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(04/03/98 10:00am)
A record 33 percent of students elected 16 Greeks out of the 23 Undergraduate Assembly slots. While the majority of the campus raged at last night's downtown parties, potential candidates for student government were consumed by far more worthy pursuits -- throwing Starburst candy and consuming alcohol. In between the drinking and reveling, nine of 12 Undergraduate Assembly incumbents were re-elected, while at least 16 of the 23 total seats went to Greek candidates. The elections saw the highest turnout in several years --Eat least 33 percent, according to Nominations and Elections Committee officials. Candidates and other student leaders amused themselves with various activities as the NEC deliberated for more than four hours over charges of election-rules violations before announcing the results of the two-day election. However, as Thursday turned to Friday, a large number of candidates, exasperated with the long wait, began to while away the time with a bottle of Jack Daniel's and several cans of beer. As the group steadily became more inebriated, they gathered around the door to the room where the NEC was deliberating and began to call for Mike Brody -- the committee's vice chairperson for elections. The candidates then piled up chairs against the door while chanting "Brody, Brody!" NEC Chairperson Chris LaVigne opened the door immediately and reprimanded the candidates by yelling, "Do you think we want to be here for five hours?" The meeting, which culminates in the announcement of election results, is held every year following elections to decide on the validity of alleged violations of the Fair Practices Code brought before the NEC. According to the code, any undergraduate student, including NEC members, may file a complaint of an alleged violation of the FPC. The charges may be brought against a candidate, the NEC or any other individual believed to have biased the elections. This year, the NEC charged 19 candidates for failure to turn in spending forms on time. According to the newly updated FPC -- the document governing elections -- such a violation "shall be grounds for disqualification." The FPC states that candidates must submit their spending forms to the NEC office within an hour of the closing of polls on the final day of elections. Each of these candidates was allotted one minute in which to plead their case before the NEC. Candidates not present at the hearing were permitted to send someone to speak on their behalf, although several chose not to do so. Candidates offered several common explanations for failing to turn in spending forms, such as deaths in the family and other commitments including exams. Several candidates also offered explanations that they were unsure when the forms were due or had never run before. And College freshman Ray Valerio -- a candidate for sophomore class president -- charged College freshman and current President Cam Winton for violations of the FPC poster policy. Valerio alleged that by his placement of fliers on benches, trash cans and illegal boards, Winton was in violation of the University poster policy. Winton, however, defended himself by noting that the FPC only "urges" candidates to comply with the University's poster policy, and thus a violation is not grounds for disqualification. When the NEC members finally emerged from deliberations at around 1 a.m. this morning, they were welcomed by a burst of applause. But the relief of many soon turned to dismay, as they learned they had been disqualified for neglecting to turn in their spending forms on time. Of the 13 total candidates charged with the violation, eight were disqualified: College freshman Vanessa Freeman; sophomores Marc Simon, Rahman D'Argenio and Troy Madres; juniors William Byrnes and Sean Ward; and Engineering sophomore Joshua McGrath and junior Hadley Harris. LaVigne attributed the large number of disqualifications this year to the more explicit FPC. The NEC also decided not to uphold Valerio's charges for the alleged poster-policy violation and did not disqualify Winton. Of the 25 UA candidates for seats in the College who were not disqualified, 14 were elected to the body as College representatives. College junior and current UA Vice-chairperson Samara Barend, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, was re-elected, as was fellow executive board member and College sophomore Bill Conway, the assembly's current treasurer. Also re-elected to College seats were freshmen Michael Bassik, Jonathan Glick, Allison Hersch and Melanie Liebner and junior Jeremy Katz. New to the assembly will be freshmen Seth Sherman, Lisa Lerer and Roby Yadegar; sophomore Mike Silver; and juniors Scott Hoffman and Alexander Tisch. Five of the 10 Wharton candidates were awarded seats on the UA, freshman Rishi Bajaj being the only incumbent. Newcomers including freshman Aaron Karo, sophomore Ryan Robinson and juniors Brett Klein and Dan Sundheim will also join the assembly. Of the six Engineering candidates remaining after the disqualifications, three were elected to the UA: junior Edward Calvesbert, freshman incumbent Theo LeCompte and freshman Malhar Saraiya. And Nursing sophomore Keri Hyde, who ran unopposed, was named the Nursing representative. The top vote-getters in each race were also awarded seats on University Council. Barend will be the College's UC rep, Klein for Wharton, Saraiya for Engineering and Hyde for Nursing. Brody said he was very pleased with the outcome of the elections, despite the long deliberation.
(03/17/98 10:00am)
The Harvard Crimson CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (U-WIRE) -- Philip Gale, a 19-year-old Massachusetts Institute of Technology undergraduate, jumped to his death out of the 15th floor window of an MIT science building shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday night. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Massachusetts General Hospital at 8:05 p.m. An MIT spokesperson said the school was considering the incident an apparent suicide. Gale is thought to have thrown a chair through the window's thick plate glass before jumping from the building. MIT students in a dormitory directly across from the building heard the breaking glass. "I heard the glass break, but people had been smashing glass bottles for a couple of days so I didn't think anything of it," said Brian Sniffen, an MIT sophomore. Sniffen said he heard the crash of the object that went through the window, followed by "a scream that make me look out the window and then I saw him on the ground. "I don't think I will ever forget that scream," he added. Sniffen immediately called the MIT Campus Police, as did several other onlookers. Two witnesses administered CPR in a failed attempt to resuscitate Gale. Campus Police arrived a few minutes later and continued to administer CPR until an ambulance arrived to take Gale to the hospital. Gale had discussed the possibility of suicide recently, according to his roommate, Eric Hu. "[Gale] mentioned it a couple of weeks ago. He had considered it and dismissed it," Hu said. "He was just bored with life and I guess just depressed that he was destined to be bored for the rest of his life." Gale was "probably the smartest person I've ever interacted with that closely. He always seemed to be thinking on another level," Hu added. In a statement posted on the MIT Web home page, a spokesperson for the school urged students and other concerned members of the MIT community to seek counseling. No information is available at this time about a memorial service or funeral for Gale, who was originally from Charlotte, N.C.
