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(03/16/95 10:00am)
A recent decision by an independent arbitration panel could dramatically alter the way test preparation companies, such as Stanley Kaplan Educational Centers and the Princeton Review, advertise their services. The panel ruled earlier this month that the Princeton Review must change its sampling methods to include a greater number of students when conducting research for its advertisements. According to Kaplan Executive Vice President Andrew Rosen, Princeton Review had used postcards mailed to former students after the test in order to measure the success of the program. Kaplan, however, relies on a random telephone sample of former students. Kaplan charged that the postcards did not provide an accurate assessment of students' scores. "Princeton had used, first of all, bad math," Rosen said. "That's a pretty serious flaw in a test preparation company." Kaplan also claimed that Princeton Review's sample method, which resulted in only a 25 percent response rate, did not provide an accurate representation of students' scores. Rosen cited Kaplan's own telephone surveys, which yield an approximate response rate of 70 percent, as an alternative. The panel ruled that, as of March 1996, all companies must use a sampling method which results in at least a 40 to 50 percent response rate. Kaplan officials praised the decision as a major victory. "This supports what students have long known -- that Princeton Review has been misleading students for years," Kaplan President and CEO Jonathan Grayer said in a statement. But Princeton Review officials downplayed the ruling, citing the arbitrators' decision that all sampling efforts had been conducted "in good faith." Princeton Review President John Katzman explained that his company's sampling methods have already been changed to more closely resemble Kaplan's and that any errors that might have occurred in the original sample were due to one ambiguous question on the postcard. The question asked Princeton Review students to report their "previous score." Some who participated in the survey were uncertain as to whether they should provide their most recent score or their score before they took the course. "I started getting nervous during the hearing that maybe our results really weren't comparable," he said. "So we started doing the studies with the other methodology." He added that the new results showed that Princeton Review's scores are still "way higher" than Kaplan's. Katzman said he was happy with the panel's decision because it also forces Kaplan to clearly label any subsets of groups it uses in its ads and to provide a clear disclaimer that their guarantee is not an average. He claimed that Kaplan's "guarantee" was higher than its average improvement and was presented in such a way that students could be misled.
(02/20/95 10:00am)
The Educational Testing Service will postpone converting the Graduate Record Examination to a computer-only format for two years, according to ETS Spokesperson Kevin Gonzalez. The conversion, originally scheduled for completion in 1997, will now take place in 1999. Gonzalez said the delay is meant to give students and administrators of the test greater flexibility by offering both the written and computerized versions of the test for a longer time. But representatives of Kaplan Educational Centers, the nation's largest test preparation company, disagree. According to Kaplan Spokesperson Melissa Mack, the delay is a direct result of research conducted by Kaplan that allegedly proves the computerized GRE is easily compromised. Mack explained that the computerized GRE gives all students a question of medium difficulty to begin the exam. Depending on the student's answer to this question, the next question will have either a high or low degree of difficulty. Because of the nature of the test, the possibility exists that students could see the same questions on subsequent exams, according to the Kaplan study. "If you took the test twice in six months, you would know 50 percent of the questions," Mack said. Gonzalez denied the charge, saying there was "no chance" that students could have cheated on the exam by memorizing previous questions because of the size of the question pools. However, future versions of the test will include more item pools, hundreds of additional questions, and increased question-scrambling to address the issues raised by Kaplan, he added. In December, Kaplan presented ETS with a list of recommendations for improving the exam, after evaluating surveys they obtained from students who had taken the exam. ETS suspended the computerized GRE for one week in late December to address these security concerns and also filed a lawsuit against Kaplan alleging copyright infringement. Kaplan claims it never had any intention of disclosing test questions to students and was only seeking to ensure the integrity of the exam. "The problem would be?whether we conducted our research or not," said Mack. "If you can improve your scores by cheating on the exam, obviously it hurts our business." But Gonzalez was skeptical of Kaplan's motives, given that Kaplan's disclosure occurred during ETS's busiest season. "It doesn't matter that they didn't show [the test results] to anybody," he said. "They stole questions from us." In response, Kaplan has charged that ETS has violated federal law by not releasing the exam to students after the administration of the test. "ETS has not been disclosing the tests to students because they were using the same questions over again," Mack said. But Gonzalez denied that ETS was required by law to disclose the test to students, citing a "special administration clause" in the law which ETS claims exempts the computerized exam from disclosure. While ETS maintains that the test has always been secure and will be even more so in the future, officials at Kaplan remain skeptical. "We feel it's good news that they're taking the time to improve the exam," said Mack. "But ETS has not released enough information for us to know whether or not the test is secure."
