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(04/19/00 9:00am)
The Quakers have been like lions the past two Marches -- going 5-2 in 1999 and 4-3 this year against stellar competition. Those auspicious starts have not translated into successful trips through the meat of the Ivy schedule, however. Penn has been lamblike in April. The Red and Blue went 1-5 last April and are 1-4 thus far this season with games against powerhouse Syracuse and Delaware left to play. The second month of spring has been the foil of coach Marc Van Arsdale's team over the past two seasons, preventing Penn from putting together the top-notch Ivy year that seemed imminent after the head man led his team to a 6-6, 3-3 campaign in 1997, his very first season in West Philadelphia. Van Arsdale is a friendly, down-to-earth person with a seemingly genuine concern for each and every one of his players. He looks and sounds the part of a perfect player's coach. He is highly regarded by his peers, and his teams have shown definite flashes of brilliance -- cracking the national top 15 in '99 and '00. But they have yet to put it all together. They have yet to seriously challenge for an Ancient Eight title. Last spring, the Quakers looked golden as March drew to a close. They captured attention in the lacrosse world by defeating a highly touted North Carolina team, 14-7, in their second game of the year and shut down Yale, 7-2, to open Ivy play. Carrying a No. 14 national ranking and a 5-1 record, the Red and Blue traveled to the green pastures of Harvard University to take on the Crimson on March 27. Penn walked away from Cambridge with a heartbreaking 10-9 defeat in overtime and its first Ivy loss of the season. And things just got more gut-wrenching from there. Penn wound up on the short side of all but one of its remaining Ivy games. And to make Quakers fans wince, Brown's 10-6 win over Penn was the only one of the team's four Ivy losses that was decided by more than one goal. This string of razor-thin margins was highlighted by a 9-8 loss to Princeton, the closest league game that the Tigers have had throughout the course of their current 29-game Ivy winning streak. In short, it was enough to make a Red Sox fan sympathize. Penn fought hard, went shot-for-shot with some of the best programs in the country. But balls just didn't bounce its way. And Penn was denied a .500 Ivy League record for the eighth time in nine seasons. The '99 team was a complete package. With a defense anchored by four-year starting goalie Matt Schroeder and always reliable defenseman Ziggy Majumdar, the Quakers were able to send back most of what teams threw at them. The Red and Blue offense usually purred like a kitten as well. The shooting of first-team All-Ivy and honorable mention All-America selection Pete Janney coupled with the deft passing of Todd Minerley helped Penn outscore its opponents, 139-119, while going just 6-8 on the year. Schroeder's graduation and the departure of Majumdar and fellow workhorse Brett Bodner prompted questions about the Penn defense, but the same offensive nucleus returned this season to galvanize a similarly encouraging March. In Penn's first regular season contest on March 4, Janney's four tallies and Minerley's pair of scores paced the Quakers past Notre Dame, 10-7, catapulting the Quakers to a No. 12 national ranking. Quality wins against Bucknell and Lafayette followed, but those victories sandwiched a frustrating 11-10 loss to Yale over spring break. March 25 brought a 15-12 loss to Harvard that, much like the Yale game, got out of Penn's reach early. The Quakers roared back late, but the comeback fell short. April 1 brought a different problem. Penn led early on against Cornell but then collapsed down the stretch, losing 16-7. A tough win over Dartmouth helped things yet was outshined by losses to Princeton and Brown. Perhaps the epitome of Penn's troubles this spring came against Villanova on April 12. 'Nova prevailed 15-14 in two overtimes, but that was after Penn's Billy Reidy's apparent goal with five seconds left was called off after he landed just inside the crease. It just seems like the stars are never right for things to go the Quakers' way as the weather gets balmy.
