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(01/22/93 10:00am)
Scott Calvert could be George Bush's grandson. With his clean-cut good looks and preppy clothes, incoming Managing Editor Calvert is almost the poster child for family values. "He's basically perfect," said incoming Assistant Managing Editor Stephanie Desmon, his girlfriend of 10 months. The College junior not only looks like the All-American boy, but friends and family say he is intelligent, hard-working, motivated and determined -- traits which earned him The Daily Pennsylvanian's top news post. Calvert's apple pie image started in childhood, according to his mom, Carol Calvert. He dreamed of someday playing for his hometown team -- the Baltimore Orioles -- and pursued that goal from Little League through high school. He switched to journalism in high school and has been at it ever since. As the editor-in-chief of his high school paper, he ran the paper into debt and then ignored the principal when he told Calvert not run an expensive color photo in the final issue. "We were already pretty far into debt," Calvert said. "I figured it wouldn't do much more damage." While finance may not be his forte, Calvert was a bookworm from an early age. He was not into teddy bears during childhood, so instead he would fall asleep with a stack of books nestled under his arm, his mom said. Calvert's now given up the books for a teddy bear named "Desi" after his fellow board member. Is Calvert really as simple as a mother's dream-come-true? Is there a wild side? "Oh, without question," Calvert said. "Perhaps I should defer," he said coyly as he turned to his officemate and girlfriend to supply the details of his wild life. Desmon remained mute. But Calvert's freshman roommate Kenney Oh is more than happy to fill in some of the gory details. On a trip to Bryn Mawr during his sophomore year, Oh says Calvert got so drunk, he soiled himself and had to be walked to a shower in one of the all-women's dorms to clean himself up. However, in his inebriated state, Calvert forgot that he was in a women's bathroom and stepped out of the shower to get some soap in front of a shocked female student. Calvert's mother says his exhibitionism started when he was two or three years old and would slip out of her grasp during bathtime and saunter down the street in his birthday suit, much to the amusement of neighbors. Mom said this was not the only way in which Calvert was a -- well . . . let's say challenging toddler. He also talked constantly and asked his mom questions about everything. But around those who don't know him well, the History major seems quiet and shy. As a child, his shyness around strangers was so extreme that he would kick his mother when old ladies pinched his cheeks and say 'Oh, what a cute baby' in the grocery store. "He wanted me to make them stop," Carol Calvert said. "Scott just couldn't handle that sort of attention." Still, Mom says, he's an outstanding leader -- he just prefers to stay out of the limelight. Calvert has also pushed aside his shyness to distinguish himself as an outstanding reporter and writer -- toiling into the wee hours of the morning to perfect his stories. He tackled some of the biggest stories in his tenure at the DP including the downfall of Penn News newspaper delivery service in his first semester as a beat reporter and more recently the Mayor's Scholarship case. He will use these skills during the next year to motivate and train reporters, oversee fellow editors and make sure the paper goes to bed by 3:30 a.m. each morning.
(02/27/92 10:00am)
JIO found student guilty of 1991 rape A Zeta Beta Tau brother was expelled last semester after the University judicial system found him guilty of raping a woman at a January 1991 party in the house, sources said yesterday. But the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office declined last June to press charges against the man. According to several sources, the woman, a Harvard University student, was visiting her sister who attends the University when she was allegedly raped on January 26, 1991. The woman made a report to Harvard Police on March 19, almost two months after the incident. University Police and Philadelphia Police Sex Crimes division were informed on March 29. University officials said the ZBT brother was a sophomore at the time of the incident. Assistant District Attorney Dianne Granlund, who heads the city's rape prosecution unit, said because the case was never taken to court, there is no court file and the name of the student cannot be released. The University judicial system does not release the names of alleged assailants, citing the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act which is designed to protect students' academic records. Harvard University Police Chief Paul Johnson said last year the victim reported the incident to Harvard Police, who then reported it to University Police. Johnson also said the woman had taken a leave of absence from Harvard at the time. Former Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman, who investigated the incident, declined to comment last night on the specifics of the case. "I will not comment on the painful specifics of this significant case, but I will say that the type of conduct to which you have referred will not be tolerated by this University," Goodman said. "Any member of the University community who is duly proven to be involved in such behavior will be rightly ousted." And ZBT President Matthew Feinsod also declined last night to comment on the case. "Whatever happened, if anything, was handled by the judicial committee of the University and is confidential," he said. "And it would be inappropriate for me to comment." One University official, who asked not to be named, called the expulsion "a major win" for women at the University. And another source, who has been in contact with the victim, said yesterday the woman is pleased with the sanction. While several victim support officials declined to comment on this specific case, they said that the University has made strides in handling rape reports. Penn Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi said she feels the University judicial system has dealt appropriately with most cases. "In a number of cases the system is responding pretty well," DiLapi said, adding that the system is not completely effective because women are "afraid to report because of the social power that fraternities have and [because of fear of] real retaliation." "It is a pattern that people are afraid to come forward," DiLapi said. DiLapi emphasized that the University's system looks particularly good in comparason to peer institutions nationwide. "As much work as our system needs, we are the good news," DiLapi said. Director of Victim Support Services Ruth Wells also said that sanctions for students who are found guilty of rape through the University judicial system are fair. "The University, with the information that it has about all of the cases that are referred either to the [Vice Provost for University Life's] office or the JIO, does take appropriate action," Wells said. Wells, who has been at the University for 15 years, said she is aware of several cases in which students were expelled or left the school voluntarily following a charge of rape by the judicial system. Since her arrival at the University in 1985, DiLapi said she is aware of only one student expulsion because of a charge of rape. ZBT had been on probation since the fall of 1989 as a result of a 1988 incident in which brothers hired two strippers for a rush event. During the strip show, several spectators performed sexual acts upon the women with cucumbers and ketchup. The incident led to an 18-month suspension of the fraternity. While the fraternity was not found collectively responsible, former JIO Goodman, said last spring that if the fraternity had been found responsible as a group it could have affected the probation. Staff writer Jeremy Brosowsky contributed to this story.