(03/03/98 10:00am)
To the Editor: After shots were fired at the championship last year, one could have easily predicted that violence would again rear its head this time around. The one who should have predicted the violence and done something to prevent it -- or at least prevent its occurrence on Penn's campus -- is University President Judith Rodin. It shouldn't have taken a genius to figure out that the event was going to put both Philadelphia schoolchildren and Penn students in danger. It is a horrible tragedy that someone had to die at a sporting event; how would the administration have explained the death of a student to his or her parents? I know very little about how Rodin runs this University, but I can attest that among many students, including myself, there is the sentiment that she is more concerned with creating a genteel shopping mall in Sansom Common and with removing not-so-elegant food trucks from the streets than with maintaining and furthering academic integrity, an intellectual environment and the safety of the University community. The present tragedy serves to reinforce that impression. Ben Jackson Medicine '00 u To the Editor: Yesterday's editorial was not only short-sighted and immature but also horrifying in its hasty proposal to sweep the dilemmas of the University under the carpet rather than proffer a solution or even hazard an idea. The shootings at the Palestra are a chance for the University to promote and provide solutions for some of the ills of our society and finally break our cycle of sugar-coating and denying our problems. Contrary to popular belief, the University has more resources available to it than just Spectaguards and vending ordinances. Instead of balking in fear at the faintest sign of adversity and immediately suggesting that by pushing problems away we make them disappear, the DP should have consulted with the vast knowledge base literally around the corner. With the top-rated Psychology school in the country, why have we never seen an interview with one of its esteemed professors about why kids feel the need to shoot at each other and how they can be encouraged to focus their energy in more positive pursuits? With one of the most highly rated law schools in the country, why have we never seen an interview with one of its professors to ask how we can more effectively keep guns out of the hands of children? Why has the DP never suggested that the University offer incentives for professors to study the problems we face in our own community? Although it may initially seem like a good idea, putting your problems in someone else's lap does not make them go away. The University is one of the most powerful and influential institutions in the state. Since it has both the means and the opportunity to answer social dilemmas like the one posed Sunday, it has a moral responsibility to propose solutions and follow through with their implementation. The student newspaper (and students) can further these goals by promoting meaningful dialog and not by succumbing to the status quo. The members of the editorial board should be ashamed of themselves for their own fear tactics. Hopefully they'll soon realize that they're at a University to learn and solve and not to run and hide. Doug Haber Engineering '99 u To the Editor: It's 4 p.m. on a spring-like Sunday afternoon, and I step out of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter to enjoy a bit of the nice weather. A huge crowd has gathered at the corner, presumably indicative of a recent event in the Palestra or the field house. Suddenly shots ring out -- lots of them. It sounds like the fourth of July, but people are running and shouting. I run too. Police converge on the scene, along with ambulances and TV crews. These were no fireworks. One man is taken out of the Blauhaus on a stretcher. Another lies in the crosswalk at 33rd and Walnut streets. Word on the street: 3 shot, 1 dead. Why this madness? I don't know why people shoot each other. But I do know that this kind of thing wouldn't have happened outside my lab if the University had not hosted the Philadelphia Public League boys high school basketball championship at the Palestra. I know that the University has decided that it is politically convenient to allow outside groups to use our athletic and academic facilities. When an event brings with it this kind of street violence, however, the risk to our own safety is too great to justify political concession. David Bergeron LRSM '99 u To the Editor: On Sunday, the University of Pennsylvania once again hosted the local high school basketball championship games. Once again, gunfire resounded in the air over 33rd and Walnut streets. A year ago, the day of the same event, I was a passenger in a cab at that intersection. Traffic was at a standstill; there were hundreds of people running and yelling, some banging on the taxi's windows and screaming at me. Next was the sound of popcorn popping -- or maybe firecrackers. People squatting behind the doors of cars on 33rd Street were shooting across the intersection at each other. Trapped in the gridlock of stationary vehicles and a riptide of panicking bodies, I ducked down close to the cab floor until the "mass disturbance," as campus security termed it, was over. Is this annual shooting spree to become a tradition at Penn? I would not like to see that happen. Whether the interest which prompted the University to host the games was financial, social or otherwise, it is in our best interest to just say no in the future. Community involvement can be highly beneficial to both the city and the University, but in this specific capacity, it is certainly not a public service by any stretch of PR. These high schools can find some other location for the expression of their essentially petty, yet deadly rivalries. The University's duty to its own students preempts any relationship with the local high schools. Next March, you can be sure I'll remain in my Center City apartment if the University should be so reckless as to once again provide the forum for this event. Niamh O'Leary Singh Law '99 u To the Editor: As a sophomore who lived in Hill College House last year, I clearly remember the day of the Philadelphia Public League boys basketball tournament. Walking to David Rittenhouse Laboratories to watch a movie for class, it felt like I was in an entirely different world. Empty alcohol bottles lined the street, people swarmed everywhere and trash was piled all over the place. And then there were the gunshots. Everyone living in Hill was well aware that there were shots fired. We all just thanked God that we hadn't been outside at the time. As a result of being a witness of all that went on last year, it astonishes me that University officials would agree to host this tournament again. It is absolutely absurd that they would disregard the safety of Penn students in this way. Administrators appear to be trying to make the University a safer place to call home, but when they make decisions like this, it is hard for me to take them seriously. Dana Grasso College '00
(02/24/98 10:00am)
BurglaryBurglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.TheftBurglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that $100 in cash was stolen from his jacket -- which he left unattended on a bench during a basketball game in the Gimbel Gymnasium -- between 3:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that $100 in cash was stolen from his jacket -- which he left unattended on a bench during a basketball game in the Gimbel Gymnasium -- between 3:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that his secured red Schwinn bicycle valued at $700 was stolen from a rack outside Williams Hall at 255 S. 36th Street between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that $100 in cash was stolen from his jacket -- which he left unattended on a bench during a basketball game in the Gimbel Gymnasium -- between 3:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that his secured red Schwinn bicycle valued at $700 was stolen from a rack outside Williams Hall at 255 S. 36th Street between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.· February 19 -- An employee reported that a computer of undetermined value was stolen from the first floor of the Mudd Building at 400 University Avenue between 5 p.m. on February 18 and 9 a.m. on February 19. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that $100 in cash was stolen from his jacket -- which he left unattended on a bench during a basketball game in the Gimbel Gymnasium -- between 3:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that his secured red Schwinn bicycle valued at $700 was stolen from a rack outside Williams Hall at 255 S. 36th Street between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.· February 19 -- An employee reported that a computer of undetermined value was stolen from the first floor of the Mudd Building at 400 University Avenue between 5 p.m. on February 18 and 9 a.m. on February 19.· February 19 -- An store employee reported that a portable sign was stolen from the Bucks County Coffee shop at 4005 Locust Street between 11 p.m. February 17 and 9 a.m. February 19. The sign had been secured with a chain lock. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that $100 in cash was stolen from his jacket -- which he left unattended on a bench during a basketball game in the Gimbel Gymnasium -- between 3:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that his secured red Schwinn bicycle valued at $700 was stolen from a rack outside Williams Hall at 255 S. 36th Street between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.· February 19 -- An employee reported that a computer of undetermined value was stolen from the first floor of the Mudd Building at 400 University Avenue between 5 p.m. on February 18 and 9 a.m. on February 19.