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(04/26/95 9:00am)
With the University's help, the nearby communities of Walnut Hill and Spruce Hill are launching plans to revitalize their neighborhoods. Last November, the Walnut Hill Community Association and the West Philadelphia Partnership Community Development Corporation created a "strategic neighborhood plan." Walnut Hill -- which is located between 46th and 52nd streets and Spruce and Market streets -- addressed several issues in their plan, including increasing home ownership, revitalizing commercial areas, improving physical attractiveness, reducing crime and creating more recreational space. And this year, the Spruce Hill Civic Association created a task force to produce a similar plan. Recently, they unveiled a preliminary survey of the area. Spruce Hill lies between 40th and 46th streets and Walnut Street and Baltimore Avenue. Its concerns are very similar to Walnut Hill's -- but because of its proximity to campus, it emphasizes an improved relationship with the University. "[The plans] confirmed a lot of what we already knew," said Glenn Bryan, the director of the University's Office of Community Relations. "It gives the neighborhoods the impetus to move and drive forward by putting the plans into action." According to David Hochman, treasurer of the Spruce Hill Community Association and co-chair of the planning task force, the group wants to produce a rough draft of its plan for a general meeting in mid-June. After that, the draft will be critiqued by several smaller, specialized focus groups. The association hopes to approve a plan sometime in the fall. These projects have been organized with the help of the University's Office of Community Relations and Center for Community Partnerships. According to Bryan, the University has been providing desperately needed technical assistance on urban affairs. "Many of the community organizations are quite pleased with Penn's efforts in those areas," he said. Hochman praised the personal attention the association has received from University President Judith Rodin, who offered her support in a letter addressed to the organization. Much of the University's assistance came from N.R. Popkin, an urban planner and project coordinator for the Center for Community Partnerships. "In order to have credibility in fundraising and community development, you need a professional planner," Hochman explained. He described his job -- and that of his work-study students -- as taking these community concerns and "channeling them into a workable document." "I'm always excited, not just by the enthusiasm of the community's leaders but by everyday people who live there," he added. Popkin said, however, that community residents are primarily responsible for implementing the plan. "These are community-driven projects, and are intended to reflect the needs and perceptions of the residents," he said.
(04/26/95 9:00am)
University officials and concerned students confronted the issues of ethnic intimidation and vandalism yesterday in an open forum in the Upper Lobby of High Rise South. Acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone and Victim Support Director Maureen Rush, were on hand to discuss issues of racial hatred. Together, they addressed recent acts of ethnic intimidation including graffiti written on elevators in HRS and other places, threatening phone calls and other forms of intimidation, such as harassment. Rush said a person cannot be charged for mere ethnic bias. "There must be an underlying crime such as graffiti or assault," she said. She added that the most common acts of ethnic intimidation at the University are usually in the form of graffiti. "Normally, it's graffiti, such as scrawlings of swastikas on elevators or offensive language, directed at racial groups," Rush said. She explained that the punishment for such crimes is more serious than in cases of normal graffiti or assault. "The ante is raised," she said. "It is a crime motivated by hatred and ignorance." McCoullum said the University may expel such perpetrators. "If we find you, we're going to hold you responsible," she said. "We're going to come after folks." Rush also said Residential Living acts quickly to cover up graffiti as soon as it goes up. "If there's something that does happen, within an hour, it's gone," she said. She added that when there is a report of racial intimidation, Residential Living works in conjunction with the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Unit to address the problem. Rush added that she conducted a training program for University Police this past summer to make them more aware of the emotional consequences of ethnic intimidation. Pamela Moore, a psychologist at University Counseling Service, said her office offers support to victims of ethnic intimidation. "We provide a forum for people to talk about how [ethnic intimidation] makes you feel," she said. "Everything said at the center is confidential." Regarding the recent acts of intimidation, Simeone explained that "[intimidation] is something that seems to happen over and over again." Simeone also advised students to act when they see or experience ethnic intimidation on campus. "The best thing to do is to call for the [Residential Advisor] on duty and report it to that person," she urged. "The other thing to do is to call or come down to the desk. If anyone ever has information, please come forward." Students attending the meeting were generally pessimistic about the University's ability to prevent further acts of ethnic intimidation. "I don't think students feel any risk in doing graffiti," said College junior and HRS RA David Rosenberg. Engineering senior Hilary Brown agreed. "It is the price of living in racist America," she said.
(04/26/95 9:00am)
Wharton and Engineering senior Matt Kratter has deleted all of his electronic mail postings relating to last week's controversial debate on the upenn.talk newsgroup. University employee Paul Lukasiak alleges Kratter erased his side of the Eisenhower "flame war" -- a heated argument within a newsgroup that can sometimes degenerate into personal attacks -- in an attempt to destroy evidence after a complaint was filed against him. Kratter admitted last week to having deleted Lukasiak's posts and those of three University students. The posts were part of a flame war concerning the Eisenhower -- the first U.S. aircraft carrier to allow both men and women to be on board -- on which 15 women allegedly became pregnant. Kratter has since deleted a posted apology for his past actions and approximately ten other posts. But First Amendment Task Force Chairperson Eric Tienou, a College junior, announced last week that the student group will press charges against Kratter. And Lukasiak said this is why Kratter has deleted his posts. "My personal reaction at this point is that he should be expelled," Lukasiak said. "This is no longer a simple prank. This is way too much." A student involved in the flame war who requested anonymity said that while expulsion may be too harsh a punishment, some action must be taken against Kratter. "It's unreal that Kratter is getting away with this," the student said. "This is no doubt related to the First Amendment Task Force pressing charges. "If Kratter has gone back and deleted his posts to cover his tracks, he should be prosecuted and there should be a notation on his transcript," he added. "This is a matter of the honor code." The student is also extremely disturbed by the fact that the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences -- specifically Computing Director Ira Winston -- has not punished Kratter. "Something is very wrong," he said. "And Dr. Winston is giving signs that he is not willing to protect the students." But Winston said it is not the responsibility of the Engineering School to discipline Kratter. "I believe that it is the responsibility of the Student Dispute Resolution Center," he said. "People want us to delete his account, but that is not how the process works. "We shouldn't bypass the process," he added. Shortly after Kratter first deleted the posts, his Engineering e-mail account was disabled. Winston said at the time that the account was down for routine servicing unrelated to the deletions. Kratter's account has since been restored and Kratter was able to use it Thursday to delete all of his posts in the flame war, including his apology for the previous deletions. Kratter was unavailable for comment last night.
