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(10/07/98 9:00am)
They will be sorely missed. And the holes caused by their departures only add to Penn's potentially debilitating shortage of top permanent academic administrators. Throughout their tenure as deans, Gerrity and Diver have demonstrated strong leadership and provided vision for their respective schools. Since being named Wharton's dean in 1990, Gerrity focused on creating a more global curriculum and boosting the school's endowment. His efforts have clearly paid off. Wharton consistently receives top rankings from national magazines. And Gerrity's skill as a fundraiser and visionary have turned the dream of a new Wharton building into a promised reality. Ground-breaking for the building at 38th and Walnut streets is scheduled for this spring, and the facility should be operational by 2001. Diver will similarly be remembered for his numerous contributions to Penn. While dean of the Law School, Diver oversaw growth and improvement. The caliber of students has improved, the top-ranked school has received a record-breaking donation and numerous interdisciplinary programs have been set up linking the Law School to other branches of the University. Both because of these individuals' strengths and the holes in the administration that already exist, the departures couldn't come at a worse time for the University. Though Gerrity and Diver will continue to work hard for their schools until they step down in July 1999, their impending departures will make it tougher to plan for the schools' futures. Combined with the lack of a permanent provost and an Engineering dean, these two departures leave huge gaps in the realm of academic leadership. University President Judith Rodin should convene search committees as soon as possible to find replacements for Gerrity and Diver. By the time these two men leave office next July, we hope the University will already have permanent deans lined up and ready to serve. The headlines have been full of significant Penn achievements over the past few months, from the opening of Sansom Common to the exciting plans for 40th Street. But with all the excitement, we need to remember that academics is the top priority of the University. And to maintain Penn's standing as one of the country's top higher education institutions, it'll take a continued commitment to academic excellence -- and qualified leaders to steer us in the right direction.
(10/07/98 9:00am)
The resignations are the latest in a series of high-level departures. Yesterday's resignations of two of the University's longest-serving and most-respected academic officials doubled the number of vacancies in Penn's academic leadership -- and it's unclear when they will be filled. Wharton School Dean Thomas Gerrity and Law School Dean Colin Diver both announced that they would leave their posts at the end of the current academic and fiscal year, which concludes June 30, 1999. The outgoing deans maintain that their positions will be filled by the time they leave their offices in Steinberg-Dietrich and Silverman halls, respectively, nearly nine months from now. But University President Judith Rodin cautioned against setting any deadline for filling the open positions, and stressed that she was "not going to get locked into a firm prediction" about when new deans would be named. Penn officials are still trying to find a new dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and have also failed to appoint a permanent provost, the University's chief academic officer. Interim officials are currently serving in both positions. Still, Rodin emphasized that the University's academic programs are not facing a leadership void. "Dean Diver and Dean Gerrity are very much in place," she said. "I don't see any void in the leadership, and they've indicated that they don't intend to become lame-duck leaders, and I don't intend for them to be." Yesterday's simultaneous announcements were not purposefully planned, University spokesperson Ken Wildes said. Both deans had finalized their plans for resignation several weeks ago, he said. "There was no deliberate planning," Wildes said. "The deans came to their conclusions back then, but we weren't ready to announce their resignations." When former Provost Stanley Chodorow resigned last October, effective at the end of that year, administrators appointed a faculty- and student-composed search committee to find a permanent replacement. But despite nine months of work, neither the committee nor Penn officials have publicly named a candidate, either from inside Penn or from another school. Former Deputy Provost Michael Wachter has been serving as provost for nearly 10 months on an interim basis. Chodorow was appointed provost in April 1994, about 14 months after Michael Aiken announced he would step down. Gerrity, who will continue to serve as chairperson of the provost search committee, refused to comment on any of the body's deliberations, citing confidentiality rules. He said only that the committee was "continuing" its work in selecting a candidate. At the same time, no search committee has yet been named to find a replacement for former Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington, who resigned May 21, effective August 15. Rodin said that the Engineering faculty will be meeting soon to appoint four of their colleagues to the committee, after which Rodin herself will appoint four additional faculty members and two students to round out the body. Chemical Engineering Professor Eduardo Glandt has been serving as the school's interim dean since Farrington left. The slots on the search committees for the open Wharton and Law posts will be filled in largely the same manner, with a mixture of faculty-appointed professors and students and faculty members appointed by the president. Diver added that one or two alumni would also serve on the panel choosing his successor. Wildes said that he did expect Gerrity and Diver's shoes to be filled by next summer in a process smoother than that which has surrounded Farrington's departure for the presidency of Lehigh University. "I think that's the expectation," Wildes said of the timetable for filling the two newly open positions. "It's not like Greg Farrington -- he had to leave and he had to leave in short order." "That's a little bit harder on an institution because you can't launch a search that quickly," he added. The fact that both deans' resignations will not take effect until next summer is further evidence that the double announcement was a coincidence, Wildes said. "You could read something into it if both guys were stepping down tomorrow," he said. "[But] this is like Michael Jordan. They now have the opportunity to take a victory tour."
(10/06/98 9:00am)
The gym is one of several retailers being displaced by the project. and Eric Tucker Jackhammers won't break ground for Robert Redford's new art-house movie theater complex for several months, but the early tremors of the project are already being felt by several area retailers, at least two of whom will leave the 40th Street area soon to make way for the cinema. Longtime campus gym University City Nautilus -- located on the Locust Street side of the Hamilton Village shopping center, the future site of the movie complex -- is being displaced by the construction and will close for good at the end of the day tomorrow, its manager said. Its neighbor, Bucks County Coffee Co., will close around November 1 and re-open when construction is complete in early 2000, a supervisor said. Burger King will also eventually leave its location at 40th and Walnut streets, Penn officials said; whether it will continue to operate elsewhere is unclear. "We don't have a place to do business," said UC Nautilus manager Bob Stern, who has worked at the gym for 17 of the 20 years it has been open. "We can't find a place in the neighborhood that's suitable." Stern said the closing of his 300-member establishment has nothing to do with last month's opening of the University's $1.2 million Katz Fitness Center, a two-story, high-tech, 7,500-square-foot facility inside Gimbel Gymnasium at 37th and Walnut streets. Bucks County will also be closing its doors, although only temporarily. Tom Lussenhop, the University's top real estate official, refused to comment on the store's future, except to say the University is "working on a creative relocation project" with Bucks. The third retailer affected by the project, Burger King, will be entirely displaced to make way for the theater, although officials refused to elaborate on what elements of the complex would take up the restaurant's space. Administrators have also announced plans to build a new parking garage and specialty food market, run by the owner of Philadelphia-area supermarket operator Drexeline, on the current site of a University-owned parking lot at 40th and Walnut streets. These additions are part of an ongoing effort to revitalize 40th Street and neighboring areas. At a press conference on Friday, Redford joined University President Judith Rodin to announce that one of the first-ever Sundance Cinemas would open on campus. The 40,000-square-foot-plus facility will likely be equipped with six to eight screens, as well as a restaurant, public meeting area, bar and video "library." The University informed Stern over the summer that the gym would have to find a new location by December in order to make room for the theater, Stern said. Penn officials identified a variety of potential sites, including two locations in the 4015 Walnut Street building -- which currently houses The Daily Pennsylvanian and University record-storage sites -- according to Stern. "University City Nautilus has been a good tenant. Unfortunately, we weren't able to locate another appropriate location for the gym," said John Greenwood, the managing director of University City Associates, Penn's for-profit real estate arm, operated by Trammell Crow Co. None of these sites, Stern said, is suitable for an exercise facility. He cited "visibility, size and a place to hang a sign" as criteria for the new UC Nautilus. Still, the gym is searching for another location in a different area, particularly Center City, Stern said. UC Nautilus currently serves about 200 students and 100 West Philadelphia residents, some of whom voiced disappointment over the gym's closing. "This is definitely a disaster," said Engineering junior Toochie Pal, who said he worked out at UC Nautilus four times a week. "One of the reasons why I go here is because it's so close" to his home. In the future, Pal said, he'll "go to Gimbel." John Puckett, a 51-year-old area resident and seven-year UC Nautilus member, said he thinks the closing is "sad." "It's been a neighborhood kind of place and certainly convenient for folks like me who live in West Philadelphia," said Puckett, who also expressed interest in joining Gimbel. Stern said gym patrons will either receive refunds or have their memberships transferred to a Center City gym, although no plans have been finalized. Equally disappointed were employees next door at Bucks County Coffee. The coffee shop, which opened in 1995, will also close down to make way for the theater, albeit temporarily. The company has another campus location on the 3400 block of Sansom Street. "I'm losing my job," said Leah Murray, a 22-year-old shift supervisor and student at the nearby Community College of Philadelphia. "I'm not going to sit around and wait for Bucks to open back up. I won't be here." Officials hope the newly renovated cafe will complement the entertainment complex when it opens for business sometime in 2000. But while Bucks and Nautilus employees said they were sad to leave campus, officials at several other 40th Street stores expressed optimism about the development. "I think it's going to have a huge impact on this area," said Paul Ryan, owner of Smokey Joe's bar and restaurant. "It makes it a destination for people all over the city. The possibilities are endless."
