Suspecting the worst for weeks, friends still shocked
(11/20/01 10:00am)
Although Anirban Majumdar's closest friends at Penn had only known him for a few months, they said they would not forget his kindness and sincerity.
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Michael Vondriska: Scapegoating students for 'national security'
(10/31/01 10:00am)
As the public learns more and more about the terrorists suspected of carrying out the Sept. 11 attacks, one new development may have a tremendous impact upon today's college students.
FBI could ask Penn to turn over student files
(10/03/01 9:00am)
Federal investigators have been enlisting the help of college administrators as they continue to track thousands of leads related to last month's deadly terrorist attacks.
University students strive for `Harmony'
(09/26/01 9:00am)
Witnessing, and sometimes experiencing, the backlash against minorities following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has prompted students at Penn to discuss their role in American society in a week-long campaign.
Despite troubled economy, spike in crime unlikely
(09/26/01 9:00am)
As the nation's economy continues to plummet, many are wondering how crime rates will react following the large increase in unemployment in the past few weeks.
After 16-month search, U. picks Nursing dean
(09/06/01 9:00am)
After 16 months without a permanent dean, the Nursing School yesterday named Afaf Meleis as its new leader.
Volleyball flies West this fall
(08/02/01 9:00am)
There will not be any upsets at the Ivy League Tournament for women's volleyball in 2001.
Women in Congress spend day with class
(06/28/01 9:00am)
WASHINGTON -- One member of Congress was once a single mother on welfare.
Theater chain submits plans for 40th Street
(05/18/01 9:00am)
After nearly three years of waiting, Penn finally may get the independent film-oriented theater it has been craving.
Committee appointed that may choose to privatize Health System
(01/14/01 10:00am)
Amidst speculation that Penn may privatize the financially beleaguered Health System, a committee of trustees and faculty has been formed to consider the system's best options. The University Trustees Executive Committee authorized the appointment of four Trustees and eight faculty members to the committee at its meeting last Friday. The committee was charged with examining how to make the University of Pennsylvania Health System's four wholly-owned hospitals and 12 affiliates more profitable and competitive. But in an e-mail sent to Health faculty and staff, University President Judith Rodin tried to dispel rumors that the committee was already looking to sell parts of the Health System. Instead, she wrote in the e-mail, the committee will look at possible changes in structure to raise money, increase the market competitiveness of the Health System and retain the academic mission of the Medical School. Rodin denied that the decision to look at alternative options for the Health System was solely due to its financial problems. Over the past three years, the Health System has lost over $330 million. "It's not driven by our prior financial problems alone, it's driven by the change in environment in academic medicine and health care," Rodin said in an interview yesterday. University spokeswoman Phyllis Holtzman said it was too soon to predict the course of action the committee might take, adding that there are no definite plans for privatization. "The University has made no decision to sell the Health System, and no decision is imminent," she said, cautioning that the committee should be allowed a deliberative process before speculations begin. "The committee has just been formed," Holtzman added. "We need to let them get started and do their work." However, several possibilities remain open for the Health System. The University could choose to sell the entire system -- or even just some of its hospitals -- to the for-profit private sector. Speculation that the University was going to follow this course of action had penetrated the Health System faculty and staff this week. Besides selling the system, the University could instead create a not-for-profit spin-off. Penn could also choose to pursue a partnership between the Health System and another University or an investment group in the private sector. For example, the medical centers of Stanford University and the University of California San Francisco merged several years ago, although the merger recently collapsed after financial losses. Holtzman said that the University had already been approached by potential partners, but she would not identify the partners or specify how many had contacted Penn. "The Health System's financial improvement has prompted other institutions and organizations to express some interest," she said, noting the almost $170 million deficit reduction the Health System posted in Fiscal Year 2000. Both Rodin and Holtzman noted that the committee's discussion was typical of debates in all academic medical centers today. "Every academic medical center in the United States is having strategic conversations," Rodin noted. Added Holtzman, "There are a lot of conversations taking place because of the volatile health care environment."
