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(02/24/92 10:00am)
(continued) But Kuprevich said UPPD is actively seeking women and minorities to join the department. "We're specifically looking at issues of gender and race, besides other qualifications, because we are interested in having more women and minorities among our applicants," Kuprevich said. Canada also said that some of the women who applied were not hired because they failed one or more of the entrance exams. The exams consist of tests of physical agility, psychological fitness, physical fitness, an oral exam and an interview. Applicants also have to complete a written exam. Wells said the women that were denied jobs had particular difficulties with the physical agility, physical fitness and psychological exams. · Officer Peggy O'Malley, who has worked in University Police for just over a year, is evidence that women are as physically and psychologically fit to do police work as men. O'Malley teaches a physical fitness course to cadets at the Delaware County Police Academy, leading her students in aerobics, weight training and running. She said she works her students hard. "By the end of the day they're pretty beat -- I really work them to the ground," she said. "I work pretty hard too, because you have to prove to them that you can do it in order to earn their respect." O'Malley decided to become a police officer about four years ago because "always as a kid, I took a real interest in police work. And there weren't any women in it, so I figured now would be a good time to get into it, before the field gets saturated." O'Malley said that although she experienced some discrimination in an earlier police job in Darby Township, she was never harassed at the University. "When I came to UPPD, I was accepted right away," she said. "They were really supportive of women in the field -- I felt really welcome." And Forsyth, a police officer on leave because of pregnancy, said, "I received nothing but a warm welcome from the people at UPPD since I started. They didn't treat me any different from the guys there." Forsyth, like such colleagues as Lieutenant Holmes, has found it possible to balance an active police career with an involved family life. Forsyth said her supervisors were accomodating in this respect, taking her off street patrol and assigning her to desk work once she became pregnant. "I never expected to get any kind of special treatment," she said. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to pick up my dirty work." Forsyth's husband Daniel is also a UPPD officer, and the couple demonstrates how police work does not interfere with family life. "There is no conflict of interest," she said. Holmes, a mother herself, said she received support from her family when she and her brother decided to follow their father into a career in police. "My father was extremely proud to have two of his children go into police work," she said. "I mean, what greater compliment to a parent than to have your children go into the field you have chosen?" Still, Holmes, O'Malley, and Forsyth are members of a distinct minority. "We've got to change society, and we've also got to make certain changes in our organization," Kuprevich said.
(02/24/92 10:00am)
University Police Lieutenant Susan Holmes comes from a family of policemen. Her brother is a lieutenant with the New York Police Department, her father is a retired detective who worked in the Nassau County Police Department in New York and both her grandfathers were police officers. But Susan Holmes is the first policewoman in her family. Holmes and other women on the force say that being a woman has not impeded their careers. But that long-sought equal status for female police officers is the result of a long hard struggle fought here and across the country. · Until 1910, no women were allowed to work as police officers in the United States. And then, until the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, women working in law enforcement were designated "policewomen" and were restricted to limited facets of policing. Today women have the same legal status as men in police departments, yet they are still a clear minority. In fact, only about one tenth of the University Police force consists of women. For many, police work has traditionally been considered the province of men. The public has stereotyped the physicality and occupational hazards needed for policing as unfit for a woman's career. But the past 20 years have heralded a new awareness of women's ability to perform police work in Philadelphia, due in large part to Ruth Wells, currently the director of Victim Support and Special Services in the University's Department of Public Safety. When she entered the field of police work over 30 years ago, Wells found herself a pioneer in the battle for the rights of women in police in Philadelphia. Her struggle echoed across the entire country. Wells said she first considered a career in police work in 1955, when her brother Albert, then a Philadelphia Police officer, told her that the Philadelphia Police Department planned to hire several women officers to be trained at the Philadelphia Police Academy. Wells said the Philadelphia Police Department had started hiring women about 30 years earlier to serve as police matrons, whose functions consisted primarily of tasks the men in police would rather not handle, such as frisking women, plainclothes patrolling in "red-light districts" and handling runaway children. The women with whom Wells was to train at the Philadelphia Police Academy were slotted for duties that would extend beyond the traditional roles of women in police. But before the women could begin training, they had to be admitted to the police academy -- in itself a feat of considerable proportions. "There was an intense search conducted for applicants, and the qualifications were higher for the women applying," Wells said. For instance, she explained, women had to undergo a massive background investigation, whereas men did not. In addition, unmarried mothers would not be considered for admission to the academy, and women enrolling had to sign an agreement indicating they would resign from the police force if they became pregnant, she said. These rules are officially obsolete today, and women are permitted leaves of absence for pregnancy. University Police Officer Maureen