(12/06/91 10:00am)
Administrators involved with the University's international programs find themselves at a crossroads. The choice they are facing is whether to maintain their middle of the pack position or to begin the huge undertaking of becoming a leader in the internationalization of higher education. Even though breaking into the top ranks of foreign programs would take a significant push, the University won't have as far to move as most. Foreign language proficiency, which is required of most undergraduates, is a well-established program. And the University also attracts large numbers of international students to study and has been successful in inviting visiting faculty to share special skills. But other areas, administrators concede, need improvement. Many of these areas have been targeted for improvement during the last several years. One of the weak spots is the traditional study abroad program. Only 22 percent of undergraduates take advantage of opportunities for overseas studies. While this is higher than many schools, peer institutions like Dartmouth College and Stanford University have over twice as many students who study abroad. One major recent development to combat this low participation is the creation of new programs which appeal to specific groups of students or allow students to finish requirements for their degrees abroad. Many of these additions are to non-humanities programs. Students in technical or professionally-oriented programs have in the past not been likely to study abroad because of time-consuming requirements. Two notable examples are French programs in Lyon and Compiegne. In Lyon, Wharton students can take courses in international marketing which apply to their degree. Likewise, in Compiegne, Engineering students can study at one of France's top technological institutions. The new programs will likely be used as models for similar programs in other locations, officials said. Office of International Programs Director Joyce Randolph said by setting up programs specifically for the University, the faculty and the administration will have more control over the quality of the program. More difficult to solve is how to change culture so that international travel and undergraduate education seem compatible. "Eventually, it wouldn't be a paradox for a student to think, 'The semester I spent at school Y in country X was my best semester at Penn,' " Nichols predicted. Some students find it difficult to leave the University for a year or even a semester after they have friends and activities here. "One of the things we do hear from students is student life is so rich at Penn and you bond so closely with your peers that it is a hard decision to go abroad," Randolph said. But officials say that the University's recent moves have been steps in the right direction. Inclusion of a report on International Dimensions in the Five Year Plan, released in 1989, demonstrated the growing priority placed on expanding horizons beyond the borders of the U.S. The provost and the School of Arts and Sciences dean both have committees which are exploring various aspects of international programs. Introduction of SCOLA, a cable television channel which has foreign language programming, also is an opportunity for students to learn more about cultures they may not be able to visit, officials say. The choices for international programming are beginning to be made, and administrators say new programs will continue to be created, allowing students to learn about an increasingly international world.
(12/05/91 10:00am)
Emotional protests and heated debate have met the publication of an ad in several college newspapers which calls for debate of the historical validity of the Holocaust. The Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust has sent the text-filled ad to more than a dozen college newspapers around the country. The ad says that Nazi Germany never had a formal policy of systematically exterminating Jews during World War II. The ad has been published by newspapers, including The Cornell Daily Sun, The Chronicle at Duke University and The Michigan Daily. Other papers, including The Brown Daily Herald, The Harvard Crimson and The Yale Daily News have not run the ad. At least one college newspaper has still not decided if it will run the ad yet. The University of Texas Student Publications' Board of Trustees, which makes policy decisions for The Daily Texan, decided last week to run the ad, but is now reconsidering the decision. Editor Matthew Connally said the board -- which is comprised of two professional journalists, three at-large students, three students from the School of Communication and three professors -- is reviewing the advertising policy to make it address material such as the Holocaust ad. The ad is not being run now because of the Jewish holiday of Hannukah, Connally said. He added that there was dispute among the members of the board, saying some members felt the current policy very clearly prohibits ads such as this one, but others thought it clearly allows offensive advertisements that are editorial, not commercial, in nature. The policy's first paragraph prohibits racist, sexist or otherwise discriminatory advertising, but the final paragraph makes a distinction between editorial advertising and commercial advertising. Connally predicted that the ad will never run, because a revised policy may include a clause which prohibits editorial advertising which is untrue or discriminatory. The issue is being considered as a policy issue rather than as a moral or ethical issue because the newspaper could receive similar advertising in the future. "Revisionism is becoming more of an issue," Connally said. "Offensiveness was not a good enough reason [not to run ads]." The Chronicle at Duke University ran the ad on November 5, after two weeks of discussions between the student advertising manager, general manager, professional advertising manager, managing editor and the editor-in-chief. Only the managing editor and the professional advertising manager voted not to run the ad. Editor-in-Chief Ann Heimberger said yesterday that response to the ad was immediate. The day after it ran, the newspaper received 24 letters in response. The first night after the ad ran, Heimberger said, a group of 15 Jewish students came to the newspaper office and asked for an apology and an explanation. The staff members explained the reason for the decision, saying that it is important to educate people about the Holocaust and a university environment is the perfect place to do so. Heimberger said no apology was forthcoming. "The best way to deal with a lie is to expose it and scrutinize it publicly," Heimberger said. "If a college campus is not the right environment to discuss it in, I don't know what is." On the Sunday following publication of the ad, 350 students protested, condemning both The Chronicle and the ad. Heimberger said some protesters also called for the resignation of editors and managers involved in the decision. The newspaper also ran an additional two opinion pages filled with letters and columns commenting on the ad and the newspaper's decision.