(02/17/95 10:00am)
Franklin Field has hosted many big stars in recent years -- but none as big as the four who gathered there yesterday. Four large elephants, in addition to several camera crews and animal trainers, came to Philadelphia this week to begin shooting Universal Studio's Twelve Monkeys. Directed by Terry Gilliam, a former member of the British comedy troup Monty Python, the film will star Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe. The movie, scheduled for release next year, is set in Philadelphia and will feature a scene in which the elephants walk through the arches outside of Franklin Field and amble across the South Street Bridge. "I think one of the reasons why we're here is because the arch here looks pretty dramatic," said Ernie Malik, the film's publicist. He added that Gilliam selected the Franklin Field location in order to include the Philadelphia skyline in the background as one of the elephants walked across the bridge. To protect the animals, University Police closed off sections of South Street in front of Franklin Field and the South Street bridge during the filming. Charles Spencer, a local shelter manager for The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was also on hand to oversee the shoot. "I think it's going very well," he said. "The trainer and the owner have a genuine love of animals." He added that the animals have been housed at a "large facility" just outside the city. Although the film is set in Philadelphia, this scene will be the only one filmed at the University, according to University spokesperson Phyllis Holtzman. But Holtzman was still enthusiastic about the film. "It's really good for the city whenever a movie like this is made," she said. According to Malik, this particular scene was a "second unit shot" -- in which neither the principal actors nor the director were present. While onlookers appeared impressed by the sight of the elephants, some students were disappointed that the stars of the movie had not come along. "I was disappointed that there weren't any hot bodies," College sophomore Christie Pitzner said.
(02/01/95 10:00am)
To some people, a gym is just a place to work out. To Irving Silverman, the gym was a necessity. Silverman, who died of AIDS last December, relied on the 12th Street Gym for both his mental and physical well-being, his sister, Kim Silverman said. But in March 1994, Silverman was barred from his gym when the owner discovered that he was infected with the AIDS virus, Pennsylvania AIDS Law Project attorney Ronda Goldfein has alleged. Yesterday, Goldfein announced that a lawsuit filed by Silverman last August against the gym had been settled. She said the gym will pay $35,000 to Silverman's estate and adopt a non-discrimination policy and workplace training program -- which both sides say could become a model for gyms and health clubs across the country. "Our happiness in announcing this settlement is tainted with sadness," Goldfein said. "While today's settlement is a victory for people with HIV and AIDS, we are saddened by the fact that Irv is not here to announce the settlement himself." Rick Piper, a managing partner of the 12th Street Gym, agreed. "We're delighted by the settlement," he said. "We've learned a lot from the case." Piper added that defending against the suit would have cost more than $100,000 and that the new 14-page non-discrimination policy will best benefit the community served by the gym. But Bob Schoenberg, director of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn, was skeptical. "While the settlement is an indication of acknowledgement of wrongdoing, they are not adding anything that isn't already in the City of Philadelphia's Fair Practices Ordinance," he said. The suit alleged that Silverman was thrown out of the gym by its owner Robert Gazardi, after Silverman cut his hand and requested a bandage. Gazardi, who knew Silverman had AIDS, allegedly instructed Silverman to leave and told him not to return. Gazardi was unavailable for comment. Goldfein said Silverman's rights had been violated under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits public accommodations from discriminating on the basis of disability, including AIDS. "The intention of the act was to get disabled people back into the workplace," Goldfein said. The suit also alleged that Silverman lost the will to fight the disease as a result of Gazardi's actions. "When you deal with someone who is HIV-positive, you encounter several incidents, but the pain of discrimination was something we weren't prepared for," Kim Silverman said. "When this man treated him this way, it just blew his whole world apart." Deb Dunbar, the study coordinator of the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said the risk posed by someone with AIDS in a gym environment is minimal. "I would say that a person with AIDS who is working out at a gym does not pose a risk to other gym members," she said. "If the person is responsible, there is virtually no chance of contaminating others." Art Gravina, the vice president of facilities management, said that although such a case has not occurred at the University, Hutchinson and Gimbel gyms do have a firm policy of non-discrimination. "It's my understanding that that person would not be thrown out of the gym," he said.
