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(04/30/97 9:00am)
There are only a handful of meets in the country that can match the Relays in the number of events and attendance. And each year, those meets grow fewer in number. Athletes are increasingly forced to hop on a plane to Europe to compete in the track circuit overseas. The American athletes often find their greatest fans in the packed crowds at the European meets, while for the most part, America turns a blind eye toward track. For many athletes, the Relays represent the one chance to run in front of a large crowd in the U.S. It wasn't supposed to be this way. The 1996 Olympics was looked upon as a sort of track revival with Michael Johnson as its gold-shoed messiah, saving the sport and taking it to levels unmatched in recent years. The home country would witness one of the greatest track and field exhibitions ever, and the momentum generated would carry over in the following years. Everything seemed to go perfectly. Athletes such as Devers, Carl Lewis and Dan O'Brien all won gold medals. The concerted effort for Johnson to win the 200- and 400-meter sprints worked out better than imagined, as he cruised to a world record in the 200 meters. A media star and track savior had supposedly been born, but eight months later Johnson's face is not seen covering billboards. He is only visible in a Nike ad where he undergoes counselling for being too fast. Most Americans still assume the top runners return to normal 9-to-5 jobs in the years between the Olympics, and the meets this year have not witnessed the expected resurgence of track and field. The reason for the non-revival lies in the nature of the sport itself. The beauty of track and field is that it reduces running, jumping and throwing to some of its most basic levels. While this sets the sport apart, it also contributes to its lack of attention. The average person can better comprehend the greatness of a high-scoring basketball player than a high-schooler jumping seven feet, four inches in the high jump, as Canada's Mark Boswell did at the Relays Friday. It is hard to understand the difficulty, technical precision and determination involved with pushing one's self to run full speed for 400 meters. Most of these subtleties are missed by the first-time track viewer. The Penn Relays stand out in sharp contrast to the second-class state of track and field in the U.S. This year, over 87,000 fans packed Franklin Field over the course of three days, including 46,216 on Saturday. Somehow, the Relays set attendance records while the interest in track and field has failed to rise after the Olympics. The answer can be found in one thing Tim Baker, the former director of the Relays, always stressed. The true magic of the meet lies in the high school and college athletes whose only chance to run in front of 46,000 people will come at the Relays. The stands are filled with friends, family and fellow athletes who are there to watch specific high schoolers and collegiates compete. While this leads to higher crowd sizes, it also creates a stadium filled with knowledgeable fans who truly appreciate track and field. In fact, the Penn Relays is able to thrive because its does not showcase the world's best athletes, but rather the unknowns. The Relays are still largely unnoticed by students at Penn, who in many ways do not take advantage of the excitement offered by an event a few blocks away. Yet the Relays will continue to survive without the student support as long as the track enthusiasts still travel to Franklin Field to participate in the Penn Relays experience. One can only hope this weekends first time viewers become the fans who help revive interest in track and field in the future.
(04/30/97 9:00am)
Pulsating claps of encouragement rang from Franklin Field's East stands, grabbing the attention of the majority of the crowd focused on the relays being run on the track itself. The interruption was enough to demonstrate that some of the real excitement of the Penn Relays took place in the field, and not just on the 400-meter oval. The Relays record for the high jump was broken not once, but twice -- at the high school and collegiate levels. On Friday, Mark Boswell, a youngster from Central Pell High (Ontario, Canada) initiated the assault on the event's records. He cleared a record height of seven feet, 4 1/2 inches -- smashing the previous Relays mark set more than a decade earlier. However, just setting the Relays record did not seem to satisfy the current junior world national champion. Boswell went on to make two more attempts at breaking the national high school record of 7'6" set by Dothel Edwards in 1983. Boswell's first attempt at clearing the record-breaking height saw him just graze the bar with the back of his feet, but with enough impetus to knock it off. He then made a second attempt at the height, but fatigue began to take its toll. Boswell produced one of his worst jumps of the afternoon. However, his failure to set the high school record was softened by his Relays record. While Friday showcased the distant future of high jump, Saturday at the Relays provided the stage for the near future of American high jump to shine. Gregory Roberts, from Morehouse College, utilized the intensity and emotion of the crowd to sore to a Relays record of 7'6", narrowly breaking the old mark of 7' 5 3/4" established two years earlier. "The crowd and the competition definitely had a lot to do with me doing it today," said Roberts. "With [Bill] Cosby being here and emotion from the crowd, it gave the edge I needed to get over the top." The team from Morehouse College wore Ennis Cosby's name, Cosby's recently murdered son, on the sleeve of its sweatshirts to remember one of their fallen graduates. The inspiration provided by the Cosby family certainly aided Roberts on his historic day. Roberts, like Boswell, was also not satisfied with just winning first prize and setting the Relays record but also wanted to attempt to break the field record of 7' 7 1/4", held by Dwight Stone. However, like his younger counterpart, it had been a long, hot day and fatigue was about to unleash its wrath once again. "Because of the competition today, we started at 6'11'', so by the time I went for the field record I had already done a lot of jumps," Roberts said. "I have jumped that high in practice, and I am sure I will be able to do it in the Nationals." The Nationals Roberts is referring to is the Collegiate National Finals taking place at George Mason. At that tournament, Roberts will attempt to show the rest of the nation his capability as a jumper.
(04/15/97 9:00am)
Dartmouth College anthropologist Michael Anthony Dorris, founder of the school's Native American Studies Program, was found dead Friday afternoon at the Brick Tower Hotel in Concord, N.H., after an apparent suicide. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death, but hotel employees said it appears he suffocated himself with a plastic bag. Dartmouth Faculty Dean Jim Wright called the circumstances surrounding the death of the popular professor "a tragic situation." Wright noted that Dorris was scheduled to serve as keynote speaker for the NAS program's 25th anniversary conference last Thursday until he pulled out earlier this month. And while Wright stressed that he did not know why Dorris might have chosen to take his own life, he speculated that the cancelling of his address to the conference may have been related to whatever caused him to make that decision. Dorris was a professor of Native American Studies and Anthropology at Dartmouth and also earned a great deal of national respect for his writing. He was the author of the bestselling book The Broken Cord, which told the story of his adopted Native American Sioux son's struggle with fetal alcohol syndrome. NAS Professor Colin Calloway described Dorris as "one of the foremost Native American writers of our time and a first-rate writer by any standards." In a written statement yesterday, Dartmouth President James Freedman said Dorris was "beloved by a generation of Dartmouth students, whose lives were touched by his humanity and idealism." Freedman added that the NAS program "will stand as an enduring contribution to Dartmouth and to American higher education." Dorris received his master's degree from Yale University in Anthropology and History of the Theater, and he devoted much of his life to involvement with Native American groups. He taught in Canada and Australia before joining the Dartmouth faculty in 1972 as NAS chairperson and an Anthropology professor. He was promoted to associate professor of Anthropology in 1979 and served as the NAS chairperson until 1984. At the time of his death, Dorris was on leave from Dartmouth and working as visiting professor of Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota.