Forsyth, for instance, has been on leave from the department since last Labor Day to take care of her now-four-and-one-half-month-old baby boy. "I knew sooner or later pregnancy was in the cards, and I didn't know how it would work out," Forsyth said. "But it wasn't a problem at all." But when Wells applied for admission to the Philadelphia Police Academy in the '50s, she faced a far less liberated system. According to Wells, the Police Academy admissions decisions were based on a standard breakdown of factors which allowed for discrimination. She said 50 percent of the admissions decision was based on a written exam, 40 percent on an oral exam and 10 percent on Veteran's Preference for war veterans. Because of this, Wells said, a woman could get a score close to perfect on the written portion of the test and still be ruled out by a sexist interviewer on the oral portion. Of the 1300 women who applied for admission along with Wells, 19 were appointed to police jobs, she said. "I'm sure that men's rates were higher," she added. Wells' admission to the academy by no means meant that she had escaped gender-based prejudice or segregation. Men and women attended separate classes in the academy and "were not permitted, under any circumstances, to fraternize. Not at lunch, never," Wells said. In addition to regular police training, women at the academy received Juvenile Courts training so that they could become Juvenile Aid Officers upon graduation. Such officers handled all juvenile crimes, notably runaways and shoplifters. According to Wells, however, police departments used women for other purposes on an unofficial level. "The curious thing was that whenever one of the male officers needed women for an assignment, we would be detailed to the narcotics unit, homicide unit, major crimes unit or any unit of the department without being given the title or the compensation for it," Wells said. Wells worked in the Philadelphia Police Department, primarily as a Juvenile Aid Officer, from 1955 to 1967. In 1967, after being passed over three times in promotional exams, Wells filed suit against the City of Philadelphia for discrimination. "The kinds of things that were happening were also prevalent in the promotional system," she said. "The commanding officer of the Juvenile Aid Division appointed the oral board, which called into question the board's evaluations. It would have been different if the oral board would have been completely separated from the command of the Juvenile Aid Division." Wells went to court under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment but is limited primarily to the private sector. Wells said she was aiming to extend the prohibition of discrimination in employment to government agencies like city police. Confirming that the "case had merit," the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission decided to use Wells' suit as a test case for all Philadelphia policewomen. In 1972 the Equal Employment Opportunity Act extended to state and local governments the same regulations set forth in Title VII. The Act decreed that state and city governments had to remedy past discrimination against women in government jobs. Testing procedures and entrance requirements for police academies were made the same for men and women, classes were integrated, fraternization became permissible and women began to be assigned to all units of police departments. Between Wells' filing suit in 1967 and the 1972 Act, she said she experienced serious discrimination. "I was subject to various forms of harassment from both any male peers and from the supervisors," Wells said. "I was labelled as a troublemaker and given the most difficult assignments." Wells said she was forced to work on every holiday one year, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. "I was transferred to every division in the city, but I continued to do my job," she said. During the resurgence of the women's movement in the early '70s, Wells said her situation began to improve. She said she was the first woman assigned to the Police Community Relations Division, where she pioneered a program in self-defense and personal safety designed particularly for women and children. After five years of work in this division, Wells ran some programs to teach female students at the University about self-defense and personal safety. "That was when Penn first got to know me," Wells said. The University hired Wells as a security specialist in 1976. Her title was later changed to Crime Prevention Specialist, and ultimately to Director of Victim Support and Special Services. Today, Wells is in charge of programs in crime prevention, safety education, services to victims, sensitive crimes and acts as a liaison between the University community and the Department of Public Safety. · Among Wells' other responsibilities is the active recruitment of women and other minorities to work in the University Police Department. When Wells joined the University Police force in 1976, only two of 40 officers were women. "You get your employees based on your recruitment efforts, and the evidence would not indicate that they had made that specialized effort to recruit women," she said. And Sylvia Canada, a staff assistant at Victim Support who joined the force in 1977, said "we're still not where we want to be." Until October 1989, when the University began a redoubled hiring effort, seven of 45 officers were women. In the three major hirings between October 1989 and May 1991, 3 of the 55 officers hired were women. Of 100 officers currently employed by the University Police, 10 are women. In addition, one of nine shift supervisors is a woman, and one of four detectives is a woman. The comissioner, director and captain are all men. Canada, who supplied these statistics, said that the gender imbalance reflects a similar disparity in the number of applications submitted by women and by men. According to Canada, only 10 of the approximately 200 applicants over the past two and one half years have been women. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said last week that "there are certainly less women [than men] who apply to law enforcement. I think it is because it was for so long a male-dominated environment that so few women apply." "There are just some natural hesitations [for women to apply] because there are so few women in police work," he added.