(01/31/95 10:00am)
Arguments in the University's appeal of an age discrimination suit filed by a former employee of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania were heard last week by the Third Circuit District Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. Janet Smithgall, a former HUP employee, filed suit in 1992 claiming that the University and HUP had discriminated against her because of her age and retaliated against her for a previous age discrimination complaint. A jury found the University and HUP not guilty of age discrimination or retaliation but did find the University in violation of a 1990 settlement reached in response to Smithgall's first charge of age discrimination. The settlement called for the University to re-hire Smithgall for 10 months, reimburse her for certain lost benefits and consider her for a future permanent position. A jury found in December 1993 that the University had failed to fulfill its contractual obligations to Smithgall and awarded her $70,000 in compensatory damages, according to Smithgall's attorney Glenn Clark. The damages stemmed from the University's failure to allow her to be considered for other positions, he said. Post-trial motions filed by Hope Cominsky, the University's attorney in the case, asking the judge to reverse the jury's decision, were denied last May. Cominsky said the University disagrees with the jury's decision. "Our argument to the Third Circuit was that we had complied with all three provisions," she said. "I think the judges are very concerned [with the jury's decision]." She added that judges of the Third Circuit do not always agree to hear arguments in this type of case. But Clark claims the University did not comply with the 1990 settlement, characterizing the University's contention that employing Smithgall for 10 months was sufficient as "the most ludicrous theory that you could imagine." The original complaint filed by Smithgall in 1992 alleged that the University had retaliated against her for filing an age discrimination complaint in 1990. According to the original complaint, Smithgall was discharged in 1989 from her position at HUP, supposedly due to a lack of funding. But the complaint alleged that three days later, a 23-year-old was hired to replace Smithgall. Ten months after reaching a settlement with the University, the now 65-year-old Smithgall filed suit, claiming that the University had failed to comply with the settlement. The suit accused the University of retaliation for "unilaterally and arbitrarily changing [Smithgall's] job description so as to exclude all professional duties?[reducing] her position to that of a clerk." The Third Circuit is expected to rule on the University's appeal within the next six weeks.
(01/20/95 10:00am)
Professing innocence even after his sentence was handed down, 1963 Wharton graduate John Voigt was sentenced yesterday to more than 15 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Garrett Brown. Voigt was convicted on counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, and sentenced to 188 months in prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Ernst. "Under federal sentencing guidelines, there is no parole," Ernst said. The charges stemmed from Voigt's involvement in an international fraud scheme that deprived more than 50 victims around the world of more than $20 million. Voigt was found guilty in June 1994 of creating two bogus institutions, the "Euro-American Money Fund Trust" and "Meta Trading and Finance International," which he used to defraud investors. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Voigt promised investors that Euro-American could provide loans to businesses for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in return for an advance fee ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. These fees were then distributed to the participants in the scheme. Voigt also solicited buyers for a bogus security called a "Master Collateral Commitment," which he offered to sell for between $3 million and $4.5 million. The victims of the scheme ranged from international businessmen to the Moscow City Council, which paid $4.37 million to purchase an MCC. Prosecutors in the case claimed that Voigt relied on his education at the Wharton School and his biography in "Who's Who in Industry and Finance" to lend credibility to his bogus institutions. Prosecutors relied on this deception and two previous convictions, one for impersonating a CIA officer and one for tax evasion, to obtain the maximum sentence for Voigt. "I think the severity of the sentence is appropriate for the severity of the crime," Ernst said. According to Larry Lustberg, one of Voigt's attorneys, the sentence did not come as a shock. "I think it's a very long sentence," he said. "But he was well-prepared for it." Wharton spokesperson Chris Hardwick declined to comment on the case. "We can't speak for our alumni," he said.