· February 19 -- An store employee reported that a portable sign was stolen from the Bucks County Coffee shop at 4005 Locust Street between 11 p.m. February 17 and 9 a.m. February 19. The sign had been secured with a chain lock.· February 18 -- University Police arrested a 28-year-old man for stealing three long button-down shirts valued at $114 from the Gap at 3423 Walnut Street at about 3 p.m. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that $100 in cash was stolen from his jacket -- which he left unattended on a bench during a basketball game in the Gimbel Gymnasium -- between 3:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that his secured red Schwinn bicycle valued at $700 was stolen from a rack outside Williams Hall at 255 S. 36th Street between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.· February 19 -- An employee reported that a computer of undetermined value was stolen from the first floor of the Mudd Building at 400 University Avenue between 5 p.m. on February 18 and 9 a.m. on February 19.· February 19 -- An store employee reported that a portable sign was stolen from the Bucks County Coffee shop at 4005 Locust Street between 11 p.m. February 17 and 9 a.m. February 19. The sign had been secured with a chain lock.· February 18 -- University Police arrested a 28-year-old man for stealing three long button-down shirts valued at $114 from the Gap at 3423 Walnut Street at about 3 p.m.All information was obtained from University Police. Burglary· February 21 -- A University employee reported that numerous items of undetermined value were stolen from the first, second and third floors of the Fels Center for Government at 3814 Walnut Street between 2 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Windows on the first and second floors were found shattered in the incident.· February 17 -- A male University student reported that his black Columbia Sportswear jacket valued at $150 was stolen from his unsecured apartment at 4045 Pine Street between 10 p.m. and midnight February 17. There were no signs of forced entry.Theft· February 22 -- University Police arrested a female youth for attempting to steal cash from the cash drawer in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gift shop at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The incident occurred at 1:53 p.m.· February 22 -- A University employee reported that an unspecified amount of cash was stolen from a vending machine in the basement of Leidy Laboratories at 3740 Hamilton Walk between 7 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. The glass panel to the machine was shattered in the incident.· February 21 -- A employee of Steve and Barry's University Sportswear reported seeing a man steal three hooded Wharton sweatshirts valued at $60 from the store at 3736 Spruce Street at about 3:25 p.m. The employee said the same man had harassed him him earlier in the day.· February 19 -- University Police arrested a 40-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both of West Philadelphia, for stealing six bottles of lotion valued at $42.89 from the CVS store at 3915 Walnut Street at about 6:16 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that $100 in cash was stolen from his jacket -- which he left unattended on a bench during a basketball game in the Gimbel Gymnasium -- between 3:45 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.· February 19 -- A University student reported that his secured red Schwinn bicycle valued at $700 was stolen from a rack outside Williams Hall at 255 S. 36th Street between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.· February 19 -- An employee reported that a computer of undetermined value was stolen from the first floor of the Mudd Building at 400 University Avenue between 5 p.m. on February 18 and 9 a.m. on February 19.· February 19 -- An store employee reported that a portable sign was stolen from the Bucks County Coffee shop at 4005 Locust Street between 11 p.m. February 17 and 9 a.m. February 19. The sign had been secured with a chain lock.· February 18 -- University Police arrested a 28-year-old man for stealing three long button-down shirts valued at $114 from the Gap at 3423 Walnut Street at about 3 p.m.All information was obtained from University Police.-- Maureen Tkacik
(01/22/98 10:00am)
Gaeta's College Pizza owner Wink Hall recently began to demonstrate that community service and business can go hand in hand by taping photographs of missing children to each box of pizza he sells. He also displays the photographs and information about each child inside the establishment on the 3900 block of Walnut Street. "Everyone who walks into the store reads these," he noted. And since the University draws students from all over the world, "you never know" who might see them and recognize a child, he added. Hall, who owns both the pizza establishment on campus and an Italian bakery in Northeast Philadelphia, attributes this idea to his "bad eyes." He once thought he saw pictures of missing children printed on a shampoo bottle. And although Hall later realized the "children" were just part of the bottle's design, the simple mistake was the catalyst for his project. Then, this past holiday season, Hall had a thought: what would he do without his own two children? "It bums you out," he said. "It would destroy me if they weren't around." About a month ago, these feelings, in addition to several trade publications' constant advice to advertise on pizza boxes, led Hall to contact Patricia Morales of the Vanished Children's Alliance in San Jose, Calif. He asked the organization for posters of children that he could tape onto his pizza boxes. Morales, who works in the 18-year-old group's photo distribution department, said she thought Hall had "a great idea," adding that anything that publicizes the issue of missing children helps the group's cause. Every poster increases the likelihood that someone will recognize a child, Morales said. "Any exposure is good exposure," she said. One million children are abducted every year, equivalent to one every 40 seconds, according to the group. Seventy percent of the cases are eventually solved. VCA Assistant Director Chris Wilder said that the group, the second-largest organization of its kind in the country, was the first agency to use photo dissemination -- the primary and most effective method of generating sightings of missing children. Each week, Hall chooses a new child out of the photographs Morales sends. Usually it is one who was abducted relatively recently, since he believes that these cases hold a greater chance of success. The nearby Campus Copy Center donates copies for each box. Hall said he is still looking for someone to donate tape. Morales said she is still not sure how effective Hall's project will be. But her colleague Wilder remains optimistic. "If his work generates one sighting that leads to the recovery of a child, then it's all worth it," he said. Hall echoed these sentiments. "Think how incredible it would be if someone recognized somebody," he said. Stressing that he is "always involved," Hall said he participates in other community service activities, such as coaching children in basketball and volleyball for the Special Olympics.
(12/11/97 10:00am)
While the rest of the Quakers community is toasting champagne and welcoming in the New Year, four members of the Penn women's squash team will be psyching themselves up for one of the most important tournaments of the year. Jessica DiMauro, Katie Patrick, Dana Lipson and Rina Borromeo will all compete January 2-4 at the Constable Invitational in Princeton N.J. -- a tournament for the top sixteen intercollegiate players in the nation. The tournament is invitation only, but all the Quakers but Borromeo have competed in this tournament before. Personal pride is not the only issue at stake. A strong performance in the Constable Invitational is an important factor in deciding All-American and All-Ivy honors. "It is an individual competition, but a win brings great honor to your team," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "The fact that we have four representatives says a lot about our program." Junior Dana Lipson will be competing in the event for the third time. Last year she had a strong performance beating a high seeded player, Pricilla Martin. "I didn't have a very good year last year, so if I hadn't done well there I probably wouldn't have been All-American," Lipson said. This year Lipson hopes to finish in the top eight. To accomplish this, she knows better preparation is the key. "I always feel like I should be sweating and I'm not," Lipson said. "I just run on to the courts and I'm cold and I'm forgetting my shorts or I'm forgetting my racket. I just want to be well-prepared." Junior DiMauro will also be making her third visit to the tournament. She is expected to be seeded he No.1 -- trying for her third consecutive Constable championship. "Last year was probably the best tournament I've played since I've been at Penn," DiMauro said of her 3-0 victory in the finals. "I get to go home and play a bunch of new people, so when I come back to Penn I usually play my best squash." In addition to defending-champion status, DiMauro also has the advantage of experience playing on Princeton's courts. "The courts are freezing, which I love," DiMauro said. "It's easier to go short if its cold because the ball won't bounce up as high. It's better for my game style." The competition will be tough for DiMaur, with Harvard's No. 1 player, Ivy Pochoda, also competing at Old Nassau. For the Quakers, one of the highlights of the trip is getting to meet Betty Constable, whom the 20 year tournament is named after. Constable is a former Princeton coach. "She's this crazy little lady who always wears these orange plaid pants," Lipson said. "She hands out the awards at the end of the tournament." "At the end she gave me a bottle of champagne," DiMauro said. "She looks like the Princeton mascot."
