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(04/09/99 9:00am)
U. hands housekeeping mgmt. to new company According to Vice President for Facilities Services and Contract Management Omar Blaik, the 20 existing Aramark managers currently employed by the University will be laid off due to the management change. However, Blaik added that the managers will be given the opportunity to reapply for their positions with UNICCO. Housekeeping staff will remain unaffected by the switch. Blaik said that Penn has relied on Aramark to manage its 450-person housekeeping staff for 10 years. But with that company's contract due to expire this June, University officials decided to "seek competitive bids" from other housekeeping management operations. Housekeeping has been a challenge in the first semester of the college house system, Blaik said. But he feels that "looking into the management structure" is the best solution to the issue. The advent of the college house system has meant a decentralization of facilities services into four zones: the "health sciences" buildings, most of the College of Arts and Sciences facilities, the Wharton School buildings and a residential zone comprised of on-campus housing facilities. Though Aramark's operation has remained centralized in the Franklin Building, each of the four zones has had its own facilities manager, leading to administrative difficulties, according to officials. Under the terms of the new deal, the facilities manager in charge of maintenance for each zone will also have a UNICCO manager reporting to him or her on housekeeping issues. The transfer will take place April 24 in residential buildings, while the remaining facilities will follow suit May 1. -- Sharon Male The Foundation to host its first musical groups A new visual and performing arts initiative kicks off next week with two shows set to celebrate the musical history and culture of West Philadelphia. The Foundation -- a student-initiated group seeking to unite the University and the surrounding community through music, art and culture -- has announced its first two shows, according to a press release. On April 15, two jazz acts intended to "celebrate the rich jazz legacy of West Philadelphia" will perform at the Rotunda at 4012 Walnut Street, the release said. The headlining group, Friends, is a sextet lead by Glenn Bryan, a jazz pianist and Penn's director of community relations. Friends will play two sets of classic and modern jazz. The bill also includes Reginald Heigh, a West Philadelphia vocalist influenced by the vocal jazz of Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett. The second show, featuring local hip-hop acts, is set to take place on April 21. The bands include the Mountain Bros., the Unorthodox, Supreem da Regulater, Kode Craquer Clique and Rukus Ave. -- both of which feature Penn students -- and Mista Keyz, a reggae act. The Foundation aims to secure a space to hold concerts by night and provide a center for use by community groups during the day. -- Karlene Hanko Mask and Wig brings comedy groups together Tomorrow night students from five east coast colleges will convene at the downtown Mask and Wig Clubouse with the sole purpose of making people laugh as Penn sponsors the first annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival. Penn's own musical-comedy club, Mask and Wig, organized the event after realizing a need for college comedy groups to share their talents with both each other and a wider student audience, according to David Baronoff, a College senior and Mask and Wig member. "We have had some involvement with other groups in the past and thought that it was time to get more involved," Baronoff, said, adding that he doesn't know of any other conventions of college comedy groups such as this one. Mask and Wig members are very excited about the event and plan to expand it to schools all over the east coast, while creating a "new Penn tradition" at the same time. This year's groups are Mask and Wig, Princeton's Triangle Club, Brown's IMPROVidence, Cornell's Skits-O-Phrenics and the University of Maryland's Sketchup. Each group will showcase some of its best material. In addition, the festival will include celebrity involvement, with a special appearance by Bob Saget at tomorrow night's event. Showtimes are Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. -- Marina DeScenza U. forms search cmte. for new deputy provost University Provost Robert Barchi has charged a search committee to identify candidates for the position of deputy provost, the provost's chief advisor who oversees several University programs and resource centers. The position has been vacant since December 31, when Michael Wachter, who was serving as deputy provost and interim provost, stepped down from both posts to return to the Law School faculty. Nominations and applications for the position are due by May 1 and all candidates must be tenured faculty members. The committee will then evaluate the candidates and then present its recommendations to Barchi. Classical Studies Professor James O'Donnell will chair the eight-member committee, which consists of six faculty members -- including Engineering School Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education John Vohs and Vice Provost for Graduate Education Janice Madden. Two Penn students -- Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Bill Conway, a Wharton junior, and former Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Chairperson Sanjay Udani, a sixth-year doctoral student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, will round out the committee. The deputy provost position was created under former Provost Thomas Ehrlich, who served from 1981 to 1987, according to the Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons. She explained that the position was developed because the provostial responsibilities had increased. -- Catherine Lucey Blackwell presents plan for W. Phila. economy Well over 200 guests filed into the First District Plaza on Tuesday night to hear City Council member Jannie Blackwell -- who represents West Philadelphia -- announce her economic development strategy entitled "West Philadelphia on the Move." Fellow Council member Augusta Clark, who will step down from her seat this year, was one of many speakers -- including Democratic mayoral candidate Marty Weinberg -- who introduced Blackwell. "[Blackwell] is a loyal fierce advocate for the things she cares about," Clark said. "You can't frighten her about issues she cares about and that's what we need in elected officials." Greeted with a standing ovation, Blackwell -- who is up for re-election this year -- gave a presentation on the past progress and future improvements in her district. Blackwell's program targets cleaning graffiti, housing development and economic growth. Since Blackwell was elected in 1991, over $1 billion has been invested in her district. Sansom Common and Penn's cancer treatment center set to be built on the Civic Center site are projects that Blackwell has worked on in partnership with the University. -- Rod Kurtz
(04/07/99 9:00am)
'America's Mayor' will be the next Penn Law dean, sources said. Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell has been tapped to serve as the next dean of the Law School, University President Judith Rodin is set to announce today. Several sources close to the dean search committee confirmed yesterday that Rendell, whose second and final term as mayor expires on December 31, will succeed outgoing Dean Colin Diver, who announced his resignation last fall. "He wanted the job and he's the ideal candidate," said one source close to the search committee. "There was no way we were going to turn him down." Through a spokesperson, Rendell --Ea Penn alumnus whose son is now a University freshman -- declined to comment. Officials had earlier said that Rendell, who received his law degree from Villanova University, would teach at Penn after he leaves office, probably in the Urban Studies Department. It is unclear whether Rendell will go through with those already-confirmed plans. Before he was elected mayor in 1991, Rendell served two terms as Philadelphia's district attorney. He also worked in private practice for several years. Diver had announced upon his resignation that he would step down on July 1, meaning that there will be an interim period of at least six months before Rendell could officially take the reins of the school. During Diver's 10 years at the Law School, he has increased the faculty by one third, expanded facilities and academic support services and raised over $100 million for the school's activities and its endowment. The search committee had been advertising the position in national publications and spoke with every Law School faculty member and University Trustee to solicit suggestions. But once Rendell made it known to search committee chairperson and Wharton School Vice Dean Richard Herring that he wanted the job, the search essentially ended since "Rendell is the dopest dude in town," said Diver, who requested anonymity. Rendell was chosen over several other well-known names, according to documents obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian. Other finalists included O.J. Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochrane, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and former Provost Stanley Chodorow. But all of them were refused for various reasons. Cochrane, the documents said, was too "ethical," while Reno was dismissed as a candidate after a physical altercation between her and University President Judith Rodin. Chodorow, meanwhile, was ruled out since that's what always happens to him. The 53-year-old mayor -- who is widely credited for being the Messiah himself -- single-handedly fought back the forces of evil that were threatening to envelop the city in 1992 when he took office. He is also believed to have invented sliced bread and many Philadelphians are considering founding a new religion using him as their deity. Local officials have also proposed creating another Hard Rock Cafe in the city, using Rendell's face as the model for the restaurant's facade. The appointment means that the Wharton and Engineering deanships are the only major University positions remaining to be filled. Rodin estimated that the search committees would find someone within the next few months, which means there likely won't be permanent deans in either school until 2003. Student leaders were generally opposed to Rendell's selection, saying that they should have been consulted before the decision was made. A rally is planned for this week to protest the announcement.
