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(03/07/96 10:00am)
One Engineering student, six students from the School of Nursing and 29 students from the College and Wharton began the spring semester studying abroad in Israel. But nine of the 36 have decided to return to the United States this week as a result of the recent bombings in Israel, according to Office of International Programs Director Joyce Randolph. And a management program for Wharton MBA students, slated to depart for Israel today, was cancelled yesterday due to the number of students who have decided to back out of the trip. Izzedine al Qassam, the military wing of the terrorist organization Hamas, has bombed Israel four times in nine days, claiming the lives of four bombers and 57 others. The most recent bombing occurred Monday in Tel Aviv, killing 14 people -- half of them children. The Nursing students -- all of whom are returning -- will be able to begin classes at Penn after spring break, according to Kristin Davidson, assistant dean for administration in the Nursing School. Randolph explained that Nursing has made "arrangements for the students because they're in a special program." The other three students returning this week will receive a 90 percent tuition refund because Israeli university classes just began this week, according to Randolph. "We're in our eighth week of classes at Penn, so it's virtually impossible for students to return and pick up courses at Penn for credit," she said. The University has been keeping in touch with the abroad students via electronic mail and telephone, Randolph said. But she added that OIP has been relying on Resident Director Ann Killebrew to "channel students' queries" to the office and inform OIP of changes in students' situations. Killebrew, who is pursuing a doctorate degree at Hebrew University, is responsible for advising students academically and personally, Randolph explained. "[Killebrew] has been in regular contact with all the students and we have kept in close contact with her," she said. Nursing junior Becky Cross returned home to California yesterday from Israel. "It just got to be a bit much; four bombings in eight days is kind of a lot to deal with," she said. "And it doesn't seem likes things are getting any better. "I'm sad that Hamas won and that we left," she added. Cross said that all of the Nursing students are already home and that she will be able to receive three credits for the rest of the semester at Penn. Randolph added that OIP staff members telephoned the parents of the overseas students Monday night to discuss University policy on returning early and "to see how the students are." Parents reported that students "are concerned, anxious and distracted, but by and large want to stay," according to Randolph. "In many instances, the parents are much more anxious than the students," she said. "They would like to persuade their children to come home." Randolph said Israeli universities have improved security and instituted special counseling programs for foreign students in response to the bombings. And Annabel Belgaumi, the University's principle study abroad advisor for Israel, left for Turkey yesterday with OIP Assistant Director Geoffrey Gee. They will be meeting Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Professor Everett Rowson there to explore the possibility of a new overseas program, and will then travel to Israel on Sunday, according to Randolph. Despite, the bombings, Randolph said OIP received a record number of study abroad applications "across the board" for the 1996 fall semester. Cross said she is eager to return to Israel, though not soon. "After Monday, I think I was a little bit afraid," Cross said. "You don't know when and you don't know where. "I want to be in Israel -- the people there understand what we went through," she added. "It's very different being an American -- we can leave."
(02/22/96 10:00am)
The University of Pennsylvania Health System received the nation's fifth-largest funding grant from the National Institutes of Health in fiscal year 1995, according to an NIH report issued last week. Johns Hopkins University received the largest amount of NIH funding in the United States with a total grant of $185.4 million. Penn's NIH funding for 1995 totaled $140.5 million, bringing the gap between Penn and Johns Hopkins to $44.8 million. Following Hopkins, schools receiving the highest funding are the University of California at San Francisco, Washington University and Yale University. Penn climbed 11.4 percent this year in NIH grants, moving up from the sixth rank last year, according to Richard Tannen, vice dean for research and research training in the School of Medicine. "To be ranked in the top five for NIH research funding is quite an accomplishment," said William Kelley, CEO of the Health System and dean of the Medical School. Tom Flavin, special projects officer for NIH, added that Penn has the highest annual grant growth rate for NIH funding among the top 10 institutions. Kelley said hospital patients will benefit the most from NIH grants since they have allowed for "cutting edge research at our medical center." "NIH funding helps us to provide our patients with the safest and most effective treatments available anywhere," he added. Penn did receive grants from a number of other medical organizations -- both federal and private -- this year, but even lumped together, they did not equal the money granted by NIH. "NIH is the primary grant institution in the world," said Flavin. "We fund over 50 percent of the grants universities receive." According to Tannen, NIH grants made up 70 to 75 percent of Penn's research funds. Flavin said that Penn received the highest funding in the nation for the areas of Biochemistry/Biophysics and Physiology. Penn also had the highest level of funding for clinical research in Radiology/Radiation Oncology, according to Flavin. Penn's NIH training grant level was first in the nation, he said. According to the NIH report, Penn also had the leading grant level of all Pennsylvania academic medical centers. Other area schools included in the report were the University of Pittsburgh, Thomas Jefferson University and Temple University.
(02/13/96 10:00am)
To the Editor: Let's face it: none of the arts at Penn enjoys unlimited access to modern, well-equipped facilities. The departments of Fine Arts and Music struggle daily with the challenges of maintaining degree-granting programs in buildings that -- as at many universities today -- are crumbling. Fortunately for Penn, the Annenberg School for Communication has space that makes it possible to accept an extraordinarily generous endowment for the purpose of enabling Ivy League graduates to aspire to the highest calling for which their privileged educations prepare them: the betterment of society through enlightened public policy. The first effort of the Annenberg Public Policy Center was a year-long (1994-95) series of conferences on "Women in the Public Sphere" -- not an irrelevant topic at a university where about half of the undergraduates are women. At the Graduate School of Fine Arts, the Annenberg funding was used to assemble 34 of the most prominent women in architecture, a field where women's contributions, as elsewhere, have long been overlooked. The GSFA conference not only gave students -- men and women -- the rare opportunity to design and construct an exciting environment for an event reported by all major publications in the field, but also exposed students (many for the first time) to role models for their own careers. The conference, which was attended by more than 400 people -- mostly students from Penn, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and as far away as California, Canada and Australia -- also put this university in touch with peer institutions around the world. Moreover, it spawned a book on women's roles in shaping the built environment and a course open to qualifying students throughout the university. Multiply that experience by the number of Penn schools that participated in "Women in the Public Sphere" and you begin to see why the current trade-off, while not ideal, is far from unintelligent or "undeserving." Meanwhile, the Perelman Quad and Addams Fine Arts Hall will provide much improved space for everyone. Patricia Conway Architecture Professor Past Dean, Graduate School of Fine Arts ROTC far from simple To the Editor: I was sorry to read that Paul Lukasiak sees ROTC and its presence on campus as an "issue [that] is simple" ("End ROTC participation," DP, 2/7/96). Unfortunately the issue is not so simple, nor is any issue involving perceived discrimination. He should be intelligent enough to realize that grey areas do exist, otherwise life would be fairly simple, wouldn't it? The Reserve Officers' Training Corps provides far more benefits than any possible harms that may be a result of the federal government's policy regarding homosexuals. It does not in any way promote "the spread of prejudice and hatred." It unites young men and women who have a love of country and yearning to lead others who have that same love. In a day and age where patriotism is something to be snickered at and shunned, it is refreshing and encouraging to find those who are not afraid to serve their country, and do so proudly. Furthermore, since the issue of discrimination comes from government policy, should not the University stop accepting federal grants, Stafford loans and any other form of federal funding? Is this what Lukasiak proposes as well? His flawed logic would seem to lead to this conclusion. ROTC needs to stay on this campus and on other campuses throughout the country if we are to have well-educated and well-trained leaders in the future. Matt Beliveau Army ROTC Wharton '97 n To the Editor: In speaking out against ROTC, Darin Weeks ("ROTC discriminates," DP, 2/8/96) and Paul Lukasiak ("End ROTC participation," DP, 2/7/96) manage to restate the obvious while avoiding larger questions. Weeks and Lukasiak indignantly declare that ROTC, and the military in general, discriminate, but this obvious point is not disputed by Gregory Saybolt and Kevin Osborne ("ROTC students react," DP, 2/5/96), who really make no effort to defend the systemic bias. What is up for debate at Penn is therefore not the policy itself, but rather the most effective location for action against it. As Weeks notes, the military will follow orders: if ordered by the president or by legislation to cease legal discrimination against homosexuals, the military will do so. So far, this order has not been forthcoming from our elected officeholders. It is interesting that none of the anti-ROTC correspondence seems at all concerned with how to end our national policy of discrimination, but instead only with how we at Penn will resolve our local moral problem by pushing ROTC off campus -- out of sight and out of mind. The reason for this is, of course, that the expulsion of ROTC from Penn will do absolutely nothing for the larger agenda: the military and general public would hardly notice an action affecting only about 100 people. Even if all private universities barred ROTC, state schools could easily fill the gap, and at a cheaper price to the taxpayer. With ROTC off campus, all American citizens at Penn would still be complicit in the discrimination that the law of the land permits in our armed forces. The military is, after all, not some foreign