(04/26/95 9:00am)
A new company has introduced a brand of recycled and organic cotton clothing that makes environmental consciousness as easy as getting dressed. Take the Lead Inc. manufactures socks, baseball caps and T-shirts under the brand name "Step into a Better World" that are available nationwide in catalogues, specialty and department stores and college bookstores -- including the University's own. Inspired by socially conscious ice cream entrepreneurs Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Dominic Kulik and David Yashulka formed Take the Lead in the fall of 1992. The two have been friends since college. Following in the footsteps of the Ben and Jerry's founders, Kulik and Yashulka wanted to create a model business -- one that is a positive, responsible force in communities. Take the Lead is a business that is just as committed to the environment and the community as it is to making a profit, Kulik said. The Book Store has carried Better World merchandise since early April, according to Mike Kinney, a buyer for the Book Store. "The sales increased right after [Kulik's on-campus] promotion and have remained relatively steady ever since," he said. The Better World clothing line is manufactured from cotton grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers and from re-spun cotton mill-trimmings that would otherwise be sent to crowded landfills nationwide. The company also works in conjunction with a print shop in Washington that employs "youth at risk and the formerly homeless." Better World donates 10 percent of the revenue from their products to organizations aiding children and the earth. And all of the packaging for Better World products is 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, said Loraine Kulik -- the company's director of public relations and Dominic Kulik's wife. Earlier this month, Dominic Kulik introduced Cohen and Greenfield on their 1995 College Speaking Tour entitled, "A Night of Social Responsibility, Radical Business Philosophy and Free Ice Cream." Kulik is also currently on the Board of Directors of the trade association Business for Social Responsibility. According to Kulik, his company aims at both fostering a healthy return for the business partners and creating a healthier environment and community. "We want to change the way Americans wear clothes and the way America does business," he said. Peter Chowla, an Engineering freshman and a member of the Penn Environmental Group, said he had not heard much about Better World merchandise. "I hope that their [apparel] is both recycled and non-chlorine bleached," he said, mentioning that those two practices are both beneficial to the environment. "Maybe this will generate more student interest in environmental concerns," he added.
(04/26/95 9:00am)
Lounging in the Bishop White Room in Houston Hall, Bosnian refugee Nihad Atlic looked like just another University student. But while most students were spending their days learning in the classroom, the award-winning filmmaker and emergency medical specialist was busy learning another lesson. Atlic was imprisoned in a Serbian concentration camp in the early years of the Bosnian conflict, but escaped with the help of a guard who was a childhood friend. Speaking in slow, halting English, Atlic told the story of how he worked as a doctor in the city of Srebenica -- where he helped the victims of the daily shelling. Here, he helped create the award- winning documentary To Europe With Love, which showed the brutality of the war. After speaking for approximately one-half hour, Atlic showed the assembled students the beginning of his film. He then muted the television and let the images serve as a grisly backdrop to his description of conditions in the hospital. "In just one day, 6,000 grenades landed at this city," Atlic said. "Some days I worked 24, 30, 40 hours without stop. "In Bosnia, there has been an Oklahoma City every day for four years," he said. In his discussion, he also expressed bitterness over the role that the West has played in the conflict. "I think that many broadcasting companies and many governments from the West [have] tried to hide what's happening in my country," Atlic said. Worse yet, he said, some Western countries have tried to benefit from the war. Under the guise of humanitarian aid, he explained that they have dumped hundreds of tons of old medicine on Bosnia since this was cheaper than destroying it. "I remember there was one truck full of 21 tons of 24-year-old medicine for malaria," he recalled. "Bosnia doesn't have malaria." Atlic then turned his attention to the Clinton administration's stance during the war. He said that Bosnia did not need American help -- they just need the United States to lift the arms embargo that it currently enforces on the region. "We want just one thing of the U.S.," Atlic said. "We [do] not need U.S. soldiers, we just need [the] embargo lifted." Atlic's appearance, titled "The Bosnian War, A Refugee's Story," was sponsored by MIR, the University Coalition for Peace in Bosnia.
(04/26/95 9:00am)
Although today's meeting of University Council is the last this academic year, Associate University Secretary Constance Goodman said the session will be "certainly more than a wrap-up." To begin the meeting, University President Judith Rodin, Provost Stanley Chodorow and the chairpersons of Council's various constituent groups will give updates on their activities since Council last convened. Then the Council Committees on Safety and Security, Community Relations and Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics will present their year-end findings to the entire body. "I think that the old business reports are interesting and informative because they speak to these three committees' important work throughout the year," Goodman said. Before adjourning, Council will also tackle issues including whether UTV13 should be allowed to videotape and broadcast Council meetings and benefits for part-time staff members. Goodman characterized these issues as "significant." UTV13 President and General Manager Heather Dorf, a College junior, submitted a memo to Council's Steering Committee asking that her group's request for access be brought to the full body for debate. "In order to do our job correctly we need pictures," the memo states, in response to concerns that Council members' remarks at meetings might be aired out of context. "The purpose of television is to bring people places where they not only could not get to themselves but do not go to." Council will also engage in a preliminary discussion of next year's focal issues, according to Goodman. "The preliminary discussion is critical because effective functioning of Council is dependent on what they consider and how they consider it," she said. College junior Mike Nadel, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said earlier this week that the First Amendment Task Force will unveil its revised judicial charter at today's meeting. The charter will be open for discussion at Council in the fall. The meeting will be held from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall. It is open to the public, but non-members wishing to attend are asked to inform the Secretary's Office of their intentions.
