Back in 1993, a scandal on Penn's campus became a topic of national attention. And behind most controversies lies the potential for a good book.
Then-University President Sheldon Hackney, the main target of the constant press attacks, has done just that -- he recently published a book about the entire experience.
Last night at the Penn Bookstore, Hackney, currently a history professor at Penn, gave a discussion and signing of his new book, The Politics of Presidential Appointment: A Memoir of the Culture War.
Hackney began by explaining the background of the controversial situation that brought him into what he called a "culture war."
The first of two now-infamous incidents occurred in January, 1993, when a white student was charged with violating a "racial harassment policy" after yelling "Shut up, you water buffalo!" at a group of black sorority sisters who were singing songs outside his Harnwell College House room.
Also, that spring, on the second to last day of The Daily Pennsylvanian's publication for the year, a group of black students stole every single copy of the paper in response to controversial articles about Philadelphia's black community.
Hackney, who had recently been nominated by former president Bill Clinton for the position of chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, read a passage from his book describing how he was harshly criticized for failing to vehemently condemn those who stole the papers and was accused of failing to defend free speech.
He said he received media attacks from all directions, ranging from seven editorials in the Wall Street Journal to mockery by radio commentator Rush Limbaugh.
With so much opposition, his confirmation to the NEH became highly controversial -- and he said it is this controversial appointment process which his book recounts.
"The book is a memoir -- it is the story of a large part of my life, although it all took place in one year," Hackney said. "It is about how I got into the mess and how I got out of the mess."
Hackney read passages from the book which described the time he referred to as "the spring from hell." He reflected on the "outright untruths" that he claimed were published about him.
"Journalists typically tell stories instead of listing the facts," Hackney said. "Facts tend to get invented into the storyline."
The passages Hackney read aloud were touched with humor and received laughs from the audience, which was mainly composed of University faculty and staff members, many of whom Hackney knew by name.
"The book has great self-deprecating humor," said Doris Cochran-Fikes, a staff member in the Office of Admissions. "I hope it becomes the choice for the freshman reading project because there is a lot to learn from it."
And for Jennifer Warren, a graduate student in the Fels Institute of Government, the book lands close to home.
"I was an undergrad here in '93, so I lived through the time," she said.
