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(09/27/91 9:00am)
Christina Applegate does not attend the University. The 19-year-old star of Fox television's Married with Children doesn't even attend college. Such rumors are spread rapidly around campus and are passed down from class to class, but it is often difficult to pinpoint their origin. About half of the students contacted at random this week had heard the Applegate rumor. Depending on the version they heard, the actress who plays airhead Kelly Bundy had either been accepted for the following year's class, or was already a student on campus. Efforts to trace the myth where unsuccessful, as students did not recall exactly where they had heard it. "I just have heard it around," Wharton junior Melissa Smith said Tuesday. "I think at a party somewhere." Christoph Guttentag, director of planning for the admissions office, said that he first heard the rumor "about a couple of weeks ago" when some students in the admissions office were discussing it. "I've never heard of her applying," Guttentag said. "If somebody well-known would apply, we would know." Guttentag added that such rumors "don't spring forth and get spread for no reason, but I don't know what the reason for this one is." He added that several years ago, there was a prevalent rumor that a certain actress had applied to the University under an assumed name, but he doesn't remember which actress it was. This rumor, too, was unfounded. "I've never heard of anyone applying to Penn under an assumed name," he said. The only Applegate in this year's student directory, first-year grad student Catherine Applegate, said she is not related to the blonde star. "I'm a lot prettier than she is," Applegate said. "Probably a lot older too." And a spokesperson for Fox broadcasting in California said Wednesday that Christina Applegate does not attend college. · Television stars are not the only subject of people-related rumors on campus. An oft-spread myth concerns the assignment of freshman football players to the basement of Butcher/Speakman/Class of '28 in the Quadrangle. As the rumor goes, the entire freshman football team is normally quartered in this section of the Quad on coaches' orders. But residents of Butcher/Speakman denied any superior athletic ability on the part of their neighbors. "There are no football players on this floor," said College freshman Bridget Ward, who lives in the basement of Speakman. She said that she had heard the rumor even before coming to the University. Ward said that various people, when told of her rooming assignment, said, "Oh, I heard they put all the athletes in the basement." College sophomore Toni Minniti, who is the special projects manager for athletics in Butcher/Speakman, said that "It really is a total myth" and that athletic ability in her area of the Quad seemed "no stronger than in other areas." Assistant Dean for Residence Jane Rogers, who has been assigned to the dorm for two years, said that it might create a dangerous situation if the rumor were true. "I don't think anybody in a responsible position at the University would put a whole team on one floor," she said. Rogers said that the source of the myth may be the fact that unlike other sections of the Quad, Butcher/Speakman has almost all doubles, and "coaches like to have athletes room together." Rogers added that as a result, Butcher/Speakman might have gotten more athletes than other areas years ago, but that this is not the case this year. Residential Living "tries to apportion them equally," she said. · Ever notice that it takes forever for the elevators to leave the first floor of Van Pelt Library? Well, you're not the only one. Since the elevators often linger on the main floor even after students have pressed buttons, many have surmised that the elevators only move after a certain number of people have gotten on. Charles Jenkins, the manager for operational services at Van Pelt, said that he has seen students "jumping up and down" hoping to start the elevators. Jenkins said that the traveling patterns of the elevators are not based on weight, but on a timing device to which they are hooked up. He said that the first elevator must always leave ahead of the second one, and that theoretically, both elevators are not allowed to travel side by side, but "the elevators are old and not up to par." Jenkins added that due to the timing device, the doors of elevators on the main floor often close as a student is running toward them, and that students should not take it personally. · Most of the older legends on campus concern University buildings such as Irvine Auditorium. As legend has it, City Treasurer William Irvine donated a sum of money for the auditorium to be built with the stipulation that his son, who flunked out of the School of Fine Arts, design it. This myth was discussed in Daily Pennsylvanian articles in 1950 and 1973 and was said to have originated around 1932. According to files in the University Archives, the true story is that Treasurer Irvine was simply interested in the University and left money for the "erection, construction, and equipment of an auditorium where all University exercises may be held" when he died in 1914. He also left money to his sister Mary Irvine, who died in 1919 and forwarded her share to the University Trustees as well. The co-executor of William Irvine's will was John Bell, who was a University Trustee and later the governor of Pennsylvania. According to the 1950 article, Bell selected architect Horace Trumbauer, "one of the best architects in Philadelphia" and a Drexel graduate, to draw up the plans. He was reportedly assisted by his chief designer, University graduate Julian Abele. Obviously, neither Irvine nor any of his relatives designed Irvine Auditorium, but the rumor may have started due to questions about who actually drew up the plans. Correspondence between former University Archives Director Francis Dallett and a member of the late Trumbauer's firm suggested that the person who drew up the final plans was not chief designer Julian Abele but another man in the firm. An investigation into who drew up the final plans was inconclusive, but the designer of the building was certainly not one of the Irvines. · The myth that Vance Hall was accidentally built backwards, and that all of the windows