(04/26/95 9:00am)
And Tammy Polonsky A third University employee came forward to accuse housekeeping manager Paul Ross of sexual harassment last night. Housekeeper Tyrone Best, who works in the Dental School, said Ross has verbally abused him, calling him "handsome" on several different occasions. He also described an incident in which Ross made derogatory statements about Best's mother. According to Best, this harassment has been going on for almost a year. Ross refused to comment last night. Two Physical Plant employees, who asked to be referred to as "Spencer" and "Pita" to protect their identities and jobs, made similar allegations earlier this week. Both workers accused Ross of verbally and sexually harassing them. They also said the University has not responded to their complaints. Pita said last night that she was "shocked" to learn that another employee has claimed to have experienced the same treatment from Ross. "I just feel sorry for people who have the problem with Paul [Ross] -- I know what they're going through and it shouldn't happen to anybody," she said. "It shows there really is a problem with Paul Ross." Best said he was accused of pushing Ross on March 23. Best said he was told that the act was caught on surveillance cameras, and was suspended without pay for more than one week. But Best denied ever pushing Ross, adding that he has yet to see a tape of the alleged incident and that nobody has come forward to back up Ross' claims. He added that University officials never gave him the opportunity to present his side of the story. "It was just his word and my word and I am the one that suffered and my family still suffers," Best said. "They took food out of my baby's mouth." Best said he attempted to ignore Ross' actions and words, adding that he was trying to "keep a low profile." "I am just a working person trying to earn a living," he said. "I ignored it, but since he does hold a certain position, he ought to know better. "We come here to work, not to be abused," Best added. He said he has chosen not to file charges or attempt to change buildings. Both Pita and Spencer filed grievances with the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Affirmative Action, along with their Teamsters Union Local 115. When Spencer complained to Affirmative Action officials, they were able to transfer him to another building, away from Ross' jurisdiction. But Best said he "should not have to leave," adding that the University should take action on the situation immediately. "[Ross] just can't keep getting away with it," he said. "I'd like to see these situations addressed through the proper channels."
(04/25/95 9:00am)
In a recent study conducted by the American Social Health Association, 85 percent of the college women surveyed indicated that they were sexually active. Alarmingly, almost half of those women admitted that they do not protect themselves against Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The survey revealed that about half of the respondents had from one to three sexual partners. The other half reported having four or more, with seven percent claiming more than 21 partners. Out of the women who reported being sexually active, 96 percent had participated in oral sex, and more than three-fourths of those never use condoms. Two-thirds do not use condoms for vaginal sex, the second most frequent form of sexual activity. The study was based on the responses of 1,000 students at two mid-Atlantic universities. The results of ASHA's report also suggest that nearly one-fourth of the women had been forced to have sex at one time or another. Sharon Broom, senior Public Relations Officer for ASHA, explained that the study highlights the urgency of the sexual health crisis. She maintained that STDs have reached epidemic rates with more than 12 million new cases each year. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases are more common than allergies," Broom said. According to ASHA's publication, two-thirds of the new infections are found in people under 25, and one-fourth occur in teenagers. "Young people are more susceptible to STDs because their immune systems are not mature and they are less likely to be involved in long-term relationships," Broom explained. "They are also more concerned with protection against pregnancy." In an effort to promote greater awareness, ASHA has appointed April as "National Sexually Transmitted Disease Month." This is the fourth year that ASHA has promoted the awareness month. Kurt Conklin, a Student Health Services health educator at the University, said nothing had been planned on campus in conjunction with ASHA's promotion. He explained, however, that that the University's Office of Health Education was committed to STD prevention throughout the year. "It's an ongoing job," he said. Conklin, referring to STDs as the "invisible enemy," added that the real concern is that people often separate STD prevention and birth control. "It's sort of shocking, the low level of awareness that college students have," he said. Conklin added that the national government is spending less money than ever on fighting STDs. "In real dollars, the most money the national government spent was in 1947 to fight the Syphilis epidemic," Conklin added. "Now there are over 50 separate diseases."
(04/25/95 9:00am)
and Nora Kassis Ironically, the founder and president of The Princeton Review feels that the Scholastic Aptitude Test "tests nothing." John Katzman is also the co-author of five books about college admissions and testing. He said he thinks college students are the primary "witnesses" of the pitfalls of the American education system. Therefore, he believes they should be influential voices in nation-wide educational reform. But he admitted that students -- who are still harnessed by the reigns of the Educational Testing Service -- are never asked their opinion of the system. In his most recent book, Class Action, Katzman outlines "how to create accountability, innovation and excellence in American schools." "People think it's weird," he said. "I mean, what would I know about school reform? "In fact, I don't know much," he added. "I'm not an expert in education or curricula, but I do know how the SAT and college admissions effects the performance and behavior of high schools." The central theory of his book, known as the Multiple National Curricula Plan, is based on the premise that students are "the products" of high schools and "the customers are colleges." He said he feels that if highly selective colleges amend their admissions standards, high schools will adjust accordingly. Such reforms would include absolving standardized tests and contriving new means of assessing the performance of students. He claimed that "the lever of school reform is in the hands of colleges and businesses" and added that university presidents, therefore, have the power to improve the entire national educational system. Katzman argued that this domino effect has been proven in the past with the acceptance of the Advanced Placement test as a standard of evaluation. "Colleges said they were going to accept AP credit? and all of the sudden every high school in the country had AP courses," he said. "All [colleges] said was 'we'll accept it,' and the high schools worked it out from there." Katzman said he envisions a college application system which "will require scores on curricula-bound tests, instead of the SAT." He said he hopes that these reforms will "eliminate all of the bias currently existing in the format of standardized tests favoring white males. I would rather help kids do well on tests that really test their abilities."