(12/05/91 10:00am)
After over two years of debate, President Sheldon Hackney has adopted new Guidelines on Open Expression which took effect Tuesday. The newly-adopted policy does not differ substantially from the most recent version of the guidelines. Assistant to the President Stephen Steinberg said the only changes made were technical, such as correcting titles. University Council endorsed the revisions to the guidelines at its meeting last month. In the two year development of the new code, one of the most discussed changes was a clause stating that, when two University policies conflict, the Open Expression Guidelines always take precedence. Although cases which seem to challenge parts of the University's policy continue to be brought to courts across the country, Steinberg said it is unlikely any current case will affect the new policy. "It is all the same issue," Steinberg said. "It is the issue of where you draw the line. Two years ago we were addressing the issue of where to draw the line. Until I see the decisions, I couldn't say for sure. Something new would have to come up to force us to look at it again." The University, because it is a private institution, would not be bound by any court decision about the legality of similar guidelines. Robert Davies, the chairperson of the Committee on Open Expression, said the guidelines were instituted in 1969 after student protests against recruitment on campus by Dow Chemical. Some students were upset with Dow, a company which was producing Napalm being used in the Vietnam War, and Davies said the students were prosecuted under University rules, but some felt a more coherent set of guidelines was needed.
(12/05/91 10:00am)
When study abroad advisors talk about the best in their field, two names appear over and over again -- Stanford University and Dartmouth College. Between 65 and 70 percent of Dartmouth students study abroad, while 55 percent of Stanford undergraduates participate in overseas programs. Many of the programs available at these institutions are similar to those at the University, but officials said the culture of Stanford and Dartmouth encourage international study. Officials at the two schools emphasize that their institutions have made it a priority to encourage study abroad programs. Students consider it an assumption, not an exception, that their classmates study elsewhere. The quarter system, which both Stanford and Dartmouth use, makes travel abroad easier for students with many other obligations. Dartmouth has four ten-week terms, including the summer quarter, and students are required to spend the summer following their sophomore year on Dartmouth's campus. This unique schedule allows students to spend a term abroad without missing coursework. Assistant Dean of the Faculty Peter Armstrong, who supervises the Off-campus Programs Office at Dartmouth, said yesterday that because each program is sponsored by a Dartmouth department, study abroad is integrated with the curriculum. Most of the programs serve between 12 and 25 students. The programs are not open to non-Dartmouth students Study abroad is a good way to complete Dartmouth's language requirement, Armstrong said. Most students take two terms of a language at Dartmouth and take the third term abroad. He said approximately 100 Dartmouth students each year choose to go on non-Dartmouth programs. The international "culture" at Dartmouth begins even before students are admitted. Promotional material details the extensive program and is a big selling point for students considering several Ivy League schools, Armstrong said. Stanford has a similar history of encouraging travel abroad. When students reach the main phone number for Stanford's study abroad office, the first thing they hear is a voice mail message directing them to press one, two and three for destinations such as Germany, Poland and Japan. Many of Stanford's programs are set up to be mini-Stanford campuses in other locations. Stanford programs in Berlin and Kyoto also have internships tied to the academic program which encourage students to try their language skills. Pat Sekaquaptewa, a student services assistant in Stanford's study abroad office, said the programs are easy to participate in because grades and credit transfer. Students can fulfill distributional requirements in study abroad programs. Faculty members are active in reviewing the existing programs and there is always at least one faculty member in residence at each site, Sekaquaptewa said. The faculty therefore have faith in the quality of classes that the students take abroad and are more supportive, Sekaquaptewa said. The heavy faculty involvement is especially important for more technically-oriented fields like engineering. Faculty members must be certain that students are getting all the material in any class they take abroad, Sekaquaptewa said, or they will not be supportive of the students. Finally, the similarity between the Stanford experience and its study abroad program helps in the transition, making it "not as threatening" to go to another country, Sekaquaptewa said. The one main disadvantage of the mini-Stanford atmosphere created in foreign countries is that students are not as integrated into the foreign universities with which they are affiliated, Sekaquaptewa added.
(12/04/91 10:00am)
Many programs at the University seem to be taking on a more international feel. The University, like other institutions across the nation, is seizing opportunties to increase international programs. In 1989, just as international programs at the University were beginning to expand, a faculty committee stressed the need to increase these programs to give a broader look at the world. And at the University and elsewhere, educators are looking at the position of the United States in the world with concern. "The U.S. may be a leader, but it remains a leader and intellectually strong only to the extent that we are not isolated," French Professor Stephen Nichols said last month. The concern now for Nichols and others is how the University, with diverse programs spanning 12 schools, can coordinate programs for the entire University. Unless the programs are better coordinated, he and others said, some programs will overlap, important areas could be missed and students might not be able to take advantage of what the University already offers. In the last two years, language requirements have been added for undergraduates in the Wharton School and in the Computer Sciences department of the Engineering School. Requirements also exist in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Nursing School. Experts say the language requirements are the first step to establishing a strong international program. The University took language study a step further with the establishment of the Penn Language Center in 1989. According to Michael Lenker, the director of the center, the Center's 35 offerings complement what is already available through departments and provides instruction in some new languages. For example, offerings this semester include Irish Gaelic, Yoruba and Lithuanian. The University also has an extensive program of institutional links -- faculty and student exchange programs -- with 93 universities in 32 countires from Belguim to Zimbabwe. But despite these strengths, many acknowledge that there are still areas where the University lags behind. Mentioned most often is the disparity between the number of University students who travel abroad and the number of international students who come to the University. According to the Five Year Plan report which focuses on international programs, in 1988 522 University students studied abroad while 2654 international students attended the University. The current freshman class contains 10.5 percent international students. The University is in the middle of Ivy League schools in terms of the percentage of each class that studies abroad. Approximately 22 percent of students in each class at the University study abroad compared to a high of 70 percent at Dartmouth College and less than 5 percent of students at Princeton University. Over half of the students who do study abroad travel on programs not sponsored by the University. Though officials say these programs are often valuable, sometimes it is more difficult for students to arrange credit for their courses. The reasons for students choosing non-University program vary widely. Joyce Randolph, the director of the Office of Internatiional Programs, said last month that students may hear praise about a program, may want to travel to a particular country or stay for a particular length of time. "Students may not have had strictly academic motives," added Randolph. To counteract this trend, more programs, many geared specifically towards students in specific programs in the University, have been created.