group imported from an alternate reality but a reflection of both the good and bad traits of our society. Instead of focusing on the conveniently located ROTC units, which are unable in any case to alter the federal policy independently, we should use our vote and our voice with our representatives to push for a national change. George Podolin Political Science graduate student Nadel's perceptive analysis To the Editor: I just wanted to applaud the commentary Mike Nadel gave in the DP last week on Judith Rodin ("The greatest star of all," DP, 2/7/96). I always thought there was something wrong with her, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She always struck me as being rather insubstantial. Nadel's column elegantly articulated everything that's wrong with our current president. Penn students aren't so stupid to think that pretty smiles and waves are going to cut it for being a good president. Only recently has Rodin been trying to make contact with students, but in my opinion her attempts were dismally unsuccessful. You can't get any solid answers from her. Quite the politician. Thank you so much for pointing out all the things you did. Everything's not as bright and sunny as Rodin would lead us to believe from her appearance. Keep up the critical eye and the good work. Gilbert Pajela Engineering '96 Crime reports still available To the editor: The story about changes to the police log book ("U. Police will not log crimes out of territory," DP, 2/9/96) contains an error that may mislead the University community about the availability of crime reports for areas outside the jurisdiction of Penn Police. Contrary to what the article states, crimes that occur outside Penn Police's patrol boundaries have not been printed in Almanac since May 1994. Anyone can find this out through a quick search of Almanac archives on the Penn home page. These reports can be found elsewhere on the World Wide Web, however. Philadelphia Police issues its own crime report that details all major crimes against persons that occur between the Schuylkill River and 49th Street, between Market Street and Woodland Avenue. This report had not been available to the Penn community for a year and a half until Penn Watch began publishing it on our home page last semester. To see the most current Penn and Philadelphia crime reports (and an archive of them from the beginning of last semester), point your Web browser to "http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~pwatch/". Our page also has a robbery report that breaks down robberies on a weekly basis, showing where and when they happen. These services are intended not to scare the Penn community, but rather to help everyone become more informed of what happens in it. Stephen Sanford Penn Watch Vice Chair for Information Management College '96 Chant was light-hearted To the Editor: I am responding to the letter "Unsportsmanlike conduct" (DP, 2/8/96), written by one Jeffrey Greenhouse. In his brilliant composition, Greenhouse whines about the crowd's "cheesesteak" chants during the Penn-Lehigh basketball game last Tuesday night. Hey Greenhouse, don't be a tool! My friends and I sit in the front row, and I can assure you that despite our jocular appeals for free Abner's steaks during a laugher of a game, we (as well as the rest of the crowd) are some of the most loyal and devoted fans the Palestra has ever seen. I resent your naive comments. I know your courseload in the Wharton School has been wearing you down over the last several years, but I think you should lighten up a bit. You should complain about the lack of fan turnout at recent games rather than criticize the real fans for what you believe to be unsupportive behavior. Mike Weinberg Engineering '96 Bias shows in cult article To the Editor: I was very disappointed with the article that appeared in your paper concerning the Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ ("Cult or Personality?," DP, 2/7/96). I have been a member of the GPCC for over two years. I am also a member of the Drexel student newspaper, The Triangle, and have been there for five years. I have learned through working with The Triangle what it takes to write good objective articles. What most concerned me was not that you published negative comments about my church, because I've gotten used to hearing comments taken out of context or from people who really don't know what they are talking about. But for the DP to publish an article written like this one was a mistake. It was very poorly written and one-sided. The writer had enough time to talk to former members and administrators, but only one member of the GPCC was quoted once and referred to one other time. Two members were interviewed for the story, yet only one was mentioned and very little of what he said appeared. Are you trying to create a controversy? Articles written about a "touchy" subject like this should be very fair if the DP is going to print them as news articles. Would you write an article on race relations at Penn and quote only whites on campus? In the future, I hope you would be more fair and actually do research for the articles you print instead of printing opinions of a select few who happen to yell loudest. Francis Wisniewski Drexel University senior
(10/26/95 9:00am)
From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95 From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95Whenever a few, let alone one million, black men congregate in one place at the same time in America, there's bound to be controversy -- regardless of who organizes the event. The Million Man March, held on the Mall in Washington, D.C., was planned by Minister Farrakhan and former NAACP executive director Benjamin Chavis. Farrakhan and Chavis invited one million black men from around the nation to abandon their everyday routine for a day to come together in Washington for what turned out to be a humble, yet emotional demonstration of the pride of the black American man. It not only accomplished that, but the large celebration of brotherhood has inspired those who attended (and even those who did not) to do things for themselves, their families and their communities that will be universally beneficial. A skeptical observer of the Million Man March might question what the goals of the March were. A cynical person looking on might feel that this was a separatist action spurred on by Minister Farrakhan's message of "divisiveness," as one California man said in a letter to USA Today last week. This is not true -- a simple look at the reactions of many of the men who attended would show that this statement is foolish and uninformed. But I'll get back to that in a minute. Some might assert that the march was an anti-government action and that the location of the demonstration is a confirmation of that. It is certain that the 150,000 men who registered to vote that day would be more than happy to disagree with that opinion. Others might say that this was a political stunt engineered to perfection by Farrakhan and Chavis and that this was their way of asserting their position as top black leaders in the United States. Granted, Farrakhan and Chavis want black people (and others, for that matter) to hear what they have to say. Otherwise, they would not be saying what they do. However, there is no gold medal for being the top black activist of 1995. The important issue is not whether we listen solely to Jesse Jackson, Chavis, Farrakhan, the NAACP, or the Urban League -- what matters is what we all take collectively from their messages and how we employ them to better our lives in this country. Was the march just a very, very large recruitment session for the Nation of Islam? No. There was no recruitment at the march. Those who attended were free to turn their backs on Minister Farrakhan as he delivered his speech while paying attention to others. This fact alone illustrates that deifying Louis Farrakhan was not one of the march's aims. It is undeniable that the organizer of such a massive event as this would be in the spotlight, but this, contrary to the opinions of both officials of the Nation of Islam and dissenters of the march, does not mean that the march was about Minister Farrakhan. It was about the hearts and souls of all black American men and the re-dedication to improvement of communities at the physical, familial, and spiritual levels. Many, including myself, have remarked that messages such as these are so important that it is necessary to look past the messenger (meaning Minister Farrakhan). What we need to do in this case is forget the identity of the messenger altogether. Minister Farrakhan is not a shepherd and black men are not his sheep. A USA Today columnist incorrectly compared the scene of Farrakhan's speech to that of a Hitlerian diatribe. It is appalling that Farrakhan is even compared to the man whose deeds require no repetition. While Louis Farrakhan is depicted (and sometimes justifiably so) as prejudiced and single-minded, the atmosphere of the march was not one of hatred and bitterness, as you would have seen at Third Reich rallies. It was not one of scapegoating and finger-pointing, such as you might see, say, at a Republican convention. It was an atmosphere of brotherly love -- a concept that makes one man's philosophies pale in comparison. The plans that many of the men who attended have made are a testament to the true inspiration of the march. According to USA Today, a tool maker in Dallas said that the march's voter registration drive has inspired him to make a personal commitment to registering others and to join a civil rights organization. A Maryland teacher said that he intends to place "renewed emphasis on 'life skills' " in his classroom, emphasizing "simple, but important lessons." A cosmetologist in St. Louis has returned home and begun the establishment of Lov-A-Nation, which will provide a positive alternative to life on the street. An Emory student wants to meet with the campus' support group for black men and recommend a monthly community service project. A Los Angeles banker plans to get involved with the Big Brother/Big Sister program in his area and join efforts to better city services in his neighborhood. An Oklahoma social worker wants to simply change the manner in which he "approaches everyday life." Do those men sound like the audience of a Hitlerian diatribe? It is ludicrous to assert that Minister Farrakhan wants to unite black people in an attempt to annihilate another group of people as Hitler did with his fellow Germans. One cannot compare the two. However, 20 years in America has taught me that such assertions are neither a surprise nor uncommon. As I said before, I do not lend credence to Farrakhan's "bloodsucker" label of Jewish men and women. I am neither a formal supporter of the present-day Nation nor of Farrakhan. However, his efforts helped to illustrate that it is possible, through cultural unification, to better ourselves as black men. This message, while not necessarily universal, was very relevant. It was never racist and certainly never Hitlerian. If you place that horrible label on the event because of the presence of Minister Farrakhan, you must also place it on Maya Angelou, Stevie Wonder and Rosa Parks, who also took their turns at the podium during the march. Would you be willing to do that? Louis Farrakhan is not Adolf Hitler. On the 16th of October, one million black men in Washington showed us why.