(04/25/95 9:00am)
The Spring Fling fairy tale came true this weekend, according to Fling Co-Director Gil Beverly, a Wharton junior. "This is the third Fling that I have been involved with and I've directed two of them, and this was far and away the best one," he said. Beverly attributed the event's success to good weather. "It was the first time in years it didn't rain," he said. But he added that Thursday's Penn Rocks for the Homeless concert helped set the tone for a blow-out weekend. "People partied really hard all four nights," he said. "It was clearly the biggest party weekend we've had this whole year." And success can also be measured by the amount of Fling souvenirs students bought. According to Beverly, 1,000 T-shirts, 300 neon necklaces, 250 to 300 lighters and 150 pairs of boxer shorts were sold. More than 5,200 tickets were sold for Sunday night's concert -- which featured the Roots, the Samples, Sonic Youth and Parliament Funkadelic. This was truly a fairy tale for College junior Mike Parker, the co-director of the concert committee of the Social Planning and Events Committee. "I think this will be a benchmark for all other shows," he said. "Because of the the smoothness with which it was run, the quality of all the acts, the performances of the acts, the attitude of the crowd and the size of the crowd." Although Beverly agreed that Sunday's concert was "unreal," he said the turnout for Saturday's carnival in Superblock failed to meet his expectations. In contrast to Saturday afternoon's sunshine, which lured droves of people to the Quadrangle, the evening's cold temperatures kept people away from the outdoor event, Beverly said. The "wind tunnel" in Superblock even forced the Karaoke booth to shut down for the whole carnival. To avoid similar problems next year, the Fling committee will try to relocate the carnival. Nevertheless, the 1,500 who did buy tickets to the carnival made the best of the DJ, as dancing Flingers filled the area in front of W.E.B. DuBois College House. Timing was another obstacle this year's Fling managed to overcome. While Fling usually takes place on Friday and Saturday, the Passover holiday moved the pre-finals celebration to Saturday and Sunday. Although the the Sunday night concert-goers danced with ceaseless energy, the pace was slow Sunday morning, Beverly said. "The second day of Fling had a real sluggish feeling," he said. "People were just partied out, hung over and just plain tired. Because of that, people didn't start turning up until two or three compared to the first day -- which was jam-packed." Next year, Fling will return to its usual schedule, Beverly added.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
In Order To FormIn Order To FormA More Perfect Union? Calls for the unionization of graduate students can be heard on university campuses across the nation from Yale University to the University of Kansas. But these cries are barely whispers on Locust Walk. "People know it's happening [at Yale] but no one is really talking about it here," Graduate Students Activities Council President Bronwyn Beistle said. University administrators have never been officially approached by a graduate student organization that is pro-union, according to Vice Provost for Graduate Education Janice Madden. "There's no right to organize," Madden added. "They're not employees of the University." University President Judith Rodin said she definitely opposes unionization of graduate students. "I believe that graduate students are fundamentally students and that being a teaching assistant is part of the training for being a PhD," she said. Whether graduate students are employees is the central issue when there is talk of unionization. And although at the University few have vocally protested that their non-employee status, many graduate students said they feel that they are employees without employee benefits. "I think a lot of hardworking TAs are frustrated at times that they don't get full recognition for their contribution to the University," said Victor Prince, Graduate and Professional Students Association chairperson. All graduate students must have health insurance according to state law, and since they are not University employees, the University is not obligated to pay their premiums. "Because most graduate students are on very limited budgets, rising health care costs are a big issue," Prince said. According to English graduate student Julie Crawford, students pay close to $1,000 for health benefits each year -- about 10 percent of their salaries. But health benefits are sometimes covered, depending on which department a graduate student is working in and in what capacity. Madden said that if the University did pay health care premiums for all graduate students, then the salaries would decrease and the number of students employed would drop. This is partly why unionized students have less benefits, she added. GSAC has examined the issue of health benefits but has not taken any action on it. "Historically, GSAC has not been able to hold down the level of insurance premiums or get the benefits that graduate students want," Beistle said. "But we'll continue to work on this issue in the future." Aside from the health care issue, graduate students at the University are concerned about having to pay taxes. Currently, all students who work for the University are required to pay a city employee wage tax because, unlike the University, the city recognizes them as employees. But they are exempt from Social Security taxes and they do not have to pay taxes on their fellowships, Madden said. GSAC is trying to solve that problem by lobbying the City Council to amend the tax law, thereby exempting graduate students from the wage tax, Beistle said. Yale graduate students are also grappling with these issues and are forcing Yale administrators to listen to their concerns. Yale TAs went on strike during the first week in April, demanding that the administration recognize the Graduate Employees and Students Organization as a labor union and that they address several of the TAs grievances -- low pay, lack of job security and poor health benefits. While on strike, Yale graduate students voted strongly in favor of having GESO represent them in collective bargaining with the administration. But Yale officials refuse to recognize any union of TAs because such a union would be comprised of mostly students. GESO does have the support of Local 34 and 35, two official unions on campus, but is not supported by the National Relations Labor Board because Yale is a private institution. "We in the Graduate School continue to feel simply that unionization is not an appropriate route for GESO people to take," said Yale Graduate School Dean Thomas Appelquist at a Yale College Council meeting last week. During the strike, Yale President Richard Levin said he would rather shut down the school before negotiating with GESO, according to the Yale Daily News. Rodin sided with Levin on this issue during her tenure at Yale as dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and as provost. Graduate students at the University said they are sympathetic to the Yale graduate students' fight. "I understand their position and I think Yale University needs to respond to their demands and they haven't," said Katie Conrad, a fifth-year English doctoral student. Like their Yale counterparts, University graduate students feel that their work often goes un-noticed and unappreciated. "We don't get any perks and we are overworked and underpaid," Crawford said. "That's something that graduate students everywhere can sympathize with." Yale is not the only school that is dealing with unionization issues. Seventy percent of TAs at the University of Kansas voted in favor of unionization last week. Since the University of Kansas is a public institution, teaching assistants are granted certain federal and state rights. The Kansas Public Relations Act states that public