(09/22/99 9:00am)
From Ariel Horn's, "Candy from a Stranger," Fall '99 From Ariel Horn's, "Candy from a Stranger," Fall '99The commute to hell isn't nearly as bad as people imagine. Forget what you may have heard about masses of hot and sweaty people being periodically prodded with freshly sharpened tridents by little men dressed in red, while an entirely too-happy Richard Simmons screams, "Come on, girls! FEEL the burn!" in the background. I was an intern. And every day, as I entered my office, a whisper of hope would echo through my mind: "Maybe today they'll actually let me do something!" I began to fantasize about the awesome responsibility of sharpening pencils for my department. Or maybe, if they truly trusted me, shredding blank sheets of paper for hours. But on a typical day, as I opened the door to the office, I was greeted by my 23-year-old supervisor saying, "Like, could you do me a HUGE favor? Throw these flowers out, would you?" Putting my bag down, I would pick up her flowers, walk the two inches to her garbage can and dump them in the trash. I had satisfied the masses. My job here was done. It would be another four hours before I was assigned another "task," hopefully less demanding than this burdensome "flower dumping" responsibility. I was left to pray. Or check my e-mail every six seconds. Or wait desperately at my cubicle for friends to appear on my Buddy List ("Are you there? ARE YOU THERE? PLEASE TALK TO ME!"). Or watch the second hand of the clock go round. Or see if I could stay completely still for five minutes. Much like an inmate in solitary at Alcatraz, I grew accustomed to playing little games with myself so I would not go insane. And this is the way thousands of college students spend their summers. Viva la resume. One would think that an internship -- especially a highly competitive one at a well-known corporation -- would provide worthwhile educational benefits. After all, most internship programs operate on the premise that the skills learned there cannot be learned elsewhere. Instead, this past summer provided me and many other interns with whom I've spoken with a newfound bitterness and cynicism toward the working world. Well, color me cynical and make me fax something. I'm an intern. After the first week of my internship -- during which I faxed three memos, alphabetized one file and distributed five packets -- I chalked up the lack of work to being new and told myself that even good internships involve "grunt work." The second week, with less to do than the first, I spoke to my supervisor and voiced my concerns about not receiving enough work. Nothing changed the third week. But believe it or not, this is not just about banana compensation. Students across the nation have to make choices about the next summer the moment they return to college and sometimes even before. Will they work to pay for college? Intern to build up a resume? Travel to see the world and "find themselves" in Europe? Volunteer at a local organization? Be careful. Many interns grow so enamored with the idea of working for a company that encapsulates what they want to do with their lives that their common sense is blinded. Not all internships are solitary confinement sentences with wardens called "internship coordinators" but to find out whether you might be working in a jail cell, talk to previous interns. Ask for more, do more. Accept the menial tasks but don't settle for them. If you wanted to "learn" how to use a fax machine, you could read the instructions rather than commuting. Don't let yourself become just another Ivy-educated monkey.
(06/01/98 9:00am)
As construction wrapped up on a number of Penn projects, facilities improvements began on others. Newton South High School '96 Newton, Mass. The reverberating rhythms of jackhammers and drills became a customary backdrop to the campus' daily sounds in 1997-98 as the University completed several construction projects, while beginning other additional renovations. Among some smaller renovations inside existing buildings and residences, construction was completed or renovations began on several of the University's most prominent buildings, including the Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Logan Hall, Van Pelt Library, the Annenberg School for Communication and Houston Hall. The Vagelos Labs of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology were unveiled in November after two years of construction. The building, at 34th Street and Smith Walk, houses two interdisciplinary research centers -- the Institute for Medicine and Engineering and the Center for Excellence in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Funding for the project came from a $10 million donation by University Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos and his wife, Diana. Vagelos, a 1950 College graduate, is the former chairperson and chief executive officer of New Jersey-based Merck & Co., a large pharmaceutical company. Additional funding for the construction came from $27 million in grants from the U.S. Air Force. Another long-awaited project that was unveiled this year was the restored Logan Hall -- the second-oldest edifice on campus, built in 1880 -- which has been undergoing renovations for more than seven years. The building, at 249 S. 36th Street, reopened in mid-January after a lengthy external restoration process and $9.2 million worth of interior renovations. Logan Hall is the first completed step in the $69 million Perelman Quadrangle project, which is designed to create a student center linking Irvine Auditorium with Logan, Houston, Williams and College halls. The project is scheduled to be completed in about two years. The restored building includes a 330-seat auditorium, a terrace room, several classrooms and seminar rooms and a ground-floor art gallery. It now houses the College office along with the History and Sociology of Science, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Classical Studies departments. The Women's Studies program and the Benjamin Franklin Scholars and General Honors offices are also now located at Logan. Also in January, students accustomed to the spacious study areas of the Rosengarten Reserve and the first-floor reference area of the Van Pelt Library found these spaces closed off with plastic tape and temporary partition walls as the library entered the fourth phase of its massive rehabilitation project. Phase IV, the renovation of the facility's main entrance and circulation center, should be finished in August. Phase III of the project -- which saw the addition of new reference facilities and study areas on the library's first floor -- was completed in December, just in time for students to try out some of the new spaces during final exams. The heavy construction work going on in the library over students' heads and under their feet as they studied, however, sparked some concern toward the end of the school year. Several students, for example, said that they feared some of the drilling and demolition work may be releasing carcinogenic asbestos fibers -- dangerous above certain densities -- into the air. Indeed, some asbestos, but not enough to be hazardous, fell from the ceiling into an area in Rosengarten where more than a dozen students were studying January 21. At the time, environmental health officials said the construction posed no danger. Students also complained that the library's temporary early closing hours were leaving them without a place for all-night studying. The library returned to its normal hours in April. Further down Walnut Street at the Annenberg School, construction has been going on since October to renovate the older section of the building and replace the Annenberg School Theater with a teleconferencing center linked to the Annenberg Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Part of the two-year, $15 million renovation project will involve making the school's entrance on Walnut Street more visible. The Annenberg library and graduate students' offices have been temporarily relocated to 4025 Chestnut Street during the construction. Relocation was a big issue this year for many student government groups, campus organizations and performance art groups based in Houston Hall, as University officials prepared for the historic student union's shutdown in late May by slowly assigning individual groups to new sites. Houston Hall is undergoing renovations to link it to the future Perelman Quad and must remain empty while construction takes place.
