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(10/06/95 9:00am)
Her dancing and colorful, skimpy outfits make her appear extremely carefree as she draws cold stares from onlookers on Locust Walk. But Kathy Change has the weight of the world on her shoulders. As founder and leader of the revolutionary Transformation Party, Change is on a crusade to free Americans from socially legislated morality and the restraints of capitalism. She said earlier this week that she believes individuals should be more free in how they express themselves. "People need to stop being anti-body, anti-sex," said Change, not stopping a moment from her flowing dance steps. "It's a holdover from Puritanism. People need to do more fun things. It's people being happier, that's what it's all about." Change was married to Frank Chang, a leader in the Asian-American Cultural Movement and a professor at San Francisco State University. During her five years with him, she became very involved in his cause and learned much about activism, as well as acquiring a better sense of her Asian ethnicity. "He was my cultural hero," she said. "I devoted a lot of time to the movement. I was happy to have an identity." But Change said she feels that the ethnic movements are concentrating on the wrong types of issues. "They need to stop focusing on what's different and come together," she said. "I think the melting pot is a great idea." After she and Chang separated, she became involved in her own movement to implement goals of change -- such as drug legalization and preservation of the environment. She even legally altered her name from Chang to Change. "It's more descriptive of what I am interested in," she said. Change said if Americans do not reform current society, it will be destroyed. "We have to change or we're up for some unpleasant times ahead," she said. "We're about to lose everything. The economy's about to collapse." Change attributes the economy's eminent doom to the national debt and the unreliability of foreign investment. "We don't own a scrap if you subtract the national debt," she said. Change, who on sunny days is a common feature in front of Meyerson Hall, distributes literature, talks to inquisitive passers-by and waves flags that advertise peace and environment to bring publicity to her movement. Around campus, Change is remembered for her eccentric attire. On warm days, she can be found sporting a shell bikini top and loincloth. When it is cold, she wears a leotard, she says. "People say, 'Put some more clothes on and people would take you more seriously," she said, adding that she does not heed their advice because of her pro-body, pro-freedom views. Change is mainly supported by her boyfriend and has a studio at 38th and Lancaster streets which she calls "Punk Rock Row." She also performs massage and makes her costumes in her spare time. One of Change's main goals is to become the "universal write-in candidate in any state or any country." "Anytime there's a ballot and a bunch of people they don't want to vote for, they can write in my name," she said. "Eventually I'll be the municipal clerk and the local dogcatcher." Change said that if individuals would like to help further her cause, they should start by becoming more optimistic in their everyday lives. "People can talk about a positive, creative vision of the future," she said. "It's the only thing worth talking about in my opinion." She said they could also organize programs and talk to the media about the cause. "The power of students is limitless," she added with a grin.
(09/22/95 9:00am)
The bodybuilders join three other students on 'Sandblast' Mr. and Ms. Penn will be getting physical once again tonight at 8 p.m. But this time, millions of people will be watching. Penn's most physically fit duo will make its national television debut tonight as the two dunk balls into 13-foot baskets, fly down zip-lines and become human bowling balls on MTV's ultra-physical game show, Sandblast. Wharton junior Craig Green and College junior Lorie Roth won their titles at Penn's annual bodybuilding contest in January. They were joined by College juniors J. J. Cramer and Mike Cudzil, and 1995 College graduate Marta Kohenska at Disney World for the filming of the show in late June and will now view the results of their toil over the next few weeks. The students were chosen after an hour-long tryout on Hill Field in April. Contestants had to do sprints, throw and catch footballs, do shoulder rolls and try to do as many push-ups as they could in 30 seconds -- Green did 62 and Roth did 26. Cramer said the casting agents from MTV were not only looking for physically fit contestants, but for people with charisma as well. Two thousand students in five cities participated in the hour-long tryout. Roth estimated that about 300 University students tried out. Although the head of the show told contestants they would be notified of their acceptance in May, Roth and Green didn't find out until June. "When we did find out, it was really exciting," Green said. "We were totally convinced that we didn't make the show." Cramer, a member of the men's tennis team, said he was very anxious to do the show, but his family was extremely concerned about the potential for injury. "My whole family is worried about my tennis as well as myself -- especially when they heard about the other injuries that happened to people on the show," he said. The contestants were flown on an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World, where the show was filmed. They received three meals a day, a $50 stipend and free passes to all of the Disney theme parks. Before they could compete on the show, participants underwent three difficult days of training. Green and Roth said they were allowed to try the different events twice -- enough to become familiar with them, but not enough to master them. "The events aren't as easy as they look," Cramer said. "I gained a lot of respect for people who had done the show in the past. Even the easy events weren't as easy when you tried them." The participants said that the show was very exciting to film, but also very overwhelming and even scary. "When you watch on television, you say, 'No big deal, I can do that,' " Roth said. "And when you get there everything is so much bigger." "When we went through it the first time, I was petrified," Green added. Roth and Green competed against a team they had trained with and thought they would have no problem beating. But by the last round, they had lost every event except the basketball competition, "Dunk It." In the final competition, the "Crash Course," the pair beat the competition by almost 10 seconds and both were overtaken with joy. They then had their bubble burst. "We were so happy, throwing sand around, and then five seconds later they told us that we were disqualified," Green said. "It was one of the biggest shockers of my life." The team was disqualified because during the Crash Course, Green had gone through the wrong gate while riding a personal watercraft. That created a potential safety hazard. The team said they were upset but realized that the game was created for enjoyment, not solely competition. Cramer and Kohenska had better luck. They won their first round and moved on to the finals. But in the fourth event of the finals, Cramer realized his parents' fears and ruptured his ear drum in an event called "Hydropain," in which one player drives a personal watercraft dragging a member of the opposite team. He was taken to the hospital and his partner was matched up with someone else in a refilm the show later that day. The participants said the time they spent on the set was the some best of their summers. They had fun going out at night with other competitors and the attention they got from the television crews. The episode of Sandblast will be aired four times this weekend: Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 10 a.m. and at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
(09/21/95 9:00am)
College freshman Jessica Prunell gave up a six-year sitcom deal to come to Penn. Prunell, a star of television and film, began building her lengthy show-business resume when she was just four years old, modeling in Long Island, N.Y. She quickly moved on to commercials. At 11, Prunell made her debut on the big screen in controversial filmmaker Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July. She played Tom Cruise's girlfriend Donna as a child. Actress Kyra Sedgwick portrayed Donna as an adult. Prunell said that movies are definitely her favorite medium. "In a movie, a character can go through a whole range of emotions," she said. "It's not the Thursday night at 8 o'clock show that the audience is expecting." Prunell started her television sitcom career with Nick and Hillary featuring Steven Collins, Chris Elliot and Blythe Danner. The show revolved around a divorced couple who ran a restaurant, but "there wasn't really much of a plot besides that," Prunell said. The show was short-lived, which the young actress attributed to its poor ratings on the East Coast. Prunell next moved on to the pilot of a show called News at 12, in which she played the main character's dream-girl, Felice "The Bod" Radner. The show was about a young boy interested in journalism who meanders around different news stations to learn the trade. The show did not get picked up by a network. As a freshman in high school, Prunell secured a role on the soap opera As the World Turns as the young Mary Ellen Walters, who later changed her name to Lucinda. Because Prunell only appeared in the painful childhood flashbacks of the adult Lucinda -- who had been abused physically and sexually -- she said the role was her most challenging. "It was hard," she said. "A lot of crying, a lot of emotional outbursts." Prunell said she dealt with these scenes by thinking about something in her own life that she could convert to this painful situation. "That's what makes every actress different," she said. Prunell remained on the show off-and-on for two seasons, and then moved on to the television show The Babysitter's Club, which ran for three years on HBO. Prunell next took a part as the main character's sister in a sitcom pilot entitled Beck about a boy of the same name. Prunell said the show may be still picked up by a network to replace a show that is canceled mid-season. Just before coming to Penn, Prunell read for a part in Patty Duke's sitcom, Amazing Grace, which is filmed in Idaho. The casting agents of the show asked her to do a screen test for the show, and although she knew she was going to college shortly she saw no risk in reading for it. "You read for so many parts," she said. "And you never get them." She agreed to do the screen test, never imagining she would get the role -- which included a six-year contract that would require her living in Idaho. "What am I going to do in Idaho, freezing my butt off with potatoes?" she said. When she did get the part, Prunell had a difficult decision to make --college or sitcom. She decided that her top priority was her education -- which meant pulling out of her contract, because networks no longer provide educational tutoring for actors older than 17. Prunell said the network, NBC, was extremely upset about her actions, but because she was 17 when she signed the contract, she was not legally responsible. And although she does not think she will ever work for NBC again, Prunell is happy with her decision. "I love Penn," she said. "I absolutely adore it. I love all my classes. The people I've met here are great." Since her arrival on campus, Prunell has tried out for two UTV13 television dramas, Locust Walk and Mock Trial. She got the lead in both and now has to choose between the two. Prunell said that life as a child star was somewhat difficult for her because she missed out on normal aspects of adolescent life, like going to parties and playing sports. "Sometimes it was hard to meet people," she said. "That's why I came to UPenn and why I didn't really tell people about [my career]." Prunell added that she has not been recognized for her work mainly because she wears her hair curly now, while it was straight in the various roles she has played. When she does get recognized, she said it is usually for her work in The Babysitter's Club, and it is usually by men more than women. "I say to them, 'What are you doing?'" she said. "'It's a show about 14 year-old girls!'"