(03/26/97 10:00am)
Over 100,000 troops invaded the area to protect American economic interests concerning maple syrup. Over 100,000 troops invaded the area to protect American economic interests concerning maple syrup.This article appeared in the joke issue. The Associated Press QUEBEC -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili led a force of over 100,000 U.S. troops into Canada's province of QuZbec yesterday. The morning invasion came after months of bitter economic conflict between QuZbec and New Hampshire, which borders the province to the south. "We're gonna show those frog-eaters how it is," Shalikashvili said. "Even though they're not officially from France, they still sound like Maurice Chevalier." Relations between the U.S. and Canada have grown progressively sour over the past 30 days as New Hampshire and QuZbec farmers butted heads over maple syrup distribution rights. Canadian Prime Minister Jean ChrZtien said he will not take American military action lightly. He plans to send a small expeditionary force of Mounties to combat U.S. troops. "Je n'aime pas les Etats-Unis du tout," ChrZtien a dit. "J'ai seulement une chose ^ dire -- vive le QuZbec!" Refusing to use artillery imported from the U.S., the prime minister will equip his troops with Koho hockey sticks and caribou antlers. President Clinton and Congress authorized the surprise attack in an emergency session in Washington late Monday night. With regard to American strategic plans, Shalikashvili said U.S. troops will take QuZbec City and will not rest until "I can sit my ass down on a real cushy bed in the HTtel Frontenac." Clinton was equally confident of a quick American victory. "We're fighting this war because I need cheap syrup for my morning pancakes," the president said. "There's no doubt in my mind that we'll strike the fear of Dieu into those QuZbecois."
(03/19/97 10:00am)
But Penn Greeks said they doubt the rest of the IFC will follow suit. and Randi Rothberg The national governing boards of the Sigma Nu and Phi Delta Theta fraternities agreed to ban all alcoholic beverages from their chapters by the year 2000, the organizations announced last week. But while Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski speculated that other Penn chapters may follow this precedent, several members of the two fraternities questioned the benefits of making chapters alcohol-free. Sigma Nu brother Andrew Barkan said banning alcohol might harm his fraternity's ability to attract new members in the future. "I can't see it helping," the Wharton senior said, adding that during rush freshmen are "going to want the chance to throw parties [which] involves serving alcohol." The national governing bodies of both fraternities approved the alcohol-free policy at meetings this winter. Phi Delt, which has 180 chapters and 7,500 members at colleges throughout the United States and Canada, will implement the policy by July 1, 2000. Phi Delt General Council President Robert Deloian explained that alcohol abuse among undergraduates violates the principles of the fraternity. "Phi Delta Theta exists to provide a setting for developing lifetime friendships, encouraging scholarship and building leadership skills and commitment to community service," he said. "Too often, the fraternity experience today is defined by alcohol. We risk losing our purpose." He noted that 11 chapters -- including those at Michigan, Indiana and Arizona State universities -- are already alcohol-free. "We have found that academic achievement is improving in these chapters and that they are attracting young men with excellent leadership qualities," Deloian said. Sigma Nu's national leadership began encouraging chapters to make their properties substance-free in the fall of 1994. The following spring, the fraternity's chapter at the University of Tennessee became the first to make its house alcohol-free. Currently, 36 of Sigma Nu's 230 chapters are in the process of becoming alcohol-free. The fraternity's High Council voted for chapter property to become substance-free by January 1, 2000. "We have found that the primary obstacle in achieving our mission is alcohol abuse," Sigma Nu Executive Director Mo Littlefield said. "In order to achieve our mission and uphold the values of the fraternity, we must remove this obstacle." He explained that alcohol contributes to most incidents resulting in student injuries or damaged property, and contributes to lower grades among those who abuse alcohol at fraternity events. Littlefield said he believes the policy will increase interest in Sigma Nu. He explained that surveys show fewer undergraduates are rushing Greek organizations, noting that alcohol abuse contributes to their negative perception of fraternities. He added that alcohol-free chapter houses will encourage academic excellence and decrease membership costs because liability insurance premiums and social dues will decrease when houses are alcohol-free. Reikofski explained that "rising costs of liability coupled with chapters and Greek systems engaging in more and more risky behavior is really pushing [other fraternities at Penn]" to become alcohol-free. But he added that it would take many years for the InterFraternity Council to become a dry organization if other chapters decide to implement such policies. And IFC President Matt Baker, an Alpha Chi Rho brother, said a substance-free umbrella organization would pose security problems for Penn students. "Making chapters substance-free will merely move parties west of 40th Street," the Engineering and College junior said. Baker added that eliminating alcohol from a house wouldn't prevent their brothers from drinking, noting that -- like members of Panhellenic Council chapters -- brothers in substance-free houses are still able to drink alcohol at other locations. He explained that Fraternity Insurance Purchasing Group, the Greeks' insurance company, precipitated the move to limit fraternity liability in alcohol-related lawsuits. "The University, our nationals [and] our insurance company are all the same [because] they couldn't care less whether or not kids go to the hospital," he said. "I bet if one of them stopped worrying about liability for five seconds we could probably make some real headway on the real issue [of] drinking irresponsibility," Baker added. "[But] they would rather cover it up, forget about it and pray that no one dies while they are still working here." Reikofski explained that the IFC as a whole is working to combat alcohol abuse through programs addressing the stresses which lead students -- especially freshmen -- toward binge drinking.
(03/04/97 10:00am)
The arrival of Peter Dodson and his dinosaur bones at the University in 1974 put the institution back on the map as a source for paleontology research -- and yesterday Dodson held a book-signing and discussion to announce his new book. Dodson, a professor of Veterinary Anatomy and Geology, published his latest book, The Horned Dinosaurs: A Natural History, to relate his own research to the history of these four-legged plant-eaters -- the last dinosaurs to exist in North America. Dodson shared his recent experiences in writing the book and recounted old stories of research expeditions to an informal audience of students and faculty members yesterday at King's Court/English House. "I found [writing the book] a wonderfully self-indulging exercise," joked Dodson, who added that he wrote the book out of "pure unadulterated ego." The presentation -- which drew more than 40 students and professors to the the dorm's Class of 1938 Lounge -- is the second in the Forum for Penn Authors series hosted by the KC/EH Perspectives in Humanities Program. The series is a student-run program created last semester to introduce students to different means of presenting scholarly writing. Like KC/EH, which houses a diverse variety of programs -- from Perspectives in Humanities to the Science and Technology Wing -- the Forum seeks to embody this diversity of disciplines in its speakers, according to College freshman Michelle Tucker. "With Dr. Dodson, we have a science scholar who presented some very technical material in an accessible manner," said Tucker, the student coordinator for the Forum. The moment he rose to speak, Dodson remarked on the irony of being hosted by a humanities program. "I'm a scientist," he said. "I'm surprised to find myself in English House." Dodson explained that his undergraduate education in Canada -- while "superb in the sciences" -- was far from a liberal arts education. "Scientists in Canada at that time were not expected to take English with English students or history with history students," Dodson said. "A liberal education was self-enforced." Although his new book may be used as a science reference, Dodson did not write The Horned Dinosaurs for the science community alone. "The book is a bit on the high end," Dodson said. "But I also tried to make it accessible." In writing a book that would appeal to the public at large, Dodson said he was aware of the negative stigma associated with the popularization of science, which he said is perpetuated by many science scholars today. According to Dodson, some science institutions -- such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York -- frown upon dinosaur paleontologists who become too focused on the media to be considered "serious scientists." Dodson, however, acknowledged that scientific research depends upon taxpayers' dollars. And he claimed that although "too much popularity is not a good thing in science," the public "deserves an explanation of their expenditures." He also emphasized that science writers need to continue to appeal to the curiosity of their younger readers in order to "inspire the future generation of scientists."