(03/22/99 10:00am)
About 30 underage drinkers at parties thrown by Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi were cited by agents. The Pennsylvania State Police's Liquor Control Enforcement bureau shut down two off-campus sorority parties Saturday night and gave citations to approximately 30 underage students at the restaurants where the parties were being held. Within an hour and a half, LCE agents raided the Chi Omega party at Cutters at 20th and Market streets and the Pi Beta Phi event at Euro Cafe at 414 S. 2nd Street, handing out between seven and 10 citations at the first party and approximately 20 at the second, several sources said. Bouncers were checking identification at the doors of both parties, handing out wristbands at the Chi O party and stamping hands at the Pi Phi party to mark those over 21. When they raided the Pi Phi party, the agents gave underage drinkers the option of undergoing a breathalyzer test or admitting to drinking and receiving a summary offense that is not marked on a permanent record. A summary offense -- which is sent to the student's legal address -- involves paying a fine and attending an alcohol education class. According to a freshman who requested anonymity, the police said that if they discovered alcohol on the breath of a student who denied drinking and opted instead for the breathalyzer, they would write up an additional offense for lying to an officer. The freshman said she was told that this misdemeanor, unlike the summary offense, would go on her permanent record. Pi Phi Vice President of Moral Advancement Erin Murphy, a College sophomore, said the LCE monitored the Euro Cafe party with undercover agents before writing up citations. Euro Cafe manager Nick Ventura said the state police "gave some [students] a hard time" while investigating the establishment, which was forced to shut down between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. Saturday night. Panhellenic Council President Becca Iverson, a Chi O sister, said the LCE cited about seven to 10 underage drinkers at her sorority's party -- giving them court dates -- and shut down the Cutters party at approximately 11:45 p.m. The police did not use breathalyzers but "approached people who were holding drinks and asked to see ID," the College junior said. Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs officials said neither sorority is responsible for violating liquor laws, stressing that the establishments themselves are at fault. Yesterday, OFSA Assistant Director Tom Carroll said in regard to both parties that if the vendor was in violation of the liquor laws, it is the "establishment's responsibility." "The women weren't the ones carding, it was the establishment that was carding," said Carroll. Pi Phi President Alisa Plesco, an Engineering junior, said "all regulation was followed" with University and national chapter guidelines before authorities shut down the party. And Iverson said her sorority "followed all the rules" within OFSA, the University and the Chi Omega national chapter. Chi Omega President Lindsay Corbett, a Daily Pennsylvanian production manager and College junior, confirmed that Cutters' "bouncers were in charge of everything at the door." Cutters is closed on Sundays and could not be reached for comment. But Ventura said yesterday that "everything we did was legal" and that police have not taken action against the Euro Cafe yet, though he said he is meeting with legal advisors today. "We were not given a citation at all," Ventura said, adding that he spoke with the Cutters general manager last night to find out why the LCE searched both establishments. Ventura said the Cutters general manager claims Penn security notified the state police at 10 p.m. about where the parties were occurring. The LCE "only comes out if someone calls to make a complaint," he added. But University Police Chief Maureen Rush said yesterday that the LCE is spot-checking "all bars and restaurants in Center City" for underage drinking and "it's certainly not targeted at Penn." These are not the first times Penn students have been cited by LCE agents. In October, the LCE handed out nine citations at a downtown Kappa Alpha Theta party. In April 1996, agents cited 180 students for underage drinking at Spring Fling, and in March 1997, 33 students received citations after a midnight raid at the Palladium. At last year's Fling, the LCE issued citations to 19 students.
(03/05/99 10:00am)
The undefeated Penn wrestling team travels to Army in search of its fourth EIWA title in a row. The Penn wrestling team, ranked 13th in the nation, has compiled a 10-0-2 record en route to a fourth consecutive Ivy League title. Cornell -- right behind Penn at No. 14 -- tied the Quakers 16-16 on January 29 as the two squads finished '99 as Ivy co-champions. And Lehigh, No. 17, barely lost to Penn, 21-18, on February 12. But only one of these three teams will come out on top at the EIWA Championships this weekend at Holleder Center in West Point, N.Y. Which one of those teams is anyone's guess. On paper, Lehigh has the highest expected seeding in the EIWA but the Engineers have lost five meets this season. The Quakers, however, have won the last three EIWA titles. "Penn is balanced and has a stronger team from top to bottom," Harvard coach Jay Weiss said. Then again, three of the 10 Quakers are unseeded, while Cornell has all 10 of its wrestlers in the top six. "At every single weight we have guys capable of going to Nationals," Cornell head coach Rob Kohl said. "So we have as good a chance as anyone." Harvard, meanwhile, has an outside chance to sneak into the top three. The Crimson outlasted Penn and Cornell in the Ivy League Kickoff Classic in November but a recent 23-13 loss to Brown shows how far they have fallen. Besides crowning the EIWA team champion, the tournament also serves as a qualifier for Nationals. The top two wrestlers in each weight class, along with six wild cards, will advance to Penn State on March 18-20. Here is how each of the weight classes stack up: 125 lbs. Defending champion Jeremy Sluyter of East Stroudsberg is the favorite again. Penn's Justin Bravo will likely need to knock off Lehigh's Bruce Kelly in the semifinals to get a crack at Sluyter. This is a beneficial draw for Penn as Bravo pinned Kelly in just 39 seconds three weeks ago. Brown's Pete Poretta could surprise people as he looked strong in a 7-2 victory over Bravo last month. 133 lbs. This is arguably the weakest weight class since it contains no wrestlers ranked nationally. Princeton's Juan Venturi should be the top seed. His toughest competition will come from Brown's Livo DiRubbo and Cornell's Nate Rupp. Venturi beat Rupp 8-6 in a dual meet earlier this year. Penn's Jason Nagle won't be seeded but he wrestled DiRubbo close and upset the likely fifth seed, Harvard's Matt Picarsic. It would be no surprise if the Quakers senior found a way to place in the top six. 141 lbs. Harvard's Dustin DeNunzio, ranked No. 7 in the nation, is the returning champion. Penn's Mark Piotrowsky and Cornell's Ben New will likely battle in the semifinals for the right to face DeNunzio. Both are ranked in the top 15 nationally. Piotrowsky, however, is winless in five meetings with DeNunzio. 149 lbs. This will be the strongest weight class. Penn's Brett Matter, No. 4 in the nation, is the likely top seed. He is looking for a third EIWA championship. Lehigh's Ryan Bernholz, No. 6, and Cornell's Shawn Bradley, No. 9, are seeded second and third, respectively. They have beaten each other up this season, as Bradley defeated Matter, who then defeated Bernholz, who had already beaten Bradley. With these three wrestlers hailing from the top three teams, this weight class is vital in the race for the team championship. 157 lbs. Lehigh's Chris Ayres, No. 9 in the nation, should be the top seed. He defeated likely No. 2 seed Kevin Kurtz of Harvard 5-3 earlier this season and has won two of three matches against the probable No. 3 seed, Penn's Yoshi Nakamura. Nakamura and Kurtz, likely opponents in the semifinals, have wrestled twice this season. Kurtz won both by close margins -- 2-1 in the Kickoff Classic and 6-4 in sudden death at the Palestra. 165 lbs. This weight class is definitely loaded with explosive wrestlers. Penn's Rick Springman and Lehigh's Travis Doto have scored bonus team points -- awarded for major decisions, tech falls and pins -- in more than half of their matches. The wild card is Harvard's Joey Killar. Killar, No. 7 in the country, is 17-2 but has been out since January 5 with a rib injury. Doto will probably be the top seed on account of his 11-4 victory last month over Springman and upset of Killar in last year's EIWA semifinals. But the Lehigh junior is prone to upset losses -- he lost earlier this season to unseeded Nick Almeida of Brown. 174 lbs. Cornell's Joe Tucceri and Lehigh's Mark Dufresne are the top seeds. Penn's Ryan Slack was fifth at the EIWAs in 1997. He could place here in a weak weight class. 184 lbs. Lehigh's John Van Doren, No. 4 in the nation, will be the top seed. Three other wrestlers are ranked in the top 20 nationally, but all will have a tough time against the Engineers senior. Penn's Mike Gadsby is unseeded but could sneak into the top six with a strong tournament. 197 lbs. Penn's Andrei Rodzianko has not lost this season. He should continue his unbeaten ways this weekend. Rodzianko, No. 3 in the nation, will likely face national No. 11 Bob Greenleaf of Cornell in the finals. Rodzianko only won 4-3 when he faced Greenleaf in the dual meet season, but the Penn senior controlled the tempo of the match. On a side note, the Fletcher Award, given to the active wrestler with the most career EIWA points, is within Rodzianko's reach. With 50 points, the Quakers' senior trails only Ayres (54.5) and Van Doren (51). 275 lbs. Penn has not had an EIWA heavyweight champion since Mike Dorizas in 1916, but that could change this year, as senior Bandele Adeniyi-Bada is the likely No. 1 seed. Adeniyi-Bada defeated his probable semifinal opponent, Cornell's Seth Charles, 4-3 in a dual meet. He will likely face either Rutgers' Tom Petko or Lehigh's Shawn Laughlin in the finals. However, Adeniyi-Bada may still be hampered by a hand injury he suffered two weeks ago. · The tournament starts at noon today with the preliminary round. The semifinals begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow, with the finals to be held at 7 p.m.
