The Men of Penn

The calendar, made by the Prism group, features pictures of different types of Penn's men. For College senior Sara Newman and the rest of the Prism group, creating a calendar featuring Penn men was a means to numerous ends. "The group is not a means to create a calendar, but rather the calendar is a means to create a group," wrote Newman and fellow Prism coordinator and College senior Marti Speranza in an introductory letter on the first page of the calendar. The calendar -- compiled at the end of last semester and sold on Locust Walk during the last week of January -- features pictures of groups of Penn males grouped by different themes such as "runners," "Greeks," "funky" and "serious and stylish." Prism members took the pictures, and the entire group worked together to produce the calendar, which was printed by a professional company. In addition to helping unite the group, a portion of the profits from the calendar -- which sold for $12 each -- benefited Intercultural Family Services Inc., a West Philadelphia group that offers tutoring and assistance for the needy. The men in the calendar were selected by Prism members with the help of female University students. Prism, Newman explained, is "a new social women's organization that is attempting to bridge the gap between social organizations on campus." The initiative for this group resulted from "the fact that part of what had attracted us to Penn was its 'bigness' and diversity [and] we somehow felt detached from it," according to the calendar. In addition to encouraging multicultural interaction, the founders of Prism said they wanted to create a diverse organization of women that would hold "fun meetings" and collaborate on "fun projects" such as the calendar. The men in the calendar were chosen because they are considered "leaders of various groups," Newman said. "They're everyone's friends." One such "friend" is College senior Dan Gross, who sings with the popular a capella group Off The Beat. "Some of the people in Prism are friends of mine," the St. Louis, Mo., native said, explaining how he was selected to be in the "a capella" photo, which appears in the December design. "As for what [Prism] stands for," Gross continued, "I think it's great. I know they're determined in that they put this thing together." Appearing in the January picture -- entitled "club" -- is Malik Wilson, a College junior. "Someone told me about Prism and their calendar. It sounded like a really interesting group," Wilson said. "It's a really good cause. Only a few other groups like Check One are actually doing something? about the social atmosphere here." Check One is a group for students of mixed ethnic or racial background. Wilson, who hails from Silver Spring, Md., is an occasional deejay who also hosts Chocolate Friday, which showcases performances of music and poetry. For College senior Anthony Dunphy, featured in August's "runners" category, getting involved in the calendar was completely unintentional. "I was randomly approached before I had ever heard of Prism," he explained. "Initially, I was both really flattered and skeptical." In fact, Dunphy was wary of the entire concept of the calendar. "I believed? that it would be cheesy or in bad taste. Then I was told of the meaning behind the whole scheme and it? sounded like a nice idea," the Middletown, N.J., native added. As for his being featured in the "runners" category, Dunphy said he ran track for Penn for a few years, but he "thought that the theme was [for] more of just an 'athletic' type." He now plays for the club volleyball team. Prism will kick off the new semester with a party at Mad 4 Mex February 23. The Men of Penn models will attend the event. So far the group has gotten an "unbelievable reception," according to Newman. She hopes to continue the success of Prism in the future, and to "form lasting friendships with students we might not otherwise have met."