(02/21/92 10:00am)
I was very pleased to read that University Police has decided to begin providing the race of suspects (DP 2/21/92). Not only is the decision logical in helping to apprehend suspects, but it was about time the University Police matured enough to deal with the issue of race instead of just ignoring it. I assume the University did not report race previously because it assumed it would be seen as fostering prejudice by reporting that most of the criminals were black. Yet, this theory was greatly flawed because by not reporting race, the University Police enhanced racism. People simply assumed that the criminals were black, not because of prejudices, but simply because of the demographics of West Philadelphia. Outside of the University, most of the residents are black, thus most of the victims and criminals are black. ADAM COHEN College '95
(10/29/91 10:00am)
Approximately 75 abortion rights supporters gathered on College Green for a rally and candlelight vigil last night, calling for students to become more involved in politics and to vote in upcoming elections. The demonstrators represented a cross-section of the University community, including students involved in undergraduate and graduate student government, the Progressive Student Alliance and Republicans for Choice. Students signed letters to be sent to Republican Richard Thornburgh and Democrat Harris Wofford, the two candidates competing for the Senate seat, saying they intended to vote for candidates who support legal abortion. Speeches by leaders of the rally were interspersed with chants of, "Clap your hands, raise your voice. U. of Penn is pro-choice." One lone woman stood silent, separate from the 75 students gathered by the College Green peace sign, holding a blue sign which said "Abortion is murder." Regina Cummings, a University graduate who currently works for the Physics Department, said her sign spoke for itself. "If no one else came, that wouldn't invalidate what I am doing," Cummings said. "The truth is the truth." College junior Raji Jagadeesan led the rally, using a megaphone to urge students to become involved in politics and to vote. She said that in the two decades before the Roe v. Wade decision, when abortion was outlawed, one million women per year sought illegal abortions. "This should never happen again," Jagadeesan said. Karen Idra, a College sophomore, spoke on behalf of Republicans for Choice. "Even if you are Republican, you can be pro-choice," she said, adding that 68 percent of Republican voters support abortion rights. She said that demonstrators should go to the Republican convention in Houston, Texas, to try and change the party's platform. Though most of the students present were women, one man spoke and several said they felt the issue was of importance to all people. "Considering that there was only one pro-life person down there and all of us up here . . . we are the ones who will prevail. We are the un-silent majority," College freshman Naim Peress said. Michael Polgar, a Sociology graduate student, said the issue has a direct impact on all men. "As Martin Luther King said, 'If some of us are unfree, all of us are unfree.' Men have to take responsibility for their sexuality, too," Polgar said.
(09/11/91 9:00am)
Students interested in knowing the weather forecast need not wait until the 11:00 p.m. news to find out if they have to take an umbrella with them to class anymore. Now, they only have to pick up their phones and dial 898-4CST, the University's new, free weather information service. In what is one of the first systems of its kind, the University has combined Accu-Weather, a private weather information service, with voicemail to form a convenient and economical service for students. The service, implemented this fall by the Office of Business Services, had been discussed for a number of years, but due to a lack of technology and prohibitive costs, the project was unfeasible, according to Steve Murray, associate vice president of business services. Based on a survey conducted last year of all 573 and 898 exchange numbers, staff and students ran up a bill of over $30,000 in calls to Bell's weather recording. The new service will cost the University only $3500 a year, which will cover maintenance and Accu-Weather service fees. Murray said business services hopes to arrange a function by early October which would prevent students and staff from dialing the more expensive Bell number. The forecast can be heard 24 hours a day by calling 8-4CST from any campus phone. The information is updated at least three times per day and more often in the event of hurricane or tornado warnings. While many students said they have not tried the system yet, they agreed it will be convenient. "I'm from Texas and I have trouble telling when it will rain," Wharton sophomore Andrew Chen said. "And I can't check the news because I don't have a TV." "I [usually] listen to the radio, but if I didn't, it sounds like it would be a good service to use," said Engineering sophomore Matt Bixler. For those students who haven't yet found the time to call, today's forcast "exclusively for the University of Pennsylvania" is "partly to mostly sunny, breezy and warm, with lowing humidity, high of 84."