(09/30/98 9:00am)
Panhellenic Council President Janelle Brodsky helps Penn women come to terms with food and body image. Women of Penn: Put down your NutraSlim shake and pick up the double fudge ice cream. College and Engineering senior Janelle Brodsky has written a 100-page guide to loving your body and leaving behind the food neuroses that plague a high percentage of American women. Brodsky wrote Things We Wish We Knew: Empowering College Women About Our Bodies and Food this summer, and with funding from the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life and Charlotte, N.C.-based First Union Bank, she has distributed over 400 copies around campus. "This is just research I did for myself that I wanted to share with people," Brodsky said. Things We Wish We Knew emerged from Brodsky's personal search for information about nutrition, exercise and dieting. Initially intending to create a pamphlet, her project ballooned into 10 chapters. The book emphasizes that in order to eat responsibly, women must understand how their bodies use food. "The reality is we enjoy food but we hate eating because it's such an upsetting experience," Brodsky explained. The key, she writes, is to eat the food we need and the food we want in moderation. So go ahead and have double fudge ice cream, but only eat one bowlful, and balance dessert with nutritionally sound meals. Things We Wish We Knew has received rave reviews from its target audience -- the women of Penn. Brodsky is bombarded daily with e-mails from students thanking her for writing "bluntly and honestly." University President Judith Rodin, who penned the foreword to the book, praised Brodsky for addressing "a sensitive topic with perhaps its most important and vulnerable audience." Brodsky saw college women as important targets for this information because society, she said, has put enormous pressure on young women to conform to an unattainable standard of beauty. "We are surrounded by images that make the average woman feel horrible about herself," she said. This extreme body-consciousness leads directly to eating disorders, weight obsessions and adherence to "fad diets" that are not always medically safe. "We read all this stuff in Cosmo and take it as fact," Brodsky pointed out. Brodsky's writing is straight forward like a sister-to-sister talk. And she avoids preaching. Personalizing her subject matter with anecdotes, she also makes references to life at Penn. College junior and Alpha Phi sister Jill Kleczko found the book easy to read and said it reinforced her ideas about nutrition. "I think it would be great if they could distribute it to more students," Kleczko said. Kleczko received a copy of Things We Wish We Knew when Brodsky, who is president of the Panhellenic Council, began distributing the book to sorority houses. Brodsky has also placed copies in lounges and hangout spots around campus. She has also applied for a grant from the Trustees Council of Penn Women in order to secure the additional $7,500 needed to print a copy for every incoming freshman female next year. In the meantime, Brodsky has sent the book to 10 publishing firms. The book is currently bound in plastic rings by Campus Copy Center. Writing Things We Wish We Knew was as therapeutic for Brodsky as it is for her readers. "I learned to be happy with who I was because I finally found out what works for me and came to terms with the fact that I am going to weigh 140 to 150 pounds no matter what I do," she said. Brodsky usually works out four times a week and tries to eat a balanced diet. Interested students can receive a free copy of Things We Wish We Knew by e-mailing Brodsky at janelle@sas.upenn.edu.
(09/18/98 9:00am)
With the construction of a new baseball stadium, administrators are helping teams find temporary space. They're being at least temporarily displaced by a big new project -- but not all of them are disappointed. The University's recent decision to build a 2,000-capacity baseball stadium on the southern end of campus has elicited a variety of responses, ranging from optimism to anger, from the club sport athletes who currently use the field on which the stadium is to be built. With the help of University recreation officials, several club teams -- including the men and women's rugby, soccer and Ultimate Frisbee squads -- are searching for a new field to call their own, since Murphy Field will no longer be theirs once Penn begins construction. Officials hope to open the stadium in time for the 2000 spring varsity baseball season, though they have not said when construction will begin. The Sports Club Council, composed of one representative from each club team, met with Recreation Director Mike Diorka Tuesday night. During the meeting, Diorka explained the situation to the council and brainstormed with the athletes about possible replacement facilities. Not everyone's happy, though. Wharton senior Rob Fuller, who was president of the council during the 1997-98 academic year, is frustrated that the issue came up this season, his final year with the rugby team. "We have over 45 people [trying] out for rugby this semester and have the kind of personnel to take Penn rugby to the playoffs and the national title," said Fuller, a current member of the SCC's executive board. "Too bad we don't have a place to practice anymore." Some athletes, like Engineering junior Ava Segal, the captain of the women's Ultimate Frisbee squad, are optimistic. Although Segal admitted she was "definitely concerned," she is confident that her team will play, as scheduled, during the spring. "They're basically looking into everything, and us not playing is really not considered an option," she said. Among the possible facilities that the club teams could eventually use are Hill Field, Drexel University fields and the soon-to-be renovated Bower Field, where the baseball team currently plays. The new stadium will be located next to the Schuylkill Expressway near the intersection of University Avenue and Civic Center Boulevard. Diorka said yesterday that "to go forward, there are always certain sacrifices that must be made." "Some people want to continue to live in the past, and Penn's not about that," he said. Indeed, several others agreed that the University is doing its best to find ample space for Penn's club teams. Rachel Tanner, vice president of the women's rugby team and member of the Sports Club Council executive board, conceded that despite the "setback," administrators are "really making an effort." "I think the University is doing a lot to make sure that we have a field," said Tanner, a Wharton junior. In fact, some club athletes believe that the change from Murphy Field is, ultimately, a move in the right direction. Said Tanner's teammate Sarah Mulholland, a Wharton senior and president of the team: "One semester's pain will pay for the better fields in the future." Fuller's teammate, Michael Slocum, a College junior and captain of the men's rugby team, was also irritated by the plans for the stadium. "I resent the fact that we were more or less pushed aside for a team that already has allocated space," Slocum said.