(11/27/91 10:00am)
Several national organizations may initiate legal challenges to the Pentagon's policy prohibiting homosexuals in the military, specifically in ROTC. The National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges decided earlier this month to serve as a clearing house for donations and grants which may eventually support litigation against the Pentagon's policy. And officials from the American Council on Education also may aid schools in a lawsuit against the policy. Several officials said that if such a lawsuit were successful, the change in policy would likely affect all universities, public and private. The Defense Department policy excludes homosexuals from participating in all aspects of the military, including the Reserve Officers Training Corps. Campus leaders have debated the discrepancy between the University's nondiscrimination policy and the ROTC position at length in recent months. University Council passed a resolution in October calling for the ouster of the two campus units by 1993 if the policy is not changed. NASULC President designate C. Peter Magrath said his organization will support a legal challenge if it does not cost too much and if it might succeed. "Our members have consistently taken the position that opposes the current policy of the D.O.D that excludes people, men and women, who are otherwise qualified because they are homosexual," Magrath said. American Council on Education lawyer Sheldon Steinbach said his organization is speaking to legislators and exploring legal action by individuals who have been affected by the policy. Steinbach said these cautious attempts at change will be more effective than simply having campuses ban ROTC. He said the military is cutting back on the number of units anyway and would probably appreciate, rather than be angry at, the action. President Sheldon Hackney has said he is taking similar actions and is attempting to change the policy through "friendly persuasion" rather than immediate action. The University of Wisconsin at Madison, which has long been active in the ROTC debate, is most often mentioned as a place where litigants to challenge the policy could be found. UW-Madison is a land-grant institution, which, as part of its charter, must offer training in military tactics. Media relations specialist Jeff Iseminger said ROTC is the only viable option because to be desirable, training must result in a commission as an officer upon graduation. Iseminger said ROTC still exists at Wisconsin because the State Board of Regents in spring 1990 voted, against the advice of the university's faculty, to maintain the program. In December 1989, Wisconsin faculty became the first in the country to take a stand against the ROTC policy. UW-Madison Chancellor Donna Schalala has agreed to raise private funds to study the feasibility of litigation but no individual at UW-Madison has come forward with a case.
(11/26/91 10:00am)
President Sheldon Hackney solicited advice and suggestions from local college officials about how to handle the campus debate about ROTC's policy of excluding homosexuals. Nearly all of the institutions answered through correspondence this semester in a cautious and limited manner, neither suggesting the removal or outright retention of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Hackney has said in University Council meetings that he would lobby through various channels for changes in the ROTC policy. Hackney wrote in September to presidents or other officials at the local institutions whose students are cross-enrolled in Naval or Army Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University. In addition, Hackney has received at least one unsolicited letter. U.S. Rep. Peter Kostmayer (D-Pa.) wrote to Hackney last month commending his "willingness to use friendly persuasion" in changing the policy, but advising the University to take action before 1993. Assistant to the President Nicholas Constan said that officials from most of the local colleges and universities took a middle of the road approach. "Nobody said, 'Get rid of [ROTC]. We don't care,' " Constan said. "There was no one who said, 'Keep [ROTC] in spite of everything.' " "Most people could sympathize with the dilemma, but realized some of their students would not be served if there was no ROTC here," Constan added. Many of the officials offered to help change the policy through lobbying members of Congress, but no one said specifically, "Let me get in touch with so-and-so," Constan said. The debate about ROTC's discriminatory policy has been a constant part of recent University Council meetings over the last two semesters. University Council in October approved almost unanimously a recommendation to remove the two campus units in 1993 if the Defense Department policy excluding homosexuals is not changed. Most of the presidents who responded to Hackney's letter said this month that they did not want to make public what they told him. Drexel University President Richard Breslin said that because his campus, which has Naval ROTC, is also in the midst of a similar debate on the issue, he did not offer his personal opinions to Hackney. Breslin said he told Hackney that he felt revealing his personal stance would cloud the discussion on his campus, which borders the University on the east. Drexel's provost recently began discussions with the faculty about how to deal with the discrepancy between their nondiscrimination policy and the ROTC policy. "We have concerns about it," Breslin said. "Obviously we are going to address it." Bryn Mawr College President Pat McPherson said she offered her support and help to Hackney in her September response. McPherson said yesterday that Defense Secretary Dick Cheney has, on several occasions, seemed embarrassed about having to defend the Pentagon's policy, and suggested that he might appreciate actions on the part of colleges and universities. Particularly in the wake of significant participation by women in the Persian Gulf War, McPherson said the traditional arguments used to exclude various groups from the military have lost their validity. But because Bryn Mawr is a small institution founded on Quaker principles, including non-violence, McPherson said the school has never and will never have their own ROTC program. Bryn Mawr students are free to participate in ROTC at other schools, and McPherson said that if the University no longer has a program, students may go elsewhere. Approximately four Bryn Mawr students participate in ROTC programs at the University and other local schools each year, McPherson said. "We do not suggest any course of action to our students," she added. LaSalle University President Brother Patrick Ellis declined to comment. 54 students from LaSalle are cross-enrolled in ROTC at the University. The other schools with students enrolled in programs at the University are Glassboro State University, Rutgers University's Camden campus, Swarthmore College, St. Joseph's University, Temple University, and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. Kostmayer wrote to Hackney after reading about his decision to lobby for change through Congress or through the Pentagon. In his October 21 letter, Kostmayer urges Hackney to "disallow the ROTC from using university facilities for discriminatory purposes" if he does not succeed in changing the policy through lobbying efforts. "For the Department of Defense to countenance this policy is reprehensible, for one of America's great institutions of learning to sustain it is worse," the letter states. Kostmayer's spokesperson Mike Burke said earlier this month that the congressman wrote to Hackney because he has a particular interest in the issue of discrimination against gays and lesbians. "The policy of the military has been unconscionable in his eyes," Burke said. "They should have been thrown off yesterday." Currently, not enough universities have spoken against the policy for it to make a difference, Burke said. He said that while there is a chance that Congress will take up the issue, not enough congressmen feel as strongly as Kostmayer. "There is always a chance, but the policy is not wildly unpopular here," Burke said. Hackney also extended his correspondence to include one letter to Cheney last fall, and another in September 1991, both urging the secretary to reconsider the policy. Defense Department officials said earlier this month that an assistant secretary of defense responded to the letter, but would not reveal the content of the response.