(03/05/99 10:00am)
An anonymous couple offered the cash for ova matching certain traits. If you're a young woman who could use an extra $50,000, look no further. It's not the lottery, and there is a catch: you must be at least 5'10" with SAT scores of at least 1400 and you have be willing to give up your ova. That was the focus of an advertisement recently placed in the newspapers of several Ivy League and elite universities, including Penn, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford and California Institute of Technology. The married couple who placed the ad requested eggs from a tall, intelligent, athletic college-age girl who has "no major family medical issues." They also requested that all candidates have SAT scores of at least 1400. And the donor would receive a cool $50,000 for services rendered, the largest sum of money ever to be offered in exchange for an ova donation. The story has received local and national attention during the past two weeks, with articles running in The New York Times and The Philadelphia Daily News and television coverage on CNN, Fox News and WB Network Channel 17. The infertile couple, who wishes to remain anonymous, placed a $700 half-page advertisement in The Daily Pennsylvanian and several other top-tiered college newspapers with the help of attorney Darlene Pinkerton of the San Diego law firm Hitt & Pinkerton. Pinkerton told the Daily News that the couple is "trying to find a donor that resembles their family." In this spirit, the white couple wants to keep its child of the same race. The two have received upwards of 200 responses, according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. While Pinkerton appears to have no qualms with the couple's well financed search strategy, not everyone buys into her view. Six-foot-tall College freshman and Penn women's basketball team members Julie Epton said that while the money "definitely would be helpful with [paying for] school and maybe with medical school later on," she "just couldn't ever see doing that." She likened the couple's selection process to genetic engineering, saying, "I don't agree with that." "There are a lot of kids out there, kids that you can adopt, kids that no one wants who would love to be adopted," Epton added. While Epton would fall just short of the couple's specifications with her SAT score of 1390, Wharton freshman Marissa Tuchinsky fits the couple's description to a tee. At 5'11 1/2" inches tall with an SAT score of 1520, the former high school track and basketball star would make a perfect candidate. She said she was flattered that she fits the requirements, but that she "wouldn't feel comfortable having someone who is half my biological child wandering around, not knowing me." Tuchinsky said the health risks involved also deterred her from replying to the advertisement, even though friends and hallmates have been abuzz with the idea. "My mom is in the medical profession," she explained, "and she was worried I would mess up my own fertility." The egg harvesting procedure requires that the donor take hormones to enhance her ova production. College freshman Sarah Camp, a rower on the women's novice crew team, was intrigued enough by the advertisement she saw to e-mail in a response requesting more information. Camp, who estimates her height at between 6' and 6'1" meets the couple's description as well, with an SAT score of 1510. After learning about the harvesting process and thinking the prospect of donation over more carefully, Camp decided she would not apply. She said the fact that money was being offered in exchange for a human life bothered her. "I really don't think that there should be a market for this," she reflected.
(02/22/99 10:00am)
A new name. A new look. A new attitude. Today, we are proud to unveil our newest publication: dailypennsylvanian.com, or, as we like to call it, the Dot. Our guiding mission is to make the Dot interesting, relevant and fun for Penn students to read. At the heart of this approach is a unique feature called "Today's Special." Every weekday brings another installment of one of our five irreverent, off-beat and informative features. If it's Monday, it's time for our over-the-top advice on relationships, "He Said, She Said." Our two columnists -- one male and one female -- provide battling perspectives on provocative issues. Today's question: "Is your best friend's ex off-limits?" On Tuesday, the special is a "best-of" list. Past topics include the "Best Places to Study on Campus" and the "Best Places to Get Take-Out on Campus." Wednesdays mean Ivy Roundup -- news and opinion from student newspapers at the rest of the Ancient Eight. Want to know how Dartmouth students feel about their changing Greek system? This is the place to find out. On Thursday, we present a look at what's hot and what's not called "Quaker Watch." And if it's the weekend and you don't know what to do, head over to Friday's feature, the "Extended Going Out Guide." Presented in conjunction with 34th Street, the feature provides an extended listing of what is going on at Penn and in Philadelphia. But the site's original content doesn't end with "Today's Special." The Dot also offers three continuing series. "Spotlight on Student Groups" takes a look at a different student organization every Tuesday. You'll never have to wonder about all those student organizations you see lining Locust Walk again. Past editions have looked at Mask and Wig and Pennchants. This week, the Spotlight will shine on the Rap Line. And our weekly "Technology Today" feature focuses on issues like the ICQ revolution. The latest edition of "Technology Today," on-line now, ranks 10 popular MP3 search engines. Our newest feature, "Millennium Watch," is an off-beat look at issues surrounding the millennium. Look out for the first edition appearing next week. But the Dot is not just about fun features. We have games, too. Answer our daily trivia question correctly and you receive a point in our trivia contest. At the end of the semester, the contestants with the most points will win fabulous prizes. And we remain your on-line source for America's best college daily -- posted on-line by 4 p.m. every day. But if you can't wait to discover what is in the DP, you can find out early in our "Preview" section -- posted every night by 1 a.m. And while you are there, you can also find out what to wear to class the next day in our weather section. The Dot is also committed to keeping you informed at all times, and so we occasionally post breaking news and sports articles, including men's basketball and football results. We are excited about all our new initiatives and believe that Penn students will really enjoy them. However, we are constantly improving the site. Please let us know if you think we are doing a good job. Or if you don't. So if you are looking for features, articles, services and games that are interesting, useful and fun, surf on over to dailypennsylvanian.com. .innovative .exciting .entertaining .thedot
(02/03/99 10:00am)
The planned $2 million in changes include more computers and a cafe. The Rosengarten Reserve Room, currently one of the few 24-hour computer facilities open to all students, will undergo major renovations over the next several years that could make late-night studying a little less painful. Although Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Paul Mosher stressed that the project for the ground floor of Van Pelt Library is still in the "conceptual stage," preliminary plans have already been drawn by Library Facilities Project Manager David Mowl for the $2 million undertaking. Officials have thus far raised $1 million for the project through private donors. No timetable has been set for when the rest of the funding will be raised or when construction will begin. The new-and-improved Rosengarten would be equipped with six transparent but soundproof rooms for group study, a lounge with several couches and a "cybercafe," in addition to new carpeting, furnishings and computers. The addition of a cybercafe -- which will seat 40 to 50 students and be fully wired for laptop computers -- would allow students to take a study break without having to leave the library in search of food. The current faculty lounge and bathroom area will also be redone to make room for an outdoor seating area with four or five tables to be used by both students and library staff. "We kept hearing that students wanted a first-rate place to study that was adjacent to the materials they needed," Mosher said, admitting that the current facility has "all the charm of a Greyhound bus terminal." Associate Director of Library Public Services Patricia Renfro said library officials have already made attempts to separate the "quiet study" area behind the reserve books section from the more social space toward the front of the ground-floor facility. She added, however, that she hopes the renovations would better satisfy those looking for a quiet facility. Although the first floor of Van Pelt Library was renovated this summer, Mosher explained that the improvements still left many needs unmet. He said the major student-generated requests have been for a quiet, 24-hour facility that includes a place to "refuel." "I think a lot of the problem with Rosengarten is that it gets really loud," College freshman Lauren Plackter said. "If they have separate sections for socializing and group study, hopefully the other parts will be quieter." Most students agreed that they would find the cafe a convenient addition to the facility. "I like the idea of being able to get coffee without having to leave," said Engineering junior Kevin Dreyer, adding that the cafe would provide a good place for a study break.
(01/11/99 10:00am)
Boasting convenience and lower prices, they try to lure students. Going to a bookstore, waiting in line and even leaving your room to buy textbooks may soon become a thing of the past -- if on-line textbook stores have their way about it. At World Wide Web sites such as BigWords.com, VarsityBooks.com and A1Books.com, students can buy textbooks at prices that are up to 40 percent less expensive than at the University Bookstore, according to a sampling of four common textbook packages conducted by The Daily Pennsylvanian. The price of a new textbook for Biology 101, for example, was $89 at the University Bookstore and averaged $71.93 at three on-line companies that specialize in textbook sales, a difference of $17.07. The average difference in prices of new texts for Calculus 150, Economics 1 and Psychology 1 ranged from $3.44 to $5.52, with the on-line sellers providing the lower price in all instances. Not all of the on-line companies had each of the books, and those that did may have offered somewhat different packages or charged a fee for shipping. Campus Text, a local bookseller that currently operates out of the Christian Association building, offers two of the four texts, and only sells the other two as part of a package. Its price for the Econ book was lower than the bookstore, as well as the two on-line companies that sell it, and its Psych 1 text price fell within the range of the on-line sellers but below the price offered at the bookstore. Penn Bookstore Manager Dwayne Carter said he is not concerned about on-line booksellers hurting his store's business. "Right now, there is a small and exclusive customer base that wants to shop on line," Carter said. "I don't think it is going to affect us initially." Internet booksellers, however, pointed to the added convenience of buying through the Web, even though some consumers encounter slow search engines and worry about flawed security systems on the Web sites. "Standing in line, paying too much and hoping your book is in stock are definitely not required," said Matt Johnson, 23, founder and president of BigWords.com. BigWords.com, launched last September, was designed to offer students a cheaper alternative to the "massive mark-ups," Johnson said. In addition to selling textbooks, BigWords.com rents out the most expensive and most popular texts, such as books for Biology 101 and Psychology 1. They also have a book buy-back program. Books are delivered three to five days after they are ordered, and the shipping -- either through UPS or Airborne Express -- is free. BigWords.com also pays for the shipping for rented or returned books. VarsityBooks.com, another on-line textbook store, sets up accounts for the various schools it supplies. For each of the colleges, the company has a listing of many of its courses complete with the required textbooks. Although Penn is not yet listed, the company's campus representative, College freshman Kusi Hornberger, said it will be by next semester. Until Penn is listed on VarsityBooks.com's Web site, each book must be searched for separately. Unlike BigWords.com, VarsityBooks.com sells only new textbooks and does not have a buy-back program. VarsityBooks.com charges a flat fee for shipping depending on the type of handling necessary. "On-line buying is the wave of the future," Hornberger said. "It's cheaper and it's more convenient to buy from your room." Another Internet-based service, A1Books.com, has been advertising on campus. The company sells both new and "bargain" textbooks. "Bargain" books -- which sell for about 60 percent of the original price -- are not used but are in less-than-perfect condition from the publishers. A1Books.com has a specific page designed for Penn, listing the 10 most popular books ordered by students. The majority of those listed are computer programming and mathematics textbooks. Despite the potential monetary benefits of using on-line bookstores, students may find it difficult to find the necessary texts. The search engines for the sites are often difficult to navigate, and result in multiple unrelated responses to queries. "The best way to search would be to use the ISBN [International Standard Book Number]," Bates said. "But we're working on an advanced search engine to eliminate that 'fuzziness'." Hornberger said that VarsityBooks.com is also working to fix its search engine. Popular on-line bookseller Amazon.com does not focus its efforts on textbooks, but offers them for sale. The prices, however, tend to be the same or more expensive than the University Bookstore. Amazon.com also charges for shipping. University Bookstore's Carter said the bookstore will always have significant advantages over its on-line counterparts. "[The Penn Bookstore's] major advantage is that we take the PennCard [for purchases]," he said. "You can't use your PennCard at the on-line sites or at other booksellers on campus." Though on-line book selling has yet to catch on at Penn, some students say they would not be opposed to it. College sophomore Elaine Woo said she had thought about making such on-line purchases, but would only do so if it were a secure site so that her credit card information wouldn't be compromised. But Engineering junior Andrea Sultenfuss said she probably wouldn't want to buy a textbook in cyberspace. "I'm just not too into buying things on line," she said.
