GRADUATION : 'Water buffalo' case may cost U.

The results of the Judicial Inquiry Office's hearing today -- which involves racial harassment charges filed against a College freshman who called black students "water buffalo" -- may hit the University in the pocketbook. University alumni, who were alerted to the case through the national attention the case has received, have been calling the University over the past two weeks and some have even threatened to withdraw donations because of the case. "When I read about [the incident] in The Wall Street Journal, I was shocked," said Steven Greenspan, a 1982 College graduate from Hartford, Conn. "It's remarkable to me that something like this could happen." Greenspan added that he would advise President Sheldon Hackney to dismiss the case as soon as possible. "I recognize [Hackney's] got political constraints, but this case is ridiculous," he said. "I love Penn, but it's embarrassing this thing has happened." The incident, which occurred late one night in January, involved several black students who were participating in a traditional sorority ritual. According to Jacobowitz, the women were making loud "Woo! Woo!" noises which distracted him from his studies. Jacobowitz said he leaned out the window and yelled, "Shut up, you water buffalo. If you're looking for a party, there's a zoo a mile from here." The women pressed racial harassment charges against him. Ken Updegraft, a University alumnus from Cleveland, said he thinks the case is "outrageous." "Free speech being what it is, I can hardly understand why a person would be subjected to disciplinary action for calling someone else a 'water buffalo,' " Updegraft said. He added that he had never heard the term "water buffalo" used in any kind of racial context. "These are sensitive times, but you've got to use some common sense here," Updegraft said. "Obviously, there are some things a student might yell out a window that might be disruptive, but 'water buffalo'? Not likely." While many alumni called the University to complain, University administrators said the number of callers was surprisingly low. "There have been several complaints, but it's a lot lower than I expected," said Assistant to the President Nicholas Constan. "I really can't fathom a guess why." Rick Nahm, senior vice president for planning and development, said he has not received very many angry phone calls from alumni. "Most alumni just wanted to know if The Wall Street Journal story was accurate," he said. "It was certainly not like when a fraternity is thrown off campus, when we get a deluge of calls from alumni fraternity members."