(10/26/95 9:00am)
From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95 From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man On Assignment," Fall '95 Whenever a few, let alone one million, black men congregate in one place at the same time in America, there's bound to be controversy -- regardless of who organizes the event. The Million Man March, held on the Mall in Washington, D.C., was planned by Minister Farrakhan and former NAACP executive director Benjamin Chavis. Farrakhan and Chavis invited one million black men from around the nation to abandon their everyday routine for a day to come together in Washington for what turned out to be a humble, yet emotional demonstration of the pride of the black American man. It not only accomplished that, but the large celebration of brotherhood has inspired those who attended (and even those who did not) to do things for themselves, their families and their communities that will be universally beneficial. A skeptical observer of the Million Man March might question what the goals of the March were. A cynical person looking on might feel that this was a separatist action spurred on by Minister Farrakhan's message of "divisiveness," as one California man said in a letter to USA Today last week. This is not true -- a simple look at the reactions of many of the men who attended would show that this statement is foolish and uninformed. But I'll get back to that in a minute. Some might assert that the march was an anti-government action and that the location of the demonstration is a confirmation of that. It is certain that the 150,000 men who registered to vote that day would be more than happy to disagree with that opinion. Others might say that this was a political stunt engineered to perfection by Farrakhan and Chavis and that this was their way of asserting their position as top black leaders in the United States. Granted, Farrakhan and Chavis want black people (and others, for that matter) to hear what they have to say. Otherwise, they would not be saying what they do. However, there is no gold medal for being the top black activist of 1995. The important issue is not whether we listen solely to Jesse Jackson, Chavis, Farrakhan, the NAACP, or the Urban League -- what matters is what we all take collectively from their messages and how we employ them to better our lives in this country. Was the march just a very, very large recruitment session for the Nation of Islam? No. There was no recruitment at the march. Those who attended were free to turn their backs on Minister Farrakhan as he delivered his speech while paying attention to others. This fact alone illustrates that deifying Louis Farrakhan was not one of the march's aims. It is undeniable that the organizer of such a massive event as this would be in the spotlight, but this, contrary to the opinions of both officials of the Nation of Islam and dissenters of the march, does not mean that the march was about Minister Farrakhan. It was about the hearts and souls of all black American men and the re-dedication to improvement of communities at the physical, familial, and spiritual levels. Many, including myself, have remarked that messages such as these are so important that it is necessary to look past the messenger (meaning Minister Farrakhan). What we need to do in this case is forget the identity of the messenger altogether. Minister Farrakhan is not a shepherd and black men are not his sheep. A USA Today columnist incorrectly compared the scene of Farrakhan's speech to that of a Hitlerian diatribe. It is appalling that Farrakhan is even compared to the man whose deeds require no repetition. While Louis Farrakhan is depicted (and sometimes justifiably so) as prejudiced and single-minded, the atmosphere of the march was not one of hatred and bitterness, as you would have seen at Third Reich rallies. It was not one of scapegoating and finger-pointing, such as you might see, say, at a Republican convention. It was an atmosphere of brotherly love -- a concept that makes one man's philosophies pale in comparison. The plans that many of the men who attended have made are a testament to the true inspiration of the march. According to USA Today, a tool maker in Dallas said that the march's voter registration drive has inspired him to make a personal commitment to registering others and to join a civil rights organization. A Maryland teacher said that he intends to place "renewed emphasis on 'life skills' " in his classroom, emphasizing "simple, but important lessons." A cosmetologist in St. Louis has returned home and begun the establishment of Lov-A-Nation, which will provide a positive alternative to life on the street. An Emory student wants to meet with the campus' support group for black men and recommend a monthly community service project. A Los Angeles banker plans to get involved with the Big Brother/Big Sister program in his area and join efforts to better city services in his neighborhood. An Oklahoma social worker wants to simply change the manner in which he "approaches everyday life." Do those men sound like the audience of a Hitlerian diatribe? It is ludicrous to assert that Minister Farrakhan wants to unite black people in an attempt to annihilate another group of people as Hitler did with his fellow Germans. One cannot compare the two. However, 20 years in America has taught me that such assertions are neither a surprise nor uncommon. As I said before, I do not lend credence to Farrakhan's "bloodsucker" label of Jewish men and women. I am neither a formal supporter of the present-day Nation nor of Farrakhan. However, his efforts helped to illustrate that it is possible, through cultural unification, to better ourselves as black men. This message, while not necessarily universal, was very relevant. It was never racist and certainly never Hitlerian. If you place that horrible label on the event because of the presence of Minister Farrakhan, you must also place it on Maya Angelou, Stevie Wonder and Rosa Parks, who also took their turns at the podium during the march. Would you be willing to do that? Louis Farrakhan is not Adolf Hitler. On the 16th of October, one million black men in Washington showed us why.
(10/02/95 9:00am)
The School of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School of Business kicked off their joint colloquium series Friday with speaker Stephen Haggard, a professor in the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California-San Diego. In his speech entitled "The Political Context of Business and Development in East Asia and Latin America," Haggard examined the economic and political impact of the emergence of these regions as world powers. Haggard discussed the reasons for dramatic economic reform in the two regions and the economic and political effects of these changes. "The '80s economy was unkind to developing nations," Haggard told his audience of more than 50. But Haggard acknowledged that the economy of the '80s had varying effects on South America and East Asia. "The economic shocks of the '80s put more pressure on Latin America than Asia to make reforms," he said. Haggard also discussed the different underlying political systems of the two regions. He explained that while the United States confronts two major powers in East Asia -- Japan and China -- it faces no major opponents in the West. Haggard is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served as a consultant to the World Bank, the Agency for International Development and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He is also the author of Pathways from the Periphery, which compares the development strategies of newly industrialized countries in East Asia and Latin America. Haggard is also currently working on two new publications -- "The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions" and "Developing Nations and the Politics of Global Integration." The colloquium was established to offer opportunities to both schools to examine shared intellectual interests, according to event organizers. The event was held in Lauder-Fischer Hall Friday at noon.
(09/14/95 9:00am)
Study evaluated nearly 300 schools Following close on the heels of last week's 11th-place undergraduate ranking in U.S. News and World Report, the University's graduate program received a ninth-place overall ranking yesterday by the prestigious National Research Council. The University of California at Berkeley, followed by Stanford, Harvard and Princeton universities filled the survey's top four slots. Nineteen of the University's doctoral programs were ranked among the top 10 in their respective fields -- led by physiology, which was ranked third out of 135 programs. The bioengineering, linguistics and French language and literature programs also ranked in the top five of their fields. The study evaluated the quality of academics and faculty of graduate programs in 41 fields at 274 universities across the nation. University President Judith Rodin said the rankings accurately reflect the quality of the University's programs. "It confirms what we know -- that Penn has outstanding graduate programs," she said. "We will continue to increase the prestige of all of our wonderful graduate programs." Dwight Jaggard, associate dean for graduate education and research in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, said he is "absolutely delighted" with the results. "Over 25 percent of our programs were rated in the top 10 and all but one of our programs were rated in the top 25," he said. Jaggard added that the numbers "speak to our excellent faculty and student body and our stellar department." The University's bioengineering program was ranked first in the country in program visibility. University programs in chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and materials science were all ranked in the top 10. Eleven programs in the School of Arts and Sciences were ranked in the top 10 -- including art history, anthropology, English, economics, music, psychology, sociology, Spanish and Portuguese. In addition, English and religious studies were ranked number one in faculty honors and awards, followed by linguistics and music. Janice Madden, vice provost for graduate education, said she would have liked to "see some of the programs rated higher," but said that the administration is satisfied with the results. Still, she said several graduate programs, including philosophy and mathematics, should have received higher ratings. SAS Graduate Studies Associate Dean Walter Licht said in a statement that "these results are all the more laudatory because of our highly talented faculty." "Many of our programs have far fewer faculty than other programs in the same field," he said. "Because of their smaller size, some of our programs specialize in subfields and are widely recognized as being among the best in their field in those specializations." The National Research Council is an independent organization chartered by Congress. Published Monday, its four-year, 740-page study is entitled "Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States." The study was last conducted in 1982. Unlike other studies, NRC's rankings do not account for criteria such as tuition value for money. Each program was evaluated by 100 to 200 faculty members who the research universities identified as active scholars in the field.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Fox Chapel High School '93 Pittsburgh, Pa. Although her on-campus responsibilities kept University President Judith Rodin's appointment book full during her inaugural year, Rodin was also hard at work off campus, traveling frequently to keep the University's coffers full. At least once a month, Rodin met with elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington to discuss the University's funding for the 1996 fiscal year -- a hot issue in the months following last November's sweeping Republican electoral victories. Like most research institutions, the University receives reimbursement from the federal government for the indirect costs of basic research, including the construction of laboratory facilities and the payment of support staff. However, during the debate over President Clinton's proposed budget, the Republican congressional leadership made clear its belief that the costs of higher education in the United States are spiraling out of control. As a result, budget cuts are expected to be directed toward both indirect cost payments and federal financial aid, especially for graduate students. In April, Rodin traveled to Harrisburg to testify before the State Senate Appropriations Committee. She hoped to secure $50 million for the University for the upcoming academic year, up from about $35 million this year. The increase was requested to stabilize tuition at the Veterinary School, which is the only one of its kind in the state, and to guarantee financial aid availability for state residents, according to Carol Scheman, the University's vice president for government, community and public affairs. However, state representatives pushed Rodin to reveal her $350,000 salary during her testimony, and questioned the merits of providing an institution as rich as the University with 40 percent more state aid than it has received in the past. Rodin said she was pleased with the answers she offered lawmakers during the hour-long hearing, adding that she expected their "tough and probing" questions and felt they did not treat her more harshly than they did representatives of other Pennsylvania schools. During January and February, Rodin participated in the deliberations of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge's Keystone Commission, a coalition of civic leaders culled from across the state to advise Ridge on issues of policy reform. Rodin also served on President Clinton's White House safety panel, which recently recommended turning the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House into a pedestrian thoroughfare similar to the University's Locust Walk. Scheman and Rodin's new chief of staff, Stephen Schutt, were both Washington insiders before coming to the University. Scheman was deputy commissioner for external affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, while Schutt served as chief of staff for former Sen. Harris Wofford (D - Pa.). Apart from political travels, this year Rodin attended fundraising functions in California, New York, Florida and Texas. She characterized her off-campus jaunts as necessary for the University, and said she tries to be away from campus no more than 20 percent of an average semester. "In a sense, my schedule reflects the University's priorities," Rodin said.
