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(09/23/96 9:00am)
From Adam Mark's, "Mark My Words," Fall '96 From Adam Mark's, "Mark My Words," Fall '96To bring students and faculty back to WestFrom Adam Mark's, "Mark My Words," Fall '96To bring students and faculty back to WestPhiladelphia, administrators need to crackFrom Adam Mark's, "Mark My Words," Fall '96To bring students and faculty back to WestPhiladelphia, administrators need to crackdown on crime and neighborhood neglect. From Adam Mark's, "Mark My Words," Fall '96To bring students and faculty back to WestPhiladelphia, administrators need to crackdown on crime and neighborhood neglect. Penn students are fleeing West Philadelphia as if our lives depend on it. Well, they do. Since September 6, at least 16 people have been victims of armed robberies near campus. One student was held up at gunpoint just a few doors from Smokey Joe's, less than a block away from the University Police station in Superblock. Life threatening? You do the math. This exodus from West Philly shouldn't surprise administrators. They've watched it happen for seven years. They've watched students grow increasingly disgusted with the conditions of the neighborhood surrounding campus -- and they haven't done much about it. Crime around campus shows no signs of waning. And it won't until the University better addresses the myriad problems that promote a criminal atmosphere here: excessive trash and graffiti, aggressive panhandling, poorly lit streets, vendors peddling illegal goods and area teens breaking the city's curfew. Administrators are working or say they are working on some of these things, but I wonder if it's too little, too late. If the area doesn't soon show signs of improvement and students continue migrating eastward, Penn will all but lose its own neighborhood. Certainly the University should work from the inside out; Locust Walk comes before Locust Street. But we don't exist in a bubble. We depend on the surrounding area and it depends on us. But in spite of this, Penn hasn't taken necessary steps to secure this area. The University has sponsored many initiatives, but most have been successful only in the public relations arena. They have had little impact on the quality of life. For example, despite cooperation between the University and local landlords to fix the trash problem west of campus, it hasn't significantly abated. Despite the University's recent campaign encouraging us not to give change to panhandlers, they still approach me everyday as I walk to class. And despite promises to improve lighting off campus, nothing's been done. Penn hasn't lifted a finger against the hordes of street vendors who sell illegal goods all around campus, particularly along 40th Street. Those who hawk fake Gucci jackets and pirated movies are criminals and should be booted. Penn Police don't enforce Philadelphia's teen curfew, allowing throngs of area youth to loiter unsupervised around campus after dark and make trouble. Graffiti on University-owned properties is often not cleaned for weeks or months. These conditions invite criminals to Penn and incite criminal behavior. That we go easy on trash and graffiti and panhandling sends the message to criminals that we don't care about our community. Even without the criminal element, a dark and dirty community makes students feel unsafe. It keeps them inside and forces them to ride Escort rather than walk. A special services district, like the highly successful Center City District, could address many of these concerns. Its creation would bring together area colleges, organizations and businesses to provide additional services such as trash and graffiti removal, street paving and safety patrols. The administration has expressed interest in forming a special services district, which would be a step in the right direction. But in the meantime, what should Penn do to keep more students from fleeing and attract displaced students back to West Philadelphia? First, Penn can compete with and beat Center City at its own game. City Council is currently considering legislation to crack down on aggressive panhandling and loitering in Center City. When this legislation passes, the downtown homeless and panhandling population will relocate to Penn, just as vendors did when Center City tightened vending regulations a few years ago. There's nothing stopping Penn from pushing similar legislation to apply to our neighborhood. Second, Penn can actively encourage the city to fine landlords and students who violate trash ordinances, just as it invited the LCE to cite underage drinkers. If the sanitation police were as vigilant here as the parking authority, the area would clean itself up fast. Moreover, retail around campus should serve as a lively and welcoming bridge between Penn and the neighborhood, especially along 40th Street. Burger King and FWOT just aren't cutting it. If Penn wants to win students and faculty back to West Philly, it needs to attract more and better retail to the west end of campus, where off-campus housing is concentrated. Bucks County and Cool Peppers were a good start. Still, we need more than java and tacos to liven the area and keep us near campus. Construction of the Barnes and Noble bookstore at 36th and Walnut streets should encourage other businesses to fill in now-vacant storefronts along Walnut Street and beyond. To complement these new stores, the University should plant trees, hang school banners, erect large campus maps for visitors and install benches, to give the area the feel of a college town, not that of a decaying urban center. Until these ideas become reality, however, life in West Philadelphia will still pose challenges. For those of us who actually live at 41st and Walnut, 39th and Pine or 42nd and Spruce, every day is an adventure. Most administrators can't possibly understand as we do the immediacy of the situation. They don't live in it. They don't trudge through it every night. If any administrator with the word community in his title actually lived anywhere near West Philadelphia, things would improve infinitely faster. Often at the University, only crisis can provoke action. Two years ago, when graduate student Al-Moez Alimohamed was gunned down at 48th and Pine streets, Judith Rodin visited the murder scene and stumped for the television cameras. She felt our pain. She drafted a "master plan" for safety and quickly implemented it. She replaced her lackluster police commissioner with a seasoned Philly cop and promised many more improvement initiatives. The community became priority one on the administration's agenda. I hope it still is.
(09/17/96 9:00am)
The Associated Press ''President Clinton has opened the crime pipeline up again,'' Dole charged. Surrounded by 13 Republican governors, including Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, Dole said Clinton "talks like Dirty Harry but acts like Barney Fife.'' Dole promised to cut drug use among teens in half, double federal prison spending, require work from prison inmates and try violent juveniles as adults. He also said he would use the White House spotlight to teach America's young people that drugs and crime are wrong. Dole's anti-crime package also proposed a tracking system to keep handguns away from criminals, his response to the Clinton-backed Brady law, which also requires a five-day waiting period to purchase guns. Dole opposes the waiting period. And Dole said he will support a constitutional amendment protecting the rights of crime victims. ''Thanks to the liberal wink-and-a-nod policies of this administration, drug use among teenagers has not just started up again but is skyrocketing upward,'' Dole said. ''When I'm president, I don't intend to wink at drugs.'' It was the beginning of what the Dole campaign promises will be an aggressive focus on drugs and crime to erode Clinton's double-digit lead in national polls. But the president, traveling to Ohio yesterday, threatened to overshadow Dole on the traditionally strong Republican issue of crime by picking up the endorsement from the nation's largest police union -- the 270,000-member National Fraternal Order of Police.
