COLUMN: Spend Saturday in your neighborhood's park

From Andrew Exum's, "Perilous Orthodoxy," Fall '99 From Andrew Exum's, "Perilous Orthodoxy," Fall '99It can be tough going to school in a major city. Coming from the suburbs or the country, it's a little bewildering to see lamp posts outnumber oak trees and towers of concrete and glass rise so suddenly from the ground. The thing is, we do. Clark Park, located at 43rd and Chester, just blocks away from campus, is exactly the sort of green haven amidst the buses and busy streets that we often long for. Next weekend, Clark Park will play host to a festival promoting interaction between the University community and the greater community within which we reside. I highly suggest you attend. For one, Clark Park is underused and underappreciated by students. Despite its proximity to campus and its quiet locale, very few undergraduates find their way to the park and its greenery. As to why not, your guess is as good as mine. It seems students are more likely to trek to Fairmont Park or Wissahickon Park -- both 20 to 30 minutes away -- than walk to nearby Clark. Perhaps it's because of a lack of recreational opportunities compared to those other larger parks, but it might also be the campus population's general tendency to venture east rather than west. That makes little sense. Thankfully, the University is making some efforts to change Clark Park's image, albeit tardily. Last spring, one former University employee wrote in the Almanac that "Penn's overall plans appear to be to reduce the amount of open space on the western end of campus; with Clark Park only three blocks from Penn, it simply makes sense that the University would contribute toward turning this rough diamond into a shining jewel." Yesterday, had you ventured out to the park, you would have seen families playing with their children in the park's playgrounds, men and women sunbathing in the grassy areas between the trees and couples sitting on the park's benches splitting Sunday papers and box lunches. All of this took place in one of the most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, there were few students there with whom to share the experience. On October 2, students will have an excuse to visit the park -- the Welcome to the Neighborhood Festival. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Clark Park will be filled with international cuisine, carnival games and plenty of live entertainment. Freshmen are especially encouraged to go. The event is touted as part of New Student Orientation and it makes sense for freshmen to get out into the neighborhoods surrounding campus early on in their college careers, before they start believing the myths and horror stories about West Philadelphia. Seniors and upperclassmen who haven't sampled much of the community should also make the trip to Clark Park. It's absurd to spend four years here and never travel west of 41st Street, especially since so much exists outside of the University's boundaries. Also, this marks one of the first times that groups within the student body have taken the lead to plan a large-scale event with the community. Many of your peers -- including SPEC Concerts, the Undergraduate Assembly and all three Greek councils -- have worked with the Office of City and Community Relations to help organize this event. In short, I think that everyone, regardless of your place within the University or neighborhood, would be well-served by a trip to Clark. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than by relaxing in the park. While tucked away between the trees and on the grass, it's almost enough to make you forget you're in West Philadelphia. But that's not the point. The point is that the park is part of West Philadelphia, as much so as the panhandlers outside of Wawa. Once we realize that there is more to this city than muggings and concrete towers, perhaps we can then view West Philadelphia as a neighborhood of our own, one that we can show pride in. So get out to the park next Saturday. I hope to see you there.