(06/08/95 9:00am)
University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center Director John Glick was recently named president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology during the society's annual meeting in Los Angeles, California. Glick is one of the country's leading cancer specialists, and has been involved in clinical-trials research related to breast cancer, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, for more than two decades. Glick, who is included in "The Best Doctors of America," a listing of the nation's top medical specialists, is currently a professor of medicine. Glick effectively became President of ASCO on May 23. He said he hopes to accomplish several goals, including increasing funding for clinical research, improving patient/physician communication and supporting translational research. He added that he also hopes to monitor the impact of the changing healthcare environment on clinical practice and patient care. "My commitment to these issues is based on their impact to the community at large and, most importantly, to individual cancer patients and their families," Glick said. "We need to carefully analyze how healthcare reform is affecting both patient care and access to innovative cancer clinical trials," he added. Glick has been a member of numerous editorial boards, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research. In addition, he is presently a member of the editorial board of Breast Diseases and the advisory board of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology. He has served as chairman of the Subspecialty Board on Medical Oncology of the American board of Internal Medicine. The ASCO is the largest association of cancer researchers and clinicians in the United States. Founded in 1964, the society currently has a membership of more than 9,600. The University Cancer Center is one of only twenty-seven centers designated for comprehensive cancer treatment by the National Cancer Institute. The Associated Press contributed to this article.
(04/20/95 9:00am)
Several University alumni make names for themselves on Capitol Hill On November 9, 1994, the morning after the so-called Republican revolution, professors gripped their lecterns a little more fiercely, and students watched the news with trepidation. While many in the mainstream cheered, academia was bracing for a storm of uncertain magnitude. College and university administrators looked at each other and at their balance sheets, trying to determine how Newt Gingrich's new leadership on Capitol Hill and his party's Contract with America would impact their institutions during the 1996 fiscal year. Now, three months after taking office, the 104th Congress -- dominated by conservatives -- is indeed embroiled in a battle over higher education appropriations. But the University, with five alumni currently serving on Capitol Hill, may have a hidden edge as negotiations continue. Representatives Phil English (R-Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), Joseph McDade (R-Pa.) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) together constitute a group of lawmakers diverse in both experience and viewpoint, yet all aiming to create change. "They're people who understand the University and they have an affinity for the kind of institution that Penn is," said David Morse, assistant vice president for policy planning and federal relations. "That generally is very beneficial." University President Judith Rodin, agreeing with Morse's assessment, said she receives good, fair advice from alumni legislators. "It's wonderful for us as an institution to have those allies in Congress for our institution," she said. Still, the University is not as well-represented on the Hill as fellow Ivy League universities Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, according to Morse. Schools like the University of Michigan, Penn State and the University of California system also outrank the University in number of alumni serving in Congress because of their sheer size. Morse added that University alumni serving on Capitol Hill are more aware than their peers about the quality of the University's students, the public service work students and faculty perform, and the regional and national economic implications of the University's activities. "For these people, the learning curve is a lot shorter than it would be if they didn't know us," he said. "Does that give us a comparative advantage relative to other institutions? I don't think a great one, but it helps." Just as University administrators appreciate having sympathetic ears in the halls of power, there seems to be a genuine affection for the University from alumni with offices inside the Beltway -- no matter how long the ink on their diplomas has been dry. "I think the Penn experience for me, particularly the graduate school experience, was very helpful in reshaping the work I was able to accomplish as a legislator," said Fattah, the Congressman from Pennsylvania's second district, which includes West Philadelphia. Fattah participated in the Community Wharton Education Program as an undergraduate and, while serving as a state legislator, completed a master's degree in government administration through the Fels program in 1986. Nonetheless, he claims to have had "a fairly normal experience on campus," even finding time to hang out in Houston Hall's pool room. Although he no longer has much time to play games, Fattah maintains close ties to the University because it falls squarely into his district. In fact, his district office is located near the corner of 41st and Walnut streets, and the University is his landlord. Fattah credits the University with forcing him to learn about computers, despite his initial difficulty with them. He added that he is grateful to Fels faculty members who guided his interest in urban policy. A Philadelphia native, Fattah said his goal is to create a more comprehensive approach to solving the problems of major urban centers, incorporating a significant investment of fiscal and cultural resources and political will. "We just don't have a national commitment to cities," he explained. "That's an effort of my work here in the Congress." The local press has pegged Fattah as "the next Bill Gray," a reference to the former House Majority Whip from Philadelphia who left politics in 1991 to head the United Negro College Fund. Fellow freshman English may also have big shoes to fill, as the first first-term Republican appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee since 1967, when George Bush was in the same position. A 1978 University graduate, English majored in political science and was involved with multiple college-level organizations sponsored by the Republican party during his time on campus. Since graduation, English has been elected to one term as city controller in his hometown of Erie. He has also served as chief of staff to Republican State Sen. Melissa Hart and has assumed various directorships with the State Senate Finance, Transportation and Labor and Industry Committees. Having authored a study of "learn-fare" -- the requirement that families receiving welfare benefits continue their education until they receive high school diplomas -- for the Commonwealth Foundation in 1993, English figured prominently in the House Human Resources Subcommittee's drafting of its welfare reform bill this spring. He has already pushed for legislation to reclassify central Pennsylvania wetlands to "promote economic development, protect land rights and give compensation for landowners at the highest level possible," according to The Meadville Tribune. And on March 20, 1995, The Bond Buyer reported that English is working on a bill designed to "ease curbs on small-issue industrial development bonds." As a Congressional neophyte, English has a supporting role in the Ways and Means Committee -- known as one of the House's most powerful committees because it has near-total control over revenue matters. Conversely, Gilman -- because of his seniority and reputation as a moderate Republican eager to encourage bipartisan cooperation -- has been awarded the chairmanship of the House International Relations Committee. An industrial management major who received his Wharton degree in 1946, as an undergraduate Gilman was a member of the crew team and president of Phi Sigma Delta fraternity, the forerunner of Zeta Beta Tau. "I think my education at Penn in economics and management served me well throughout the years and helped me to be more productive," he said. Gilman also said a newspaper editor in his hometown of Middletown, New York, sparked his interest in politics when the editor encouraged young G.I.'s returning from World War II to reorganize a local Young Republicans Club. "From that point on, I became more and more involved," he said, adding that as he begins his 12th term representing Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Westchester counties, he is not in favor of term limits. But Gilman said he realizes Congress has definitely become a more intense place to work. "We have so many more problems each and every year than [in] prior years, and there have been so many critical worldwide issues that have taken up our time," Gilman said, citing hunger, drug trafficking, health programs and education as his priorities. With the advent of CNN and C-SPAN, Gilman said Congress is more accessible to the public -- and more likely to be criticized for its failings, instead of lauded for its achievements. Cynicism, particularly among the youngest members of the electorate, is a negative by-product of the constant media attention. "[The] cynical attitude doesn't serve our nation well," Gilman said. "We need young blood and we need young ideas." McDade would not fit Gilman's desire for young blood, though -- having been elected for the first of his 17 terms in 1962. Currently, McDade -- who graduated from the University's Law School -- is the senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, the group in charge of funding the departments, agencies and programs of the federal government each year. Like English, McDade got his political feet wet in city government, serving as Scranton's city solicitor prior to his election to Congress as the representative of Pennsylvania's 10th District, the Scranton and Williamsport areas. His priorities have been defense, alternative energy sources and environmental protection, housing rehabilitation and community economic development. But in May 1992, McDade was indicted on charges of conspiracy, racketeering and taking bribes from defense contractors. His trial is expected to begin soon. Specter's ethics were questioned as well in the fall of 1991, when he indelicately grilled University of Arkansas Law Professor Anita Hill during the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. But on the whole, Specter -- who squeaked past Democrat Lynn Yeakel to win a third term in 1992 and is now running for President -- is known as a moderate Republican, similar in stance to Gilman. Specter has further shown his willingness to break with his party on controversial issues such as abortion and health care. Specter graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University in 1951, served in the Korean War and then attended Yale Law School. Since his election, he has been a consistent supporter of labor and industry and has introduced legislation designed to combat drugs, crime and terrorism. After working on the Warren Commission and developing the "single-bullet" theory with respect to President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1964, Specter was elected Assistant District Attorney of Philadelphia. He later served two terms as District Attorney.