LETTERS: Recognizing the fictions of the past and present

To the Editor: As Penn creates new fictions in Moravian Cafes and partially resurrects the old name of Hamilton Village in the renaming of High Rise North, the origins of the toast tradition at football games is highly suspect. In conversations with many older alumni, I have found that they are surprised to see the toasting of Franklin Field as they never threw toast nor drank a highball drink at any Penn football games. While I do enjoy the tradition of throwing toast during the singing of "Drink a Highball," (especially during such occasions as the depressingly poor performance of our team in the recent fiasco against Richmond) it is important to remember that our hallowed traditions are merely our experience. While our experiences and "traditions" may have some basis or correlation to the past, it can truly be a shocking fiction for previous Pennsylvanians. Steven Ebert Law '00 Fels Center of Government '98 College '96 'No Place' for noise To the Editor: I applaud The Daily Pennsylvanian for acknowledging that the Friday night's "There's No Place Like Penn" concert was an annoyance for many residents of Hamilton Village, aka Superblock. One segment of the population seriously bothered by the event wasn't mentioned in any of your articles or editorial (DP, 9/28). Hamilton House, also known as High Rise North, houses a large population of religious Jews on the lower floors of the building. Most of these students observe the Sabbath, a weekly day of rest which lasts from Friday night to Saturday night. These students celebrate the Sabbath with different rituals which include prayer, study and festive meals on Friday night. I attended one of these meals on the second floor of High Rise North this past Friday, and found our happy mood somewhat muted by the harsh sounds of Fathead to the east of the building. We couldn't place any phone calls to the Penn Police or fill out a complaint form, as the observance of the Sabbath bars the use of electricity and forbids writing. Penn is uniquely sensitive among other universities in establishing a few programs which allow religious Jewish students to practice their faith with the least inconvenience. I hope the scheduling of this concert was simply an oversight on the part of the University. Hannah Sassaman College '01 u To the Editor: For several years I have noticed a void at Penn: A lack of traditions that enliven school spirit around athletic events. No Place Like Penn is becoming a campus-wide tradition that is doing just that. Over the weekend, hundreds of students gathered for movies on College Green, a concert in Superblock and free food before and after the game in an effort to arouse such excitement around the first football game of the season. It is unfortunate that rather than highlight the positive mood generated by the weekend's events, the DP chose to emphasize the one mishap of the weekend. Admittedly, it is regrettable that students living in Superblock who were preparing to take the Law School Admissions Test Saturday had to endure the Fathead concert Friday night until 11 p.m. Although the planners of the event believed 11 p.m. to be a reasonable hour to end the concert, and the concert was publicized several weeks in advance and coordinated by several students who were taking the exam themselves, the extent of the noise inconvenience was not anticipated. This oversight will not be repeated in the future. In the future, it would also be nice if the DP could provide a more accurate account of their sources of criticism. The loudest critics to the noise conveniently happened to be editors of the newspaper. Student leaders and administrators are forging ahead with more events that are likely to catalyze campus-wide energy and enthusiasm surrounding the Penn football season. Now it is time that we put aside the negativity and bolster their efforts. Samara Barend College '99 Tangible Change Committee Chair Wrong side of the bed To the Editor: Larry Leibowitz oozes enough self righteous hate in his letter to the editor (DP, 9/28/98) concerning David Kim's column, "In Praise of 'Sluts': the Female Orgasm" (DP, 9/22), one wonders what side of the bed, and perhaps more importantly whose bed, he got up from. First, Leibowitz implies Kim is young and naive: "America was awakened to the merits of clitoral stimulation decades before Kim was ever born." Then he assails Kim's choice of topics as one only backwood rednecks would find informative, "readers sitting on a bench outside a general store along a dirt road on a hazy day in Haydirt, Tenn." And then he goes on to criticize Kim for being unattractive to women and a general sleaze. After this barrage of ad hominim attacks on Kim's sexual identity, Leibowitz deigns to offer some advice, gained, we might infer from hard-earned experience, "Don't drool on [a woman's] hair and don't pull out a copy of Gray's [sic] Anatomy in the midst of a sweaty encounter." All other issues aside, including whether the average male really does understand the female orgasm and the offensive assumptions toward people who live in the southern states, Leibowitz's unprovoked virulent attack on Kim neither advances the substantive debate, nor engenders brotherhood and goodwill within the campus community. Leibowitz writes, "I am embarrassed for David Kim." He would do well to save all his embarrassment for himself. Douglas Robbins Law '01