(09/15/95 9:00am)
The proposal calls for changes to many departments across the University Life at the University is about to see some major changes, according to Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum. McCoullum, who was named VPUL August 26 after holding the interim post for a year and a half, has released a Draft for Discussion of Reengineering University Life at Penn. The document outlines major changes in store for departments across the University. Some of these changes -- which include the merging of many departments and offices as well as a major focus on student facilities -- have already gone into effect. The reengineering project will first divide all VPUL organizations into six "consolidated clusters," such as Co-Curricular Programs and Residential Services, according to the draft. Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta said the clusters "provide some logic into the way we deliver our services." "They are related by the tasks they do and the services they provide to the students," Moneta said. But perhaps the biggest change outlined in McCoullum's report took place over the summer, before the proposal was released. University Counseling Services, which was located in the Mellon Bank building, was merged with the Student Psychiatric Unit of Student Health Services, which was located in the basement of the Penn Tower Hotel. The resulting conglomeration of the two offices, the Counseling and Psychiatric Services Center, is now located in the Mellon Bank building. McCoullum said that having two different counseling departments was confusing and unnecessarily stressing on students who are already not in the healthiest state of mind. "Students who needed support sometimes were not able to easily determine where they could go to receive assistance because the service provision was in two physically separate locations," she said. She added that one advantage of the new location of the Counseling Center is that a student can visit the office in the Mellon Bank building extremely inconspicuously. "If you walk into that office and into the elevator, nobody knows where you're going," she said. The reengineering proposal also outlines other basic student facilities needs -- such as social and academic meeting space, which Moneta said are very vital to the University. "I don't think there's any great surprise in that we are deficient in student facilities in a number of areas," he said. The document also proposes that the University provide pubs and additional performing arts and recreational space on campus -- particularly in the site of the proposed Perelman Quadrangle student center.
(09/13/95 9:00am)
Did Wall Street make you aspire to a Wharton education? Ever wonder why Natural Born Killers includes black and white, color, home video and animation? Well, you and the rest the University will soon hear from the man responsible for both of those movies, as well as Platoon, JFK and Born on the Fourth of July. Filmmaker Oliver Stone will be speaking on campus October 5, Connaissance Vice Chair and Wharton junior Richard Archer confirmed yesterday. Archer said that at the end of last semester, Connaissance -- the group mainly responsible for bringing speakers to campus -- brainstormed to decide which "big speaker" they wanted to bring to campus this year. Last year's prominent speakers included husband-and-wife political consultants Mary Matalin and James Carville, as well as Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's ice cream fame. The group was considering author Maya Angelou, Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, various other sports celebrities and Stone. After the organization's chairperson Amy Balonek looked into the prices and availability of the different speakers, the group decided on Stone. Stone's fee is $20,000, according to Balonek. "It's definitely in our range," she said. "We think he's fairly well priced for the entertainment we'll get." Matalin and Carville cost $25,000, Balonek, a Wharton junior, said. She noted that the price depends on the speaker and the agent, and the other speakers considered had fees ranging from $8,000 to $25,000. Archer said the major reason Stone was chosen to speak was his leadership in his field, and added that Connaissance is going to ask Stone to bring a clip of his new movie Nixon to the engagement. "He is very opinionated," Archer said, "And [he] has been on the forefront of the movie industry for a long time." College and Wharton sophomore and Connaissance member Sean Steinmarc said that Stone is a great choice because of his unique style of filmmaking. "He is a very interesting and controversial aspect of the cinematic community," he said. "He challenges the bounds of what cinematography can show." Archer said one other factor that might have influenced the group's decision is a more personal one. He said that the 10-to-15 most active Connaissance members eat dinner with the speakers that the organization brings to the University. "We have found that when we pick speakers who we like, the students usually seem to like them as well," he said. Archer said the lecture is currently scheduled for 8 pm. and will take place in Irvine Auditorium. Free tickets will most likely be available prior to the show on Locust Walk and other campus locations.
(09/08/95 9:00am)
Men ogle at student-models One businessman, nervously gripping a Playboy hidden below a surfing magazine, stood uneasily in front of Tower Books on South Street yesterday. Sliding up beside 1995 College graduate Susane Colasanti and Medical student Alison Dietrich, he handed them his copy of the famous men's magazine, saying under his breath, "Make it out to Mike." Colasanti and Dietrich, the two University representatives in the "Women of the Ivy League" pictorial for the October issue of Playboy, signed magazines yesterday at Tower Books on South Street and at Waldenbooks in the Gallery. The men who asked for autographs were often surprisingly nervous and shy, the women said. Colasanti and Dietrich also noted that on several occasions, a group of young men walked by their table and one would say, "You go in," and the other would counter, "No, you." More courageous men had their pictures taken with the students, and one young man, Philadelphia resident Tim Guza, even had his skateboard signed. Guza said he did not buy the October Playboy because he thinks it is too expensive. "I just saw cute girls with pens and I thought I'd have them sign my skateboard," he said. The two women both said their day in the Philadelphia spotlight was "uneventful" in terms of the number of people who visited their signing table. But Dietrich said her day was extremely busy because she had tried to fit the signing tour in with her hectic Medical School rotation schedule. Colasanti said she was very pleased with the issue -- although her full nudity in the photograph surprised her. "I didn't think I was going to be as naked as I was," she said. "I thought they were going to use a different picture." Colasanti said most of her exposure to Playboy has been from former boyfriends who regularly read it. Although it irritated her then, she said her modeling experience has allowed her to understand why men are so attracted to the magazine. "Now I realize that men are very visual," she said. "They look at this very differently than women do. It's almost like women looking at clothes." Colasanti added that her mother loved the spread, but Dietrich said her parents wished she had not posed. But both said the biggest issue was how to tell their grandmothers about their appearances. The women both said they would model for Playboy again if given the chance. In fact, Dietrich said she thought about auditioning for the position of Playmate centerfold, but her fiance and parents persuaded her against it. 1993 College graduate Eric Umansky, who was in Tower Books during the magazine signing, said Colasanti was his neighbor last year and that she was quite eccentric -- especially because she scrawled poetry on her walls. "It was interesting living in the same apartment with her," he said. "And now that we have nude pictures of her, it makes it even more interesting."