(12/03/98 10:00am)
Sources say Neurology Chairperson Robert Barchi will be named Penn's next chief academic officer. Reported by Yochi Dreazen, Michael Mugmon and Edward Sherwin The Daily Pennsylvanian After an exhaustive 11-month-long national search, Neurology and Neuroscience Department Chairperson Robert Barchi will be named the University's new provost today, sources close to the faculty- and student-composed provost search committee said yesterday. The expected announcement caps off months of feverish speculation and rumors about who would replace former Provost Stanley Chodorow. Although official channels remained silent yesterday about Barchi's imminent appointment, several knowledgeable sources confirmed that the 52-year-old physician and academic would be named the University's chief academic officer. "Barchi is the man," one source familiar with the committee's deliberations said yesterday. Barchi has been at Penn since earning his doctorate in biochemistry in 1972, and is widely seen as a strong-willed, dynamic leader with well-honed organizational skills. But despite having a strong academic reputation in the medical community, Barchi has no experience in liberal arts fields or in working with undergraduate students. Faculty and administrative circles had been abuzz in recent weeks with speculation as to who would replace Chodorow, who resigned last October, and when the successor would be named. The rumor mill went into overdrive yesterday when University President Judith Rodin told the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate that the post would be filled before the end of the year, according to several faculty members with knowledge of the meeting. "[Rodin] said there would be an announcement before Christmas," said one professor who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "That was quite a bombshell to the Senate Executive Committee." Michael Wachter has served as interim provost since January 1 of this year. Wachter refused to comment yesterday and it is unclear when he will step down and whether he will return to his former position of deputy provost. No official announcement has been made on Barchi's imminent appointment and University President Judith Rodin refused to comment yesterday. Outgoing Wharton School Dean Thomas Gerrity, the chairperson of the provost search committee, could not be reached for comment last night, but had previously refused to comment on specific candidates. Barchi, who lives in Gladwyne, Pa., with his wife and two children, could not be reached for comment last night. People familiar with Barchi's professional and academic work, however, were quick to praise the graduate of North Philadelphia's St. Joseph's Preparatory School. "He's highly experienced; he's smart; he's thoughtful [and] he's assertive," said Medical School Dean William Kelley, who is also the chief executive officer of Penn's health system and oversees both the clinical and academic aspects of Barchi's department. "Bob Barchi will be wonderful for the job." And while Barchi's lack of experience outside the Medical School may steepen the learning curve as he moves from Hamilton Walk to Locust Walk, sources familiar with the process to date stressed that they were confident he'd be able to make the adjustment successfully. "I'm not at all concerned about Barchi's lack of liberal arts or undergraduate experience," one highly placed source said. "He brings a lot of strengths to the table. He's a clear thinker, very well-organized and has a great understanding of the issues affecting the University." Barchi's imminent appointment caps off a long and at times frustrating year for the 16-member provost search committee. In June, the search committee sent Rodin a list of four external candidates for the position, several sources said in October. But the panel reconvened in September after one of the candidates dropped out and three were rejected for reasons ranging from poor recommendations to a resume which may have misrepresented a candidate's qualifications. At about the same time, outgoing Law School Dean Colin Diver said that several deans had approached him about taking the vacant provostship, an invitation he declined. Barchi's appointment comes at a time of rapid administrative transition at the University. New deans for the School of Arts and Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences were named in January, although three other top posts remain open. The deanship of the School of Engineering and Applied Science has been vacant since May, when former Dean Gregory Farrington left to assume the presidency of Lehigh University. Additionally, Gerrity and Diver announced separately on October 6 that they were planning to step down from their positions as deans next summer. Search committees have been formed to fill the Engineering, Wharton and Law posts, along with vacancies at the helms of the Institute for Contemporary Art and the Fels Center of Government. Barchi graduated from Georgetown University in 1968 with both a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in cell biology. He earned his doctorate from Penn in 1972 and his medical degree a year later. After his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Barchi joined the Neurology Department's faculty with secondary appointments in Biochemistry and Biophysics. He has chaired the Neuroscience Department since 1992, and the Neurology Department since 1995. He is also the author of more than a hundred published scholarly papers, and is a member of numerous professional and scientific organizations. Barchi has held a variety of positions at Penn, including a stint as a vice dean of the Medical School, and has served on a number of University committees, including chairing a task force charged with creating a new interdisciplinary program in cognitive neuroscience at Penn, one of the academic goals of Rodin's Agenda for Excellence.
(11/18/98 10:00am)
College freshman Lisa Vaccarelli pulled a little black dress over her tall, slender frame, flipped back a mass of auburn curls and turned to her close friend and fellow College freshman Melody Meyer at about 11 p.m. on a recent Saturday night. "Do I look all right?" Vaccarelli asked. "You look beautiful -- I promise," Meyer said as she flashed a reassuring smile, finished adjusting her silver necklace and smoothed out her black-and-gray ensemble. In an hour or so, the girls, who are both residents of the second floor of the Quadrangle's Speakman section, would head out to a Kappa Sigma cocktail party. But for the students that didn't receive the exclusive -- at least by Quad standards -- invitation, there were still plenty of parties to choose from. For many of the 40 freshmen on the floor, whose experiences starting life at Penn and getting through midterm exams have already been chronicled by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Saturday night and partying are synonymous, as they have been for ages. The students are bouncing around with that wide-eyed excitement that freshmen get when they realize that there are a lot of parties to head to and no curfew -- and that anything can happen. Getting Ready Almost every freshman can attest to being well informed of that weekend's party options. "We get five or six fliers a weekend," said Meyer, surveying the brightly colored paper rectangles strewn across the threshold to her room. How many of those invites they'll actually consider is a matter of personal choice. Some begin partying on Thursday and continue straight through Saturday night, while others, burdened with classwork, merely settle for Friday and Saturday. Going out on Saturday, however, is rarely debated, the freshmen say. For many, the question is just which party to go to. On this night the choices include an unofficial "gathering" at Phi Gamma Delta and huge blow-outs at Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Kappa Sigma, along with the Kappa Sig invitation-only cocktail party. "I usually will go to a few different parties," College freshman Robbie Smith said as he finished shaving and slipped on a blue plaid shirt. At the other end of the hall, College freshmen Sam Cox and John Carroll tossed around a ping pong ball as they got psyched up over a mean game of beer pong, a popular drinking game. For others, though, the pre-partying was more calm. "Most nights we'll drink in our rooms before we go out," said one freshman who asked to remain anonymous. "Beer for the guys, and more girl stuff -- like mixed drinks --for the ladies." However, even on a Saturday night, some freshmen opt to retire to their rooms with the door shut. One freshman, who also spoke anonymously -- and reluctantly, because he didn't want to suggest that people on the hall did things other than party -- explained that he was settling down to study. "We are here to learn," he said. Others are here to sleep. "I have a race tomorrow," said New Jersey native and devoted crew-team member Paul Tomlin with a sigh. But besides the dedicated few, the freshmen are ready to head out. Going Out At half past 11, five guys got themselves together, made the last strokes with their Mach 3 razors and threw on some cologne. At about the same time, four girls emerged in strappy heels, knee-length skirts and lots of gray. After slipping on their pea coats, they too were ready. But unlike in the first few weeks of school, the male and female parts of the hall no longer automatically travel as one unit. "In the beginning, everyone went out together. Now you see more people going out with their own group of friends. Maybe we'll all meet up somewhere, but maybe not," said Engineering freshman Jana Weiss, who hails from California. There are additional fissures: A few skipped over the frat parties in favor of off-campus house parties, while others left campus altogether to hit the downtown scene. "I've found that I'm going to less and less frat parties," said College freshman Rachel Reader, who said she experienced the large-party scene during her high school years in Larchmont, N.Y. Instead, she's found that her membership in the Penn Singers choral group has introduced her to upperclassmen who often throw house parties, which are often smaller, non-Greek and involve more people who are acquainted with the hosts. Tomlin's sport affords him a similar window: "The crew guys will let us know what's going on off campus," he said. Those off-campus parties