were supposed to face Spruce Street and receive southern exposure to sunlight, has no factual basis either, according to the Hall's file in the University Archives. And the myth that the three High Rises, which were constructed around 1970, were built as "temporary structures" is one of the most common architectural myths. Jeff Rusling, the assistant director of work control for Residential Maintenance, said that all of his co-workers had heard the myth and that he had heard it himself while he was an Engineering student at the University in the late 70s. He said that he recalled one of his Engineering professors saying that the buildings had "one type of support [horizontal or vertical] but not the other." Director of West Campus Residences Nancy McCue said that the myth was untrue and that she was not sure where it had originated. She said that she vaguely remembered hearing that the rooms were designed so that they could be "changed over time." · One final myth that has been heard around campus from time to time is that alumna Candice Bergen, who currently stars in the CBS's Emmy-winning Murphy Brown, lost her virginity in a room in the Quadrangle. Calls to the show's publicity department were not returned this week. Some things will have to remain a mystery.
(02/06/91 10:00am)
The battle for new 29-cent stamps has left some people feeling licked. Since the U.S. Postal Service raised its rates on Sunday, students, faculty and staff have found the lines long and winding as they try to secure two new issues -- the 29-cent stamps for first-class letters and 4-cent stamps which supplement the retired 25-cent denomination. Besides the long lines, stamp seekers had to deal with post offices running out of the 4-cent stamp, and had difficulty finding the new issues at stamp machines in local stores. She said that she had already waited 25 minutes to buy stamps, and estimated that she would be in line for another 15 more minutes before reaching the counter. There were 15 customers in line ahead of her. Caruso said that she would have bought the stamps in advance, but realized only Monday that she could have avoided the crush of customers because the stamps have been available for several weeks. Caruso added that she would have used the machine that dispenses books of stamps, but she did not have the $5.80 exact change that was required. But that point was moot anyway. The machine ran out of stamp books at about 2:55 p.m. One of the two regular Houston Hall postal clerks, who would only give his name as George, said that his branch ran out of 4-cent stamps at 10:45 a.m. Monday, and that supplies were quickly running low again yesterday morning. George said that most of the customers were waiting to buy the new stamps and to mail packages, adding that the average wait was about 35 minutes. Lines yesterday ran up to 30 people at various times. Wharton freshman Tammy Khieu said Monday that she had gone to the post office at 40th and Locust streets Saturday to avoid the long line -- to no avail. But she said that despite the line winding outside the door, she only waited ten to fifteen minutes for the stamps because three clerks were waiting on postal customers. She added that one of her friends, who "was lazy and didn't want to wait" Monday, bought five of the stamps from Khieu at cost. Alneal Brown, a clerk at the 40th Street office, said that the lines were "out the door" for most of yesterday, but that the small office can not hold many people anyway. She said that the continuous crowd was "more than likely" due to the increase in postage prices. Brown added that while the post office did not run out of either the four-cent or 29-cent stamps, they were running low on the new issues for a while.
(11/19/90 10:00am)
As he sat in the packed theater Friday night for the premiere of Rocky V, College sophomore Barry Mark had an announcement to make. "I'm carrying a green pillow," he told those sitting around him. "Look for a green pillow." Mark and his friends were among the many students who packed the Eric 3 on Campus theater this weekend to find out if the hours they had spent performing as extras in the new film had paid off. For his part as a ringside fan during the title fight scene, Mark carried a pillow which had a slogan supporting Rocky's protege, Tommy Gunn. When the scene was filmed in the Civic Center last February, students lined up to get tickets to be extras and get close to the filming crew. During filming, which was completed February 8, students were told to cheer Tommy Gunn when he was fighting, and then to boo him when he denied Rocky credit for his win. The scene took a day to shoot, but lasted only about three minutes in the movie. Students had little chance to find themselves in the crowd. Mark thought he might have caught a glimpse of himself Friday night, but said he would check on his VCR at home when the videotape comes out. He said even though he is not sure he is in the movie, he does not regret attending the filming. "I'm content with my unfamous life," he said. Other parts of the movie, in which Rocky and his family come back to South Philadelphia, were filmed in the city. The film showed familiar scenes, such as Center City buildings and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which elicited cheers from Friday night's audience. Wharton sophomore Steven Foecking, who camped out overnight last year at the Civic Center, emerged with front row seats to the filming the next morning. But Foecking, who could not find himself in the short crowd scenes, said that "having done it once" he would probably not attend another filming. He said he learned a lot about cinematography, but probably should not have put "so much effort into it." Foecking said he had told a few people to look for him. "I've been trying to remember which sign I was under," he said. College sophomores Kristin Bencik and Bridget Grimes, who got tickets for the filming last year, said that even though they didn't see their friends in the movie when they went this weekend, they enjoyed going to the premiere because of the "atmospehere" created by the audience. Bencik and Grimes estimated that over three quarters of the audience on Friday night were University students. "It was really cool to see everyone get into the movie," said Bencik. "The audience made the movie."