employees are allowed to engage in collective bargaining if at least 30 percent of the population votes in favor of unionization at an election. The University, a private institution, is not required by any federal laws to recognize a graduate students union. But graduate students have not formed any kind of cohesive unionization movement partly because of the diversity of the graduate student population: Not all graduate students are teaching assistants or research fellows. And the salaries of these positions are funded from various sources -- from federal research grants to funds allocated through an individual department. As a result, many graduate students who do have employee benefits do not want to risk losing them by trying to create a graduate student labor union. Beistle did bring the issue to GSAC's attention since she had heard graduate students discussing unionization. However, due to lack of consensus and interest, the issue was never pursued whole-heartedly. Unionization also may not be the best route to take since there are other alternatives to solving graduate student grievances, Prince said. But there have been attempts at unionization in the past. In the late 1980s, graduate students considered creating a graduate union but nothing was accomplished. The graduate students did, however, create "Class in the Grass," an annual event in which TAs teach their classes outside on College Green to demonstrate the importance of graduate students to the University. Two years ago, graduate students met to discuss various ways to improve their situation at the University in response to a previous Yale TA strike. But again, unionization remained only talk among a few concerned students. According to Madden, the Vice Provost's office and other University offices are concerned with graduate student issues, but are trying to maintain an environment where students will not need unionization. Currently, two organizations exist on campus that aid graduate students in their grievances -- GSAC and GAPSA. According to Prince, GSAC would probably take a more significant role in any unionization process than GAPSA. "It represents graduate students on issues specific to TAs and PhD students, while GAPSA represents both graduate and professional students on a much wider range of issues," Prince said. Although graduate students know these organizations exist in the University's student government system, they have not felt strongly enough about unionization to act on the issue. But Beistle said the employee status of graduate students needs to be clearly defined. "It needs to be one way or another," Beistle said.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
"PAN" spoke out yesterday, this time using computer paper instead of elevator walls. In a typed letter addressed to the residents of High Rise South and posted in the building's elevators, the vandal admitted to having scrawled "PAN" on every elevator in the dormitory. But he or she denied having anything to do with the "Fuck niggers" graffiti found in an HRS elevator Saturday night by first-year Social Work student Penny Alexander. And the vandal repeatedly noted that the signature "PAN" does not stand for "Penn Against Niggers," as High Rise South desk workers and security guards said it did. "PAN was originally meant to stand for 'Peter Pan,' the boy who refused to grow up," the letter stated. "I would like to sincerely apologize to anyone who has been hurt or frightened by the word PAN. "I never intended, and am indeed horrified by this mess," the vandal said. According to the letter, when the the original PAN vandal learned the signature was being "misinterpreted," he or she wrote "PAN loves everyone" all over the walls "to avoid confusion." The vandal said another person has now attributed "sick and racist" comments to the signature. "One person out there, not an entire organization, is playing off of our fears and is doing it through a word whose weight I never considered and whose sad interpretation I never imagined," the original vandal's letter said. But students who saw the letter did not necessarily believe this PAN's statements. College sophomore and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist Jamil Smith tore down three flyers he found in the same elevator yesterday. "I was one of the students who received calls in [W.E.B.] DuBois College House in October of 1993 and the person who called me on the phone said he was part of Penn Against Niggers," Smith said. "The flyers are a cheap attempt to win over the students who probably don't know any better." And Alexander said no matter what the vandal's intent, University policies were still broken. "What happened afterward is a symptom of a larger problem on this campus," she said. "There's a lot of racial tension and hopefully a dialogue can happen." And Alexander said whether PAN's statement was true is not an issue. "It doesn't matter whether I believe him or not," she added. "He defaced University property." Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said University Police are still investigating the entire situation and "will determine what's going on." Simeone and Acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum will host an open meeting today at 6:30 p.m. in the upper lobby of High Rise South. Director of Victim Support Maureen Rush will also be in attendance. Simeone said she hoped students would come together to talk about the vandalism, and the racist graffiti found this weekend.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
Two University employees have accused their supervisor of sexual and verbal harassment -- and now they say the University has not responded to their complaints. Both Physical Plant housekeepers -- who have requested that they be referred to as "Spencer" and "Pita" in order to protect their identities and their jobs-- described incidents in vivid detail implicating their housekeeping manager, Paul Ross, in various examples of harassment. Ross refused to comment on any of the accusations made against him. Spencer, who began working for Ross in late August, said his problems began almost immediately. "Paul seems to single out people," Spencer said. He said the first hint of trouble came in September, when Ross made sexual remarks about Spencer's wife. "He said 'All I have to do is stick my 12-inch tongue down your wife's throat and she would never come home,' " Spencer said. "Paul doesn't have the right to degrade my wife in front of total strangers." Spencer added that Ross once came up behind him while he was cleaning and breathed on his neck, in a possible homosexual advance. Both Spencer and Pita complained that Ross would come up behind them without saying anything and stare at them intently until they turned around. "Especially when you're the opposite sex of the supervisor and you're in the bathroom, they're supposed to announce that they're coming in," Pita said. "He didn't." Pita said there have been several times when she would be bending down, cleaning a bathroom stall, and Ross would come up behind her and stand there until she turned around, only to find him staring at her. In addition, Pita said she has been the victim of verbal sexual harassment. Pita said Ross commented on the size of her breasts, saying that it was inappropriate for her to wear her housekeeping jacket open, despite the T-shirt she wore underneath. "He would tell me to button up my uniform and I asked him why once," she said. "He goes 'well, you could hurt somebody by looking like that' --Eand I got really upset." Pita also said she suspects Ross once stole money from her wallet when it was in her locker. And Spencer and Pita said these are only a few examples of what has become an on-going problem with Ross. Pita and Spencer went to their Teamsters Union Local 115 in February with grievances regarding Ross' behavior. "Nothing happened," Spencer said. "I was anxious to know why it is still being