CAMPUS BRIEFS: Monday, November 18, 1996

Electrical fire strikesElectrical fire strikesAlpha Chi Rho house A halogen lamp had an electrical failure, causing it to catch fire in a fraternity brother's third-floor bedroom. The fire ignited the carpet and a pile of clothes next to the lamp, according to House Manager and Wharton senior Sean McBride. The fire was extinguished by the house's sprinkler system and fire extinguishers. The sprinkler system unleashed 4,000 gallons of water, remaining on for 40 minutes until Physical Plant employees turned it off. The water drained through the bedroom and into two other bedrooms, the dining area and the basement. McBride said water damage affected about half of the house. Three brothers, whose personal belongings McBride said were "destroyed," are staying in the graduate towers until they can return to their rooms. The brothers are expected to return to the house by mid-week, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said. --Tammy Reiss 3rd annual Unity Week will kick off today The third annual celebration of Unity Week on campus begins today and will culminate Wednesday with keynote speaker Coretta Scott King. King, the widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., will speak in Irvine Auditorium at 8 p.m. Free tickets will be available on Locust Walk Monday and Tuesday. Unity Week was introduced in 1994 to explore politically relevant racial issues, as well as to provide social activities that bring the campus together, according to United Minority Council President Susie Lee. Ronald Casanova, a former homeless man turned activist, will speak at 6 p.m. today in the multi-purpose room at W.E.B. DuBois College House. The event is also in connection with Poverty Awareness Week. -- Jaclyn LaPlaca Same-sex marriage advocate to speak William Eskridge, author of The Case for Same-Sex Marriage, will speak at the Law School tomorrow. The event, co-sponsored by Philadelphia's Lesbian Gay Academic Union and Penn's Queer Law group and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Center, will focus on the controversy prevalent in many states surrounding same-sex marriages. Eskridge will speak at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Law School's room 100. -- Jaclyn LaPlaca