Nader poised to drain votes from Democrats
(11/03/00 10:00am)
Ralph Nader, the colorful Green Party candidate -- and veritable thorn in the side of Democratic candidate Al Gore -- is running an insurgent campaign largely based on the premise that no difference exists between the major-party candidates. While Nader freely voices criticisms of both Gore and Republican George W. Bush, most of the famed consumer advocate's votes are coming straight from Gore's column. Though Nader is polling very low nationally, even just a few percentage points in a few close states could swing the electoral advantage to the Texas governor. The nation's key liberal advocacy groups have all rallied behind Gore, but Nader has managed to forge together a rag-tag coalition of college students and disillusioned voters throughout the country. By upholding a platform dedicated to the establishment of a living wage, campaign finance reform and the environment, Nader has been able to appeal to voters who feel left out of the traditional politics of the two-party system. His message has been particularly effective with young voters. "The major parties don't seek young voters," Nader spokesman Tom Adkins said. "They don't spend any money trying to organize on college campuses." And to the dismay of Democrats nationwide, what's resonating in Nader's rhetoric is that there is essentially no difference between Gore and Bush. "If he can't see the difference between Gore and Bush, it's pretty pathetic," criticized Toby Moffet, a former Democratic member of Congress. But Nader's stance has appealed to many, including some Penn students. Emily Quesada, campus coordinator of the Penn Greens, is attracted to Nader's campaign because of what she describes as the abandonment of liberal principles by the Democratic Party. "I think [Nader] is offering a choice where there isn't one," the College sophomore said. "He's making Gore think about the core of his party, the progressive left." Appearances suggest that Nader is doing more harm than was once expected, forcing the Gore campaign to shore up its base voters with less than one week remaining until Election Day. By conservative estimates, Bush has secured roughly 214 electoral votes thus far. And while nothing is assured until the close of the polls on November 7, Gore is in very close races in traditionally liberal states such as Washington and Oregon, and has watched his lead evaporate in California. In Pennsylvania, where Gore has been vigorously campaigning through surrogate Ed Rendell for the state's 23 electoral votes, the Democrat is in a statistical dead heat with Bush. Any votes for Nader could potentially swing the state over to Bush. Quesada, if offered the choice between either Gore or Bush, said she would choose "none of the above." "You're supposed to vote your conscience," she said. And while Nader has virtually no hope of becoming the next president of the United States, he must receive 5 percent of the popular vote nationwide if his party is to receive federal funds in the next election. There are some who have envisioned the idea of brokering votes as a way to ensure that both Gore and Nader come out ahead, with the Democrat winning the election and Nader achieving the 5 percent threshold. Under so-called "Nader-trader" schemes, voters in swing states would vote for Gore, while voters in states where Bush or Gore have strong leads would vote for Nader. But the Green Party will have none of that. "We believe the most practical vote anyone can make is to vote your conscience," Adkins said.
Gore daughter speaks on voting
(10/06/00 9:00am)
She may become the first daughter of the United States, but to do that her father will need the support of the youth of America. And she's doing her best to help him get it. Karenna Gore Schiff, daughter of Vice President Al Gore, spoke to a small crowd of students last night at Houston Hall. "To be honest, I already know who I'm going to vote for," the 27-year-old said, receiving laughter from the crowd of mainly Gore supporters. Schiff, the eldest of Gore's four children and one of his closest advisors, has been touring the country in an effort to get 18-to-25-year-olds into the voting booth. But amid the laughter, the event carried a somber warning. "This is an election that for young people we really do have to take seriously," Sharif Street, son of Philadelphia Mayor John Street, said in introducing Schiff. Street, along with Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Michael Bassik, is co-chair of GoreNet, the Democratic campaign's outreach to young voters. After warming up the crowd, Street, a Penn Law grad, turned the mic over to Schiff, a recent Columbia Law School graduate. "The pundits have written us off as a generation too self-involved to be bothered with public life," Schiff informed the 250-person crowd. "Those charges simply don't hold water." She pointed to areas of increased political involvement among youth to refute those charges. "We volunteer