(12/05/97 10:00am)
Penn students annoyed by the frequent half-day water shutdowns in the high rises should be grateful they don't attend Cornell University, where an off-campus oil spill contaminated the school's drinking supply this week, forcing students to go days without drinkable water. Approximately 1,000 gallons of oil spilled at a concrete plant near Cornell's Ithaca, N.Y., campus Tuesday night, polluting Cornell's water supply, according to Cornell spokesperson Linda Grace-Kobas. While Grace-Kobas stressed that only minute amounts of oil were discovered in the school's water supply, Cornell officials advised students not to drink the water because the level of pollution exceeded federal limits. The water was "safe to wash in, just not to drink," Grace-Kobas said. She added that students who drank the water before seeing the alert --which was circulated via e-mail, posted in campus restrooms and announced on local radio stations --should not be concerned about possible health effects. Grace-Kobas stressed that she doesn't recall anything like this happening at the school in the past. In a message posted on the university's World Wide Web site, Cornell's Department of Environmental Health and Safety said it "recommends that as a precautionary measure and until further notice, the water not be used for drinking or cooking. The water may be used for other purposes such as flushing toilets, bathing and general cleaning." The school's water system was flushed out Wednesday night and Cornell students were alerted Thursday that water on most parts of campus was safe to drink, Grace-Kobas said. All the water on campus should be safe sometime today, she added. Cornell freshman Kristin Haacke said her dorm was still advising students not to drink water last night. She explained that students were given free bottled water in their dorms, adding that dining halls used paper plates and plastic silverware in order to avoid washing dishes in the water supply. Haacke, who found out about the water ban via e-mail, said that campus water fountains were covered with plastic in order to prevent their use. Cornell sophomore Andrea Berman had to purchase her own bottled water Wednesday, but received water from the school yesterday. She noted that the ordeal taught her an important lesson: "I never realized how important water was to our daily lives," she said.
(11/04/97 10:00am)
U. Police officers injured during robbery at CVS One officer received a bruised knee, another sprained his foot and a third received "extensive contusions to the leg" during the incident, according to Detective Commander Tom King. The officers were injured while pursuing Philadelphia resident Darryl James as he ran from the 3900 block of Walnut Street to the subway stop at 40th and Market streets. James -- who had allegedly tried to steal eight bottles of liquid soap from the store -- was armed with a pocket knife and syringe needles and dodged around passers-by and a train conductor while trying to evade the police. Although the incident appeared in yesterday's Daily Pennsylvanian, information about the officers' injuries was not available by press time. -- Ian Rosenblum
(11/03/97 10:00am)
No one was hurt, but the incidents pushed the fall's robbery tally above 12. Three recent robberies -- including one where a student fell victim -- have brought the total number of robberies this semester on or near Penn's campus to more than 12. No one was injured during any of the recent incidents, all of which occurred since last Wednesday. The latest robbery occurred yesterday morning at the CVS convenience store at 3915 Walnut Street. Philadelphia resident Darryl James was arrested after a pursuit that took police to the subway station at 40th and Market streets. The incident began when a CVS manager stopped James from leaving the store after he allegedly tried to steal eight bottles of liquid soap. James brandished a small pocket knife at the man and fled. When police ordered him to stop, the man threatened them with a syringe-type needle. He then ran to the subway station waving the needle and went down and crossed the tracks, at which point police again confronted him and subdued him using a chemical spray. In an unrelated incident, police chased an armed man who had robbed a male student into Superblock early Friday morning, alarming students and passers-by. The incident occurred at 2:36 a.m., when a man armed with a handgun approached a male student on the 3900 block of Walnut Street and demanded his wallet. After taking the student's wallet -- which contained the student's PennCard and New Jersey driver's license, but no cash -- the suspect fled toward campus. University Police and Spectaguard officers pursued the suspect immediately after the crime occurred, Detective Commander Tom King said. At one point, at least 10 University and Philadelphia police cars swooped into Superblock and surrounded High Rise North, according to a student walking nearby who requested anonymity. Officers searched the bushes on either side of the building before moving on to examine other hiding places in the area, the student said. Shortly afterwards, an off-duty Spectaguard supervisor told walked into police headquarters and reported that he had seen a man matching the suspect's description in a phone booth at the intersection of 34th and Spruce streets. But by the time police reached the location, the suspect was gone. In the other armed robbery, a man was held up at 40th and Sansom streets Wednesday evening. A robber police said was armed with a revolver stole $60 in cash from the man at 6:40 p.m. Police did not make any arrests in the incident.
(11/03/97 10:00am)
The University Museum looked like a greenhouse last weekend as it played host to the fourth annual "Artifacts in Bloom." The three-day exhibition, which attracted more than 1,000 visitors, showcased "living" displays of many of the Museum's artifacts. About 50 of the best floral arrangers in the Delaware Valley took part in the event. "The arrangers created floral art arrangements inspired by objects on display throughout the museum's second-floor galleries," University Museum spokesperson Pam Kosty said. For the exhibition, the arrangers -- some of whom have been prize-winning exhibitors at Philadelphia Flower Shows -- were given an artifact and asked to respond to it in any way they chose, Kosty added. One arranger, H.R. Draper, given Byzantine glass perfume bottles, set dried roses and "hearty orange fruits" over the folds of richly textured cloths and fabrics. Various items of glassware, including several clear artifacts, stood in the center of the piece. "I tried to recreate the feeling of opulence during the Byzantine Empire," said Draper, noting that he placed a string of white pearls over the entire exhibit. Draper added that each object in the exhibit had a significant relationship to the original artifact. He used the oranges, which are native to China, to symbolize the significance of Byzantine trade with the East during that time. Kosty said the Artifacts in Bloom exhibition allowed arrangers the rare opportunity to be exceptionally free and artistic in their work. "This exhibit gives the extraordinary opportunity for creativity for artists," she said. "These arrangers really like to do this because it's fun and it's not competition," Kosty added. Draper, who used his own items -- fruit and flowers -- in his piece, said the exhibition did not enforce as many rigid restrictions as competitive floral events. "Here it is possible for me to use materials to my own personal taste and style," he said, noting that the exhibition adds a degree of life to the museum artifacts. "Most of the criticism of museum exhibits is that it's very clinical and almost cold," he added. "But look at how beautiful all of these exhibits are." The University of Pennsylvania Museum's Women's Committee organized and sponsored "Artifacts in Bloom." Other events of the weekend-long event included a talk on glass flower-making and a dinner-dance celebration.
(10/23/97 9:00am)
Children, adults with weakened immune systems and the elderly are among those at risk of getting sick from pathogens in Philadelphia's water supply, says a new report. The study, released Tuesday by Harvard University's School of Public Health, found that instances of gastro-intestinal sickness increased by an average of 10 percent during periods when Philadelphia water was more contaminated than usual. "This isn't something to panic about," Harvard School of Public Health Professor Joel Schwartz, the lead author of the report, said. "But it's something to suggest that there is a possibility Philadelphia could do a better job of treating its water." Officials from the Philadelphia Water Department, however, emphasized that contamination levels in the city's water are an average of six times lower than those required by federal standards. "Our customers should not be concerned about the quality of their drinking water," Water Department spokesperson Joan Dahme said, adding that the department has been working to improve the city's water supply since the study was conducted. The department serves 1.2 million people with water drawn from the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers which is treated and chlorinated at three separate plants. The Harvard report examined the relationship between contamination levels in Philadelphia water between 1989 and 1993 and the number of young patients admitted to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia emergency room for gastro-intestinal problems. Findings indicated that high instances of disease were linked to periods of increased pollution. Although the study was limited to children, Schwartz suggested that adults with weakened immune systems -- such as the elderly, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or people with AIDS -- should "consider some kind of water filtration device that could remove pathogens from the drinking water." A slight increase in cloudiness can lead to gastro-intestinal sickness, even when the water still meets federal safety standards, he added. Water contamination is measured with a nephelometer, a device which scatters light through a sample of water to determine its level of pollution. Federal standards dictate that 95 percent of water samples cannot exceed .5 nephelometric units (NTUs), and Schwartz said contamination levels in Philadelphia water are significantly lower than required by federal law, typically ranging from .17 to .22 NTUs. "The point of the study was that, even in a city with filtration and chlorination and drinking water that meets federal standards, an increase in gastrointestinal cases followed periods of cloudier water," he said. Schwartz added that the study, which appears in the November issue of Epidemiology, "suggests chlorine and filtration practices may not be the whole answer to ensuring water quality." And although many people drink bottled water instead of tap water in an effort to avoid polluted water, Schwartz warned that "there is basically no regulation on bottled water, so you don't know what is in there."