can be pretty weird, though, the freshmen said. For example, Tomlin was shocked when he arrived at what was supposed to be a party where everyone would be wearing only two pieces of clothing "I brought my 16-year-old sister to the two-piece party, except when we go there it was basically zero-piece," he said. "She wanted to stay, but I dragged her out." For Reader, the search for something different can also drive her in the opposite direction: into Center City. "Often we'll go to a concert, the museum or just hang out at South Street," she said. Her roommate, College freshman Crystal Lee, was of like mind. "I'm sick of the whole drinking scene. Two weeks ago I went down to hear the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra -- it was amazing -- and I've also been going to a lot of movies on the weekend," she said. Nevertheless, the downtown devotees find these outings are less popular with their hallmates than the usual on-campus freshmen activities. "Unfortunately, not everyone wants to take advantage of Philadelphia, but I came to school in a city for a reason," Weiss said. Partying Down On this night, Vaccarelli and her friends will be heading west for a party at SAE after Kappa Sig, while some of the boys are starting out at FIJI. Compared to the evening's other events, Kappa Sigma is a fairly small-scale affair. Outside, a brother shivers in the cold night air as he stands guard at the door, ensuring that the masses don't storm their bar or ruin the quiet, dimly lit ambience. Inside, the normal frat-party rap soundtrack rolls on, seemingly a sharp contrast to the boys in blazers and the girls sipping daintily out of their glasses. Couples wander into the dark corners of the dance floor or to the even darker nooks and crannies of the house. For the more daring there's even a ladder up to the roof where the romantic can view the the city lights. For many of the freshmen, the intimate atmosphere is preferable to larger parties. "I like smaller parties like cocktail parties much more than the bigger frat parties because they're more intimate and you actually have a chance to talk to people," Meyer said. Intimacy was in short supply at Phi Kap, which has wasted little time this fall turning its Locust Walk house -- which belonged to a more-quiet sorority for a few years after Phi Kap lost its charter -- into a party center to compete with the best of them. Cheap beer spilled across the floor, strobe lights and music throbbed and the brothers at the door made sure the students were packed in like sardines. "Its really hard to just dance with your friends at huge parties," Vaccarelli said. Furthermore, for every circle of girls, there always seemed to be two or three guys trying to push themselves in. The strategy often works. "I'd say there's a lot of guys in the hall coming back with a hook-up," College freshman Gregory Wong said. "But I've seen them in action, and I don't know how they do it." Nevertheless, the Speakman girls know that the wrong choice is often regretted the next day. "Hook-ups can be so awkward," said one female, "like when you see the guy on the walk the next day and you have no idea what to say so you just pretend you don't see him." A few blocks from Phi Kap, SAE was in full swing, and true to tradition, seemed to the most popular place to be. Crawling over the walls, hanging by the house's trademark lions and wandering the floors, the freshmen tried not to slip on the puddles of Natty Light beer while getting down to a medley of '80s songs. By this time Vaccarelli and Meyer had dragged their friends to the crowded party, and their expertly coiffed cocktail look loosened up as they wandered around arm in arm, greeting friends and hallmates. After the music had died down, the freshmen knew it was time to get home -- if they could. "I once fell asleep in the Wharton garden," Carroll said. "Another time I got back to the dorm but slept in front of [Residential Advisor] Bryan [Grossman]'s door. Someone put a blanket over me in the hall. His explanation: "I, uh, get tired sometimes," he said, laughing. For those with slightly more energy, the Wawa convenience store is just a short walk -- or stumble -- away. Huddled over the plastic tables, slushies in hand, the freshmen gathered to relive the night's adventures and stock up on candy for late-night chatting sessions back at the dorm. Smith sat laughing with his friends by the Spruce Street window and took a bite of his pizza. "It's been a good night," he said.
(11/11/98 10:00am)
Undergraduate Engineering Dean John Vohs answered questions at a SCUE dinner last night. How will the University help bioengineers find jobs? How will the Computer Science Department continue to attract high-quality professors when the job market in private industry is so lucrative? How does an Engineering senior balance academics and job searches? John Vohs, the undergraduate dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, tried to answer these and other questions over dinner with 15 budding engineers at the Faculty Club last night. The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education sponsored the forum as part of its "Dinner with the Deans" program. "SCUE sees this as a wonderful opportunity to increase communication between undergraduates and the dean responsible for each student's education," said College junior Jason Schaechter, a SCUE member who helped organize the event. Engineering junior Sarah Winnacker said she worried that the school's emphasis on theory over specifics would make it more difficult for graduates to compete for jobs. "Clearly you need a balance between the two. You don't want too much theory or too much application," Vohs replied. He continued by stating that specific knowledge can be useful in the short run, but, in the long run, a good theoretical background is indispensable. When asked about the difficulties of hiring Computer Science faculty, Vohs admitted that "the job market is extremely strong" but that the University has still been able to hire highly competent professors. Cathy La Rocco, an Engineering junior, asked Vohs how students should balance their studies with the job hunt. "There is clearly a difficult balance to be drawn there," Vohs responded, adding that students should limit time to their most desirable job prospects. On the subject of bioengineering job prospects, Vohs said the University was trying to get more recruiters on campus. Engineering senior Chris Wallgren wondered about whether academics were being ignored in favor of new construction projects. "They've built a lot of nice malls, [but] we've lost three or four deans, a provost," he said. Vohs pointed to the recently implemented college house system -- which provides more academic services in residences -- as an example of an academic development and noted that deans tend to move on to other positions toward the eighth or ninth year of their terms. Many students said they enjoyed the intimate discussion. Winnacker suggested that the concept could extend beyond dinner with just the deans. "I think that faculty would be open to ideas presented in forums like this one," she suggested. On Monday SCUE is sponsoring a dinner with Wharton Undergraduate Dean Richard Herring. College students will have the opportunity to dine with their dean, Richard Beeman, next month.
(11/10/98 10:00am)
University President Judith Rodin and Interim Provost Michael Wachter took the first step toward filling two significant holes in Penn's academic administration by appointing search committees yesterday to replace the outgoing deans of the Wharton School and the Law School. Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity and Law School Dean Colin Diver caught many by surprise when they independently announced their resignations October 6. Both said they would not officially step down until the end of the fiscal year -- June 30, 1999 -- and planned to stay on at Penn as faculty members in their respective schools. These two new committees join four others already formed to fill voids in the University's administrative fabric. Wachter announced earlier this month the creation of committees to find a new dean for the School of Engineering and Applied Science and directors for the Fels Center of Government and the Institute of Contemporary Art. In addition, an 11-member committee chaired by Gerrity has been at work for the last 10 months searching for a replacement for former Provost Stanley Chodorow, who announced his resignation in October 1997. Sources close to the committee said last month that the group had sent Rodin a "short list" of four external candidates in June, but that the committee was sent back to work in September. "We are fortunate that so many thoughtful individuals were willing to commit their time an energy to these important searches," Wachter said. "I know that the chairs and committee members will work vigorously to fill these positions with the most talented scholar-leaders in the world." The Wharton search committee is chaired by Graduate School of Fine Arts Dean Gary Hack, who is also heading up the group searching for a new ICA director. The committee will be charged, or given formal instructions, by Wachter next week. Hack said the committee needs to "organize" itself before it gets down to work, but indicated that Gerrity's successor may be in place when he leaves office next summer after nine years in the dean's office. "I don't have a timetable in my mind at the moment," Hack said. "My sincere hope is that we'll have someone in place when he steps down." Gerrity said he is stepping down so he can spend more time with his family. He indicated last month that he expects his replacement to be named by next June, and will have no official role in choosing his successor. Joining Hack on the 12-person committee are seven faculty members, two students and two members of the University Board of Trustees. The search committee to replace Diver, who came to Penn from Boston University in 1989 and who is leaving his post because he wants to return to full-time teaching and research, will be chaired by Wharton Undergraduate Dean Richard Herring. School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston, six faculty members from inside and outside the Law School and two Law students also sit on the committee. Daniel Garodnick, a second-year Law student on the committee, said the body will first meet next Monday.