and join organizations more than the famously idealistic boomers did," Schiff said. "We are passionate about this country." Evidence of that passion, she inferred, can be seen in the number of Penn students who have registered to vote. Schiff's talk was the culmination of the UA's weeklong voter awareness week during which about 700 students were registered in four days. Schiff was campaigning for dad and, not unexpectedly, she concentrated on the issues of Medicare and Social Security when bringing up issues of concern to students. In a resurrection of Tuesday night's presidential debate with a new twist, Schiff pointed to unique harms that the generation in attendance should be aware of. "If Medicare runs out, it will be on us," she said. But Schiff also talked about campaign finance reform and abortion. "We need serious campaign finance reform to ensure that our democracy is pure and fair," Schiff said, followed by rounding applause. "If we wake up to find that abortion is a crime in this country once more, it will be younger women who pay the price," Schiff said in criticism of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Gore's opponent. But for all of the issues Schiff addressed, from education to healthcare, there are some who feel that neither the Gore or Bush campaigns are doing much for the sake of young voters. "When watching the debates, you go away with this impression that the majority of Americans are 65 or older," Alison Byrne Fields, creative director and Chief strategist of Rock the Vote said from her office in California. "That wasn't my impression," Schiff said in an interview after her talk. "I felt that [my dad's] vision as he laid it out completely spoke to me as a young woman." After finishing in Houston Hall, Schiff went on to Mad 4 Mex to watch her father's running mate, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, in his debate with Republican Vice Presidential contender Dick Cheney. Wharton junior Aubrey Wise, one of the few students to have received an invitation to join Schiff at the popular restaurant, thought Schiff's talk went well. "She gave a great speech," he said. "Like her father, she's a great politician." College junior Evelyn Dean agreed. "She is such an asset to her father because she is so genuinely enthusiastic. You can just see the passion in her eyes." But not all students received what they had hoped to. "I want to see where Gore stands on arts funding," College junior Catherine Wise said. Of all that was talked about, arts funding was never addressed. But all was not lost on Wise. "I already voted for [Gore] by absentee ballot," the Virginia native said.
After 48 years, time for Swamis to hang up carpets
(10/06/00 9:00am)
After 48 years, the carpets are starting to show some wear. We Swamis have flown around the world, welcome wherever we have gone, be it Cambridge, California or Canada. We've talked to Elvis impersonators and zookeepers, great running backs and Keith Elias. Former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell was one of us. So was University President Judith Rodin. And William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd president of these United States, had recently agreed to wrap up a turban next season. For 48 years, the world has looked to us for all the right picks and a dash of humor. That much will never change. But it's time to step off our carpets, unwrap our turbans and ditch our magic lamps. It's a sign of the times and, with a nod to sensitivity, we will ride off into the sunset after Penn trounces Cornell to win the Ivy League title at the end of this season. But from our initial gathering in 1953, it's been nothing but good times. Goalposts in the Schuylkill, toast on the turf, you name it --ÿwe've seen it all, and we've seen it coming. We're not happy to go out, but we realize that we must, and that nothing lasts forever. So, we will be making some changes as we prepare to hang up the carpets -- our cartoon companion has already found his way to the retirement home. But for the remainder of the season, we will continue to pick the Ivy League games as the Swamis whom you've always known and loved. When we come back with "President Bubba" next season to tell you who's going to win each Ancient Eight contest, we'll have a new name, but the same humorous journeys that you've come to expect. We'll just have a different way to travel around the world on a weekly basis. And we promise not to offend or humiliate anyone -- except Princeton. In all of our reminiscing and in all of our planning for the future of pigskin prognostication at Penn, we did not seek out a guest Swami this week. But we didn't have any need to search for one anyway, since we all already knew that our beloved Quakers will beat the living daylights out of Holy Cross tomorrow afternoon in Worcester. We may not have our turbans next season, but we shall return in some way to tell you who will win each week. We will always and forever be the Swamis.