(01/14/92 10:00am)
Houston Baker, director of the Center for the Study of Black Literature and Culture, took over as the first black president of the Modern Language Association last month. English Professor Baker, who has taught at the University for 18 years, said he is excited about his role as spokesperson for the 30,600 member organization that represents and furthers the study of modern language and literature around the world. As the first black president, Baker said this week he hopes to "make sure that the democratic opening up of literary studies of the last 20 years continues." After being elected second vice president two years ago, Baker automatically succeeded to the position of first vice president last year and to the presidency this year. The century-old association is best known for producing the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, which is regarded as the premier place to find the do's and dont's of writing in English. The book is widely used in the United States and Canada and has been translated into other languages, including Japanese. The MLA made headlines last year during a controversy over the nomination of Carol Iannone to the National Council on the Humanities, an advisory board to the National Endowment of the Humanities, by NEH head Lynne Cheney. Iannone,the president of the National Association of Scholars, a conservative organization, is herself a known conservative. When the MLA announced its opposition to Iannone's nomination, several major newspapers accused the organization of being a "crusader for political correctness" and basing its decision on her political views, rather than her scholarship. The Executive Council of the MLA, however, said it did not feel Iannone was a distinguished enough scholar to sit on the board. When Iannone's nomination came up for a vote before the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, she was denied being placed on the Council by a vote of eight to nine. Baker said this shows that the MLA's doubt was justified. The MLA's membership increased after the incident, which Baker said indicates the English community's support of the MLA's view that Ianonne's qualification did not meet federal regulations. Baker said the MLA began over a hundred years ago when "a group of rebellious professors decided that they had had it with instruction only in Greek and Latin classics and wanted to introduce work in modern languages such as English, French, German, and Spanish." The main functions of the organization include the production of three major publications, as well as a number of minor publications, and hosting an annual convention attended by between 9,000 and 12,000 people. Besides the MLA Handbook, the Association also produces an updated version of their bibliography each year which is used as a reference source for anything of a scholarly nature that has been published. Baker said that he is excited that the bibliography now includes the work of black and Asain authors. The Publications of the MLA is an annually produced journal which Baker said is "the premier place to publish in the study of modern languages and literatures." The annual convention includes 800 sessions on subjects ranging from feminist literature and criticism to discussions on up-and-coming writers and also serves as a forum for job interviews and hiring. "[Dr. Baker] is a man who is so passionate about so many things," English Department Undergraduate Chairperson Alice Kelley said. "I am sure his presence will make a difference."
(10/17/91 9:00am)
Wharton sophomore Martin Eltrich and College senior Amy Fisher beat out 170 other teams from across the United States, Canada and Europe. "I hope this is a precedent for future things to come in the upcoming year," Eltrich said. "The Harvard Tournament was [the largest] tournament ever in parlimentary debate." -- Stephen Glass
(10/08/91 9:00am)
Adrienne Adler spent her first two years out of college in a part-time, dead-end job. Unable to find "the kind of job [she] wanted," Adler decided to enter graduate school at the University last year, joining the growing ranks of students who are finding the job search difficult, and are in turn applying to the University. Most of the University's twelve graduate and professional schools are receiving more applications than ever before. The class that entered the University in September faced more competition in most cases and is somewhat larger than the class that entered in September 1990. The Nursing School, the graduate division of the School of Arts and Sciences, the Medical School, and the Graduate School of Fine Arts all had increases in applications ranging from approximately three percent in SAS to 16 percent in the Medical School. The Dental School, the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Education received about 20 percent more applications for this year's incoming class than for last year's. While the number of students entering the Dental School is constant from year to year, enrollment in the School of Social Work increased by almost 40 percent, and enrollment in the Education School increased by over 11 percent over last year's figures. While Graduate School of Education Admissions Director Margaret Harkins partially attributes the increases to a "new interest in education," she said she sees the nation's current recession as a driving force behind the school's popularity this year. "[Students] used to be able to get a job right out of college," Harkins said last week. "All you needed was that diploma. [Now] there is lots of competition for every job." The graduate division of the Engineering School experienced a 15.4 percent jump in applications, coupled with an almost 42 percent increase in enrollment in degree programs. Graduate Engineering Admissions Administrative Assistant Mark Santillo also attributed the increased interest in his school to the poor economy. "It is pretty clear that in a recession the number of people who go back to school increases," Santillo said last week. "[Right now] it is a better investment to go back to school and increase their marketability." Wharton's graduate program has seen a 60 percent increase in applications during the last five years, according to Wharton Graduate Admissions Director John Enyart. "[Our] entering class is larger than it has ever been," Enyart said last week. Enyart said Wharton's situation is different from those of the University's other graduate schools in that increased interest in Wharton is "tied directly to geopolitics." "[Graduate school] could be seen as a safe harbor for a couple of years," he said of the overall trend. "Many offer answers but none of us really know. But many graduate students say the recession is not the main force drawing students back to school. "I find that hard to believe since the cost of education is so high [in the U.S.]," said James Abraham, a first-year Wharton graduate student from Ontario, Canada. "With recession, one of the first things that happens [in Canada, where the cost of education is low] is enrollment in graduate schools goes up." And some administrators agreed, saying that the jump in applications is not a result of the recession. School of Social Work Admissions Director Orneice Leslie cites a heightened national concern about social problems as a primary reason for her school's increased applications. "[There has been] a movement away from the 'I' generation," she said yesterday. "[There is] a young generation of people who want to make a difference." And many students said they simply needed advanced degrees to get the jobs they wanted. "I wanted to have choices . . . within the realm of education," said Alison Cook, a first-year graduate student in the Education School. "There are fields that all you need is a bachelor's degree," said Paul Penkalski, a first-year graduate student in the School of Arts and Sciences. "To get a job [in geology], you need an advanced degree." And Adler said the economy was only one factor, along with her general interest in elementary education, that led her to return to school. Only the Law School and the Veterinary School saw decreases in their applicant pools. Neither school was concerned about the drop in applications nor could they offer a reason for the decrease. Each school has the same number of students enrolled this year. The Admissions Director at the Annenberg School could not be reached for comment.