investigated [since] they interviewed everybody -- I wondered 'what more do they need?' " But the union's business agent, Ernie Harris, said the union is investigating the grievances but has no jurisdiction over Physical Plant management. He also said the investigation process takes time although it "usually gets done." With the help of their union shop stewards, Pita and Spencer also went to the University's Division of Human Resources and the Office of Affirmative Action. They said Human Resources has not responded to their complaints, although Affirmative Action officials were able to transfer Spencer to a different building in January. Representatives from both departments refused to comment on the allegations against Ross. They also would not confirm or deny that complaints had been filed. "The process takes time and it depends on a particular case," said Jeanne Howley, a University labor relations specialist. "The University takes any charge very seriously." Spencer said he fears that Ross is mentally unstable and could do something worse to those still working under him. And Pita, who still works for Ross, said she is "petrified," adding that the rape alarms on her floor do not work. "I dread coming to work because I never know what he's going to do next," she said. "Something should be done with him." Although Physical Plant Director James Wargo had not been notified about Spencer and Pita's situations, he said he would only have heard of them if the cases could not be worked out on a lower level. Wargo said a supervisor who harasses his employees faces a variety of punitive measures. "It could happen that the supervisor involved would have to apologize, they could be hurt financially, disciplined, given time off, up to and including discharge," he said. And Rick Buckley, building supervisor for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said he thought Ross should be fired if the charges are proven true. "He's supposed to show an example by being a manager," Buckley added. Spencer formerly worked the day shift for Buckley before personal matters forced him to switch to the night shift --Eand to the building where Ross works. He said he is much more relieved and relaxed now that he works in another campus building, far away from Ross. But Pita said she did not want to leave her current station, despite Ross' continual presence, because she "didn't do anything wrong." "And I am not going to quit because of some jerk," she said. Wargo said determining harassment is difficult because employees sometimes complain when a supervisor is "only making them do the work." Spencer's supervisors and those employed in the Towne Building where he formerly worked praised him. "He was the best worker and best housekeeper I ever saw," Buckley said. And Shelley Brown, assistant to the graduate chairperson of Systems Engineering, said Spencer did work beyond what his position required and was always honest, friendly and up-front.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
A labyrinth of multicolored pipes snakes deep within the new parking garage at 38th and Walnut streets. The pipes are part of a chilled water plant, perhaps the least known part of the new parking garage. Some might even argue that the plant does more for the University than the garage itself, or the spaces that will soon house stores such as Thrift Drug and Campus Copy Center. The plant was built to conserve energy and save money, centralizing the system by which University facilities are air conditioned, Physical Plant Director James Wargo said. The total cost of the plant has come to $24 million, but Wargo said it is a cost-effective and advantageous addition to the University. Although Wargo said it still has some "kinks," he added that the plant is working -- and within another month should be fully operational. Three of the chillers in the system are designed for chilled water and three for the ice system located in the back of the plant. The large, complex plant is made up of blue, gray and green pipes, color-coded to indicate their role in the air conditioning process. The green pipes hold condensed water while the blue ones carry chilled water, Wargo said. Glycol, an antifreeze, runs through the gray pipes. A 10-ton crane and a large empty area for trucks to pull in allow maintenance workers to keep the chiller plant working properly. When the plant is functioning as planned, it takes city water into its pipes, treats and filters it, and then sends it through compressors which cool the water. The water is then pumped through lines running under the streets to bring air conditioning into the buildings. Juan Suarez, associate director of utilities and engineering, said the plant holds 14,000 tons of water. That water leaves the plant at approximately 45 degrees after coming in at around 60 degrees, Suarez added. The heat is transmitted into the atmosphere through a cooling tower attached to the plant. Ice produced during the process is stored in two large vats, and although ice is not being produced right now, a test of the ice-making system showed positive results, Wargo said. But Wargo added that the ice production will not be deemed completely successful until his department can test it on a "design day" -- a day in which weather conditions call for 95 degrees Fahrenheit and a 78-80 percent humidity factor. "We have to be able to design it to take care of that situation but we've checked everything we could," Wargo said. Suarez said the plant is one of the most automated in the world, noting that computers run the entire system. Although the plant is run electronically, maintenance employees trained to understand the system can use the computers to change any part of the plant's operations.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
It could be dubbed equal-opportunity technology. The new Kolvox Communications Voice Recognition Product will provide handicapped computer users with the opportunity to do what they never could before -- communicate. The product, which was introduced in February, is a computer program that allows users to instruct their computers to follow commands, simply by using their voices. "Anything you can do with the keyboard and the mouse you can do with your voice," said William Facko, the account executive of University City Computer Corporation. Facko added that an MS-DOS version of the program has existed for two years. However, he explained that unlike the new Kolvox product, the MS-DOS could not switch from "application to application, or program to program." The program is designed to aid those who have lost the use of their hands, paraplegic and quadriplegic individuals, those suffering from carpel tunnel and people who just cannot type, Facko said. The computer responds to a command of "Listen to me." The program then allows the user to dictate documents, capitalize words, type in different colors, cut and paste, fax and even participate in verbal electronic mail. The program guesses at the dictated words that then appear on the screen, Facko explained. If the word that appears is not the desired word, a "Take Box" presents a list of suggested changes. If the word still does not appear correctly, the purchaser can spell the word out using the international alphabet. Facko said he is very excited about the program. "I feel that this is finally going to put the 'personal' into personal computers," he said. "This will make it so user friendly, that this way you can just talk your way through it. And, it's a lot of fun." The program is offered in two separate package options. The OfficeTalk program costs about $1,400 and comes with a vocabulary of 60,000 words, according to Facko. The second package, LawTalk, is designed for attorneys and lawyers. It consists of the same package as OfficeTalk, but has a larger vocabulary, and costs nearly $1,800. Facko said University City Computer Corporation also trains users on how to operate the program. Lessons cost $300 for four hours, and $500 for eight hours.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