(09/04/98 9:00am)
and Edward Sherwin Not all Penn students, faculty and staff took a break over the summer. Instead, one Penn affiliate travelled to Mongolia, another prepared to blast off into outer space and a third found something surprising in his pants. · Garrett Reisman, a 1991 graduate of the Management and Technology program, was chosen in June by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a member of this year's astronaut candidate class. He began 1 1/2 years of training and evaluation at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in late August. Only 100 of the 2,600 applicants for this year's candidate class were even granted interviews for the elite 25-member group. "It was sort of a long shot -- no pun intended," Reisman said of his chances for acceptance into the competitive program. After training, Reisman and his 24 classmates will receive technical assignments within the Astronaut Office before actually voyaging beyond the earth's atmosphere. He said he could be in line for a mission within three or four years. After a childhood of model rockets and movies of the Apollo missions, Reisman, 30, majored in mechanical engineering and economics while at Penn. An Alpha Tau Omega brother, he served as president of the InterFraternity Council in 1989. After graduation, Reisman received his master's degree and doctorate in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. A native of New Jersey, he currently works as a spacecraft engineer in the Space and Electronics Group of Redondo Beach, Calif.-based TRW Inc. · Amanda Fine, a 1997 graduate of Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine, will travel to Mongolia in September to spend a year as a fellow at the Veterinary Research Institute in Ulaan Bator. Fine, from Bristol, Pa., is one of only 17 winning applicants selected as a Luce Scholar for the 1998-1999 year from among 125 to 130 candidates. The highly competitive fellowship, established by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974, "enables young Americans of exceptional promise to live and work in nations throughout east and southeast Asia for one year." Fine received her bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa., in 1993 before coming to Penn. And Fine is no stranger to the kind of first-hand research in which she will take part in Mongolia. In 1992, she spent four months in South Africa researching parasites of importance to the livestock industry. Sixty-seven colleges and universities across the United States submitted nominations to the program this year. · Only a few months out of school himself, 1998 College graduate Harold Shields is already hard at work, figuring out how to make good on his recent pledge to help send a group of youngsters to college. Shields -- who attended the University on a full scholarship, as part of the "Say Yes to Education" program -- was searching for a way to give back when he announced his plan to start a scholarship fund for the graduating fifth-grade class of Philadelphia's Belmont Elementary School. Shields' announcement at Belmont's June graduation ceremony came exactly 11 years after University alumnus George Weiss made an offer of his own to the 1987 graduating class at Belmont, of which Shields was a part. The elementary school went up to sixth grade at the time. When Weiss, a Connecticut philanthropist, offered to send all 112 members of the class to college, for free, Shields took full advantage of the offer. And more than a decade later, armed with a degree in psychology, he is out to make an impact on the lives of the next generation -- insofar as he is able. Shields may not yet have the means to provide a free ride for every deserving student, but he has promised to put aside $30 a week for seven years -- enough for 10 scholarships of $1,000 each. And that's not even counting investment income and community help which he has solicited -- and received. Shields said he has received several donations since his June announcement, ranging from $12 to $10,000. In light of the additional funds, he said he hopes to be able to help a greater portion of the 58-member class. "The response has been great so far," Shields said. "It would be great if we could get a scholarship for each and every one of the students." Before taking his proposal to the public, Shields confided his idea in April to both Weiss and Graduate School of Education Fellow Norman Newberg, who is the executive director of Say Yes. Although Newberg said he was initially concerned that Shields might be taking on too much for a young person, he soon discovered what he described as Shields' "unfaltering determination." Weiss, who was in attendance for Shields' announcement, echoed Newberg's feelings of pride. "I think it's phenomenal, it's exactly what I'm always trying to teach to the Say Yes kids," Weiss explained. "If someone makes a change in your life, you should try to turn around and make a change in someone else's life." · Some laud him as a hero, others deem him a role model, but Brett Bonfield said he was "just doing the right thing" when he returned a $1,850 wad of cash to its rightful owner. Bonfield -- a staff writer in the communications department of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations -- was shopping with his fiancZe, Beth Filla, at Thrift for AIDS on South Street when he found the money in an old pair of pants early last month. "I saw some pants that looked interesting, but they seemed too big," explained Bonfield. "But as I held them up, I felt something in the pocket that felt like an old wallet. Well, I reached in and pulled out a wad of cash, including several hundred dollar bills." Bonfield, 28, claimed that he didn't even stop to think as he headed up to the register -- the money in one hand, the pants in the other. "What I did took about 15 seconds and it took that long only because my knees were shaking," he said. "There was no decision time. I was just thinking, 'This is Thrift for AIDS, the money isn't mine and I should give it back'." The thrift store, located at 633 South Street, is a non-profit organization whose proceeds go to assist those with HIV and AIDS. A deposit slip found with the money was used to track down the rightful owner, according to Mike Martino, the store's executive director. It turns out that Javier Kuehnle, the owner of a company that makes automotive components, had donated the pants only a week before, although he had lost the money two years ago. "I was very pleasantly surprised when the thrift store called," Kuehnle told The Philadelphia Daily News last weekend. "I was actually shocked that the money showed up after all this time." To show his appreciation for the returned money, Kuehnle gave Bonfield a $500 reward. Thrift for AIDS has also given him a $100 store gift certificate.
(09/04/98 9:00am)
To fill the void created by the recent departure of former Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington, the University named Chemical Engineering Professor Eduardo Glandt to the position of interim dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. In May, Farrington announced that he would be leaving the University effective August 15 to assume the vacant presidency of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Farrington -- a professor of materials science at Penn since 1979 -- became the 12th president in Lehigh's 122-year history. He replaced Interim President William Hittinger, who served since August 1997. Hittinger assumed the position after Peter Likins left to become chancellor of the University of Arizona at Tucson, a position for which former Penn Provost Stanley Chodorow was a finalist. The 53-year-old Glandt -- a native of Argentina and a 1968 graduate of the University of Buenos Aires -- currently holds an endowed chair in chemical engineering. Glandt joined the faculty at Penn while still working on his doctorate in chemical engineering, which he received here in 1977. Glandt, who was appointed July 7, is expected to serve approximately one year while a nationwide search for Farrington's permanent replacement is conducted. "The key thing is not to lose any momentum," Glandt said. "Dr. Farrington started a good number of initiatives. What we wanted for the upcoming year was to accelerate and not lose momentum." Glandt identified improving the Engineering School's programs in biomedical engineering, information science and cognitive science as strategic priorities for his term. In his more than 20 years at Penn, Glandt, an expert in thermodynamics, has been praised for both his teaching and his scholarship. In his first year at Penn, he won the Engineering School's Warren Award for Distinguished Teaching, and three years later, in 1980, he was awarded the University-wide Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Glandt has also held virtually every administrative post in the Chemical Engineering Department, presiding over its centennial while chairperson from 1989 to 1993. Interim Provost Michael Wachter -- who was part of the committee formed to select the interim dean -- said that Glandt "has just the right administrative and intellectual experience to lead the school during this time of transition." The process of selecting a permanent dean will begin this semester, when University President Judith Rodin convenes a search committee of four faculty members appointed by the president, four faculty selected by the Engineering School faculty and two student representatives.
