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(04/14/97 9:00am)
Secretary of State Madeline Albright, one of the University's top choices, declined to serve as this year's speaker. Actor Bill Cosby has agreed to serve as keynote speaker at the May 19 Commencement ceremonies, according to a source close to the speaker search committee. University administrators have yet to make an official announcement, although one should be made in the next few days, according to College senior and former InterFraternity Council President Josh Gottheimer. By contrast, Tom Brokaw was announced as the class of 1996 Commencement speaker by the end of February last year. According to another source close to the search committee, Secretary of State Madeline Albright had been one of the University's top choices for this year's speaker. But Albright spokesperson Kitty Barttles confirmed that Albright declined the request last Wednesday. Barttles explained that Albright has to make another domestic trip on the same day, and although her office tried to accommodate for both trips, it turned out to be impossible. Sources said former President Jimmy Carter was also contacted by the University. And while Carter initially accepted, he was forced to cancel because his grandson's graduation is scheduled for the same weekend. South African President Nelson Mandela, another top choice, also declined an invitation to speak at Commencement. And George Stephanopoulos -- a former senior advisor to President Clinton who has agreed to teach at Columbia University next year -- was another possibility, sources said. But Stephanopoulos spokesperson Jenny Parker stressed that he had not been contacted by the University. The College of Arts and Sciences has already announced its keynote speaker, 1977 College graduate William Shore, for its graduation ceremonies May 18. Shore is an anti-hunger activist and advisor to former Democratic leader and presidential candidate Gary Hart. College senior and former Daily Pennsylvanian Managing Editor Kara Blond will also speak at the College graduation ceremonies. And former Social Security Commissioner Shirley Chater will address members of the Nursing School's graduating class. The Wharton School has not announced its speaker for its May 19 graduation, although an announcement is expected soon. The School of Engineering and Applied Science traditionally does not have a speaker. Actor and comedian Cosby is a Philadelphia native and a graduate of Temple University. He received an honorary degree from Penn at the 1990 Commencement ceremonies, and he returns to the University each year for the annual Penn Relays. Throughout his career, Cosby has sought to impress the importance of education upon young members of his audience. Before entering show business, Cosby had planned on becoming a teacher.
(04/07/97 9:00am)
In a move they hope will improve their relationship with the rest of the University community, the InterFraternity and Panhellenic Councils have begun to search for faculty members to serve as chapter advisors next year. The advisors are supposed to help each chapter plan academic events-- such as guest speakers -- and serve as mentors to chapter members. As part of the Greeks' 21st Century Report, each IFC chapter is supposed to select its faculty advisor by September 1. Panhel chapters will finalize plans for their advisors this week. IFC President Matt Baker, a College and Engineering junior and Alpha Chi Rho brother, said his organization is "pushing" to fill the advising positions, adding that many faculty members have already contacted the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs about the spots. Baker stressed that "we do want to get the word out to all faculty," and noted that IFC Vice President for 21st Century Planning Aaron Kotok, a College junior, began drafting a letter to the entire faculty recently explaining the positions. Kotok said that the letter will be sent to faculty this week after being approved by the IFC executive board. And the Pi Kappa Phi brother said the IFC would be willing to work during summer vacation to ensure that every chapter has its advisor in place by next fall. But Baker noted that plans for the advisors might not be finalized until next spring. And Panhel chapters --Ewhich were supposed to have advisors in place by the beginning of last month -- may not finalize their plans until later this week, according to Panhel Scholarship Chairperson Alison Dick. "It was hard for everyone to jump right in," the Wharton sophomore and Sigma Delta Tau member said, noting that Panhel did not receive a master faculty list until the beginning of this semester. "But two weeks ago, every chapter was basically done [finding an advisor]." Several Greeks said the advisor system benefits both students and faculty. In addition to helping the Greeks with their academic programming, faculty could explore the possibility of holding classes in chapter houses, which Baker said could "help break down that Greek versus non-Greek barrier on an intellectual level."
(04/04/97 10:00am)
Do you have trouble remembering to schedule doctor's appointments? If so, the University's Health System had you in mind when they designed their World Wide Web site. Fire up your browser and head to http://www.med.upenn.edu, click a button and a representative from the University's primary care network will call to set up an appointment -- free of charge. In an effort to draw attention to the University's medical facilities, the Health System and Medical School Web site offers convenient services for potential patients and reference materials to professionals. "As an academic institution, we need to wind up having a presence [on the Internet] the same as any other academic institution," Medical School Computing and Education Technology Director Albert Shar said. "The growth of the Internet is significant," he added. "It's going to be more so as one goes on." Shar stressed that the University is attempting to go beyond offering standard information on the Internet and is trying to instead provide top-of-the-line medical reference material. "We need to provide access for researchers -- both internal and external," he explained, adding that the Web site must also "provide a resource to the community." The Web site currently offers potential patients a list of accepted health insurance plans, a calendar of upcoming events and a search engine to find area doctors by ZIP code and area of specialty. It also allows users to locate the doctors closest to them by clicking on a map. The Web site also includes resources intended for medical professionals -- such as online access to the PennToday magazine and the opportunity to be included in and search a comprehensive referral directory. And the Web site features a number of links of interest to both doctors and community members, including that of the University's Cancer Center. "We want to wind up positioning ourself as a quality health care environment rather than something that is just raw and straightforward advertising," Shar said, adding that he hopes for the Web site to continue broadening its range of service. The Web site currently features sites devoted to approximately 75 percent of the Medical School's departments. Shar predicted that, in addition to "expanding the number of departments that provide information on our site," the Health System Web site will "expand significantly in the area of health information." "I think that's probably where the largest resource actually is in terms of what the breadth of the site actually is," he noted. But Penn's Health System is not the only Philadelphia medical network to take advantage of the Internet's resources, and the University's two biggest health care rivals -- Allegheny and Thomas Jefferson universities -- both offer detailed medical information on their Web sites. The scope and depth of the available information from each school, however, clearly differ from what is available through Penn's Web site. Allegheny's Web site, for example, only describes medical care at some of its affiliate hospitals -- offering few links to other sources of information. Thomas Jefferson, by contrast, has equipped its Web site to steer users towards a variety of reference material from the university and other sources.
(03/03/97 10:00am)
Gunshots at 33rd and Walnut streets yesterday afternoon sent a large crowd of basketball spectators into a frenzy, but no injuries were reported. At approximately 4:15 p.m., police reported hearing gunshots fired from a gray Chevrolet Lumina containing four men. According to University Police Capt. John Richardson, who was at the scene, the gunfire sounded like it came from an "automatic weapon." He added that "people started fleeing everywhere" after hearing the shots. The gunshots occurred approximately 45 minutes after the Philadelphia Public League high school boys basketball championship game at the Palestra. No arrests have yet been made in the incident, which is under investigation by the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives bureau. Richardson said a Philadelphia Police officer "was chasing the people who she suspected of firing the shots" but was unable to catch them and eventually lost them. In the aftermath of the incident, police stopped suspicious individuals and recovered several weapons -- none of which were involved in the 33rd and Walnut shooting. The Palestra hosted the boys and girls high school basketball championship games yesterday for the first time in several years, Athletic Ticket Director Peggy Kowalski said, noting that the nearby Philadelphia Civic Center had hosted the event in recent years. Approximately 4,000 people attended the event. Although last year's boys basketball championship featured a near-riot due to a bad call, this year's game between Simon Gratz High School and Carver High School for Engineering and Science occurred without any problems, said Tony Vecchione, the University's associate athletic director for operations. He emphasized that the gunshots were heard outside the facility well after the game ended in a Grantz victory. Vecchione explained that more than 100 security and police personnel -- including 10 University Police officers, 40 Philadelphia school district police officers and 60 security guards -- were assigned to the event. In addition, security guards with metal detecting wands searched every individual that entered the Palestra, he said. "We had more than adequate security in the building," Vecchione said, adding that the University is interested in hosting the championship in the future -- although it "will make some suggestions" regarding security at the event. In an unrelated incident, a University Police officer was injured yesterday while attempting to arrest a man causing a disturbance in the Palestra yesterday afternoon at the basketball doubleheader, police said. After University Police Officer Howard Anderson tried to arrest the suspect at approximately 3 p.m., the two began fighting, and the suspect fell on top of Anderson's knee, Richardson explained. Anderson sustained a sprained and hyperextended left knee and was transported to the Presbyterian Medical Center at 39th and Market streets, where he was treated and released. The suspect was arrested and taken to the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives Bureau, where he was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault against police.
