LETTERS: A move towards increased diversity on campus

To the Editor: It was very much with this in mind I published an open letter to the Penn community last fall announcing new initiatives to enhance minority recruitment and retention at the University. These initiatives have already borne fruit: our undergraduate recruitment efforts have been notably successful this year. In particular, for the class we will enroll this fall, Penn has admitted over 17 percent more African American students and almost 18 percent more Latino students than last year. The remaining challenge, of course, is to persuade as many of these outstanding students as possible to matriculate this September. Our minority recruitment weekend two weeks ago was a great success--due substantially to the enthusiastic efforts and support of current Penn minority students. Our Admissions staff will continue to call and visit with prospective students up to the coming May 1 deadline. I encourage all members of the Penn community to help in this vital recruitment effort. Judith Rodin University President Administrators fail to address need for unity To the Editor: We agree with Eric Lee ("A deeper need for Unity," DP, 4/21/97) that the administration shows a "half-hearted effort" and a lack of commitment regarding diversity in all its forms. It appears students are recruited for statistical purposes, but once here, there is a failure on the part of the administration to ensure the diversity of the student body becomes part of the education process itself. Until students agitate for this, the administration will continue to rank diversity as a low priority. We students, who initiated the idea for a Unity Center, are amazed and bewildered that the administration has reacted so harshly and so quickly on this whole issue without careful consideration of how our proposal and the student energy and creativity we bring can help lead to "intensified debate, engagement, and encounters across the boundaries of our differences," ("The educational value of diversity," DP, 1/14/97). As long as the administration continues to fail to address the need for more unity on this campus, we will continue to instigate campus-wide discussions on how to best foster a sense of community at Penn. We invite all students and faculty to join us as we proceed with these discussions upon our return in September. Vesal Dini SEAS '99 Secretary The Undergraduate Think Tank (7 signatures follow) Spring Fling traditions To the Editor: The highlight of my Spring Fling was not the Superblock party Saturday night, nor the carnival-esque booths in the Quadrangle, nor the spilt vodka in high rise elevators, nor the Friday morning snow. What made the "Mother of All Flings" enjoyable for me was an out-of-the-ordinary run in with Penn tradition. Three of the original founders returned to their alma mater for this year's Spring Fling -- the 25th anniversary of a tradition they started. In reminiscing over their college times in the Quad and 23 years since the last time they met, they shared with me their sense of longing for the past and their understanding that the times had changed. These alumni started Fling as a Penn form of Woodstock. Fling founder Craig Salvay, a 1974 College graduate, remembers "the wonderful 'open-microphone' periods during the early Spring Flings when individuals and student bands could just [showcase some talent]: sing a song or read poetry. In past Flings, annual crafts shows displayed solely student artwork. Brent Andrews, a 1976 College graduate, commented that the early Flings were "more personal, and everybody participated more" ("Fling is BBQ-fest for alums," DP, 4/17/94). Compared to the past, the Flings of the '90s seem more commercialized and impersonal -- which can probably be attributed to the generational difference. While we have a form of "open mic," it is not truly open and is not nearly as popular as the professional concerts SPEC sponsors. Instead of an arts fair featuring student pieces, SPEC brings merchants to set up crafts booths along Locust Walk. At least we still carry on the traditions of taking a break from our academic responsibilities and enjoying warm weather -- usually. I cannot imagine these traditions ever dying out; I wish I could say the same for the student-initiated activities of the past. I am not saying we should turn back the clock 20 years. Each Fling is a reflection of each day in age: ours just happens to be very materialistic, commercialized and impersonal in my opinion. What I am asking for is an appreciation, or at least an awareness, of the origins of traditions we still have today. From Ben Franklin's founding the oldest university in the United States and the constructing of the Quad to Spring Fling's birth and Kathy Change's final act, we are part of a rich history, which I feel fortunate know and experience. Ludmila Zamah College '00 More to Fling fun than drinking To the Editor: While it might be true that the weekend weather (damp and dreary), threat of an LCE citation and ever vigilant monitoring by police and security patrols played some part in the marked decrease in alcohol and other drug related problems during this year's Spring Fling ("Fling passes with fewer LCE busts, less disorder," DP, 4/21/97), we would like to propose another possible explanation. Maybe students were using more common sense than in the past with regard to alcohol and other drug consumption. We do have some reasons to suggest such a radical notion. There is a common belief that an important part of Penn's reputation is related to it's image as "the party school of the Ivies." When this aspect of our reputation is raised either by students, alumni, faculty or staff, there is an assumption we are talking about a higher amount of alcohol use than the others. However, an informal survey conducted by Penn's peer education program, DART (Drug and Alcohol Resource Team), revealed that eight out of 10 of the undergraduate students surveyed said "no" when asked if you need to be drunk or high to have a good time at Penn. The same survey indicated that 11 percent of our undergraduates never drink, 46 percent drink an amount that by professional standards is considered in the light to moderate social range, 25 percent in the heavy social range and only 18 percent drink in what is considered the problematic range. Maybe we are a "party schools," but maybe more of us know how to have fun without having to be drunk or high than we thought. There have been numerous (close to 100) educational and awareness activities this year that gave us an opportunity to tank to thousands of students in various corners of university life (New Student Orientation, residence life, fraternities and sororities, athletics, ROTC, etc.). We have left those students with tens of thousands pieces of information. We have encouraged participants in our workshops to make healthy, responsible choices. In many cases we have been teaching to the converted and in other cases, we have challenged the norm -- the "misperceived" norm -- that you have to be drunk or high to have a good time at Penn. But the conversations and initiatives haven't just been with us. SPEC, the class boards, the Performing Arts programs, the Committee for Tangible Change, CHATS and the Film Society are all examples of groups that have given students hundreds of opportunities to live what they know. Additionally, most of the presidents and social chairs within the Greek system took the time to be TIPS trained so they could become better hosts and hostesses and be better able to deal with the 18 percent who drink too much and cause problems for themselves and everyone around them. So, for some, maybe the threat of a fine or police intervention is necessary to do the smart thing but for most of us we just needed to know there are more of us doing the smart thing than the image allowed. Eight out of ten can't be wrong! Sharon Weinzimer College '98 Chairperson, DART (4 signatures follow) An insulting letter for graduating seniors To the Editor: Cheers to Jason Brenner's column! ("'Hey Jude,' stop sending us junk mail," DP, 4/22/97) University President Judith Rodin's letter to the graduating class was completely inappropriate. It is an outrage that she feels it is necessary to remind fully grown adults how to behave in front of their own parents. If a very small minority of students behaves poorly at graduation, her letter will not stop them; and for the vast majority of us, it was an unwarranted insult. Jeremy Eckhause College '97