(09/07/95 9:00am)
The Wharton senior turned $2,400 into $300,000 Most students might be able to buy some CDs or clothes with their summer earnings. Wharton senior Andy Nissenbaum bought a BMW and paid off the rest of his tuition. No, he did not rob a bank. He took a $2,400 cash advance on his credit card and traded it on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And although he is very modest about his success, the Financial Times reported that Nissenbaum has turned his initial investment into about $300,000. Nissenbaum, who is studying finance at Wharton, grew up in Milwaukee and began studying the stock market in high school. "I've always been interested in the best way to invest money," he said. "The stock market has been a great way to invest money for centuries. I was fascinated by that." But when Nissenbaum took Wharton Professor Jeremy Siegel's Finance 101 class last fall, he became engrossed in the fast-paced world of investing and trading. He began buying futures and futures options -- which means that he was essentially predicting how the stock, currency or bond market would perform at a given time. Nissenbaum said he loved Siegel's class and soon became quite close to the professor. Last spring, Nissenbaum was the only undergraduate Siegel allowed into his graduate course, Finance 890. "He used to come into my office and we would talk about the market," Siegel said. "I don't usually let students sit in [on graduate courses], but because of his special interest and knowledge, I let him." In December, Nissenbaum put one of the theories he learned in Siegel's class to the test. The "January Effect" -- the tendency of small stocks to outperform larger ones in the beginning of the year -- was of particular interest to Nissenbaum. He decided to try to profit from his knowledge of this effect. In fact, he took it one step further by investing his money early, in the beginning of December, thereby beating the other traders counting on the same trend. He immediately began making money and during the month of March he made 33 consecutive successful trades -- his biggest accomplishment so far, he said. By June, Nissenbaum had turned $2,400 into $240,000, a return of 10,000 percent. For the summer, Nissenbaum rented a spot on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange -- after paying a $1,000 non-refundable fee, taking a week-long class, a 240-question test (on which he scored 98 percent) and undergoing a grueling interview by 36 officials of the exchange. While on the floor, Nissenbaum said he learned a lot about what actually happens when trades are made -- not to mention the hand signals used to them carry out. Nissenbaum added, however, that he will never work the floor of a futures exchange again. "It's a very dismal environment," he said, citing the profanity and lack of professionalism demonstrated there. Nissenbaum also said it is a very stressful place and that one time during his stay in Chicago, he had to leave for a few days and visit his parents in Florida because he felt overwhelmed. Nissenbaum attributed some of his success to his decision to be a "position trader" -- one who studies conditions over a long period of time -- rather than a "day trader" who makes money from many small day-to-day trades. By the end of the summer, Nissenbaum had increased his sum to $300,000 -- allowing him to become completely independent financially. With this money, he was also able to fly to Europe spontaneously for three weeks at the end of the summer. And unlike Nissenbaum's finance-led summer, money was not an issue on this trip -- he bought one-way plane tickets to travel through the eight countries he visited. He did not, however, fly first-class. "I wanted to cut corners," he said. "I'm not into wasting money." Nissenbaum is still trading now, but the instruments of his trade have changed somewhat. He now has a small quote machine resembling a beeper that he wears constantly, so as not to distract him from his academic work. "Last year I had to run out of my classes to get quotes," he said. "Sometimes I just ran out in the middle. My first month's cellular phone bill was over $400. I had to use my cellular because I couldn't wait long enough to get the quarters in the phone." And last semester he woke up intermittently throughout the night to call and check currency rates, which are more active at night because they run on London time. Now he only wakes up in the middle of the night when there is a major change in the market and his quote machine beeps. Although some might call Nissenbaum obsessive, Siegel said he thinks Nissenbaum is a very good student who has applied what he has learned in class to the real world. "He has all the makings of a very good trader," he said. Nissenbaum said he received help from trader Bill Greenspan, who gave Nissenbaum the use of his office in Chicago, along with $25,000 to invest. That investment is now worth $70,000. "A lot of people have gone out of their way to help me out through this whole thing," he said. "Maybe it's my age, maybe it's where I go to school." Although he has numerous offers from Wall Street investment firms, after graduation Nissenbaum hopes to start a "hedge fund," or "fund of funds," which is basically a large sum of other traders' money. The company he plans to found, "The Amethyst Fund," would manage this money. Nissenbaum would be paid 2 percent of the total sum up front and would then receive 30 percent of the profits. By the end of his first year, Nissenbaum hopes to have $5 million and by the end of his second year, $200 million. He added that he will continue to seek advising and perhaps partnerships with members of the Wharton finance department -- although he declined to comment on which members of the department he has contacted. Although he has been extremely successful in trading futures and futures options, he said that he advises the average University student with money to invest to stick to the stock market because of the large risk involved with the type of trade he performs and the security found in stocks. "Over the long run, stocks are a very secure investment, even safer than bank accounts," said Nissenbaum, who has also given several seminars to J.P. Morgan employees on futures and futures options trading.
(09/07/95 9:00am)
Ever taken a closer look at the gargoyles lining the walls of the Quad? As part of the University's week-long schedule of freshman orientation activities, many new students will be doing just that. Working together as part of the Penn Treasures Hunt, groups of four freshmen must identify 20 photographs of obscure architectural works across the University. The winning foursome will receive a $500 gift certificate to The Book Store. According to Larry Moneta, associate vice provost for University Life, all landmarks can be seen without straying from campus paths. He added that the goal of the activity is to promote familiarity with the campus and increase pride in the University. And it is one more way for freshmen to meet each other, he said. Jim Mann, architectural illustrator for Facilities Planning, had a more aesthetic motive in mind. "Basically what we're trying to do is get kids to look at the place," he said. "I believe it's one of the nicest campuses around." Mann said the 20 pictures on the game sheet were taken by students this summer. He added that it was a good experience for the photographers as well as for the students playing the game. After the pictures were taken, the group of student photographers selected the most interesting pictures. Entry sheets for freshmen can be obtained in dining halls, residence halls and from residential advisors. Each foursome has until 5 p.m. September 8 to submit their entries into the designated box in Houston Hall. The group with the most correct answers will win the game. Moneta said that during the contest's awards ceremony, game officials will attempt to stump faculty members with slides of the game photos. "We can see how well the faculty knows the campus," he said. Although many freshmen said they were not aware of the contest, Wharton freshman Mike Irizarry said he will not be participating. "That's way too hard," he said. "I don't know where any of those things are at." The event is being sponsored by the Department of Facilities Management and the Vice Provost for University Life.