(03/03/97 10:00am)
To the Editor: The situation would be un peu plus amusant if they did not leave behind such a mess when they go. Positions can't be filled, promotions go on hold, policy decisions are iced for the duration and an avalanche of trickle-down negative spin-offs materialize when the University has to scramble into high gear to form yet another costly and time-consuming search committee and once again turn up a replacement who is prepared to swear piously on a stack of Chronicles of Higher Education that all they have ever wanted to be since first learning how to talk is an administrator at the good-old U. of P. Chodorow is by all accounts an excellent fellow and nobody would like to see his career crimped by something as mundane as a paper commitment to Penn. Let me proffer instead a simple suggestion. In the future, let all top administrators who leave Penn before their contracted terms of office are over rebate to the faculty and students their full salary for the entire calendar year in which they decide to announce their departure. Donald White Classical Studies Professor Curator of Mediterranean Section at University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology Debating welfare To the Editor: I would like to comment on Wednesday's panel discussion on welfare reform as well as the DP's coverage of the event. Promoters advertised the panel discussion as a "debate" on welfare reform. Being interested in the topic, I attended the forum. I was quite disappointed to discover that the event's organizers, the Poverty Awareness Committee and the Program for Student Community Involvement, failed to sponsor a true debate, simply because all of the panelists agreed with one another! All five speakers assailed the welfare reform laws, many of them plugging each others' efforts against the downsizing of the leviathan of public assistance. Where were the supporters of the enacted welfare reforms? Where were those who believe that it is high time to ween Americans away from the notion of entitlements? Perhaps most telling about the incredibly biased nature of the event was the young woman in the audience who used the Q&A; period to announce her campaign to physically blockade government buildings in protest of welfare reform. While the DP accurately reported that all of the panelists were opposed to the welfare reforms, discussion was far from "heated," as the DP article described it. In general, I hope that in the interest of true dialogue that student organizations will be more responsible in the future about their "debates" and who they invite to facilitate them. Lee Bailey College '98 Not a grandmother To the Editor: Why is it that your cover page story titled "Through CGS, grandmothers mix with 18-year-olds" (DP, 2/28/97) has nothing to do with grandmothers? After finding no mention of grandmothers on the first page, I continued inside and still found nothing relevent. If I were Mrs. Radetich I'd be upset and insulted that the article which featured me on the front page had a grandmother reference in the title. She is 42-years-old has no kids over 17! She's far from grandmotherdom. In the future, try to construct headers that are not so misleading. Ryan Oakes College '00 Just an innocent game To the Editor: On Friday night a bunch of friends and I decided that it might be fun to play a round of Frisbee Golf. For those that don't know, it's a game that involves throwing a frisbee from a spot (the tee) and hitting an object around the campus (the hole). Mind you, these objects never have and never will be damaged by the frisbees. However, one of our campus policemen decided that he'd rather harass a bunch of people playing this simple game by calling it tasteless and telling us to find something better to do rather than stop the many crimes that do occur around this campus, especially at midnight. The point? Don't our campus elite have something better to do than to stop an innocent game that does no harm to anyone and keeps us from committing any real crimes? Ray Braithwood Engineering '97
(02/27/97 10:00am)
Acknowledging that "our trash is actually someone's life-saving equipment," a new group of University students hopes to route unused medical supplies from the trash bins of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to developing countries desperately in need of equipment. Forty students formed the "Remedy" group last September, and asked the University for permission to clean and donate the supplies. But the Medical School -- worried about possible liability issues -- has temporarily put a final decision on the program "on hold." Remedy and the school, however, are working together to resolve the issues and allow the program to proceed. Remedy Coordinator Andrew Krakowski, a post-baccalaureate pre-health student, explained that the program is designed to recover equipment such as unused bandages, sponges, towels, shields and catheters that cannot be used by HUP. The items would then be sterilized and donated to Carelift International, a non-profit organization that sends medical supplies to needy hospitals in developing countries. "We throw out so much medical supplies because of the law, and a good amount of the stuff can be salvaged and resterilized and sent overseas where it can be used," Krakowski said. He explained that when doctors prepare for surgery, they often unwrap more supplies than they need in case extra equipment is needed during the operation. But because the supplies have already been opened, they are thrown out at the end of the procedure regardless of whether or not they have been used. "Basically we're talking about a clean piece of material," said Scott Leshner, director of materials management and biomedical engineering services for Carelift International. Ideally, the supplies would then be put in bags in the operating room, sterilized in HUP's facility and then sorted by Remedy volunteers. Legal issues, however, have prevented the Medical School from agreeing to sponsor the project. "It's a wonderful idea in theory," Medical Center spokesperson Rebecca Harmon said, "But ? we're still evaluating the extent to which we would choose to assume potential liability for the products that are being shipped to various third-world destinations. "To what extent can we guarantee the sterility of a product that may be missing its original outer wrapping?" she added. Krakowski acknowledged that the legal issues merit careful attention by the University. "We have to be patient," he said. "It's a big project, and there are a lot of questions that we need to get answered. "The Penn system is really doing their hardest work to try to get us going," Krakowski added. In preparation for beginning the Remedy program, Krakowski and his volunteers underwent Bloodborne Pathogens Training -- an hour-long session conducted by Bob Leonzio, a specialist in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. "It's a really exciting program that they're involved with," Leonzio said. "The lack of adequate medical facilities in some of these third-world countries can actually contribute to the spread of disease." And HUP Central Supply and Materials Management Manager George Long has offered to help sterilize the donated equipment. "Each individual item is no longer considered sterile," Long said, explaining that although products can never truly be "re-sterilized," they would nonetheless go through the sterilization process in order to ensure as much cleanliness as possible. Remedy volunteers have begun collecting and donating used medical equipment while waiting for a University decision on the program. Remedy has forwarded to Carelift International old laboratory equipment that is useless to a modern hospital, but considered state-of-the-art in many developing countries. Medical School Building Administrator Diane McAndrews, for example, recently sent approximately $20,000 worth of equipment to a lab in Romania through the Remedy group. And HUP officials recently contacted Carelift International and donated "eight to 10 truckloads" of incubators, gurneys, EKG machines and other supplies to the group. Penn's Remedy program is modeled after a similar program developed by Yale Medical School Professor William Rosenblatt 10 years ago, in spite of the potential liability issues. But in a booklet distributed by Yale's Remedy program, Bowling Green State University Legal Studies Professor Emeritus Russell Decker acknowledged the liability problems. "There is no absolute way that a hospital can avoid the possibility of a claim being made under strict products liability law," he wrote. "However, a rather strong defense can be established by showing that the sale or donation of the item was a 'casual sale'."
