CAMPUS BRIEFS: Friday, March 6, 1998

3900 block of Walnut to get retail facelift When completed, the mall's facade will have a new look, complete with an awning extending out over the sidewalk in front of the building. John Greenwood, general manager of University City Associates, Penn's for-profit real estate arm, said the project should be completed by the end of the spring semester. Although Greenwood had not yet seen drawings of the plans yesterday, he said the new facade would have "architectural flair." UCA is picking up the complete cost of the capital development project, Greenwood noted, although he would not say how much the project will cost. The renovations follow similar improvements to the Hamilton Village shops on 40th Street between Market and Locust streets. Greenwood said Penn is in the process of considering similar projects at other University-owned retail spaces, such as Stouffer Triangle and the graduate towers. E. J. Hunter, an assistant manager at CVS, which is located in the mall, said he thought the project was a wonderful idea. Hunter added that UCA had promised to minimize the impact on the businesses. -- Binyamin Appelbaum EEOC delays Athletic Dept. sex bias case The assistant crew coach who claims he was the victim of reverse sex discrimination may have to wait several months until the federal government investigates the matter, his attorney said yesterday. In a complaint filed October 31 with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Andrew Medcalf, 47, accused the Athletic Department of passing him over for the position of women's head crew coach last summer because officials wanted to hire a woman for the job. The University has denied all of Medcalf's charges. Until last fall, Medcalf was an assistant coach for the women's team. He still works for Penn as an assistant coach in the men's program. His attorney, Lawrence Woehrle, said officials at the EEOC told him earlier this week that the office was severely backlogged and would not be able to assign an investigator for several months. Woehrle said his client may request a "right-to-sue" letter from the EEOC, which would allow Medcalf to bypass the federal agency and sue the University in district court. -- Ben Geldon Police make arrests shortly after robbery University Police arrested two North Philadelphia teenagers on the 3700 block of Spruce Street Wednesday night shortly after they allegedly robbed a female University employee of her purse and umbrella. Police said the woman was walking west on Hamilton Walk outside the John Morgan Building at about 8:10 p.m. when the two suspects, who were walking east, snatched her umbrella and her purse. The boys were not carrying weapons. According to University Police Det. John Peterson, the youths then fled north on 36th Street. University Police arrested Taunn Chandler, 18, of the 5200 block of North Warnock Street, and a 17-year-old juvenile while they walked on Spruce Street near the Beijing restaurant, police said. They were carrying the woman's money and umbrella, according to police. Police recovered the woman's purse from behind the Sweeten Alumni Center at 3533 Locust Walk, where two witnesses said they had seen the suspects throw it. University Police transported the suspects to the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives bureau at 55th and Pine Streets, where they were charged with robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy and simple assault. -- Maureen Tkacik Princeton student posts bail to leave jail Philadelphia Police released Princeton University senior Jason Brasno yesterday at about 1:30 a.m., after he spent nearly 30 hours in a jail cell for allegedly throwing a firecracker during Tuesday night's Penn-Princeton basketball game at the Palestra, police said. Another Princeton student posted $210 of the $2,000 bail Brasno was assigned for allegedly throwing the firecracker into the crowd and burning 11 spectators. The District Attorney's office on Wednesday charged Brasno, 21, of South River, N.J., with four felony and two misdemeanor charges, including aggravated assault and causing or risking a catastrophe. Brasno will not have to pay the remainder of the bail unless he fails to show up on his court date, which has not been set. None of the victims required medical treatment for their burns. Brasno's mother Chris Brasno maintained yesterday that her son "was not the one who threw the firecracker." She said her son suspects another Princeton student of being the culprit. But Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush said Tuesday night that police had a witness to the incident. -- M. T.