(02/27/97 10:00am)
The Penn sophomore will defend her squash national title. As the final weekend of the 1996-97 Penn women's squash season approaches, a few selected members of the team are traveling today up to Hanover, N.H., the site of the Women's Intercollegiate Squash Invitational. The competition consists of the top 64 women's intercollegiate squash players. Last year, as a freshman, Jessica DiMauro won the tournament. DiMauro, a player with great composure, will defend her crown while fighting her season-long bout with mononucleosis. She does feel the pressure but is also confident in that she can handle any that may come along. "Last year I really did not have any pressure, because I had never won it before," DiMauro said. "I just went out there and played everyone and ended up winning. This year everyone is just expecting me to win. My dad is coming with people from home to watch. There is a lot of commotion and a lot of pressure." Along with DiMauro, freshman Katie Patrick, sophomore Dana Lipson and sophomore Lindsay Moss will also be competing in the tournament. Penn freshman Patti Lin is questionable for the tournament due to personal circumstances. The Quakers will be sending one of the five most numerous delegations to Dartmouth. DiMauro, a Toronto, Canada native, is the favorite to win after finishing the season with a 15-0 mark. DiMauro knows that her competition will be tough. In the quarterfinals, she will probably face Gail Davie of Trinity, already a two-time casualty of DiMauro this year. The semifinals is anticipated to be a rematch of last year's championship match, as DiMauro will probably play Harvard's top seed, Ivy Pochoda, who also lost twice this year to DiMauro. In the finals, DiMauro will most likely match up against Princeton's top seed Katherine Johnson. Johnson too has already lost twice to DiMauro this year, once at the Constable Invitational and the other in their regular-season match-up. Penn coach Demer Holleran expects both Patrick and Lipson to win quite a few matches. Patrick, seeded in the fourth through eighth grouping, should at least make it to the quarterfinals, where she will match up against the No. 4 seed, Harriet Ells of Amherst. Patrick has never played Ells before, and Holleran feels the match will be very exciting. Lipson is seeded in the ninth through 16th grouping. Her toughest match will come against Princeton's Elise O'Connell. Although the record from their previous meetings is split, O'Connell is favored because of notching the win in their last meeting. "It has always really tough between us," Lipson said. "The series has gone back and forth. It just depends who wants it more. Before the match I have to get psyched up." After a rough time last year, Moss is hoping to improve. Starting with a match against Yale's No. 7 player Rebecca Birch, her competition will be very tight. Holleran hopes that Lin, a first timer at the tourney, will pick up a few wins and enjoy her experience. Although the tournament does not affect the team rankings, the winner automatically earns player of the year honors. The rest of the finishes are used in conjunction with each player's regular season totals in selecting first- and second-team All-Americans. With each grouping receiving 10 players, Holleran is confident that both Patrick and DiMauro will earn first -team honors. Holleran feels that with a strong showing at Intercollegiates, Lipson will again place herself on the second team squad. "It is a great honor to be invited to Intercollegiates," Holleran said. "If you don't go you cannot get ranked All-American. It is an opportunity to end the season in style. For the ones who have a chance to go far in the tournament, it is important to remember that it is a lot of matches in just a three day period. It is hard to win all of those. Focus and concentration are a big part of it" Although the team competition has ended for the season, one of the players' most intense parts of the season is just beginning. With a solid squad of players, the Quakers hope to make a lot of noise up in Dartmouth. Holleran feels confident in DiMauro's ability to bring the top trophy back to Penn.
(02/25/97 10:00am)
From Seth Lasser's," "For Mass Consumption," Fall '97 From Seth Lasser's," "For Mass Consumption," Fall '97 Previously on these pages, we have considered the state of American foreign policy as the reigns of power are handed over to a new group of government officials. I suggested that any differences between the new Secretary of State and the old would be superficial. Perhaps the reasons for this are not immediately obvious. Perhaps an example may better illustrate this point. Last August, Saddam Hussein decided to invade a part of his territory the U.S. and her allies were patrolling. Before the first shot was fired, the form that America's reaction would take was being debated. Would it be more prudent to launch air strikes or to launch missiles against his regime? What kind of targets should be hit? Would we inflict punitive damage and further limit Iraq's war-making capabilities? Iraq would have to pay the price for acting against the wishes and stated policies of the United States of America -- the only question was how. Noticeably absent from the debate was consideration of whether action was necessary or even wise. All nations act to protect their interests in the manner they see fit; this is the first tenet of international political relations. It was barely examined whether the U.S. should get further involved in an already convoluted situation. Would this be the best move to protect our interests? It was left as a given the U.S. must act, for we would be seen as weak if we failed to. Perhaps there are times when our interests would be better served if we did not always depend on gunboat diplomacy -- on the big stick of our military might. Yet such ideas are nearly absent from current political debate. The unwavering sense that we Americans have of our identity and our purpose on the globe dictates our foreign policy in a deeply intransigent manner. At this moment in history, we are the most powerful nation in the world. As we often remind ourselves, America possesses the world's largest economy and its largest and most effective military machine. We propagate our ideas across the globe. We preach to every state that they should become a democracy and join the global free market. The reason for this is the old adage, "Democracies do not attack each other." A world comprised of democracies is a safe and stable world where free trade can flourish. The extension of the "liberal democratic order" -- the entanglement of multilateral institutions that communally regulate trade and security, described by Political Science Professor John Ikenberry -- stands as our gospel. At the head of the table of liberal democracies sits the United States. Along the way, there have been many nations bucking the trend, questioning the notion of a joint political governance dominated by the United States. The former Soviet Union and her communist allies are the most notable example. They proffered a philosophy of international affairs that stood diametrically opposed to our own. The passing of communism from the world -- the People's Republic of China itself is no longer, in an economic sense, a Communist nation -- means the disappearance of most of our competition. Few nations go against the grain, seeking to remain outside of the "ordered world." The reasons for this are manifold, but fear of the wrath of the U.S. plays a role in the predilection of most nations to remain on our good side. Distaste for the role the U.S. has made for itself is not limited to the non-Western world, where such sentiments are the basis for many a politician's rise to power. Attempts by other members of the liberal democratic order to assert independence are painted by the United States as deviation from the group line. More often than not this line is drawn by the U.S. itself. The current controversy over America's attempt to isolate "rogue states" such as Iran, Libya and Cuba has pitted Canada and France, among others, against the U.S. Legislation passed by Congress makes it illegal for a foreign company doing business in the United States to invest significant amounts of capital in either Iran or Libya. Other legislation imposes penalties on foreign companies that deal in assets in Cuba formerly owned by Americans. The chutzpah, the unmitigated gall of Congress in passing such legislation is astonishing. American laws, they assert, can bind the hands of international corporations to further American political goals, all in the name of safeguarding the Western world. We are bullying our allies into insuring the economic demise of Cuba, Iran and Libya. Moreover, we refuse to allow the world court to arbitrate the dispute, citing issues of national security. It is hard to imagine an American diplomat keeping a straight face while proclaiming today's Cuba to be a grave national security threat. In the long term, alienating our closest allies over matters as insignificant as the fate of Cuba may not be in our best interests. While right now we are the most powerful nation in the world, who knows how long this moment will last? We need not make the logical step that plagues America's foreign policy thinkers: because we are at the apex of our power, we must wield it incessantly to fulfill our every wish. If the United States is truly interested in the emergence of free markets and open political systems in every nation, it must learn to be less antagonistic when attempting to further those goals. As citizens of the United States, with the ability to have informed opinions and thus influence the political process, we must reconsider our nation's attitudes to the other states in the world. The failure to correct our course will lead to stormy seas ahead.
