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(09/08/97 9:00am)
The University's two main student political groups are hoping to reverse the trend of declining national voter turnout, especially among college-aged students. With that goal topping their agendas, the College Republicans and College Democrats are set to begin another year of political activism. "Everything is in its early stages right now, so our first meeting will be really important," said College Republicans Chairperson Wendy Mongillo. Last year, the club closed its books with about 50 listed members, 25 of whom were active. Attributing these low numbers to lack of publicity, Mongillo, a College senior, said the club is currently devoting most of its energy to raising student interest. Some of these efforts include a membership booth at CUPID -- where 80-people signed up -- and a table this week on Locust Walk. The College Democrats, led by College senior Aaron Well, have experienced similar turnouts in recent years. The Democrats are hoping for a 55-60 person club with around 35 active members, much like last year. Well attributed the limited political activism on campus to the little interaction between the University and the community. "Since there is no neighborhood feeling, it is difficult to get people involved in the most local, most basic level of politics," he said. Compounding the relatively low turnout rates, participation in both groups traditionally tends to lag as the school year goes on, according to leaders. "People, especially freshmen, realize they don't have as much free time as they thought," Well said. And with no presidential election this year to increase student activism, Well noted that students tend to lose interest in day-to-day issues. To increase student activism, the groups plan to hold events focusing specifically on issues relevant to students. Mongillo said college political groups are an important outlet for young people to "speak their minds and not be bashful about saying what they feel just because they are younger." And Well noted that "young people bring a lot to politics simply by being young and having different ideas." The College Republicans are planning to do many of the same events as last year, including debates with the College Democrats and debates among themselves. The group also hopes to have more involvement with the Penn State College Republicans and to establish a Drexel University chapter of the College Republicans. The College Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to add a visit from Mayor Ed Rendell to their calendar of events -- which also includes several debates. In a year with so few elections in the country, the group will focus on community-based activities, Well said. For example, the group plans to hold a letter-writing campaign focusing on current national issues. And both group leaders said they hope to hold several joint activities in hopes of strengthening the University's political network. The Republicans' first meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, and the Democrats plan to kick off the year September 23. Each club will hold open general meetings once every two weeks.
(01/31/97 10:00am)
John Ethel "May" Dunn goes well beyond the call of duty. Stouffer Dining Commons worker John Ethel Dunn brings smiles to everyone around her -- from her colleagues to the students she serves and even to herself. Dunn, who is known by her friends as "May," loves making even more out of her work than just what her job contract dictates. Showing up to work early and often leaving long after her shift ended, Dunn takes pride in making Stouffer a better place to work and eat -- to make it one of the most popular hangouts on campus. She has taken her employment and turned it into an art -- by carving fruits and vegetables into colorful decorative objects. Long before most Penn students roll out of bed, Dunn arrives at Stouffer and transforms it into a virtual studio to begin her masterpieces. The creations she carves range from animals to flowers to intricate shapes -- all of which she displays proudly along the serving line in Stouffer's lower level dining room. Dunn's carvings have become a tradition in Stouffer, as every day they bring smiles to barely awake students waiting for breakfast. But the satisfaction evoked from Dunn's creations does not only belong to students. She noted that the carving relaxes her and is a skill she takes much pride in. And many Stouffer workers are following in Dunn's culinary footsteps, as they take advantage of her after-hours carving lessons. She said she enjoys being a "tutor" for her workers, who she praised as "very ambitious." Some Stouffer workers have even purchased instructional books in hopes of perfecting their carving skills. Beyond her culinary techniques, Dunn has been an instrumental part of the behind-the-scenes team at Stouffer for almost 33 years. She is a unit leader and supervisor of Stouffer's lower dining hall, overseeing general procedures like serving and ensuring enough food is at each station. Through her culinary talents and her loving personality, Dunn has made many close friends at Stouffer, including Jacinta Tovoir. In her third year as a Stouffer worker, Tovoir has moved up from washing dishes to working on the main floor and is one of many Stouffer workers who have been inspired by Dunn. She is currently responsible for preparing the dining hall's fruit and dessert displays and arranging the trays and silverware. Tovoir often has to do these duties by herself but Dunn said she never complains, an example of the enjoyment many Stouffer workers get from their jobs. "If only I had as many people working on their stations like Jacinta," she said. "I know she'll get the job done and I don't ever have to check on her." Tovoir started working the dinner shift but is now on the breakfast and lunch shift. Her daily schedule is from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and -- taking a page from Dunn's work ethic -- she often works through her breaks. Tovoir, who lives in Philadelphia with her husband and 15-year-old daughter, commented that she loves everything about her job and looks forward to coming to work. But in her free time, she enjoys going to the gym to work out on the treadmill. Although Tovoir's native tongue is Spanish, she has no problem communicating effectively in Stouffer. She has made many friendships, including a special relationship with Dunn. "We make a great team!" exclaimed Dunn while the two women embraced with smiles from ear to ear.