(11/20/91 10:00am)
University Trustees passed a resolution which could give the University leeway to tear down more than one building to build a new science institute, several city preservationists said yesterday. But Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman said the University plans to raze only Smith Hall and an annex to the Morgan and Music buildings, built in the 1960s, to build the Institute of Advanced Science and Technology. The resolution says that the center will require " . . . demolishing at least one building." The University is currently embroiled in a legal battle with preservationists, who have appealed a September Board of Licenses and Inspections decision which gave administrators the go-ahead to demolish Smith Hall. Gray Smith, a member of the Preservation Coalition for Greater Philadelphia, said he believes it is "very likely" the University will tear down or significantly alter the Morgan and Music buildings, which are located across from Smith Hall. "[The University's] track record for preserving historic buildings is poor," Smith said. "It is certainly very likely [that the University will tear down more than Smith Hall] looking at the documents I have seen." "The goals of the institution don't fit into the envelope they have created for themselves," Smith added. Cooperman said the University has "no plans" to tear down the Morgan or Music buildings, though demolishing a recent addition to the two buildings and constructing a new annex is part of the plans. But the Vice Provost left the issue somewhat open, saying the plans may change but "they almost certainly will not." Building the institute on the tennis courts in front of the Palestra, which Smith said is his preferred option, would cut down on the amount of open space on campus, Cooperman said. "We think that a proper mix of open and constructed spaces is desirable," Cooperman said. "The current plans for Smith will maintain that balance." "It would be wonderful if we had many wide open spaces," Cooperman said. "We are constrained as an urban university." The most recent set of plans for the building will likely be released before the end of the semester, Cooperman said. Both Smith and Howard Kittell, another member of the preservation coalition, said that it was their understanding that the University made a committment to the city historic commission not to tear down the Morgan and Music buildings. Smith said he would not be surprised if, sometime in the future, the University broke the informal agreement to preserve the building. "I am not convinced, given some of the weasel words that have come out of the mouths of the University and their consultants," Smith said. Kittell agreed that for the University to tear down the Morgan and Music buildings, administrators would have to break a promise. "[If the University tears down buildings other than Smith Hall] they are reneging on a promise . . . and certainly recasts the argument for why they should build the building on the site of Smith Hall," Kittell said. The legal proceedings which will allow the University to demolish Smith Hall are continuing. General Counsel Shelley Green said the University is waiting for the Board of Licenses and Inspections to certify the record for the court which will hear the appeal. The court should then set a hearing date, but Green said she could not predict when that would be. She added that the University is trying to meet the federal requirements to demolish a historic building.
(11/19/91 10:00am)
Provost Michael Aiken is planning to address student concerns about the new judicial charter, but Aiken said yesterday that he has not decided if a new committee to continue the review of the charter will be set up. Aiken, who is working on the new charter with Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson, was advised by University Council last week to appoint a committee to review the charter further after students complained their views were not represented in the recent revisions. The proposed revisions do not include splitting the Judicial Inquiry Officer's position into two parts, a "prosecutorial" JIO and a "settlement" JIO, as students have asked several times in the past. The judicial charter's revisions were endorsed by University Council, but in approving the changes, Council advised Aiken to examine it further. While Aiken and Morrisson work on student concerns, the provost said he expects each school at the University to begin to go through the steps to approve the charter. When the charter is acepted, Aiken said he does not expect it to apply retroactively. Morrisson said that although she and Aiken have not met formally to discuss this issue, she will be involved in monitoring and following-up the policy once it is implemented. The revised judicial charter states that there should be systematic review at least every five years. "I think it is appropriate to review it sooner," Morrisson said. Morrisson said she is also exploring other ways to address student concerns about the JIO. One option is to set up a student-faculty advisory board which would establish "theoretical sanctions" for various types of violations of the code. This would ensure a basis of community support for the sanctions, Morrisson said. The advisory board should be established by the beginning of next semester, she added. The revisions of the judicial charter were done concurrently with revisions of the code of academic integrity and the guidelines on open expression over the last two years. The three documents were reviewed by an oversight committee for consistency and presented to University Council last week for discussion and action. Each of the three documents that were reviewed are required to be adopted in different ways. The Guidelines on Open Expression must be adopted by President Sheldon Hackney. They are currently being reviewed by the Committee on Open Expression. The Code of Academic Integrity must be voted on by the faculty of each school, while the Judicial Charter can be accepted by the dean of each school in the manner that school has deemed correct.
(11/19/91 10:00am)
President Sheldon Hackney received an honorary degree from the Universite de Technologie de Compiegne in France at their commencement exercises yesterday. The degree was presented to him by a representative of the French Ministry of Education in a 4 p.m. ceremony, said Trudy Kuehner, the president's executive secretary. Hackney was one of two or three people receiving the honor this year, she said. Compiegne has a long-standing student exchange program with the University, involving primarily engineering students. The presentation of the degree is a sign that the French institution wants to strengthen its ties with the University, Kuehner said. The University generally sends a few students to participate in the academic year program, while Compiegne has about a dozen students attending the University each year, Assistant Engineering Dean John Kennan said yesterday. The institution is located about two hours north of Paris and is the historical site where the Germans conceded defeat in World War II, Kuehner said. The president, who journeyed to France alone, left for the U.S on a flight from Boston following the Quakers' football game against Harvard. He will return to Philadelphia tomorrow. Hackney's whirlwind trip will include a tour of the French university's research center and meeting with University alumni who live in France. Hackney has also been awarded honorary degrees by the University of Edinburgh, Hebrew University, Haverford College, and the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science during his tenure as University president.