(01/17/95 10:00am)
Jorge Chambergo, the man who allegedly sought admission to the Penn Law School under an assumed name, was arrested in California last month by United States postal inspectors. According to U.S. Attorney Michael Schwartz, Chambergo will return to Philadelphia for a January 31 identification hearing. A date for the criminal trial will be set in February, he said. In November, a federal grand jury indicted Chambergo on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of attempting to use a false social security number. If convicted, Chambergo could face up to 40 years in prison and a two million dollar fine. The federal indictment charges that Chambergo applied to the Law School under the falsified name of "Dae Jorge Seu Chambergo" in December 1989. Chambergo is accused of altering his name in January 1990 in an attempt to pass off the the LSAT scores of another man, Dae Kyung Seu, as his own. The indictment also states that Chambergo submitted a financial aid statement with a false birth date. In addition, it charges that Chambergo arranged for letters of recommendation from Yale University and the Concerned Citizens of Queens written for Seu to be sent to the Law School under Chambergo's name. Although the relationship between the two men is unclear, Law School Dean of Students Gary Clinton said he believes Chambergo and Seu were classmates at Yale. According to Clinton, the Law School expelled Chambergo and notified the U.S. attorney's office after he attempted to remove the "Dae Seu" from his name and change his illicit social security number back to his legitimate one. Both Schwartz and Clinton said that such incidents, while not unheard of, are rare. "I have never had a false social security number case before," said Schwartz.
(01/16/95 10:00am)
Moskovits 'lacked remorse' Former Wharton student and convicted drug trafficker Alexander Moskovits was sentenced to 20 years in prison last week. Citing Moskovits' lack of remorse for his crimes and his perjury during the original trial, Judge Clarence Newcomer extended Moskovits' original sentence by three years. Moskovits will receive credit for the seven years he has already served. But, he must serve at least seven additional years before he will be eligible for parole, according to Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Hayes. William Kunstler, Moskovits' attorney at the sentencing hearing, said he was shocked by the ruling. According to Kunstler, the probation board had recommended that Moskovits be sentenced to twelve years in prison, with credit for time already served. "The judge was just cruel," he said. "I expected him to give him the twelve years." Although Kunstler expressed anger at the length of the sentence and describes the case as "an American tragedy of enormous proportions," he said he blames Moskovits for the sentence. "I am terribly angry at him, I'm not even sorry for him," Kunstler said, referring to the fact that Moskovits had repeatedly gone against the advice of his attorneys throughout the history of the case. "It wasn't the system who destroyed the client, it was the client who destroyed the client," he added. Kunstler said last week's hearing appears to be the final chapter in a case which has been bizarre from the outset. Moskovits was originally convicted in 1988 on 18 federal drug counts -- including a conspiracy to sell drugs on the University campus. Moskovits' 15-year sentence was increased by three years because of a previous conviction for drug possession in Mexico, where Moskovits was convicted without the benefit of an attorney. Citing ineffective counsel by Moskovits' original attorney -- who advised Moskovits not to testify on his own behalf -- Judge Louis Pollack granted Moskovits a new hearing. Prosecutors had offered to drop all but one charge against Moskovits in return for a guilty plea. Against Kunstler's advice, Moskovits refused to accept the deal -- although it would have allowed him to leave prison. In October 1994, Moskovits chose to represent himself at his new trial and was convicted by Newcomer.
(01/16/95 10:00am)
The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia has filed a petition seeking permission to appeal the Mayor's Scholarship case to the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, according to PILCOP attorney Michael Churchill. PILCOP first sued the University in 1991, claiming that the University was not fulfilling a 1977 agreement with the city to provide 125 scholarships annually. But in December 1994, the University's policy of providing a total of 125 scholarships at a given time, as opposed to 125 for each entering class, was upheld by a 4-3 vote in Commonwealth Court. A previous appeal filed by PILCOP was rejected in 1993 when a judge ruled that the group did not have proper legal standing in the case. According to Churchill, the recent petition was filed to challenge both the decision of the Commonwealth Court and the 1993 ruling regarding PILCOP's lack of legal standing. "We believe that the dissent in the previous case is right," Churchill said. "This is the last avenue of appeal." University General Counsel Shelley Green disagreed. "Their position is that the Commonwealth is incorrect," she said. "We think that the Supreme Court should not permit the appeal." Both attorneys refused to speculate about whether the Court will allow an appeal. Throughout the case's history, several city politicians stressed the importance of the scholarships to many local students. Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Harold James of Philadelphia said he supports the appeal. "I am encouraging the plaintiffs and their attorneys to continue this fight for our young people," he said in a statement. "It is a shame that we must struggle so hard to provide an opportunity for city students to attend a world class institution that is in their own backyard." The Mayor's Scholarship controversy stems from a 110-year old agreement between the city of Philadelphia and the University in which the city provides rent-free land to the University in exchange for a set number of scholarships to be awarded to Philadelphia high school students. An amended agreement signed in 1977 called for the University to provide 125 "annual" scholarships. scholarships to area students. Although the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia ruled in favor of the University in 1993, it admonished the administration for failing to provide full support to scholarship recipients. Under a separate 1992 agreement between the University and the city, the University "substantially enhanced" its commitment to the Mayor's Scholarship program. The average Mayor Scholarship package includes $18,806 in grants from the University.