(09/06/95 9:00am)
Post-Baccalaureate student Robert Tan committed suicide last Friday in his home in Hershey, Penn., police confirmed last night. Diagnosed with manic depression, Tan was described by his sister Alice as highly successful and motivated. He had been attending the University for the last two years in order to attain the requirements he needed to apply to medical school. Tan received a bachelor's degree in marketing from Pennsylvania State University, where he was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. He then became a district sales manager for the Pepsi Cola company in Philadelphia and owned and operated Pearl Management, a real estate company. Seven years after graduating from Penn State, "he decided that his life meant more than selling soda," said Alice Tan, a 1993 College graduate. "He wanted to do more with his life than just making money. He wanted to help people." She said that his caring personality motivated him to pursue a future in medicine. Tan's friend and Graduate School of Education student Suzanne Kho said he was one of the nicest people she knew. "He was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off of his back," she said. "He was so generous, so giving." While he was at the University, Tan was extremely active in the Big Brother/Big Sister Program as both a participant and a board member. In addition to caring for a "little brother," he interviewed prospective candidates and conducted fund raising for the organization. He was also a member of the Hat Society -- which raises money for children with cancer in Hershey -- and volunteered in the pediatric ward of Thomas Jefferson Hospital. Tan's funeral will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Hoover funeral home in Hershey. Alice Tan said she hopes that his friends from the University will attend. Memorial contributions should be sent to the Make-A-Wish Foundation at 2938 Columbia Ave., Suite 1002, Lancaster, PA 17603. Details surrounding Tan's death were not immediately available. Tan is survived by Alice Tan, his parents T. Ling Tan and Esther Tan of Hummelstown, Penn., and his brother, Paul Tan of San Francisco.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Parkway Central High School '94 Chesterfield, Mo. To celebrate Black History Month, Engineering junior Janali Davis wanted to attend an event sponsored by a group calling itself "White Women Against Racism." As soon as Davis sat down in the room where the event was to take place, Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi, one of the program's facilitators, called her into the hall. "Because of the structure and the purpose of this organization, it would not be appropriate for you to be here at this time," DiLapi told Davis. Davis and DiLapi began debating the issue when Bah-Bai Makenta, a project planner with the Department of Facilities Planning, joined in. Makenta, who is also black, had been interested in attending the program as well. The three proceeded to argue for almost an hour until Davis left in tears. Davis said she felt hurt, confused and discriminated against. "The reason I went to the meeting is because I was curious about White Women Against Racism," she said. "I don't expect to come to this campus and be treated like that, especially in a forum that says it's dealing with the problem of racism." DiLapi, however, said the group had not been accepting members, white or black, since the beginning of the year when the support group was formed. She added that an advertisement for the group's meeting, placed in the Campus Events section of The Daily Pennsylvanian, was a mistake. In addition, DiLapi said that the support group was formed expressly for white women, and it would have been inappropriate for individuals of other races to attend. "Before we can enter into meaningful dialogue about culture and racism, we have to examine ourselves first and examine those issues," she said. "We believe racism is a white problem and we have a responsibility as white women in particular to do what we can to eradicate racism." Makenta was both disgusted and confused by the group's policy. "How can they deal with African people and not hear what the African people has to say?" he asked. "Here's this white women's organization against racism practicing racism." DiLapi said that because the Women's Center has other programs designed specifically for black women, her actions were not racist. But Makenta said he could not understand how WWAR is allowed to bar blacks from attending the event. "It seems to me wrong philosophically and politically that this group that meets on a university campus and in a university building, whose funding includes federal and state funds, can be allowed to meet in exclusivity of black people," he said. The University's Handbook of Rules and Regulations includes no definitions or rules concerning support groups. Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta said after the incident that the affair was probably just a misunderstanding. He said the Women's Center has maintained a good reputation on campus for fighting racism.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Parkway Central High School '94 Chesterfield, Mo. Two University students alleged that several drunk Drexel students ethnically intimidated them at 2 a.m. on March 24 and that University and Philadelphia police subsequently mishandled the case. College senior Bela Shah and Wharton senior Monika Parikh, both residents of the off-campus apartment complex Hamilton Court, awoke when four Drexel students and another man made an unusually loud exit from Cavanaugh's Restaurant around the corner. Although Shah and Parikh asked them to lower their voices, the Drexel students proceeded to harangue them with racial slurs such as "Indian bitches" and "dotheads" for about 15 minutes until University Police arrived in response to eight phone calls complaining about the noise. Shah said four University Police officers, along with one Philadelphia Police officer, questioned individuals at the scene. Two of the police officers tried to dismiss the case altogether, she said. But the one black University Police officer, Rudy Palmer, insisted on pursuing the case. University Police took Drexel students Gregory Rosenbaum and Victor Vencus into custody and drove them to the Philadelphia Police Southwest Detectives. Shah and Parikh went to the station as well, but they were not questioned when they got there. The suspects were released hours later and the witnesses sent home. When the two students met with Victim Support Director Maureen Rush the next day, however, the case was reopened and warrants were issued for the arrest of Rosenbaum and Vencus, who later surrendered to police. Both men were charged with ethnic intimidation. A hearing was originally scheduled for May 9, but lawyers for Rosenbaum and Vencus requested a continuance until August 8, according to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
Entertainment India may not appear on the UTV13 airwaves again this semester, but General Manager Heather Dorf said she acted appropriately when she imposed restrictions on the show for irresponsible behavior on the part of its producers. Dorf's comments followed charges made by the show's producer, Wharton sophomore Toral Mehta, earlier this week that Dorf imposed unreasonable restrictions on the show's staff, which in affect canceled her show. Dorf, a College junior, said last night that multiple instances of unprofessional and irresponsible behavior on the part of the show's producers showed her that the staff was incapable of producing its show "autonomously." She added that Mehta's abuses included returning UTV13 cameras days after they were due back to the station, erasing another UTV13 producer's work, mishandling station equipment and letting untrained Entertainment India staff members use the station's cameras. Dorf said Mehta's behavior was hurting the entire station. "Her irresponsibility was making our day-to-day operations increasingly difficult," she said. "If something's not there when you need it, you don't have a story. If you don't have a story, you don't have a program. If you don't have a program, you don't have a station." College senior and former UTV13 Sports Director Sherri Solomon said Mehta's behavior affected her when she was supposed to cover a men's basketball game with a camera that was in Mehta's possession. "So many times I was ready to quit working for the station because there were no cameras there because Toral had them," she said. "She was impossible to work with because she did not play by the rules and was not fair in what she was doing." After one of the abuses, Dorf said she decided to put the group on probation until the end of the semester. But after speaking with Mehta and hearing her apology, she decided to give the group a chance to continue production this semester. Dorf then told Mehta that if she wrote a proposal explaining what she had done wrong and what measures she would take to improve, she would consider taking the group off probation. When Dorf received the proposal two weeks later, she asked her board to vote on two issues: whether to let the show remain a part of UTV13, and if so, whether to mandate supervision of all of the group's activities. The board voted to keep the show in UTV13's lineup, but to "baby-sit" all production. Dorf said, however, that no one on the board has enough time to supervise the group this semester. "At this point in time, [with] about a month left in our season, everyone is tapped," she said. "Not busy with life, busy with UTV13." Dorf said the group can retrain next fall during the regular general training session, and the board will reconsider the group's status with regard to supervised activity at that time. Mehta said last night that the deadline violations she committed were mistakes, but that she had no prior knowledge of many of the rules Dorf referred to, such as one stating that every member of a show's staff using cameras must be trained. In fact, Mehta is the only trained member on her staff. "That's ridiculous," Mehta said. "Would you think that I was going to single-handedly make this whole show?" Dorf and former UTV13 General Manager and College senior Todd Donovan both said that Mehta has had the training policy explained to her numerous times. The policy is also posted around the UTV13 studio. Dorf said she hopes to see Entertainment India back on the air in the fall. "I don't want to lose programming," she said. "There's no reason we wouldn't want to have their show. It had nothing to do with the quality of their show."