(11/18/91 10:00am)
The prepaid ad, which was sent to the DP by a California-based revisionist history group called the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust, has been sent to several college newspapers in recent weeks. The ad, which reads as an essay on "The Holocaust Controversy: The Case for Open Debate," is a full-page of text written by Bradley Smith, the director of the organization. "Revisionists deny that the German State had a policy to exterminate the Jewish people (or anyone else) by putting them to death in gas chambers or by killing them through abuse and neglect," the ad reads. The ad also blames the current Political Correctness movement for covering up alternative historical beliefs. The ads states that "Thought Police" are stifling free speech on campus. The ad was sent to newspapers at "the better schools" to spark open debate about the history of the Holocaust, Smith said last night. Historical evidence is not available which proves that the Holocaust happened the way most historians say it did, Smith said. "It cannot be shown with documents that there was a plan [to execute Jews]," Smith said. "In the documents there was no plan there, no executions, no gas chambers, no victim." Smith said he is considering legal action against the newspapers which did not run his ad. He declined to name those papers, though he said it has been published at newspapers at Northwestern University, University of Michigan and Duke University. "It is not good enough for a university newspaper, particularly one financed in any way at all by the government, to deny access to someone for the purpose of debating a historical issue," Smith said. At a number of the schools where the ad was printed, including Michigan, vigilant and angry protests have erupted. The DP Executive Board voted not to run the ad after hours of both formal and informal debate. The two dissenting votes came from Managing Editor Peter Spiegel and Business Manager Mike Gaviser. Gaviser said that he consulted with campus religious leaders and other religious leaders in the Jewish community before making his decision. The ad could serve to raise the awareness of the community and make people know that these opinions exist and they must be dealt with, Gaviser said. "It is best to show the Jewish community and the community at large that these sort of dangerous people exist," Gaviser said. "It is important to not just sweep these people under the rug." "If you don't run the ad, the impact of their power is not felt," Gaviser added. Spiegel said he felt even offensive viewpoints should be heard and that the Executive Board's actions only lend fuel to the fire. "As a newspaper, one of our fundimental obligations is to make sure every viewpoint, even those that are offensive, are heard," Spiegel said. "Covering up their speech only lends credence to their argument. Now the group can legitamtely point to our paper and say, 'Look. There is an organization run by Jews that censored our views,' " The newspaper board has debated several similar issues before, including ads which have been run for several years which discuss a conflict between Armenians and Turks. Gaviser said that these ads -- which debate the question of an Armenian genocide 75 years ago -- were considered carefully and both sides were asked for credible sources of evidence which prove their point of view. He added that he feels the board should reconsider the ads each year. Hillel Director Jeremy Brochin praised the board for making what he called a "courageous" decision. If the ad had run, Brochin predicted that there would have been "a great deal of anger and frustration." He said that at Michigan there was a large protest following publication of the ad. Executive Editor Helen Jung, who voted against running the ad, said last night that the newspaper reserves the right to publish or reject any ad. "I did not feel that this was an issue of free speech," Jung said. "Rather this was an issue of deciding what was in the best interests of the newspaper. Running an ad with factual errors that fostered hate was not." Editorial Page Editor Steve Ochs, who is not a member of the Executive Board, threatened to quit the staff if the ad ran, and said he made the decision partly for religious reasons. "As a Jew, I will not allow myself to be a pallbearer at my own funeral," Ochs wrote in a letter to staff members.
(11/15/91 10:00am)
People across the nation will hold their noses and cross their fingers as Louisiana elects a governor tomorrow. Democrat Edwin Edwards, a former Louisiana governor who has been indicted on fraud charges in the past, and Republican David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, face off in a race which experts say is too close to call. Duke's candidacy has sparked national controversy because of his past political views and anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric and actions. Many professors and students at the University will be among those following the race with great interest. Some live in Louisiana and have friends and family who may be directly affected. Others are watching with scholarly interest. History Professor Robert Engs, an expert in Southern history and the Civil War, said yesterday that the widespread support for Duke is a "frightening" example of continuing racism in the U.S. "I am appalled that a person like Duke with a background like Duke's could gain support from so many people," Engs said. "It is a signal which most Americans should hear that racism is a legitimate concern." But Engs said that Louisiana is in a somewhat unique situation, both economically and politically. "Louisiana politics, from the time it became a state, have been very different from the rest of the country," Engs said. "[The voters there] can't be intimidated or influenced by the rest of the country." "[Louisiana] is a depressed state," Engs added. "A lot of people tend to direct their anger towards people who are different than themselves." If Duke is elected, many have questioned what his actual impact will be. Engs predicted that Duke will use the post of governor as a spring-board for a presidential campaign. "He wants to be governor, but doesn't want to serve as governor," Engs said. Baton Rouge native and Wharton freshman Scott Ashworth said that he would be surprised if Duke won the election, adding that he did not vote absentee because he felt both candidates were so bad. Ashworth also attributed part of Duke's success to the dire economic conditions in the state and said one of the only results from his election might be the loss of some tourism. Wharton senior David Kaplan, who is from New Orleans, said that he thinks the black vote will be very important in deciding the election. "It is pretty tight from what I understand," Kaplan said. "[The outcome] just depends on who wakes up and gets out . . . If the black population votes then he won't even get into office." Kaplan said he voted for Edwards, whom he called "basically a good man." Most of the possible national affects from Duke's candidacy have already become apparent in large media attention to the campaign. Kaplan said that he felt the election was indicative of an anti-establishment mood across the country, adding that Louisiana is not an anomaly.
