Remembering Dr. von Vorys
To the Editor:
When Professor Karl von Vorys made his students wear business suits to class, stand up upon his arrival and call each other by our last names, I first thought he was a dinosaur from a bygone era.
But I soon realized that he imposed those rules because he truly believed that we were "the best and the brightest," and he wanted us to be comfortable acting like the leaders we would someday become.
To this day, people think I'm joking when I tell them that my college professor arranged for his students to sit down with the former Venezuelan president at his home in Caracas and fly onto a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier stationed in the Atlantic.
But it's no joke -- KVV did all that, and much more. Penn will miss you, Professor.
Cam Winton
College '01
Dems' charges partisan
To the Editor:
This letter is in response to the recent events of the 2004 Undergraduate Assembly elections and the controversy surrounding Eric Mordecai Rechtschaffen's campaign. Seven members of the Penn College Democrats, including Chairman Richard Eisenberg and Daniel De Rosa, chose to file charges against Rechtschaffen with the Nominations and Elections Committee. The controversy began when the Penn Democrats endorsed Rechtschaffen, as they claim, without knowledge of his last name after he signed an e-mail to the Penn Democrats using only his first and middle names.
The charges brought against Rechtschaffen were not only insulting to the candidate but also belittling to the policies of the NEC and the Penn community. Having attended the NEC hearing, it was evident that partisanship was the central motivation behind the accusations of the Penn Democrats, as Rechtschaffen was a prominent member of the College Republicans.
The argument of the Penn Democrats was purely based on Rechtschaffen's exclusion of his last name, which they claimed unfairly biased the electorate who received their e-mail endorsements. During the hearing, Eisenberg repeatedly stressed that his organization did not consider names when choosing their endorsements, but rather people and their positions on issues that coincided with those of the Penn Democrats.
However, as the hearing progressed and members of the NEC began to ask questions of Eisenberg and De Rosa, it became evident that their charges against Rechtschaffen were a waste of the NEC's time. Clear contradictions in their positions nullified the accusations of the Penn Democrats and made a mockery of the established procedures of the NEC.
In the end, the NEC swiftly voted in favor of Rechtschaffen and upheld the fair elections that were conducted over the past several weeks. The quick decision of the NEC further proved that the charges brought against Rechtschaffen were frivolous and irrelevant. It is my sincere hope that with future elections, the NEC would not be used as a forum for political partisanship and unfounded allegations.
Fair elections and practices should be respected by all members of the Penn community. Additionally, I would like to applaud the NEC for its wise and prompt decision in this matter and for its foresight into setting a precedent to prevent these types of problems in the future.
Anthony Oddo
College '06