(11/01/90 10:00am)
For the last three days, Nursing junior Diane Machens has borne the mark of an outsider. In the meantime, Machens was given a yellow "Guest Pass" so that she could enter residences and eat at Dining Service. Penncard Coordinator Lucilla Maurer said Machens is one of many University students who have had to carry yellow guest passes or slips of paper identifying them as University students since Monday, when materials for the Penncards ran out. New materials arrived yesterday morning. Maurer said the run on new Penncards was partially caused by new card readers that could not read many students' cards. She said that supplies were reordered in August, but that the company did not send them on time. She added that the problem had never occurred before, and that it "shouldn't have happened this time." Students said last night that the substitute Penncards were almost as good as the real thing, although they caused a few problems. Wharton freshman Dev Chodry said that he lost his pass and was given a slip of paper to show to Dining Service officials when he wanted to eat meals. But, he said, he had to sign in almost every time he wanted to enter a residences. Chodry got a new Penncard yesterday. Nursing junior Machens said her substitute card worked fine, and went through the dining card reader properly. "That's what I was worried about, that I wouldn't get my lunches," she said. Machens added that there was one advantage to the pass shortage. When she paid the $10 fee for a new Penncard, they took her picture for the guest pass, and will take a new picture when she goes back for the Penncard. "It was a really bad picture, and I'm glad I'm getting a new one," Machens said.
(10/26/90 9:00am)
The new $28 million Walnut Street Bridge opened yesterday morning allowing Center City motorists to enter the University area directly for the first time since 1988, but drivers and government officials faced another obstacle. Twenty bicyclists were lying across the road. They were protesting the opening of the bridge, saying the new structure did not provide sufficient space for cyclists. But after the protest cleared, a train of honking cars initiated the 2400-foot bridge, the first few of the 20,000 cars that are expected to use the bridge daily. The bridge starts at 24th street, spans the Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill Expressway, and brings passengers to 32nd street. Before cutting the ribbon, city officials delivered several speeches about how the bridge will cut congestion in Center City. Motorists have been detoured around the bridge to Market Street since February 1988, when the 94-year-old steel structure was closed. As more cars began to use the bridge during the day, students noticed the sudden increase in traffic at the University end of the bridge. Philadelphia resident Marta Pelczarski, poised in front of the ribbon in her white Plymouth Reliant, said that she had been waiting a half hour in order to have the honor of being the first person to drive a car across the bridge in over two years. Pelczarski said that in her daily drives into a Center City dance school she had had to go out of her way over South Street or Market Street bridge. But not all were happy about the bridge. Engineering freshman Mic Notshulwana, who was crossing Walnut Street at 33rd street to head for his 11 a.m. class, said that he had noticed more cars in the area. Notshulwana said that since his Hill House room faces Walnut Street, he will be affected by "a lot more noise." "That will mean closing the windows all the time," Notshulwala said. And 20 protesting bicyclists said they felt the bridge's shoulders, where bicyclists ride, were not wide enough along the length of the bridge. The protesters lay on their backs across the road, eyes closed, bicycles beside them. Police and government officials were quickly able to persuade the protesters to get up, but organizers said that the group had not intended a long protest. Third-year mathematics graduate student Jeffrey Abrahamson said the Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley, of which he is president, has sent letters to PennDOT recommending the widening of the bridge's shoulders. Abrahamson said that cars would not be able to pass bicycles safely and would "force bikes off the roadway." He added that bicycles could use the sidewalks, but that this is more dangerous because turning cars do not notice bicycles coming off the sidewalks to cross intersections. As the bicyclers got up to leave, University graduate Noel Weyrich, a Coalition member who lives in Center City, thanked everyone for attending the "dedication of a deathtrap." Lester later called the protest "unfortunate" and said that bicyclers should rally for bike lanes on all roads instead of concentrating on that particular stretch of Walnut Street.