(01/23/97 10:00am)
The headaches of tax season are approaching fast. But the Volunteer Income Tax Assistants -- an Internal Revenue Service program -- will be helping people file simple tax returns for their 25th year. The VITA program, which counts several University students among its volunteer staff, was created for low income, disabled or elderly residents of the community who are unable to file their own taxes or afford a professional firm to help them. Given these guidelines, there is a large demand for VITA sites in the Philadelphia area, according to VITA coordinator Richard Furlong. Each year, between two and three million taxpayers have their returns prepared at VITA sites around the country. In previous years, Philadelphia's primary site has been located at Sixth and Arch streets in the IRS office in the Federal Building. The office filed over 1,200 returns last year. But IRS employees could not have done this by themselves. "The students are the key to making the site work," Furlong said. In the last few years the VITA volunteers' jobs have become virtually paperless. The IRS has developed a system for electronic filing that only requires one piece of paper which bears the signature of the taxpayer. This makes the process much less complicated and time consuming for both taxpayers and VITA volunteers. VITA coordinators Joseph Solari and Furlong conduct three-hour volunteer training sessions once a week for five weeks. Formal training begins in January and concludes with a final exam in the middle of February. By the completion of the course, volunteers are able to file simple tax returns. "We look forward to working with them," Solari said of this year's volunteers. "They have done very well in training." This year's training sessions are held at the Penn Law School. VITA had representatives at the Law School's community service fair early in the academic year and has since become a very popular way to fill the Law School's 70-hour public service requirement. Approximately 15 Law students are involved in the program as well as two University undergraduates. Amy Malerva, a College junior, is an intern in the Taxpayer Education department of the IRS, which led her to choose VITA for a community service experience. As an Urban Studies major, she is also fulfilling the department's internship requirement. "Now I know more about why I pay taxes and where they go," said Malerva of her experience with VITA. "Interacting with tax returns, the residents of Philadelphia and the Law students is really good experience." Thomas Manning, a second-year Law student, is also enjoying his experience with VITA. Although Manning is participating in the program to fill the Law School's public service requirement, he said he is happy to give back to the community. TelaFile is another tax filing program developed by the IRS for people, such as college students, with simple tax returns. It allows certain individuals to file tax forms via a toll-free touch-tone telephone call that lasts approximately 10 minutes. TelaFile is an efficient program that gets refunds back within 3 weeks, according to Solari. Last year -- the first year the system was available -- 2.8 million people used TelaFile to file their taxes. Many of the 20 million people whose returns are simple enough to make them eligible for TelaFile are college students, Solari noted.
(11/21/96 10:00am)
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s wife delivered a powerful keynote speech for Unity Week. In an inspiring speech that drew a standing ovation last night, Coretta Scott King urged individuals to stand up for human rights and equality around the world. Loud applause first filled Irvine Auditorium as the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. approached the podium to address the Penn community as the keynote speaker for the third annual Unity Week. King exhorted audience members to work to overturn oppression. She said each individual can positively affect society, adding that to serve humanity, people must fully develop themselves spiritually, with complete purification from selfishness, apathy and prejudice. One way to serve humanity is to stand up -- in non-violent ways -- for everyone's dignity and human rights, no matter what their culture,King said. "Never doubt that you have the power or leadership to institute solid change," she said. "Now is the time to lead your generation to a better America." She directed many of her comments to the younger generation, reasoning that they need leaders for unity now more than ever before. King called America a very tribal nation, even though she said the public fails to see it that way. Rather than make cultural differences a source of hostility, people should celebrate them, for they make America a great nation, she said. "We must eliminate the gulf of mistrust and ignorance that keeps us from learning from each other," she said. King expressed deep concern that the University does not officially observe the federal holiday honoring her husband. She said the holiday raises awareness about non-violent action against discrimination -- in the late civil rights leader's spirit. She also added her voice to the chorus protesting recent steps to abolish affirmative action. She said such programs are a cost-effective way to help alleviate discrimination. Noting that the federal government has paid Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II, King argued that if other minority groups are entitled to compensation for past discrimination, African Americans should be too. In a segment of the speech that hit home for many in the audience, King addressed crime and its causes. She railed against the "out-of-control" manufacture and sale of handguns, epidemics of drug abuse and the media's glorification of violence, saying these lead to increased crime. But she did more than discuss the problems she saw in today's society. King also cited solutions, including expanding education and job training for young people, slashing the military budget by 25 percent to cover the costs. Addressing Penn's problems specifically, King suggested incorporating the community into University life through employment and scholarship programs for neighborhood residents. In closing, King quoted her husband, challenging her audience to lead a new civil rights revolution. ""Be a drum major for justice, be a drum major for human rights. Be a drum major for beloved community with all your heart and soul and you will be that servant," she said. The United Minorities Council sponsored King's speech.
