1999 Year in Review

April As students and faculty alike debated the pros and cons of the new rules, the 127-year-old FIJI chapter ceased to exist at Penn as its brotherhood voted to dissolve their charter. But students didn't let the alcohol crackdown get in the way of the 27th annual Spring Fling festival. They "did the right Fling" and enjoyed the campus-wide party that featured performances by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Run-DMC. On the academic front, the Committee on Undergraduate Education released its proposal for sweeping changes to the School of Arts and Science's General Requirement curriculum. The proposal called for students to select one course from each of four specified disciplines during freshman and sophomore years. And SAS released its own $19 million strategic plan, calling for increased investment in six "core" departments and better facilities for the Psychology and Music departments, as well as the College of General Studies and the English Department. University Trustee David Pottruck announced a $10 million gift to renovate Gimbel Gymnasium, which will be renamed in his honor. New leadership came to undergraduate student government. The Undergraduate Assembly elected Michael Silver as its chairperson. The Wharton School started construction on its future home, breaking ground on Huntsman Hall, a new facility featuring offices, auditorium space and state-of-the art classrooms. The business school also played host to one of the world's most successful financiers, as billionaire investor and one-time Wharton student Warren Buffett visited campus to speak at the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theatre. Actress Ellen DeGeneres was the Connaissance spring speaker. She spoke for 2 1/2 hours about her experiences as a lesbian in Hollywood. Penn's admission rate fell once again, this time to just 26.6 percent. While still the second-highest percent in the Ivy League, it has fallen from a whopping 47 percent in 1991. The month ended on a very different note than upon which it began, with the University lifting its tough new alcohol policy in response to a report by the special alcohol task force. The task force called for increased alcohol-free social options and stricter rules for alcohol consumption at campus parties. -- Jonathan Margulies