees this," Barchi said in his acceptance speech. "We don't see this system as something that's contrary to the mission of this University. It's something that we have to move forward with."
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Even though his team is now fighting for a winning record, New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine was still the most popular person in the room during his question-and-answer session in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall yesterday afternoon. After being greeted by the standing-room only crowd of over 100 students -- many sporting Mets hats and jerseys -- with chants of "Let's Go Mets!" and "Bobby V.!," Valentine opened the floor to questions. Valentine is in Philadelphia this week with his team, which is playing a four-game series against the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. Though many of the students came to hear the colorful veteran skipper spin baseball anecdotes rather than spout business expertise, students posed questions ranging from what Valentine referred to as "the business of baseball" to "the monkey business of the New York Mets." For instance, when asked what business skills are required to be a general manager, Valentine said, "In the successful organization there will be more of a line between the front office suits and the guys who wear costumes on the field." Many students asked questions about the current Mets season, to which Valentine -- who has been managing the Mets since 1996 -- offered typically candid responses. Of Hall of Fame-bound lead off hitter Rickey Henderson, with whom he has a notoriously tempestuous relationship, Valentine joked: "I just ignore him." "I try to not change his personality but to get him to play as hard as he can everyday that he goes out there," he added. One of the afternoon's funnier moments came when Valentine was asked how he thought the fans will react when John Rocker -- the vilified Atlanta Braves pitcher who made racial slurs and anti-New York comments several months ago in a Sports Illustrated article-- visits Shea Stadium. Valentine predicted that the response "is going to be ridiculous" and laughed when an audience member jokingly tossed a battery to him, deeming it a "prelude" to what Rocker would be welcomed with at the stadium. Valentine's talk was sponsored by the Wharton Wide World of Sports club, and was organized by the club's co-founders Jared Prushansky and Nilloy Phukan, both Wharton freshmen. Valentine addressed a publicized incident that took place last season, in which, after being ejected from a game, he returned to the dugout in a disguise. He blamed the media for making too much of the incident. "That was stimulated and stirred by the media," he said. Following the talk, Valentine signed autographs and even offered a few pitching tips to Wharton freshman Jon Searle, who was drafted last year by the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Any time you can talk baseball with anyone who knows what they're talking about, you should try to take advantage of that situation," Searle said. The talk was well-received by most of those in attendance. Engineering freshman Evelyn Protano said she "thought he was very informative, not only about baseball, but also about the managerial and business aspect of the New York Mets." And Valentine said he enjoyed this rare chance to speak with college students."I think if they just come away with the fact that there's a guy from baseball that cares enough about what they're doing in life? that'd be great."
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Officials discussed three possible sites for a baseball stadium. They say you can't please all of the people all of the time. But in the ongoing deliberations over where to build the new stadium for the Phillies baseball team, it seems that no one will ever be pleased with a location. In a town hall meeting last night in City Hall, Mayor John Street joined City Council members, team representatives and about 200 community members to debate the merits of three proposed Center City sites for the future baseball stadium. Council has pledged to approve a stadium deal by the fall so that the Phillies will be in a new home by April 2003. For nearly three hours the recommendations released yesterday morning by the Stadium Subcommittee were discussed. The committee recommended three downtown locations for the stadium -- on the eastern and western ends of Broad and Spring Garden streets or on 12th and Vine streets. According to committee members, a downtown location would have a greater economic impact on the city -- an argument that former Mayor Ed Rendell had supported. "You can get a better return on dollars by having it closer to Center City," said committee co-chairman Kenneth Shropshire, a Penn Legal Studies professor. The 12th and Vine site was preferred by the committee, which said it posed the fewest logistical problems. But many community members, and indeed the Phillies themselves, said they do not agree. Team representatives yesterday said they want to construct the new stadium in South Philadelphia at the Sports Complex -- which includes the 29-year-old Veterans Stadium, the First Union Center and the Spectrum -- where the Philadelphia Eagles have long since committed to build. "We do not believe there is a viable site in Center City, with the amenities available, at this time," Phillies President Dave Montgomery said. Phillies management has said they believe that a downtown location will never be accepted by the surrounding communities, and they want to finalize plans to get the stadium built quickly. The downtown site up for consideration last fall -- at Broad and Spring Garden streets -- met with huge community outrage. The same fervor is in danger of killing the new plans. "I was shocked and appalled that 11th and Vine was chosen as a site of the new stadium," said Jennie Wang, a Chinatown community leader. "We oppose, we oppose, we oppose and we will lay our bodies down in front of the steamrollers if we have to." And backed by about 45 students and teachers, Lisa Cancelliere, the principal of Holy Redeemer School at 915 Vine Street, said that having a stadium nearby would threaten student safety and bring traffic problems to the area. "This is a neighborhood," she said. "Nobody would put a stadium in a neighborhood. It just doesn't belong." Although less vocal, residents from other areas under consideration also voiced their concerns. "I understand the appeal of Center City, where time and money can be spent before and after games," said Joan Marniman, a Spring Garden resident. "But it is important to consider at what cost." A Broad and Spring Garden site has been up for debate before. Last year, it was Rendell's favored location, but community outrage and disgust stalled those plans as they were debated into oblivion. The stadium plans were tabled last November when City Council ran out of time, and for the past several months the Street administration has been trying to bring them swiftly to a decision. Street has promised to decide on a location by June 30, with legislation following in September. University President Judith Rodin was also present at the meeting to protect Penn's interests in the ongoing debate. The postal lands at 30th and Walnut streets have been considered on and off for some time. Rodin said building a stadium at that location would ruin Penn's plans to build a high technology corridor in the space. Besides the postal lands, several other locations on the outskirts of Center City were considered by the committee, including Port Richmond and the city incinerator at Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden. But the committee ultimately decided on a more central location.
