Talk held on W. Phila. relations

Penn students may think of their university as a distinguished intellectual community and a bastion of higher education. However, to many West Philadelphia residents, the University is an "800-pound gorilla" that is nonetheless central to solving the problems of Penn's relationship with the greater community. That was the view expressed by D.L. Wormley, the University City District's director of Neighborhood Rehabilitation Initiatives -- one of several people to explore the University's complicated role in West Philadelphia in an interactive lecture last night held in Hamilton College House's rooftop lounge. The two-hour workshop consisted of a panel comprised of Wormley, School of Social Work Professor and noted community activist Walter Palmer and Theresa Simmonds, a University City High School teacher and 1991 Penn alumna. The workshop was designed to provide Penn students interested in volunteering in the community with a more comprehensive view of community service in West Philadelphia neighborhoods. Wormley said Penn has often viewed West Philadelphia as a "laboratory" for its academic research. "I personally resent that. Don't treat us like lab rats," she told the audience of 30 students and faculty members. The panelists affirmed their belief in a strong sense of community in West Philadelphia neighborhoods -- a camaraderie they have experienced while living and working in the community for several years. They emphasized that many people associated with Penn are unaware of this closeness simply because they do not live in the area and have never taken the time to explore it for themselves. Palmer asked several rhetorical questions, challenging audience members to examine their own opinions of West Philadelphia as well as those of the University. "What is Penn's mission for society? What is Penn's mission for its students?" he asked. Palmer urged students to talk with University administrators about their relationship with West Philadelphia residents. He then discussed the history of the Black Bottom -- the former West Philadelphia neighborhood that was dismantled when Penn expanded westward several decades ago. In encouraging reparations for the Black Bottom residents who were forced out of their community by the University, Palmer asked, "Can you really overcome this history?" Simmonds, who is in her seventh year of teaching, discussed life as an employee of the West Philadelphia Public School System. She cited a lack of leadership in many area public schools as a major part of their functional problems. Though she said her high school is an exception to this deficiency, she stated that one could "feel like a small drop in a bucket with a big hole in the bottom." Simmonds advised Penn student volunteers to be humble and genuine with the people they encounter and to show deference to the teachers who have often worked in the schools for long periods of time. "You are a small but very vital part of what [the schools] can become," she said. She also tried to refute certain popular stereotypes about West Philadelphia students, by pointing out that though 99.9 percent of her students are African American, they actually represent a variety of socio-economic backgrounds.