New directory lists service groups

Last week, a ceremony marking the release honored civic leaders. University President Judith Rodin marked the release of Penn's first-ever Community Service Directory with an awards ceremony last week honoring 20 civic leaders and Penn students and staff. The 249-page directory, available both in hard copy and on the World Wide Web, provides community organizations and students with a comprehensive list of Penn's service programs and classes. More than 300 community members gathered for last Wednesday's ceremony, during which Rodin recognized four students for their service projects. Awardee Jocelyn Patterson, a College senior who is the president of co-ed community service fraternity Delta Sigma Theta, said she has been particularly pleased with the University's efforts to build a partnership with the community. Jamal Harris, who tutors at Shaw Middle School, said he was shocked upon receiving the award. "There are so many people that do so many different things that are better -- it was a little random that they singled me out," the College junior said. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Tal Golomb, a College junior who works with West Philadelphia Improvement Corps and Penn Watch President Jon Brightbill, a Wharton senior, also received awards at the ceremony. The directory isn't complete, and groups not yet listed should contact the Center for Community Partnerships, said David Grossman, director of Penn's Programs for Student and Community Involvement. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development also presented Penn with an award for "setting the standard for University-wide collaboration for its community." Philadelphia civic leader the Rev. Joseph Patterson, Jocelyn Patterson's father, praised the Rodin administration for ending the "ivory tower" attitude of the University. "In my youth, Penn was always a castle that stood on a hill with its drawbridge drawn," he said. "Under Judith Rodin, Penn has gone in a different direction. The drawbridge is down and the moat can be crossed."

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