(01/20/97 10:00am)
An unexpected victory last month tasted all the more sweet for the Penn Chess Team, which placed a surprising second in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, held late last December in Baltimore. Attracting teams from all over the United States, Canada and even Peru, the championship offered a competitive arena for college chess players to match their skills against rival players. "We placed much higher than expected," College senior Yuri Ashuev said. "And we impressed the host and winner of the tournament, University of Maryland Baltimore County." UMBC has the strongest chess team in the country and is the only university to offer scholarships to potential chess players, according to Ashuev. And the university may even offer Penn -- which was seeded sixth in the tournament -- an unofficial match next fall. Penn, which tied for second with three other teams, defeated schools such as Boston University, the University of Chicago, New York University and Ivy League-rival Yale University. "Penn finally has a competitive team with a chance to win at the national level," Wharton senior Marc Berman said. But Wharton sophomore David Arnett said the team had not been as confident going in to the tournament. "Fortunately everyone got their act together and played as if they were in perfect form," he said. "The entire team lost a combined total of only four out of 24 games." Ashuev said the victory was the largest in recent years for the team, which had not competed as successfully in over 30 years. This year's team is particularly strong as it includes three of the country's top junior players -- Arnett, Berman and Engineering junior Anna Khan. All three have competed on the national level since grade school. Ashuev and second-year Finance graduate student Lubos Pastor also contributed to the team. Arnett said his high international rating gives him the title of International Master. And Khan has been the nation's highest rated under-21 female for the last few years. Chess at Penn, however, is not limited to those with prior experience. Ashuev said anyone is welcome to join the Chess Club, which meets Monday nights at 8 p.m. at Chats. "It's a good way for people to get practice in a much more relaxed setting than a tournament," Arnett said.
(12/12/96 10:00am)
DiMauro, Patrick and Lipson will head to Princeton on January 3. The Penn women's squash team will be enjoying their training in Toronto this winter break, embarking on the journey with an undefeated record of 3-0, including 2-0 in the Ivy League. Coming off of a triumphant weekend against Ivy opponents Yale and Brown, the Quakers will only need to make minor adjustments during their vacation period. For the top three players, it will also be a competitive break. Only 10 players will be making the voyage to Canada. Unlike many other teams, the majority of those players are freshmen who constitute half of the traveling team. It is this same group of five freshmen that proved to be key factors against the Elis and the Bears this past weekend. Saturday, the team slipped by Yale 5-4. No. 1 seed sophomore Jessica DiMauro and No. 2 seed freshman Katie Patrick set the tone of the match with their straight game wins. However, it was the group of Patricia Lin, Paige Kollock, and Lauren Mann, playing in the No. 7, No. 8, and No. 9 seeds that came through to win the match for the Quakers. "The deciding factor was the lower [seeded] numbers of the team just being tougher, wanting it more than their opponent," Holleran said. "They were working harder for the points, not giving up, not making mistakes, and just doing the simple things right. They wanted to win for the team, which is great." Again on Sunday the two Canadians, DiMauro and Patrick, left the courts in a hurry with their straight game wins. This time, the team followed suit as Penn blanked Brown 9-0. The four freshmen again earned victories in bettering last year's 5-4 victory against the Bears. "The big difference in our team is that we have freshmen in the back of the lineup where we had seniors last year," Holleran said. "A big factor this past weekend was how tough those freshmen were going to be. Whether they would compete with confidence and desire. It was very exciting to see them prove to themselves that they wanted it." Before the team travels up to Toronto, they are going to make a brief stop at Princeton, to cheer for Penn's top three players, DiMauro, Patrick, and Dana Lipson, as they compete in the Constable Invitational, January 3-5. The Constable Invitational annually features the 20 best players in the nation for an informal national championship. DiMauro will try to repeat as champion of the event. Lipson also competed in the event last year, winning only one out of her three matches. In Toronto, the team will scrimmage against the Canadian schools of Western Ontario, Queens, and University of Toronto. The week long trip will give the team a lot of extra training, including a chance to build camaraderie within the team. "I think our team is close already, but Toronto will bring us even closer," Kollock said. "We should get some good practice time in with different types of players." As a team without a junior and only two seniors, it seems to fit the perfect image of a rebuilding year. "Last year they had a very successful season," Kollock said. "This year they were a bit apprehensive, because the team is mostly freshmen and sophomores. It is a very young team, and usually when you have a very young team it is a rebuilding season." However, this team which also contains seven freshmen and four sophomores has no desire to step back from the pressure. Led by DiMauro, the reigning collegiate national champion, and Patrick, the "top freshman entering collegiate competition," this team is concentrating on defeating Harvard, Dartmouth, and Princeton to take the Ancient Eight title and on improving their third-place finish at the WISRA Championships. Much will depend on the strength of the freshmen.
(12/04/96 10:00am)
The Associated Press As a freshman, she shared a dorm hall with 20 students. Now as upperclassmen, eight are off to study in France, Italy, Spain, Ecuador and Australia. ''It's a great opportunity. More kids are doing it,'' said Hartman, 21, a junior from New Providence, N.J. She is leaving in February to study in Sydney, Australia, for the semester. Except for airfare and personal spending money, she said it will cost about the same to study in Australia as it would at Emory, a private school in Atlanta. ''Schools are starting to realize that this is not just a trend, and they're making it easier -- like finding you ways to talk to other students who have done it,'' Hartman said. The number of American students studying abroad rose 10.6 percent in 1994-95 over the previous school year, to 84,403. That figure continues a 10-year upward trend, according to a report released Sunday by the New York-based Institute of International Education. Many are venturing beyond Europe to destinations like Africa, Australia and the Middle East. Foreign student enrollment in U.S. schools, meanwhile, rose less than 1 percent the past two years. ''As recently as a decade ago, studying abroad was considered a luxury,'' said Richard Krasno, the institute's president. ''I think it's now considered a more instrumental part of undergraduate education.'' He speculated that American students are warming to the idea of studying abroad because they are being exposed to other cultures on their own campuses. Many also recognize the importance of a second language and international experience in competing for good jobs, he said. Amy Hofsheier, 21, a student at the University of Arizona, is off to Israel next month to study for 5 1/2 months at Ben Gurion University in Beersheva. She's majoring in archaeology and Judaic studies and hopes to see the country and improve her language skills. ''I think for myself. It's really a necessity,'' said Hofsheier, who hopes to find a professional archaeology job in Israel one day. ''The majority of the kids are still going to Spain and France, but I think interest is opening up to other places.'' Kenitra Burton, 20, a junior at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., spent a month in Thailand as a freshman to broaden her knowledge of the country. ''I grew up a lot. I really matured. It gave me a whole other perspective on being a minority,'' said Burton, who is black. ''I had braids in my hair at the time. They were all curious and kept asking 'How did you do that?' '' A fast-growing economic market in China led to a 30 percent increase in American students studying there in 1994-95, Krasno said. Costa Rica also reported a 30 percent increase, partly because many students recognize the advantage of knowing Spanish, he said. He added that Australia is aggressively recruiting U.S. students. It reported a 42 percent rise in American enrollees in 1994-95 at 3,346. While these countries reported large percentage increases in American students, Britain still hosted the most -- 19,410 students, or 23 percent of all study-abroad students. France, Spain and Italy ranked second, third and fourth with 7,000 to 7,900 students. Despite a rising wave of Americans signing up for study abroad, the 453,787 foreigners on U.S. campuses this year is only 0.3 percent more than a year ago, continuing a six-year trend of slow growth. The largest number of foreign students arrived from Japan, followed by China, Korea, Taiwan, India and Canada. The report, based on a 96 percent response rate from 2,579 accredited U.S. institutions, was published by the institute, a non-profit educational and cultural exchange organization. The institute has conducted an annual statistical survey of the foreign student population in the United States since 1949. The report is supported by a grant from the U.S. Information Agency's bureau of educational and cultural affairs.