(04/10/95 9:00am)
The University's sixth annual Celebration of Culture transformed College Green into a multicultural festival filled with food, costumes and performances. Saturday's celebration -- sponsored by the United Minorities Council, the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Greenfield Intercultural Center -- featured tents lining Locust Walk selling ethnic food and crafts, as well as performances under a larger tent on the lawn in front of Van Pelt Library sponsored by UMC member groups. UMC's Celebration of Culture board member Ian Corbin, a College sophomore, said the day was designed for both educational and recreational purposes. "It's for the University to see what the different cultures are like," he explained. "It's also a day for people to relax and have fun." The crowd on College Green was estimated to have reached 100 at one point Saturday -- only half the number present last year -- according to Officer Pat Dunn of the University Police. Vendors said they blamed this year's lower attendance on the cloudy weather. "Last year the weather was much nicer so it was more crowded," said Linda Chan, a College sophomore and UMC representative from the Chinese Student Association. This was the second year the celebration was held on Locust Walk rather than in Superblock. As a result, the festival which once again attracted many more passersby than might have ordinarily made a conscious effort to attend. "All different people are stopping," Chan said, "even people who didn't know this was going on." Attendees of all races and ethnicities said they thoroughly enjoyed the festival. College senior Joe Pinon said he liked the performances for their aesthetic value. "I love it," he said. "It's really great to see the beauty in all the different cultures." College senior Jeanette Melendez, who was watching the Mariachi band sponsored by El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano De Aztlan, the Japanese Cultural Society and the Black Student League said she loved watching the performances-- although not for their artistic value alone. "It's so great when people take the time to appreciate other people's cultures," said. "And I think it's also a time when the Latino and Asian cultures can feel that even when they're away from home they have a place where they're accepted."
(04/10/95 9:00am)
The first ever college-run South Asian television show, Entertainment India, made its UTV13 debut on February 6 of this year. Unfortunately, the show has not been broadcast since. The show's creators said yesterday that UTV13's newly elected general manager, College junior Heather Dorf, made it impossible for the show to be produced. Entertainment India's creator, Wharton sophomore Toral Mehta, said last night that Dorf has constantly created new "policies" and requirements which the show's producers cannot meet -- in affect canceling the show. Dorf was out of town and unavailable for comment last night. But UTV13 Director of Sales and Video Services Jared Minsk, a College sophomore, said last night that every new group must go through proper training before they are allowed to broadcast. "The producers must be trained," he said. "I know when I started my show [Business Unplugged], I had to be trained. That's standard policy." College junior and Entertainment India Production Manager Sapna Sheth said the problems started when the group borrowed a camera from UTV13 and was put on probation when it did not return it immediately. Sheth said, however, that UTV13 management had not specified the deadline for returning the camera. "They have these rules that they conveniently conjure up after we break them," she said. The most recent example of the allegedly unprofessional requirements occurred when Dorf told Mehta that for her staff to produce an episode, it would have to be supervised by either herself or one of three other UTV13 board members, Mehta said. Dorf then added, however, that none of these people have enough time to help Entertainment India this semester and they should postpone production until next fall. Minsk said that in regards to Entertainment India, "the equipment has to be used with responsibility." Mehta said she does not understand how waiting until next fall for training will help the current situation. "I don't know where these rules are coming from," she said. "[Dorf] said we can reconvene in the fall. But what's going to change in the fall?" Sheth said that when the group suggested contacting the three board members themselves, Dorf said she would prefer they not and that there was really nothing to be done. "She has no win-win situation," said Mehta. "She's more like, 'I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do.' " Mehta said she is past the point of tears and almost ready to give up. "I am just completely and totally frustrated with this issue," she said. "I started this out of nothing. My dream's, like, gone. It's something that you wanted, your vision. And here's this obstacle and I don't even know how to overcome it." Creators added that there is a demand for their show --which addresses concerns of the South Asian community and culture -- and that the South Asia Society is currently passing a petition advocating the continuation of the show. So far, about 60 South Asia Society members have signed. "People in the South Asian community support our show," Sheth said. Mehta said she hopes UTV13 will be able to help her and her television program. "A lot more people watch this than some of those stupid shows on there," she said. "Just give us a chance, that's all we're saying."
(04/06/95 9:00am)
The University's first Asian-American newsletter, Asian America, made its debut Monday. Produced by the Asian Student Union, the publication is the first at the University to address all Asian-American communities in one forum. The publication contains articles addressing current issues, features and pictures, contributed by students not just from campus, but from the entire East Coast. "We address Asian-American issues," said College junior Tina Chinakarn, the newsletter's editor and president of ASU. "Ours is solely Pan-Asian -- everyone. I would call it the first one." Other ASU members agreed that the newsletter marks the first united effort from Asian Americans at the University. "I think Asian Americans on campus have failed to offer to the campus a united voice, an Asian-American voice that addresses Asian-American issues," Wharton freshman and ASU Special Projects Vice President Eric Lee said. "The Asian America will help education and Asian-American activism." "I think it's a giant step toward addressing Asian-American issues such as affirmative action, Asian-American studies programs," Lee added. "[It is] providing Asian Americans a viewpoint and a stance on issues that will increase awareness on campus." Asian America has definitely made an impact on the University's Asian-American community, according to many students. Chinese Student Association President Steve Lin, a College and Engineering junior, said he was very impressed with the publication. "I think it's great," he said. "I was really impressed and it's very unique. It fills a need and addresses concerns that a lot of the publications of other Asian groups don't." Lin said he appreciated the articles from other universities such as Johns Hopkins. "It was kind of exciting to see what activities are going on on other campuses," he said. Chinakarn said that unlike Mosaic, the University's Asian-American literary arts magazine, the Asian America has articles and informative pieces rather than just prose, poetry and art--although she added that she would one day like to emulate Mosaic's circulation of about 4,000 copies. "We want to do that, but we don't have the funding," she said. "We'll have to work towards that."