(11/14/91 10:00am)
Almost every word out of the mouths of students on University Council yesterday was a complaint that they are not being heard. From adding faculty members to the Safety and Security Committee, to splitting the Judicial Inquiry Officer position, students said that on the issues that affect them the most, they are being slowly silenced. "We are one step closer to being gagged," United Minorities Council Chairperson You-Lee Kim said after the meeting. "What you see is a trend emerging, and that's what's dangerous." Additions of faculty members to two University Council committees provoked the strongest student protest. Faculty proponents of the additions justified them by saying that faculty-student ratios are currently different on each University Council committee. But graduate student leader Susan Garfinkel pointed out that the Book Store Committee, the other committee to which faculty additions were proposed, did not have a ratio consistent to the Safety and Security Committee. Undergraduate Assembly member David Rose said after the meeting that he thinks each committee is different and distinct and should be looked at that way. Some faculty members said that faculty representation lends a different and more consistent point of view to committees. During the meeting, some faculty seemed perturbed by the suggestion that students and faculty are on opposite sides of most issues. Past Faculty Senate Chairperson David Hildebrand, visibly frustrated, asked if students and faculty were warring factions. He also pointed out that faculty do not act as a monolith. "Surely in my experience, a unified block of faculty is an oxymoron to beat them all," Hildebrand said. But Undergraduate Assembly Vice Chairperson Ethan Youderian questioned after the meeting why faculty members are pushing for increases if there is not animosity. "If numbers aren't important, why are they trying to change them?" Youderian asked. Despite student protests, the Safety and Security Committee proposal passed in a close 22 to 18 vote, while the Book Store Committee change was tabled until next month's meeting. Faculty members downplayed the impact of the increased faculty representation. Helen Davies, a long-time member of the Safety and Security Committee, said that although she voted against the faculty additions, she does not think there will be a great impact on that committee because the members always make decisions based on consensus. Although Davies conceded that students are more sensitive to the issue of crime, she said faculty members have a long-term involvement in the issue because they are at the University for a longer time. David Pope, who chaired the Oversight Committee and co-chaired the Committee to Diversify Locust Walk, said that when student voices are listened to carefully and considered equally, representation should not be a problem.
(11/14/91 10:00am)
University Council endorsed revisions of the judicial system yesterday, but advised the provost to appoint another committee to continue examining the judicial charter. The Council also endorsed the report of the Committee to Diversify Locust Walk in a two-hour meeting marked by sarcastic banter between members and student complaints that their voices are being stifled. Debate on the judicial charter centered around the issue of splitting the role of the Judicial Inquiry Officer into a "prosecutor" and "settler." The charter revisions presented yesterday to Council do not provide for the bifurcation of the JIO. Instead, it calls for the JIO to indicate clearly when the hearing stage of an investigation ends and when the settlement stage begins. The revisions also say the code must be reviewed at least every five years. Mechanical Engineering professor David Pope, who chaired the oversight committee, presented the report, emphasizing that the oversight committee had unanimously approved it. But student leaders on Council criticized the committee that drew up the revisions. They gave several reasons why they felt the JIO should be split -- the main one being to protect the objectivity of the officer. Council members debated the bifurcation issue at some length, with many members supporting installing a new administrator who would investigate complaints and to serve as a mediator. Under this plan, the JIO would enter at the prosecutorial stage of the case. Students emphasized that the University would not have to hire a new person to fill the role, saying that a current administrator could be the investigator. "If anyone wants to consult with me about who I don't think is doing enough work, I'd be happy to let you know," Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Chairperson Michael Goldstein said sarcastically. Eventually, the Council agreed that the revisions were better than the current code, but felt that another committee should be set up to deal with concerns raised since the report was released. Graduate student Elizabeth Hunt, who has been vocal of her criticism of the intact JIO position, said after the meeting that she is hopeful that the charter can be changed appropriately. Some of the most heated debate came over a proposal to add three faculty members to the Safety and Security Committee and two faculty to the Book Store Committee. Students spoke vehemently against the proposal, saying that the plan would dilute student voices on the committees. Several faculty members said that the additions are necessary because faculty-student ratios are different on each committee. The Safety and Security Committee proposal passed in a close 22 to 18 vote, while the Book Store Committee change was tabled until next month's meeting. The Locust Walk report was adopted overwhelmingly, but not before many students criticized various part of the study. United Minorities Council Chairperson You-Lee Kim compared the report to being promised a good meal and getting something mediocre. "I felt like someone who had gone to a nice restaurant, ordered a marble cake from the best chef and was served a vanilla cake with chocolate sprinkles," Kim said. Others, particularly graduate student representatives, agreed with Kim's characterization of the Locust Walk report as a broken promise and several voted against endorsing it. Pope, who was also the co-chair of the committee, told Kim he was sorry she was disappointed, but he did not feel a promise had been made to the University community. Goldstein got another jab in against President Sheldon Hackney by criticizing who was included on the committee and what it was charged with doing. "The committee did a very good job with a limited charge and a poorly thought-out membership," he said. Discussion of almost all the meeting's issues -- from Locust Walk to the JIO -- focused on students' complaints that they do not have representation or voice on campus. Council members also endorsed the revisions of the Code of Academic Integrity and the Guidelines on Open Expression with relatively little debate.