(07/09/98 9:00am)
Chemical Engineering Prof. Eduardo Glandt will serve in place of departing Engineeing Dean Gregory Farrington. To fill the void created by the upcoming departure of Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington, the University named Chemical Engineering Professor Eduardo Glandt on Tuesday to the position of interim dean in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. In May, Farrington announced that he would be leaving the University, effective August 15, to assume the vacant presidency of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Since the beginning of his deanship in 1990, Farrington -- a professor of materials science at Penn since 1979 -- has presided over the implementation of several interdisciplinary and dual-degree programs while tripling the school's endowment and doubling the number of endowed professorships. But the 53-year-old Glandt -- currently the holder of an endowed chair in chemical engineering -- is not without his own list of accomplishments. A native of Argentina and a 1968 graduate of the University of Buenos Aires, Glandt joined the faculty at Penn while still working on his doctorate in chemical engineering, which he received here in 1977. Glandt was chosen after several weeks of consultation among University President Judith Rodin, Interim Provost Michael Wachter, the Faculty Senate and the Engineering School's elected Faculty Council, which Glandt chaired for several years in the 1980s. He is expected to serve approximately one year while a nationwide search for Farrington's permanent replacement is conducted. "The key thing is not to lose any momentum," Glandt said. "Dr. Farrington started a good number of initiatives. What we wanted for the upcoming year was to accelerate and not lose momentum." Glandt identified the support of the Engineering School's programs in biomedical engineering, information science and cognitive science as strategic priorities for his term. In his more than 20 years at Penn, Glandt -- an expert in thermodynamics -- has been praised for both his teaching and his scholarship. In his first year at Penn, he won the Engineering School's Warren Award for Distinguished Teaching, and three years later, in 1980, was awarded the University-wide Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Glandt was recognized by the American Chemical Society for the research he did on his doctoral thesis, and in 1996, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Glandt has also held virtually every administrative post in the Chemical Engineering Department, presiding over its centennial while chairperson from 1989-1993. He additionally served on the University's Academic Planning and Budget Committee last year and currently sits on the committee to select a new provost. "Dr. Glandt is an accomplished scholar, an outstanding teacher and a terrific University citizen," Wachter said. "He has just the right administrative and intellectual experience to lead the school during this time of transition." Glandt is also a hit with his students. Using instruments from the Music Department, a group of graduate students several years ago formed a classical music troupe known as "The Glandt Ensemble," a pun on the Grand Ensemble of statistical mechanics. Later, a group of his less Mozart-inclined budding engineers formed a punk rock group in their professor's honor, "The Swollen Glandts." Thus far, Glandt has found his new role -- which he will assume officially when Farrington leaves next month -- slightly overwhelming. "It's become interesting how much there is to the job that someone who isn't doing it ignores," he said. "Things seem to start on the spot." The process of selecting a permanent dean will not begin until the fall, when Rodin will appoint a search committee of four faculty members appointed by the president, four selected by the Engineering School faculty and two student representatives.
(05/28/98 9:00am)
Research at the University may become more difficult as of June 1, thanks to Reed Elsevier Inc. Beginning next week, the publishing conglomerate owning Lexis/Nexis, the popular on-line research service, will no longer offer the database to the University community. It will instead offer a new World Wide Web-based service called Academic Universe. According to University library officials, Elsevier deemed Lexis/Nexis -- which was created mainly for law and journalism schools -- inappropriate for University-wide circulation. Although the library has protested the switch, it simply could not afford to continue subscribing to Lexis/Nexis, according to Joe Zucca, executive assistant to Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Paul Mosher. "The library had access to Lexis/Nexis under a very generous agreement with the publisher," Zucca said. "We were getting a very substantial discount. But now they've taken [the discount] away and we can't afford it." The main drawback to Academic Universe seems to be that its search engine is far less powerful than that of its Lexis/Nexis counterpart, making keyword searches much more difficult. "[The publisher] went for ease of use rather than power of searching," reference librarian Bob Walther said. Access to foreign language magazines will also be severely limited under the new service. And although most legal and legislative material has been removed, it should still be available through an alternative database called Congressional Universe, according to officials. Zucca did point out several decided advantages that the new service will have over the previous telnet-based Lexis/Nexis, the most important being that Academic Universe will be available to the entire University. Access to Lexis/Nexis was restricted to current students and faculty, excluding University administrators and staff. The new system will also allow users to print and download entire articles and users will be able to e-mail search results to their own electronic mail accounts. The new graphical interface and drop-down menus will also make the system "look easier and be easier," according to Zucca. Although Walther said he thinks most undergraduates will welcome the new version, he admitted that some graduates who use the more sophisticated special features might be "less happy" with the change. Although Walther declined to disclose the exact cost of the Lexis/Nexis service, he did note that it was so expensive that "paying the full cost was never seriously considered." He noted that even the new system will be more expensive than the discounted service to which the library previously subscribed. One major concern that library officials have is that some faculty may have already constructed course and classroom assignments that depend on their students using Lexis/Nexis. Both Zucca and Walther noted that the library is looking into the possibility of retaining a certain number of passwords to the traditional Lexis/Nexis database, although they are not yet sure how they would be put to use.
(05/28/98 9:00am)
Dean Greg Farrington will assume the presidency of Lehigh University in August after nearly two decades at Penn. After an exhaustive 10-month-long search for a new school president, the Engineers of Lehigh University finally have got their man: Penn's Gregory Farrington, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Ron Ulrich, chairperson of Lehigh's board of trustees, announced the hiring of Farrington one week ago at a noon press conference in the Bethlehem, Pa., campus' Alumni Memorial Building. "So many people throughout the Lehigh community worked diligently for months to find just the right person to lead our university," Ulrich said. "It's a great pleasure for me to report that we have succeeded." Farrington, 51, will take office on August 15 as the 12th president in Lehigh's 122-year history. He replaces Interim President William Hittinger, who has served since August 1997. Hittinger, the former chairperson of Lehigh's board of trustees, came in as a replacement for former President Peter Likins, who left Lehigh to assume the top job at the University of Arizona -- a position for which former Penn Provost Stanley Chodorow was a finalist. Farrington said he was excited about the opportunity to face "new people, new challenges, new problems [and] new opportunities" at Lehigh. "The more I saw of Lehigh, the more I was impressed by it," he said. "It is poised for some very fine growth and intellectual leadership." Farrington, a materials science and engineering professor, found Lehigh -- a school noted for its engineering program -- a perfect match. He emphasized Lehigh's strength in science and engineering, but added that he was drawn by its current growth in the arts and humanities. "I didn't want to head a solely technological institution," he noted. Farrington said he was impressed by almost everything on Lehigh's campus, from the school's endowment to the house where he will live as president. "Most importantly, they offered me a job," he joked. The level of competition for the Lehigh presidency was high. The 12-member selection committee -- composed of faculty, students and administrators -- reviewed more than 175 candidates and conducted dozens of formal interviews. Farrington said he was first approached by the committee in late January. "We found him very impressive indeed," Hittinger said, citing Farrington's charm, leadership and "sound sense of judgment." Members of the University community said Farrington will be sorely missed. "Greg has been a great colleague, a great Penn citizen and a great dean of SEAS," University President Judith Rodin said in a written statement. "His bold, innovative vision for the School will continue to guide us into the next century. He is a wonderful choice for Lehigh and we will miss him very much." Among Farrington's colleagues in the Engineering School, his departure served as a point of humor and sadness. "Lehigh has exquisitely good taste," Associate Dean Dwight Jaggard said. "It will be our loss." Farrington told the Engineering School faculty of his decision to leave only hours before the official announcement at Lehigh. According to Associate Dean John Vohs, Farrington told the school's deans and department chairs the day before the press conference. A professor at Penn since 1979 and the Engineering School's dean since 1990, Farrington reflected on his successes from the last eight years. "My major accomplishment has been the consistent, steady, year-after-year hiring of the finest faculty available," he said. "That's the best accomplishment one can think of." By the numbers, Farrington's term as dean has resulted in major improvements in the Engineering School. Since 1990, applications to the school have increased 60 percent, four new master's programs have been created, the size of the school's endowment has tripled and the number of fully endowed professorships has doubled. Additionally, Farrington helped the school to a record fundraising year in 1997, 20 percent above the school's goal. However, Farrington's colleagues at both Penn and Lehigh praised him most profusely for integrating the Engineering School into the rest of the University. Through interdisciplinary, dual-degree and submatriculation programs, students can now combine their Engineering studies with work in seven of Penn's 11 other undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. "It's been an interesting, fascinating, creative, amazing eight years," Farrington said. The process of finding a new dean for Engineering could easily take until next summer, University officials said. Farrington said he will meet with Rodin sometime this week to discuss plans for succession. An interim dean will be appointed shortly and a search committee for the new dean will convene by the fall. Farrington was confident that this time of change will not be disruptive for the school. "Transitions like this are easier if the person who's leaving has been in office a long time," he said. "When transitions become disruptive is when they happen so quickly." Farrington said he hopes his successor would have a "strong commitment to excellence in everything." "I would hope the new dean understands the particular opportunities of a school of engineering within a broader University of Pennsylvania," he said. Preparing to leave the presidency at Lehigh, Hittinger has full confidence in the abilities of his successor to follow the school's "aggressive" path of growth. "It's a task that will take a pretty good university, like Lehigh already is, and make it better," he said.