The University's Entrepreneurial Inner City Housing Markets class invited West Philadelphia residents to their classroom on Friday for a party to celebrate the end of the semester. Neighborhood residents wandered through a newly renovated house at 32nd and Spring Garden streets to inspect the results of four semesters of work and to mingle with the students who made it possible. "I wish they would do it next to my house," said Jerleine Bailey, who lives nearby. As students ate cake and reminisced about their experiences in the course, a video of their work during the semester played in the background. Class participants worked together to renovate the West Philadelphia house, merging business theories learned in the classroom with hard work to finish the project. "You have students who are studying all the issues and putting them into practice," said Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community and public affairs. "These are the kind of efforts that will make a difference in the community." City Councilwoman Happy Fernandez also made an appearance at the party. "You're not only providing a home for somebody, but you're helping the neighborhood," she told the students. Professors William Zucker and Hanley Bodek, who have taught the course since its inception eight years ago, said they have spoken to several other universities about duplicating the class. Scheman said the University is trying to form a partnership with local church ministers to include local residents in the renovation efforts. Over the years, Zucker and Bodek's students have renovated four houses. A fifth house has already been purchased, and work will begin next semester. "It teaches you how to cooperate," Wharton senior Catherine Henry said. "If you don't cooperate, you ain't getting the job done." College sophomore Allissa Zolla called the class "the most fun I've had at Penn." The students reworked the house from scratch, rebuilding the floors before renovating the interior rooms. The only professionals that worked on the project were a carpenter and an electrician. Each week, a different student served as foreman. The others oversaw different parts of the project -- including managing the overall implementation of the renovation plans, marketing the house and investing the profits. Students were required to work on the house at least four hours each week -- in addition to attending classroom lectures on community service and writing a final paper for the course. The class bought the dilapidated house from the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation two years ago after securing a loan of $30,000 from area developers. Jerard Williams, a city fireman, bought the house for $80,000.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
Winners chosen by peers The eight top members of the Class of 1995 have been selected by their peers. Notification letters were mailed last week to the winners of the Spoon, Bowl, Cane and Spade Awards for men and the Hottel, Harnwell, Goddard and Brownlee Awards for women -- some of the University's oldest and most prestigious honors. Scott Reikofski, assistant director of student life activities and facilities, officially released the winners' names yesterday. The students will be recognized for their achievements at the University's annual Ivy Day ceremony, to be held at 4 p.m. on May 20. The eight honorees were chosen by their classmates from a pool of 15 men and 15 women that a committee of students, faculty and staff generated earlier this semester. The selected students represent a diverse array of interests and talents, from involvement in Greek organizations and student government to members of athletic teams and those performing community service. College senior Hayden Horowitz, former president of the InterFraternity Council, said he is "thrilled" to be this year's Spoon recipient. "I'm ecstatic, it's definitely a great honor," he said, adding that he is happier about his success because his "best friend" and Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity brother Manny Citron was chosen as the Bowl winner. Citron, a Wharton senior who served on the Junior and Senior Class Boards, said he feels "honored" to have been given a senior award by his classmates. "I appreciate how much fun I had doing all the things that I've done here and all the people I've met," he said. "In and of themselves, they were great experiences -- this just sort of adds, it's like icing." College senior Leigh Molinari, a Junior and Senior Class Board member who has also worked with the Student Health Advisory Board, won the Hottel Award. Molinari said last night she is proud to have been recognized with other seniors of such high caliber. "It's really rewarding to know that the peer group has appreciated the work I've put forth the past three years," she said. Harnwell winner Jordana Horn, former executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian, said she is also pleased with her selection. "I've really enjoyed The Daily Pennsylvanian and everything I've done at the University of Pennsylvania, but to be recognized for it by my peers and my classmates is something that's very special," she said. Former Bi-Cultural InterGreek Council President Wayne Wilson, a Wharton senior, will receive the Cane Award on Ivy Day. Engineering senior Ha Nguyen, who chaired the Senior Gift Drive and was also involved with the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Undergraduate Assembly, is this year's Goddard Award winner. College senior Michael "Pup" Turner, a co-captain of the Quaker football team last fall, is this year's Spade man -- as well as the winner of the Class of 1915 Award recognizing an outstanding student athlete. "It's great," he said, when asked about his reaction to the awards. "I'm really excited and obviously doubly honored." College senior and Reach-A-Peer Helpline President Tama Weinberg will receive the Brownlee Award on Ivy Day.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
Students in the University's Entrepreneurial Inner City Housing Markets Class believe they are fulfilling Benjamin Franklin's vision of practical education by completing their fourth renovated house in seven years. "It is a very good lesson about how to manage a project," said Professor Emeritus of Creative Management William Zucker, who teaches the course. "Not until you really do it do you have real appreciation of what is involved." The class is taught every semester and features one two-hour lecture each week and three more hours of work outside of class. "The students are enthusiastic," said Hanley Bodek, president of the Philadelphia Construction Company and co-teacher of the class. "I continue to be impressed with what they accomplished." According to Zucker, the project was much more substantial than the single-family row houses they have usually worked on in the past. The students also faced additional challenges. The building was very large and deteriorated. The roof had even caved in. Zucker said all the work was done by the students themselves, including the actual construction. Students in the class said that it is a good example of applying their classroom education. "This was hands-on community service and making progress in the community," College sophomore Alissa Zolla said. Other students applauded the course's unstructured, unconventional style. "It was fun [and] the teachers were excellent," College senior Sean McDermott said. "It's not just sitting in a classroom." According to Bodek, it usually takes the class about two years to complete a building project. The pace has been altered somewhat by a doubling in the class' size this semester and by working on two houses at once. The class will be offered next year, and will be listed under the College's Dynamics of Organization Program.