(02/25/97 10:00am)
What are you doing next year? Are you going to stay in Philadelphia? I have yet to find an answer to either of these commonly asked questions. I could probably tell people what I am not going to be doing and where I am not going to be. I am not going to be working on Wall Street. I'm not going to be working anywhere where I have to work one job for more than fifty hours a week (sixty or seventy is out of the question.) I don't think I could dedicate my life to earning money by figuring out ways to make money off other people or worse yet, off other people's money. I am not going to be living in Philadelphia--though the idea of not having to move all my junk very far does hold a certain appeal. Basically, I'm flexible. I want a job (not a career for a lifetime or anything that serious) I will enjoy and feel is worthwhile and a home that I want to come home to. After many failures at fixing the margin and centering my name (how come when you get your resume perfect on the screen, you go to print and it prints something entirely different? I think it is some built in mechanism to increase the stress you are already feeling from summarizing 21 years of accomplishments on a single sheet of paper), I finally printed it out. By the time my resume was presentable, I had missed half of the recruiting but I decided to go over to Career Planning and Placement Service and see what all the fuss has been about. I got there and people were stuffing their resumes in every slot--from chemical companies to the Disney Corporation. I looked down at the four copies of my resume that I had brought and instead of just leaving, I decided that I would pretend to know exactly what I was doing. If knowing is "half the battle," then looking like you know is undoubtedly the other half. I searched up and down the drop boxes as if I knew a specific company that would be there. With a graceful and knowing thrust of the wrist, I slipped my resume into the slots for the jobs that said marketing or research, carefully avoiding all Accounting and Chemical Engineering positions. After this brief episode, I forgot all about OCRS until my roommate -- what would I do without her she's so good at this job-getting stuff -- asked me if I had gotten any interviews. Well, how should I know? No one had mentioned anything to me about giving me a job. She told me to go back to OCRS, get a password and then do something on the CPPS Web page. That all seemed like a lot of trouble, so I went to lunch at Commons instead. I came back from winter break and found two bills and a rejection letter from some company I had never heard of. This must be the result of my little excursion into the high-stress world of recruiting. At least they were kind enough to send me a letter but I'm sorry I made them waste the 32-cent postage. Though they don't want me, I didn't want them either. I was just caught up in the excitement (maybe frenzy is a better word) of it all. Well, I guess I'll have to hang up my rejection letter on the wall--I'm told it's a tradition for Whartonites and I wouldn't want to be left out of any other acts of self-torture that my fellow classmates are going through. So what am I going to do? New Orleans sounds good. I'll eat a little jambalaya, listen to a little jazz, live in a houseboat on the Mississippi and speak a little French to the folks in the bayou. Or maybe San Francisco, trolley cars are cool. Maybe I should look for a job before I pick the city. Can't be a doctor or a lawyer -- not yet anyway. I can go on and on about history or literature but I don't think anyone is going to pay to hear me chatter -- not yet anyway. I would have to go to more school for all that. Am I lacking ambition? Or, am just lacking direction? Maybe I should go back to CPPS and try again.
(02/19/97 10:00am)
The founders of the Yahoo! Internet directory have given Stanford University $2 million to establish a new endowed chair in its School of Engineering. David Filo, 30, and Jerry Yang, 28, who created Yahoo! in 1994 in Stanford's Computer Systems Laboratory, are the youngest individuals ever to endow a chair at the university, according to Stanford spokesperson David Salisbury. "Stanford was an integral part of the creation of Yahoo!," Yang said. "Through the endowment of a professorship, David and I feel that we can give back to the university by providing a long-term resource to advance levels of teaching and research." The pair requested that the Yahoo! Founders Chair -- the 40th endowed chair in Stanford's School of Engineering -- be given to an individual at the forefront of the information systems technology field who has demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit, according to Salisbury. "We believe that, by allowing the endowment to focus on technology and having some emphasis on entrepreneurship, we can hopefully lay the foundation for the next generation of great ideas and new business to develop," Yang said. Salisbury said the Yahoo! Founders professor will be chosen at a later date, and will probably be a specialist in computer science or electrical engineering. "Jerry and Dave's generosity is a model for other successful entrepreneurs," Engineering Dean John Hennessy said. "It follows in the footsteps of some of Stanford's most important benefactors." Filo and Yang, who both received master's degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford in 1990, started Yahoo! (located on the World Wide Web at http://www.yahoo.com) as a hobby while they were working on their doctorates in the university's Computer Systems Laboratory. They began the project by compiling a list of interesting Internet sites. And as their project grew, Yahoo! emerged as the first on-line directory for the World Wide Web. The pair converted Yahoo! into a customized database designed to meet the needs of the thousands of people who began to use the service to search the Internet regularly. They also developed software to locate, identify and edit material on websites. In less than a year, the website became so popular that it had to be removed from its original location on a Stanford computer. In early 1995, Netscape Communications co-founder Marc Andressen allowed Filo and Yang to move their files to Netscape's larger computers in Mountain View, Calif. Yahoo! became even more popular once Netscape put a link to the directory on its web browsers, prompting Filo and Yang to set up their own company, Yahoo! Inc. Salisbury said the company reported revenues of $8,551,000 for the fourth quarter of 1996, a 55 percent increase over the $5,515,000 revenues for the third quarter. "Our relationship with the Silicon Valley is a unique asset both to the Valley and to Stanford," Hennessy said. "Of all the startups that have come from the Silicon Valley, Yahoo! has probably affected more people in less time that any other."
(02/12/97 10:00am)
The Sacramento Bee reported Penn's provost was among the finalists for the UCLA chancellor position. Despite reports published in The Sacramento Bee last Saturday, Provost Stanley Chodorow denied applying for the position of chancellor at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bee article reported that Chodorow was among six finalists for the position, including UCLA Law School Dean Susan Prager, UCLA Medical School Dean Gerald Levey, Lehigh University President Peter Likins, Ohio State Provost Richard Sisson and Stanford Provost Condoleezza Rice. But Chodorow said he didn't apply for the position, describing the story as speculative. He added that he would not comment on "rumors about who is a candidate for what." Chodorow served as associate vice chancellor of University of California, San Diego while that campus was under the direction of Richard Atkinson, current president of the UC system. The provost is still a close friend of Atkinson's, according to UCLA spokesperson Terry Colvin. The UCLA Daily Bruin ran a short list of the candidates yesterday which did not include Chodorow. The Bruin's list provided a top tier of candidates -- Prager, Rice, Harvard Provost Albert Carnesale and University of Florida President John Lombardi. The Bruin also described a reserve list, in case none of the top four choices accepts the position. This list included Levey, Likins, Vice Chancellor and UC Berkley Provost Carol Christ, UC San Diego School of Engineering Dean Robert Conn, University of Michigan Vice Provost for Research Neal Homer and UC Riverside Chancellor Raymond Orbach. Daily Bruin Reporter Patrick Kerkstra -- the author of the piece --Esaid the Bee story was mistaken about Chodorow's selection, adding that he is "pretty confident" that his sources are correct. "I have absolutely no indication that [Chodorow] is on the finalist list," Kerkstra said. "It is entirely plausible that he was considered, especially in light of his connection with [UCLA]." Although Colvin wouldn't name any of the applicants, he said there is no short list of candidates. "I can't confirm Stanley Chodorow being on that list because there is no list," Colvin said. He added that it would be unlikely that the Bee and Bruin would have access to applicant information, since no one but Atkinson is aware of the list. The new chancellor will be selected by Atkinson and approved by the Board of Regents. A committee will evaluate a list of choices from the president, but it will not be given a full list of applicants or made aware of any recommendations outside its own. The president may decide to choose a chancellor who is not among the list given to the advisory committee, Colvin said. Despite Chodorow's and Colvin's denials, Lisa Lapin, education editor for the Bee, stood by the story. "The information came from members of the search committee and a person in a position to know in higher ed," Lapin said. She added that Chodorow's appearance on the candidates list does not mean he applied for the position, since such lists usually combine actual applicants and the search committee's wish list. The UC system is currently searching for two new chancellors -- one for UCLA and one for UC Berkley. UCLA is the largest campus in the system. Kerkstra said the search committee will interview three to five candidates this month. The committee members will then vote individually for their top choice, which Atkinson will take into account when making his decision. The Board of Regents is expected to vote on Atkinson's recommendation at its March 20-21 meeting.
(01/28/97 10:00am)
Officials should encourage more alumni to donate funds to programs in need instead of to their home schools. Paul Kelly, who received his MBA from Wharton in 1962, donated $1.1 million to the Writers House for technological and structural renovations. Alumni who have made a significant amount of money in their careers after attending the University should consider giving back to Penn. But they shouldn't donate money just to the schools in which they matriculated. If administrators want to fund all of the Agenda for Excellence strategic goals they announced this month, they need to broaden the search for donations beyond its current boundaries. Officials should begin a new campaign emphasizing gifts to the University to be used for academic priorities. New academic programs are too young to have well-established alumni that can contribute to the inital development. Proposed academics-in-residence programs such as EFFECT -- a student-run engineering project similar to the Writers House -- would benefit tremendously from alumni donations. Smaller schools such as the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Education are badly in need of new facilities. But since those professional careers typically pay poorly and the schools have a fewer number of graduates, it is difficult to obtain donations for them. We commended Kelly for his generosity to the Writers House. University officials should encourage more alumni to contribute in this way. We hope it becomes a trend among alumni in strengthening the programs at Penn.