(04/23/98 9:00am)
To the Editor: The two people who attempted suicide over Fling will hopefully get help if they seek it, but I highly doubt the University can provide counseling to the extent that they, their friend or their hallmates need. Counseling Services is understaffed and underfunded. It is frustrating to not be able to get the help you need when you need it, and it is also possibly detrimental to your mental health. I told my counselor that I had felt suicidal, but she was unable to take it seriously because she simply had too many patients. If Counseling Services Director Ilene Rosenstein thinks that people should take talk about suicide seriously, she should make sure that the services she runs are able to take students with suicidal feelings seriously. I'm okay now; any suicidal feelings I had are gone, but it is certainly no thanks to the University's shoddy attempt at providing counseling to its students. Shape it up, Judy. Students need good available counseling much more than the Perelman Quadrangle. Name withheld upon request No comment To the Editor: I write in reply to yesterday's editorial concerning the search to fill the position of house dean at Community House ("Many questions, zero answers," The Daily Pennsylvanian). I fully understand the strong desire of some members of Community House to know more about the search process and the activities of my committee, which, with its faculty, staff and student representation, has worked hard to identify the strongest candidates for these important new positions. I know that I might have similar feelings in the same situation. But personnel decisions must always be confidential. It would be unfair to all the many strong candidates who will not be offered positions to make public statements about these most sensitive decisions. Moreover, it is our understanding that Koros is consulting with legal counsel about this matter, making it even more important that I do not comment on her specific circumstances at this time. David Pope Engineering Professor House Dean Search Committee Chairperson Locust Walk graveyard To the Editor: I found it ironic that Community Service Living-Learning Program Director Margaret Quern was "surprised that the University would get rid of the community service program [from Locust Walk] in favor of making Locust Walk entirely fraternities" ("Psi U return threatens well-being of CSLLP," DP, 4/21/98). Not only is statement factually incorrect, it is also based on unsound logic. Locust Walk is not made up entirely of fraternities; it is, in fact, a graveyard. Look at the corner stones of the Franklin Center, the Sweeney Center, the office of the Vice Provost for University Life. They were all once fraternities -- and these are only the buildings that the University took over (after good faith exchanges of ownership for $1). Where Van Pelt Library, Steinberg-Dietrich Hall and the high rises now stand, fraternities also once existed. The Greeks first occupied the Walk when it was considered too dangerous for other students. Since those days, the University either demolished their houses, suspended their charters or moved them further off campus. At least the CSLLP did not own its house; program participants borrowed something that was not theirs. I can name numerous houses who feel more betrayed by the University. Their tombstones remain on the Walk for all to see. Josh Belinfante InterFraternity Council President College '99
(04/21/98 9:00am)
But the Community House head said he would demand real control over the running of the popular Quad dorm. While Community House Assistant Dean in Residence Diana Koros is searching the newspapers this week for a new job and a new place to live, house Faculty Master Stephen Gale said yesterday that he has decided to reapply for his position. Gale, who is in his mid-50s, had threatened to resign last week after Koros, a 35-year-old doctoral student --Ewho has managed the Quadrangle's Community House residence for the last four years -- learned three weeks ago that she did not make the cut in the house dean selection process and would not be returning to Community House under the new position. Housing officials, faculty members and students involved in selecting this fall's 12 house deans -- positions in the new college house system that will replace the current assistant deans in residence and administrative fellows -- decided to eliminate Koros from the candidate pool for the position. Gale, a Political Science professor who has overseen the house for four years, said last week that the University was succeeding in "pushing" him out of the house. He added that he might resign and believes that Koros' dismissal was meant as a personal slight against him. In discussions late last week, however, Interim Provost Michael Wachter discouraged him from resigning, Gale said yesterday. Wachter said he "did not ask Professor Gale to resign, although he did submit a resignation last Thursday which he withdrew on Friday." Gale, whose term as faculty master is up for renewal this month, said he will proceed with his reappointment application, but "only if I'm actually running the house." Residents and staff in Community House said they were shocked and outraged last week about the Koros decision, claiming that Koros was given no explanation for her dismissal. Members of the committee screening the house dean candidate pool refused to comment last week on issues related to Koros' employment, citing them as confidential. But even after meeting with Wachter, Gale claimed that despite the residential plan's commitment to maintaining strong, independent college houses, he "literally" has "no say whatsoever" in the future of his house. For example, Gale said Wachter gave him a green light earlier this month to appoint an additional residential faculty fellow for next year after Gale demonstrated that the language professor -- whose name he would not disclose -- could join his staff with no additional costs to the house. Last Thursday, however, Gail said that Wachter withdrew his support for the new appointment, explaining that Art History Professor David Brownlee, who is in charge of college house implementation, disapproved. Brownlee said yesterday that the number of faculty fellows in a college house was established in the planning process of the college house system and published in the October 1997 report. The plan, calling for the organization of the University's residences into 12 individual, multi-year college houses with added programming and staff, was announced that month. "The number is fixed, of course, by the available budget and accommodations," Brownlee said. "These things are difficult to change, and they certainly cannot be changed at the last minute." But Gale disagreed, claiming the issue of cost is irrelevant in this case. "It has nothing to do with fixed numbers in this case," Gale said. "I found a zero-cost way of bringing in another faculty member." He said he offered to give the new faculty fellow his apartment in the house and take a smaller one for himself. Despite his complaints, Gale said he will submit his final paperwork for his application for reappointment to Wachter's office today. He said he realized "nothing would be solved" by resigning now from his faculty master post. Gale is still holding his breath, however, until he's assured that he is given control in running the house. "It isn't faculty that's running these houses -- that's for sure," he said. "The only decision I can make is who to invite to dinner to give a talk or what time the computer lab is open," Gale added. Outgoing Ware College House Faculty Master Jan Van der Spiegel, an Engineering professor, said that in his house, "the final decision is the house master's." Van der Spiegel added that he appointed all of his faculty fellows, following the recommendations of his residents. No approval by the provost was necessary. Meanwhile, Koros is working on finding another job that will put her in direct contact with students, and she is also trying to finish the last two chapters of her doctoral dissertation. Koros said she has an attorney, but does not yet know whether she will take her case to court. She hopes she won't have to. "It's not a nice process," Koros said. "Paula Jones can tell you that."