(04/05/95 9:00am)
The changing of the guard of the United Minorities Council began last night with the election of College junior Onyx Finney and College sophomore Susie Lee as chairperson and vice chairperson of the group. They replace College senior Liz Melendez and Wharton senior Jenny Ho, who will complete their terms at the end of the semester. The elections were almost postponed due to the absence of a representative from the Native American group Six Directions. Only after the group was put on probation for several recent absences from UMC meetings was the body allowed to hold elections under its constitution. Finney, the outgoing vice president of the Black Student League and an African Studies major, defeated College sophomore and outgoing UMC Admissions Board member Steve Kwon and Engineering sophomore and former UMC Treasurer Nelson Ramos to win her seat. In her campaign speech, Finney stressed the need for UMC members, as well as University officials, to take the UMC seriously. Her campaign platform called for the establishment of official departments of South Asian Studies and African Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as creating a non-Western civilization component in the College's general requirement. "It's so easy to graduate from here without learning anything outside of your own culture," she said. "We've been too long excluded from this administration, especially curriculum." Ramos' platform emphasized re-establishing a racial harassment policy and relocating the Greenfield Intercultural Center, the home to the UMC, to the center of campus. And Kwon said he supported an investigation into the 21st Century Undergraduate Education Initiative, which he finds ambiguous in its dealings with the minority community. He also recommended that the UMC endorse candidates in Undergraduate Assembly elections. Melendez said each candidate was qualified, and that the UMC's election process allowed voters to make educated choices. "I'm actually really excited," Melendez said. "I think that all three candidates were really qualified and the elections process, the question- answer period [and] their speeches were just really great. "It is the best way to come to a conclusion on who the best candidate was," she added. "It came out clear that Onyx was." Finney said she is very anxious take on her new duties. "I'm committed to UMC and its goals," she said. "I look forward to the challenges that will face me in the coming year as chair." Melendez said Six Directions will remain on probation "until they can mount a case on why they can remain [a member of UMC]." She added that she hopes the group comes off probation because "it is a group that needs to be represented and its needs need to be addressed within the UMC." Six Directions President and College senior Desiree Martinez was not available for comment.
(03/27/95 10:00am)
The early bird gets the single. That's what students seeking dormitory rooms learned Saturday at Residential Living's Grand Arena. Starting at 9 a.m., students began lining up in front of the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall according to their lottery numbers, which ranged from one to 622. Students were assigned their lottery draws last Monday. On the postcard that assigned the numbers, students also received the time they should arrive at the Arena in order t o reduce congestion and waiting time. Within half an hour all high rise singles were taken, leaving only singles in the Graduate Towers and the Quad. By 10:30 a.m., only seven high rise triples remained while all 18 quads left had no kitchens. Surprisingly, 90 doubles were still available. College sophomore Kristen Lovelace had wanted to rent a single in the high rises, but is now going to live in the Grad Towers next year. "I wanted to get an apartment in the high rises but I figured they'd be gone," she said. "[The Grad Towers] are really not that bad." But when Engineering freshman Ginlei Liu didn't get the single she wanted, she decided to look off campus for housing. By 11:30 a.m., the quads had run out and at 1 p.m. there was just one triple left. And although the process was running a little slow around noon, the scheduled lunch break allowed time for catching up. After not getting the quad she wanted, College freshman Keely Tolley placed her name on the waiting list and said she was going to "hope for the best." She said that although she was frustrated, she didn't blame the system. "I understand how the Arena works," she said. "I'm a little concerned about what I'm going to do in the summer months. It's a little stressing not knowing where you're going to live next year." Near the end of the day almost every student began placing their names on the waiting lists. Some annoyed students began blaming the Arena process as a whole. "It was poorly run, [poorly] organized as well," College junior Brendan Cahill said. "The student [volunteers] were particularly incompetent and sometimes rude -- even more so than I expected." He added that he thought the system is outdated and would like to see room selection done over electronic mail. "For a school that's supposed to be in the 21st Century, this is really some of sort of nightmare," he said. Many students said Residential Living should give preference to upperclassmen in assigning rooms, while others said preference should be given to students with special needs, such as dietary concerns. "I wish you could talk about your preferences before you get your lottery number," Wharton freshman Priyanka Chamaria said. "Because now if we don't get [a room], we have to shift off-campus and then there are safety problems." Ellie Rupsis, associate director of Residential Living, felt that Saturday's Arena was one of the best organized in recent years. "It went very well," she said. "There weren't any problems. I think it seemed less stressful this year. I think we had more people go through other processes." Rupsis said that this year more students retained their current dorm rooms or selected apartments through community living. Rupsis added that students still interested in living on campus should definitely place their names on the waiting lists, which are available until 5 p.m. Tuesday.
(03/24/95 10:00am)
Two University students were ethnically harassed by drunk Drexel University students early yesterday morning. And the students claim University and Philadelphia police mishandled the situation. At 2 a.m. yesterday, four Drexel students and another man made an unusually loud drunken exit from Cavanaugh's restaurant. When a Hamilton Court resident, awakened by the noise, asked them to be quiet, they began slinging racial epithets at him. Hamilton Court residents College senior Bela Shah and Wharton senior Monika Parikh, who had also been sleeping, woke up when they heard a racial slur containing the words "Indian" and "7-11," and looked out the window. They also asked the Drexel students to lower their voices. But instead of complying, the Drexel students proceeded to harangue them with more racial epithets for about 15 minutes, until University police arrived on the scene in response to approximately eight phone calls complaining about the noise. Shah said four University Police officers along with one Philadelphia police officer questioned individuals at the scene. Next, she said, two of the police officers tried to dismiss the case altogether, but the one African-American University Police officer, Rudy Palmer, insisted on pursuing the suspects. Shah said University Police took two Drexel students named Gregory Rosenbaum and Victor Vencus into custody and drove them to the Philadelphia Police Southwest Detectives. Shah and Parikh were also escorted to the station to answer questions. Once at the police station, however, Shah said she was not interviewed by any detectives. She said she heard a discussion in the next room in which one person was urging another to release the students. Parikh said that Palmer had informed her that the father of one of the suspects is an area police officer. "I heard them in the other room saying, 'Those guys are college kids, they don't need a permanent record,' " Parikh said. At around 6 a.m. the students were released, with no charges pressed. The victims were told that for the suspects to be charged with ethnic intimidation, a police officer must have been on the scene to witness it. According to Victim Support and Special Services Director Maureen Rush this explanation is inaccurate. "No, that is not true," she said. "Bad guys don't usually want to stand there for cops to be there for them to say these things." Rush said that in truth, for a charge of ethnic intimidation to be pressed, the victim must be verbally assaulted on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin. There must also be a physical threat of some type -- which in this case would be the fact that the students could not escape the verbal assault because they were in their home. "They live there, they can't leave," she said. "They could have gotten out of that apartment, but they would have been fearful of that." Rush added that the University Police were trained about ethnic intimidation this summer. After Rush met with Shah and Parikh, she called Southwest Detectives. They then decided to reopen the case and are presently working with the District Attorney's Office to obtain warrants for the arrest of the two students detained, Rush said. Shah and Parikh said they think the police acted inappropriately. "It was absolutely ridiculous," Shah said. "As soon as we got in there we heard [the Philadelphia Police] for a half an hour rationalize why there was no case. A few of the Penn Police were wrong for letting [the Drexel students] go and putting the whole thing on [Palmer]." Parikh thought that the questionable manner in which the incident was handled rivaled the incident itself. "I don't know what was worse," Parikh said. "The slurs or the treatment afterward." Shah also said race was a factor in the way the police treated the incident. "Privileged treatment to the white students was attributable to race," she said. "The white cops letting them go, the detectives saying, '[the matter] is not racial.' Yesterday they didn't give us the time of day and I do attribute that to race." Associate Vice-Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel said she was sorry the incident happened. "I feel very bad that it happened and doubly bad for the students that they did not get appropriate response from the police," she said. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, however, said his officers "took appropriate actions based on the circumstances found there." The two students said they were thankful to Palmer, who was supportive throughout the entire incident. "Had he not been there, I think this whole thing would have been pushed under the rug," Shah said. "It's only because of our persistence that this got moved any further." The DA's office will decide tomorrow whether to issue warrants for the arrest of the suspects.
