NEWS BRIEFS: Monday, March 27, 2000

Tickets still available for Stephanopoulos speech Connaissance Co-Chairman and Engineering junior Theo LeCompte said yesterday that only 1,000 of the 1,200 available tickets for tomorrow night's event have been sold, leaving several hundred seats empty. To try and fill the auditorium, Connaissance will continue selling tickets -- which cost $3 and are available only to those with a valid PennCard -- on Locust Walk from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. LeCompte speculated that selling tickets, which became available last Wednesday, right after spring break may have hurt ticket sales. "I think people coming back from spring break weren't expecting it," he explained. "Sometimes it just takes time for these things to set in." LeCompte also said that the potentially narrow appeal of Stephanopoulos, now an ABC political analyst, may have also detracted from the popularity of the event. "He's not as big as some of our previous speakers. It's more of a special interest thing," LeCompte said. But he added that people were excited for the event nonetheless. "I've gotten a lot of comments that while people have enjoyed the celebrities we've had, they're glad we're bringing someone who can really talk about politics." If tickets remain after tomorrow, Connaissance may make them available for purchase at the door, LeCompte said. -- Stacy Humes-Schulz Santorum to speak today at technology summit U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) will come to Penn today to host a summit on the growth and future of the high-tech industry in southeastern Pennsylvania. The freshman Republican senator will introduce the summit at 9 a.m. today in Zellerbach Theatre. The event will feature almost a dozen speakers, including Santorum, University President Judith Rodin and industry leaders. At the end of the 3 1/2 hour event, Santorum will present the 2000 Avenue of Technology Award to Eugene Garfield, the founder of the Institute of Scientific Information. Penn, the University City Science Center and Micro Endeavors, Inc. are co-sponsoring tomorrow's event. Santorum's seat in the U.S. Senate is currently being pursued by six Democrats, all fighting for victory in the April 4 primary and the chance to take on Santorum in November's general election. Santorum remains unopposed in the upcoming Republican primary. -- S.H.