Freshman wakes up from coma

College freshman Jae Lee, who was hit by a car last week, awoke from his coma Saturday morning, according to Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel. His condition is currently listed as "fair" at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Lee was struck by a car as he was trying to cross the street at the 34th and Walnut streets intersection last Monday morning. He remained unconscious until 10 a.m. Saturday, when he first opened his eyes, Cassel said, adding that she does not know if Lee was able to speak after he woke. HUP officials refused to disclose whether Lee suffers from brain damage -- or whether he has lapsed back into his coma -- calling the information "confidential." Cassel said the University is at work providing counseling to members of Lee's family and to students who are close with him. Because Lee's parents' primary language is Korean, Education doctoral candidate Hue Sun Ahn has been employed to counsel them in Korean, Cassel said. "The mother has a lot of hope at this point, although she is in distress because she had another loss in the family recently," said Ahn, who met with the family Friday. "She said she very much appreciates the support from the University." Along with counseling Lee's parents, Ahn will also translate information from HUP staff workers about his condition. Lee will primarily receive medical treatment from Neurosurgery Professor Thomas Gennarelli, who is director of the University's Head Injury Research Center, according to acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum. Gennarelli's head injury research experiments with pigs and baboons has angered animal rights activists ever since a group calling itself the Animal Liberation Front broke into his laboratory and seized videotapes of his experiments in 1984. Dressed as the "ghosts" of Gennarelli's animals, the Penn Society for Animal Rights held a protest of his continued research this Halloween. Several students and members of Lee's family kept a vigil in the hospital's intensive care unit last week, waiting for word of an improvement in Lee's condition.