(01/27/97 10:00am)
Initiatives announced last week as part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science's follow-up to the "Agenda for Excellence" focus on research priorities and interdisciplinary programs. The Engineering School has decided to concentrate its research on three programs in particular -- Information Science and Technology, Biological Science and Technology and Materials Science. "These are three topics in which we have every reason to believe that we should be fantastic and we know we can be fantastic," Farrington said. He added that the school will review each of its departments and terminate unsuccessful programs. Farrington said new interdisciplinary programs are a major theme of the plan, since one of the school's major strengths is its "linkage" with other schools. Towards that goal, he explained that the Engineering School will develop two major educational programs directed at "people outside our normal educational focus." In addition to continuing the Telecommunications master's program begun this fall, the school will add a Biotechnology master's program -- run jointly by the School of Arts and Sciences and the Engineering School -- next fall. The school will also make minors in several Engineering programs available to non-science or math majors. Farrington said he anticipates the largest amount of student interest in a proposed Computer and Information Science minor, although the school will also consider minors in Telecommunications and Biotechnology. But he added that the Engineering School must take into account which subjects can be adequately taught to a non-science major in the course of a minor. CIS Professor Dave Farber said that although CIS minors may not be equipped for a computer-intensive job, they will benefit from greater understanding of the field. "They're not going to be able to go and be practitioners, but when they run in to things in the computer area they'll develop a smell for it," he said. Farrington also proposed the addition of one or two interdisciplinary programs similar to the Management and Technology program. Possible subjects for the new programs include Biotechnology, Telecommunications and International Technology. The school has hired five new faculty members over the course of the semester, including its first African American professor. The school will continues its search for new faculty in the areas of computer science, biotechnology and telecommunications. Faculty members said they are pleased with the plan, adding that it successfully focuses on the school's strengths while developing new ideas for programs. "It will bring the school forward," said Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Chairperson Jan Van Der Spiegel. "The dean has chosen the right priorities." Director of Advising and Admissions John Keenan said both the Faculty Senate and individual faculty members provided input for the plan at various stages. Beyond academic changes, the plan outlines several facilities projects. The school will continue to improve facilities with the IAST-II project slated to house Computer, Information and Cognitive Science facilities. Farrington said he hopes to renovate the current Engineering facilities and build an engineering and science library. Further renovations will be made to the Towne Building over the summer. The building -- which received a facelift prior to the ENIAC anniversary -- will now undergo heating and air conditioning repairs. Farrington added that the school opened a new computer lab over winter break, while upgrading its computers. "This is Pentium heaven," Farrington said.
(01/21/97 10:00am)
The plans stress the need for increased faculty positions, minority recruitment and endowed chairperson positions. Research, faculty recruitment and interdisciplinary programs are among the priorities of the strategic plans of the University's 12 schools, which were released yesterday as part of the "Agenda for Excellence." Administrators called upon individual schools to review their objectives within the framework of the plan, which was released in November 1995. In their plans, all four undergraduate schools stressed the need for increased faculty positions, minority recruitment and endowed chair positions. The College of Arts and Sciences, in particular, is looking to hire new junior faculty members in a effort to increase their current proportion from 20 to 23 percent by the year 2001. The Wharton School of Business also seeks new faculty in order to compete with student-faculty ratios at peer institutions. Student surveys will be used to identify areas in need of increased teaching resources. The College plans to renovate its Biology facilities and construct a new Psychology building as early as 1998. Other repairs will target Bennett Hall and the Music Building. The History Department will move into the newly renovated College Hall and various departments that "were temporarily exiled to Market Street" will return to Logan Hall, according to School of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Walter Wales. The School of Engineering and Applied Science has also begun planning for the Institute for Advance Science and Technology II -- which will provide modern space for the Computer Information and Science Department. The reports also stress interdisciplinary programs to encourage students to study outside of their home schools. "The goal is to create projects that will allow students to understand that the world in not divided up into disciplines," Provost Stanley Chodorow said. "[The world's] problems come to you in a sort of big mess and you have to apply everything you know to them." Many of the professional schools are seeking to develop undergraduate minors while also allowing undergraduates increased access to graduate level courses. SEAS's proposal includes developing one or two "flagship programs of the [Management and Technology] type" in topics such as Biotechnology, Telecommunications or International Technology. New minors for non-science and engineering majors are also in the works. Programming improvements will also be made in the College. "The school's efforts to reorganize the writing program, develop an emphasis on quantitative skills and promote language instruction in disciplinary context will benefit all of the undergraduate schools," according to College Dean Robert Rescorla. The individual school plans also echo the Agenda for Excellence's goal to emphasize undergraduate research. Research opportunities will open to all College undergraduates by 1998, while the Nursing and Engineering schools hope to attract further funding for research. The plans set high expectations for the University, and implementating them will be far from inexpensive. The College plan alone indicates a need for $100 million to cover facility costs and $200 million for undergraduate financial aid, faculty chairperson positions and start-up funds. And the School of Nursing has a $35.3 million fundraising goal, of which only $17.5 million has already been collected. Rodin said fundraising and administrative restructuring -- not tuition increases -- will be used to fund the initiatives. All new funds will be allocated to the programs and departments targeted by the plans, leaving remaining departments to make due with their current budgets. Rodin stressed that the plans outline a set of strategic goals and are not a curricular review. "The strategic plans really lay out the signpost, the pathways, but they don't put in the roads," she said. Several aspects of the Agenda are already underway, including the establishment of the joint Wharton-Law submatriculation program and a SAS committee to search for senior American and Comparative Political Science professors. The IAST phase I building at 33rd Street and Smith Walk -- which will provide SEAS with modern research space -- will be completed this summer. As for future initiatives, priorities vary between schools, according to Rodin. "The next step for some is faculty hiring," she said.
(12/12/96 10:00am)
· The people and events that affected our lives · The Blizzard of '96 covered the campus with more snow than the East Coast had seen in a decade and left many students stranded at airports and train stations across the country as they tried to return for the spring term. An all-time high of almost 16,000 applications poured into the Office of Admissions, making the Class of 2000 the most selective in the University's history. And Houston Hall -- the oldest student union in the United States -- celebrated its 100th birthday. The event coincided with the commencement of preliminary work on Perelman Quadrangle -- a revitalization project targeting Irvine Auditorium and Houston, Logan and Williams Halls. On the Greek scene, the InterFraternity Council offered bids to 507 potential brothers in its first-ever spring rush and Panhel gave bids to 355 freshman and sophomore women. The University received national recognition, as the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that Penn was selected as one of three alternate sites for a presidential debate in the fall. There were several changes in the administration as Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Season eliminated the post of police chief. George Clisby, the former chief, took on the post of director of administration and former Director of Victim Support Maureen Rush was named director of police operations. Additionally, Chaplain Stanley Johnson stepped down after 35 years at the University, and eight-year director of Penn Relays Timothy Baker turned in his resignation. At the end of the month, jury selection began in the trail of two defendants accused of murdering fifth-year Mathematics graduate student Al-Moez Alimohamed. -- Marisa Katz February marked the end of an era, as the men's basketball team suffered its first conference loss in 49 games against Dartmouth. The Quakers lost to the Big Green 54-53 in the final seconds of the game -- bringing an end to the team's winning streak. But there was cause for celebration, as Vice President Al Gore made a Valentine's Day visit to the University in honor of the 50th anniversary of ENIAC -- the first modern computer. The University showed off its campus and technological savvy to Gore, who switched on ENIAC for the first time in decades and spoke about the federal government's commitment to furthering science and technological research. Tom Stoppard, author of Arcadia, also made an appearance on campus in February to discuss his play with members of the Class of 1999, who had read the play for the Penn Reading Project. During his three-day visit, Stoppard led several major public events, attended various classes and received an official proclamation from Mayor Ed Rendell -- a keychain to the city. Also in February, problems with mail theft that had plagued the campus for years concluded with the arrest of 30th Street Postal Clerk Gerald Ricca. Ricca was charged with and eventually convicted of one count of mail theft for stealing mail addressed to University dormitories. He is believed to be responsible stealing mail from the 30th Street Post Office since 1992. -- Mark Fiore While students looked forward to plans for spring break, March was a busy month at the University. Police