(09/13/96 9:00am)
Margie Fishman says governmentMargie Fishman says governmentmust protect, not limit, women'sMargie Fishman says governmentmust protect, not limit, women'sessential reproductive rights. Margie Fishman says governmentmust protect, not limit, women'sessential reproductive rights. "If you can't trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child?," asked the faded bumper sticker that occupied a spot on my silver Nissan until last December. Although the dealership tore the sticker off when my parents traded in the hunk of metal, the sticker's slogan embodies the essence of the pro-choice movement. The Supreme Court reaffirmed this liberty in 1973, when it made a precedent of plaintiff Jane Roe's essential right to obtain a safe, legal abortion. Yet from the day of the Roe v. Wade decision to the present, women have been threatened, harassed,and even killed, all in the name of morality and respect for God's miraculous gift of life. Ironically, this glorified respect for life seems to exclude everything and everyone except fetuses. Doctors who perform abortions must resort to wearing bulletproof vests to stay alive, and women with unwanted pregnancies must endure nine months of bodily stress and hours of labor to deliver babies who will be shoved into the foster care system upon their first breaths. Statistics note that unwanted children are twice as likely to suffer from social, emotional and educational disadvantages as wanted children. Radical organizations like Operation Rescue, the Right to Life and the Christian Action Group employ terrorist tactics such as blockading doors of clinics and screaming at already terrified patients, mirroring actions of the Ku Klux Klan during the civil rights movement. Forces that promote uniformity of thought and action have no place in a nation that prides itself on being a "cultural melting pot." How many times must we oust religious beliefs from our governmental policies? Certain "Bible belt" groups order their members to refrain from using condoms -- and to practice abstinence until marriage, archaic ideals that are incompatible with a society approaching the 21st century. As a volunteer at Planned Parenthood in Center City, I am advised to ignore the unruly protesters chanting just beyond the iron gates and the harassing phone calls that ring through without warning. The clinic operates under the professed mission of providing sexual education and family planning services to underprivileged men, women and teens, yet it is penalized by organizations that are quick to preach, but slow to listen. These self-righteous groups paint an inaccurate portrayal of a woman being rushed to the surgical department where her evil doctor -- who obviously detests children -- awaits the opportunity to slice her open with sadistic pleasure. The reality of the situation is that the women who telephone our organization with the intent to terminate their pregnancies must endure an extensive gynecological exam followed by an in-depth counseling session. A woman's decision to abort her fetus is only reached after meticulously weighing all of the available options. Even after the procedure, she is instructed to return to the clinic within the next four weeks for a medical exam and post-abortion therapy. It is necessary to shatter the mythical representation of the "typical" abortion seeker. The image of the promiscuous teen hunting for a quick fix is exaggerated and deceiving. Teachers, wives, aunts and suite-mates do not magically escape unwanted pregnancies, yet their struggles are rarely publicized. Society conveniently labels unwanted pregnancy as a "prostitute's dilemma" or a "14-year-old's tragic blunder" so that the general population will view the issue as affecting only "morally deprived individuals." Unfortunately, women fail to realize that once the government is granted the power to regulate one aspect of our bodies, it will continue to pass legislation undermining our basic freedoms as citizens of this country. I'm certain that levels of male participation in the pro-choice movement would dramatically increase if the government instituted a law ordering men to undergo surgical attachment of a permanent condom. Maybe then they would finally figure out why all of us feminists are so disturbed by the government's efforts to regulate abortion services. Gloria Steinem once said that "No one is pro-abortion? the question is, whose decision should it be?" Should a government be allowed to force a woman to have a child against her will? Who are we to restrict another individual's body based on our personal code of ethics? Must women who have abortions be branded with scarlet As on their breasts? How one individual perceives the issue of abortion, how one individual views its morality or immorality, should not become the standard for our entire society. The unseen forces that shape a democracy's laws and the tangible services made available to its citizens reflect a united effort on the part of the people to have their interests recognized. A woman who becomes pregnant unintentionally either relinquishes power over her body and accepts limitations for the term of her pregnancy -- or she is shamed, humiliated and haunted by the fetus growing inside her. While a man may simply walk away from the burden of an unwanted child, a woman must come to terms with being labeled either a Murderer or a Spineless Conformist. Which term would suit you? Don't waste your precious time fretting about it pro-lifers, because it isn't your choice to make!
(07/03/96 9:00am)
A guide to the NBA future of Philly's hoops stars Ever a basketball hotbed, Philadelphia was well-represented in last week's National Basketball Association draft. Here is a summary of the college (or high school) achievements of the four locals and the outlook for each as they enter the world's most prestigious basketball league: · Kerry Kittles -- 1st round (No. 8 overall) to the New Jersey Nets The only Big 5 player selected, Kittles' Villanova career nearly ended before it began. Four years ago, new coach Steve Lappas had to fly to Kittles' native New Orleans and plead with Louisiana's Mr. Basketball to keep the commitment he had made to departing coach Rollie Massimino. Lappas succeeded and all he got in return was arguably the best player in Villanova history. At 6-foot-5, 179 pounds, Kittles played shooting guard for the Wildcats. His accomplishments as the cornerstone of 'Nova's rebuilding are impressive. Among his 16 school records is career points, of which he had 2,243. Kittles earned first team All-American honors for his senior campaign. Kittles had been projected as high as No. 4 overall, although questions about his heart, fueled by poor performances in the NCAA tourney, and his slender build made him a question mark. New Nets coach John Calipari was happy to take Kittles, though, as a shooting guard is just what the New Jersey team needed most. Analysis: Kittles will be good at the very least and an All-Star at the best. In any case, he'll be fabulously rich. · Kobe Bryant -- 1st round (No. 13 overall) to the Charlotte Hornets Few high schoolers have ever drawn as much attention as the 17-year old from Lower Merion (Pa.) High in suburban Philadelphia. Bryant, who's father Joe played professionally in Italy and the NBA and then served as an assistant at La Salle, could have chosen any college. Instead, he elected to go straight to the NBA, a move that is already paying off, as a result of his shoe deal with adidas. Bryant's career at Lower Merion is already legendary. The all-time leading scorer in Southeast Pennsylvania history, Bryant led the Aces to the state title in his senior year. His unbounded potential, even with an unrefined game, forced the Hornets to make Bryant the last pick in the lottery, despite public statements from new coach Dave Cowens that he did not want the 6-foot-6 shooting guard. Analysis: What can you say about Kobe? He could be the next Michael Jordan or a big disappointment. In any case, he'll probably not do it in Charlotte, who are trying their best to deal the teen sensation to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. · Shawn Harvey -- 2nd round (No. 34 overall) to the Dallas Mavericks A former standout at West Philadelphia High, Harvey is something of an unknown quantity. A 6-foot-4 point guard, Harvey did not get the big-time college experience that pro teams like. Instead, Harvey played three seasons at NAIA West Virginia State after transferring from Essex (N.J.) County College. Obviously above his small-school competition, Harvey averaged 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists during his West Virginia St. career. Notable in that time are a 35-point night against Division I Eastern Kentucky and a 49-point explosion vesus the College of Charleston. Those performance earned him NAIA second team All-American honors in 1996. Analysis: Teams like to pick a good athlete who might surprise in the second round. Dallas' lack of depth at the guard spot and the possible trade of Jim Jackson give Harvey a decent chance to make the team. · Malik Rose -- 2nd round (No. 44 overall) to the Charlotte Hornets The "Shaq of the NAC", Rose was the best player on the Drexel teams that dominated the North Atlantic Conference over the past several years. Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 250 pounds, Rose was listed as a center. Rose put up 20.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per contest, but NBA teams were underwhelmed by the generally poor competition Drexel faced. In addition, Rose is several inches shorter than a typical NBA power forward, which sent up flares around the league. The Rockets were the only team to bring Rose in for a workout. Ultimately, Charlotte thought the Philly native worth a look and spent their second round pick on him. Analysis: Probably no better or worse than the typical bruising NBA backup power forward, Rose has no star potential. He may wind up in Europe, where his height would not be a detriment.