(03/25/91 10:00am)
The University finally made it back to the NCAA basketball tournament. Thursday night at the Palestra, site of the NCAA women's basketball East Regional, the Penn Band played and cheered the Clemson Tigers to a 57-55 victory over James Madison University. The Penn Band was hired by Clemson University, and its musical mercenaries became the Clemson Band for both Thursday night's victory and Saturday night's loss to the Connecticut Huskies, according to Penn Band Secretary Howard Berkenblit. "Early in the week, Clemson University contacted our band and said it was too expensive for them to send their band [to the games]," the College junior said. "We worked together with the cheerleaders to cheer for Clemson, so to speak, with music and cheers," Berkenblit said. "Everyone got really into it and we were cheering for the Clemson Tigers . . . which is strange since we're not used to cheering for the Tigers [Princeton University's mascot]." The band was armed with "neat Clemson stuff," such as Clemson T-shirts, megaphones, pom-poms -- the Clemson version of Quaker Shakers -- and giant tiger claws. In fact, the band looked so authentic that most people at the games believed that they were the real Clemson thing. "Most people in the stadium didn't know we were the Penn Band," said Wharton senior Brian Stifel. "The other bands certainly [did not know]." Aside from minor problems coordinating with the cheerleaders, one small mistake may have given away the band's little charade, he said. "We played a song that ended up being their rival team's fight song," said Stifel. "That was very funny. We didn't know any better." Now seasoned veterans of the NCAA tournament, the Penn Band is ready and willing to make a return appearance. If only the team's colors could be red and blue . . .
(10/25/90 9:00am)
A bill requiring colleges and universities to release crime statistics to students, employees, and prospective students, was approved by the U.S. Senate yesterday. The bill, called the "Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act," now goes to President Bush. The measure mandates that federally-aided institutions submit on-campus and some off-campus crime data to the federal government. It requires that information on violent crime be reported immediately. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure Monday. The Senate passed the bill by a voice vote yesterday. Sponsors say the bill is needed because there is no comprehensive data on campus crime. Out of 3000 colleges and universities and 5000 other federally-aided, post-secondary schools, only 352 provide crime statistics to the FBI. ''It is time to take the mask off the idea that a college campus is a completely serene and protected environment,'' said Representative William Goodling (R-Pa.), a former York County teacher and principal who is the measure's House sponsor. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), introduced the bill in the Senate. Assistant to the President William Epstein said yesterday that he supports the federal bill because students should have access to such information and because it puts the University "on the same playing field as other colleges." "Generally I think it's a good thing for this to be in place on the federal level," he said. Admissions officials were unavailable yesterday to comment on the bill's potential effects on recruiting. According to a state police report released this summer, the University tallied the second highest number of crimes -- most of which were larcenies and purse snatchings -- of over 150 Pennsylvania college campuses, only behind Pennsylvania State University. Epstein said the University supplies more information than is required by law, publishing on and off campus crime statistics each week in The Almanac. He said he does not think the published reports make the University seem any less safe than other urban institutions, adding that no campus is completely safe. "Tragically . . . being away from an urban area is no guarantee that one is not going to be a victim of a crime," he said. "You're fooling yourself in thinking that going to a suburban or rural college makes you completely safe and that you don't have to worry about the realities of everyday life." The movement to require colleges to release crime information was spearheaded by Security on Campus, an organization founded by Howard and Connie Clery, parents of a Lehigh University student who was raped and murdered in 1986 by another student. "We are delighted to say the least that all the Clerys' hard work and dedication have paid off," said Lynda Getchis, an assistant in the organization. "Throughout, the public has supported them to continue their efforts." The measure is also coupled with another requiring colleges and universities to release graduation rates of all students and students on sports scholarships. Schools would also have to make data available on athletic department revenues and expenditures. The Associated Press contributed to this article.