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
One month before his expected graduation, a Yale University student was expelled from school after being accused of fraudulently accepting $61,475 worth of student grants and loans from the federal government. Lon Grammer, a 25-year-old from Brentwood, Calif., was arrested Thursday by Yale University Police on charges of first-degree larceny. According to Yale Police Sergeant Michael Pattern, Grammer could face between one and 20 years in prison. As a junior, Grammer transferred to Yale from Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He is accused of forging and altering several of the documents in his Yale admissions file. Grammer's admissions file at Yale contained two different copies of his transcript, according to police reports. The copy he sent to Yale showed a grade point average of 3.91, while the transcript from Cuesta Community College indicated a 2.07 GPA. In addition, Grammer's file contained several forged letters of recommendations signed by nonexistent Cuesta Community College professors. Norman Pattis, Grammer's attorney, told the Yale Daily News that Grammer would enter a plea of not guilty at his arraignment which was originally scheduled for yesterday. But Grammer was not arraigned and his case received a continuance until April 20. Yale officials declined to comment on the case. Some of Grammer's friends said they were surprised by his arrest, but others felt that there had always been something suspicious about him. The Yale incident is similar to last year's arrest of a man who tried to gain admission to the University Law School using false identification. Jorge Chambergo, who allegedly sought admission to the Law School under an assumed name, was arrested in California in January by United States postal inspectors. A federal grand jury indicted Chambergo on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of attempting to a use a false social security number. Chambergo could face up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. He is accused of altering his name in January 1990 in an attempt to pass off the LSAT scores of another individual, Dae Kyung Seu. And the indictment also charges Chambergo with submitting a financial aid statement with a false birth date. The Yale Daily News contributed to this article.
(03/31/95 10:00am)
Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) officially threw his hat into the ring yesterday, becoming the fifth Republican officially to declare his candidacy for president of the United States. "I [announce my presidency] humbly, in the presence of the monuments of America's great presidents, especially Abraham Lincoln, the founder of the Republican Party," Specter, a University alumnus, said. Specter, who is Jewish, is generally considered a moderate Republican who believes in abortion rights, a view that separates him from many in his party who are anti-abortion. "There are those in our party who would lead us down a different path, and squander this unique moment in our nation's history by using our political capital to pursue a radical social agenda which would end a women's right to choose and mandate school prayer," Specter said. One of Specter's more controversial views is his proposal for a 20 percent flat tax rate for both individuals and businesses. Specter is entering the presidential arena after a long history of public service. During his political career, Specter played a large role in the Warren Commission, and was Philadelphia's District Attorney for 12 years. More recently, however, Specter came under fire for his role as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and his questioning of Anita Hill during the infamous Clarence Thomas nomination hearings. In addition, Specter's wife, Joan, is a Philadelphia city councilwoman. Reaction to Specter's declaration of his candidacy was mixed among professors and students yesterday. Political Science Professor Marissa Golden said the fact that Specter is a moderate is an asset rather than a liability. "I think he's a longshot because I don't think this country will elect a Jewish president," Golden said. "That is his biggest liability. "[But] I think the press is wrong to discount him as not being a serious candidate," she added. Golden said Specter's largest challenge will be the initial primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire. She speculated that he will not do well in either state and that that could harm him. In addition, Golden said the primaries attract a more extreme voter than the general elections, which could potentially impede Specter's chances. College freshman and College Republicans member Dan Silvers agreed, saying the odds are against Specter in the tough primary season. "I didn't see him as terribly viable, but especially now that Pete Wilson has entered?[Specter] should add something interesting to the debate," he said. Other Republican candidates include Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, political commentator Pat Buchanan and former Reagan administrator Alan Keyes. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas and Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar are also expected to enter the race in April. And California Gov. Pete Wilson has announced his plans to enter the fray in May. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(02/21/95 10:00am)
Although the snowdrifts have barely disappeared from College Green, the University is already preparing for the April visit of an accrediting committee representing the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. According to Susan Shaman, assistant vice president for planning and analysis, the Middle States Association is one of seven regional agencies responsible for insuring the quality of educational institutions in the United States. Located at 3624 Market Street, Middle States also handles evaluations for schools in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia and, although it is not exactly a mid-atlantic state, Puerto Rico. Middle States evaluations occur once every 10 years. But every five years between these reviews, schools submit intermediate reports that allow the Middle States Association to monitor their progress. In the months before an evaluation is scheduled to occur, schools form internal committees of faculty, students and administrators to carry out a "self-study," Shaman said. The self-study helps to determine the evaluation's focus. The actual evaluation is then completed by a committee of educators whose members are mutually agreed upon by the school that is being evaluated and the Middle States Association. "They want to balance the team," Shaman said, explaining that both experienced and novice evaluators are recruited for each campus visit. Traditionally, evaluators come from institutions located within the school's own region. But because of the University's cosmopolitan reputation and four unique undergraduate schools, members of this spring's visiting committee are coming from across the country, Shaman said. Among those who will be on campus from April 9 through 12 are William Richardson, president of Johns Hopkins University, who will serve as committee chairperson, and Vanderbilt University Provost Thomas Burish, who will serve associate chairperson. Shaman said other committee members have been culled from the faculty of Princeton and Cornell Universities and the University of California at Los Angeles. "We will have some very thoughtful educators on our campus for two days," Shaman said, adding that the University community will be able to use the committee as a "sounding board" with respect to the issue of undergraduate education, the theme of this year's study. Provost Stanley Chodorow said the group will concentrate on progress the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education will have made by April toward implementing the 21st Century Project on the Undergraduate Experience. "There is no question that the University's accreditation will be reaffirmed, so that self-study that we do and the visit can focus on a topic that is important now," he said. "We will treat the group as a group of experienced academics from peer institutions who can give us an outsider's view of what we are doing or talking about." Shaman echoed Chodorow's sentiments. "Frankly, our accreditation is not in jeopardy," she said. "We want [the committee members] to be engaged and help us to think through something we'll be doing very seriously in the next few years." Chodorow said that during the committee's visit, members will have "the run of the campus and will be able to talk with whomever they wish" -- including informal conversations with students on Locust Walk or in dining halls.