(11/06/98 10:00am)
From Michael Pereira's, "Vox," Fall '98 From Michael Pereira's, "Vox," Fall '98Technology affects the way we live and learn. Guttenberg's press and the vernacular Bible facilitated development and differentiation in Europe in the early modern period. Newspapers and other print media have forged a powerful sense of community within nations. Information has built consensus and fostered dissent, depending on time, place and presentation. Here at Penn -- specifically in the College of Arts and Sciences, as opposed to Wharton or Engineering -- learning and technology have not really proceeded apace. Most classes are conducted as if the past two decades never happened, willfully excluding advances in technology from the regular, degrading cycle of lecture and multiple-choice test. This is the kind of educational omission you wouldn't notice until you're exposed to its benefits; afterwards, you wonder how class happened without it. Perhaps because he's new to the school and not yet grounded in stale pedagogical traditions, Political Science Professor David Rousseau has become a pioneer in the integration of education and technology. I talked to Rousseau about his interests and experience with educational technology, his teaching methods and their reception and his projections for the future. Learning, he says, is not a unitary process. It can be passive -- for example, reading a book, watching a video or listening to a lecture -- or it can be active: discussing articles, asking questions, probing readings and debating issues. To Rousseau, the latter constitutes the heart of a liberal arts education. It is the development of critical thinking skills that counts; the rest is background -- necessary, but not sufficient. Education technology presupposes this philosophy -- and thereby facilitates a more efficient allotment of resources, the most important of which is class time. The real strength of education technology, Rousseau says, is that it allows faculty members to clearly separate passive and active learning. For example, in his undergraduate class International Political Economy, a whole matrix of class-related information is posted on the course's World Wide Web site. This includes static information -- unchanging items such as the student list, syllabus and general Web links -- as well as dynamic items which are updated every week: overhead slides for upcoming lectures and weekly written assignments. The theory behind this is that providing students with an outline of lectures provides a framework for notetaking and a foretaste of the information to be discussed. Students can interrogate the content of lectures rather than simply trying to transcribe what's said. The course Web page also expands the purview of the class. Every item mentioned in class -- and even some related items implicit in course readings -- can be explored from the Web page and brought to bear on discussion. The volume and variety of related material that the Web page makes accessible works reciprocally with assigned readings: it enables students to make their own research schedules, to explore those subjects that interest them and to gain access to the most recent scholarship and information. Links from the course site include recent newspaper or journal articles published after the course pack was created, short video clips, Web pages associated with organizations under discussion, historical data (in tabular or textual format) and primary sources ranging from Census documents to diplomatic correspondence. People, and students, tend to fear novelty. But Rousseau's Web page is designed to accommodate students at any level of computer literacy. In a feedback form filled out after a midterm, 84 percent of his students said the use of technology greatly or somewhat aided the learning process. Informally, many students commented that having overhead slides available before class makes note-taking much easier. In effect, the course Web page and the interactive lecture format is analogous to having a small Rosengarten Reserve dedicated to the class, available at a few clicks of the mouse. So what are the drawbacks? Why, if there are so many benefits, are there so few teachers capitalizing on the educational opportunities of technology? Rousseau attributes this to a supply and demand problem: Across the country universities are just beginning to tap the potential of emerging educational technologies. Demand tends to be quite low because faculty members are simply unaware how the general technology can be used in their specific classroom. Once students and faculty start to demand video on course pages, and once faculty begin to realize the Web's potential -- when they learn, for instance, how simple server-based scripts can be used for surveys, quizzes, interactive exercises, etc. -- the demand for scripts, Rousseau says, will explode. Political Science Department Chairperson Ian Lustick corroborated this supply and demand hypothesis in a recent conversation. His efforts to incorporate his Windows-based evolutionary models into his lecture schedule for next semester have left him searching for an adequate classroom. The College, it seems, does not yet have the resources to accommodate the inevitable evolution in teaching. For example, Rousseau's teaching assistant, Bruce Newsome, had little assistance in his successful initiative to post exemplary material on the Web. Though staff at the School of Arts and Sciences Faculty Prep Center and SAS Instructional Computing were available to help Rousseau digitalize video and develop scripts, most machines on campus do not have speakers or sound cards. Most students have had to scramble to a number of locations to find multimedia-capable machines. The best place to go seems to be the SAS Multi-Media Education Technology Services located in the David Rittenhouse Laboratories. The supply and demand problem can and should be remedied to prepare Penn and specifically the College for a teaching revolution that seems both imminent and inevitable. The administration should consciously create demand by exposing students and faculty to the potential of the electronic medium. This can be done, Rousseau suggests, by disseminating information: A Web page that displays examples of educational technologies; brown bag talks by faculty using new technologies; presentations at departmental meetings; and outreach to specific faculty requesting assistance. Indeed, some of these activities are underway, but Penn could also benefit from the example of other institutions. At Penn State, for instance, "Web teams" comprised of students are set up to help faculty transform the lecture format of large introductory classes. These teams act as conduits of institutional knowledge -- archives of what was done in past semesters -- and provide essential skills and labor. At Wake Forest, the administration has accelerated the demand for new technology by investing directly in faculty development. Fostering demand requires addressing the supply side simultaneously. SUNY-Buffalo offers what Rousseau calls an ideal model for dissemination and supply functions: the "Web pool." Comprised of both students and regular staff, the Web pool would have skills ranging from the ability to create simple course Web pages to the ability to write complex Java applets. Faculty members requiring specific assistance would be assigned a student with appropriate skills. Like Penn State's Web teams, the Web pool develops and retains institutional knowledge. On top of that, it has the advantage of a low fixed cost: students are paid on an hourly basis, so more students can be hired in response to increased demand and there will not be a lot of idle capacity when demand falls. The presence of technology adds value to classes like Rousseau's. Its full potential has yet to be realized on campus, but as innovations inevitably happen -- as the integration of teaching and technology becomes more seamless -- the demand for technology's benefits will become everywhere apparent.
(11/05/98 10:00am)
Top positions are vacant in the Engineering School, ICA and Fels Center of Government. Interested in running a high-profile engineering school or art gallery? How about a struggling school of government? Good news: A job at the University of Pennsylvania could be yours, as Penn has formed three search committees in the last week to fill vacant posts in the University's administration, including that of Gregory Farrington, the former dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Committees to find new directors for the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Fels Center of Government have also just been assembled. While Interim Provost Michael Wachter praised the committees for the quality of their members, he asserted that there are no firm timetables for finding new administrators. "We are very fortunate to have talented and committed committee members and chairs, who will drive these search committees to their successful ends," he said. "We would obviously like these positions filled as quickly as possible, but searches take time given the need to identify and recruit the best person to fill the position." Farrington announced his resignation May 21, effective in August, to assume the presidency of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. In July, Penn named Chemical Engineering Professor Eduardo Glandt as the school's interim dean until it could find a permanent replacement. The 11-member committee to find a replacement for Farrington is chaired by Operations and Information Management Professor Morris Cohen. The committee was "charged," or given formal instructions to proceed with the search, Friday by Wachter and University President Judith Rodin. "We've met, and that's all we've done," Morris said. "I expect that we'll be working at this through the academic year." Six professors, one alumnus, Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg School for Communication and two students -- one undergraduate and one doctoral candidate -- join Cohen on the committee. The Fels search committee faces a much more daunting task: trying to resurrect a program that the University has in recent years considered dissolving. Fels, which offers only a Master of Government Administration degree, was formerly run out of the Graduate School of Fine Arts but is now operated by the provost's office. An attempt to lure top American politics scholar Paul Light to Fels' directorship fizzled over the summer, as Light chose to remain in his current position with the Pew Charitable Trusts, a Philadelphia-based philanthropy. The seven-member committee, charged last Wednesday, is chaired by Political Science Professor Jack Nagel. Vice Provost for Graduate Education Janice Madden, a member of the Fels committee, said that the committee is "focused" on a national search for a new director, adding that the committee has already discussed several potential candidates. The other search committee aims to replace Patrick Murphy, who resigned in September as head of the 35-year-old ICA after eight years on the job for a position in Dublin. The ICA -- which has displayed the works of such controversial artists as Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano -- moved to its current location at 36th and Sansom streets in 1991 and is overseen by the provost's office. GSFA Dean Gary Hack is chairing the committee. Committee member Bonnie Gibson, the executive director of administrative affairs in the provost's office, said the committee -- which receives its charge next Thursday -- has not met yet formally and does not have any timetable. Wachter said that the University has yet to form search committees to replace outgoing Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity and outgoing Law School Dean Colin Diver, both of whom announced their resignations last month, effective next summer. Wachter said that the committees would be formed "very shortly."
