COLUMN: A little Penn history goes a long way

From Todd Wise's, "Where Lovely Mermaids Flow," Fall '99 From Todd Wise's, "Where Lovely Mermaids Flow," Fall '99College Hall to my left and the Button to my right. Ben Franklin casts a sagacious glance down at me from his seat across from Van Pelt. All of Locust Walk is sprawled out in front of me, and all is unfamiliar -- I am a freshman at Penn. It is my first day on a campus whose history began in 1740. Students grapple with seven academic sectors that run the gamut of liberal arts. From Arts and Letters to History and Tradition, there's no dearth of choices. But nowhere amid the SARS 203s and the CGS Russian History 049s is a course pointed toward the study of Penn. And thus, questions arise: How were we conceived? What's the significance of the Latin wording emblazoned on my Penntrex bills? And why should this knowledge be reserved to tour guides? Penn prides itself on tradition. But Penn's link to its past is tenuous at best. Sure, students throw toast after the third quarter at football games, partake in erotic fantasies underneath the Button and sing obediently as cheerleaders lead "The Red and Blue." But when an outsider asks me to describe Penn, images of black pants, blue books and basketball games enter my mind. I can only respond that "the buildings are nice and really old." I've nothing more to add. I can't speak on the University's original location, the relationship of Philadelphia to Penn or how West Philadelphia has changed since the school's arrival. I walk friends around Penn and can only remark that I had a "cool" class there or "that's a famous building." Famous for what? There must be more. Tell me something about Ben Franklin I can't read in The World Book Encyclopedia. Maybe there's more to Donald Trump than what's on Hard Copy. And finally, give me a reason to be proud of my school. One way to engender a greater appreciation for our University would be to create history courses with a focus on Penn. These courses should satisfy the Sector II General Requirement -- History and Tradition -- to encourage even students who aren't interested in history to at least learn about their school. The most common non-History major complaint lies in the famed "impact" scenario. As in, how will the knowledge of Incan hunting patterns impact my life? Probably not at all. But with a base knowledge of the history of the University, students will pride themselves on why this is here and why that is there and where that used to be. If knowledge is key when meeting people unaffiliated with the University, it is equally important in establishing solidarity within the Penn community. At sporting events, fight songs will drown out the opposition. Students will no longer look to the alumni for musical help. Hey Day and Fling will go beyond their superficial exteriors of red T-shirts and inebriation. And Penn will feel like a campus -- an appreciated campus. Offering students an alternative to existing History courses seems unlikely to make anyone unhappy. And for some incoming freshmen, a history of Penn will have a more lasting impact than Incan hunting. Then, when a freshman sees College Hall to his left and the Button to his right, he'll know what he's looking at.