(02/07/95 10:00am)
To the Editor: Apart from being highly illogical, this argument exposes that Mr. Van Haaften (a freshman at the Dental School) is indeed new to this campus. Had he been here longer, he would have known that no Penn student could even conceive of spending their hard-earned money to watch an 0-8(ACC), 10-10(overall) basketball team succeed once again in eroding their image as a basketball powerhouse. Obviously, anyone with a "clue" would choose to watch the Quakers become the first Ivy League team to go three straight seasons undefeated. There are countless reasons as to why the Palestra is regarded as the mecca of college basketball. In addition to being the arena where our men's basketball team continues their historic season by dominating the rest of the Ivy League and maintaining their prominence in the national spotlight, the Palestra has witnessed many greats (like Wilt Chamberlain) begin their journey to stardom, been home to many championship teams, and has hosted more visiting teams, games, and NCAA Tournaments than any other sports arena. Even Rick Pitino brought his 1992 University of Kentucky team to the Palestra and hailed it as a truly unique arena rich in tradition and history. Although we could go on and on with more evidence of the Palestra's significance, we will simply invite Mr. Van Haaften to take a walk to the Palestra and study the plethora of pictures adorning the halls which clearly depict the numerous historical events and people who have graced the arena's court. Actually, we find it quite ironic that Mr. Van Haaften (a University of Michigan alumnus) would also tell the Penn community that we need "to find out what real college basketball is all about" and to get "a real basketball team." Does the score 64-62 mean anything to you, you Big Ten loser? So, Mr. Van Haaften, the next time you attempt to use your deficient Michigan education to attack Penn's basketball heroes and our proud Ivy League tradition, make sure that your aim is true. Until then, stick to mastering simple concepts like "Michigan sucks." Oner Khera College '94 Jovin Lazatin College '94 Not Really Graffiti To the Editor: In Richard L. Ahrens letter to the editor ("Disgraceful," DP 2/3/95), I was called a number of unflattering epithets including "moronic perpetrator" and "drunken freshman." His whiney anger directed toward the so called graffiti in the quad is a bit overzealous considering that the spray paint is actually shaving cream and the drunken freshmen were in fact sober seniors. Had Mr. Ahrens spent more time away from his beloved quadrangle perhaps he would have noted that the incident was all done in good, clean fun on Mischief Night, Oct. 30th. My personal suggestion to Mr. Ahren is that instead of writing scathing letters to the editor and placing blame on random freshmen and the University's Facilities Management, he should do something constructive. If he would like to see "immediate steps" perhaps he should take to the offending "witty inscription" with a bucket of hot water and a good throwing arm. Barring that, he can chill out and wait for the rain to take care of it. Samantha Smith College '95 Be Human To the Editor: In Jeremy Hildreth's rejoinder to his critics ("Haiti -- the Aftermath" DP 1/30/95), he states that he is not a racist. Rather, what he makes clear to all is that he is a sociopath. He writes: "What great camaraderie can you feel with someone you've never met, and how deeply can you care if he or she lives or dies?" This candid statement does much to illustrate how little separates those who vehemently disavow their responsibility to others from those who actually perpetrate the crimes against humanity in Haiti. (Or from those who sell families homes on radioactive landfills, to provide Hildreth -- a real estate major -- with a more proximate example.) Thankfully, the vast majority of us can still identify with strangers by virtue of our shared humanity. Referring to Haiti's recent history, he states naively that, "[We] personally have nothing to do with it?" Unfortunately, we, as U.S. citizens, certainly do, both politically and economically. Hildreth, however, chooses to dismiss any honest attempt to come to terms with the U.S.'s role in the development of the Haitian crisis as guilt-mongering. Karim Tiro History graduate student Dry Up the Supply To the Editor: The vast majority of Americans do not understand the meaning or application of the Second Amendment. The National Rifle Association (NRA) sedulously fosters misinterpretation of the amendment and one must conclude intentionally publishes such misinformation since its highpriced counsel surely knows better. The full text of the Second Amendment reads: "A wellregulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged." The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken on it many times. In United States vs Cruickshank (1876) 92 U.S. 542, the court held that the right of bearing arms for lawful purposes is not a right granted by the Consitution and that the Second Amendment "has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the national government." In United States vs Miller (1939) 307 U.S. 174, the U.S. Supreme Court asserted that, "In interpreting and applying (the Second Amendment), the purpose of the amendment to assure continuation and render possible the effectiveness of the militia must be considered." In Lewis vs U.S. (1980) 445 U.S. 55, the U.S. Supreme Court restated this: "These legislative restrictions on the use of firearms (convicted felon cannot lawfully possess firearms) do not trench upon any constitutionally protected liberties. The Second Amendment guarantees no right to keep and bear a firearm that does not have 'some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia.'" No federal court has ever held that the Second Amendment confers on the individual a right to bear arms. The courts have consistently adopted the "well-regulated militia" interpretation. The amendment is to be read as an assurance that the national government will not interfere with a state's militia. Beyond this, even Congress is not prohibited by the amendment from regulating firearms by the exercise of its interstate commerce powers. See Commonwealth vs Davis (1976) 369 Mass. 886 by a lower court. All legislative measures and city ordinances limiting or banning firearms have been upheld including a Morton Grove, Illinois ordinance prohibiting possession of handguns within municipal boundaries. The California law on assault weapons was upheld through the appeals court level and the NRA has abandoned plans to bring the measure before the Supreme Court. The NRA is aware, of course, that were it to lose an appeal to the highest court, that would put the quietus on its fundamental contention that the Constitution grants the individual the right to bear arms. A ban on assault weapons is not only constituional but studies show it would also be effective. A study done by the Cox Newspaper group analyzed 43,000 gun traces of weapons used in criminal activity in 1988 and 1989. An assault gun was found to be 20 times more likely to be used in a crime than a conventional firearm. While accounting for only 0.5 percent of all guns, assault weapons showed up on 10 percent of all traces. The argument has been made that criminals get their guns illegally, so ashy target legal sales? In 1988 the Oakland California Police Department found that only 12 percent of assault weapons seized in criminal activity were obtained illegally. Fully 88 percent of them were bought legally over the counter. The point is we must dry up the supply as much as possible. Many weapons that begin as legal sales get into criminal hands. Jim Senyszyn Highland Park, N.J.
(02/03/95 10:00am)
Fritz Gramkowski takes kites to the extreme Just after the sun began to disappear behind the bare trees, and K-Mart's lights fluttered across the highway from the New Jersey field, it happened. Fritz slanted his gaze up through his wire rimmed glasses, scratched one of his fuzzy sideburns and glowed. Although it wasn't dark yet, the sun had set enough to remove the serendipitous January warmth from last Friday's afternoon. Only the crisp coldness of the winter remained. But you could tell it wasn't the sting in the air was that was exhilarating Engineering junior Fritz Gramkowski -- it was the 10 square meters of kite that he was about to bring to life. "This is the big one," he said. Seconds later and 100 feet above the ground, wind filled the green, blue and yellow banana-shaped kite --"the big one." In the center of the field, Fritz, in his black biker helmet and windbreaker, was turning around and around to untwist the angel-hair-like kite lines. Holding two handles connected by a rope behind his back, Fritz used his whole body to control the kite -- pulling hard with the right side of his upper body to move the kite right and with his left side to move it left. His efforts could have appeared to be part of a battle, but when he quickly harnessed the wind's power, it was obvious that if this was a battle, it would be a slaughter. Then Fritz slid into his oversized, tricycle-like buggy and the kite powered him across the field at about 15 miles per hour. Francis "Fritz" Gramkowski is a material science major and a brother in Pi Lamda Phi fraternity. And he has also been internationally recognized in Buggy Newz, The Official Organ of The Buggy Pilots as one of the "hottest buggy pilots" in the United States. According to Corey Jensen, the creator, author and distributor of the newsletter, kite buggying is not yet officially a sport so it doesn't have a specific ranking system. "Right now it's only recreation," he said. "But [Fritz] is widely acknowledged by other pilots." Fritz and his buggies have appeared briefly on SportsChannel and in publications such as Eastern League News. Last year at a kite festival in Wildwood, New Jersey -- near Fritz's hometown of Haddonfield -- the Associated Press took his picture and newspapers across the world printed it. Receiving these clips from friends in Philadelphia, California and Ontario, Canada didn't shock Fritz. After all, he will appear on the Discovery Channel's Beyond 2000 in March. "I kind of realized I was better than the other guys," he said. "But when you see it in print, I realized I better go out and go buggying." But when the captions beneath his photo promoted more than kites, Fritz just had to laugh. Although his name was not beneath this buggying image, in Japan the picture was used as a sushi advertisement. According to the second edition of Peter Lynn's Buggies Boats and Peels, State-of-the-Art Kite Traction and Owner's Manual, Englishman George Pocock's 19th century carriage-pulling kites were the first example of kite-powered transportation. Throughout the past 200 years, ambitious kite flyers have undoubtedly tinkered with the idea of kite power. A kite entrepreneur and manufacturer, Lynn describes in his manual an early example of kite-powered transportation utilizing a bicycle on a playground. Lynn then sailed into the 1990 Thai International Kite Festival with his model of a kite buggy. Fran Gramkowski, Fritz's father and the owner of High Fly Kites, bought the prototype. And for Fritz, that is where it all began. Fritz grew up flying kites with his family. His father organized some of the first big stunt competitions, so Fritz started flying kites at four or five years old. But until his father brought home the kite buggy, Fritz chose to surf rather than fly kites, he said. "I started to loose interest and then my dad got me a kite buggy," he said. "You could do more than just pull it around. It's real low so it seems like your butt's only three inches from the ground. It's like sailing but you go a lot faster." Soon after he became involved buggying, Fritz's skill impressed Lynn. Since then, Lynn has provided him with the expensive kite buggying equipment, and Fritz has reciprocated by offering feedback on prototypes, ideas for equipment and promoting the sport. The three-wheeled buggy, which costs about $450, is a completely detachable stainless steel cart weighing about eight kilograms. The massive kites look like parachutes, but are made of rip-stop polyester fiber. The fiber is similar to sail material, but differs in its air-tight coating. "The fabric is expensive because the kites have to be sewn by hand," Fritz said. "The lines have to be within a quarter of an inch or the angle or the kite is not right." Kite lines, which are made of a high density polyethylene fiber called Spectra, can be anywhere from 75 to 250 feet long. Spectra, a type of plastic, has a low melting point. So if the line caught someone's arm, the contact heat would break the line, preventing serious burns. But don't assume that means the lines are weak. Although they look fragile, they can support up to 300 pounds of strain. Buggying has lured Fritz to Florida, Hawaii, Thailand, New Zealand, England and France -- just to name a few locales. His said his favorite moments, though, are more a result of the beauty and companionship than the miles travelled. "It was July in a dry lake in California and 10 of us just found each other," he said. "The desert is really beautiful because you have all the mountains and stuff. We were buggying around and we watched the sun set." Although the strong winds will let a buggy pilot cruise in a dry lake at up to 50 miles per hour, it's not the power of the wind that challenges his skill, but the friendly competition, Fritz said. "When you fly with someone else, you try to one-up them," he said. "You try to fly a bigger kite, go faster -- that's how you figure out new tricks. "Someone does something to you and you have to figure out something to do back," he added. "It's more fun to buggy with other guys." Fran Gramkowski, however, told another story about Fritz's buggying companions. "He brought a girl from Penn down to the shore," he said. "And he can put two buggy's together and can take one buggy to the end of the ocean. He whipped the girl into the ocean, he stayed dry the whole time and she would get all wet. "The little kids idolize him at the beach," Fritz's father added. "He takes them all for rides." While he is in Philadelphia, Fritz said he just buggies and studies. "It's pretty much what I do now," he said. "It's the most important thing to me now. "I don't know if I'm going to be an engineer or a kite flyer," he said. "Not just flying though, I'd have to start making them or selling them out of a store." Fritz's mother, Mary Gramkowski, who is a nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said if flying kites makes Fritz content, she will be happy to say her son was a kite buggier. "I think it would be great," she said. "I want my kids to he happy. If that's what he wants to do then that's great. He and his father, they'll get on the phone and talk about graphite spars. He has a good time. He'll talk your ear off about it, but he has a good time." After a some prodding, Fritz admitted that he does do something besides buggying. "I play Doom," he said, describing the interactive computer game. "Actually, I have most of the grad students and a few material science guys playing. Their productivity is about to go down. We hang around the lounge and that's what we're doing most of the time. [Professors] don't really like that. "I apologized to them after I showed them how to play," he added. But when it comes to kite flying, Fritz makes no apologies. Is "the big one" hard to control ? "No," he said, as the 10 meter kite forced him to leap over his buggy, like he was running in the air.