(10/31/98 10:00am)
But no matter their incomes, Swamis emiriti come to Homecoming in style -- magic carpets are the only way to fly. After we lost many of our own to the dreaded plague that is graduation, we felt it fitting to fly off in search of six of our recent grads. To our shock and dismay, we found one of our recent losses still within walking distance of good old West Philly. Half-Pint was more than eager to talk about his life as a paralegal. "It's got its moments," he said. "There's no heavy lifting." Half-Pint came to Penn as just another sports writer, but a unique defect turned out to be a blessing. "My hair's always ridiculous," Half-Pint said. "[The turban is] why I wanted to be a Swami." But times have been rough for our former leader, as he was recently thrown out of Van Pelt Library for having an expired PennCard. We then paid a visit to Not That, who is clearly putting his $120,000 education to good use as a concert manager for a local chamber music group. But do not be so quick to judge, my turbanless readers, for Not That was a music major who claims this is exactly what he wants to be doing. "Unlike all Penn students who major in something just to have a major, I actually used it for my career," Not That said. When it came down to making his picks, however, Not That was all business. "My money's on Penn? if I had money to bet," he said. After witnessing another Swami without an outlet for his prognosticating powers, we knew the CT Kid would come through. But the first words out of his mouth almost made the turbans pop right off our heads. "Right now I'm working for Mobil over in New Jersey," he said, "as a chemical engineer, not like a gas station attendant. If I work real hard, I can become manager of a Quickie Mart too." Quickly growing tired of the City of Brotherly Love, we dusted off our carpets and went in search of some of our more adventurous brethren. Jasper was seen just a few blocks from the butt of many a Swami jest -- the football factory that is Columbia. "It's rough living the life of a sky blue pansy," said the law student. "Here every football win they tear down the goalposts, because they only win one a decade." Our final '98 graduate, Tequila, is working back home in West Hartford, Conn., still hoping to return to the Ivy League for law school. "I was a Swami, but I can't put that on my resume," Tequila said. Alas, we Swamis have still not figured out how to use our powers to sway admissions officers, although we have a committee working diligently to make it happen. We started our trip home with our carpets slightly frayed, wondering if we would face the same fate as our elders. Was there no justice in the world? But then we saw a ray of light in the distance. It was Available, hard at work for the Daytona Beach News Journal. Reminiscing about her work as a Swami produced an intriguing conclusion. "There's a lot more going to the beach here," Available said. "Otherwise it's pretty much the same." While our tour of Swamis past was not as comforting as we had hoped, we learned a valuable lesson from Available. For no matter where we are, our turbans will never prevent us from getting the perfect tan.
(10/31/98 10:00am)
Mike Germino is one of the biggest reasons for Penn's defensive success, but if he had it his way, no one would know. Germino does not like to give interviews. In fact, he's given only one all year. To me. For the better part of thirty seconds. I thought it was a bit puzzling when he did not stick around after practice earlier in the year when his name was requested for the post-practice reporter's feeding frenzy. Usually, players like to get their names in the papers, I thought. But that was where I first went wrong. Mike Germino is not the usual football player. Germino was widely recruited in high school not only for his ability to play one of any number of positions well, but also for his academic skills. Penn coach Al Bagnoli remembered his attempts to lure Germino to Philadelphia. "We tried to recruit him in high school," Bagnoli said. "I actually made a home visit, so we knew all about him. "He was a very talented kid, a kid who could play probably three or four different positions -- fullback, defensive end, linebacker, defensive tackle." But Bagnoli and Penn apparently did not have everything Germino was looking for. "We lost him to Boston University on a full scholarship," Bagnoli said. Germino joined a struggling Boston program, which went 2-20 in his first two years there. He played offense and defense for the Terriers, averaging 5.4 yards per carry at fullback and working his way up to starting defensive end. Then, on October 25, 1997, the team was informed that the Trustees of Boston University unilaterally voted to drop football. Without discussion, without warning, the Trustees erased a team only four years removed from an undefeated season. Betrayed and sold-out, Boston University football players either has to swallow the decision or look elsewhere. So rather than finish out his career at Boston without football, Germino chose to come to Penn. "When they dropped football, it was a pretty logical progression for us to try to follow up on him and get him here because of his academics," Bagnoli said. Unlike most of the varsity squad, Germino took a long, winding road to Franklin Field. And I thought it would make a good story. I kept calling Sports Information and was usually met with quite a chuckle when I kept asking for Germino, who had first started working out with the team last spring and ended up in the starting lineup in the fall. "I though he had a chance [to start] given the success he had at BU," Bagnoli said. "We knew he was a real good football player, it was just a question of how fast he could adapt to this system." But Germino did not just catch the eye of his coaches. Perhaps more importantly, his teammates took notice. "In spring ball, I kind of saw him as you'd see a freshman. He's coming in and he doesn't really know the system," junior defensive lineman Brent Stiles said. "I don't know about the coaching staff, but obviously [as] a first-year player, you're not going to expect them to come in and start making contributions right away. "But towards the end of spring ball it was obvious that he would be able to make some sort of contribution whether it be as an outside pass rusher on passing downs or whatever." His mere presence on the field lit a spark under every defensive lineman on the team. Defensive coordinator Mike Toop said a lot of the other linemen's performances were made possible by Germino's play. "I think the biggest thing that Mike has brought aside his ability [is his] tremendous competitive spirit," Toop said. "There's no question that he stepped up the competition level dramatically at that position." A junior transfer fights his way into the starting lineup. A football player comes to Penn from a folded program. A quick learner earns the respect of his teammates. There were a million ways to spin this story. And I just needed one. A few more stops to practice revealed a portrait of a bright, talented player -- one that I still hadn't interviewed. "What I like about him is the kid's motor is always going, his engine's always running 100 miles an hour," Bagnoli said. "And he brings a little bit of tenacity to that defensive line. That's what you need there. You need someone with a little bit of energy, you need someone to have a little competitiveness, you need someone who's going 100 miles [an hour] the whole time." Ed Carpenter, director of sports information at Boston University, recalled Germino in his two years there. "He was a really intense player, and very intelligent," Carpenter said. "He's a really smart kid." Coupling his brain with his brawn, it's no wonder Germino has made such a splash in so little time at Penn. "His reaction time off the ball is phenomenally fast," Stiles said. "So even if he doesn't know exactly what to do, he makes up for it with his athleticism." Penn co-captain and free safety Joe Piela said he felt Germino's impact as early as the team's first scrimmage against Millersville. "They got the ball and they started driving down the field a little bit," the senior said. "We got back in the huddle after they made a couple of plays, and he just went off. He started yelling and screaming at guys, 'What's going on, what are we doing? Let's step it up and make some plays.' "Right then and there I knew that his presence was going to be felt and he was going to make a difference on this team." After the Brown game and weeks of pestering, the Penn Sports Information director called me and told me that Germino -- the man who Piela said brought "attitude" to the Quakers defense -- would talk to me at practice. So this was it. I had finally gotten Germino to agree to an interview. Here was my chance. But oh, how little I had learned. He walked up to me after practice, still in his pads. As I introduced myself, he gave me a look and a grip that made me think how glad I was that I was just a little shit reporter and not lined up across from him. I asked him to talk about his career at Boston. "I'm at Penn, let's talk about Penn. I don't want to talk about that." A little taken back, I asked him why he chose Penn. He answered me with no hesitation and absolute conviction in a voice that registered nothing but absolute business. "I chose to come to Penn because it's a winning program. We have winning coaches and this team has a great attitude. I lost a lot of games at Boston University and I came here to win." I should have ended it there. I should have known that that statement summed up everything he was about and everything I could ever hope to glean from him in a 1,000 interviews. He came here to win. But I pressed, and he, visibly annoyed, said, "Can we talk about the game on Saturday? I don't want to do a personal history." So now I'm doing a personal history on Mike Germino. And in swallowing all of the hero worship and jingoistic banter that sports writing has become, I forgot the most important thing about the man. He's a football player. Let him play football.
(10/27/98 10:00am)
They're just looking for a few interesting people. This past week, the Philomathean Society -- Penn's oldest student organization -- conducted a series of interviews in search of new members. Philo, as it is more commonly known, was founded in 1813 as a student government group. Over the years, it has evolved into a literary society, but even this broad term cannot fully describe the club. In the beginning, the club was comprised of all 50 members of the Penn senior class. Today, the society continues to limit its membership to 50, and currently has 37 members. "Philo is, if nothing else, a collection of what its members do," said Wharton and Engineering senior Eugene Huang, the Philomathean moderator. "We have individuals involved in every facet of the University. Essentially, the society's purpose today is to enhance the learning of individuals, just as it did in 1813. Philo is a place to make things happen," Huang explained. The past is something the society holds very sacred. Within the confines of Philo's offices on the fourth floor of College Hall are its archives, housing the original charter, the cornerstone of old College Hall, records of all kind and even a direct cast of the Rosetta Stone which the society translated into English in 1859. "The history of Philo parallels the history of the University and of Philadelphia," said College junior Peter Martelli, the society's archivist. "I really appreciate Philo as a place for academic discussion to thrive, a breeding ground so to speak." The society even boasts seven United States senators, two ambassadors and an attorney general among its list of alumni. Eli Price, the founder of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was also a member. Philo's offices include an extensive library with books donated solely by the members, and an art gallery which used to be the premier place to exhibit art in all of Philadelphia. But what exactly is Philo? Any member responds with the group's motto, "Philo is as Philo does." Activities range from human chess matches on College Green, to the annual publication of Philomel, the society's own literary journal. Meetings are held every other Friday at 8 p.m. and are open to the public. "Events that Philo holds are spontaneous and uncalculated, whatever the members choose to do," Huang said. "In Philo, the limits are your limits. We bring together the academic, scholarly, literary and social aspects of the University in a very unique way." Huang insists that there is no single type of Philo member. The society is just looking for "interesting" people. At the interviews, prospective members are greeted with smiles, a questionnaire and a glass of wine. Each presents the officers with a creative submission, which in the past has included everything from Spam bombs to Elvis shrines. "They try to find out what you think," College sophomore Margaret Karnaze said of her interview experience. "They don't have a strict set of questions. Basically, they question and respond to what you say. I felt there was a lack of intellectual atmosphere at Penn, and that is what brought me to Philo. I had a good time." Huang added, "my advice to people out there is to check out our Web site, e-mail the society and most importantly, come to the meetings and find out what Philo is all about."