(11/19/96 10:00am)
The memorial was held last Thursday, which would have been the Sociology legend's 81st birthday. On what would have been the 81st birthday of former Sociology Professor E. Digby Baltzell, friends and family gathered to honor him with sentimental words and warm memories. Baltzell died on August 17. Soft jazz purred from the piano in the majestically domed Harrison Auditorium of the University Museum, for last Thursday's memorial service. The lights were low and seemingly empathetic, much like the guests. Fellow professors, colleagues and former students spoke about their relationships with Baltzell and expressed a common admiration for his scholarship and love for teaching. "Even when I thought I was teaching him, he was teaching me much more -- he always did," said History Professor Michael Zuckerman. Baltzell's students said they loved attending his classes as much as he loved teaching them. Martin Muoto, a 1993 graduate of the College and Wharton, recalled that the courses Baltzell taught were frequently "sold out." Muoto then shared dozens of Baltzell's quotes that he still remembered years after his graduation from Penn. Beyond his renown at the University, sociologists around the world regarded Baltzell as an authority in the field. An expert in the social patterns and habits of the upper class, he coined the term "WASP" to stand for "white Anglo-Saxon Protestant" in his 1964 book, The Protestant Establishment. He also wrote many other award-winning papers and books on the subject. 1978 College graduate Howard Schneiderman, a student of Baltzell's edited and co-authored much of his mentor's work. He fondly recalled the professor's relentless pursuit to teach students to think and write well. Schneiderman spoke of Baltzell's many critiques of his works as a student and a colleague, remarking that Baltzell was never satisfied with a first draft. "Digby demanded infinitely more of his students than they demanded of themselves," he said. Other University luminaries added their voices to the chorus of praise for Baltzell. "Digby Baltzell was a teacher of us all and he remains as our conscience," said University President Emeritus Martin Meyerson, a longtime friend. Baltzell's profound love for football had a tremendous impact on Harry Gamble, a former Penn football coach. For his turn at the podium, he recalled the days when Baltzell hosted dinners at the Faculty Club for juniors on the team. He spoke to them about life, leadership and values. "He brought credibility to the program," Gamble said. "Digby knew the satisfaction that comes from making others feel special." Sociology Professor Harold Bershady commented on the powerful effect Baltzell had on everyone who knew him. And Sociology Department Chairperson Douglas Massey described Baltzell as "a real character who derived tremendous fulfillment from Penn." Baltzell graduated from Wharton in 1939. With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, he left his job to volunteer for the Navy. He earned his wings and served in the South Pacific as Air Combat Intelligence Officer and pilot. After the war, he enrolled in the Ph.D program at Columbia University. After receiving his doctorate in sociology, Baltzell returned to Penn, where he taught until 1986, and continued to teach a few classes as a professor emeritus until the last months of his life. In his time in the academic community, Baltzell was awarded Danforth and Guggenheim fellowships. "In his almost 50 years at Penn, Digby taught over 20,000 undergraduates and hundreds of graduate students," Bershady said. "He was an enormously popular and beloved teacher and won every teaching award that Penn offers." Closing his speech, Schneiderman offered a eulogy that seemed to sum up what everyone else had said: "Here's to Digby? A wiser man I never knew, nor a better one."
(11/05/96 10:00am)
A lecture intended to be an informative discussion sparked clashes yesterday between the speaker and his diverse audience -- which ranged from an Urban Studies freshman seminar class to admitted drug users. Philippe Bourgois, acclaimed author of In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio and more than 50 other works, focused on heroin addicts' views of the dangers of contracting HIV through needle sharing in his talk at the Annenberg School for Communication. Bourgois chairs the Anthropology Department at San Francisco University and is a research fellow at the San Francisco Urban Institute. In the course of his research among heroin addicts in parks in downtown San Francisco, Bourgois has won acceptance from the communities he studies. They allow him to make first-hand observations of how they function. Bourgois's field study revealed that needle sharing among the addicts in the "shooting encampment" is a risky but daily behavior. There is a political economy of survival involved, in which the mentality is one of debt obligations. "If I share with you tonight, you will owe me when I can't get the money for the drugs another time," Bourgois explained. His studies further revealed that addicts worry about getting their drugs before they worry about their health. Addicts told Bourgois that the "pursuit of ecstacy" is more of an immediate concern than health. During a question and answer session after the talk, an admitted heroin user and outreach volunteer in the audience confirmed his conclusions. "That first shot in the morning, you don't care if you've got clean works," he said. "After that, yeah, sure, you want the clean works. But until you're high, it don't matter." The session quickly became a verbal assault on Bourgois and his work. Most of the critical comments were actually directed at his book, In Search of Respect, rather than the lecture at hand. The book examines the lives of Puerto Rican crack cocaine dealers in East Harlem, N.Y. Two Puerto Rican members of the audience said Bourgois portrayed all Puerto Ricans as impoverished drug abusers. Bourgois responded by acknowledging the portion of the Puerto Rican population that positively contributes to society. And one student stood up in the author's defense, reading an excerpt where Bourgois regretfully predicted this reaction. Throughout the hour of audience questions, Bourgois was constantly forced to defend his studies against similar charges of racial bias and lack of understanding. At times, Urban Studies Co-Director Elaine Simon had to step in to prevent specific audience members from simply arguing with Bourgois. "It is pathetic that we are displaying such hostility towards each other!" the author exclaimed in frustration. After the lecture, Bourgois said he had never dealt with such adversity toward his work. The author came to the University as part of the 12th annual Urban Studies Public Lecture. Senior Urban Studies majors chose Bourgois for the lecture and selected his books for in-depth study this year.