(10/20/97 9:00am)
From Eric Goldstein, "Upon Further Review," Fall '97 From Eric Goldstein, "Upon Further Review," Fall '97All of the hoopla surrounding the announcement of the new college house system is more than a little confusing. The plan to convert all campus residences into so-called "college houses" appears to just be a game of semantics. The intent of the plan is to create smaller communities within the often overwhelming Penn campus. This will be accomplished by creating common dining areas, mixing upperclassmen with underclassmen and providing auxiliary services, such as tutoring and computer aid. However, the proponents of the plan are quick to stress that dining with housemates will be completely voluntary, as will be any special programming. And they also point out that the Quadrangle will still remain a predominantly freshman residence, while the high rises remain the domain of mostly sophomores, juniors and seniors. Administrators seem so intent on accommodating students who find comfort in the status quo that they have neglected to develop a plan that will result in tangible change for undergraduates. The University's goals are admirable. The high rises discourage, rather than promote, interaction among neighbors. Because students are provided with all of the essentials of apartment-style living, including full bathrooms, kitchens and common rooms, students have little incentive to venture out to the common areas on every other floor. There is more interaction on the high rise elevators than in the common rooms. Often, the residential advisor system fails to address these problems. It is not uncommon for a high rise resident to go an entire year without ever attending a hall meeting or even meeting the floor's RA. The little activity money available for hall programming is typically wiped out after a few pizzas and a two-liter bottle of Coke. For all of their faults, though, the high rises do serve a purpose. Many students are not interested in "community living" after freshman year. If not for the high rises, many students who prefer apartment living would choose to move off campus. And the high rise rooms are in general just as nice if not nicer than the typical off-campus apartment. Although it is not politically correct to admit it, many students actually enjoy their high rise experiences. "Integrating" the Quad by inviting upperclassmen back introduces even more concerns. The Quad is unique precisely because it is a "freshman dorm." It is a place freshmen can make new friends and help each other adjust to college life. For all intents and purposes, the Quad already achieves many of the goals of the college houses. It creates small communities, many of which stay together for all four years of college, and provides an internal support system and often specialized programming. Bringing any substantial number of upperclassmen into the mix can only tamper with a special Penn experience. Although the University's plans are admirable, they fail to consider one key factor -- the high rises are not conducive to a college house program. Building a college house system around Penn's current dormitories is like trying build a car on one axle. Unlike the college house system at Yale, which has become ingrained in the very fabric of student life there, the Penn plan will require a significant change in student behavior and opinion. What administrators have failed to realize is that Penn's apartment-style housing is just as strong an element of campus life here as college houses are at Yale. That is not to say that Penn's system can't be improved, but wholesale change is not necessary either. The bottom line is that students who don't want to change won't have to. But if enough students prefer the current system and choose not to get involved, then what is the point? Given the University's limited resources, the money being funneled into the college houses could do more to improve the academic life on campus by going directly into academic programs. The logic behind the college house system is admirable. But short of demolishing the high rises and starting from scratch, the program will have little real effect on the lives of Penn undergraduates.
(09/19/97 9:00am)
Adam Nichols, Guest Columnist Adam Nichols, Guest ColumnistFor the first time in my life, I picked up a newspaper and knew the words I was reading were wrong. The article ("Student cited after police shut down party," DP, 9/9/97) described the break-up of a party by University Police in which a student was cited for disorderly conduct. The incident occurred when police arrived, in the early morning hours of September 5, to shut down a party on Beige Block. The police claimed that a "slippery bottle fell and broke" as a police sergeant was pouring the contents of the a bottle to the side of the porch. Anyone aware of the laws of physics knows the shattering pattern of a glass bottle that is dropped from a given distance of only a few feet is much different than that of one thrown down with force. If this "slippery bottle" did "fall and break" then why didn't the sergeant apologize and volunteer to clean it up? Numerous students watched as this sergeant deliberately threw this bottle down onto the pile of rocks. He then proceeded to pick up another bottle when a concerned student informed him that someone could be hurt by the flying shards of glass. A multitude of broken glass still lies on the rocks to the side of the porch. Following this incident the police arrested a student for disorderly conduct. The detective commander used the expression "extremely resistant" in the DP article to describe the student's actions. Again, this description is simply not true. The student's actions were in no way characteristic of someone who was resisting arrest. The officers who pulled out their nightsticks and forcefully pushed the student onto one of the porch benches while attempting to handcuff him were the only ones acting in an "extreme" manner. While they were attempting to cuff him, the only things I heard coming from his mouth were, "Relax," and "Chill out." The force they used to cuff him was the most blatant abuse of power that I have ever witnessed. If their only goal was to take the student into custody, there was no reason to use their nightsticks, push him across the porch, and force him up against the bench. I do not argue that the student cited used vulgar language towards a police officer, as was noted in the DP article. However, I strongly disagree with the police's aggressive response. One thought that has remained in the forefront of my mind is the recent publicity of police brutality within the New York Police Department. The incident on Beige Block sheds light on how police can get away with excessive force by telling a different story to the media. My own feeling of helplessness still remains in regards to any real change in the police's mindset, but I do not feel that speaking out is pointless. As students, we have avenues and resources for incidents like this to be dealt with in a professional manner. This column will reach a wider audience than the people on the scene that morning and hopefully encourage other students to speak out. I also want to explain the steps I took so they will feel more confident in knowing what to do when they witness similar incidents. First, I talked to someone in the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life. They act as liaisons between the student body and various University divisions -- in this case, University Police. They advised me to file a formal complaint with the police and use the DP to respond to the article. In my conversations with police officers about the incidents, one stands out in particular. A female lieutenant, who was the commanding officer on the scene that morning, still sticks to the story that she saw the bottle slip out of the sergeant's hand. She claims to have seen this with her own eyes in plain view. This is the same incident where I saw this sergeant deliberately throw the bottle to the ground (Yes, I too saw this action with a clear point of view.) At the end of our conversation, she said she hoped I would not think twice about calling the police for help in the future. I have a lot to say on that issue but I'll limit it to just a few thoughts. No, I would not hesitate to call University Police because they are the only resource I have in this area of Philadelphia. However, I would like her to know I would not trust her to walk my grandmother across the street because I do not trust that she would be able to see oncoming traffic. I would also hope that none of the officers was on duty breaking up this party responded to my call because it is obvious my perception of their actions is not in line with their own views of proper procedure. I want to make sure their actions don't go unnoticed. I encourage anyone, even for a minor incident like this one, to report it to the University and file a complaint with the police so this morning's events do not begin to create a pattern of behavior that could have much larger ramifications. Please do not feel that speaking out is pointless. It is not. However, after my conversations with various officers, I feel extremely helpless as to justice being served and the police altering their behavior in the future.