(10/16/98 9:00am)
The Towne Building was transformed into a mix of corporate representatives and eager Penn students Wednesday at the 18th annual Engineering Career Awareness Day. Representatives from more than 100 companies attended the fair. Among those present were such well-known names as International Business Machines Corp., Procter & Gamble Co. and AT&T; Corp. The annual gathering is sponsored by Penn's Career Services office. "The Engineering Career Fair provides a great opportunity for interested students to meet with employers in different companies," Assistant Director of Career Services Rosette Pyne said. More than 800 students attended the fair, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Undergraduates were able to learn about opportunities for summer jobs, while graduating seniors and graduate students learned about available positions in their prospective fields. "Right now, I'm just searching for an internship. But [the day] was still a great opportunity," Engineering junior Ian Gelfand said. Engineering freshman Kevin Kelley said he viewed the fair as a learning experience. "I'm not sure what area of Chemical Engineering I am going to pursue a career in, so it's nice to get a good idea of what's out there," he said. Employers advised students on how to prepare academically for a career in engineering. Many representatives stressed the need for engineers to have some background in business. "Dual degrees in business and engineering are very helpful, since you must be able to market and sell the product you build," said Eliot Jacoby, chief engineer for lighting-control maker Lutron Electronics Co. Dolla Crater, software strategic manager for cellular telephone and semiconductor giant Motorola Inc., agreed. "An entry-level employee should have some basic knowledge of the business aspect of engineering," she said, adding that students should at least take a few introductory business classes. Several company representatives emphasized the importance of gaining early exposure to the various fields of engineering. "Like any other field, it is a very tight job market," Jacoby said. "By learning about the field now, students can gain a leg up on the competition." The past success of the fair is due in large part to the companies' fondness for Penn students. "They really love Penn students. Many would love to hire even more," said Pat Rose, director of Career Services. Company representatives agreed, explaining that the presentation is just as useful for the companies as for the students who attend. "I am very impressed by Penn students. They are well prepared and ask a lot of challenging questions," Crater said.
(10/09/98 9:00am)
The well-known activist and author will be Connaissance's fall speaker November 4. One of the World Almanac's 25 most influential women in America will arrive at Penn November 4. After months of speaking to agents and searching through catalogs of celebrities, the Social Planning and Events Committee's Connaissance arm announced last night that leading feminist activist Gloria Steinem will be the group's fall speaker. Connaissance sponsors two major speeches annually featuring speakers of national prominence. Recent speakers have included James Earl Jones, Billy Joel and Conan O'Brien. "This is an important event for the University as Steinem will speak about things that all students can relate to," said Connaissance Co-Chairperson Dara Gruen, a College senior. "Steinem's address should promote intellectual discussion and debate and raise public consciousness about women's issues." The 64-year-old Steinem "will offer something a little different," Gruen added. Many of the group's most recent speakers have been male. Steinem also stands out as one of the few scholars Connaissance has invited to campus in recent years. Most other speakers have represented the entertainment industry, said Connaissance Co-Chairperson Jonathan Freedberg, a Wharton and Engineering senior. Steinem has done a lot to promote women's equality in the social and political spheres, Gruen said. She is also a strong female role model, according to Gruen. In 1993, Steinem was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame for her work on women's rights and role as a leader of the feminist movement. "We are hoping that Steinem will clarify the term 'feminism' and lessen the radical, negative connotation associated with the term," Gruen said. Steinem's address will not have a specific topic but will be tailored to college-age students. Her speech will assess feminism, politics of human sexuality, domestic violence, human rights and racism, Gruen said. Gruen said she hopes that Steinem will also address the current White House scandal and offer her views on the president and Monica Lewinsky, the former intern with whom he had an affair. Currently, Steinem is a writer and consulting editor for Ms. magazine, which she co-founded in 1972. Her writing has also appeared in New York magazine, a weekly publication she helped found in 1968. "Steinem is exactly what we look for in a speaker," Gruen said. "Connaissance looks for a speaker with a big name who will attract student interest and will have a great deal to say." Her books include Moving Beyond Words, A Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem and Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. In addition, Steinem is one of 10 International Working Group members of "Beyond Racism," an initiative of the Southern Education Foundation. The group's work includes a two-year study of comparative race relations in the United States, Brazil and South Africa. Following the 45-minute speech, Steinem will open the discussion to an interactive question-and-answer session. Steinem's address will be given in the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theater at 8 p.m. Connaissance will begin selling $2 tickets on Locust Walk on the Monday prior to Steinem's arrival on campus. "We are so enthusiastic about welcoming such an incredible figure to campus," Gruen said. "Steinem will inevitably pack Penn's diverse student body into the 975 seats of Zellerbach."
(10/07/98 9:00am)
Wharton's Thomas Gerrity is stepping down to spend more time with his family. and Edward Sherwin Wharton School Dean Thomas Gerrity, a noted management scholar whose efforts produced top-ranked academic programs and record fund-raising during his eight-year tenure, announced yesterday that he will step down from his post next July so he can spend more time with his family. Under Gerrity's leadership, the business school's endowment tripled to nearly $300 million and officials finalized plans for a new classroom building on the site of the old University bookstore at 38th and Walnut streets. Groundbreaking for the facility will be in the spring. Officials said the Wharton faculty will meet in the coming weeks to appoint members to a search committee composed of both faculty and students. "It's just one of those things you think about when you've been in a position for a long period of time," the 57-year-old Gerrity said, explaining his decision. "It seemed like a good time to hand over the reins." Another Penn dean, the Law School's Colin Diver, also resigned yesterday, effective next summer. University President Judith Rodin said she is "not going to get locked into a firm prediction" of when Gerrity's successor might be named. But Gerrity, who was Wharton's 11th dean in its 117 years of existence, said he expects a new dean to be in place by the time he leaves office next summer. Gerrity said that he spent "a really long time" in his position and wanted to spend more time with his wife and four children, ages five, seven, nine and 11. And though he has not held a regular teaching position since 1972 -- when he left the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his alma mater -- Gerrity said he plans to take on a full-time professorship in Wharton's Management Department. In a letter to University Trustees yesterday, Rodin praised Gerrity for his "unparalleled" leadership. "That the Wharton School is broadly regarded as the finest business school in the world is a testament to the work of Tom Gerrity," she wrote. "He personifies the strength of the Wharton School and will leave it without peer." Gerrity said he had been talking with administrators for several months about his plans to step down in the near future, but he only came to a final decision several weeks ago. Unlike this summer's departure of former Engineering School Dean Gregory Farrington -- who left for the presidency of Lehigh University with fewer than three months' notice -- Gerrity said he scheduled his departure to allow for a seamless change in leadership. "I believe strongly that is is healthy for all institutions? to seek renewal through new leadership on a regular basis," he wrote in his resignation letter. "I believe now is such a time." Several colleagues and faculty members said they will miss Gerrity, but understood his decision. "I've had the pleasure of serving under [Gerrity] for 4 1/2 years," said Wharton Graduate Dean Bruce Allen. "At the same time, the school is more than just one person." Allen said Gerrity's leaving to be with his family actually sends "a really great signal to the students, that there is more to life than just work" -- something many Wharton students and faculty members often overlook. Wharton Undergraduate Dean Richard Herring praised Gerrity's strong commitment to undergraduate education. "In the 26 years I've been here, he's put more emphasis on undergraduate education than any other dean," Herring said. Among the programs that have developed under Gerrity's encouragement are Management 100, a mandatory leadership class, and the recently-initiated writing-assessment module, which is designed to help students develop their writing skills early on, Herring explained. Finance Professor Armando Gomes said Gerrity was "an excellent dean." "[This is] only my second year here, but he's an excellent dean in my view," he said. Several students also said Gerrity's departure will leave a void. Wharton junior Aaron Fidler credited Gerrity with helping the school to gain more worldwide recognition. Also the vice chairperson of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, Fidler said the school's future success will be the ultimate tribute to Gerrity's leadership. "The mark of a good leader is that whatever he leaves behind is able to continue even without him there anymore," he said. Gerrity received his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from MIT in 1963 and 1964, respectively. After a stint as a Rhodes Scholar in economics at Oxford University, he went on to get his doctorate in management from MIT's Sloan School of Management in 1970. He served on the Sloan faculty from 1968 and 1972. Gerrity was the founder and chief executive officer for 20 years of the Index Group, a consulting firm that advises companies in business re-engineering and strategic change. Prior to coming to Wharton, he was the president of CSC Consulting, the commercial professional services division of Computer Sciences Corp. and the parent of the former Index Group, now CSC Index.