(10/02/90 9:00am)
During his last semester at the University, 1990 College graduate Todd Hickey drove to Swarthmore College every Thursday to get the credits he needed to complete his Classics major. Hickey and his roommate David Louder, who also graduated in May, made the half-hour drive to Swarthmore to take a two-credit advanced Greek tragedy seminar that Hickey's major advisor had recommended. They were among the four or five University students who each year take advantage of a little-known four-college consortium between the University and Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore colleges. The agreement allows students to take classes at any of the four schools, either living there for a semester and taking a full load of courses or traveling there one or two times a week for a single class. The program makes it easier for students at all four of the schools to get credit for the courses they take at the others. It gives University students a chance to fill gaps in their majors, experiment with courses not offered here, or simply get a taste of the small-school, suburban atmosphere that the urban University cannot offer. Few students seem to know about the program, and for those who do, traveling half an hour to take a course in the suburbs is too time-consuming to be worth the effort. But those who have used the program praised it, and said they had no regrets. · The most common reason for students here to take a class at one of the three suburban schools is that one of the colleges offers a class not available at the University, said Guna Mundheim, an assistant dean for College advising. For instance, she said, art history students here might want to take courses in Bryn Mawr's department, which is especially strong, and English majors might want to investigate Swarthmore's varied offerings. Hickey, who took the Greek tragedy course, said that he did not notice many differences between his class at Swarthmore and his classes here. But he acknowledged that Greek and Latin classes "are not too big anywhere." He said that he enjoyed the experience and recommended that students take a class at one of the consortium schools if they are unable to find it offered at the University. But if it is offered here, he said, students should "stay for the convenience factor." Louder, who is now taking graduate courses at George Washington University in Washington, D.C, also said that he enjoyed the course. He added that he admired the intensity of Swarthmore's classical studies honors program. Rather than having exams at the end of each classical studies course, majors took a cumulative exam at the end of the four years there, he said. Flora Cornfield, another assistant dean for advising, said that it is easy for students to arrange to take courses at Bryn Mawr, Haverford or Swarthmore. "There's no credit hassle," Cornfield said. "It's treated in the same way as study abroad." She said that students must make sure there is room in the class they want to take, and that they must fill out a few forms. "There's always a little bit of bureaucracy in these things . . . but it's not a major deal," Cornfield said. Using a course from another school to meet a general requirement or a major requirement is a little tricky, since it is up to the University department to approve it. "Some departments are not wild about the idea, but they're few and far between," Cornfield said. Students who take a class at the other colleges, all located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, must provide their own transportation. Haverford and Bryn Mawr are about 25 minutes away by car, Swarthmore is about 35 minutes away. All three are accessible by commuter train, and Cornfield said that in the past students have done their homework during the ride. Those who stay at the suburban schools for a semester must arrange housing and meals themselves, although they pay tuition to the University. · Not all students who participate in the exchange are not searching for a course not offered here. Some want to experience smaller classes in a more rural environment. Jordan Rosenfeld, a 1990 graduate, said that he enrolled in an art history course in Bryn Mawr last year in order to recreate the small-campus experience that he had before he transferred to the University from Vassar College during his sophomore year. But the 25-minute car ride to Bryn Mawr proved too long for Rosenfeld, who dropped the course after attending a few classes because it took too much time from his schedule. And others go to observe the difference in student attitudes at the smaller schools. "It's what education should be, especially in a school so concerned about diversity," said College freshman Jennifer Parish, who took a Bryn Mawr course on the French Revolution before she came to the University. Parish said taking the Bryn Mawr class, for which she received credit here, helped her decide against attending a single-sex college. A co-ed school allows people to have "more perspective" on issues, she said. And she added that she found Bryn Mawr students to be "a bit more snobby about where they went to school than Penn students are." Cornfield said that she is unsure of the history of the consortium, and suggested that the four schools were included because of original Quaker ties. Any student who is interested in taking courses at other schools should make an appointment with a College advisor.