(04/03/96 10:00am)
Plan to discussPlan to discussrecent theft wave University City retailers will meet with University and Philadelphia Police tomorrow to discuss a soon-to-be-launched pilot program designed to better foster a partnership between retailers and police. The program, modeled after a system currently used by Center City retailers and Philadelphia Police, is a reaction to a wave of retail theft and armed robberies in the University City area. In the most recent robbery, the Cinnabon bakery at 3405 Walnut Street was robbed at gunpoint on Saturday, marking the third incident at the bakery in just over a month. Cinnabon reported that a male in his late teens entered the store at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to University Police Captain John Richardson. After waiting for other customers to leave the store, the man showed the cashier a gun and asked her to open the register, Cinnabon manager Joe Maguire said. Richardson added that between $300 and $1,000 in cash was reported stolen. The incident was similar to a robbery at the bakery earlier last month. On March 6, a male entered the store at approximately 3:18 p.m. and, after pointing a gun at employees, took $200 in cash. Just over a week prior to that incident, Cinnabon reported the theft of $100 in cash and three boxes of cinnamon buns between 3 a.m on February 25 and 6 a.m. on the 26th. The bottom window of the bakery's door was smashed in the burglary. Also on the 3400 block of Walnut Street, an armed robbery took place at Foot Locker on January 27, when a gunman stole almost $2,000 in cash, in addition to $1,000 in merchandise. And Sam Goody's at 130 South 34th Street -- along with several restaurants in the food court at 3401 Walnut Street -- have all experienced retail theft during the last month. "From what I understand, this is a relatively new problem," said Maguire, who pointed out that Cinnabon has been at its current location for eight years without suffering problems like the recent robberies. Individual stores have started to take special precautions against future crimes. Foot Locker has hired an armed guard. Maguire said Cinnabon plans to invest in an alarm system with motion detectors to prevent after-hours thefts. A camera and monitor will be purchased to deter holdups. He added that employees have been instructed to drop and deposit money from the register more often. Maguire said that although none of the employees have become hysterical, several have expressed concern. "You always have to watch what a guest is going to pull out -- money or a gun," he said. Formerly, a University Police mini-station was located at 3400 Walnut Street, but the station was replaced by a transit stop manned by an Allied Guard. "The transit stop provides a place where students can wait out of the weather and under the watchful eye of a guard," Richardson said. He added that this change freed up the police officer assigned to that sector, who is now able to patrol the street and shops. "We can't have a police substation on every block in the city, or a cop in every store," Maguire said. Richardson said police have made no arrests in any of the incidents.
(04/01/96 10:00am)
Twenty-five students recited in unison "I am a person living with AIDS." But not everyone in attendance at last week's informal discussion at Hillel was inflicted with the tragic disease. AIDS and HIV educator Scott Fried showed them that every individual -- whether infected or not -- must share the horrors, challenges, responsibilities and even the blessings of the disease. "We're all living with AIDS," said College freshman Jared Greenberg, who co-hosted the presentation with Fried. "It's not going to go away, so we've got to spread knowledge about it." Fried, who is HIV-positive, shared his personal story in an attempt to educate members of the University community to protect themselves. "I hope to give you the skills with which to stay alive -- literally," he said. Fried describes himself as a "nice Jewish boy from Long Island." In a relationship with "one person, for one month," he contracted HIV in December 1987. "I didn't know how to say at that time, 'how far is this going to go'?" Fried explained. "I was lacking self-respect and didn't realize that I was worthy of being treated right." Fried used his story to alter the accepted definition of safe sex -- which he said involved only physical protection during a sexual relationship. "Safe sex is feeling safe with the person you are having sex with," Fried said. "All I care about is that you protect yourself, and care about yourself and your partners. "This is not a disease of risk groups, but one of risk behavior," Fried said. "The only risk group, if there is one, is the one that thinks it can't happen to them." In contrast to the negative stereotypes and images often associated with the disease, Fried stressed the "blessing of AIDS." "There's more to AIDS than just what is portrayed in the media," Fried explained. "What's not being given to you is all the facts-- and the love, the hope, the faith." Fried compared the biblical battles between Jacob and Esau to that between the disease and those infected by it. "We need to see [AIDS] as some sort of dark angel that comes into our lives, wrestles with us," Fried said. "But when we do battle with it, we win -- and before it leaves, it blesses us." In a session they called "AIDS 101," Fried and Greenberg presented facts about the disease, corrected misconceptions and fielded questions concerned primarily with how the virus is transmitted. Fried said HIV can be transmitted only through intravenous drugs, unprotected sex, blood-to-blood contact, and mother-to-child contact. "The fluids that can infect you from someone else's body are blood, semen, vaginal secretion and breast milk," he said. College sophomore Elie Haller said the informative part of the discussion was especially important. "I'd never had any formal AIDS education before," Haller said. [Fried] was down to earth, and wasn't afraid to answer any of our questions." First-year Chemistry graduate student Erik Shapiro praised Fried's emphasis on dispelling myths about the disease. "So many people are afraid of the disease and for the wrong reasons," Shapiro said. "[Fried] really took the emphasis off of the stereotypes." Greenberg, who has received five years of AIDS peer education training, served as chairperson of THE Group, standing for Teen HIV Educators. Fried began to travel and educate with the organization, which is made up of Staten Island high school students who act as teen educators. "We've done probably close to 50 presentations together and educated close to 5,000 people together," Greenberg said. "Scott alone has probably done more than 10 times that." To close the program, Fried and Greenberg performed a duet of the song "We Live on Borrowed Time," by David Friedman, as three members of the audience read poetry written by members of THE Group. Hillel and Penn Jewish Social Workers co-sponsored the event. Social Work graduate student Naomi Sobel helped to coordinate the event with Hillel. "We are living in an age of AIDS, plain and simple," Sobel said. "There are sure-fire ways to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and what it all boils down to is love and self-respect."
(01/26/96 10:00am)
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia now offers free, anonymous HIV testing, according to Jackie Kozloski, a public relations agent for CHOP. Testing is available to the community every Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the hospital's Primary Care Center at St. Leonard's Court on 39th Street. CHOP joins the growing number of Philadelphia organizations which are offering HIV testing in order to combat the growing epidemic. Brett Rudy, medical director of the Adolescent HIV Initiative at CHOP, feels this program is unique because "it is the only outreach program in Philadelphia that is specifically targeted toward young people." The program is directed toward 12 to 24-year-olds, according to Jim Vagnoni, the HIV coordinator and program director of special immunology at CHOP. "This is critically needed since the average dormancy for HIV is seven to 10 years," he said. "This means that 20-year olds with the virus are infected during their mid-teen years." Vagnoni said he hopes that the program will expand to test teens for all STD's in the future, explaining that extensive testing is crucial, since the West Philadelphia area is one of the leading areas in the nation of STD's among teens. The program hopes to reach young teens with no other support or anywhere else to turn, Vagnoni said, adding that this includes kids on the streets as well as cross-dressing and gay teens. "We plan to work with clubs for cross-dressers to try and reach those people," he said. He added that the program will also offer testing to houses with programs for runaways or gay teens. Vagnoni went on to say that 70 percent of the diagnosed cases are contracted from either heterosexual sex or intravenous drug use. "This is obvious from the growing levels of young women infected with the virus," Rudy said. Vagnoni agreed, saying that the section of the city with the highest number of teens giving birth -- a pocket of West Philadelphia -- is also the section of the city with the highest number of diagnosed AIDS cases. He added that the section of North Philadelphia with the highest level of IV drug use is the section with the second highest number of AIDS cases. "We shouldn't however, assume that only those teens in high risk areas are the one who need to be tested," Rudy said. "There really shouldn't be such a word as 'high-risk' teens." Vagnoni added that there are exceptions to every rule. "A Penn student probably isn't a high-risk student, but a fooling-around Penn student might be," he said.