(06/27/91 9:00am)
A teenage girl was forcibly raped by an area resident on the roof of Gimbel Gym early Friday morning, University Police said this week. A University Police officer responded to screams for help from the gym's roof at 1 a.m. while on routine foot patrol on Walnut Street. The juvenile victim was forcibly escorted by the alleged assailant from the arcade on the 3900 block of Walnut to Gimbel Gym at 37th and Walnut streets. Neither the victim nor the assailant are affiliated with the University. In unrelated incidents, three women reported being robbed in the University City area this week. In the first incident a man in his twenties stole a woman's purse at the corner of Woodland Terrace and Baltimore Avenue Thursday evening at 7 a.m., according to University Police Spokesperson Sylvia Canada. A female was pushed off her bicycle, valued at $700, Thursday while she was riding on the 4100 block of Locust Street. The area resident who shoved her stole the bicycle and fled the scene. The victim did not report any injuries. A woman, making a deposit at the Provident National Bank's automatic teller machine on the 3900 block of Walnut was robbed at 9:00 p.m. on Friday. A male, between 17 and 20 years old, entered the banking suite behind her, according to University Police. The thief, after saying "What is that, money?" to the woman, proceeded to grab her $120 in cash and credit cards. He was not apprehended. In addition, a fire was started in the John Morgan Building of the Medical School Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. University employees were required to evacuate the building when smoke was discovered on the third floor. The cause of the fire is attributed to workmen who were repairing the roof earlier in the day. "It was an accidental fire caused by a torch which was used by the roofers to apply the roof repairs," John Cook of the University safety office said. The cost of the damage, which primarily affected the roof, has not been determined. A temporary roof has been installed to keep out inclement weather while repairs take place.
(06/20/91 9:00am)
Two campus shoe store employees fought off a gunman who attempted to rob the store last week, beating the attacker over the head with a telephone until he was stunned and bleeding. West Philadelphia resident Timothy Brown, 32, entered the store at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday June 15, just prior to closing time, Canada said. Brown then asked for a pair of Nike shoes. When the manager, William Schuler, went to get a pair for him to try on, Brown announced that he was holding up the store and proceeded to pull out a gun and a pair of handcuffs, Canada said. She added that it was later discovered that the weapon was a fake. The other employee in the store, William Codogan, was instructed to handcuff Schuler. Defying the gunman's instructions, the employees started to wrestle with Brown, Canada said. The scuffle came to an abrupt halt when one of the employees struck Brown on the head repeatedly with a nearby telephone, Canada said. She added that the Foot Locker employees located University Police Officer James Colvin outside, who then made the arrest. Schuler, who suffered minor abrasions to the face and neck in the scuffle, was later treated by a fire rescue unit, while Brown was released to Philadelphia Police after being treated for head cuts at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Schuler said he asked and was granted a transfer to a different branch of the Foot Locker chain, partially as a result of the incident. He added that he was not pleased with how he and Codogan handled the affront. "It showed incredible stupidity on our part to wrestle with [Brown]," he said. He refused to comment further on the robbery or on his transfer. A security guard has since been hired to monitor the store during all working hours, said store Manager Steve Dandridge. Dandrige added that the security guard was hired as a direct result of the attempted robbery, but added that this hiring was not unusual since many Center City stores also have permanent security guards. In unrelated incidents, there were two fires reported this week, both were on June 15. In the first fire, an abandoned house on the 4600 block of Sansom Street was engulfed in flames. Universtity Police Officer James Jensen evacuated two neighboring houses, rescuing four adults and four children from the blaze. The second fire occurred at an apartment on the 200 block of South 41st Street. University Police Officers Sal Mannino and Darryl Blair arrived at the scene of the third floor fire, citing the cause as the burning of tires in the basement of the building. There were no injuries or fatalities.
(05/17/91 9:00am)
According to Philadelphia Police Detective Ed Tenudo, two groups of males were involved in fist fight around midnight when one man, who had been punched in the eye, pulled a handgun and shot two bystanders before fleeing. Tenudo said the 21-year-old man, Danny Linton of the 1900 block of South 22nd Street, was apprehended by Philadelphia Police and identified as being one of the participants in the fight. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, a firearms violation, possession of instruments of crime, and conspiracy. During his arrest, police were also involved in two other chases around the Penn Tower area. In the first incident, 18-year-old Anthony Molten of the 1300 block of South Ruby Street was chased to a wall by several officers. Tenudo said Molten then turned and pointed a weapon, before jumping over the wall and falling 25 feet into the underground service exit of the Civic Center. He then jumped up and pointed his weapon at police, who fired and wounded him in the left ear. After dropping his .25 caliber pistol, Molten was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he was treated for a fractured right leg and a gunshot to his left ear. In the second incident, Tenudo said, police saw a man in a blue sweatsuit hand a MAC-10 machine pistol to another male who was wearing an "eight ball" jacket. When officers tackled the jacketed man and attempted to get the weapon, the sweatsuited man hit one of the officers on the back of his head. After picking up the weapon, he handed it back to the man in the jacket, who proceeded to stick it in the mouth of one of the officers. The officer pushed the gun away, and while trying to draw his weapon, both men fled, one east, and the other into the Penn Tower parking lot. Police were unable to apprehend either man. Tenudo said the two injured men were identified as 18-year-old Stanley McFall, who was shot in the left leg, and 22-year-old Frank White who was injured in the right hand. Both men were taken to HUP, and no further information was available about their conditions. University Police Spokesperson Sylvia Canada said University Police were not involved in the incident.