(04/20/98 9:00am)
Passover, the MCATs and the LCE couldn't prevent students from celebrating. The apprehension could almost be felt on campus amid Friday morning's raindrops as students wearily shuffled to their first classes of the day. But the clouds lifted for the majority of the weekend, allowing "Things That Go Fling in the Night" to be held under surprisingly fair weather conditions. The 26th annual Spring Fling festival overcame predictions of inclement weather and a funk-filled concert lineup unfamiliar to most students to become what many deemed a fine weekend. State Liquor Control Enforcement agents, who cited 180 students during the 1996 Spring Fling, were on the prowl, but many students said they did not think about repercussions for underage drinking. One College sophomore who requested anonymity received a quick lesson on Saturday night. "I thought the LCE was on campus before," he said. "But it wasn't until I was being frisked against the wall by the [Sansom Street] block party that I really knew about them." But while some students were cited for underage drinking, other LCE agents took a more relaxed attitude. The student explained that the agents who confronted him about the open cans of beer he was holding failed to give him a citation because "they didn't have a pen." An exact count of LCE citations was not available yesterday, though a University Police official said there were no citations Friday and "a few" Saturday. Meanwhile, the Quadrangle bustled with several thousand people from Penn and other colleges who enjoyed the moderately warm weather, carnival games and musical acts ranging from ska to hip-hop to a cappella. And despite vandalism to some areas, most activities ran smoothly in the Quad, said Wharton and Engineering junior Seema Singh, one of three Fling directors. Singh refused to comment on the nature of the damage. In the Quad, like the rest of campus, officials took steps to limit alcohol consumption. Security guards searched students for alcohol, water bottles or juice containers as they entered the gates. But students, including many freshmen, overcame such measures by buying alcohol weeks before Fling or smuggling bottles through the fence by the "nipple" in Upper Quad. "Sneaking in alcohol was the norm and not the exception," College freshman Gina LaPlaca said. "If people want to drink, they are going to do it anyway." LaPlaca added that while she expected "a lot of chaos" at her first Fling, she was surprised that students from "known party schools" ventured to the University for the festivities. Many Penn students, however, did not participate in all the activities because of religious or pre-professional obligations. The Medical College Admission Test, given Saturday in the David Rittenhouse Laboratory, prevented some students from going to the weekend's fraternity house and block parties. "I basically banned myself from Fling," College junior Jaime Blank said. "But right after the MCATs, I went crazy and celebrated." Other students spent the night in the Sheraton or Divine Tracy hotels to relax before the exam and avoid the loud campus scene. Some religious Jews also migrated off campus to celebrate the end of Passover, which finished Saturday at sunset. Others chose to drink kosher-for-Passover wine instead of beer, which is not kosher for Passover because it contains grain. But since Jews who observe the Sabbath already face many restrictions on their Friday night and Saturday activities, many said their Flings were not affected more this year because of the holiday. "Honestly, [Passover] didn't conflict at all with Fling," Engineering sophomore Craig Englander said. "It happens every year on a Saturday anyway, and if people really want to drink, where there's a will, there's a way." Those not under restrictions followed their daytime Quad experiences with a night of fraternity and block parties on Sansom and Pine streets and Baltimore Avenue. Overcrowding at some fraternities caused many partygoers to venture onto Locust Walk and into the streets, which enhanced block-party attendance. "I avoided the frats because the lines were too long," Wharton sophomore Lloyd Rosenman said. "I didn't feel like being squeezed against the wall, even though the parties were probably fun." College junior Christopher Page, whose band "Eight Ball Spy" played the Sansom block party Saturday night, said "it was cool to play for an audience that big" as opposed to the smaller group of spectators he encountered during his noon slot in the Quad. The next late-night stop for many hungry students was the Class of 1920 Dining Commons. The students battled long lines to enjoy a 1:30 a.m. pancake breakfast organized by Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush and several student leaders.
(04/16/98 9:00am)
Community House residents fear the forced departure of Diana Koros may doom the largest Quad college house. Shirley Zilberstein Many residents and staff of the Quadrangle's Community House said yesterday that they fear for the future of the house as they continue to search for answers to why their assistant dean of residence, Diana Koros, was not asked to return next year. In addition to Koros' forced departure, Community House Faculty Master Stephen Gale, a Regional Science professor, said he will decide today whether to stay with the house in the face of what he believes is administrative pressure to push him out. Chris Dennis, director of the Office of Academic Programs and Residence Life, declined to comment on "the status of incumbents in Community House." A committee of students, faculty and administrators who are reviewing applications for house deans -- a new position that will replace the current ADRs in the college house system -- informed Koros April 1 that she was the only one of the current ADRs in the candidate pool not to move on to the next step in the selection process. Koros said she expected to be reappointed for next year and was surprised by the decision. "Since my colleagues were deemed qualified, it's not really clear what was so unique about me," the 35-year-old doctoral student and mother of two said. Koros said the selection committee didn't cite a reason for dropping her from the applicant pool. Earlier this week, residential advisors in the house said Koros was opposed to some aspects of the new residential plan, which they speculated might have been a factor in the committee's decision to drop her from the pool. One RA said Koros wanted to keep more RAs in the house, rather than graduate associates, since the undergraduates are closer to the freshman experience. Koros said she is considering filing a lawsuit against the University, although she would not elaborate on what allegations such a suit would make. Interim Provost Michael Wachter defended the committee's decision, saying that "obviously, with such a strong group of applicants, some candidates will be disappointed." Gale, who has run Community House for four years, says he was "absolutely bewildered" by the committee's decision, one of several factors which have caused him to question the University's commitment to the house. "I think it's absurd that she's not getting her contract renewed," he said. "Diana is by far the best person for the job." Gale added that Engineering Professor David Pope, who heads the screening committee, did not tell him why Koros was denied the house dean position. "Personally, I don't think it has something to do with Diana," Gale said. "I think it's about wanting me out." He added that everything Koros did as ADR was with his consultation, and that if anyone is to be held accountable it should be him. Gale added that Dennis, who serves on the committees which reappoint both house deans and faculty masters, has had a history of conflict with both Community House administrators. In one instance, Gale said, Dennis withheld Koros' paycheck for four months for no apparent reason. Dennis would not comment on the accusation. Gale said he had to "fight [Dennis] all the way" before Koros was finally paid. Koros' termination and Gale's possible departure raise questions about the house's programming plans for next year, which include a "model city" project. Both Koros and Gale have backgrounds in city planning. It also puts the house in limbo at a time when it needs to gear up to attract incoming freshmen, as well as graduate students to serve as graduate associates in the new residential system, several Community House RAs said. But Wachter said he has "absolutely no doubt" that there will be "exceptional faculty and staff leading Penn's comprehensive college house system, including Community House," in time for next year's freshman class. Beginning this fall, the University's dormitories will be organized into 12 multi-year college houses -- including Community House, which will be the largest of the Quad's four houses -- with added programming and staff. Meanwhile, current residents of Community House are rallying in support of Koros, forming the Penn Coalition to Save Community House. The group has placed advertisements in The Daily Pennsylvanian to warn incoming freshmen against living in the house because of the current unrest and "lack of University commitment."