(11/27/96 10:00am)
Penn sophomore Jessica DiMauro is aiming for her second national championship in as many years. After having the best year in Penn women's squash history last season, the Quakers are focused on one goal -- improvement. Last year, the team finished third in the nation with a dual meet record of 10-2 (2-2 Ivy League), behind Harvard and Princeton. Within the conference, only the Crimson had a better record. Included in the unprecedented season was the winning of the individual national championship by then-freshman Jessica DiMauro. But graduation decimated the Quakers roster. No. 2 seed and team captain Lissa Hunsicker graduated along with three other seniors in the top nine spots. Taking over the void at captain is Elissa Helt. Helt carries the No. 5 spot for the team and will be looked to for leadership by many of the younger players. "Elissa is a real fighter," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "She is a good example to the younger ones on how to compete." Leading the way again for the Quakers will be DiMauro. The sophomore from Toronto says that her ultimate goal individually is to repeat as national champion. Her biggest rival is Princeton's Kathrine Johnson. Although it is obvious she is capable of retaining the title, DiMauro knows that she is going to have to work harder to stay on top of her game. "She is by far the best player I have ever coached," Holleran said. "She is fun to work with and is an exciting player to watch. She is a great team player. She should repeat if she plays well and stays uninjured." To fill in the No. 2 spot, Holleran again looked to the north and found freshman freshman Katie Patrick, the No. 1 women's squash player in Canada in her age group. Although Patrick has had little team experience, she has impressed both Holleran and teammate DiMauro. Still, replacing Hunsicker will be a tough charge for a rookie. "Katie is probably better than Lissa," DiMauro said. "They are different players. Lissa ran after stuff. Katie is a much smarter player." The most promising feature of the team is the freshman class. Including Patrick, five out of the top 10 spots are held by rookies. Although they never had the benefit of playing in team competition formats, Holleran is impressed with their skill. "The freshmen are solid squash players," Holleran said. "They are coming in with good experience." The team on a whole is very young. Dominated by freshmen and sophomores, Penn is filled with talent and inexperience. Although Holleran wants the team to be focused on performing well this year, it will be hard for everyone to avoid thinking about the years ahead. Sophomores DiMauro and Lindsay Moss, Penn's No. 4 player, both agree on the importance of this season, but note that, in the next few years, the team's achievements should be the best the program has ever seen. "By my senior year, we should do very well," DiMauro said. "Realistically, we should finish second." As for this year, Holleran hopes they will at least finish third nationally, if not better. Holleran is pleased with the team's positive attitude and desire to achieve, but she would like to see more intensity. As for the players, DiMauro and Moss note the enthusiasm of the team. "Everyone is improving," DiMauro said. "We are going to have a decent year. Everyone is keen and works hard."
(11/13/96 10:00am)
Hack hopes to develop practical solutions to the problems of urban life. As director of Canada's Ministry of Urban Affairs, Gary Hack was determined to turn his theoretical ideas into practical solutions for improving urban life. In his new role as dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Hack is working to bring that same goal into focus for the University. In that vein, he plans to create a new type of faculty position that allows for the continuation of research during the school year -- by having professors either to teach part time or take semesters off from teaching. Hack explained that this position would allow "the very best practitioners to join us? as permanent teaching faculty." He also said he wants to form a practice foundation -- similar to the other professional schools' clinical programs -- that "allows faculty to do projects while at the University." Hack noted that he does not want the foundation to have a large permanent staff because he hopes to have students involved every year. But Hack's vision for the future of both GSFA and the University do not end with these developments. He looks to GSFA as a very important participant in the urban agenda priority of University President Judith Rodin's Agenda for Excellence. He calls this initiative an "incubator for ideas to be transferred," and said it is important because it can make "West Philadelphia a model case of how urban revitalization can occur? and because every city in the nation is facing these types of issues." Hack said he also wants undergraduates to become more involved with GSFA, perhaps with the establishment of a hands-on visual arts requirement. That, he said, could bring a "culture of visual literacy to campus." But Hack did not come to the University just to further his own agenda. "It's a community effort to try to reach some of these goals he has been discussing, and I think people are very excited about that here," said Janine Scaff, GSFA's assistant director of development. Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department Chairperson John Dixon Hunt said although Hack has some definitive plans for the school, the new dean is interested in "where we are coming from, what our plans are." "He actually meets with departments on a regular [two-week] basis," Hunt said. And Warren Claytor, an architecture and landscape architecture dual masters student, said Hack has quickly made a name for himself in the University community. "Dean Hack is just an incredible man who is going to bring a lot of good things to Penn," he said. The vice president of the GSFA student council added that he has already met with Hack three times. Before coming to the University, Hack taught urban design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 25 years. Between 1982-1986, he headed the MIT department. During his time at MIT, his department began to incorporate direct practice into the curriculum through the development of urban design studios, which made real proposals for projects in areas such as Tokyo, Taipei, Miami, and most recently Bangkok, Hack said. But when he wanted to expand these programs into a more permanent part of the department, he realized that the concept was "foreign to MIT," which is primarily a research school. Hack said he became interested in Penn when President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow explained how the connection between theory and practice is central at Penn. "[I decided to] see if we can build a distinctive school with theory and practice really within the walls," Hack said.
