Jacob Schutz | Finding some balance at Penn

It's always about this time of year that I start to lose the middle ground between working hard and playing hard.

At this point in the semester, I actually have to produce grade-able work and complete time-intensive reading assignments. From Sunday through Thursday I'm a human dynamo of nervous energy - constantly churning out papers and practice exams.

And then - so quickly that I often fail to notice - the week transforms on Thursday night. All over campus mellow study tunes are replaced with raucous dance music, cheap alcohol takes the place of expensive coffee drinks, and impulse replaces discretion. By Sunday morning, all that's left is a husk of depleted electrolytes.

Such is the bipolar world of those brave enough to work hard, play hard.

These two skills form a duality that seems highly-praised. We atone for our youthful indiscretions by hours of self-flagellating with textbooks and term papers.

On the flip side, we reward those seemingly endless hours of work by a campus culture that says, "Yes! You did work hard! Have a drink? Come on now, you worked harder than that. Drink more!"

I'm not entirely dissatisfied with such a culture. When I was a senior at a backwoods Colorado high school, I knew what they meant when they called Penn "the social Ivy." For the social Ivy, "Work hard, play hard" is a motto, a way of life. It's a phrase I've heard repeated ad nauseam, from bragging peers to proud faculty.

I discussed the lifestyle such a motto entails with College freshman Cristen Cusumano. I asked her what she thought Penn students did most for fun other than study and party. "I don't know," she laughed. "Eat? I don't know."

The hyperactive lives we lead afford little time for pointless meandering. In our hectic lifestyles, we often forget about the importance of such wanderings.

For me, the neglect is especially ironic given how much more intellectually stimulating Penn and Philadelphia are than my hometown. I feel guilty when I reflect on how my "broad" life of academia and college parties somehow doesn't cover everything.

I even get defensive about the subject. When I pass the Institute of Contemporary Art I think, "The nerve of them! Trying to get me to partake in a vaguely intellectual experience for no credit, no social glory. Do they know how busy I am?"

Thankfully, the flow of opportunities covering that middle-ground between thinking and playing has become an unavoidable flood in recent weeks.

Last week, I stopped by the ICA (at Sansom and 36th) to see the R. Crumb exhibit. Crumb's perverse comics and art were as hilarious and obscene as I had heard - and more than worth the price of $0 I paid. I also visited the Charles Addams Fine Art Gallery (at Walnut and 36th) to see an exhibit called "Through You." Students were able to select their favorite artists, whose works were then brought to campus from the collections of generous alumni. The show is worthy of an international tour, and helped relieve my stress without impairing brain function.

Nearby at the Arthur Ross Gallery (in the Fisher Fine Arts Library) I gazed upon a collection highlighting the print process, with pieces by Georges Braque and Andy Warhol.

As I stood in the cavernous gallery, I wondered how many times I had passed by it before. Had I known about the momentary enlightenment I could find, I would have visited it much sooner.

Needless to say, Philadelphia has more to offer than Marbar and Copabanana. Last week I attended the first show of this season's Philadelphia Orchestra, a night dedicated to college students. The event heralded the new eZseatU program, where a $25 membership allows university students to attend any of the shows during the season. This incredible bargain mirrors the outstanding value of a student membership at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I'm not arguing that we cede the title of the social Ivy. (Who else would carry the mantle if we did?) But I am inviting my fellow students to take time to do something other than WORK!!! and PLAY!!! There is a middle ground, a calm point where staring at a Monet or an urban mural becomes something transformative.

It becomes a moment of calmness in our otherwise intensity-driven lives.

Jacob Schutz is a College junior from Monument, Colo. His email is schutz@dailypennsylvanian.com. The MacGuffin appears every Monday.

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