SECOND DEGREE: Different Worlds

Every Friday night, College junior Jennifer Loh attends services at the Chinese Christian Church Center in downtown Philadelphia. Instead of having to take a taxi or public transportation, Loh relies on rides from several graduate student friends she has made through the religious organization. The church center has set up a program in which graduate fellows and young working people advise and provide a support structure for undergraduates. The graduate students even make care packages for the undergraduates during finals. "They're always available to give us advice," Loh said. But, this kind of interaction between undergraduate and graduate students is not common at the University. Not only is there a lack of social interaction between the two groups, but students said they are not interested in having more opportunities to interact with each other. According to a survey of 30 undergraduate and 30 graduate students conducted by The Daily Pennsylvanian, 61 percent of students said they either did not want more interaction, or did not have an opinion on the issue. Communication tends to be limited to the teaching assistant-student relationship. And relations that develop outside of the classroom are usually based on similar academic interests. Graduate students who are not TAs are able to meet undergraduates through various organizations on campus that provide social activities for both sets of students. But only a small percentage of the student population participates in these groups. "Because I don't teach yet, my interaction as a first-year student is confined to that which I have while participating in extracurriculars such as music and dance," first-year Music graduate student Elyse Carter said. Kirk Wattles, a Sociology doctoral student, said he has met many undergraduates through the Democratic Socialists of America -- another relatively marginal campus group. Through campus organizations, Wattles said he has had the opportunity to discuss ideas and theories with undergraduates that transcend the academic setting. Like Loh, many undergraduates have said they meet graduate students through religious organizations such as the Campus Crusade for Christ, the Hindu Discussion Group and the Newman Center. And although Hillel holds open services for all students, most social events, such as dances and dinners, are planned by separate graduate and undergraduate committees, College junior Tina Namdar said. According to Carter, most graduate students do not necessarily have the time to go to such events even if they are open to all students. "They usually encounter undergraduates while teaching and since the main source of social structure for undergraduates, as far as I can tell, is the Greek system -- which most graduate students I know happen to detest -- these two factors lead to very little interaction between students of any level," she said. Undergraduate and graduate students often have the opportunity to interact in upper-level courses. For example, the Nursing School has a double-degree program that allows Nursing graduate students to take courses with their undergraduate counterparts. Some undergraduates said that outside of the classroom, they dined and went to the movies, bars and attended parties with graduate-level friends. Yet 50 percent of the undergraduate student body reported they had no graduate student friends. Despite this limited social interaction, dating between levels does occur. Ninety percent of students said they would definitely date the other if the opportunity presented itself. But graduates and undergraduates rarely enter intimate relations because both sets of students fear the charge of sexual harassment -- especially in the case of a relationship between a TA and a student. "Anyone entering a relationship who has an official role that carries some authority it seems would carry with the relationship some tension," Wattles said. It is not only professional responsibilities, but an overall incompatibility between the students' lifestyles which deters graduate students from wanting to date undergraduates. "The experience I'm having as a graduate student is completely removed and different from one which any undergraduate could possibly have on this campus. I would definitely not date an undergraduate," Carter said. "It would make for a very difficult relationship." Undergraduates, however, have the opposite viewpoint and have said they would definitely date a graduate student if the opportunity presented itself. "Dating a graduate student isn't much of a difference from dating an undergraduate student," College sophomore Jin Lee said. "Age shouldn't matter." But for many undergraduates, there is a gap between the two levels. "Once a student is in graduate school, they're not in the same college scene," Namdar said. The administration addresses graduate student needs differently from undergraduates'. Graduate students said they thought they were treated better than undergraduates by the University administration. A few undergraduates agreed, primarily because they feel the University is research-oriented. One graduate student who was surveyed, however, said the University seems to operate on the undergraduate calendar with no consideration to the graduate students who are attending classes all year round. Earlier this year, Graduate and Professional Student Association members spoke to University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow about being ignored in administrative plans that focused on undergraduates. Both Rodin and Chodorow said at the time that they feel interaction needs to be encouraged and that they are aware of the problem. According to the survey, many students are apathetic about a lack of interaction -- mainly because the issue has not been addressed by the administration. Graduate students also said the branches of administration that they are in contact with are completely separate from the undergraduates. Yet 38 percent did not have an opinion on how undergraduates were treated because they were only aware of how the administration responded to graduate students. Another factor that inhibits interaction between graduates and undergraduates is the University's geography. The Law School buildings are located on 34th Street between Sansom and Chestnut away from the central campus. Therefore, Law students that live in the Graduate Towers, also located on Chestnut Street, have no reason to venture past Walnut Street to Locust Walk, where most undergraduates congregate. Medical, Veterinary, and Dental students also have the same geographical challenge since their buildings are located on or south of Spruce Street. Regardless of these inhibiting factors, there should be more interaction between different level students and it should be a point of concern, said one College senior surveyed.

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