(12/11/95 10:00am)
Who is Brian Gondos? Find out on 'Jeopardy!' Hours and hours of studying could pay off for College sophomore Brian Gondos at the end of this semester -- literally. Gondos will fly to Los Angeles during winter break to participate in the Jeopardy! College Tournament, which has an earning potential of $25,000 and a new car. Gondos, a pre-med history major, found out last Thursday that he was one of 15 students chosen to compete in the popular game show's annual tournament. Being on the "smart people's" game show has always been a dream of Gondos. In high school he tried out for the show's Teen Tournament but did not pass the preliminary test. This year, he decided to take another shot. When a message at the end of a Jeopardy! episode announced that the show was looking for college student contestants, Gondos sent in 30 postcards indicating his interest. Fourteen thousand students sent in postcards to the show as well, Gondos later found out, but the show only auditions 2,000 randomly picked students -- a group which happened to include Gondos. A month and a half later, he traveled to a New York City hotel ballroom for the Jeopardy! tryouts for his region. Upon his arrival, Gondos had to take a 50-question test modeled after the television show. He had only eight seconds to answer each question. Gondos said the questions, which were flashed on television screens, gauged his knowledge of mostly the fine arts, such as music, literature and dance. He was disappointed that there were not more questions in other subjects. "I'm big on sports, and they only had one sports question," he said, referring to the answer that prompted him to identify the Chinese American who won the French Open in 1989 -- "Who is Michael Chang?" Gondos was one of seven individuals in his location to pass the test. He never found out his score. At the next level of selection, Jeopardy! officials asked Gondos questions such as, "If chosen, what would you say about yourself at the beginning of the show?" "They want to see if you're enthusiastic and if you have some interesting qualities about you," he said. Gondos then participated in a mock game show against the other individuals who passed the initial test. "You practice your buzzer and you see how you do under pressure," he explained. At the end of the day, Gondos was told that he would know by the first week in December whether he was chosen to compete in the tournament. Much to his surprise, he got the call last Thursday night. "I was shocked," Gondos said. "I've always wanted to be on Jeopardy! and I thought that I'd have to try out next year and the year after that." The shows will be taped January 9 and 10 and will air the last two weeks of February. Gondos's affinity for Jeopardy! stems from his deep love for knowledge. "I've always liked learning about things and having a broad range of knowledge," he said. "I was never really good at sports. In high school I was on the College Bowl team." Gondos is also on Penn's College Bowl team, but because of his observance of the Jewish sabbath on Saturdays, he said he has only been able to attend one tournament. "I am not the best person on the team," he said. "I wouldn't even be on the first team." Gondos said he hopes to win big, but he said he will be satisfied with his performance regardless of his placing. "The people I'm going against are probably more talented than I am," he said. "If I win that's great, but if I lose I'll know that I gave it my best effort." Even if he doesn't run away with the first-place prize, Gondos is still guaranteed to win money: The second-place winner of the tournament will receive at least $10,000, the third-place winner will get at least $7,500, the fourth-through-ninth places receive at least $5,000 and the rest receive at least $1,000. Gondos said he is going to invest his winnings. "I've never won money on a game show before," he said. "I don't have a car, so it would nice to drive a car around."
(11/07/95 10:00am)
It was an award-winning weekend for the Nursing School. Six faculty members and one student received honors for work in their fields. Nursing professors Lois Evans and Neville Strumpf were recognized for their work with the elderly with what is often referred to as "The Nobel Prize For Nursing" -- the Baxter Foundation Episteme Award. The professors received a $10,000 prize. The Baxter Award is sponsored by the Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society, which also sponsored four of the other awards that the Penn nurses received during a five-day conference in Detroit. Evans said her research with Strumpf entailed changing the practice of using restraints with frail elderly. In their paper, Evans and Strumpf examined the harmful consequences of this practice -- including both the physical and psychological effects. The professors taught geriatric staff members how to treat specific patient problems. This year marked the fourth time the Baxter Award has been given. The first recipient was University Nursing Professor Dorothy Brooten in 1989. Strumpf said she is thrilled to receive the honor. "It is an honor that few researchers in nursing receive," she said. "It was a privilege and very exciting." The Audrey Hepburn International Award was given to a Nursing professor at the University as well. Ann Wolbert Burgess received the honor for her work with sexually abused children and adolescents, according to Nursing School spokesperson Susan Greenbaum. Burgess was the second-ever recipient of the award. Nursing Professors Anne Keane and Therese Richmond also received the "Best Image" award at the convention for an article they wrote entitled "Tertiary Nurse Practitioners." The article discusses a new graduate program in the Nursing School, designed by Keane, that trains nurse practitioners to function in a hospital. The convention also honored Nursing graduate student Deborah Donahue with the Sigma Theta Tau International Mead Johnson Perinatal Nursing Research Grant, which will put $10,000 toward her proposed research study, "Stress responses to prenatal care: Clinic vs. Home." Nursing Dean Norma Lang said she was very excited about the convention. "It's like the Academy Awards of nursing," she said. At a conference in Boston, Nursing Professor Ann O'Sullivan also received an award this weekend -- the Nurse Practitioner Associates for Continuing Education's National Nurse Practitioner Award for Outstanding Community Service Award. O'Sullivan was recognized for her work with teen mothers and middle school children in West Philadelphia.
(11/02/95 10:00am)
Claims teen tried to extort $10,000 Marketing Professor Scott Ward testified in his own defense yesterday, saying that he never had sexual contact with "B.M.," the teenage boy who has charged that Ward paid him for oral sex. Responding to lead attorney Jean Green's direct questioning, Ward turned toward the jury and said in an emphatic voice, "I never had sex with [B.M.]" and "I never touched [B.M.] in an improper way." Ward testified that B.M. tried to extort money from him on January 30, 1993, after the professor had been arrested. "[B.M.] said, 'Look, I want $10,000, and I'll tell the truth," Ward said. "I was stunned, but quite frankly, I was not surprised." He said that during a different phone conversation, B.M. said, "Why can't we settle this like the Michael Jackson thing in California?" During Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Mark Miller's cross examination, Ward attributed much of the homoerotic pornography seized from his home in 1993 to the fact that an openly gay couple lived in his residence before he moved there. He also insisted that in addition to the gay pornographic images police found on his computer, there were also heterosexual pornographic pictures. During Green's questioning, Ward testified that he was introduced to B.M. by a guidance counselor at Sleighton, the reform school he attended. B.M. testified on Tuesday that he first became acquainted with Ward when the professor solicited him as a prostitute. Ward said he first brought B.M. to his Ardmore home for the winter holidays in 1990 at B.M.'s request. "He didn't want to be alone for Christmas," Ward said, adding that he gave him clothes and a clock radio as gifts. Ward testified that he took B.M. from the Sleighton School to medical and dental appointments on several occasions. He also said B.M. stayed in his home for a two-day period during which the teen was administered a variety of tests -- including an IQ test that showed B.M. was "mildly retarded." "I'm guessing [B.M.] visited my home many times," Ward said, adding that he was not always at home during B.M.'s visits. Miller also cross-examined Shawn Scanlon yesterday, the 27-year-old who moved in with Ward while he was in eighth grade. Scanlon said Ward took pictures of him when he was naked in the shower and on the beach, and while urinating into a stream. Scanlon also testified that six boys, all between the ages of 13 and 15, lived in Ward's home while he was there. He added that other people, including a family of five, lived in the house from time to time. Recalling earlier testimony before a grand jury, Scanlon reiterated that Ward has not sustained a relationship with a woman in 15 years. Green attempted to establish Ward as a child philanthropist in his questioning of the professor. During his direct questioning, Ward testified that he first decided to volunteer his time to improving underprivileged adolescents' lives while he was an assistant professor at Harvard University. Ward also claimed to have been a member of the board of directors of Adolescent Counseling and Development between 1974 and 1978. But in response to Miller's questioning, Ward was unable to name any other members of the organization's board of directors -- other than Jack Sarmanian, who Ward claimed first invited him to serve on the board. Green also asked Ward about the Rebound Foundation, an organization Ward has claimed he founded to assist troubled youths. "The inspiration for [the foundation] came from a young man who dropped out of school," and was still able to flourish in society, Ward said. "I'd never seen a rebound like it." Miller cast doubt on the validity of the Rebound Foundation. During his cross examination, Ward admitted that Rebound's board of directors consisted of only two people -- one of whom was Graduate School of Education Professor Charles Dwyer. But Dwyer, who also testified yesterday, said Ward only discussed matters pertaining to the Rebound Foundation once in a two-and-a-half year time frame. Ward explained that Rebound never held any formal meetings, relying instead on phone conversations. Miller also questioned Ward about why he had initially told a social worker that Rebound was only interested in assisting white male adolescents. Ward responded that this was only the case before he decided to outreach to West Philadelphia youths. One of Ward's Ardmore neighbors also testified yesterday that Ward is very generous with his time and money and an upstanding member of the community. Ward has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his academic duties during his legal proceedings, according to Wharton spokesperson Chris Hardwick.