(04/18/91 9:00am)
A female graduate student sustained minor injuries when she was robbed last night in front of the Class of '23 Ice Rink, University Police said yesterday. According to University Police Spokesperson Sylvia Canada, the student was walking west on the south side of the 3100 block of Walnut Street at 6:45 p.m when a car stopped on the street just behind her. A man jumped out of the car, grabbed her purse, knocking her to the ground where she hit her head, Canada said. The man got back into the car and fled west, the student told police. Canada said the assailant was probably the only person in the car because the student saw him enter the car on the driver's side and did not mention seeing anyone else in the car with him. Canada said the student described her assailant as a male wearing a brown leather jacket. The assailant's car was white. No further description was available of the assailant or the vehicle. Philadelphia Police's 18th District and the University's Victim Support Services were both notified about the incident. Canada said there are no suspects in the incident and that the incident was being investigated by University and Philadelphia Police.
(04/02/91 10:00am)
The Philadelphia Police's 18th District reported in The Almanac last week that there were four robberies and one aggravated assault which occurred over spring break near campus -- crimes which had been previously unreported to the University community. According to the 18th District crime report, there were three robberies involving a gun, one strong-arm robbery, and one incident of aggravated assault. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said last week that because many of the crimes were reported exclusively to Philadelphia Police without any involvement of University Police, the University may not be aware of the crimes until the published report. "If they aren't reported to us, and they are reported only to Philadelphia, we may not know until we see the published crime report," Canada said. However, University Police Lieutenant Susan Holmes said that two of the robberies involving a gun were committed by the same person, and that University Police made the arrest after the second incident. Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said last week that he did not know why the information was not made public and attributed the mistake to a foul-up in communication. "We have no excuse for this not being made public," Kuprevich said. "There was a snafu in the information flow and we will work to insure that this will never happen again." "There is certainly no reason why we wouldn't want this information known considering that we made the arrest," he added. Lieutenant Holmes said last week that on March 11, the Domino's Pizza store at 3801 Chestnut Street was robbed at 9:45 p.m. by an unidentified man who carried a gun. The following night, Holmes said, a man, armed with a knife, tried to rob an attendant at the Presbyterian Hospital parking lot on Market Street near 39th Street. Holmes said that a scuffle ensued involving the attendant and the would-be robber in the middle of which, a gun was drawn. The attacker then fled the area, Holmes said. Officer Patrick Tevis, who was on patrol in the area of 34th and Walnut streets, heard of the incident on his radio and spotted a man fitting the description of the assailant. Tevis kept the suspect under surveillance until a backup unit could arrive, Holmes said. She added that the man was apprehended in the 100 block of 32nd Street, where he was frisked and Police found a gun. The parking lot attendant was brought to the scene and positively identified the man as his assailant, Holmes said. The same man was later identified by employees of Domino's Pizza as the man who had robbed their store the previous night. Holmes did not know what charges the man faced, but said that an arraignment date had probably been set for sometime late last week.
(02/20/91 10:00am)
According to University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada, the victim had finished an evening class in the David Rittenhouse Laboratory and was walking to her home on the 2000 block of Pine Street, Canada said that when the victim reached the 3200 block of Walnut Street, a man walking in the opposite direction walked into her and struck her in the face with a closed fist. The man then tried to grab the student's knapsack, Canada said. When she resisted, the assailant said "Give me your bookbag!" When the student continued to resist, the assailant fled the scene, running west on Walnut Street. The student took a taxi for the remainder of her trip home, Canada said. Canada added that when Police arrived to take the student's report, she refused to be taken to the hospital to be checked for any injuries. However, after going to Student Health, the student found out that the left side of her face was fractured. Canada said that there are no suspects in the case but the student described her assailant to the Police as being clean shaven, approximately 30 years old, between 5'7" and 5'10", wearing a dark jacket, and having his hair cut closely to his head. -- Elie Landau
(02/15/91 10:00am)
A male and female student were robbed of a little over $10 at 42nd and Locust streets late Tuesday night. According to University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada, the two students were standing on the northwest corner at about midnight when they observed the assailants, two males, walking west on Locust Street away from them. Canada said that after passing the couple, the two men turned around and started walking back toward them. The victims told police that the men then confronted the couple. One assailant said, "Give it up," and demanded that the students hand over their money. A total of $10 was taken from the male student and 35 cents from the woman, but Canada said the assailants did not display a weapon. After taking the money, the assailants fled west on Locust Street towards 43rd Street. Neither student sustained any injuries, Canada said. Police have no suspects in the case, but both men were described by the victims as approximately five foot, ten inches tall, of medium build, and between 19 and 24 years old. One was described as wearing a baseball cap, a dark, full length jacket with the word "Yankees" printed on the back, and dark pants. The other assailant was described as wearing a dark baseball cap, a dark, full length jacket, and other dark clothing. Canada said Philadelphia Police were given a copy of the incident report and will also be investigating the incident.