(04/24/95 9:00am)
Residential Living touts the faculty-in-residence program as an integral part of the freshman experience. But some freshman have never heard of the program, much less interacted with the faculty member living in their residence. In fact, some students said they could not name their faculty-in-residence. "I don't get anything out of it because I don't know who that person is," said Engineering freshman Dan Saval, a resident of the Class of '28 building in the Quad. And College freshman William Elliot, who lives in Rodney, a building in the Spruce Street House section of the Quad, said he wished his faculty-in-residence attended floor meetings, beginning in September. "There was nothing to begin with," Elliot said. "I don't know mine and I don't know anybody who has had any interaction with theirs either." Philosophy Professor Scott Weinstein -- the faculty member living in Spruce Street House this year -- was unavailable for comment. But other faculty members who participate in the program said they attempt to develop strong contact with the students. "We make it abundantly evident that we're available," Sociology Professor Ivar Berg said. Berg, who serves as the faculty-in-residence for the Butcher-Speakman-Class of '28 section of the Quadrangle, actually lives in McKean, which is located at the uppermost part of Quad. But Berg said the physical distance does not detract from the relationship he establishes with the students. "People will even bounce up when I'm walking the dog," he said, adding that he teaches a seminar in his apartment that is open to Quad and non-Quad residents alike. Seven of the 11 students in the class are Quad residents, but none are from BS'28, Berg said. Berg has also invited students to his apartment for meals or study breaks and has brought in guest speakers. Regional Science Professor Stephen Gale said a major problem with the faculty-in-residence program has nothing to do with the faculty themselves. "We don't know what we are supposed to be doing," Gale said. "We are all waiting for a stronger sense of direction, but more importantly than that, a philosophy which is going to carry this entire program for a number of years." Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said faculty choose to participate in the program because they want to have more interaction with undergraduates. Faculty members participating in the program also receive free housing. Simeone added that the future of the program will be addressed by the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education. Despite the lack of official guidelines, Simeone said professors do develop their own methods of interacting with students. "I think that students really benefit from the opportunity to informally interact with the faculty," she said. "Students who don't take advantage of the opportunity to interact with faculty are really missing out." The involvement of non-tenured faculty in the program is another concern, Kings Court's faculty-in-residence Jorge Santiago-Aviles said. "This is not perceived by most of the faculty as much of a scholarly activity, so it might hurt non-tenured faculty," the electrical engineering professor said, adding that he disagrees with this theory. Students also suggested that the program be more structured. "There could be better lines of communication," Wharton and Engineering freshman Reshma Sohoni said. And College freshman Vanita Proothi, who lives in Brooks, a building in the Upper Quad, suggested scheduling dinners, lunches or meetings with the faculty members on a regular basis. Those students who did know their faculty-in-residence were often part of a College House or special program, such as the Humanities program in King's Court/English House. Wharton freshman You-Mi Lee said the group of students came together for meetings, events and trips which faculty members also attended. College freshman Dan Hall, a resident of Hill House, said the college house's faculty helped to organize events, signed letters and made themselves known.
(04/24/95 9:00am)
Surrounded by artwork depicting the despair of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a group of musicians performed in the Fisher Fine Arts Library's Arthur Ross Gallery Wednesday night to help bridge the cultural gap between Arabs and Jews. The group was composed of seven Arab and Jewish musicians. The Jewish musicians were part of a group called Atzilut, while the Arab contingent consisted of members of Firkat al-Amal accompanied by the master Arab musician, Simone Saheen. The concert, which drew a crowd of more than 80 students, faculty and community members, was arranged by the Middle Eastern Awareness Program, a small group of students from Hillel and the Penn Arab Student Society. College sophomore Sarah Weiss, a member of both Hillel and MEAP, introduced the musicians at the beginning of the show. She said their appearance was part of the Ivrim festival for cultural diversity currently being held in Philadelphia. Before each song, the musicians took turns describing the upcoming piece -- including its history and musical background. David Kessler, the vocalist for Atzilut, explained how the different musicians were able to play together by referring to the shared history of the Jewish and Arab people. "There is a great deal of commonality to traditional Jewish and traditional Arab music," he said. The last song of the night combined Shaheen's talents on the violin with a vocal performance by Kessler, who sang in Arabic. "Ivrim is about getting different cultural groups to work together," he said before the song. "Learning to sing in Arabic was my little contribution." The instruments used by the performers ranged from familiar pieces like violins and basses to the more exotic 'ud, an instrument in the guitar family with a short, bent neck. The Arthur Ross Gallery currently has a display of Palestinian and Israeli art entitled "Building Bridges." Both the exhibit and concert are "ways to increase dialogue between the two groups and alleviate any tension between them," said College junior Gisele Rahael, a member of both PASS and MEAP.