(11/13/91 10:00am)
The absence of a split Judicial Inquiry Officer position in a proposed revamping of the University's judicial system is likely to stir tense debate at the University Council meeting today, several members predicted. The report of the oversight committee, which supervised the review of the judicial charter, will be presented for possible action, but several Council members yesterday would not say what action would be taken. In the last several years, some student leaders have called for splitting the JIO role into a "prosecutor" and a "settler." The revisions to the judicial system charter would leave the role intact. History and Sociology of Science graduate student Elizabeth Hunt, who was on the committee which reviewed the judicial charter, said that she will protest the report's recommendation not to split the JIO role. Hunt has been vocally opposed to keeping the JIO together and has been very critical of her committee's chairperson, Law Professor Steve Burbank. "Steve Burbank pretty much disenfranchised the views of the students on the committee," Hunt said. "His characterization that we lobbied the oversight committee and were overruled is incorrect. He is promoting his own agenda vis-a-vis the judicial charter and I am not exactly sure why." Mechanical Engineering Professor David Pope, who chaired the oversight committee, said he hopes the report passes, but could not guarantee that it will. With the exception of the bifurcation argument, Pope said he thinks Council will be pleased with the report. Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson said that she cannot predict if action will be taken on the judicial charter revisions. Morrisson added that the course of action taken by Council may depend on the questions and answers from the membership. Other items on today's agenda include discussion of the report of the Committee to Diversify Locust Walk and changes to the Council bylaws which add faculty representation to the Safety and Security Committee and the Book Store Committee. Faculty Senate Chairperson Louise Shoemaker said yesterday that she was unsure why the additions were being made. At last month's Council meeting, members were told the changes would be to preserve an appropriate "student-faculty balance" The meeting will be conducted under revised rules about time allocation which were the result of a frustrating October Council meeting where discussion was all but stifled. The new guidelines include specific time allocations for presentation, discussion and action on both old and new items. Shoemaker said the changes, which were passed by University Steering Committee in late October, are designed to allow discussion of all items on the agenda. "[This will give] a greater sense of orderliness and a sense that each item on the agenda is allocated a certain amount of time," Shoemaker said. A moderator will end discussion according to a pre-set schedule, and Shoemaker said she thinks meetings will end on time. The meeting is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. in Vance Hall's Hoover Lounge.
(11/13/91 10:00am)
A search committee will be appointed by the end of the week to find a replacement for Deputy Provost Richard Clelland, who will retire in June. Clelland is retiring from his post as one of the provost's top staff members because he is turning 70 years old and University policy requires him to do so. Clelland, who has served as the top advisor to the provost since 1982, has been at the University since 1953 when he began working for a PhD in statistics. He was hired as an assistant statistics professor immediately after he got his degree, and quickly rose through the department, becoming chair in 1966. Clelland also served as acting dean of the Wharton School in 1971 and 1972, and was Associate Dean from 1975 through 1981. One of Clelland's colleagues praised him yesterday for being a voice of calm and reason even in the midst of a storm. "He is a very wise man, very unflappable," said Linda Koons, the assistant to the provost. "He gives sage advice and doesn't panic." "Things just don't cause him to get upset because he has seen them so many times," Koons added. The deputy provost is responsible for all faculty matters including appointments, grievances, benefits, promotions and tenure cases. He has also served on the Council of Graduate Deans and worked on the provost's comprehensive Five-Year Plan. Another responsibility for the deputy provost is to act for the provost in his absence and work with the Institute for Contemporary Art and the Morris Arboretum. Clelland said he plans to travel, write, and do "a lot of enjoying myself" after he retires. The search committee to find Clelland's replacement will consist of eight faculty and two students and should be appointed by the end of the week, Koons said. Koons said Edward Bowman, Wharton's deputy dean of academic affairs, will chair the committee.
(11/12/91 10:00am)
The task force set up in September to review the University's hiring practices, particularly background checks, gave its preliminary recommendations to Vice President for Human Resources Barry Stupine last week. Rogers Davis, the director of Human Resources, declined to divulge specific recommendations yesterday, but said "it is possible that we will do some things differently." Senior Vice President Marna Whittington said yesterday that she expects to have concrete results from the task force by the end of the calendar year. The task force was set up immediately after the August 26 arrest of a housekeeper for allegedly raping a fellow employee in a Hill House Lounge. The man, Warren Timbers, 36, of North Philadelphia, had a prior conviction of rape from 1974, Assistant District Attorney Richard Green said in September. The administration hired him despite this conviction, and the incident raised questions about the way the University conducts background checks of potential employees. But task force members refused to attribute the creation of the task force to the incident. The task force, which met four times, examined the hiring process for staff, faculty, and students working in part-time and temporary capacities, Davis said. A representative from the provost's office consulted with the task force on faculty hiring practices, Davis added. One of the primary concerns of the committee is whether officials adequately do what is required by the hiring policy, Davis said. Davis said he is making final editorial changes on the recommendations which were suggested by the task force when it met for the last time on Friday.
(11/12/91 10:00am)
Research on multiple sclerosis at the University got a boost recently when the National Institutes of Health awarded $1.2 million to several Medical Center professors. The four-year grant will allow University researchers to learn more about the progression of the disease using advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques. Doctors said they hope this knowledge will eventually lead to more appropriate treatments. Robert Grossman, chief of neuroradiology at the Medical Center and head of the grant, was excited about the opportunity, saying MRI research should enable University scientists to make significant progress that is impossible through customary forms of clinical research. "This is a very interesting disease," Grossman said. "It strikes young people and is . . . a disease of high prevalence. It is important to get a handle on it." Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease which leaves lesions on the brain and spinal cord of victims. It strikes about one-tenth of a percent of young adults and leaves them gradually debilitated with dizziness, weakness in limbs and abnormal reflexes. MRI machines show a high resolution image of protons of the body which Grossman said allows researchers to see the normal and abnormal changes in the brain or other body parts, Grossman said. Jeffrey Cohen, a professor of neurology and another of the grant researchers, added that the data gathered will allow doctors to see what is going to happen in the future with their patients' lesions and better predict the progress of the disease. "One of the aspects that is most frustrating for patients and doctors is that [the disease] is very unpredictable," Cohen said. "It is very advantageous to be able to predict what someone is going to look like neurologically in the future. Some people get bad quickly and you know you have to treat them aggressively." The advanced technique will show which lesions get better and which ones do not, as well as allowing researchers to determine what changes are due to treatment and which can be attributed to the course of the disease. "Our hope is that using this technology we are going to gain knowledge into what happens to individual plaques," Grossman said. "[MRI] is going to be the arbiter of whether a particular therapy is going to work."