SAT scores no longer necessary at some universities
(10/02/00 9:00am)
For many high school students, the SAT is often seen as the arbiter of the future -- a test that may determine one's path through college and beyond. However, several colleges and universities are now rethinking the role of standardized testing in their admissions policies. A number of schools, ranging from small liberal arts colleges like Middlebury College in Vermont to large public institutions like Indiana State University, have stopped requiring applicants to submit results of SAT I examinations. Other schools, like Smith College, in Northampton, Mass., have decreased the emphasis of the test scores in their application process. Sally Rubenstone, an admission counselor at Smith, said she felt that "what Smith has done in the past year is devalue the SAT." However, many maintain the test is still useful in certain aspects of the selection process. Rubenstone, who has written several books on college admissions, pointed out that when schools are faced with a highly competitive pool of nearly identical students, the SAT "has become a tiebreaker, especially in [the] Ivy League." Lee Stetson, Penn's dean of admissions, foresees no changes in the consideration of test scores when selecting applicants for Penn. "I think that standardized testing continues to be a major element in the process," he said. "There's been no attempt to downgrade or change the way we use SATs." The SAT faces new challenges in another area as well -- public institutions in California, Texas and Florida plan to, or have already, begun to accept students falling within a certain percentile in their high school classes, reducing the need for standardized test scores. However, the College Board, the organization that administers the SATs asserts the continuing relevance of the test and discounts any trend away from its use. Janice Gams, associate director of public affairs for the College Board, said "mass media has been riding this as [a] major trend, and it's not a trend at all." She cited a statistic that found that well over 80 percent of the 1,800 four-year colleges in the United States utilize the SAT. Joseph Pedulla, chairman of the Department of Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation at Boston College, said the convenience of the test makes it attractive to post-secondary institutions, particularly some schools that receive several thousand applications yearly. "If it's a large public institution... they need something that's very quick," he said. "It's a common metric" that facilitates the comparison of applicants. And contrary to Gams, Pedulla said decreasing the significance of the SAT was a trend that "is taking off." Gams added that SAT results were "in some cases more valid than grades" due to "variations from teacher to teacher" and among high schools themselves, of which there are thousands in the United States alone. Colleges may also begin to look at test scores only as positive measures. Rubenstone said applicants with high test scores could be rewarded much as those with athletic or artistic ability -- and not penalized for the lack thereof. Scores might "no longer be the make-it or break-it proposition," she added. In contrast, Stetson did not foresee any significant decrease on reliance on the SAT: "The fact that two or three schools [have dropped requirements does] not make a trend."
Getting out the vote
(09/19/00 9:00am)
Seven weeks from today, voters will go to the polls and elect the 43rd president of the United States, deciding much of the country's fate in the process. And whether you support Bush or Gore, Buchanan or Nader, the good news is that it's not too late to sign up -- and that it's never been easier to register to vote. The sad fact is that young people today vote in lower numbers than any other age group. And until members of the so-called Generations X and Y begin to participate more heavily in the democratic process, they can expect that their concerns will not be adequately addressed by the powers that be. But this presidential election -- the first for most current Penn undergraduates -- is an opportunity to buck the trends of the last few election cycles and demonstrate that a new generation of politically active and aware citizens has emerged. Voter registration deadlines in most states for the general election will not pass until the second or third week of October, leaving plenty of time to sign up. The deadline in Pennsylvania, California, Florida and New Jersey is October 10; in New York and Maryland, October 13; and in Massachusetts, October 18. Most state Web sites -- such as http://www.state.pa.us for Pennsylvania -- offer complete registration information through their individual election boards. Many offer downloadable registration forms, and California even allows residents to register online. Penn students are eligible to register either in their home states or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Those who choose the Keystone State won't have to go far -- to David Rittenhouse Laboratories at 33rd and Walnut streets -- to vote on Tuesday, November 7. Others should request absentee ballots from their local governments and make sure they are returned on time. The results of this election will help determine the course this country takes on issues like the national debt, entitlements, education and health care. The stakes are too high for you to stay home.
Youth to unite at Drexel for RNC
(07/27/00 9:00am)
When Republicans arrive in West Philadelphia for next week's convention, they can be expect to be greeted by a few political counterparts.