(09/09/97 9:00am)
Student cited after Student cited after police shut down party But University Police stressed that although a "slippery bottle dropped and broke," officers did not deliberately break any bottles. College senior Brian Lappin -- who had been drinking -- admits that he yelled and cursed at police to stop. According to Detective Commander Tom King, Lappin yelled, "Fuck you!" At that point, Lappin claims that "at least five police officers with their billy-clubs drawn pretty much rustled me down on the porch and cuffed me." Police insisted that because Lappin was verbally abusive to the officers and "extremely resistant" when they tried to handcuff him, he was lucky to simply be cited instead of being arrested for his resistence. Students cited for disorderly conduct are regularly taken to the University Police station until paperwork is completed and the person's identification is verified. -- Ian Rosenblum
(08/29/97 9:00am)
Penn's history is rich with tradition in the classroom and on the field. Penn's history is rich with tradition in the classroom and on the field.The University is certainly a prestigious place today, both academically and athletically. But what about its illustrious past? Here's a list of some interesting people, facts and firsts from Penn's history: Penn's history is rich with tradition in the classroom and on the field.The University is certainly a prestigious place today, both academically and athletically. But what about its illustrious past? Here's a list of some interesting people, facts and firsts from Penn's history:· The two-liter plastic soda bottle was designed by Nathaniel Wyeth, Class of 1963.Penn's history is rich with tradition in the classroom and on the field.The University is certainly a prestigious place today, both academically and athletically. But what about its illustrious past? Here's a list of some interesting people, facts and firsts from Penn's history:· The two-liter plastic soda bottle was designed by Nathaniel Wyeth, Class of 1963.· School of Engineering and Applied Sciences grads have helped develop items like the radio camera, the infrared remote control for television, the liquid crystal display used in clocks and watches and the lunar land rover.Penn's history is rich with tradition in the classroom and on the field.The University is certainly a prestigious place today, both academically and athletically. But what about its illustrious past? Here's a list of some interesting people, facts and firsts from Penn's history:· The two-liter plastic soda bottle was designed by Nathaniel Wyeth, Class of 1963.· School of Engineering and Applied Sciences grads have helped develop items like the radio camera, the infrared remote control for television, the liquid crystal display used in clocks and watches and the lunar land rover.· Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen was Penn's homecoming queen in 1964.Penn's history is rich with tradition in the classroom and on the field.The University is certainly a prestigious place today, both academically and athletically. But what about its illustrious past? Here's a list of some interesting people, facts and firsts from Penn's history:· The two-liter plastic soda bottle was designed by Nathaniel Wyeth, Class of 1963.· School of Engineering and Applied Sciences grads have helped develop items like the radio camera, the infrared remote control for television, the liquid crystal display used in clocks and watches and the lunar land rover.· Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen was Penn's homecoming queen in 1964.· College Hall is rumored to have been the inspiration for the mansion in The Addams Family, created by University alumnus Charles Addams.Penn's history is rich with tradition in the classroom and on the field.The University is certainly a prestigious place today, both academically and athletically. But what about its illustrious past? Here's a list of some interesting people, facts and firsts from Penn's history:· The two-liter plastic soda bottle was designed by Nathaniel Wyeth, Class of 1963.· School of Engineering and Applied Sciences grads have helped develop items like the radio camera, the infrared remote control for television, the liquid crystal display used in clocks and watches and the lunar land rover.· Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen was Penn's homecoming queen in 1964.· College Hall is rumored to have been the inspiration for the mansion in The Addams Family, created by University alumnus Charles Addams.· After being fatally wounded by assassins, Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield were treated by doctors who graduated from the University. · Penn played in the first commercially televised football game. · The Penn Relays are the world's largest track meet. · The Palestra has hosted more basketball games, more visiting teams and more NCAA tournament games than any other athletic facility in the country. · Franklin Field is the oldest two-tiered college stadium still in use today, and is also home to the country's first stadium scoreboard · The first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal was John Taylor, a Penn grad. · Penn's football team was the first to use numbers on its jerseys. · The two most prestigious collegiate athletic awards -- the Heisman and Outland trophies -- are named after former University athletes John Heisman and John Outland. · Penn alum Charles Diven, Class of 1936, is credited with inventing the basketball jump shot. Some Penn firsts: · First university in the nation · First U.S. medical school · First business school in the country · First computer -- ENIAC · First student union · First teaching hospital · First psychology clinic Some other famous Penn alumni: · Benjamin West, painter, 1775 · William Henry Harrison, U.S. President, 1791 · Ezra Pound, poet, 1903 · Sadie Mosses Alexander, Philadelphia attorney, 1918 · Raymond Alexander, Philadelphia attorney, 1920 · William Paley, former CBS owner, 1922 · Rabbi Israel Goldstein, founder of Brandeis University, 1914 · Maury Povich, talk show host, 1962 · I.F. Stone, journalist, 1927 · William Brennan, former U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1928 · Walter Annenberg, newspaper magnate and former U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, 1931 · Harold Prince, Broadway producer, 1948 · Alan Rachins, actor, L.A. Law, 1964 · Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, 1949-1950 · Martin Cruz Smith, author of Gorky Park, 1964 · Saul Steinberg, financier, 1959 · Arlen Specter, U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, 1951 · Donald Trump, real estate mogul, 1968 · John Roberts, Woodstock Festival co-founder, producer, 1966 · Ken Olin, actor, Thirtysomething, 1976 · Lawrence Tisch, CEO, CBS network, 1943 · Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, 1965 Penn Nobel Prize Winners: · Otto Meyerhoff, medicine, 1923 · Robert Hofstadter, physics, 1961 · Ragnar Granit, medicine, 1967 · Halden Hartline, medicine, 1967 · Simon Kuznets, economics, 1971 · Christian Anfimsen, chemistry, 1972 · Gerald Edelman, medicine, 1972 · J. Robert Schrieffer, physics, 1972 · Baruch Blumberg, medicine, 1976 · Lawrence Klein, economics, 1980 · Michael Brown, medicine, 1985
(07/10/97 9:00am)
Strongarm Robbery July 6 -- Two individuals described as 23 or 24-year-old black males -- one 5'11" weighing 180 lbs. and wearing a white, Muslim-type hat, the other 6' weighing 220 lbs. -- robbed a complainant at gunpoint at 42nd and Spruce streets between 2:55 and 3:10 a.m. No arrests were made. Attempted Robbery July 5 -- University Police arrested Steven Holland, a 30-year-old West Philadelphia resident, for attempted strongarm robbery on the 3900 block of Walnut Street at approximately 12:28 a.m. Aggravated Assault July 2 -- University Police arrested Kevin Jones, a 30-year-old West Philadelphia resident, for the theft of 40 ounce bottles of beer from Allegro's restaurant, located at 342 Spruce Street, at approximately 10:33 p.m. When stopped by police, Jones attacked an officer and was also charged with aggravated assault. Theft July 1 -- A University student reported the theft of his briefcase containing his wallet, credit cards and money from the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity house, located at 3914 Spruce Street, between 9 and 9:15 p.m. The unseen suspect entered the house through an unsecured door in the rear of the building . Bike Theft July 1 -- University police stopped two men attempting to steal a student's bicycle from South 40th Street between June 30 at p.m. and July 1 at 2:59 p.m. The men returned the bicycle to its owner, who did not press charges against them. July 1 -- An unknown complainant reported the theft of a specialized, Black Hard Rock bicycle from a bicycle rack by the David Rittenhouse Laboratories, located at 33rd and Walnut streets, between 1 and 3 p.m. Trespassing July 3 -- University Police arrested Joseph Eyer, a 52-year-old resident of Center City, for criminal trespassing and unauthorized use of the computers in Vance Hall at approximately 5:11 p.m. Disorderly Conduct July 7 -- University Police arrested Wilber Stewart, a 40-year-old North philadelphia resident, for disorderly conduct inside the 7-11 convenience store located at 4201 Walnut Street between 1:40 and 1:43 a.m. All information was obtained from University Police. -- Stephanie Cooperman