(12/07/94 10:00am)
Wilmette Brown has battled racism and homophobia around the world since the 1960s. And last night she brought her message to the University. In a forum co-sponsored by the Program for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn and the Penn Women's Center, Brown spoke on the topic of "Organizing Across the Divides of Race, Nation, Poverty, and Sexual Orientation." Brown is one of the founders of International Black Women for Wages for Housework, a group which promotes the recognition of women's work in the home. In her speech, Brown addressed several different topics, including her personal beliefs about the direction of the gay movement, welfare reform and government policy regarding AIDS. She described her first priority as "connecting with other people to promote The International Black Women for Wages for Housework." Brown also praised the media for its recognition of young people and minorities within the gay, lesbian and bisexual community, but expressed concern over the lack of coverage of gays with disabilities and lesbian single mothers. "I think it is important to acknowledge women's work in the community," said Gloria Gay, associate director of the Penn Women's Center. "Often we don't acknowledge the work done in the home." In addition to the rights of housewives, Brown is a strong supporter of the rights of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community. "From the perspective of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Association, often times the gay movement has set an agenda for white males and females," said Ruth Kauffman, program assistant for PLGBCAP. "Ms. Brown addresses the issues of the gay community across the divides of class and race," she added. The event, which drew an audience of more than 35, was sponsored by 16 different campus groups, according to Gay. "The number of groups reflects the broad appeal of the speaker," she added. Currently, Brown is working to stop the trials of the AIDS drug AZT, which are being held in Europe. "We consider them to be genocidal experiments," she said. Brown is also trying to bring blacks and whites together in the British gay pride movement and is coordinating opposition to Britain's Child Support Act. Additionally, Brown has worked to eliminate the stigma attached to welfare. "Welfare is the power to refuse a wage job," she said. "The unwaged work of lesbians spent fighting AIDS should be paid for." Brown is also active in the anti-nuclear, health and environmental movements and their relation to the minority community.
(12/01/94 10:00am)
For at least one musical group on campus, sounding good is second only to doing good. Penn Musicians Against Homelessness, in its sixth year at the University, performs at several events each semester and donates all of the proceeds from its shows to aid the homeless. "We have a two-fold function," said College senior Dan Coelho, one of the group's co-chairpersons. "To be Penn's only student-run outlet for classical music and to raise money to aid the homeless." According to Coelho, the group is a member of the Performing Arts Council and receives funding from the Student Activities Council to publicize concerts and rent rehearsal space. Although their concerts are free, the musicians have raised a substantial amount of money for the homeless through donations they receive at the door. "We broke about a $1,000 last semester and we've raised about $500 so far this semester without our big show," said Wharton junior John Liang, the group's treasurer. Nearly all of this money has been given to the University City Hospitality Coalition, he added. Aside from their financial support, the musicians also pride themselves in bringing their music to the community. Several members of the group recently organized the West Philadelphia Music Education Program to give music lessons to inner-city children. Some members also volunteer their time through the Penn Volunteer Network to help the homeless directly. College junior Jennifer Lynch, who co-chairs the musicians, said homelessness is a relevant topic in West Philadelphia and merits the group's attention. "I think it's something that we see a lot around campus, around the Penn area," she said. "[This connection] makes it very easy for a Penn group to make a link to the community." And the group is also expanding its appeal to students. According to Coelho, the group had around 40 members at the end of last semester. More than 70 students attended this semester's introductory meeting. "We're at a point now where we're starting to be recognized at Penn and in the community," he added. College junior Darlene Pitt said she joined the group because of its musical appeal. "I'm a musician and it's basically a good organization," she said. Although the group does perform a major concert each semester, rehearsals are primarily left to individual members. Smaller groups of musicians often practice together, but the group rarely rehearses as a whole. In spite of this, the group has already performed at Performing Arts night and the parents' brunch during Family Weekend. Members also plan to go caroling during the next few weeks. The group's formal concert is scheduled for December 10 at 8 p.m. in Dunlop Auditorium.