SAS successfully recruits 22 profs
(05/03/00 9:00am)
Fourteen professorships are still being negotiated. Those talks are expected to yield about seven profs. The School of Arts and Sciences recruited 22 new faculty members this year, with 14 more appointments currently in negotiations, school officials said yesterday. Of the 22 hirings, 19 are junior professorships, while three are senior appointments in Economics, Romance Languages and Physics, SAS Dean Samuel Preston said. Earlier this year, SAS authorized 40 recruitment searches in departments across the school. The 14 ongoing recruitments will likely yield about seven more hirings for next year, Preston said, while the remaining four will be deferred until next year. Eight of the 14 continuing searches are for senior appointments, but Preston said, "It's obviously increasingly unlikely" that they will result in hirings by the start of the fall semester. He noted that SAS will see only four senior faculty departures this year -- compared with 13 last year -- and nine senior faculty retirements, allowing the school to grow in size. "I'm very pleased with where we are right now," he said. Among the junior recruitments are 11 positions in the six departments targeted by the SAS Strategic Plan for additional faculty positions and increased funding. The Economics Department, which had planned to hire as many as five new faculty members, currently has two junior and one senior appointment confirmed. The department hired Antonio Merlo, a political economist at New York University, for a senior professorship next year. Preston said Merlo is one of the leading experts in the United States on political economy, "a field that we've been trying to build up" at Penn. Acting Economics Department Chairman Kenneth Wolpin said he was very excited about Merlo's decision to come to Penn. The two junior professors -- one of whom will start at Penn this fall and one in fall 2001 -- are both recent doctoral graduates. Wolpin added that the department still has two offers out to fill the remaining senior positions, but noted that all of the candidates also have offers from other universities, making it "a pretty complicated situation." Another of the three senior appointments next year will be in the Spanish division of the Romance Languages Department, which will also get one new junior professor in Spanish and one in French. After the departures of four Spanish professors last year, the department recently struggled to meet student demand for Spanish courses. "We are very fortunate this year," Romance Languages Department Chairman Ignacio Lopez said, adding that the new appointments in Spanish will "help correct the situation that we unfortunately had in the past year." The Political Science Department, which this year lost one junior and one senior faculty member, will get one new junior professor and one temporary fellow. The department, which had hoped to hire as many as four senior professors, still has searches underway, Preston noted, including "someone who says he is leaning toward coming to Penn" but is currently on leave from his own university. "I'm disappointed that the Political Science searches were not more successful," Preston said. "I don't blame the department for that." Political Science will likely receive additional authorizations for junior professorships next year, he said, a decision that outgoing Political Science Department Chairman Ian Lustick said would help the department grow. The department will also have a visiting professor from the University of California at Berkeley next year who specializes in Far Eastern politics, Lustick noted. Among the other departments targeted in the SAS Strategic Plan, the English Department hired two junior professors, Psychology hired three junior professors, History hired two junior professors and Biology hired one junior professor.
Students named as Fulbright scholars
(04/26/00 9:00am)
Eleven Penn students will receive the prestigious grant for international study. Six Penn undergraduates and five graduate students with a passion for international living and a dream to conduct their own program of study have recently been awarded the prestigious Fulbright grant. As Fulbright scholars, these students have been offered the opportunity to travel to the country of their choosing and carry out a program of research and study that they have selected -- all paid for by the United States government. Additional students may still win the award. "I wanted to go to a new country and learn a new language," said College senior Katrin Fraser, a recipient of the grant. "And I will be able to learn the language at the beginning of this program." Fraser, an Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations double major, plans to travel to Korea as part of the program to teach English as a foreign language. The most current list of this year's undergraduate Fulbright recipients also include College senior Kristina Herbert -- who will head to Germany to study force measurements of nucleosome DNA using atomic force microscopy -- and College senior Miriam Joffe-Block, who will be researching migrant labor and civil society in Bangkok and northeastern Thailand. Also on the list are College senior Laura Robbins, who plans to go to Spain to study Spanish views on race in colonial Alta California; Wharton junior Adam Kaufman, who is traveling to Mexico to study information systems; and College and Wharton senior Christopher Murray, who has a bi-national business grant to Mexico. The grants provide students with travel expenses, tuition, language orientation courses and overall living expenses for one academic year. As part of the intensive application process, recipients conceptualize and plan their own intended course of study, which may include independent research, field work and/or traditional university course work. Fraser -- who has already traveled extensively to the Far East to countries such as Japan and Singapore -- said she is pleased that her year-long Fulbright will allow her to explore before committing to a "serious job." Her plans eventually include graduate school and extended study in China. And Murray, who is fluent in Spanish, said the program gives him an interesting post-graduation option. "I did not know what my plans would be after graduation," he said. "So I applied for the grant." The Fulbright program was created by the United States government after World War II. As a result of a piece of legislation sponsored by Senator J. William Fulbright, the grant allows American students to engage in a cross-cultural exchange with over 100 nations worldwide. With over 4,000 applicants nationwide, the program is very competitive. Of the thousands of applications received, only 800 students are offered the grant. Each year, Penn has approximately 55 applicants. Of those an average of 10 to 12 undergraduate and graduate students receive the grant, according to Clare Cowen, the on-campus Fulbright advisor. "Basically, Penn has a good way of working with the students," Cowen said, noting the high percentage of Penn student recipients. So far, graduate students in the College who have received the grant include Jeanne Nugent, who will travel to Germany to study history and identity in Gerhard Richter's photo paintings; David Heaney, who will also go to Germany to research Leberecht Migge and modern landscape in Weimar Germany; and Bruce Baird, who will travel to Japan to work on Butah philosophy and the burden of history. Also, Solimar Otero will go to Nigeria to study the Brazilian and Cuban Yoruba community in Lago, and Nick Sawicki will spend his time in the Czech Republic studying Czech art. "It is a prestigious award with an international reputation," Cowen added.