(04/09/98 9:00am)
The Penn softball team was unable to put together a four-game winning streak, losing the first of two by a 3-2 score. The Penn softball team went into yesterday's doubleheader at Lehigh brimming with confidence following Sunday's 10-2 and 23-0 drubbings of Columbia's club team. The Quakers were sure their offensive display would carry over to their games against the Engineers. But it didn't. The Quakers lack of production at the plate cost them yet another game this season. Penn (8-17) dropped the first game 3-2 in extra innings, before bouncing back to take the second game 5-4. The Quakers have been struggling to overcome their offensive woes all season. The front end of the twin bill marked the 15th game this season in which the Red and Blue have failed to score more than two runs, including seven times that their offense was shut out. "We've been hitting the ball hard but right at them," sophomore Kari Dennis said. "One or two people would hit well, but not everyone at the same time. Today everyone was hitting and we strung a series together." Penn has also showed its inconsistency in hanging on to close games, dropping six games which were decided by two or fewer runs. Both of yesterday's games went right down to the wire. In the first game, the teams were knotted at two heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Lehigh scored the decisive run on a wild pitch by sophomore Suzanne Arbogast. The only spark at the plate for the Quakers was Dennis, who was 2-for-2 at the plate for the game. Penn trailed by two after six innings of play in the second game before plating two runs in the top of the seventh on a double by Lauren Mishner. After letting the first game get away, Arbogast picked up her seventh win of the season in this contest with 2 1/3 innings of relief pitching. "Between games we talked about getting more people on base and believing that we can win," freshman outfielder Vicky Frondozo said. "You don't just accept the results. You find a way to win." Despite the rejuvenated effort in the back end of the double header, the Quakers are still searching to find more offensive production. Penn's troubles at the plate come somewhat as a surprise this season, as three of their top hitters returned from the 1997 campaign. Junior captain Sherryl Fodera was the league batting champion last year with a .425 batting average. That along with 25 RBIs, a .566 slugging percentage and a .460 on-base percentage earned her a unanimous first team All-Ivy League selection. Fodera has yet to find her stroke this season and is batting under .250. Sophomore catcher Sarah Dominic was an honorable mention All-Ivy League selection last year for her .308 batting average, 22 RBIs and defensive work behind the plate. Dennis also fared well last season, hitting .304 in 23 at bats. With experience in the batters box, the Quakers were more concerned with pitching at the start of the season. They were relying on the young arms of Arbogast, sophomore Joy Silvern and freshman Lee Pepe. Silvern was a question mark in the rotation, having come off of shoulder surgery in July. Fortunately for the Quakers, the pitching has been solid and has kept them in the game when their bats were silent. "Our pitching has been the most stable part of our game this year," Mishner said. "The pitchers have all been very consistent." Until Penn's lineup finds its hitting shoes, the Quakers will continue to rely on the short game to generate runs. This system of bunting and trying to advance the runner one base at a time is sufficient in keeping the score close, but makes it difficult to take a commanding lead. "[The short game] was a huge factor today," Mishner said. "The sacrifice bunt led to a run twice. It's what makes everything go for us."
(04/03/98 10:00am)
Police issue warrant for Palestra shootings In a hearing last week, Kyle McLemore, 21, of South Philadelphia, was held on charges of murder and several counts of aggravated assault for his part in the shooting. But during the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Jude Conroy said McLemore was not the only gunman who allegedly fired a weapon. After the hearing, Conroy said ballistics experts found bullets of different sizes inside his body, leading them to conclude that two gunmen shot Anthony "Tupac" Davis, 22, the sole fatality in the incident. Detectives are still not sure which gunman allegedly carried each weapon, according to Sgt. Irma Labrice, an investigator for the Philadelphia Police Department's Homicide Unit. The second suspect is said to be a friend of McLemore's and one of the five armed men witnesses said they saw running toward Davis' car on 33rd Street following the Philadelphia Public League basketball championships, which were held at the Palestra earlier that day. -- Maureen Tkacik Man arrested in alleged assault near campus University Police arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly assaulting a female friend near 42nd and Walnut streets early yesterday morning. Both are unaffiliated with the University. The victim, who reported the incident to police at 7:25 a.m. yesterday, was immediately sent to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for injuries to her ribs, arms, legs and serious damage to her head and eyes, according to University Police Det. John Peterson. It was unclear what condition the woman was in when she entered HUP. A nursing administrator said the hospital had no record of such a patient. According to police, the suspect, Pasquale Cifelli, used no weapon, instead inflicting the extensive injuries through repeated kicks to the victim. As of yesterday afternoon, police said Cifelli remained in custody. Detectives at the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives bureau are currently investigating the incident. -- M.T. UPPD hires six officers, promotes employees The Division of Public Safety has hired six University Police officers to replace several who have left or plan to leave the division soon, officials said yesterday. The new officers will begin work this month. Nicki Taylor, one of the hired officers, was a Spectaguard walking patrol who supervisors recommended for the police academy as part of a new initiative to encourage Spectaguards to aspire to become University Police officers. The division began interviewing applicants about four weeks ago. Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush said they are still advertising for applicants. Rush said the division is simply hiring to "maintain levels of employment" and will not be expanding significantly. There are currently about 100 University Police officers. In addition, three University Police employees have also been promoted to sergeant status: Det. Peggy O'Malley; Officer Al Sulpezio, a member of the Special Response Team; and Officer John Wiley, who works for the Special Services Unit. All three will be formally promoted later this month, according to Rush. -- M.T. SEPTA doesn't meet with labor union Officials from SEPTA and the Transport Workers Union Local 234 did not meet yesterday, as SEPTA leaders were reportedly exhausted from negotiating a contract with the suburban United Transportation Union. SEPTA and the union representing suburban Philadelphia workers reached a tentative contract settlement early yesterday morning, but TWU spokesperson Bruce Bodner said the threat of a strike in the city still remains very real. Bodner said the agreement SEPTA reached with the UTU is "fraught with danger" for members of that bargaining group, but stressed that the settlement would have no impact on his union's negotiating stance. The continuing contract negotiations at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel in Center City are an effort to avoid a possible city transit strike which would shut down buses, trolleys and subways and leave the system's 450,000 weekday passengers searching for other ways to get around the city. Regional rail lines would not be affected by the potential strike, and would have full and uninterrupted service. The negotiations have been ongoing since March 14, when the contract expired. The union agreed to continue talking as long as progress was being made, but talks have remained at a standstill for several weeks. -- Lindsay Faber Two U. students win Microsoft scholarships Two Penn students are all smiles after winning $2,500 scholarships from Microsoft Corp. through an Internet contest. Engineering freshman Michael Giron and second-year English graduate student Brent Stinski are two of 10 college students nationwide to win the contest, which required entrants to download the Microsoft Money 98 personal-finance software, answer five questions related to the product and write a 500-word "financial fitness" essay. "I saw there was a chance to win $2,500, and I wrote a superficial paragraph and won," Stinski said. "To tell the truth, I don't know much about finance," he added. -- Sheri Miller
(04/01/98 10:00am)
SEPTA, union getting nowhere in talks Both sides met yesterday for roughly 90 minutes to discuss changing grievance and arbitration procedures, but neither SEPTA nor its union reported any progress. And SEPTA spokesperson Stephan Rosenfeld said "nothing outstanding or memorable" happened in yesterday's talks. The negotiations at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel are an effort to avoid a possible city transit strike which would shut down buses, trolleys and subways and leave the system's 450,000 weekday passengers searching for other ways to get around the city. Regional rail lines would remain unaffected by a strike. TWU spokesperson Bruce Bodner, who called a strike "inevitable," said the issues discussed at yesterday's negotiations were insignificant, and said no progress was reached. "Overall these issues are not important? and they don't belong to this stage of the talks," Bodner said. "These issues should have been solved a long time ago rather than making the contract hinge on settling these kinds of disputes," he added. -- Lindsay Faber Conan O'Brien tickets sell out in record time If you don't already have a ticket to see late-night comedian Conan O'Brien speak on campus Monday, you have only one option: turn on the TV and watch a rerun of his show. To the surprise of members of the Social Planning and Events Committee and Connaissance, the SPEC group planning the event, the nearly 900 tickets set aside for general sale sold out in fewer than two days, according to Connaissance Co-Chairperson Jonathan Freedberg. O'Brien will speak at 8 p.m. in the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Auditorium April 6, and organizers had planned to sell the $3 general