LETTERS: Home is wherever you choose

To the Editor: Should your readers conclude that a student's decision to attend Penn for an undergraduate degree is enough of a commitment to University City, or also hold the entire Penn community to a similar standard and ask alumni to consider living in the neighborhood? Also, the writer needs a little help on local geography. The Main Line is, historically, the railroad line that runs from Philadelphia to Lancaster -- known on the SEPTA system as the R5 Paoli/Downingtown. Main Line communities border these tracks, which parallel U.S. Route 30, or the Lancaster Pike. The majority of these communities are in Montgomery and Chester counties. Wallingford, which is in Delaware County, is a good 10 miles or so south of the Main Line -- not "just outside," unless you consider Cherry Hill to be just outside University City. The graphic makes it appear that the Main Line ends well to the east of the Blue Route, when in fact it continues on for many miles beyond that. Furthermore, locals do not refer to a "downtown" in Philadelphia. It is called Center City. Finally, despite whatever ambitions Penn might have, the Penn campus does not take up the entire area of West Philadelphia, as the map seems to suggest. Terry Lynch GSE '97 u To the Editor: I was disappointed with the DP's latest display of preoccupation with trivial, material subjects, as exemplified in the front-page "news" article "Home sweet home." The caption -- "Lifestyles of the Penn Rich" -- and photos of administrators' homes reek of tabloid scandal exposes. Of what importance is it that "outgoing Wharton Dean Tom Gerrity lives in this $1.2 million dollar house complete with four bathrooms, a fireplace and a pool?" The hypocrisy of condemning people for living according to their means is painfully blatant, especially considering that a large portion of the student body hails from similar "wide open spaces, strong public schools and lavish homes." The DP is a quality publication and its readers are intelligent; there is no need to lure us with pseudo-scandals. Furthermore, advocates of the programs to increase faculty/administration residence in West Philadelphia seem to ignore an important consequence. While the aim of bettering the schools and the community is commendable, the programs could threaten the very ethnic and economic diversity Penn claims to value so highly. More wealthy homeowners means increased property values, which means some poor and working class families may be forced to relocate. We must be careful that these aims are genuine, and not merely pretense for separating ourselves from unpleasant societal realities. Evelyn Dean College '02