Mixed results against top competition for W. Tennis
(03/22/00 10:00am)
The Quakers beat two ranked teams, but fell to three more on their trip to the West. The five nationally ranked teams that the Penn women's tennis team played over spring break in California and Las Vegas might have all thought they would have no trouble sweeping the unranked Quakers. They were wrong. Penn overcame No. 68 UNLV and No. 44 Illinois State on March 12 and 13, respectively. And even though the Quakers lost handily to Oklahoma State, Fresno State and Stanford, Penn sophomore Carla Dorsey believed these matches were all closer than the scores may make them seem. "Their players aren't better athletes than us," Dorsey said of the killer trio. "But they play their big points a lot better. [On points] where we might get timid, they play it out. They have a lot more experience with big points, and it's the big points that count -- they're what make the scores look lopsided." Penn started out their West Coast matches by beating UNLV, 5-4. Penn captain Elana Gold said the Quakers were especially happy about beating the Rebels since they regularly vie with the best the Western conferences have to offer. The next day, the Quakers took Illinois State, 6-3. Gold's match was especially impressive. After losing the first set, 6-1, and being down 5-1 in the second set, she took the match to the third set and pulled off a win. No. 52 Oklahoma State gave Penn a little more trouble. At No. 6 singles, Penn sophomore Jolene Sloat didn't let the Cowboys' Cameron Stout win a single game, while Penn's Rochelle Raiss took Ashleigh Dolman, 6-1, 6-4. Raiss then teamed up with Penn junior Lenka Beranova to play doubles, and the duo overcame Dolman and Maria Galoustova, 8-4. The Quakers team of sophomore Louani Bascara and Anastasia Pozdniakova was tied at 8-8 before losing the match in a close tiebreaker. The next two schools the Quakers faced -- Fresno State and Stanford -- were probably the toughest teams they will see all season. Penn was unable to take a single match from either school. At No. 1 singles, Pozdniakova took Fresno State's Kandiss Creighton to three sets after falling 6-1 in the first set. Beranova lost her match by a close 7-5, 7-5 margin at No. 2 singles, while Justyna Wojas lost to the Bulldogs' Kelly Ramirez after a 7-5, 6-3 battle. Before heading home, the Quakers faced No. 1 Stanford at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium to challenge some of the top tennis players in the nation. "The whole atmosphere of playing the No. 1 team in the country in their stadium with a huge scoreboard was a little intimidating," Penn coach Michael Dowd said. "But we stepped up and played very well. We played some of the best tennis we played all year." At No. 3 singles, Penn junior Shubha Srinivasan faced Gabriela Lastra -- who is currently ranked No. 68 in the country -- in an intense three-hour battle. Srinivasan took the first set, 7-6, before Lastra came back and finished the match, 6-3, 6-4. "Shubha played an amazing match," Gold said. "[Playing Stanford] was fun, because we had nothing to lose." Doubles was the Quakers' strength in the Stanford match. Raiss and Beranova lost their close match at No. 1 doubles, 8-7, and Bascara and Pozdniakova fell, 8-5. Gold believes that the upcoming Ivy season -- which begins April 1 against Princeton -- almost looks easy after playing at such a high level of competition. "We all got a lot closer [over spring break]," she said. "When it comes down to four-all in an Ivy match and you feel united with your team, you're going to want it that much more for yourself and everyone else." But Dowd emphasized that the team can never get too satisfied with its performance. "We saw the highest level of competition we'll see all year. From here on out, we won't see teams as good as these," he said. "But the Ivy season is in the horizon, and we have to keep pushing."