(09/10/90 9:00am)
Goooooood morning, English House! Most of the residents of the Kings Court/English House dormitories may not need alarm clocks to wake up for their early classes during the next few weeks. At 7:30 every morning since before students arrived on campus, the Metropolitan District Council of Carpenters, which is picketing in front of the Sheraton University City Hotel, has blasted a tape-recorded message which awakens most of the dormitories' 350 students. Joseph Barrett, a representative for the council, said the carpenters are protesting the Sheraton's hiring of a Texas-based corporation to renovate its rooms, rather than offering the contract to local carpenters. The message is broadcast from two megaphones that are wired to equipment inside a car parked outside the dormitory or behind the hotel. Last week the message asked people not to patronize the Sheraton. This week it explains the reasons for the protest. Residents of the dormitory, located at 36th and Chestnut streets, said that they have asked protesters to turn off the recordings. "Protesting is fine, but it needs to start a little later," said first-floor Kings Court resident Brian Gault, a College sophomore. "I'll probably just get used to it." Indeed, Barrett said students may have plenty of time to adjust to the early wake-up. "[The protest] could continue forever," Barrett said. University Police Sergeant Ivan Kimble said that if University Police receive enough complaints about the noise, officers would probably call in a civil affairs unit to talk to all parties involved. "It's against the law to make loud noise in any situation," Kimble said. "I'm sure they have a reason for what they're doing," said College sophomore Joshua Himes, a third floor Kings Court resident. "Still, it was before I was planning to get up."
(04/18/90 9:00am)
University admissions officers love to talk about the "Cookie Queen." Although the option to create something interesting with an eight-and-a-half by 11-inch piece of paper has been removed from the University's application this year, admissions officers said this week that they can easily recall several unusual applications to the Class of 1994. And one of the most memorable, according to Christoph Guttentag, director of staff for undergraduate admissions, was the early application of the the girl who admissions officers called the "Cookie Queen" -- Virginia high school senior Elizabeth Brinton, who appeared in several national magazines including People when she was 14 years old after selling the most boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the nation -- over 16,000 in one month. With her application, Brinton sent a portfolio of articles written about her, some showing her with former President Ronald Reagan, to whom she said she had sold boxes of cookies. She also said she sold cookies to then-Vice President George Bush. The fact that Brinton sold cookies to these customers showed that she had a knack for "persistence," Guttentag said, but that type of feat alone does not qualify such "compelling candidates" for admission. "No matter how special these people are, there's absolutely no question that they are completely qualified to do the work," Guttentag said of the accepted applicants. Another memorable application came from former tennis star Kathleen Horvath, who beat Martina Navratilova in the 1983 French Open. Horvath recently ended her career, during which she had earned over half a million dollars, to attend college. The 24-year-old Floridian applied to the University early decision and was accepted, but not on her tennis merit alone. According to a November 1989 article in the St. Petersburg Times Horvath had numerous academic accomplishments including achieving a score of 1300 on her Scholastic Aptitude Test the first time she took it. "I'd had enough," Horvath said yesterday of her tennis career. "I'd always wanted to go [to college] sooner or later." "I figured, well, I'll go to Stanford or Harvard, and then I realized I wanted to be on the East Coast, but [when I visited] I couldn't stand the attitude at Yale and Harvard," Horvath said. Horvath, who said she is interested in going to medical school, said she found the people at the University very "friendly" and "enthusiastic," while at Harvard's information session, "this guy was just sitting there going, 'well, I had a great time a Harvard'. He had no personality." Horvath said that though she wants to be involved with tennis at the University, NCAA rules forbid her from playing on the team because she was a professional. Another athlete, a Latin American triathalon champion from Brazil who received all 'A's except one in the last three years of high school, was also admitted, but said she is uncertain about whether she will attend. And there were many more applications from unusual or outstanding students. One came from the county champion capon raiser in a rural Pennsylvania county. Other "special" candidates, according to Guttentag, included the leading male rider of the National Equestrial Team for the United Arab Emirates; a student who started his own ecology club in school, began a recycling program, and ended up having his program used as the plan for the entire state of Tennessee; a Californian who is ranked third in the nation for fencing in the under-20 category; and a student who has been building houses for the poor with the Habitat for Humanity organization. Notably absent from Guttentag's pile of memorable applications were students from famous families. Although Guttentag said that some may attend, "in the end, we evaluate them on their own accomplishments rather than the accomplishments of someone they are related to." He did admit, however, that applicants with famous names might at first "get a closer look." Guttentag said that the admissions office holds programs all over the country for prospective applicants and matriculants. Two will be held in Illinois today, he said, and two were held in Florida over the weekend. "Sometimes we find them, sometimes they find us," Guttentag said. Though students sometimes in their applications are "afraid of coming on too strong" and appear to brag, Guttentag said, the admissions office advises against not revealing a good deed. "It's one thing to not sound conceited, but it's something very different to not share an accomplishment," Guttentag said.