admission tickets on Locust Walk over a three-day period ending today. Instead, a mad rush of interested students snapped up 400 tickets -- all Connaissance had at the time -- in only 35 minutes Monday, and 463 tickets in only 25 minutes yesterday. Freedberg, a Wharton and Engineering junior, added that everyone who waited on line for a ticket was able to buy one. "We knew Conan was good, but we didn't know he was that good," Freedberg said, explaining that yesterday's sales revenue was the most ever in a single day for a SPEC event. He added that the remaining 25 tickets will be distributed on College Green Friday afternoon to some "lucky" students, but declined to say how he will determine which students will receive them. -- Edward Sherwin U. sends new lease to University Jewelers The negotiations between University Jewelers and Penn changed course again last Thursday, as Penn delivered another lease to the 62-year-old store. University Jewelers had refused to sign a previous lease, citing an unusual clause giving Penn the right to relocate the store again at any future time. University City Associates, Penn's for-profit real estate arm, has been negotiating a lease with University Jewelers for the former Metro Hair site in the 3401 Walnut Street complex. The store is currently located on the 3700 block of Walnut Street in the Penn Book Store building, which will be torn down this June to make way for a new Wharton School building. A new bookstore will open this summer in Sansom Common, the retail and hotel complex under construction on the 3600 block of Walnut. Both UCA General Manager John Greenwood and University Jewelers co-owner Lois Green refused to comment on whether the offending clause had been removed from the new lease. Both sides agreed that time is short, but neither would comment on any forthcoming deadlines for negotiations. -- Binyamin Appelbaum
(03/18/98 10:00am)
When the nationwide search for house deans of the 12 college houses comes to a close today, faculty members involved in the search say they expect to have more than 100 candidates for the positions. The college house plan -- announced last October -- calls for the organization of the University's residences into 12 multi-year college houses with added programming and academic support. A house dean will live in each house and take the lead in coordinating academic programming and support services for house residents. The new position, with its added academic responsibilities, will replace the current administrative fellow and assistant dean positions in the existing college houses. An advertisement requesting applications appeared in The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer on February 15 and in the Chronicle of Higher Education on February 27. It called for candidates possessing an "advanced degree (doctorate preferred)" and experience working in "a residential college environment" in an advising or teaching role. Art History Professor David Brownlee, who is directing the college house implementation process, said the committee selecting the deans had, as of Monday, enough applications in their hands for "several large universities." "We're prepared to have and expect to have more than 100 applications," he said. The central screening committee will begin reviewing the applications, which are arriving from all across the country, this week. The committee is chaired by Engineering Professor David Pope and includes representatives from the office of Academic Programs and Residence Life, the four undergraduate schools' advising offices, the Residential Advisory Board and two faculty members -- College Dean Richard Beeman and English Professor Al Filreis, who also serves as chairperson of the Residential Faculty Council. Brownlee said the committee will identify the strongest candidates and then invite the individual college houses to select which candidates to interview from among them. The interview process will run through April. The houses will then rank their preferences and send these to Residence Life, which will ultimately oversee the deans' contracts. The deans will take office on July 1. Faculty masters and faculty fellows will join the house deans in providing in-house guidance and support for residents in the new college houses. The deans will serve as "deputies" of the faculty masters, who -- through consultation with the residents -- will create the vision for the house, according to Brownlee. The undergraduate schools will also play a major role in the programming of the college houses and in training the house deans. Faculty masters for the 12 houses have yet not been appointed. Interim Provost Michael Wachter is overseeing that search, and officials from his the Provost's office said the first of the appointments may be announced by the end of this week.
(02/10/98 10:00am)
With the academic job market growing increasingly competitive, today's doctoral students need all the career advice they can get. In an attempt to help such students get a leg up in the hiring process, Career Planning and Placement Services, along with School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Dean Walter Licht and Engineering Graduate Dean Dwight Jaggard -- both of whom have a direct hand in their schools' job selection process -- held a conference entitled "Behind the Scenes with a Search Committee" for University students Friday. "For every position in a school there can be up to 400 applications, and the average is around 250 to 300," Licht began. Jaggard nevertheless managed to remain positive about the current job market. "We have definitely bounced back from where the job market was three years ago," he said. But Licht tempered this optimism as he explained the relatively impersonal first stages of the application process. "In the first round, departments can spend as little as 25 seconds on each application," Licht explained. "You will need something that will stand out in the first two paragraphs in your letter of introduction," he advised, adding that students who have studied under well-known experts in their field, for example, will have outstanding material for their resumes. "However, sometimes even big names aren't enough, and luck becomes the deciding factor," Licht warned. The hundreds of applications are quickly pared down to around 50 in just a matter of hours. These are then carefully sheared to a master list of about 10. Even at this stage, Licht and Jaggard emphasized the harsh realities of the application process. "There are constant department politics that are going on behind the scenes. Decisions can be made because of something that is entirely out of your control," Licht noted. Nevertheless, he added that students who have published work will be more attractive to University employers. In the arts and sciences departments, for example, Licht said an applicant's chances for getting a job increase exponentially with each chapter of his or her dissertation that has been published. During the final stages of the selection process, the department holds a convention where the 10 remaining candidates are invited to meet and interview with the faculty. Licht stressed the importance of applicants showing interest in supporting the undergraduate department during the interviews. "You love to teach undergrads. You cannot wait to teach the survey courses," he said. Finally, the 10 are whittled down to a very short list of three who are invited for a campus visit in the spring. "At this point, your social graces start to matter," Jaggard noted. The successful candidate "always eats with a knife and fork," he said.
(02/04/98 10:00am)
More than a year after the Free Library of Philadelphia closed its branch at 40th and Walnut streets, plans for the building remain up in the air as the University has proposed five sites as temporary locations for a new branch. The 83-year-old building closed on October 26, 1996, for minor renovations such as rewiring, repainting and architectural repairs, and was scheduled to reopen within six months. Upon entering the facility, however, engineers discovered $4 million in water damage. Last summer, Free Library officials explored renovating and reopening the building -- known as the Walnut Street West Branch -- but concluded that was not feasible, according to Free Library spokesperson Mike Sydeck. The library then requested that the University help find the branch a temporary, and perhaps permanent, home. "We have identified several sites in the vicinity of 40th and Walnut streets that would accommodate a temporary library system," said Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official. Both Shannon and Sydeck refused to identify any of the potential sites, saying that would jeopardize the locations' availability. Community members and library officials agreed last summer that, among other requirements, the new location should be near the old one. The potential sites meet those preferences, according to Shannon. Despite the delay in finding an appropriate location, Sydeck said the library fully intends to reopen a branch in the area. No timetable, however, exists for either the opening of a new branch or the disposal of the old building, he said. The University is interested in purchasing the property from the Free Library system, according to Sydeck. Shannon declined to comment on such a purchase. Although University and library officials are concerned with finding the branch a permanent home, they are currently concentrating on finding a temporary location. "I anticipate that once a temporary location has been identified, we'll work with the Free Library system and the community to identify a permanent location as well," Shannon said. Despite the University's extensive involvement in the search for another location for the library, the ultimate decision and cost of reopening the branch will rest with the library, Shannon said. When it was open, the Walnut Street West Branch served as a place where students, professors and community members could interact. It contained bestsellers, children's books, newspapers, magazines, compact discs and videocassettes. Unlike most other libraries, the branch organized its materials by category and not by the Dewey Decimal system. Penn students also used the library as a place in which to tutor area children. In addition, Graduate School of Education students used the children's collection to experiment with alternative teaching methods. The branch closed for renovations two other times in its history. In 1959, the library's lighting was upgraded, and in 1987, the facility was closed so workers could remove asbestos that infested the building. It reopened in 1990.