found marijuana and a gun in the car of Donald Gaines, a staff assistant to University President Judith Rodin. Charges were dropped because of accusations that the search was illegal, but Gaines was fired from his post. Provost Stanley Chodorow agreed to modify the University's Judicial Charter, making rules about open hearings and confidentiality more flexible in response to student and faculty concerns. Headlining sports news, men's basketball lost to Princeton in a playoff game, giving Princeton the Ivy League bid to the NCAA Tournament. U.S. News and World Report ranked nine of Penn's graduate programs in the top 25. The Wharton School of Business ranked third, while the School of Medicine placed sixth and the Law School was eighth. In faculty news, popular English Professor Gregg Camfield was denied tenure for a second and final time, leading him to leave the University. And the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences lost a faculty member with the death of Mechanical Engineering Professor Jacob Abel, who had spent 30 years at the school. On the financial front, the the University's Board of Trustees approved a 5.5 percent tuition increase and the University paid an estimated $2.48 million to help cover the costs of other investors in the bankrupt New Era charity. Thirty-four students ran for 25 spots on the Undergraduate Assembly, and all three of the referenda on the ballot failed. Students who voted were entered into a raffle for tickets to the Billy Joel concert. The Student Activities Council elected eight members to the Executive Committee. The group chose Engineering senior Paul Wilder as chairperson. In Greek life, student leaders released a preliminary 21st Century Report, the Panhellenic Council rejected a Sigma Kappa sorority bid to colonize, and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity was put on a two month social probation after an unregistered mixer. And in performing arts, the Glee Club went to Broadway to serenade Sunset Boulevard star Betty Buckley, while 1996 College Graduate Paul Shore directed God as an independent study project. -- Shannon Burke For some University students, April was only three hours and 25 minutes long. Or at least that's what they'll remember. For one spring night, Billy Joel captivated more than 1,800 lucky fans -- a full house at Irvine Auditorium --with renditions of his classic songs and anecdotes about his life. Earlier that month, former College senior Eden Jacobowitz announced he would sue the University for personal damages incurred during the judicial proceedings of the 1993 "water buffalo" incident. And it was Spring Fling with a twist this year, as the Pennsylvania Liquor Control and Enforcement Bureau made an appearance on Penn's campus -- at the invitation of the University. The LCE dampened the spirits of 94 students, who were cited for underage drinking and fake ID violations over the weekend. As the spring semester wound down, University President Judith Rodin agreed to step back into the classroom, announcing that she would teach a freshman seminar in the Psychology Department this fall. And University officials released plans for a new Barnes & Noble superstore at 36th and Walnut streets, replacing The Book Store. Barnes & Noble took over operations at the current store over the summer, and the new one is slated to open in fall 1998. At Columbia University, 200 students seized control of a campus building, demanding that the school create an Ethnic Studies Department. The protest ended after 15 days with the students' demands unanswered. Back on the Penn campus, officials said low enrollment would prevent two of the four proposed virtual college pilot programs from opening this fall. And when the U.S. Department of Defense announced it would not agree to a new arrangement for the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, the University announced it would not make changes to its own ROTC program -- Tammy Reiss It was a summer of confusion, construction and shakeups as the University's administration began work on many large-scale projects. As part of ongoing efforts to cut costs on campus, Executive Vice President John Fry announced that he would consider outsourcing all departments. He stressed, however, that this year's efforts will focus on residential and dining services. The University fired 160 employees last year due to outsourcing and restructuring, prompting widespread fears as to the effects of future downsizing. Major shake-ups hit the two-month-old Department of Housing and Residence in August, as Gigi Simeone, who served as Residential Living director for almost 10 years, and Zoila Airall, associate director of staff and programming, both left the University. As a result of the personnel changes and departmental reorganization, the consulting firm Biddison Hier was contracted to review all of the University's residential operations. Construction workers were a common sight on campus over the summer, beginning work to transform the former Theta Xi fraternity house at 3643 Locust Walk into the Penn Women's Center and to replace Locust Walk's bluestones with bituminous paver. Both projects continued into the school year. Several new projects were announced over the summer. Security Director Chris Algard unveiled the idea of installing biometric hand readers into University residences and the possibility of a multi-million contract with Sensormatic Security Corporation. University Police began carrying semi-automatic weapons and commenced a search for a new headquarters. And efforts began to make a new debit card system more user-friendly to the University community. The usual summer appointments added to the chaos. William Gipson, former associate dean of religious life at Princeton University, was named Penn's new chaplain, while Physics Professor Ralph Amado was formally named vice provost for research, after serving in the position on an interim basis since September of 1995. Medical School Dean William Kelley, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Gregory Farrington and Wharton School Dean Thomas Gerrity were all reappointed as the final part of the review process. Additionally, 1980 University Graduate John Prendergast was named the new editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette. James O'Donnell, a Classical Studies professor and faculty fellow in Van Pelt College House, became the new faculty master for Hill College House. And Michael Diorka was appointed director of the University's Intramural Recreation Sports, giving him the opportunity to make large-scale changes to the department. -- Jaclyn LaPlaca As students returned to school in September, the University began to take on the feel of a campus under siege. Thirty armed robberies occurred on or around campus during the month, culminating in a robbery gone bad September 24 that saw College senior Patrick Leroy shot in the back. The alleged gunman, Wilmington, Del. resident Chris Crawford, was arrested by Philadelphia Police within an hour of the shooting. The other two suspects were arrested in the following two weeks. Two days after the incident, University President Judith Rodin announced a slew of new safety initiatives at a town meeting held to deal with the crimes. Rodin spent two hours hearing and trying to alleviate student concerns about safety. In response, the University increased the number of foot and bike patrols around campus and added 66 new blue light phones. Also in September, School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens resigned after serving as dean for five years. She is now on an academic leave of absence until September 1997. Physics Professor Walter Wales is currently serving as interim dean. The month also saw the first of several major financial commitments to facilities initiatives. The Board of Trustees approved a $15 million deal to buy the Sheraton Hotel on 36th and Chestnut streets. The University intends to use the building as swing space for students once several dormitories undergo renovations. The University also sold the building located at 3025 Walnut Street for $1.45 million to a gene-therapy company started by an Engineering School professor. And Rodin announced her commitment of $20 million to a minority permanence plan -- outlined as part of the University's strategic goals in the Agenda for Excellence. Whartonites filled with pride again when the undergraduate business program was ranked first in the nation in U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings. But the University overall slipped two spots to number 13 -- prompting statements from administrators discounting the importance of such rankings. -- Andrea Ahles Vladimir Sled celebrated his 38th birthday near the end of October. But with less than an hour left in the month, the University biochemist was stabbed to death on 43rd Street and Larchwood Avenue. Sled's death tragically concluded a month which had more than its fair share of headline-grabbing events. Kathy Change -- the local activist whose dancing, flag waving and skimpy clothing were familiar to the entire University -- immolated herself in front of the peace symbol on College Green. Change wanted her suicide -- which she had planned for more than a year -- to call attention to her political beliefs advocating a peaceful "transformation" of society. Attempting to get the University community to consider her ideas more seriously, she immolated herself outside Van Pelt Library. In the final week of the presidential election campaign, two of the three major-party candidates stumped for votes at the University. Thousands packed Hill Field for a rally featuring President Clinton. The next day, Reform Party candidate Ross Perot spoke at Irvine Auditorium and challenged Clinton to a one-on-one debate -- only to be brushed off by the White House. The University of Michigan, in search of a new president, chose Penn Provost Stanley Chodorow as one of four finalists for the job. Chodorow impressed students and faculty when he visited Ann Arbor as part of the interview process. Safety matters were a top concern throughout the month. Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon announced a $3 million-plus contract with Sensormatic Electronics Corporation. The company will install a high-tech security system in all University residences. Public Safety, which includes the University Police department, also said that it would consolidate its three current locations into a new, state-of-the-art facility near 40th and Chestnut streets. Less than one week after the announcement, however, a woman shot and wounded a man outside the future police station. Popular television college basketball analyst Dick Vitale also visited Penn during October, leading a rally and giving an inspirational speech at the Palestra. And real estate tycoon and Wharton alumnus Donald Trump told a crowd of current Whartonites they could "be kicking my ass in the near future." -- Scott Lanman November began on a tragic note, as news of University biochemist Vladimir Sled's October 31 murder shocked a University community still reeling from the September shooting of College senior Patrick Leroy. The status quo came out on top during November, as voters across the country re-elected Democratic President Bill Clinton, while giving Republicans control of Congress for the second straight term. Five University alumni will be heading to Washington as part of the 105th U.S. House of Representatives -- including its youngest member, 26-year-old Harold Ford Jr., who graduated from the University in 1992. Locally, University President Judith Rodin announced a master plan for the campus's facilities calling for the acquisition of land -- such as the Civic Center -- near the University's eastern and southern borders. The land would be used for new recreational facilities and laboratories. Rodin's plan also includes closing off 36th Street between Walnut and Chestnut streets to create an upscale "urban park," building new residences on the north side of campus and demolishing or renovating the high rises and graduate towers. University administrators were quick to add, however, that the implementation of Rodin's plan is at least "a few years away." The University's relationship with Drexel was called into question after an 18-year-old Drexel student fell 13 stories while rappelling from Graduate Tower B, where she had lived as part of a pilot program between the two schools. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said the University would reevaluate the program in response to the incident. And the Admissions Department revealed that early decision applications to the University fell by 10.4 percent, decreasing to 1,832 from last year's mark of 2,046. But Admissions Dean Lee Stetson stressed that the decrease wouldn't affect the selectiveness or quality of the Class of 2001. -- Yochi Dreazen Safety-related programs continued to be a University priority in December. The University began its lighting improvement pilot plan by unveiling new residential lighting on the 4100 block of Pine Street. The plan encourages residents to replace the lights near their homes. Those who do so will be reimbursed for 50 percent of the new lighting costs through a $25,000 fund established by the University and local landlords. Additionally, the 40th Street Task Force -- comprised of administrators and students -- continued its work on the western edge of campus by painting the University City Shopping Center and beginning the process of repaving the street. The Task Force also announced plans to extend the improvements to the area between Baltimore Avenue and Sansom Street. The District Attorney's office announced that it will probably seek the death penalty for all three suspects in the October 31 murder of Medical Center research associate Vladimir Sled. Concentrating on its plans to overhaul the retail on and around campus, the University signed a contract to acquire full leasing responsibilities for the 3401 Walnut shopping complex. Officials will examine the current residents and work to fill existing vacancies. December was also a big month for Greek life on campus. Members of the three Greek umbrella organizations signed their 21st Century Report for an Ivy League Greek System. The report focuses on new initiatives and current programs in eight areas, including common academic initiative for the three groups. University administrators and the InterFraternity Council broke their deadlock in negotiations over reforming the group's alcohol policy. The two groups agreed to work together to form a fundraising alternative to the current cover charging system for parties. A graduate student monitor program for parties will also begin this spring. -- Suzanne Albers
(11/15/96 10:00am)
Nestled between the three pre-professional schools, the College of Arts and Sciences provides an extensive liberal arts education. But as graduation approaches and the dreaded word "employment" looms over seniors, a History degree may seem less useful than a Chemical Engineering degree. Wednesday night's career fair in Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge aimed to remove the doubts some College students might have about their future job prospects. The College Alumni Society sent 26 representatives from 17 different occupations in the Philadelphia region to meet with students in informal discussions. They answered questions ranging from how certain majors can be used in the job market to what classes are most helpful. Most alumni in attendance were quick to point out that fields of study don't necessarily correspond with future occupations. 1988 College graduate Amy Rosinsky, who works for WPVI-TV's marketing department, dismissed the importance of a student's major to his or her career. "It's your academic reputation, personality and internship experience," she said, admitting that as a history major, she did not take a single marketing class at Penn. Another History major, 1984 graduate Lenny Linsker, echoed those sentiments. As a merchant and investment banker at the American Maple Leaf Corp., Linsker looks for students with diverse interests and backgrounds when hiring. "Granted, analytical skills are important, but you don't necessarily need a Wharton degree to obtain them," he said. "The key is the ability to communicate well. Eighteen finance courses and a finance degree is worthless in my firm if that person cannot express himself." While allowing students to network with Penn alumni, the fair also tried to show how a liberal arts education can be integrated into the workforce. "It's exciting to meet people actually at work, showing us how transferable the skills we obtain at the University are in the real world," said College of General Studies senior Anastasia Dodson. Various alumni advised Dodson on job search techniques, internships and the other "how to" aspects of finding a job after graduation. For College sophomore Brandon Riegg, the fair gave a face to all the different industries he finds interesting. But College senior Silvia Mestre said the fair did not adequately represent the diverse occupations available to University graduates. "There really is not enough variety," she said. "I wanted to see more advertising -- it's relatively limited." The fair reflects only a part of the College Alumni Society's objective. Since 1835, the Society's main goals have been to support the College, keep alumni in touch with the University and offer academic explorations. The Society's president, 1951 College for Women graduate Sandra Kuby, described the fair as a service from the alumni to the students. "The alumni are able to offer some insights on what is in their future and let them in on some practical realities that cannot be obtained in classes," she explained. For Linsker, volunteering at the fair was a reciprocation for what he got out of the University as a student.
(11/11/96 10:00am)
From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man," Fall '96 From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man," Fall '96 Despite what our experiences or common sense may dictate, Penn students are reputed to be utterly "pre-professional." In high school, the several reports and surveys I read stated that the University attracted and nurtured undergraduates with a defined lifetime direction. If they had, the pollsters would have found many undergraduates worried about the inevitable day when the University will wave good-bye (or kick us out on the curb). A diploma will be all that remains of the safety blanket the University provides us, blotting out pestering concerns of whether we are running toward a career goal or trying to avoid it. I don't believe the "real world" lies waiting to devour us the moment we step off the Commencement stage. In fact, the University is a microcosm of the world I and other members of the Class of 1997 will enter in May. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be irrational to assume many of us would feel lucky to be able to spell "direction" -- especially after a few Senior Screamers -- let alone have some in our senior year. Certainly, there are plenty of Penn undergraduates who know where they would like to be next year. I count myself among them. Some in Wharton or Engineering already have job offers. However, when senior year rolls around and "goal" suddenly means "job" for many graduates-to-be, the stress and frustration can be too much. I hear many a despairing student in the early stages of the job search discussing the address of the box they'll be living in next year. And many seniors are simply drinking their last year away in an attempt to escape -- or postpone their entrance into -- the "real world." I'm sure certain seniors haven't a clue what they want to be doing; these are the ones trying desperately to learn what "consulting" is. Who is to blame for this indecision, students or the institution? While the aims of the contemporary undergraduate population may not be in sync with the demands of the job market, the University's support structures have not adapted properly to this changing environment. Today's college student does not go off to school with the same intentions as students of a generation ago. Rather than going to college to study a specific trade, students of the '90s pursue higher learning to "discover themselves." Students who pursue individualized majors or out-of-major coursework are what contemporary collegiate learning is all about. Appreciating the pursuit of knowledge for what it is is not wrong or even idealistic. However, pity these intellectually adventurous folks when it comes to putting that knowledge to use. On-Campus Recruiting Services made it seem like equal help is available for everyone. Nevertheless, a student -- like me -- who wants to get into a field -- like entertainment -- can easily be discouraged when he looks at the list of companies visiting campus and sees one music production company, where he probably would be working in sales. While approximately 538,000 investment banks and corporations visit campus every week, everyone is left to his own resources and contacts. Even the College resume book excludes resumes that do not fit into its pre-fabricated categories, curiously slanted toward economic or business careers. No book exists for students that are looking for jobs popular among humanities majors. Many might assert that learning on one's own is precisely the point of the collegiate experience. I would concur with this, but looking at the job search as something to be handled independently views the situation narrowly. The job search should not be an independent study or elective. Right now, the future hangs in the balance right for the Class of 1997 -- and not all of us are receiving sufficient support from the University. My complaints are not as much a berating of Career Planning and Placement Service as a series of suggestions. The University's support mechanisms for graduating seniors should be better coordinated, because while some seniors benefit from existing services, others need more assistance. Recruiting invitations to publishing, journalism and entertainment companies would be a good start. Helping these companies understand that Penn is as fertile a ground for writers, assistants and apprentices as it is for economists, consultants and bankers is vital. Perhaps then some seniors might be encouraged to see their last year here not as the year when they put themselves on the auction block, but as a time to began fulfilling their dreams.
