LETTERS: Approaches to binge drinking

To the Editor: The dorm counselors are no better trained now (my daughter just graduated) than they were in my day (College '69). The focus on material gain is higher, and the ruthlessly competitive atmosphere is more intense. It is time for the administration to stop trying so hard to look like they are prepared to make significant changes and to make a genuine commitment to the undergraduates. Penn just is not a supportive environment designed to optimize students' mental health. It is an environment designed to be pressure cooker and, in order to survive such a place, steam must be released. When steam escapes, often someone gets burned. Joe Konn College '69 u To the Editor: We applaud the editorial board of the DP, Janelle Brodsky and Josh Belinfante for their comments ("Penn problem, societal problem," DP, 9/16/98) about alcohol and its use here at Penn in light of the recently published results of the Harvard College Alcohol Study. All three opinions cite from that study the finding that education is the key to changing a campus culture from one with an overabundance of excessive drinking to one in which the norm for any alcohol use is a use that is moderate or low risk. Brodsky and Belinfante both cite the mandatory Drug and Alcohol Resource Team workshops for their pledges as an example of the commitment the Greek system has attached to this issue. Last year, DART members co-facilitated 24 of these workshops with members of Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape, reaching 426 first-year pledges. Additionally, we facilitated 23 educational workshops reaching 331 first-year students during the first semester, and we organized Alcohol and Other Drug Awareness Week and two media campaigns in conjunction with the Undergraduate Assembly, among other initiatives. We are proud of our efforts, but there is more to do. We challenge those of you who have been reading the articles, op-eds and editiorials with great interest and a lot of opinions on how to improve things to get involved and join DART. Applications are available in the office of Health Education on the third floor of 3609 Locust Walk. Megan MacDonald College '99 DART President More field usage To the Editor: I would like to provide some clarification to the story and editorial on the "proposed" baseball stadium at Murphy Field ("New baseball stadium to debut in 2000," DP, 9/16/98; "Even if you build it, they won't come," DP, 9/18/98). First, we are presently only in the planning stages. Any capital project requires a feasibility study before it can be presented to the proper authorities for final approval. We are hopeful that this project will come to fruition because it sets in motion a series of events that will greatly benefit the University community. The impetus of moving baseball from Bower to Murphy is not so much to improve baseball, but to create additional outdoor field usage for recreation and intramural programs. The Brailsford report and feedback we received from students indicates a critical need for improved outdoor field space and that students overwhelmingly felt Murphy Field was not an ideal and convenient location for their programs. The Brailsford report did conclude, however, that the area in the Bower vicinity, especially with lights, would be favored by students. Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, we are now in a position to expedite these projects. The baseball program would have its facility improved, but, more critically, our club and intramural programs would have their critical needs addressed as well. The proverbial "win-win." The DP reporters were well aware of this thinking, but the DP editorial makes no mention of the benefits to these important aspects of student life. During the last few years, criticisms were leveled at the University for not spending more monies on the weight room/fitness area in Hutchinson Gym. Throughout this time we steadfastly refused to provide stop-gap, band-aid approaches until we could find a proper, first-class solution. The result is the new fitness center and weight room at Gimbel. We are taking a similar vein in our approach to outdoor fields. Ultimately, if we are successful in renovating Bower Field with lights, I am sure our student body will feel similarly pleased. Steve Bilsky Athletic Director Venturing west To the Editor: Thank you for printing Malik Wilson's editorial ("Fear and Loathing in W. Philly," DP column, 9/16/98). Having been a resident of West Philadelphia since my initial move here almost two years ago, I would have to say that I agree with most, if not all, of Wilson's arguments. Like it or not, Penn as a campus is a sheltered and frightened community, broadly speaking. Too many times my friends and I have shaken our heads in disgust at hearing students say that, essentially, death lies beyond 40th Street. Not to say that West Philly is without its problem areas; it certainly needs improvement in many parts. But there is also a strong community there that many students never see or experience for themselves. One wonderful aspect of Philadelphia is that it has a small-town atmosphere in an urban setting, an environment that is virtually unique in this area of the country. Students who come to Penn to experience urban life and then stay on campus all the time, or never venture west of 40th Street, miss out on some of the more eclectic and enjoyable places and people that the city has to offer. Let me elaborate that West Philadelphia is not for everyone. But I am a single female, 25 years old, who has always lived west of campus (45th and Cedar; 46th and Baltimore; 48th and Springfield), and I find the community there to be, for the most part, friendly, supportive and fun. That is because many of the people in West Philly make an honest effort to get involved, make friends and neighbors and even just say hello on the street. This just supports the idea that you have to give something to the community to get something back. So if students stay on campus and never venture west, there should be no complaints about the state of affairs in West Philly, or any other community that isn't edged by Spruce, Walnut, 40th or 34th streets. At least some of us are trying to make things better. Thanks go to Malik Wilson and the DP staff for keeping an open mind about West Philadelphia. Mayumi Hirtzel Administrative Assistant College Houses and Academic Services u To the Editor: While Malik Wilson displays that he himself has little fear of the surrounding community, the language and word choice of his column serve to both reinforce and further entrench the stereotype of the so-called horrors outside of the Penn community. Wilson is justified in making people aware of the reality and the dangers of living in a big city. However, the diction and stories he recounted could only serve to heighten fears and to increase the "us" versus "them" dichotomy. Although Wilson's opinion might be on target, his column is by no means a way to improve the situation, as it could only instill in students a reason to remain confined within the radius of the Penn community. In today's society, we need to continually preach unity and integration in order to better the community and dissolve any divisions. Whereas I'm sure the hoagies are delicious on 46th and Baltimore, why would anyone want to venture across the "demarcation boundary? where you end and they begin"? Greg Salter Wharton '01