(01/17/95 10:00am)
Jorge Chambergo, the man who allegedly sought admission to the Penn Law School under an assumed name, was arrested in California last month by United States postal inspectors. According to U.S. Attorney Michael Schwartz, Chambergo will return to Philadelphia for a January 31 identification hearing. A date for the criminal trial will be set in February, he said. In November, a federal grand jury indicted Chambergo on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of attempting to use a false social security number. If convicted, Chambergo could face up to 40 years in prison and a two million dollar fine. The federal indictment charges that Chambergo applied to the Law School under the falsified name of "Dae Jorge Seu Chambergo" in December 1989. Chambergo is accused of altering his name in January 1990 in an attempt to pass off the the LSAT scores of another man, Dae Kyung Seu, as his own. The indictment also states that Chambergo submitted a financial aid statement with a false birth date. In addition, it charges that Chambergo arranged for letters of recommendation from Yale University and the Concerned Citizens of Queens written for Seu to be sent to the Law School under Chambergo's name. Although the relationship between the two men is unclear, Law School Dean of Students Gary Clinton said he believes Chambergo and Seu were classmates at Yale. According to Clinton, the Law School expelled Chambergo and notified the U.S. attorney's office after he attempted to remove the "Dae Seu" from his name and change his illicit social security number back to his legitimate one. Both Schwartz and Clinton said that such incidents, while not unheard of, are rare. "I have never had a false social security number case before," said Schwartz.
(11/30/94 10:00am)
Provost Stanley Chodorow and French Ambassador Jacques Andreant signed an agreement yesterday naming the University's French Institute of Culture and Technology one of six Centers of Excellence for the study of France in the United States. Other schools so designated were the Universities of Chicago and California at Berkeley, and Harvard, Princeton and Johns Hopkins Universities, said Institute Director Barry Cooperman. The University will receive a $55,000 grant from the French government for the coming year to increase academic contact between the two countries, he added. Chodorow said the University will match that money and engage in fund-raising efforts on behalf of the Institute as well. "We're trying to finalize plans to sponsor students at Penn [who want to spend] three months at French companies this summer [as interns]," Cooperman said, referring to the type of programming that may be funded by the new appropriation. Eventually, the Institute might also serve as a repository for Internet communications, including live broadcasts from French radio. Chodorow said that as a Center of Excellence, people affiliated with the Institute will have "entree" in France, making it easier for faculty and students to develop relationships and cultivate research opportunities with colleagues overseas. The Institute, started with the assistance of the French government, has existed for more than two years, Cooperman said. "[The] reason for going into it was [that] it was a very tangible manifestation of our desire to internationalize the experience for faculty and students," he added. According to Chodorow, the Institute performs many functions on campus such as facilitating student and faculty exchanges, hosting conferences, promoting teaching and research on France and the French language, and creating connections to France throughout the Delaware Valley. The Institute is unique because it emphasizes science and technology in addition to the traditional history, literature and culture. "Nearly half of the faculty at Penn express an interest in France or have some contact with French institutions," Chodorow said. "France, probably among all foreign countries, has the greatest interest among our students and faculty," Cooperman said. "If you're thinking in terms of a University which is looking outward, to expand its international contacts, clearly France is the country of choice." In January, the Institute will be the first site outside of France to participate in a worldwide conference honoring the centennial of the Pasteur Institute, he added. Joint U.S.-French meetings covering topics like gene therapy and health care are also on the Institute's agenda for the coming year. "It's very interesting to see how societies combat these different problems," he said.
(11/16/94 10:00am)
From Darin Smith's "The Balding Of?, Fall '94 It was a poem of joyous anticipation of a new era, not only in the White House, but in the collective soul of the American people. It looked forward to a genuine zeitgeist of kind and gentle sentiment, a resurrection of government of, by, and for all the people. Ms. Angelou had great expectations, and she has been let down. Morning is broken. It's nightfall in America. As evidenced by last Tuesday's election returns, the American people have turned away from the Man from Hope, toward the men of fear. Fear has driven the campaigns in 1994. Fear has established its own platform, its own party line. And fear is winning. Fear singled out Mark Singel as a sissy on crime because he had enough faith in human nature to actually perform his assigned duties on the parole board, and to have opposed the death penalty early in his career, though he no longer does. Fear said that criminals should not be given a second chance. Mark Singel lost his bid for the Pennsylvania governorship. Fear branded longtime New York governor Mario Cuomo a pushover on social issues because, for all his charismatic and inspiring rhetoric during his tenure, the plight of the poor and sick and old and oppressed had not improved. Even with his liberal allocation of public resources, the government was seen as impotent in its attempt to catalyze social change -- a big Hoover vac that sucks up individuals' money to no avail. Mario Cuomo lost his bid for reelection. Fear passed a referendum in California that would deny social services, education, and all but emergency health care to illegal aliens, because the voters of that recession-weary state were disgusted by the idea of their hard-earned dollars being spent to help non-Americans to pursue the American dream. The proponents of the bill are now heading to Texas and Florida to campaign for more majority rule magic in those similarly-burdened states. Fear has returned the Republican party to the majority in both the House and the Senate for the first time since Ike and Mamie graced the Rose Garden. Fear has pumped new life into the just-recently-dismissable NRA lobbies, because people want their semiautomatic weapons readily available to protect their loved ones and loved things. Fear has sponsored a "Contract with America" that would allow people to rest more easily at night with the knowledge that defense spending has been increased. Fear has turned the Bush clan into the equal and opposite reaction force to the Kennedys of old. At this moment in America, there really are many valid reasons to be fearful. Crime is indeed a big problem, both in urban and rural areas, and warrants great attention. The welfare system arguably has perpetuated the lifestyle of dependence for some of its recipients, creating a cycle of resentment between the haves and the have-nots. Fear, however, is a poor foundation for public policy. The sensory experience of fear triggers a "fight or flight" reaction that is instinctual but irrational. Public policy should be based on reason and fact and aimed at the furtherance of the common good, rather than on some subconscious mechanism to protect one's own hide. The California proposition, for instance, was inspired by the fear that American jobs were being taken away and that masses of people were living it up on the average Joe's taxes. It is designed to make the United States a less promising Promised Land, and it may do so, but not enough to make coming here less attractive than staying there. What it could foreseeably accomplish, however, is to create huge problems of homelessness, disease, and crime by denying the services that combat these ills. All of which could cost the taxpayers even more dollars and worry. There are genuine problems in this country, problems that may someday be eradicated, but probably won't. Blaming an ambitious administration for not solving them all, and returning to policies and politics that couldn't solve them two years ago is likely not going to work. The voting public, however, seems to be sending a message to the Clinton camp that says, "Thank you for your time, but we're afraid we're no longer interested in your proactive, hopeful ideology. We won't be needing your services much longer." It is not President Clinton's fault that the hopeful spirit of 1993 has become the cynicism and terror of 1994. His first two years in office have, by objective standards been legislatively productive, moreso than any President in several decades. He simply has not completely restored our faith in government's ability to make everyone's life better -- nothing short of that will be considered a success. Darin Smith is records supervisor at the University's Financial Aid Office and a 1993 graduate of the University. The Balding Of... appears alternate Wednesdays.