(09/19/96 9:00am)
Jillian Robbins, 19, charged with 1st-degree murder of Penn State student Melanie Spalla The woman who allegedly shot two Pennsylvania State University students Tuesday, killing one and wounding the other, was charged yesterday with first-degree murder. The suspect, 19-year-old Jillian Robbins of Troftrees, Pa., also faces several additional murder and assault charges related to the incident. Robbins is not a Penn State student. Robbins went on a shooting spree early Tuesday morning at Penn State's University Park campus, killing 21-year-old Melanie Spalla of Altoona, Pa., and wounding 22-year-old Nicholas Mensah, a Philadelphia native. At a press conference announcing the charges yesterday afternoon, Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar said he is considering this a capital case -- meaning he believes Robbins "knowingly created grave risk of death to others in addition to the victim of the murder." He added that he is requesting Robbins be ineligible for bail. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for September 26 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa. Penn State President Graham Spanier emphasized yesterday that despite Tuesday's shooting, Penn State's main campus remains safe. "We have a long history of safety and we intend to do everything we can to continue in this mode," he said. "Parents can be confident that this is still a safe environment." As news of the shooting spread to parents, Penn State officials encouraged students to call home and reassure their parents. Some parents of University of Pennsylvania students called Penn offices, apparently believing the shootings had occurred here. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said yesterday that she received 11 phone calls "from parents who got the names of the universities reversed." Penn students reacted to news of the shooting with shock. College junior Meredith Hertz, whose sister attends Penn State, said she was particularly surprised because the environment surrounding Penn State's campus is rural and appears safe. "Where Penn State's located is called Happy Valley and it's very much a college town," she said. "The shooting was so out of the ordinary. They don't have an urban campus and the same problems that we do living in the city of Philadelphia." Hertz added that Penn State's campus does not appear to be prone or vulnerable to crimes like Tuesday's incident. "It's just acres and acres of land," she said. "It's such a total college experience -- it's football games and parties. It's like Spring Fling every weekend. The campus is very sheltered." Robbins, who was allegedly hiding in shrubbery near the Hetzel Union Building before she began her shooting spree, fired five shots with a high-powered 7-mm Mauser hunting rifle, striking the two victims and lodging a third bullet in the backpack of another witness. Spalla, who was walking from class, was shot from approximately 46 yards away and died at the scene. Mensah was shot from approximately 100 yards away. He is listed in guarded condition, remaining in the intensive care unit at Centre Community Hospital. Penn State student Brendon Malovrh, an aerospace engineering major from Downington, Pa., wrestled Robbins to the ground and managed to take her gun away. During the struggle, Robbins drew a knife and attempted to strike Malovrh, but instead stabbed herself in the leg. Malovrh subdued Robbins and applied a tourniquet to her leg while they waited for Penn State police. Robbins, who is recovering from surgery at Centre Community Hospital, is listed in fair condition and is under police guard. She has reportedly suffered from depression in the past. Penn State and State College Borough police officials said she told them she decided to "do it" at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. According to police investigators, Robbins left her apartment near the Penn State campus at around 7:45 a.m., with the rifle concealed under her raincoat. Before going onto the campus, Robbins stopped at a convenience store, where she bought a newspaper and juice. Robbins allegedly walked onto campus and took up her position on the HUB lawn at about 8 a.m., where she read the paper before assuming what police termed "a prone position" to begin the shooting spree. Dave Stormer, Penn State's assistant vice president for university safety, said Robbins did not know anyone at the scene. He added that police will execute a grid search on the nearly 18 acres of lawn that surround the scene. They will look for additional clues and spent cartridges. Spanier praised Penn State and State College Borough police for their handling of the situation, adding that such tragedies cannot always be foreseen. "We have a highly professional force on campus -- one that rivals that of any community of this size," Spanier said. "But no university, no community, is immune from a random act of violence. If someone is intent on bringing a rifle into a community and using it, it's hard to stop that."
(09/06/96 9:00am)
and Jessica Boar School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens resigned this week in a letter to University President Judith Rodin, citing her desire to publish a 25th anniversary edition of her book American Medicine and the Public Interest. In a move that came as a surprise to administrators and faculty, Stevens announced her resignation September 1. She will remain in office until an interim dean is chosen. Stevens then plans to take an academic leave of absence until September 1997. She will resume teaching History and Sociology of Science at the University next fall. An SAS faculty member is expected to be chosen -- possibly within the next two weeks -- to serve as interim dean, Rodin said. Rodin added that a search committee will form by the end of the month to find a permanent replacement for Stevens. Rodin said she hopes to have a new dean in place for the start of the 1997-1998 school year. Stevens, who has taught at the University since 1978, has served as SAS dean for five years. When former University President Sheldon Hackney appointed her in 1991, she accepted only for a five-year term, she said in her letter. "Five years is a long time to be away from your research," she said. During her tenure, Stevens come under fire from both faculty and students for cutting two departments and for inadequately handling the school's budget constraints. Stevens eliminated the American Civilization and Regional Science departments in 1994. She also wanted to cut the Religious Studies Department, but faculty support kept it in place. At the time, Nursing Professor Elsa Ramsden -- president of the Pennsylvania division of the American Association of University Professors -- accused Stevens of not following University procedures when making the department-cutting recommendations. "What we are concerned about is that faculty responsibility is being usurped by the administration," Ramsden said in 1994. However, the Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility found Stevens had not bypassed any University procedures in her decision process. Throughout her tenure as dean, Stevens has also dealt with ongoing budget problems. To solve them, Stevens developed a strategic plan in 1993, but even that did not eliminate the school's deficit. Stevens said the SAS's precarious budget situation "did not influence my decision to resign." "I have tried to deal honestly with the budget situation as it has developed through three University administrations since 1991," Stevens wrote to Rodin in her resignation letter. While dean, Stevens created the Writing Across the University program and helped to raise $250 million and create 38 endowed chairs during the Campaign for Penn. "You have worked consistently to support the faculty and its excellence? which put Penn in the top group of American universities in terms of outstanding arts and sciences departments," Rodin said in a September 3 response to Stevens. Earlier this summer, Stevens had indicated she would remain in her position for one more year, according to Rodin. "However, sober reflection has convinced me that it is better that I stick to my original intention as far as possible," Stevens said in the letter. And Provost Stanley Chodorow said the resignation caught him by surprise. He added that he anticipates the transition to the next dean will be a smooth one. "Dean Stevens has established a first-rate team of associate deans who will stay in place, so I do not expect to lose momentum on the strategic planning projects we have underway," Chodorow said. But Religious Studies Chairperson Stephen Dunning said he was not surprised by Stevens' departure because of the demands and responsibilities of the position. Several deans said they will miss Stevens, wishing her success in her academic work and research. "While it is impossible to be an expert in the many disciplines that make up Arts and Sciences, Dean Stevens understood and could articulate and advocate for the research of the many faculty and departments," Nursing School Dean Norma Lang said. School of Applied Science and Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington echoed Lang's sentiments. "I have enjoyed working with Rosemary and valued her partnership in many ventures," Farrington said.
