LETTERS: Career Services: Mea culpa

To the Editor: Let me begin by noting that we are working with vendor Crimson Solutions on only one aspect of our recruiting process: resume prescreening. Penn students have for years been able, using our own systems, to get online recruiting information and to bid and sign up for interviews electronically. Our current Web-based system, Fortune, is in its third season and is working well. The Class of 1998, who first used it, did suffer through the first few weeks with us as we tweaked and improved it but the pain was small in return for a vastly improved service. Last year we watched as peer institutions, using vendor systems, allowed students to submit resumes online. Some employers wanted us to adopt such a system; students requested online prescreening also, as they complained about long waits to drop hard-copy resumes in slots here in our office. But we felt the vendor products were not yet sufficiently tested, so we waited. During the year, we evaluated the available products and picked the one, Crimson Solutions, which got the best reviews. Crimson was used by several schools last year, including Brown and Boston College, and they gave us enthusiastic reports. This season we are not alone in selecting Crimson. Their "e-recruiting" is being used by Harvard, Brown, Princeton, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Notre Dame and dozens of other schools throughout the country. We thought we were ready. Since we had experience with online transactions, we were prepared for a rocky couple of weeks as we trained students on the system and ironed out the problems that are inevitable with anything new. What we, and particularly the Class of 2000, have experienced over the past week, culminating in Wednesday's server crash at Crimson, was disastrous. Crimson's technical problems affected not just users here at Penn but also thousands of students at their other schools where recruiting had also begun. Throughout this period, we have communicated regularly with seniors and graduate students, making them aware of vendor problems and assisting those who were having difficulty submitting or viewing resumes. Where are we now? First, Crimson is up, but they are continuing to experience problems. I have spoken personally to both the CEO and the vice president of engineering at Crimson. They know that we at Penn are unwilling to put our students through the frustration of an unreliable system. As a consequence, for this week, we have provided a back-up hard copy system and extended our deadline to ensure that students would not miss the chance to prescreen. We have communicated with all employers to make them aware of the problem and the deadline extension. This extension will not have a negative impact on this recruiting cycle. No interviews have been jeopardized. I would like to thank all the students who have been patient with us over the past week. We anticipate a busy recruiting season and look forward to bringing our outstanding students together with an impressive roster of employers. Last year we scheduled over 15,000 interviews on campus. This year, since we are also using the Inn at Penn for interviews as well as our own recruiting rooms, we may schedule 18,000. No system will stand in the way of that process and we will take all steps necessary to make sure that on-campus recruiting works smoothly for all. Patricia Rose Director, Career Services X-Country concerns To the Editor: As a member of the women's cross-country team, I feel compelled to respond to your article, "Without Cook, W. X-Country places second at Delaware" (DP, 9/21/99). I am writing because I believe that Susie Cook was misrepresented. Susie's decision to leave the team was a personal one and not something that should have been brought to the attention of the Penn student body. There was no need to devote a headline and almost a whole article to the circumstances surrounding Cook's departure. Yes, her quitting the team has left a void that will be hard to fill, but when an athlete's happiness and well-being come into question, one must prioritize what is important. Susie is an amazing athlete and more importantly, a great friend. Perhaps next time instead of chastising an athlete for quitting, the DP's main objective should be to focus on the women who are still competing. Kimberly Huang College '02 · To the Editor: I was shocked and outraged to read the comments of Penn women's cross-country coach Betty Costanza concerning the decision by sophomore Susie Cook to quit the team. Costanza was quoted as saying that she was "angry that she [Cook] would turn her back and walk away" and added that Cook "kind of left this group high and dry." Cross-country running, like any sport at this university, is extremely mentally and physically demanding. While the sport only takes place during the fall, runners typically run track in the winter and spring and find time around summer jobs and hot weather to get in solid mileage during the summer. The decision to run cross country, as I have done for the men's cross-country team the past two seasons, is a huge commitment. Costanza's comments are so audacious and arrogant because they suppose that Cook had a responsibility to stay with her team. Yes, her talent as a runner will surely be missed but it is Cook's decision alone, not the coach's, as to when she can leave the team. Last Wednesday, Cook gave assistant coach Cricket Batz-Shaklee a warning that she was considering quitting the team and she finalized her decision on Friday. It should have been left at that. Andy Kish College '01