(11/01/96 10:00am)
National certification would helpNational certification would helpthe department measure itselfNational certification would helpthe department measure itselfagainst objective standards. University Police joined an elite group of 11 other campus police departments this summer as part of a national accreditation program. The program will help bring the department's policies and procedures in line with national standards set by four law enforcement organizations. Sgt. Michael Fink, who is managing the UPPD effort, said only 18 percent of all police departments in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the accreditation program. Brown and Georgetown universities and a handful of colleges in the South and Midwest are also working toward accreditation, Fink said. Among Pennsylvania departments, the Pennsylvania State Police is the largest accredited force in North America, Fink said. "[Accreditation] will allow us to benchmark ourselves against other departments and stay abreast of recent law enforcement innovations," said Chief of Police Administration George Clisby. Clisby, who is responsible for the program, said accreditation will also boost morale within the department and improve the quality of its services. University Police began a self-assessment this fall that will take three to five years to complete, Fink said. The department must demonstrate compliance with many of the 436 standards concerning safety, management, training and legal issues. The organization that grants accreditation is still deciding how many of the standards University Police will have to meet, based on the department's size and mission. Departments must also comply with 78 of the program's 98 optional standards. University Police are now focusing on its direction, management and policy, Fink said. Clisby said a restructuring of command last February and the hiring of four new University Police investigators over the summer were the department's first steps in complying with the standards. At that point, Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Seamon promoted Maureen Rush to chief of police operations and reassigned Clisby to a newly created chief of police administration post. When University Police believe they have documented compliance with all the relevant standards, the accreditation commission will send a team to conduct a four day, on-site review of the department. Members of other law enforcement agencies of similar size will make up the team. They will review the department's files documenting compliance and interview department members. The group will hold an open meeting and set up a phone line to answer questions and listen to comments about University Police, Fink said. At the end of its on-site assessment, the group will meet with Seamon and outline any areas that need improvement before the commission will grant accreditation. University Police will then have three months to fix the problems before Seamon goes before a formal accreditation hearing. Seamon will answer questions from a 21-member commission of 11 law enforcement executives and 10 experts appointed by their organizations, Fink said. After gaining accreditation, the University would have to apply for recertification every three years.
(10/04/96 9:00am)
Quakers' depth will be aQuakers' depth will be afactor as they play fourQuakers' depth will be afactor as they play fourgames in three days When Penn's starting six proved unable to stage a consistent offensive attack at the Drexel Invitational last weekend, Quakers coach Margaret Feeney turned to her bench for reserve middle-blockers Jen Law and K.C. Potter to ignite a spark to earn a final-game victory over Lehigh. Law and Potter lit that spark on the court, killing a combined 20 Heather Tillett sets and leading the charge in a 3-1 win over the perplexed Mountain Hawks. This season, the senior, Law, and the frosh, Potter, are proving that "bench player" is not synonymous with "inferior." With the four-team Penn Invitational taking place today and tomorrow at the Palestra and with another match for the Quakers against Canisius on Sunday, Law and Potter will again be called upon to produce at middle blocker. "I think there is a pressure coming off the bench," Potter said, "because you are being put in to spark some new energy and create something different out on the court." Adjusting to reserve roles is a new experience for both Law nor Potter, who are both accustomed to being on the court for the first serve of the match. Jen Law -- the strong six-footer from Canada -- was an honorable mention all-Ivy selection last season starting at middle-blocker alongside now-sophomore Karen Lewis. But when Law elected to take a leave of absence to handle other matters, sophomore Sue Sabatino burst onto the scene and earned Law's vacated spot. Since returning to the team, Law has been asked to spell both Lewis and Sabatino at middle blocker, and to unleash her deadly serve on the offensive end. Law -- who ranked sixth in the Ivies with 0.37 service-aces-per-game last season -- could potentially hook up with Sabatino and defensive specialist Megan McKay to form the Ivy League's most potent serving team. "Serving is the part of the game you have complete control over," Law said. Although Law continues to serve and block well coming off the bench, she hopes to crack the starting lineup before season's end. "I want to be a leader," Law said. "I'm definitely looking to play some defense aside from some offense. Its my last kick at the cat, and I'm going to give it everything I've got." Unlike Law, who is on her final season of collegiate play, Potter, a 5-foot-11 freshman, is first breaking onto the Penn volleyball scene. Considering that Potter did not make her high school varsity team, which advanced to the California state semifinals, until her junior year, she is -- for now -- more than content being fourth on the depth chart at middle blocker. "It was really nice to come onto a team not expecting to play too much freshman year and be able to have an impact," Potter said. And while Potter feared that freshman jitters would inhibit her play, it may have been just that same adrenaline rush that helped her propel Penn with 12 kills against Lehigh. "I guess I never really expected to play well," Potter said. "Margaret put me on the court, and I was trying to put out a lot of energy." With matches against Navy today and Lafayette and Virginia Commonwealth tomorrow, followed by a single match against the Golden Griffins on Sunday, Feeney will need to rest many of her starters over the course of the weekend -- which means Law and Potter should see plenty of action. "With four matches, we will continue to use our strengths, which is different people at different times," Feeney said. Law and Potter know that this weekend they will again get a chance to contribute. "It's not fun sitting on the bench," Law said. "But everyone realizes that there are 16 players, and the court only fits six. Being a starter isn't as easy as it seems. Once you get it, you have to keep the position. But until you have it, you have nothing to lose."
(09/04/96 9:00am)
Freshman convocation marks the first time Penn's incoming class assembles in one place -- until graduation four years later. Although beach balls and mortarboards were not on hand Sunday night, the members of the Class of 2000 proved they are already practicing for graduation, throwing frisbees from the upper decks of Irvine Auditorium as the ceremony began. "Tonight as you come together for the first time as a class, you are writing the first line of your story -- the story of the class of 2000 and your own personal story," said University President Judith Rodin in welcoming approximately 2,350 freshman. Rodin highlighted the numerous accomplishments of members of the Class of 2000. She noted that this class is the most selective in the University's history and that the class represents all 50 states and 55 countries. Over 320 freshmen were valedictorian or salutatorian of their high schools. More than 230 edited their student newspapers. And about 150 students served as president of their student council. The class include 800 competitive athletes -- among them, 20 Olympic hopefuls. The class is diverse, with students from ethnic or racial minorities making up one-third. For the first time ever, more than half of the class is female. This news seemed to receive louder applause from the freshman males than the females. Rodin also mentioned such individual standouts as a stop pistol shooter from Sweden, a world-renowned squash player from Canada, and a ballroom dancer from the Czech Republic. Provost Stanley Chodorow provided the Class of 2000's introduction to the academic realm of the University. "Let Penn belong to you just as you belong to Penn," he said. He urged freshmen to get involved and contribute to the University community, inspiring them with tales of the accomplishments of last year's graduates. He spoke of Erica Weissman, who studied skeletal remains in Iraq last year to learn about the history of disease. And Chodorow lauded Greg Grimaldi, who created a virtual market on the Internet. "Discovery is what you've been studying for," said Chodorow. "Discovery is your reward." Senior Class President Neil Sheth presented the Class of 2000's flag. Many freshmen said they felt the ceremony united the class. "It was very good to come together," said College freshman Paul Marion. "Everyone was pumped. It's going to be a good four years." College freshman Josh Remick agreed. "Coming from Vancouver and not knowing anyone, I felt an instant closeness with us all being in one room being welcomed together," he said. Earlier in the day, the deans of the four undergraduate schools met with freshmen. School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens emphasized that there is "no magic formula" in creating a curriculum. She urged students to be adventurous and creative as they select courses. College Dean Robert Rescorla stressed the importance of student initiative. "At Penn you can get a wonderful education if you take responsibility for crafting it," he said. "But you can get a quite pedestrian one if you go with the flow and take what is easy or what your friends are taking." Rescorla added that that each student should take at least one course a year in which he or she has no prior experience. He urged students to a high level of academic integrity. "The gains you gain from cheating are severely priced," he said, noting that dishonor is worse than failure. College advisor Diane Frey reminded freshmen they are no longer in high school. She said her fellow advisors are not the college equivalent of guidance counselors. "They can only give you there best advice, and at the end you must process that advice? and make decisions yourself," she said.