(06/30/96 9:00am)
Postal worker charged with theft Gerald Ricca, who was a postal clerk at the 30th Street Post Office, was arrested last February after he removed three greeting cards fromt he amil stream, two of which were placed there as a part of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service. The two planted letters were addressed to 3700 Spruce Street, the Quadrangle's address, and contained over $100/ Since 1992, more than 1,400 complaints of lost or trampered mail were filed at Penn, according to Residential Services Director Nancy McCue. Since Ricca's arrest, the number of reported mail complaints at the University has "greatly diminished," Recchilongo said. -Monica Leas Rodin to teach in fall University President Judith Rodin will teach a fall freshman seminar in the Psychology Department called "Body Obsession: Where Biology and Culture Intersect." The class will be open to 17 members of the class of 2000. According to her course description, Rodin's class will concentrate on the cultural reasons why people have become more concerned about their bodies in recent years. The class will be held in Eisenlohr Hall, her on-campus residence at 3812 Walnut Street, Tuesday nights from 7:30-10 p.m. -Ben Hammer Rodin's driver fired University President Judith Rodin fired her staff assistant and driver, Donald Gaines, after University Police found marijuana and a loaded gun in his cr in February. The president's office had suspended Gaines and investigated how the items got into the car after The Daily Pennsylvanian obtained police reports of the incident. University Police officer John Washington discovered and seized a bag filled with a "green leafy-type substance" and a loaded .22 caliber revolver from GAines' car, which was parked in a University lot at 38th and Walnut Streets, on February 26. The incident never appeared in the official crime log maintained by police. The District Attorney's office did not bring charges against Gaines because police searched his car without probable cause or a warrant, according to D.A. spokesperson Bill Davall. But Managing Director of Pulbic Safety Thomas Seamon maintained that the search was legal and that the D.A. did not press charges because the drugs could not be tied to Gaines. -Ben Hammer Quad package room to close in fall The package room and trailer that currently serve Quadrangle residents will be closing at the end of this academic year. Package services will be consolidated in High Rise Wouth next year, according to Residential Living Director GiGi Simeone. Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta explained that this decision was the result of a combination of funding and efficiency enhancements. "The current package room in the Quad is regularly overrun with daily deliveries," he said. -Jessica Boar IAST being built Construction of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is proceeding on schedule and will be completed by the fall of 1997, according to Vice President of Facilities Management Art Gravina. The building, which will be located at the corner of 34th Street and Smith Walk, will combine research opportunities for students in the schools of Engineering and Applied Science, Arts and Sciences and Medicine. -Jessica Boar Houston hall hits 100 Houston Hall, America's ldest student union celebrated its 100th birthday January 18. It has been called "the living room" or "hearthstone" of Penn, according to the Association of College Unions International.
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Darlen, CT Using the PennCard for laundry, vending and copy machines may seem like a foreign concept for University students. But a "cashless campus" centered around the PennCard may become a reality in the near future. The idea of bringing a debit card system to campus especially appeals to those students with security concerns about carrying more than a few dollars in their pockets in the West Philadelphia area. This was part of the motivation for the initial idea behind the PennCard debit system, which was first proposed six years ago. The debit card would allow students to make purchases on and off campus using their PennCards. And after many recent negotiations, it looks as though the first phase of this project could begin in the fall. The debit card plan would allow students to put money on their PennCards at the beginning of the year and subtract purchases from the total. The University is slated to have at least six buildings hooked up to an on-line computer debit system by next fall, affording students access to vending and laundry machines, Penn Student Agencies commissaries and copy machines. This first step will include Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Vance Hall, Graduate Towers A and B, Van Pelt Library and the Law Library. n A committee of 43 students and faculty members, headed by Vice President of Finance Frank Claus, initially explored the debit card idea in 1990 while discussing other improvements to University services and programs. In 1991, four Undergraduate Assembly leaders and three Penn administrators visited Duke University to examine its advanced debit and security card system. That system has been a major influence on the development of a debit card project at Penn. Duke's system is linked by computer to the dining facilities, residences, vending machines and off-campus merchants, freeing students from carrying virtually any cash on campus -- and boosting campus security. According to Duke junior Jason Goode, the Duke card has two different systems built into it, one for food services and another called the "Flex" account, which links laundry machines, copy machines, the Duke bookstore and on-campus retailers to the system. Using the Flex system also allows students to order from the local Subway, Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut and put the purchase on their Duke cards, Goode said. He added that students may also purchase alcohol at on-campus restaurants on the system. Goode credits Duke's Flex debit system as being "the most flexible and easiest to use out of all the other systems I've seen at other universities." "It basically eliminates the need to carry any cash on campus," he said. But several obstacles have prevented Penn from proceeding more quickly on the installation of a similar system, including safety and cost issues. The University is working on measures to implement a debit card system at the lowest possible cost, according to Director of Student Financial Services Operations John De Long. Security measures must also be considered for the new cash card system. The University has decided to install an on-line computer debit system as opposed to an off-line system to ensure security. The on-line debit system will eventually include machines in buildings across campus, wiring them into a University computer system, which will enhance the security of the card. The PennCards themselves will have no real value and therefore should not be a target of theft, according to De Long. If a student loses his or her card, the money on the card will not be lost, as it would be with an off-line computer system. "It will cost a little more and take a bit longer to install, but the safety benefits are worth it," De Long said, adding that the Penn system will be more complex than Duke's. De Long's department is also in the process of recruiting vendors who will allow students to pay with their PennCards, and thus must be wired into the system. n According to Claus, the Dining Services meal plan set-up has caused other delays for the debit card system. Since Dining Services meals are not a la carte, students must purchase a set number of meals. Many other universities allow students to deposit an unlimited amount of money into their account so they can allocate their meals as they desire. But Claus says that this sort of system is beyond the University's abilities. Chats and The Book Store already employ a system that allows students to charge purchases to their bursar accounts using their PennCards. The Book Store recently lowered its minimum charge requirement from $25 to $10. And at Chats, students also have the option of placing money in a debit account each semester. The University is currently researching the possibility of working out contracts with off-campus retail companies and restaurants that would allow students to pay with their PennCards. But since the University is a non-profit corporation, it must find a financial institution to be the intermediary in the debit card proposal, according to De Long. Federal tax regulations prevent non-profit corporations from holding large deposits of money. The University of Pennsylvania Student Federal Credit Union has expressed interest in working with the University to implement the off-campus debit card system, according to UPSFCU Executive Vice President Jack Basavaiah, an Engineering and Wharton junior. And Engineering and Wharton junior Rajeev Shah, UPSFCU president and CEO, said he believes the credit union -- the largest and oldest student credit union in the country -- has the technology, resources and necessary manpower to implement a successful debit card program. "The only side of the coin we can't compete with in relation to a commercial bank is the advertising," he added. Claus credits UPSFCU as being a "very sound business," adding that he believes a University partnership with the credit union would be very beneficial to the debit card proposal. Three Wharton students have also launched their own project, called "CampusCa$h." Its main focus is the incorporation of local off-campus restaurants, photo-copying stores and retail outlets into a similar system as the one the University is proposing. "Right now, security is our biggest issue," said 1995 Wharton graduate and co-founder of the Creative Software Company Michael Agha. "The restaurants don't want to attract crime by staying open late and the system with which students will pay must also be secure." Keeping costs low is also a priority of the group, said Engineering and Wharton senior Raja Gupta. "Our goal is to find a program that would allocate the best benefits to students and would be as costless to the community as possible," he added. Wharton senior Scott Kurland said that in the interim, the group's development will depend on how quickly and inexpensively a debit card system can be installed. n Students have responded favorably to the debit card proposal so far, citing everything from the practicality of using PennCards for purchases to the safety in carrying less cash. College sophomore Melissa Freiling said she thought it was a great idea. "It'll be especially useful for photo-copy machines, since I often forget my copy card -- and we always have to carry our PennCards anyway," she said. Wharton freshman Bradley Coburn said he is familiar with many other colleges that used the system. "It's much more convenient and safe not having to carry a lot of money around," he added. And Wharton junior Terrance Mendez said the debit card is much better than dealing with the constant search for quarters, adding that it will also serve as a very convenient method of payment at the commissaries. Claus said that despite the fact the debit card has been discussed for more than five years, he believes the University's plan is moving "very fast." "Phase one is already in motion and students will be able to start reaping the benefits of the debit system by next fall," he said. And according to De Long, Student Financial Services will soon start planning for the next phase, which will wire another group of buildings into the system, including the dormitories and higher-volume buildings.
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Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos is relatively new to the job, since this fall only marks the beginning of his third year in the position. As a result, the building will be renamed the Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The laboratories will include an engineering and chemical engineering laboratory, along with the Institute for Medicine and Engineering. Before becoming the Board of Trustees' chairperson, Vagelos spent nearly 20 years at Merck & Co., serving as its CEO for the last nine years of his time there. During his term at Merck, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, Vagelos led the company to many accomplishments, including a $6 billion acquisition of Medco, a nationwide mail order pharmacy and managed care drug company. During his tenure as CEO, Merck has developed and implemented new drugs and strategies for dealing with health care issues. Upon his retirement from Merck in 1994, the corporation endowed a chair in the Chemistry Department in his name. Vagelos graduated from the University in 1950. He became a Term Trustee in 1986 and, before chairing the Board, served on the presidential search committee that chose current University President Judith Rodin in 1993.