Frontrunners come out on top
(03/08/00 10:00am)
In yesterday's Super Tuesday primaries, Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Goe soundly defeated their opponents. Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush all but ended the battles for their respective parties' nominations last night with decisive victories in a series of primaries across the country. Challengers Bill Bradley and John McCain needed major wins in yesterday's Super Tuesday primaries to sustain their beleaguered campaigns. But both failed to achieve the victories considered necessary for them to stay competitive, propelling their opponents into positions of even greater dominance and leaving the future of their respective bids in serious doubt. On the Republican side, Bush soundly defeated McCain in seven of the day's 11 major GOP contests, most notably sweeping the crucial delegate battlegrounds of California, New York and Ohio. He supplemented those gains with wins in Georgia, Maine, Maryland and Missouri. McCain, whose insurgent bid had challenged Bush's dominance with wins in New Hampshire and Michigan, managed to eek out small victories in four New England states -- Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. Bush now holds a substantial edge in delegates to this summer's Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Last night, he picked up an additional 347 delegates, bringing his total to 517 of the 1,034 needed to win the nomination. McCain garnered 117, bringing his total count to 222. The results were even more punishing for Bradley. The one-time Princeton and New York Knicks basketball star and three-term Democratic senator from New Jersey failed to win even one state delegation from the heavily favored vice president. Though he has picked up delegates in non-winner-take-all states, Bradley has yet to win a single state contest from Vice President Al Gore. His total now stands at 284 of the 2,170 votes needed to win the Democratic nomination. Gore has 975 delegates. In Democratic exit polling, African Americans preferred Gore over Bradley by a margin of six-to-one, and Latinos by eight-to-one. The margin among union members was smaller, but still a healthy three-to-one. Gore also won the vote of independents, a key element of Bradley's electoral strategy, and a group that the Democratic nominee will need in the general election race. The exit polling was conducted by Voter News Service, a consortium of The Associated Press and television networks. Exit surveys across the states showed women preferring Bush by a two-to-one margin over McCain. Among age groups, McCain carried only younger voters; those over 30 voted for Bush. Among Catholics, the vote was split evenly between the two candidates. And by a big margin, the voters said McCain was more likely than Bush to say what he believes. Now, as the primary season moves in the coming weeks on to the southern states -- areas where Bush and Gore are expected to dominate -- speculation continues to swirl as to when the two underdog candidates might concede their races. "We're very pleased with the victories we won and disappointed with the ones we lost," McCain said shortly after calling Bush to offer his congratulations. He later told supporters that he and the Texas governor "may meet again," leaving the door open for a possible departure from the race. One senior adviser said that he expects the Arizona senator to announce his withdrawal from the race tomorrow, but added that no firm plans had yet been made. McCain said he would take stock of his campaign today when he travels to his retreat in Arizona. Some aides planned to recommend that the senator depart the race, while others looked for him to forge on to the nine primaries coming up in the next week. McCain's strength so far has been his ability to attract Democratic and Independent voters who don't usually vote Republican. But in recent days McCain has pledged to support Bush if he were to become the nominee, putting a damper on speculation that he might consider a third-party bid. Bradley addressed a crowd of supporters in New York, taking credit for launching "the beginning of a new politics," and recognizing his followers for pushing such issues as gun violence, poverty and campaign finance reform into the national spotlight. "He won, I lost," Bradley said last night, all but conceding the end of the race. He said he would consult with aides over the next few days regarding the future of his campaign and make an announcement sometime in the next week. For the victors of yesterday's primary battles, though, the campaign focus now shifts from the primaries to the general election showdown in November. As Bush and Gore addressed their respective crowds last night, the target of their comments noticeably shifted away from their party opponents and instead, toward each other. "Our campaign is your cause," Gore told a crowd of supporters in his home state of Tennessee. "We are the party of the mainstream. We appeal to hope, not anger, not to exclusion. He continued by saying his approach was the right one to continue the current economic expansion begun under Bill Clinton -- the only time he used the president's name. In an unnamed reference to Bush's policies, he cautioned against "wasting the surplus on a risky tax scheme." Looking ahead to a potential fight with Gore, Bush congratulated the vice president for his victories in the Democratic primaries, but said, "He is the candidate of the status quo in Washington, D.C., and he has a tough case to make in the general election." Bush continued by saying, "My frame of mind is to keep moving. Soon our party will unite and turn to the main task at hand -- ending the era of Clinton-Gore." The Associated Press contributed to this story.