(11/01/95 10:00am)
Defense attacks teen's motive behind charges Defense attorneys hammered away at the credibility of Marketing Professor Scott Ward's accuser yesterday, portraying "B.M." as a manipulator seeking money from a man who tried to help him. Jean Green, Ward's lead attorney, called to the stand Alan Hart, a licensed private investigator who had been hired by Ward's defense team to "provide covert sound and video" surveillance of B.M. Green later played for the jury the videotape that Hart made in his Haddonfield, N.J. office, using it to bolster the defense's contention that the charges against Ward stem from an extortion attempt. Although somewhat inaudible, the videotape depicted Ward, private investigator Jerry Cross, B.M. and his friend gathered for a meeting in Hart's office. After B.M. and Ward discussed on the tape a possible payment from Ward to B.M. of $12,000, Ward asked, "So basically what you're asking me to do is pay you $12,000 to tell the truth." After a pause, B.M. replied, "Yes." Green also called Cross as a witness yesterday. During Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Mark Miller's cross-examination, Cross read three typed transcripts of telephone calls B.M. placed to Ward in early February of 1994 -- a few months after B.M. lodged his accusations against Ward. The phone conversations centered around the money B.M. was expecting from Ward. In his cross examinations of Hart and Cross, Miller questioned the ethics and legality of the covert tapings and transcriptions of B.M.'s telephone calls. He also noted that several key conversations were absent from the tapes. Cross admitted that B.M. was unaware that his conversation with Ward was being listened to and transcribed. Miller also asked Cross to read aloud parts of one of the transcribed conversations, which cast doubt as to whether it was B.M. or Ward who had initiated the talks about exchanging money for testimony. "How much do you want?" Ward asked in the transcription. "I told you last night," B.M. answered. "How much?" Ward repeats. "I told you last night," B.M. said a second time. B.M. testified Monday that he called Ward because he was cold and hungry. He also said in his testimony that it was Ward who initially brought up the topic of money, offering him $10,000 to go to court and tell Ward's "truth." Miller also said Cross and Ward acted unethically when they met B.M. in New Jersey -- where one-party non-consensual videotaping is legal -- without B.M.'s attorney, David Ginsburg, present. Yesterday morning, the prosecution rested after calling its last two witnesses. Both had been in close contact with B.M. at Sleighton, a reform school. Miller called Steve Silverman, program director at Sleighton, as a witness. Silverman testified that although B.M. initially denied that he had ever had any sexual contact with Ward, the teenager eventually admitted he engaged in oral sex with him. Silverman also said that, contrary to Ward's previous claims, "Ward is not, and never has been, on the National Board of Directors of Devereaux," a foundation aimed at helping troubled youths. Silverman added that B.M. said he was ordered by Ward to deny having had any sexual contact with him. Kathy Polero, a Sleighton psychologist, was the last witness called by Miller. She testified that B.M. was "reluctant to go to [her] because of his feelings of embarrassment" about the situation. But she said B.M. "disclosed that the defendant performed fellatio on him," and later admitted that he also performed oral sex on Ward. Polero said she arranged for B.M. to meet with Ginsburg because she felt B.M. would need legal representation throughout the proceedings following Ward's 1993 arrest for soliciting sex from minors. In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian yesterday, Ginsburg said that B.M. "does not stand to make nearly as much money [from his civil suit] as Ward's five high-priced lawyers, who are defending Ward, an accused child molester." "This case has been compared to the Michael Jackson case, but it really resembles the O.J. Simpson case," he added. Yesterday's session concluded with Green's direct questioning of Shawn Scanlon, a 27-year-old man who moved into Ward's home when he was in eighth grade. Scanlon said he met Ward 15 years ago through his probation officer, at which time Ward helped him to procure a job as a carpenter's helper. He spoke of about 10 other people -- including a family of five, two foreign exchange students and three young adults -- who lived at Ward's Ardmore home at various times. Scanlon said in his testimony that he had never observed sexual contact between Ward and B.M. Ward, who maintains his innocence, has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his academic responsibilities, according to Wharton spokesperson Chris Hardwick.
(10/31/95 10:00am)
From Lee Bailey's "The Immaculate Perception?", Fall '95 From Lee Bailey's "The Immaculate Perception?", Fall '95In a world where knowledge expands at the speed of light and information technology works even faster, one would presume that the know-it-all is experiencing an identity crisis. What's so amazing about some nerdy braniac who can recite the properties of those unnamed elements on the periodic table when such data is readily available to almost any American at the touch of a button? Such human caches of trivia quail unimpressively alongside the world wide web; it's like comparing Speak 'n' Spell to that supercomputer in 2001. I use the past tense because my dreams are shattered. It all started in August. Unlike many couch potatoes, I actually left the sofa to get that pencil and paper -- I sent a card to the show's Culver City headquarters. I would be watching the next Jeopardy! college tournament from the other side of the camera, and I was going to win! Imagine my elation when I opened my mailbox, threw out the ubiquitous American Express application, and discovered underneath it an envelope from the show. I felt like Roald Dahl's Charlie, discovering that I held the golden ticket to the chocolate factory. The letter informed me that I had been randomly selected to audition for Jeopardy! in New York. Visions of studio audiences, applause signs and me, waving from the driver's seat of a new car filled my mind. Midterms came and went, but who cared? I was going to win Jeopardy! The audition was this past weekend. As I emerged from Penn Station, the excitement indigenous to New York descended upon me. Starry-eyed as a chorus line hopeful, I rushed uptown to the designated hotel, where literally hundreds of would-be contestants crammed the lobby, waiting for the show's representative as though she were the second incarnation of God (or the first -- many students were Jewish). After a few minutes, we were ushered into "the room." Here we were to be given a 50 question test which would be used to determine who qualified for further auditioning. Before the test was administered, the chatty collegians bantered about their own Jeopardy! aspirations and experiences. One girl from NYU commented on how Alex Trebek's suits had changed over the years; no longer clothed by the unknown designer Mr. Guy, Alex now sports two-pieces by Perry Ellis (apparently she gleaned this from the show's credits). There was one self-admitted loser who had tried out for the esteemed "Teen Tournament" four times. I suppose he was determined to be yet again eliminated from the next echelon of trivia prestige (he was from Yale). I snickered inwardly, knowing somehow that I would be the one. Then the test began. After the fortieth question, I was confident that I had done it -- I could answer every question. But then, it all ended. Pride goeth before a fall, and boy, did I fall. As soon as Alex Trebek had enunciated in that regional accent of his the 41st clue, I knew Jeopardy! was but a pipedream. The clue: "She founded the first chapter of the Girl Scouts in her Georgia hometown." Girl Scouts? Since when was Girl Scouts a category? My doubts were only quashed more savagely by clue No. 43: "In 1855, this future president was elected to his second term as governor of Tennessee." I know, I know. U.S. Presidents is ALWAYS a topic, but I was hoping that my deficiency in this category would be counterbalanced by acumen in other fields. "Pencils down!" the haughty proctor demanded. I knew then my fate. Forty-two correct answers wouldn't cut it -- there had to be at least a few kids with perfect scores. My eyes darted from face to face, wondering which one of these vipers had usurped my divine right to Jeopardy! glory. I didn't have to wait long. When my name was not one of the six listed for call-backs, I sauntered out of the Hotel Dorset onto 54th Street. Several of my fellow losers were commiserating about their respective travesties of justice ("My dad made me a practice buzzer when I was 10 -- this can't be!"), but I ignored them. Who cared about those dorks anyway? I was just depressed because I was going to have to find another way to finance my Caribbean Christmas vacation. Suddenly, New York had mutated from a city of dreams to a cesspit of despair. I boarded my train in a bitter temper, but then, in the neighboring passenger's TV Guide, there was an ad for Wheel of Fortune?