(04/17/90 9:00am)
Ten years ago, Sally Hammerman's friends convinced her to take a pattern-making class at the Arts League, a small school two blocks from the University that offers courses in everything from pottery and jazz dance to tarot-card reading. The hobby soon became an occupation for Hammerman, who now works as a fashion designer and comes back to the school to teach her craft. But many who take her class at the Arts League do not intend to make a career out of dressmaking, she said. Most are just interested in making their own clothes. "Some clothes in stores cost thousands of dollars," she said. "If you make them yourself, you get exactly what you want and what fits you." For some of the 450 to 500 students who take classes there each term, the ceramics workshops, dance studios and darkrooms of the Arts League provide an outlet for hidden creative urges. For others, they are a springboard for a leap into a new career. Like the dresses that students make in Hammerman's classes, the building at 4226 Spruce Street that clothes the Arts League fits it well. Except for the signs in the windows, the Arts League looks just like the other old houses in the tree-lined block of Spruce Street. But inside, the wooden floors creak, and even the bathrooms look antique. Each stairway is narrower than the last, but the rooms on the fourth floor are as large as those on the second. The building is unique, very much like the school that occupies it. Gifts for Your Friends First-year University Medical School student Cindy Weinbaum, who takes pottery classes on Tuesday nights, is one of those students who uses the Arts League classes as a creative outlet. "It was very different from medical school," she said. "What I really like best is the opportunity to be creative." Weinbaum said that in addition to attending her course, she goes to the school on her own three times a week. She said that the course fee, about $100, includes paints, glazes, studio hours and 25 pounds of clay. "The great thing about pottery is that you end up with gifts for all your friends," Weinbaum said. Many of the Arts League teachers are professional artists who teach at the school in addition to their regular work in studios and darkrooms. Instructor Jennifer Hook, who got her graduate degree in painting from the University in 1989, said that she first became involved with the school during a fund-raising activity. Hook, an illustrator for the University Museum, said she helped a friend who worked in the ceramics department make commemorative mugs to raise money so that the Arts League would not have to sell its building. She said she decided soon after to teach a course at the school. "I wasn't thinking about teaching, I was just having some fun," she said of her original involvement with the Arts League. The school's teachers said they enjoy their classes immensely. Fran Scott, a full-time studio artist who started teaching pottery classes 20 years ago, said that the Arts League was "part of [her] neighborhood." Medical School student Weinbaum, who is one of Scott's students, described her teacher as "this hysterical woman who loves anything anybody makes." Commercial photographer John Mahoney manages the Arts League darkroom and teaches photography classes at the school. "Once people have the basic equipment, which is a camera, they can get started," he said. And University physics graduate student Kelly Ray, who serves on the Arts League's education board, shares his love of dance with students in his two swing dancing classes. Ray said he became involved with the school several years ago when he convinced a female friend who did not know how to dance to sign up for a class in ballroom dancing, which he took with her. When the class' teacher discovered that Ray "knew as much if not more than she did," she suggested that he teach a class. And when she left a year later, the school asked Ray to join the staff. Ray has taught courses in dancing to disco and rock music, and currently teaches ballroom and swing dancing, in which he said there is a "revival of interest." Ray helped organize the upcoming May Fair at Clark Park and an upcoming church auction, which will be held April 28. 'Publicity Saved It' The Arts League's status has not always been as stable as the old building in which it is housed. In January, the Arts League had to push its fundraising efforts beyond the usual pottery sales and donation solicitation, raising $20,000 in two months. According to Arts League President Tom Hutchinson, the school "came close to closing down, but the publicity saved it." Students and instructors said they believe that the Arts League is well worth the money that supports it, because it is a valuable asset to the community. "There is very much a need to accumulate and have available the various resources." Hammerman said, adding that people who have an interest in the arts "need to be in contact with each other." And dance instructor Ray said that the Arts League "provides a nice place for people in the community to get together and do things right in the community." Past Life Workshop In addition to the traditional creative arts, the Arts League will also sponsor several upcoming workshops. Among them are a "past life workshop" on April 22 in which students will "get the opportunity to explore three past lifetimes through the process of group regression" and examine "past hurts that block you from living to your full potential." A May 20 "crystals and colors" workshop will help students "create a mandala based on the crystals and colors which best attract and represent you."
