An egalitarian Faculty Club

To the Editors: Actually, a healthy percentage of its members are rank-and-file University employees. Any permanent Penn employee may join, and there are no different membership categories. In recent discussions of the Faculty Club and its fate, no one seems to have pointed out that the club is especially valuable to the University community because of its egalitarian nature. Where else are all of the people who keep this university functioning welcome to enjoy a bit of leisure and a reasonably-priced meal? Where else are they all on equal footing regardless of job category? The Senate Executive Committee report published in the Almanac makes clear that there are still significant concerns about the future of the Faculty Club after its move. If Penn's administration is as committed to strengthening the campus community as it claims to be, then its commitment to preserving the Faculty Club should be genuine. Ellen Slack Lippincott Library To the Editor: I am a senior here at the University due to graduate in May. For the past four years, I have worked for Kenneth Ray in his Photo and Computer Graphics Shop at the John Morgan Building. The article headlined "Penn Police officer assaulted in Blockley Hall" (DP, 1/28/99) completely misconstrued the situation and portrayed Mr. Ray as some aggressive, ill-tempered suspect in a burglary charge. This must be the most ridiculous and biased story I have ever encountered in your newspaper. It makes me think that the DP is just a tool used by the University to cover up their mistakes, just like in the story of the girl who was assaulted in Steinberg Dietrich. Ray has been working for the University for over 35 years. Being two years away from retirement, I found it unlikely that he "attacked" anyone. This is the man who I have had to help pick things up from the floor because his joints ache. Ray is the most kind, generous and, above all, honest person I have ever encountered. His integrity and reputation as a gentleman is well known among his colleagues. I doubt there is even one person on this campus who has a bad word. Ray. The facts that you have neglected to print are numerous and outrageous. For one thing, there were two white male Penn policemen who stopped Ray, who was on his way home after a day that began at 6 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. These officers were half the age of Ray, who is over 60 years old. After throwing Ray to the ground, and handcuffing him, instead of bringing him to the Penn Police Center at 40th and Chestnut streets, he was brought to the Philadelphia Police Station where he was kept for two nights. There was no phone call, and no lawyer. Do you think that if Ray was not African-American, he would have had to endure this ill-treatment? I seriously cannot imagine any of the other white Medical School male employees being treated in the awful manner Ray was treated. I seriously believe that the DP should rethink its role in the Penn community. Are you a newspaper who will try to inform the community of its news or are you just a University lackey? Teresa Cheng College '99 To the Editor: I was appalled to find the name of one of my coworkers in the DP. Ever since I have been employed at Penn I have closely worked with Kenneth Ray. For the past fifteen years I have known him to be a kind, hard-working, good natured gentleman. He has relentlessly worked for the University of Pennsylvania for the last 35 or 40 years. There is no resemblance of the man I know to the story in your paper. I believe it is irresponsible to put his name in your paper. If you were simply reporting an altercation, then why not name all participants including the police officers? Your version of the truth of what happened on Curie Boulevard on Tuesday night was simply the officer's story. Your sensationalized account leaves little room for truth. The truth is that Ken is exactly the kind of man the University should be proud to have working for them. You cannot ask for a better employee. He works tirelessly in his graphic and photographic shop. Why was he on Curie Boulevard so late on a Tuesday night? He was working late to make sure his customers got their work on time and well done. If he has to sacrifice his personal time, well then so be it. A man doesn't change in a minute. What is the history of these police officers? Why are they not questioned about their behavior? Why is their truth the automatic truth? If you bother to delve any further into this story you will find a very different version of what happened that night. I simply do not believe the account of this hazy half-story as you reported it. There was no need to circulate the good name of Kenneth Ray. This man's history here at Penn speaks volumes. Mary Leonard Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics To the Editor: Thank Goodness for Kent Malmros' editorial "A call for more risky business" (DP, 1/28/99). Finally, someone had the courage to go out on a limb and say that we need a more entrepreneurial spirit here at Penn. I've been thinking the same thing about society in general, but for some reason Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today and TV pundits don't repeat this message often enough. Too many smart people go through life without ever considering the great need for entrepreneurs. Scientists, social workers, doctors, and yes, even History majors fail to realize that they could make a much greater contribution to society by dedicating their lives to selling some sort of consumer product. Anthony Smith CAS '99