(10/31/95 10:00am)
and Brett Levinson A jury heard graphic details of the alleged sexual relationship between Marketing Professor Scott Ward and a then-13-year-old boy during testimony in the third day of Ward's criminal trial yesterday. Ward faces criminal charges of soliciting sex in 1990 from an underage boy -- known as "B.M." -- and is alleged to have had oral sex with him between 50 and 100 times throughout 1990 and 1991. B.M. vividly described his sexual encounters with Ward and the circumstances surrounding them during his three hours of testimony yesterday. The young man, now 19 years old, appearing nervous and emaciated in loose-fitting pants and a sweatshirt, recalled meeting Ward for the first time in a Kensington neighborhood, which a social worker said was frequented by male prostitutes. "He asked me if I got paid for having sex with guys," B.M. said. Ward then invited him into the car, the boy said, and drove around for nearly 25 minutes. Although the two had no sexual contact that day, Ward allegedly gave B.M. $20 and a piece of paper with "Scott" and his telephone number on it. B.M. recalled Ward's telephone number by memory during his testimony. B.M. testified that after a few days, he called Ward because he was both "hungry" and "cold". "I needed the money," he said. He added that Ward arrived about 45 minutes after the call, and the two drove to the Holiday Inn on City Line Avenue where Ward rented a room. After watching television next to Ward on the bed for a few minutes, "he then started massaging my shoulders, rubbing my arms up and down," B.M. said. "He then told me to take my clothes off and showed me what to do." B.M. described in graphic detail how he and Ward had oral sex. According to B.M., after the two spent the night in the hotel, Ward drove him back to Kensington, gave him about $40 and told him to call if he wanted to "get together" again. B.M. said that when he began attending a reform school, Ward located him there by asking his former guidance counselor of his whereabouts. He said he went to Ward's home almost every other weekend while at the school. He testified that four other young adults were often at Ward's home as well. B.M. claimed he usually had oral sex with Ward during these visits in exchange for about $25 per weekend. B.M. also said Ward took him to a dentist to have cavities filled, and to a physician for treatment of scabies, a skin disease. After about a year, B.M. testified, "I told [Ward] I didn't want to have sex with him any more. He always asked me again and again, but I said, 'No, no, no.' He just always asked me and nagged me about it." B.M. also claimed that Ward showed him homoerotic pornographic films and photographs, while asking him, "Do you like that? Do you see that?" B.M. testified that Ward drove to his school in early October 1993 and told him to deny any sexual contact with Ward if anyone questioned him about their relationship. During his cross-examination of B.M., Ward's lead attorney Jean Green attempted to highlight inconsistencies in B.M.'s allegations. B.M. revealed that he was apprehensive and embarrassed when he first began to reveal his relationship with Ward to social workers and authorities, and was therefore sometimes hesitant to tell them all of the details. Green also questioned B.M. about the financial gains he stands to make from his allegations. But B.M. said the attorney who will represent him in his civil suit against Ward, David Ginsburg, has not discussed dollar figures with him. "I let Mr. Ginsburg worry about that," he said. Green also suggested that B.M. made extortion attempts during telephone calls to Ward after pressing charges against him. B.M. answered that he was cold and hungry and "wasn't asking him for money." "I was asking him for help, any way [that] he could help me," B.M. said, adding that it was Ward who always brought up the topic of money in their conversations. B.M. testified that Ward offered him between $10,000 and $12,000 to come to court and tell Ward's "truth." Jeremy Fischer, an attorney and the executive vice president of the Adult Adolescent Counseling Corporation, testified earlier yesterday about Ward's relation to his organization. Ward claimed to have been a member of the board of directors of the corporation, an umbrella group that handles troubled youths. Fisher said that "he had never heard of Ward," and he found "no reference to Ward" in any of the corporation's documents. The criminal charges against Ward stem from an October 3, 1993 sting operation in which he allegedly offered money for sex to Sean McMahon, an undercover state trooper posing as a 15-year-old boy. Ward will receive 22 to 44 years in jail if convicted of this offense. Following his criminal trial for allegedly engaging B.M. in involuntary deviant intercourse, Ward faces another criminal trial based on his solicitation of McMahon, as well as a civil suit filed by B.M. According to Wharton spokesperson Chris Hardwick, Ward has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his academic responsibilities during these legal proceedings, contrary to a report in yesterday's Daily Pennsylvanian. In a courtroom interview with the DP, Ward maintained that he stands wrongly accused. "The facts will show that this is a trial of extortion, not of sex or pornography," he said.
(10/27/95 9:00am)
The freshman came in third in tournament As 4-foot-11-inch Deborah Sager tried to concentrate on host Alex Trebek's rapid questions, all she could think about were the two boxes piled under her feet. Throughout all of last year's "Jeopardy!" Teen Tournament, Sager was the only contestant who had to embellish her height for the cameras by climbing on top of wooden crates to even out camera angles. But what the College freshman lacked in height, she made up for in knowledge. She finished in the top three of the 1995 "Jeopardy!" Teen Tournament and walked away with $17,300 in prize money. From an early age, Sager had always spent her spare time reading. When she was 13, her older sister Lauren appeared on the game show's teen tournament. A friend of the family, Mark Lowenthal, competed in the $100,000 Tournament of the Champions and eventually wrote a book about his experiences. Sager followed in her sister's footsteps, becoming the third person from Reston, Va. to appear on "Jeopardy!". Her parents were also very supportive. Sager's father made her a makeshift buzzer out of a long block of wood, several wires, a button, a light and a plastic bicycle handlebar. "The biggest challenge with being on a quiz show is the timing," Sager said. "If you ring in too early, before Alex finishes reading the question, then the control booth automatically blocks you out for a second. "Of course you need to be first, so if you ring in too early you will be blocked out and someone else can ring in before you are unblocked," she added. Sager worked on her timing by spending hours playing along with "Jeopardy!" games on television using her practice buzzer. And during high school, Sager began sending postcards to the show, hoping to be selected for the tryouts. She was not selected until her senior year in high school. Tryouts were held in Philadelphia last November, and one hundred students were taken into a room and given a 50-question test. Those who received a score of at least 35 advanced to the mock game round. Usually, only two students out of the 100 are selected. "They wanted to see if you had interesting personal things to talk about on television and if you could handle the pressure of it," Sager explained. Trebek, the host of the most popular game show in television syndication, attended the Philadelphia tryout to answer any questions about the show. After four weeks, Sager found out she was chosen to compete in the teen tournament, and in early January, Sager and her parents flew to Los Angeles for the taping of the show. "Jeopardy!" paid the airfare for Sager and one parent, and also provided hotel rooms for all three. Sager finished first in her first-round game, and began making new friends among the other contestants. "We all bonded with each other," she said. "I still keep in contact with them." Sager also finished first in the semi-finals, and qualified to advance to the final game. "I wasn't nervous before the first two games, but before the final I was very scared," she said. Sager was especially nervous for this round because of competitor Matt Zielensky and his timing ability. "Everyone in the tournament knew basically all the answers to the questions, it was just a question of getting the timing right," she said. "Zielensky had the best timing." Sager performed well in the first day of the final round, but by the closing minutes Zielensky had pulled away from the other two competitors. In the "Final Jeopardy" round, he risked his entire day's earnings of $12,000 on the last question and doubled his money. The following day, the teen tournament continued and all three competitors earned new record-setting dollar figures, but Zielensky proved himself impossible to beat. Still, Sager went home a winner. "I knew that I had the answer right so I would be adding to my score," she said. "It wasn't until the numbers flashed on the screen that I realized I just won $17,300. I had a big goofy grin on my face." In mid-May, Sager received a check for $16,600 after California taxes had been taken out. She said she used $3,000 to attend a music camp last summer and the rest for college bills. Sager said the hardest part of the tournament was the three weeks after the final round during which -- according to "Jeopardy!" regulations -- she could not tell anyone about the outcome of the game. Sager said even though her "Jeopardy!" experience was fun, she no longer watches the show on television. "I've found better things to do at 7:30 in the evening," she explained.