(06/26/97 9:00am)
Pulsating car stereos and rummaged-through litter aside, the 4000 block of Baltimore Avenue becomes Marlboro country at sunset. I retire to this charming neighborhood after an arduous day of working in a downtown high rise's arctic corridors. The rosy light glimmers through the trees. The air, heady with malt liquor and the onion-garlic-deep-fried magnificence of the nearby double bypass -- Billybob's and Allegro restaurants -- is cozy and inviting. More often than not, my retreat to the porch includes a cup of coffee or on longer days, a beer, and a cigarette. Between the cushions of the shabby couch on our porch lie my Parliament lights -- soon to be labeled "nicotine delivery devices"-- that constantly lure me into turning into one of the notorious 3,000. News sources say that 3,000 American teens become "regular smokers," a status gained by smoking at least once a day for an entire month. I myself have yet to enter these ranks. My inner pessimist, however, knows it's only a matter of time before I join my comrades and fold under the pressure of Big Tobacco. After all, what strength can I claim when I'm constantly exposed to such powerful imagery as the tanned, carefree couple savoring their Parliaments on the billboard beach just outside my window? Or the seductive copper-haired glamour-puss clutching her martini and a Kamel Red inside my latest issue of Details. Or, most alluring of all, that suave cartoon camel named "Joe," who incidentally also nurses a large bottle of alcohol? But harbor that cynicism no longer, America! Soon, unless you subscribe to Playboy or Hustler, in which case the Surgeon General has apparently decided you're corrupted beyond repair, you'll no longer be tempted by those glossy ads. In fact, every time you buy a pack, not only will it cost an average of three bucks -- you'll be reminded in half-inch-high letters that "Cigarettes Can Kill You." This, along with $368.5 billion and a surrender to federal regulation, is Treacherous Tobacco's indemnity for annually robbing the nation of a collective "four million years of life," according to social historian Richard Kruger. Neither side is entirely happy with the deal, which was announced Friday. But neither side is particularly indignant. Some think that $370 billion is too low a cap for the tobacco companies' bill -- which means its losses will be hefty but predictable, guarded against any more groups of sullied lungs ganging up in class-action suits against the business. Tobacco, predictably, resents regulation of its additive partners in cigarettes. But the settlement satisfies both sides, because "any decent person wants both sides to lose," as Time magazine noted. Tobacco, which naturally contains an extremely addictive substance, has taken the lives of millions -- directly and indirectly. That said, we've known this for more than thirty years. It's been banned from television and kids under 18. Warnings are plastered on every box. Perhaps it's a testament to America's current upbeat state that Clinton took on the tobacco companies. The economy is excellent. People are employed and thus working hard and making more. In their search for relaxation, Americans often turn to vices and old taboos, such as martinis and microbrews, cappuccinos and, doubtless, Marlboros. Suddenly, the number of smokers, after a years-long decline, is slowly rising. Although one may argue that there's little else for Clinton to approach politically, in an economy thriving on austerity and deregulation, a government whose job is to regulate has to find something. Tobacco is arguably, and somewhat ironically, the most innocuous thing for him to approach right now. And by promising to punish the industry further if teenage smoking doesn't decrease, the pressure is slight, but there. The settlement will invariably decrease smoking to an extent -- anyone who's ever seen a supply-demand curve knows that a higher price means lower demand. So it will be considered a success. But it won't erase smoking any more than Prohibition ended alcohol consumption. The lure of a cigarette is undeniable and embedded in our culture. While the advertisements from big tobacco companies such as Philip Morris and RJR Nabisco are given an added dose of exposure because of the current tobacco hype, they are far less memorable than the free press cigarettes get in movies, on television and in their supposed basis, reality. When it comes to censorship, reality is amazingly elusive. Pardon me while I escape it with a cup of coffee. And perhaps a nicotine-carrying device.
(04/30/97 9:00am)
Thirteen students from Penn's most selective class ever talk about living and learning on the brink of living and learning on the brink of the next millennium. Freshmen stand out for their dazed expressions in early September, for their swollen packs on Locust Walk and for bending their arms too early when singing "The Red and Blue." But this year's freshman class stands out for another reason -- or two. century. Okay, so the number itself doesn't make this class much different from the one before it, or from next year's soon-to-be starry-eyed freshmen. But we couldn't ignore the symbolism of the curving zeros of the next millennium. The 13 freshmen in this report by no means capture the diversity and experience that the Class of 2000 brings to Penn. But they begin to paint a picture of what the future may look like. We had no preconceptions about what we would find during our hours of wandering through the various freshman dorms looking for interesting conversations. We met Jenys Allende in her bathrobe on the way to the shower, and found the stories of her medical internship captivating. Caroline Rigsby's wide-open door revealed a pair of pink bunny slippers dangling over the edge of her bed -- the same slippers she wore when she was eight. Jazz music blaring from Dave Freedlander's room convinced us to stop and knock. "Tanesha will talk your head off," we were advised in DuBois. "You can't miss Dave!" everyone on the fourth floor of Speakman said of straight-edge devotee Dave Goldman. What we found can only be described adequately by their own words -- sentiments we've recorded in the profiles of this report. But the experience of trying to capture the spirit of a large group through such a small sampling was frustrating. We decided the best method was to just plunge in and peer into as many dorm rooms as we could. We saw rows of beer bottles lining the walls, an evil-looking Chinese dragon mask, a string of sunflower-shaped Christmas lights, hundreds of dripping candles, maps and paintings of exotic locales, and dozens of posters of John Belushi wearing the "College" sweatshirt. We visited the quietest corners of the Quad's fondly named "Nipple" and the loudest corridors of Butcher. We met students from Asia and Africa, and those that call West Philly home. And we learned of the quirky fears and pet peeves of the class of 2000. Roselynn Alibutod is terrified of birds. Rigsby can't stand watching people brush their teeth. Allende abhors feet. But to call the class 'diverse' would be to further a clichZ that understates our point. "Diversity," as Admissions Dean Lee Stetson points out, is a "most overworked word." But the word -- or, at least, the concept -- inevitably creeps into any conversation about the Class of 2000. "The class is so big, so diverse," says Allende, who is, herself, a native Puerto Rican. "I had never met an Indian or an Asian before I got here," says Ali Ispahani, who is from Turkey. "I've learned a lot about a lot of things." Rigsby, who hails from Atlanta, Ga., says her hall is "just crazy." A few students, though, said they are unimpressed by their peers. "I don't want to know someone in terms of a certain classification," says Goldman. "I