COLUMN: Several more reasons for students to protest

From Michelle Weinberg's, "For Every Action," Fall '99 From Michelle Weinberg's, "For Every Action," Fall '99In the wake of last week's empowering display of student mobilization, I was thinking that the rally regarding the University's alcohol policies and the lack of student input would be a great stepping stone into future activism on our campus. Imagine all the gatherings on College Green -- get a tan and make a difference -- to preserve the intellectual and social atmosphere of which we undergraduates at Penn are so proud. So, I've put together a couple of suggested causes which Penn students could rally behind. And while we're on the subject of fashion, why don't we have an Abercrombie anywhere near Penn? If the University was truly concerned about retail development, they would try to attract this certain success. No Penn man should be forced to catalog shop and have to waste his beer money on delivery charges. We should demand that Penn try to bring an Abercrombie to the neighborhood because we deserve to have a voice regarding the businesses that line our University's streets. Who needs food trucks when we could have this fashion giant around? And, if the clothing sold around here is going to be made in a sweatshop, at least we can look really great while feeling bad about it. Another area of importance is the state of affairs on College Green in general. What about all those frisbees being thrown around? Definitely another safety hazard. I saw two people almost get hit in the head last week. What kind of prep school did these kids go to anyway? Didn't they learn to play rugby and lacrosse like the rest of us? Besides, we need to reduce the number of club sports teams on this campus since there's no longer a decent place for all of them to practice now that Murphy Field is being renovated for the baseball team. I'd also like to see the University invest some money in lawn chairs for College Green. We shouldn't have to sit on our Biology books just to keep our butts dry. Maybe they could use part of the General Fee for this project. It's about time we undergraduates helped decide how that money is used. Things like outsourcing and Penn's investment policies might be out of the hands of concerned students, but we can really make a difference to ensure that afternoons spent eating lunch or skipping class out on the Green are as pleasant as possible. And, with all the time we'll be spending rallying out there, we'll need a place to rest when we're finished. Here's a cause for all of the Wharton students out there. Aren't you annoyed with all those College students trying to use your buildings? Why should those College students even be allowed to study in Steiny-D, let alone near your computers? Wharton students should rally to demand that the University install card-swipe stations that only allow Whartonites into the buildings. Non-Wharton students need to stop mooching and stick to studying in Rosengarten. The time has come for Penn undergraduates to demonstrate that they really do care about what happens on this campus. We cannot allow the University administration to make decisions that affect the lives of students without student input. Join me for a rally today at 3 p.m. on College Green. I'll be wearing high-heeled boots.