(10/23/95 9:00am)
Thirty-nine percent of eighth-grade girls and 77 percent of eighth-grade boys at two area middle schools report having had sexual intercourse. Ann O'Sullivan, interim director of the Primary Care Program and associate professor of Pediatric Care in the School of Nursing, discovered these staggering statistics while studying these schools as samples. On Friday, O'Sullivan and David Hamburg, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, addressed a small group of physicians at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia about this national problem by putting the issues in local terms. In O'Sullivan's middle school sample, 16 percent of eighth graders have tried marijuana. Fifty-five percent have tried cigarette smoking. Sixteen percent of those who had tried marijuana continued to use it. Between 1992 and 1995 the number of eighth-grade cigarette smokers increased by 55 percent. Twenty-three percent of the students she studied scored high on measures of clinical depression. Sixty percent of these were girls. According to O'Sullivan's study, not only has violent behavior among eighth graders increased, but so has the rate of attempted suicides. Despite these statistics, O'Sullivan said she hopes local programs involving parents, schools and the community will take a step toward addressing these concerns. "I know one middle school, which is a community school, had over 300 parents come out on a Wednesday evening for an extravaganza that featured their children performing in areas from cooking to aerobics," she said. She stressed the importance of parental involvement in school, further urging principals and teachers to be active contributors, attentive to individual student needs. "More principals and teachers are redesigning large 800-student middle schools into small learning communities," she said, adding that the effects of individualized attention drastically improve reading and math scores. O'Sullivan noted the urgency and serious nature of the problem, but said she is full of optimism. "Without hope, none of us would get up each day," she said. "Let's talk as much about the problem of depression as we do about dental care and dermatitis. "Let's talk as much about failing grades as we do about fungal infection and flea bites," she added.
(10/19/95 9:00am)
First-year Social Work student Lawrence Zuckerman died Tuesday of complications from Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel said yesterday. Funeral services for Zuckerman, a 1995 College graduate, were held yesterday in his hometown of New York City. Cassel said she had secured a bus to transport the "40-some" students who wanted to attend the services and burial. Most knew Zuckerman through his deep involvement in the Hillel Foundation. Brian Zuckerman said his brother was also an avid Penn basketball fan, to the point that he checked himself out of the hospital during his sophomore year -- against the advice of doctors who were treating him for an infection -- to see the Penn-Princeton game. Lawrence Zuckerman had struggled for years with Duchenne's, a degenerative genetic disease that causes progressive wasting of muscle tissue, said Evelyn Wiener, who is associate director of clinical medicine at Student Health. Zuckerman's death was ultimately caused by pneumonia, she added, which "was an unexpectedly sudden development in an illness which we knew could be serious." The pneumonia was fatal because Duchenne's weakens the heart, lungs and chest muscles of its victims. "Typically, it is a disease that many of the people who have it don't survive past their late teens or early twenties," Wiener said. Wiener was Zuckerman's physician at the University, but she credits the entire staff of Student Health and Zuckerman's New York pulmonologist with designing and carrying out a care plan that helped him achieve as much as he did. Despite his physical limitations, Zuckerman received a bachelor's degree in history from the University in May. "Last year at graduation, he was incredibly, incredibly proud that he could lead the procession from Superblock to Franklin Field," Brian Zuckerman said. "[Lawrence] marched up front with all the class officials, and he led everyone in. He was so proud to be able to do that, and we were all so proud of him for being able to do it," he added. Cassel described Zuckerman's perseverance in the face of adversity as "amazing," adding that she had worked with Zuckerman and his family since his freshman year to ensure that the University accommodated his needs. College senior Andrew Monfried assisted Zuckerman with many of the necessities of daily living -- such as taking medication and using the bathroom -- through an arrangement with the University's Office of Affirmative Action. Monfried said that despite Zuckerman's advancing illness, he was able to get around campus in his motorized wheelchair and was also able to take notes in class. Zuckerman did not always have to use a wheelchair, Wiener said. She ascribed his relative longevity to high personal motivation and strong family support. "I think it is a real tribute that he came to Penn," she said. "It would have been easy for him to have stayed at home and gone to college up in New York, but when he came to Penn he really had to put together his own structure for support and assistance to help him with things." Brian Zuckerman said his brother was "a fighter." He fondly remembered Lawrence telling him about a speech he gave last year to other disabled students, in which he encouraged them to go to college away from home, despite the challenges presented by an unfamiliar environment. "He was an inspiration to others to achieve, and to try, and to strive, and to go toward college, and make it all the way to becoming as 'normal' and productive members of society as they could," Brian Zuckerman said. "We are proud of him and will miss him."
(10/05/95 9:00am)
Seven-year-old Jessica waited excitedly in an upstairs classroom at the West Philadelphia Community Center. She bounded to her feet and smiled as the door opened, eager to meet her new tutor who would help her with that night's difficult grammar homework. Jessica and the 12 other elementary school students at the Center yesterday afternoon were met by six University volunteers, as part of the Community Center OutReach Partnership and Service program, an organization run solely by students. "Our mission is to strengthen the ties between the community and the University of Pennsylvania," said CCORPS Coordinator Guy Lin, a College junior. "Community centers throughout West Philadelphia are excellent outlets for this precise partnership." He explained that the program's focus is to develop educational and "awareness" programs throughout the local community. Currently CCORPS is developing a partnership with the West Philadelphia Community Center, creating an effective after-school day care program. Volunteers have the opportunity to tutor and mentor school- children. They will also be able to create a curriculum for their own class and the after-school program. According to Lin, the project has been highly effective with both the University volunteers and the school-children in previous years. Community Center Education Coordinator Gary Bourjolly, known affectionately as "Mr. B," explained that the after-school program gives the children a chance to receive help with homework or any other difficulties. "Our goal is to enhance the neighborhood," he said. Bourjolly described the program as very helpful and effective, especially for those children with behavioral problems. The program exposes the children to an educational atmosphere, while enjoying the company of University students. About 80 children, ranging from age six to 12 and hailing from four neighborhood schools, have joined the program. Every Monday and Tuesday, the University volunteers help tutor and play with the children from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Transportation to the community center is provided for University students. Aside from the after-school program, CCORPS plans to establish a library and additional computer resources for the children. Lin said he also hopes to create a journalism program which will print a community newsletter. There are also plans for a health program which will integrate nutrition with math and reading skills. The West Philadelphia Community Center also houses various outreach programs with teen parents, foster care recipients and troubled youths. The new building offers a large swimming pool and game room for those children interested, and gives them the opportunity to relax after school.