(11/01/94 10:00am)
Graduate students in the humanities are finding many ofGraduate students in the humanities are finding many ofdoors in the academic job market are closed at every turn Several years ago, when School of Arts and Sciences graduate students began their studies at the University, they expected a slew of faculty positions to open up when they received their doctoral degrees. Today, those students are searching for jobs in universities, but some are finding that positions are not as abundant as they once thought. Due to budgetary constraints, colleges and universities across the country are not creating new positions and in many cases, are not replacing retiring faculty. Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Janice Madden said University students in the humanities and social sciences are not immune to this growing trend. "The job market has gotten more difficult in the last few years," she said. "There clearly are fewer academic appointments being made at the moment." According to Walter Licht, former graduate chair of the History Department, the general feeling today is that the job market for history doctoral graduates is not a very good one. "I'm afraid right now," he said. "There's a lot of pessimism about the job market." Licht said the number of applications for doctoral candidates at the University began to increase in 1987 from about 150 to 400. This occurred, he added, as the result of predictions that faculty positions would be opening up in the near future. Unfortunately for students, however, the anticipated jobs have not become available. And cost has played a major role in this "Positions are not being filled," Licht said. "You've seen deans being very cost-conscious." Nevertheless, the outlook for the University's History doctoral students is not hopeless. Susan Schulten, a fifth-year History graduate student, said she would like to finish her dissertation and get a job in academe simultaneously. She said the situation this year is better than in recent years, though. "This year, I'm more encouraged than I have been in past years," Schulten said, adding that being at an institution with a good reputation helps. Licht echoed her sentiments, saying, "Even in bad times, Penn students do well." Marc Stein, a sixth-year History graduate student who hopes to receive his doctorate in December, was less sanguine about the overall situation. "I think the job market has been terrible for years," said Stein, who said he has some confidence in his future because he has already published an article and signed a book contract. "I don't see any signs that it's improving." Students in other fields are also concerned about a future they thought would almost surely include a university faculty position. George Justice, an English graduate student, hopes to receive his doctoral degree in December after six–and-a-half years at the University. Justice said universities tend to blame the economy for the problems students face when trying to find faculty positions. But, the problems are more a result of the structure of universities, he said. "Because of the hierarchical system, top-name professors are paid too much to teach too little, and most teaching therefore devolves upon very lowly-paid graduate students," Justice said. He added that the structure "needs revolutionary change, with an emphasis on undergraduate education." Nancy Bentley, associate professor of English, pointed out that the number of faculty within English departments across the country is not growing. "The departments are not expanding their faculty," she said. "If anything, they're shrinking them in English departments." Vicky Mahaffey, graduate chairperson of the English department, seemed to agree. "The market this year is a little better than it was last year, but significantly worse than it was two or three years ago," Mahaffey said. Similarly in political science, the market is not a particularly open one. James Hentz, a Political Science graduate student who will defend his dissertation in June and would like to find a tenure–track position at a university, said many University Political Science graduates tend to look for work in academe. This, he said, is due to the fact that the department tends to concentrate on theory. Hentz characterized the market for doctoral students in political science as "extremely tight at this point." "It's a very specific market," he said. "They look for very particular expertise in fields and subfields, so you're looking for a niche that you can fill at a university you would like to go to." Hentz pointed out that the pressure now facing graduate students is similar to that faced by professors seeking tenure. "You have to publish, you have to be out there disseminating your ideas," he said. "If you don't, you won't get a job." Mary Heiberger, who works with SAS graduates students as associate director of Career Planning and Placement Services, mentioned this as well. "Now," she said, "graduate students going on the market have publications," whereas in the past this was less common. "It's almost routine." She said students are now getting the same results as in the past, but with greater effort. One discipline, art history, has not fallen victim to the trend, however. According to Art History graduate advisor David Brownlee, his department "didn't go through the steep decline most humanities departments faced about 20 years ago." He said this decline was the result of the drying-up of what he called "space race funding" -- money given to schools during the period of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in exploring space. "We didn't have as much of a boom before, or as much of a loss afterward," Brownlee said. Madden pointed out the financial constraints faced by many state schools are a reason jobs are not being created as quickly as in the past. But, private universities, traditionally immune from such difficulties, are feeling the crunch too. One state system, in particular -- the University of California -- has had a disproportionate impact on the hiring situation, Mahaffey said. "California is too significant a part of the market to be taken out without a huge effect" on the entire system, Mahaffey said. Schulten, a native Californian, said UC not only froze all hiring, but forced many to retire early because of California's struggling economy. The History student pointed out, though, that each of the UC campuses has an opening this year for a history professor, which might be a sign that more positions will open up in the future. CPPS's Heiberger said a recent legal change is a contributing factor to the lack of positions. "Until recently, faculty members were exempted from the federal law against age discrimination, and universities could require their tenured faculty members to retire," Heiberger said. This, she said, is one cause of the lack of positions. "Short-run," she said, "many professors are staying in their jobs, so a source of vacancy is not occurring as quickly." Some graduate students fear that they might become "floaters" -- doctoral graduates who get hired by colleges and universities for one-year adjunct positions -- but cannot get secure positions. Such people "float" from school to school in search of secure faculty spots and the benefits that come with them. According to Justice, who hopes to finish his dissertation in December, "The floater situation is something we're all scared of." And Schulten said it is "the biggest fear of everyone -- that they'll keep getting one-year jobs." Greg Buchanan, a seventh-year psychology graduate student, said he knows a few floaters. "I know a couple of people who are now on their third academic program in three, four years," he said. Stein said he believes the floater phenomenon is a result of universities' trying to reduce costs, and feels this is in the interests of neither undergraduate nor graduate students. "Universities are saving money and undermining undergraduate education by turning to part-time faculty," he said. The situation, however, may not be as bad as some people think. Heiberger offered this caveat: "Horror stories tend to circulate and the reality is often better than that. "While the market is getting tighter and more difficult, people are still getting academic jobs," she said, noting that within specific disciplines, job prospects vary. Steve Benfell, a fourth-year Political Science graduate student, said this phenomenon happens in this discipline. "At least in part, it depends on what field you're in, what subfield you're in," he said. For instance, Benfell is studying Japanese politics, which he calls "up-and-coming." Heiberger said there may just be a "time lag" right now, and perhaps retirements are just being delayed. Or maybe other unforeseeable future developments, such as an increase in the government's emphasis on education, will alter the situation. Overall, she said, "it's very hard for people to predict" what will happen. Madden was hopeful about the future, although she said she realized that would not mean much to students currently searching for jobs. "I think 10 years from now there will be jobs, but that's not much consolation if you can't find one now," she said.
(10/27/94 9:00am)
Kappa Delta Phi, an Asian American sorority recognized by the University last semester, will sponsor its first rush event today at 9 p.m. in the Castle. The first event will be an information session to introduce perspective students to the current nine members. The purpose of the sorority and its history will also be discussed. The University chapter of Kappa Delta Phi is the first to be recognized on the East coast. The first chapter was founded in February, 1990 at the University of California at Berkeley. Although the sorority is not under the umbrella of a University Greek organization, it has applied to the Bicultural Inter-Greek Council for recognition. Women interested in Asian American interests and community service are encouraged to attend. --Jill Tanen The Medical Center's newest state-of-the-art patient care facility, the Jonathan Evans Rhoads Pavilion, will be dedicated this afternoon. The nine-story $69 million pavilion located at 36th street and Hamilton Walk will have five floors equipped with inpatient care services for the Medical, Surgical and Oncology departments at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Three floors will be used for the diagnosis and treatment of outpatients from other departments. One of the special features of the pavilion is the 17-ton magnetic resonance imaging unit located in the basement, one of only four such powerful units in the world. "The building was designed and conceived in putting patient-family care first and foremost in every consideration and every decision," said HUP Executive Director Wilbur Pittinger. University President Judith Rodin and Medical School Dean William Kelley will be keynote speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony, scheduled for 2 p.m. in the courtyard adjacent to the Rhoads Pavilion. --Scott Glassman