(09/04/96 9:00am)
Freshman convocation marks the first time Penn's incoming class assembles in one place -- until graduation four years later. Although beach balls and mortarboards were not on hand Sunday night, the members of the Class of 2000 proved they are already practicing for graduation, throwing frisbees from the upper decks of Irvine Auditorium as the ceremony began. "Tonight as you come together for the first time as a class, you are writing the first line of your story -- the story of the class of 2000 and your own personal story," said University President Judith Rodin in welcoming approximately 2,350 freshman. Rodin highlighted the numerous accomplishments of members of the Class of 2000. She noted that this class is the most selective in the University's history and that the class represents all 50 states and 55 countries. Over 320 freshmen were valedictorian or salutatorian of their high schools. More than 230 edited their student newspapers. And about 150 students served as president of their student council. The class include 800 competitive athletes -- among them, 20 Olympic hopefuls. The class is diverse, with students from ethnic or racial minorities making up one-third. For the first time ever, more than half of the class is female. This news seemed to receive louder applause from the freshman males than the females. Rodin also mentioned such individual standouts as a stop pistol shooter from Sweden, a world-renowned squash player from Canada, and a ballroom dancer from the Czech Republic. Provost Stanley Chodorow provided the Class of 2000's introduction to the academic realm of the University. "Let Penn belong to you just as you belong to Penn," he said. He urged freshmen to get involved and contribute to the University community, inspiring them with tales of the accomplishments of last year's graduates. He spoke of Erica Weissman, who studied skeletal remains in Iraq last year to learn about the history of disease. And Chodorow lauded Greg Grimaldi, who created a virtual market on the Internet. "Discovery is what you've been studying for," said Chodorow. "Discovery is your reward." Senior Class President Neil Sheth presented the Class of 2000's flag. Many freshmen said they felt the ceremony united the class. "It was very good to come together," said College freshman Paul Marion. "Everyone was pumped. It's going to be a good four years." College freshman Josh Remick agreed. "Coming from Vancouver and not knowing anyone, I felt an instant closeness with us all being in one room being welcomed together," he said. Earlier in the day, the deans of the four undergraduate schools met with freshmen. School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens emphasized that there is "no magic formula" in creating a curriculum. She urged students to be adventurous and creative as they select courses. College Dean Robert Rescorla stressed the importance of student initiative. "At Penn you can get a wonderful education if you take responsibility for crafting it," he said. "But you can get a quite pedestrian one if you go with the flow and take what is easy or what your friends are taking." Rescorla added that that each student should take at least one course a year in which he or she has no prior experience. He urged students to a high level of academic integrity. "The gains you gain from cheating are severely priced," he said, noting that dishonor is worse than failure. College advisor Diane Frey reminded freshmen they are no longer in high school. She said her fellow advisors are not the college equivalent of guidance counselors. "They can only give you there best advice, and at the end you must process that advice? and make decisions yourself," she said.
(08/30/96 9:00am)
When Jeff Pfaendtner started rowing at the age of nine, he probably didn't think he would be standing on the medal stand at the Olympic Games 22 years later. But that is exactly where the Penn grad found himself this summer after taking third place in the 2,000-meter lightweight straight quad race in Atlanta. The bronze medal was one of two medals won by the U.S. men's lightweight squad at the centennial Games. Pfaendtner rowed for the Quakers as an undergraduate and for the U.S. national team since his junior year in 1989. Currently, he is a materials science and engineering Ph.D candidate at Penn. He has had to put his work on hold temporarily to train and compete in the Olympics. "To do rowing at the international level and graduate work at Penn is an extraordinary achievement," said Charles McMahon, a professor who works with Pfaendtner on his research. McMahon was able to attend the Olympic Games and watch Pfaendtner in one of the qualifying heats. The U.S. boat finished a disappointing second to Canada in the heat, but enabled the rowers to compete in an extra qualifying heat. As this was the first time the four U.S. rowers had competed together, the extra heat proved useful in preparing for the final. "It was an amazing spectacle," McMahon said of his trip to the Games. "To medal was all you could really ask for. They were within a boat length of the gold medal. It's really a tremendous achievement. On another day, they could have come out on top." Penn's heavyweight rowing program under coach Stan Bergman played a major part in Pfaendtner's climb to the national team. He was not recruited by Penn, but established himself right away on the freshman squad. He made the varsity boat his sophomore year and continued rowing in the first boat until he graduated. The transition to the national team was not an easy one. As a Quaker, Pfaendtner was a heavyweight rower at his natural weight of 180 pounds. But on the national level, he was not big enough to row in the heavyweight division. That meant he had to lose about 20 pounds to weigh in under 160 and meet the boat average of 155. At 6-foot-1, that was no simple task for Pfaendtner. After dieting and losing the weight, he joined the team. He has won two World Championship silver medals since 1989, but never competed in the Olympics until this year. This is the first year in which lightweight crew has been an official Olympic sport. In previous Olympics, only heavyweight races have been contested. As Pfaendtner returns with his medal, he must continue the research he put on hold in November. He is now putting rowing on the back burner for the meantime in order to finish his Ph.D. thesis this year. "He's committed to finishing his thesis as fast as possible," McMahon said. "His training slows it down, but it doesn't hurt the quality."