(03/23/95 10:00am)
Casey and Sam met on a Friday night. They saw each other at a bar and began a conversation. Each was extremely attracted to the other and they went home to Sam's apartment. For the next few months, they saw each other frequently -- taking walks, seeing movies and just hanging out at home. Throughout Casey's and Sam's relationship, they had their ins and outs -- they even broke up a few times --but they always ended up getting back together afterwards. Near the end of their year together, Casey and Sam realized their relationship didn't have the same "spark" that it used to. They broke up for good the week before their one-year anniversary. Today, Casey has a new boyfriend, but Sam is still looking. Casey and Sam are both men. Although homosexual relationships may appear identical to heterosexual ones, there are actually major differences that affect both the couple's interactions with each other and with society. For example, because mainstream society assumes all individuals are straight, gay people have a harder time finding one another, reducing the possibilities for spontaneity. "We don't have these big blinking signs to wear around the city that say, 'I'm gay, men only need apply,' " College sophomore Rob Faunce said. "You don't run into [gay people] at the orange stand at the supermarket. The sexual atmosphere is not conducive to get to know people." Gary Reddick said this obstacle affects him as well. "It's definitely harder to meet potential dates," the College freshman said. "Especially at a place like Penn. Not all gays and lesbians use the Program [for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn] office or go to rallies. A lot of people don't want to expose themselves in that way." Gay night clubs are the locations most individuals visualize when thinking about gays meeting other gays -- and this is primarily because the clubs provide a social atmosphere in which it is assumed that the clientele is homosexual. But besides bars, gay students said they meet partners in many different ways. Kenneth George, an associate dean in the School of Education, said studies report that nightclubs are not the only places where gays meet each other. "Research shows that same gender couples meet wherever anyone meets," said George, who also serves as the director of Human Sexuality Education at the University. "The misconception is that gay and lesbian people can meet in only gay and lesbian environments." Reddick said that matchmaking and making acquaintances through other friends are also common practices in the gay community. "You meet in the same sort of environments that heterosexual people do," Reddick said. "I know few people who only start relationships in clubs. A lot of relationships are through friends -- that's the way a lot of people meet each other." The emphasis on night clubs within the gay dating scene has consequences that bother some members of the gay community. Because at a club, it is assumed that all present are homosexual and that they have specifically come to the club to pick up other gays, there is increased pressure to "hook up." "When you're meeting them at gay clubs in the bar scene setting, the emphasis is on sex," Faunce said. "It leads to too many one-night stands. The morning after a one-night stand is not exactly a good time to say 'What's your name?' The people you're interested in -- you end up going too far with the first night." But other students said they disagree. "There does seem to be that notion in society at large, and I don't know if I would agree with that," Reddick said. "I know quite a few people who abstain from sex. With such an emphasis on AIDS and HIV, I don't see that happening very much." College freshman Austin Wakefield, who attends the dances sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Alliance held at the 24th Ward in Center City, said he has never felt obligated to have sexual relations with people he meets there. "I've never been pressured that way," he said. "I've gone many times and I've only done that once." Regardless of the circumstances surrounding a sexual encounter, many students have said that in the gay community, there is definitely an emphasis on safe sex. "The emphasis on safe sex is far greater in homosexual relationships," Faunce said. "It's a matter of life or death. It's not awkward because it's understood by all that it's for our safety and protection. It's not one man saying, 'I'm a man, I don't need to wear a condom.' " Reddick said that although there is stress on safe sex, there has been a recent decline in its practice by young adults in general. "I think the gay community has always emphasized safe sex since the onset of the AIDS epidemic," he said. "[But] I think a lot of young adults period are falling into a lot of unsafe behavior--be it gay or straight." Reddick compared the negligent attitude with which many approach the use of contraception to that of individuals who do not wear seatbelts while riding in a car. "A lot of us have a fatalistic attitude about what can be done if you are found to be [HIV] positive or you have AIDS," he said. "I hear, 'If it's going to happen, it's going to happen,' or 'if it's my time, it's my time.' " In mainstream society, gay and lesbian relationships are often portrayed such that one person is "playing" the role of the feminine partner--often dubbed "femme"-- while the other plays the role of the more masculine partner --or "butch" -- such as in the famous play La Cage Aux Folles. But outside of the world of fiction, opinion is mixed on the prevalence of this butch/femme phenomenon in gay relationships. "A lot of gay people are offended by that idea," Reddick said. "We're two men, and we love each other as men. You're sort of taking on heterosexual notions of what constitutes a relationship--or intimacy for that matter." Coordinator of PLGBCAP Bob Schoenberg said he thinks this so-called "role-playing" is a complicated issue. "It's such a stereotype of homosexual relationships [to assume] that they mock heterosexual relationships," he said. "There is no uniform answer. Most gay and lesbian relationships that I know about are not as defined as one plays the butch and one plays the femme, or one is dominant or one is submissive." George, however, said that the practice of taking on typical heterosexual gender roles has recently reemerged from a period of dormancy. "There is conflict in younger gay and lesbian people with no role models," he said. The practice of gender roles "seems to be resurfacing -- two men, one believing they have to be the more dominant or masculine one, although I don't like that word." Schoenberg has seen a similar resurgence in role-playing -- citing the present use of the terms "top" and "bottom," stereotypes referring to the positions in insertive intercourse, as in "He's a top," or "he's a bottom." "There certainly are certain relationships in which this is an important dimension," he said. In the past, "it may have been more defined. Interestingly, the phenomenon has reemerged." George added that in his research he did not find lesbian couples employing gender roles as much as their male counterparts -- mainly due to their decreased visibility in society. Jennifer Manion, a College junior and co-editor of the campus women's magazine Generation XX said she also did not know many lesbians who call themselves "butch" or "femme." "Many of the women I know don't readily identify as either and it's all relative," she said. "Sometimes the people who appear to fit one of the categories play out the other in relationships." Although gender roles are utilized in some homosexual relationships, Schoenberg said this behavior is completely different from transsexuality, in which a person actually feels like he is biologically a member of the opposite sex. Transsexuals often undergo sex change operations and end up being heterosexual. But regardless of whether they employ gender roles, homosexual relationships experience certain dynamics solely due to the fact that both members of the couple are of the same sex. "If men have a greater difficulty with intimacy than women do, how is that problem magnified when you have two men in a couple, both of whom have some trouble -- due to socialization -- with intimacy," Schoenberg said. Once they have started relationships, gay couples are often swimming upstream against the current of a heterosexual society. "It was always awkward when you wanted to go out in public together," said College of General Studies student Anthony Putz, the chairperson of LGBA. "In the beginning it was hard [deciding] to hold hands or not hold hands. I've had people spray paint on my door the word, 'faggot,' when they found out we were living together." Presently there is no official marriage ceremony for a gay couple recognized by a government in the United States, forcing individuals to modify their behavior accordingly. "We don't have the option of running off to Vegas and eloping," Faunce said. "There's a greater need to plan--looking for companies that offer domestic partnership benefits, finding gay-friendly housing. These are little things, but little things that add up." The lack of a recognized matrimony between homosexuals also brings less obvious dilemmas -- such as picking an anniversary date. "Was it the day we met, or the day we had sex?" Schoenberg said. Another obstacle faced by gay couples is intolerant families accustomed to heterosexual society. "Weddings, anniversaries, [heterosexual couples] get toaster ovens," Schoenberg said. "Their parents are usually --not always-- accepting of their partners. Each of those things are different for a homosexual couple." Despite their differences, homosexual and heterosexual couples share more than many think. "There are many more similarities than people think," Putz said. "You share responsibilities like other couples. You fight about who's going to put the cap on the toothpaste. You fight about whose parents you're going to see on holidays." George said he sees similar image concerns and struggles within heterosexual and homosexual relationships. "Money and power seem to be the same," he said. "I don't see any differences there. Every couple seems to have issues with power, which plays itself out with money, sex and all those other things." Reddick said the most significant similarity between straight and gay relationships concerns the emotions and desires valued in each: "The desire for love and affection and for someone who will accept you for you and that you enjoy being with and that makes you feel happy."