(09/11/95 9:00am)
An emotional crowd mourns her death College Green was packed yesterday afternoon, but the beautiful weather had nothing to do with it. The crowd was filled with students whose lives had been touched by College sophomore Emily Sachs, who died May 24 of complications from a severe asthma attack. More than 150 people, hugging and comforting each other, gathered for the 3 p.m. vigil. Quaker Notes, an all-female a cappella group, started off the ceremony in honor of Sachs' love of music. College sophomore Marla Snyder and College junior Kim Stern were the first to address the crowd. Standing at a podium in front of the Peace Symbol, Snyder remembered her close friend as someone who never took a minute of life for granted. "Her amazement for life sparkled in her big, big eyes," she said. "It was this sparkle that made all of her hugs tighter, all of her toe-points straighter, all of her smiles wider and all of her giggles louder. "And it was this sparkle that drew me to her, made me love her and keeps me loving her," Snyder added. Stern, who was Sachs' big sister in the Chi Omega sorority, spoke of her sister's talents, calling her "the little engine that could." "Emily knew and understood what was really important in life and lived her life to the fullest," Stern said. "She accomplished more in her 19 years than many could hope to accomplish in a lifetime." Sachs was an accomplished dancer and singer. She was a member of the Arts House Dance Company, and had won both the Miss Dance Pennsylvania and the Miss Teen Dance New York City titles. She also had the talent to make the people around her feel important. "I can't count the times that Emily told me how lucky she was to have met the friends she made and how special they were to her," Stern said. After Snyder and Stern spoke, about 30 members of Sachs' pledge class approached the podium, each carrying a carnation dyed periwinkle -- Sachs' favorite color. Four of the sisters took turns reading The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. "Like the Giving Tree, Emily unselfishly shared herself with each and every one of us," Wharton senior and Chi Omega sister Holly Fogle said. Chi Omega, Arts House Dance Company and members of Sachs' former residence hall are raising money to plant a tree outside the Annenberg Center in her honor. Wharton senior and Chi Omega President Niki Adler said she expects the tree to be planted by the end of October. After the reading, the podium was opened up to anyone who wanted to share their memories of Sachs. College sophomore Stacey Heller, who had known Sachs since the sixth grade, shared the story of how the two rekindled their friendship last year after losing touch in middle school when Heller moved away. "Emily used to tell the story of our friendship," she said. " 'We were destined to be friends,' she would say. How lucky I felt to have her so proud to be my friend." Sachs' parents also addressed the group. "Emily loved this place more than anything, and would thank us every time we saw her for sending her here," her father Jimmy said. "My father was Class of '38, my wife did her graduate work here and, as far as I am concerned, Emily is Class of '98." Sachs' mother Jo-Ann then invited the entire group over for a home-cooked meal. Then Snyder and Stern took the podium, arms around each other, to say some final words before a cappella group Off The Beat closed the ceremony with Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time."
(09/11/95 9:00am)
More than 1,000 bleary-eyed freshmen rolled out of bed and into West Philadelphia on Saturday to volunteer at local sites and programs as part of the University's "Into the Streets" program. Freshman participants, their resident advisors and other upperclass volunteers worked at 43 sites throughout Philadelphia. "This is like something you see on TV," said College freshman Sarah Molinari as a little girl sat quietly on her lap, drawing on a piece of paper with a crayon. Molinari and her hall mates from Hill House visited Caton Village, a residential drug treatment program that houses single mothers and their children. Caton Village was one of nine sites where volunteers worked with local residents. At the program, University students interacted with the children -- most of whom were less than 10 years old -- in a brightly colored playroom. "I think it's good for the kids," said Laurel Hart, a single mother who lives at Caton Village. "I've never seen them this quiet. "They're usually ripping and tearing and crying ," she added as her 2-year-old Kapri sat at a table across the room and worked on an arts and crafts project with a student volunteer. "I think it's great to do things in the community," said Bioengineering graduate T.K. Narayan, a Hill House graduate fellow who went to Caton Village with his hall. "It shouldn't be just a one-time event, though." Caton Village resident Madelynn Rohn -- also a single mother -- said she would like to see the students visit more often. "Whatever the students are interested in, [they should] come and talk to the parents and kids about it -- whether it's psychology or journalism," Rohn said. At the Greater Philadelphia Food Bank, freshmen helped prepare food shipments for local homeless shelters and put labels on cans of nutritional supplements. "Before coming here, I didn't want to come," said French instructor Marie Descas, a graduate fellow at Modern College Language House. "But since we're here, it's nice to know who we're doing this for." Another group of students visited the Salvation Army Red Shield Residence, where the volunteers worked with teenagers and pre-teens. Outside the center, children played with University students. "That's it. That's it. I'm too tired," groaned Engineering freshman Seth Cooper, throwing his hands upward in defeat as three kids attacked him after chasing him around the playground. Inside the facility, several students helped children design their own T-shirts using special paint and Cheerios and Fruit Loops cereal. Nursing senior Amy Kelly said she prefers the sort of interactive community service her hall performed at the Salvation Army site. "I think it's more fun for the residents to come and play with the kids rather than pick up trash or something," Kelly said. Other students agreed, and some who did spend their day doing janitorial service complained. But David Grossman, who directs the Program for Student–Community Involvement, explained that the timing of the event -- on the weekend -- limited the opportunities for volunteering with community groups. After returning from their volunteer sites, freshmen gathered in the Quadrangle for hoagies and soft drinks and a chance to unwind after a hard day of work. Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community and public affairs, addressed the freshmen as they ate. "You have joined a community that has lived here for generations," Scheman said. "What you have done today is gone out and joined that community." City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, whose district includes the University, also appeared at the picnic in the Quad. "This kind of partnership is the kind that really makes the community stronger," Blackwell said. Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, who was expected to make an appearance at the picnic, cancelled at the last minute.
(09/06/95 9:00am)
Students help to beautify city A group of students elected to come to the University a few days ahead of schedule, enticed by promises of early wake-up calls, hard work and a chance to spend more time off campus than on it. PennCorp, a four-day community service program which began last Wednesday, gave incoming freshman and a handful of upperclassmen an opportunity to volunteer in West Philadelphia during the day and hear from local community groups at night. On their first full day, students worked with Habitat for Humanity, rebuilding several dilapidated houses throughout impoverished sections of the city. "I can't believe there are so many abandoned houses in West Philadelphia," College freshman Sophie Stein said. "We need to do something about that." During the second day of the PennCorp program, participants split up into smaller groups and went to different sites to advise local high school students about college. They also visited with senior citizens at a nursing home and worked with teens and children at a homeless shelter. "I think the freshman have really had their eyes opened up to a lot of things they'd never seen before," PennCorp co-coordinator Karina Sliwinski said. This year's PennCorp program culminated in the volunteers' attempts to restore the Shaw Middle School, a project the University began last year in conjunction with the Anti-Graffiti Network. Inside the Shaw school on Saturday, students were hard at work repainting the cracked and peeling paint on the walls of two classrooms, the auditorium doors and seats and the rusted chain link fence that rings the blacktop recreation area. Shaw Principal Albert Bichner thanked the PennCorp volunteers as they ate hoagies inside the school's cafeteria. "It uplifts me," he told them. "It uplifts my staff and its going to uplift my students when they come into school." PennCorp's work at Shaw Middle School is "a chance for revitalization?a chance to show the kids people care about them," Bichner added. The participation in this year's PennCorp was the largest yet, due to an increased number of returning volunteers. Co-coordinator Madeleine Lopez, a College senior, said PennCorp organizers have modified the program each year to suit more participants.