(08/30/96 9:00am)
U. Archives to receive U. Archives to receive facelift, new home Penn is the first University to have a multi-media, large-scale archive Web site. College junior Steve Friedman designed the page, which has five main categories -- a history of Penn, a photographic journey, descriptions of famous graduates, histories of other universities and information about archives. Friedman also wrote a comprehensive history of the University, along with a timeline and dozens of interesting comments. Director University Archives and Records Mark Lloyd said the most commonly accessed document is the personal papers of Raymond and Sadie Alexander -- a pair of University graduates who were pioneers in the social and political history of Philadelphia. The new archiving center, located beneath the lower north bleachers in Franklin Field, will be 40 percent larger than the University's Record Center at 4015 Walnut Street, which is where the archives were previously stored. A unique climate control system is also being installed in the West End archive rooms, which will ensure the preservation of certain rare documents. --Jaclyn LaPlaca Former Public Safety employee sues Penn Former Public Safety employee Sylvia Canada is suing the University, claiming she was fired because of her sex and race. Canada, a 25-year-old black woman, alleges she was dismissed from her position as a dispatcher without any prior warning. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for October 24 with Judge Marvin Katz presiding. General Counsel Shelley Green said she could not comment on the lawsuit because of the ongoing litigations, but said the University is looking into the claims and will announce its lawyer for the case soon. Canada became a police officer in the Division of Public Safety in 1977 after serving as a secretary in the Mathematics Department for seven years. She graduated from the Philadelphia Police Academy in 1978. According to the lawsuit, she served as an officer for nine years and "performed all of her duties in a superior manner." Canada argues that, during her time at the University, she was never disciplined or advised that her performance was "less than satisfactory." The lawsuit also states that the University made "no effort to properly secure her service revolver or identification" at the time of her dismissal. Nearly eight months ago, Canada filed a separate claim that alleges she was subject to both racial and sexual discrimination with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Equal Employment Commission. "There is a separate statute that protects against racial discrimination and that is the basis for the federal court case," said Susan Shinkman, Canada's attorney. --Barbara Green Nat'l Science Foundation gives U. $350,000 grant The University was one of 13 educational institutions to receive a $350,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Earmarked to help establish links to NSF's new "supernet," the funds will be used to develop a new high-speed Internet. This will have potentially large consequences for science, education and ordinary Internet users. The network is expected to be used by dozens of educational institutions for cooperative experiments in science and communication that could reshape the Internet. The result is likely to lead to breakthroughs in multimedia communications and in remote access to very large data collections, NSF officials said. Such technical innovations are expected to soon be used for the commercial Internet. For ordinary users, this might mean high-quality sight and sound links with distant friends, access to expert systems that tap large distant databases to provide medical or business advice, or virtual reality game-playing. -- Kate Khatib U. avoids severe cuts in state budget Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge announced his new state budget on June 28 -- and the University once again avoided severe cutbacks. Legislative leaders came through for the nine private colleges in Philadelphia threatened with major budget cuts. Last month, Ridge proposed cutting direct appropriations for the private institutions in half and eliminating the money all together the following year. Instead, the University will receive the same amount of money as last year. But Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said the University will never rely on the state funding. "We certainly didn't expect to continue to receive so much money," Scheman said. "Of course we are very pleased." She stressed that the decision to retain private university funding does not just affect Penn. Scheman did give some credit to University, agriculture and farm lobbyists. Three years ago the University faced similar cutbacks, but managed to fight its way back into the budget. Scheman described the University as "very fortunate, especially during recent years." Overall, there were few changes to the fiscal 1997 spending plan, which totals more than $32 billion when federal and other funds are included. --Jaclyn LaPlaca Vet School attempts indoor fish farming The School of Veterinary Medicine is trying to make high-tech indoor fish farming a reality at the defunct Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. The Delaware River Port Authority, which operates the four toll bridges connecting Pennsylvania and New Jersey, along with the regional high-speed commuter line, agreed last week to fund a joint venture with the University. If it goes according to plan, the deal would provide the University with $450,000 to use over the next two-and-a-half years for the fish farming venture. "Penn is very excited about the possibility because the proposed program will draw from the Veterinary School, Engineering and Wharton," said Vet School spokesperson Helma Weeks. "Test tanks are scheduled to be installed in the Veterinary School in September." This month, the University will receive $50,000 from the DRPA to perform a three-month feasibility study. If the results indicate that running the farm is profitable, the rest of the money will be used to further implement the project. However, the University and DRPA officials said they intend to sell the business to a private organization as soon as possible. "Our objective is not to get into the fish business, [but] to stimulate development of the technology and keep it in this region," said DRPA chairperson Manual Stamatakis. --Andrew Daniels Financial management system crashes twice Penn's new Financial Management Information System, known as FinMIS, began operating on July 1, with hopes of making the University's financial transactions more efficient and effective. But since the system's installation, FinMIS has crashed twice, the latest problems occurring Tuesday. At that time, the system was down for just over an hour. FinMIS includes a streamlined disbursement process, a new accounting structure, a query database to make the University's corporate data more readily available, and new general applications for purchasing, salary management, budget planning and other financial data. The first crash occurred August 8, and the system was then off-line from August 9 until August 14. "The actual cause of the system failure was a software problem that corrupted system data," said Robin Beck, associate vice president for Information Systems and Computing. Beck stressed that no user data was involved in the crash. While the system was down, a contingency plan was put into place and "essential University activity continued to take place," Beck said, adding that ISC officials did not foresee the problem. Beck said officials assessed the problem once FinMIS was restored and are currently evaluating the situation to improve weaknesses and detect errors. She added that she hoped the reliability of the system would "remain steady" in the future. FinMIS is part of a larger University effort, titled Project Cornerstone, and is primarily designed to cut costs. When the system first went into effect, Associate Comptroller Ken Campbell said more than 750 University employees had extensive training to use it, but noted even then that he was prepared for possible "kinks" in FinMIS. -- Randi Feigenbaum Fire hits High Rise East A short circuit in an air conditioner caused a fire on the 10th floor of High Rise East Wednesday. Firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze. Minimal damage occurred in the unoccupied apartment where the fire began, according to Bernie Dyer, acting deputy chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department. -- Andrea Ahles
(08/08/96 9:00am)
A former employee of the University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety was fired because of her sex and race, according to a lawsuit filed in United States District Court. The lawsuit says Sylvia Canada, a 25-year University employee and black woman, was dismissed from her position as Information Services Distributor without any prior warning. A pretrial conference has been scheduled for October 24 before Judge Marvin Katz. "I can't comment on how the University will react to the lawsuit," said Canada's attorney, Susan Shinkman. "I notified then as soon as I got a docket number for the case." General Counsel Shelly Green said she could not comment on the lawsuit because of the ongoing litigations, but said the University is looking into the claims and will announce the lawyer for the case soon. Canada was appointed a police officer in the Division of Public Safety in 1977, after serving as a secretary in the math department for 7 years. She graduated from the Philadelphia Police Academy in 1978. According to the lawsuit, she served as an officer for nine years and "performed all of her duties in a superior manner." In 1981, Canada was involved in an incident where a fellow officer, Dan Forsyth, refused to back her up at the crime of the scene. The lawsuits states that when Canada questioned him about his behavior Forsyth assaulted her. Forsyth was fired for his conduct, but the lawsuit states that the incident "engendered serious dislike for the Ms. Canada among many white male police officers, including [ Administrative, Business and Budget Administrator Joe] Weaver." In 1987, Canada was assigned to the position of Staff Assistant IV. While filling this position, she also served as backup to the Director of Victim Support and Special Services. Weaver became Canada's supervisor in 1993 and, according to Canada, diminished her responsibilities, despite her repeated requests for additional assignments. In a January 1996 meeting with Managing Director Thomas Seamon and Staff Relations Specialist Jeanne Howley, Canada was informed that she was being dismissed, as a result of an "alleged organizational restructure," the lawsuit states. Canada claims that, at the time, the both the position of Director of Victim Support and Special Services and the position of Coordinator III were open. "Despite the fact that she is qualified for the [Director of Victim Support and Special Services] position, and has performed the duties of that position in the past, the University was unwilling to transfer Ms. Canada to the position," the lawsuit states. Canada argues that, during her time at the University, she was never disciplined or advised that her performance was "less than satisfactory." The lawsuit also states that, at the time of her dismissal, the University made "no effort to properly secure her service revolver or identification." Canada applied for the position of Director of Victim Support and Special Services, but was informed in June that she did not meet the stated requirements for the position, according to the lawsuit. She has filed a separate claim file with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Equal Employment Commission which alleges that she was subject to both racial and sexual discrimination. "There is a separate statute that protects against racial discrimination and that is the basis for the federal court case," Shinkman said. She added that the University is aware of the other filing, which was filed about five months ago.