(03/22/95 10:00am)
From television programs such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place, American mainstream society finds that the "ideal" woman measures 36-24-36, while the perfect man is toned with bulging muscles. But for many individuals, the lines are not as clear- cut. The gay community faces many dilemmas in terms of body image. There are a multitude of different gay "images" and fitting in can become a problem. Before College sophomore Melissa Krakowski came out of the closet, she had preconceived ideas of what gays and lesbians looked like. "All lesbians were these butchy women who wanted to be men and had some hormonal imbalance," she said. "All men had lisps. Or at the other end, that men were always working out or very slutty." But after actually joining the gay community, Krakowski discovered the reality behind the stereotypes. "It's true for some lesbians, but not for all," she said. "There are lesbians who are a little more in touch with their masculine sides, but it's definitely not true for all." Amidst the various opinions about body image facing gays, bisexuals and lesbians, one thing is usually agreed upon: Just as much -- if not more -- emphasis is put on body image in the gay community as in the straight community. "Male images, advertising, the increase in the depictions of pecs, biceps and rippling stomachs -- the glamorous torso has had an impact on how the male is being idealized," said one student who asked to be identified only as Bill S. "It's common among straight men, but for the gay man, it's male to male. It's pressure to be this way." The stereotypes for gay men usually fit into two categories -- either extremely effeminate or extremely masculine. The former is often portrayed as having a higher voice or lisp and the latter as constantly working out and wearing tight apparel. Many said living up to these images, especially the ultra-masculine one, is often the top priority in the lives of many gay and bisexual men. "I think gays and bisexuals struggle with [body image] a lot more because there is a lot of pressure to have the 'perfect' body," said Kurt Conklin, a health educator at Student Health Services. "A lot of gay and bisexual men increasingly are turning to the gym." Along with the photos of semi-clad, musclebound men found in the pages of gay magazines, new stereotypes about gays resulting from the AIDS epidemic have also put pressure on homosexuals to look their best. "The impact of HIV and AIDS on our community has had an effect," Bill S. said. "The image of the gay men wasting away to emaciated figures has influenced our community to try to look muscular, bulky and really, really healthy. We're still alive, we're vital, we're an alive community. That has impacted on our body image." Another motivation for gay men to tone their bodies is self-defense. "Some men go to the gym and try to bulk up because we know there is a lot of violence toward gay men," Conklin said. "They may be trying to bulk up as a defense. One of the side benefits [of starting to work out] was that I felt more physically prepared for physical assault." Although lesbians are also very concerned about body image, some students have said they don't think lesbians put as much emphasis on it as gay men. "Lesbians are much less image-conscious than gay men," said Jennifer Manion, a College junior and co-editor of the campus women's magazine Generation XX. "Lesbians are less likely to compromise themselves to fit the image which straight women have because it's seen as ideal by the heterosexual society." Gay women also encounter two different stereotypes: One extremely masculine --often called "butch" -- and one very feminine, not surprisingly dubbed "femme." According to many students, both body types are almost equally accepted in gay communities. "Both are accepted in homosexual societies," Manion said. "Some people go for the opposite, some people go for the same, some people go for both." But because of the heterosexual paradigm of the "perfect" woman and the more historic homosexual stereotype of the "butch" female, "femme" lesbians say they have a harder time coming out of the closet. "My take is that a lot of people don't give you much credit for being serious in your sexual identity if you are femme," said Bronwyn Beistle, Graduate Student Associations Council president. "If you look androgynous or butch you get more credit. If you try to look femme, it's like you're trying to pass [as a heterosexual]." But regardless of gender, overwhelming body image concerns can be very detrimental to many members of the homosexual community. "Look at the 'hunks' " in the gay newspaper, said Bob Schoenberg, director of the Program for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn. "The gay subculture does put a great deal of importance on body image. I think that's unfortunate. There are a great many gay men that suffer as a result." Students said that some gay men spend all of their time working out, which is problematic for a more than a few obvious reasons. "Physical exercise and fitness becomes a problem when it's dominating your life," Conklin said. "For men who spend a lot of time in the gym, that's time they're not spending helping the gay community become stronger politically and socially. If people are going to gyms mainly in pursuit of the perfect body, that's not, in fact, very healthy." As in the heterosexual community, poor nutrition is often a problem resulting from a desire to change one's physical appearance. "Feeling anxious about your body may mean that you're not eating very well," Conklin said. "I think that also plays out in the gay and lesbian community as well." Eating disorders also afflict the gay community. Bill S. struggled with food for ten years before coming to the University. Upon arrival, many factors -- including his still-hidden homosexuality-- resulted in a long, hard struggle with bulimia. "Where my bulimia most surfaced was the intense experience of going to college and not yet coming out, going to a new school, coming from a working class background and going to an Ivy League institution," Bill S. said. "Food was my coping mechanism for dealing with these feelings." Bill added that his lack of friends and what he perceives as homophobic feelings at the University contributed to his lack of self-esteem. "Pressures of homophobia in the society turned me to food for comfort," he said. "When you can't call a friend, you can always call a pizza. All you need to do is have $10. Friends have faults, but pizzas are pretty consistent." And even after dating and acquiring a few friends, Bill's insecurities took control and he began a cycle of binging and purging. "During college, I had relationships with other men on campus and the thing is that the body image issues would get in the way and I would wonder whether or not they would leave because I was too fat," he said. "I started to forget who I was and why they were attracted to me." After two years of struggling with the disorder, Bill S. sought counseling on the advice of a friend. But Bill found that the University could not accommodate him. The Student Health representative "told me that she really couldn't meet my needs. Most of her resources are for women. There are aren't services on campus for men who have these problems." Bill said he felt frustrated and angry. "Here I was feeling inadequate and half in denial about seeking treatment and Student Health was deflecting me and telling me, 'Well, there's nothing we can do.' And she wanted to refer me to outside services which I would have to pay for. It was bullshit." Through outside counseling, Bill overcame his bulimia, but wishes that the University had the necessary resources to help people in his situation. "I know both gay and straight [male] athletes have problems with body image," he added. "It would be nice if we could find help on this campus." Susan Villari, Director of Health Education at Student Health Services, said that Student Health does provide services for men, but attitudes are actually what prevents students from taking advantage of them. "I don't necessarily think there need to be more services, it just needs to be more publicized," she said. "There's a lot more stigma for men to come forward and use the services." She did say, however, that if there were demand for new services they would be created. "It's difficult to provide services for only one person -- especially a support group," she said. Student Health "would create a new support group if there were enough men who were willing to be in a support group."