(01/31/91 10:00am)
Over 1200 high school students will participate in the conference, which begins today and runs until Sunday, February 3. The conference will include schools from as far away as California, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Canada, according to Wharton and College senior Adam Zoya, the secretary general of the conference. Zoya said that the four-day conference will be structured after the actual United Nations. Students will represent different nations of the world and will tackle the particular problems faced by the countries they represent. Subjects discussed will deal primarily with current events around the world, such as the conflict in the Persian Gulf. Delegates will debate problems and try to pass resolutions to solve situations. The conference will be held at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel downtown and is open to the public, free of charge. Events will be held from 8 to 11:30 p.m. tonight. Tomorrow, committee sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. On Saturday, events will run from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon. -- Kathleen Paralusz
(01/28/91 10:00am)
The list of notable persons who joined in the festivities included President Sheldon Hackney, DP alumnus and New York Times writer Dick Stevenson, and of course, the editors, staffers and alumni of the DP. Hackney kicked off the evening with a five-minute speech satirizing an executive editor's introduction to life at the DP. "Welcome freshpersons," began Hackney, using what he termed as the "politically correct" language. "I thank you for making the great trek past McDeath and the DMZ [Demilitarized Zone] to the Pink Palace [the DP]." Hackney added that every freshman should understand that all news can have a negative slant and it is the responsibility of a DP writer to find it. "You'll have to learn to work through the night and sleep through class," Hackney added. Outgoing Sports Editors Tiffany Sparks and Scott Waynebern, who were disappointed by the sparse meal of a green salad, pasta and chicken breast, and chocolate swirls, ordered four Domino's pizzas -- whose deliverer briefly interrupted Hackney's speech. Stevenson, the keynote speaker and DP Executive Editor in 1980, said he quickly ascended through the ranks at the DP. "I started at the very bottom -- as a sports writer," Stevenson said. Now as a professional writer with the Times, he still has ties to the University. "I've interviewed Michael Milken, Donald Trump, and a lot of other Wharton graduates who are currently in jail," Stevenson added. But for some, the highlight of the evening was the awards ceremony focusing on some of the DP's best over the past year. In the News department, new Executive Editor Helen Jung was the prestigious winner of the Most Valuable Reporter award. The 'Bo Jackson' Award for greatest overall contribution to the newspaper--"she knows graphics and she knows writing"--went to beat reporter Emily Culbertson. But the big-money winner of the evening was beat reporter Christine Lutton, coming home with two awards -- one for her outstanding coverage of the Castle kidnapping last spring as well as the DP Alumni Writing Award. The Sports department's award for best beat reporting coverage went to new Sports Editor Noam Harel, while most valuable reporter for the Sports Department was sports reporter John Di Paolo. Matthew Schwartz was named most improved sports writer. Wayneburn assured them that the news staff that they are all still "a bunch of weenies." In the Photography department, new Weekly Pennsylvanian Editor Brian Newberry was named the most valuable photographer of the year while Debra Lima won the most improved photographer award. The Business department delivered five Distinguished Service Awards. Their recipients were Barry Freeman, Fred Gluckman, Adam Levin, Tara Friend, and Lin Shearer. 34th Street Magazine named Ann Luerssen as the most valuable staffer and commended David Boyer as the one who served as the savior for the magazine. Despite the free alcohol and the good spirit that prevaded the evening, not everyone was pleased. New 34th Street Magazine Editor Andrew Libby was disappointed that he would walk home empty handed. "I don't understand why I didn't win all the awards," Libby said. Others took time to comment on the attire of both the new editors and attendees. University Police Department spokesperson Sylvia Canada commented on the new Managing Editor Peter Spiegel. "He is a real smooth talker and dresser," Canada said. "If I were into journalism and 'x' amount of years younger I would give him a ring and it wouldn't be about reporting either." Spiegel was not the only smooth dresser at the banquet. In an informal poll conducted throughout the evening, Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Duchess Harris was overwhelmingly selected as best dressed.