just want to know about you." He says there are no "cool people" in the Class of 2000, and has even considered transferring. Freedlander, from Baltimore, Md., also has had trouble fitting in. "There are probably some really cool people here," Freedlander says. "I just haven't met them yet." But Stetson disagreed. "In the Eighties, we were seeing students more specified and directed. We sense that students are coming to college more open. "Change is happening rapidly. They have to learn to deal with the change? They must put out a broad enough net for those changes." Tafari Smith certainly has. He wants to work in the comic book industry -- and he's approaching it with a Wharton education. Barbara Zaucer hopes to be an international diplomat and then maybe president of her native country, Slovenia. "I'd love to do it if I could do it really, really well," says Zaucer, who speaks five languages and is working on a sixth. But James Middleton III is in no hurry to figure out where he's headed after college. "I don't know what I want," Middleton says confidently. "I'll freak out later, but not now." Most of the students we met assured us that they planned to use their four years at Penn to explore -- even though freshman year is inevitably a time to find a niche at the University. "I was working to complete myself here," Rigsby says. "And I think I have accomplished that." The Class of 2000 has experienced a startling awareness of the 'real world' since its first few sweaty weeks in West Philadelphia. They were met with a September crime wave near campus, an October self-immolation of a local activist and a visit by the president of the United States, a November murder of a University researcher and a December deadlock between the Greek system and the administration over party funds -- and that was just the first semester. Life will probably look very different three years from now, when the year 2000 no longer seems like a date plucked from a science fiction novel. In the not-too-distant future, the Class of 2000 will take its own place in the Parade of Classes on Ivy Day -- with more secure expectations for the future. And they'll finally have "The Red and Blue" down pat. n
(04/30/97 9:00am)
A rowdy crowd forced the Wawa convenience store at 38th and Spruce streets to close early Sunday morning, and a man was carjacked Saturday afternoon outside Franklin Field, highlighting a Penn Relays weekend that saw a slight jump from last year in the number of serious crimes. One aggravated assault, five robberies and 19 thefts -- including eight at Franklin Field -- were reported to University Police from Thursday through Sunday morning, compared with one simple assault, three robberies and 19 thefts last year, according to the police crime log book. Wawa assistant store manager Frank Ponzio explained that approximately 60 people threw glass bottles, cans and food across the store, prompting to shut down the "completely packed" store for the first time since last Christmas. The shop remained closed from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. "Next year, we'll probably close at two o'clock," Ponzio said, noting that unruly crowds -- which he claims consisted largely of individuals who were not University students -- have forced management to close the store nearly every year during the Relays weekend. Despite the fact that "12 or 13" employees were working at the time, he said "no matter how many employees we had here, we couldn't prevent" the chaos. Ponzio noted that Wawa regularly stops selling alcohol at midnight, so the crowd did not necessarily riot in order to purchase beer. "They rioted because they were all having fun," he said. In Saturday's carjacking incident -- which occurred outside Franklin Field on the 3200 block of South Street -- two or three men jumped out of a beige Saab and beat a man with baseball bats, forcing him out of his 1995 Ford Mustang, University Police Detective John Peterson said. The carjackers left the man on the street and drove away in the Mustang, while two other passengers drove off in the Saab, Peterson said. A Philadelphia Fire Department rescue vehicle transported the man to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was admitted in stable condition with injuries to the head and face, Peterson said. In two other incidents late Saturday night which were unrelated to the carjacking but probably related to each other, two men robbed two out-of-state residents at gunpoint on the 3900 block of Pine Street, then robbed five students at gunpoint on the 3800 block of Sansom Street, according to Peterson. The robbers took $45 in cash from the couple in the first incident and a total of $35 in cash from the group of students. Both incidents occurred shortly after midnight Sunday, Peterson said. And both sets of robbery victims gave University Police similar descriptions of the suspects. One suspect was described by the students as a 20- to 24-year-old, 5'11" black male, wearing a blue jacket with white shoulders and carrying a handgun, while the other was described as a 20- to 24-year-old, 5'9" black male, wearing dark clothing with his hood pulled over his head. In an unusual incident Saturday at Franklin Field, a woman suffered minor cuts when an unidentified person dropped or threw a pocket knife, striking the woman, Peterson said. Although University Police originally logged the incident as an aggravated assault with a knife, Peterson explained that the incident was probably not serious, since the bottle-opener tool was open and it appeared that the pocket knife slipped out of the owner's hands.
(04/18/97 9:00am)
Police confiscate kegs from Quad commissary A University Police officer was walking by the shop at approximately 1 a.m. yesterday when he observed the three kegs in plain view with the commissary's door open, police said. According to the police report, an unidentified individual paid a commissary employee $30 in cash to store the three Natural Light-brand beer kegs and 20 12-ounce bottles of Red Ass Light beer in the establishment, which is one of four residential commissaries operated by Penn Student Agencies. Quad commissary manager Theresa Javurek, a Nursing sophomore, said the underage student employee has been fired as a result of the incident. -- Scott Lanman Dartmouth prof was being investigated for child sex abuse The Dartmouth Professor who committed suicide last Friday was under investigation for allegedly abusing one or more children in Minneapolis, where he was Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota. Michael Dorris -- who founded the Native American Studies Program at Dartmouth and was also an Anthropology Professor -- suffocated himself with a plastic bag last Friday at a New Hampshire Hotel. The Minneapolis Police department forwarded the results of the investigation to the local District Attorney, and the files will be disclosed next week, officials said. Neither police and prosecutors in Minneapolis nor Dartmouth officials would comment on the details of the sexual abuse charges against Dorris. But Minneapolis police did note that Dorris had also attempted to commit suicide on Good Friday at his home in New Hampshire. Dorris -- the bestselling author of The Broken Cord novel about fetal alcohol syndrome -- was in the process of divorcing his wife, the novelist Louise Erdrich. --Shannon Burke Rodin, DU brothers give kids a taste of Penn Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers provided 20 Shaw Middle School eighth graders with a taste of University life during the second annual "Communiversity" program yesterday. Seven television stations arrived at 9 a.m. to record University President Judith Rodin -- a Shaw alumna -- address the younger students. "We want to show you what universities are like and what you have to look forward to," Rodin said. DU brother Panos Martinis, a Wharton senior, said his chapter modeled the Communiversity program after a similar program Rodin observed while serving as an administrator at Yale University. Martinis -- who organized last year's event -- added that the brothers want to "give [the younger students] a vision of how their life can be in four years if they keep up their grades." Rodin and Office of Community Relations Director Glenn Bryan doled out educational advice to the local youths ready to begin their high school career. Bryan -- who also grew up in West Philadelphia -- warned that the next four years would "fly" by, adding that "now is the time that you will have to think about what you want your life top be like." -- By Shannon Burke and Randi Rothberg