(01/18/91 10:00am)
University and city police were called to Logan Hall early yesterday morning in response to a bomb threat in the building, but the scare proved false when police found only air conditioner parts in the suspected box. Just after midnight, an unidentified man called WPVI-TV Channel 6 news and threatened that he would place a bomb in a University building within the hour. According to sources at WPVI, the caller gave no explanation for his intentions in placing the bomb. The timing of the threat coincided with the outbreak of war in the Persian Gulf and amid nationwide concern over the possibility of terrorist attacks. University Police Spokesperson Sylvia Canada said yesterday that at 12:21 a.m., Philadelphia Police Radio reported a bomb threat at 249 South 36th Street in Logan Hall. Philadelphia Police, assisted by University Police, formed a command post on the south side of Logan Hall. Canada said that the Philadelphia Police bomb unit then entered and searched the building for any suspicious looking items. Shortly after the search began, Canada said, the unit reported to the command post that they had found a box wrapped in plastic near an air conditioner on the east side of the building. The box was removed and the building was thoroughly searched to insure that no people were inside. At 1:10 a.m. the bomb unit determined that the box contained an air conditioner air compressor. At that point, Canada added, University police officers went back to their regular patrols. Jim Miller, the University's director of fire and occupational safety, said yesterday that while it is impossible to guess why someone would make such a threat, the situation in the Persian Gulf might be a possibility. "I would have no way of knowing," Miller said. "But it would be a fair assumption to make." Physical Plant Executive Director Jim Wargo said, however, that the threat may have had absolutely nothing to do with the outbreak of war in Iraq. "It could be any sort of person who likes to see police and firemen chasing around frantically," he said. Barbara Greco, the building manager of Logan Hall, refused to comment yesterday on whether any additional security measures would be taken. Canada said that police have received no requests for additional security.
(01/17/91 10:00am)
A graduate student and a University employee were victims of two separate off-campus robberies Tuesday night, police officials said yesterday. According to University Police Spokesperson Sylvia Canada, the student told police she was in a store on the 200 block of 45th Street at 6:45 p.m. when she was distracted by two men. One of the men then grabbed her wallet containing $30 dollars, her credit cards, and other miscellaneous papers, Canada said, adding the men then men fled the scene. The victim flagged down a University Police officer in a patrol car and was escorted to her residence on the 500 block of 46th Street. Canada said there are no suspects in the case but said the victim described one of the men as five feet, two inches tall, approximately 20 years old and as wearing a light blue ski jacket, a dark knit cap and jeans. The other man was described as five foot, eight inches tall, 185 pounds and also wearing a dark knit cap and a long dark coat. The second robbery took place at 10:20 p.m. on the 4500 block of Spruce street, Canada said. The wallet he gave the men contained $15 and the victim said he was not injured. The victim called both Philadelphia and University Police. Both departments are investigating the crime. Canada said police have no suspects but one man was described as between five foot, eight inches and five foot, ten inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, and wearing a blue down jacket. The second man was described as 25-30 years old, around six feet, 170 pounds, and wearing a tan jacket and blue jeans.
(01/15/91 10:00am)
A University freshman was raped by a security guard at the Medical School last month, and another unidentified student was raped in her home on the 4100 block of Spruce Street December 30 in two unrelated incidents. The freshman, according to sources close to the case, was at the Medical School complex late at night and asked a University-hired security guard to escort her to her dormitory. Sources said the guard then raped her in a secluded part of the building. Sources said the guard was suspended without pay within two hours after the student reported the rape. After confessing to the crime, he was fired by the University. In the other incident, University Police officials said a student was raped by an intruder in her off-campus apartment at about 10:30 p.m., December 30. Police would not say how the intruder gained entry to the building. The student first reported the rape to the Philadelphia Police Department. University Police then picked up the report of the rape on the police radio and began a joint investigation. University Police Director John Logan said there are no suspects and would not release a description of the assailant. Both Logan and University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said Police Commissioner John Kuprevich has instructed them to not to release more specific details of the case until he returns from New York Thursday. Logan did say, however, the investigation was going "very well." Officials at the Philadelphia Police Sex Crimes division would not release any information on the case yesterday. University Police also declined to release any information about the Medical School rape, saying it was being handled by George Forman, the director of facilities management for the Medical School. Forman declined comment yesterday, saying only that the incident has "been handled." Forman refused to elaborate on how he handled the incident. According to Assistant Biochemistry and Biophysics Professor Jacqueline Tanaka, a faculty member in the Medical School, the student called building security for an escort, and, when he arrived, was raped by him. Jeffrey Jacobson, co-chairperson of the University Council Safety and Security Committee said the woman asked the uniformed security guard to escort her home. "He said 'I need to get a package' and took her to a room," Jacobson said. "He did this on purpose to get her alone." "It was a situation that a rational person would believe to be safe," the College junior added. Tanaka said that the woman declined to file charges, apparently in fear that if her parents learned of the incident, she would have to leave the University. Instead, Tanaka said, the student reported the incident to the guard's supervisors. "It took less than two hours to suspend him without pay," after the incident was reported to supervisor, Jacobson said. "Subsequently he admitted to it and was terminated." Some school security officers, Jacobson said, were embarrassed by the incident. He said that as long-time University employees, they worried how this would be viewed by the public. "This was a very tragic but isolated incident," Jacobson said. "The last thing we need is to have people afraid of the security system at the University." Jacobson said the security guard was hired by the Medical Complex, which includes the school, and that two background checks were done on him prior to his employment. The checks showed no prior convictions. He emphasized that the guard was not a University Police officer or a contracted guard. One officer on duty last night declined to give his name but indicated that he knew the assailant. "Regardless of how thoroughly you check a person's background an apple could go sour any day," he said. "In the past, a situation which gets out to the public, can result in charges not being filed," she said yesterday. She said in assault cases, filing charges is not necessarily the "first thing on their minds." "The goal always is to allow the survivor to gain control," she continued, saying that "the focus is how to get that control." "We always try to attend to the medical, academic and emotional needs of the survivor," she said. She added that the University's support system is one of the best in the country. "It is a model for other schools in the country," Dilapi said. "The vice provost for university life has an emergency protocol which pulls together all of the support services." These are the first publicized student rapes since the summer of 1989, when a University student was raped at 6:30 a.m. on Pine Street on her way to work.
(12/05/90 10:00am)
Philadelphia Police plainclothes officers rescued a University student from a knifepoint robbery late Monday night at 44th and Locust streets. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said the Philadelphia officers interrupted the robbery and arrested the assailant. University Police assisted in the arrest. Canada said that at about 11:45 p.m., two plainclothes officers patrolling the area west of campus started to follow a man who was acting suspiciously. Canada said the officers watched the man approach the student, put a knife up to her face and demand her purse. The officers interrupted the robbery and both the suspect and victim started to flee. Canada said the victim apparently did not understand or believe that the officers were police, since they were not in uniform. One of the officers caught the suspect and the other chased down the victim. The latter called University Police for assistance so that a uniformed officer could identify him. Both the suspect and victim were taken to 18th Police District headquarters at 55th and Pine streets. A University Police officer brought the student home. The identity of the assailant was not available.
(11/27/90 10:00am)
Two graduate students remain hospitalized after they were beaten and robbed at gunpoint upon returning to their off-campus house Sunday night. The students, a married couple, told University Police that two men followed them to their house -- on Beige Block, or the 200 block of S. 41st Street -- at about 10:15 p.m. Sunday. Once at the house, one of the men pulled out a gun and put it behind the husband's head, saying that if either student yelled, both would be shot, according to police. The men forced their way into the student's apartment and then beat the students over the head. Police did not specify what they were beaten with, but University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said they received "severe head injuries." The students described one of the suspects as a male about 6 feet tall, with dark hair and wearing a dark jacket with a hood. Canada said further information on the incident was unavailable because police were unable to get details from the students due to the extent of their injuries. Aside from the incident, University Police reported a relatively quiet Thanksgiving recess. Canada said no more crimes against people were reported during the break, and added that there were no reports of burglaries.
(11/15/90 10:00am)
University Police officials yesterday decided to ease the burden extra nighttime coverage has placed on officers, giving them a greater say in how many hours and how many days a week they work. Captain John Richardson said yesterday that the change will not bring any reduction in patrols. He said the department will continue to provide double coverage in the night and early-morning hours. Police doubled the nighttime patrols nine days ago after a series of violent crimes just off campus. Last Monday night, two students were stabbed by a man believed to have committed as many as five stabbings in the University City area. The same night, an undercover University Police officer shot one of four men attempting to rob him and his partner. Police and other University officials said they hoped the increased show of force would both prevent crimes and reduce an atmosphere of fear on the campus. But both Richardson and Sergeant Thomas Messner said the increased patrols are starting to take a toll on the officers. Under the system used this past week, officers on the evening and early-morning shifts were forced to work an extra four hours a day, making for 12-hour shifts. "Twelve-hour days start to fatigue you rather fast," Messner said. "Anytime that you work 12 hours a day for a week, it does take a little bit out of you," Richardson said. "Let's face it. The fatigue factor does come in." To solve this problem, Richardson decided to let officers volunteer to fill extra shifts. Those who feel up to working the extra hours or want extra overtime pay will be able to work those hours, he said. They can choose to work extra hours on their shifts or come in on their days off. Messner said he expects that officers will volunteer to fill the shifts. But he said that if enough officers do not volunteer, supervisors will assign extra shifts. "It takes some of the pressure off the people who have families, who have commitments," he said. "It makes for less wear and tear on the officer doing it that way." Messner said the new system will be "more amicable to everyone." The sergeant said the move is not an attempt to cut back on patrols or to save money. He said the new system could end up costing the University more money if officers choose to work seven days a week. The officers' union contract calls for overtime pay for extra hours plus an additional premium if officers give up both their days off in a given week. It is not known how much the redoubled police coverage is costing the University. Senior Vice President Marna Whittington, who oversees University Police, has repeatedly declined to say how much extra the University is spending for the increase. So far, police said, the patrols seem to be working. "When we look at the statistics, it doesn't look like we've had anything major," Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said. She said police have not had reports of any guns near campus and have responded to only one robbery. In that robbery, a student was robbed of $4 by two men who threatened him with a bottle at 9:50 p.m. Tuesday at 40th and Pine streets. "You can't say how many crimes you have prevented," Richardson said. "But it seems we are being somewhat successful compared to what happened in previous weeks." He said police are not yet ready to start scaling back patrols. "We're just going to have to wait and see what the future brings and if we feel like we have a hold on this thing," he said.
