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(04/12/95 9:00am)
Some Yale University students have decided to fight Playboy's forthcoming "Women of the Ivy League" issue not with protests -- but with checkbooks. The Yale Women's Center is raising money to pay fellow students not to pose for the magazine, the Yale Daily News reported Monday. Last month, Playboy came to the University to photograph women for the October issue, which will feature naked or semi-naked Ivy League students. Playboy last ran an Ivy League photo spread in 1986. According to College senior Susane Colasanti, who was photographed for the issue last month, the magazine pays $100 for a picture of a clothed model, $250 for a topless pose and $500 for full frontal nudity. The Yale group is prepared to match Playboy's offer and pay the four students selected to represent Yale in the pictorial $500 each not to pose. The organization has already raised $1,000 in donations. Yale senior Sarah Haan, a member of the school's women's center, said Playboy's pictorials are degrading to women because the models' bodies are given more significance than their intellects. "Men just look at their breasts, and forget their other achievements," she said. But some University feminists said they think the Yale students' good intentions are misplaced. College senior and Penn Women's Alliance member Jesse Hergert said that "paying women not to pose seems goofy." There are many more deserving feminist causes which could benefit from such fund raising, Hergert added. No one at the University made such a visible protest of Playboy's presence on campus last month. Still, English graduate student and Penn Women's Alliance member Debra Pickett said University students are not apathetic to women's issues. She noted that the University feminist community was divided over the issue of pornography, and therefore its reaction to Playboy cannot be used as a litmus test of political activity. Hergert commented that there were some protests at the time of Playboy's visit to the University, but that she "has no real problem with adult women making money any legal way available." The Coalition held a rally in February to protest a speech by Playboy Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Christie Hefner on campus. Yale sophomore Richard Edelman said that "interest groups at Yale sometimes take things too far." Edelman said he supports the right of college-aged women to decide what they want to do with their bodies. "For people who claim to be liberals, this shouldn't be a big deal," he said.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
Representatives from two Philadelphia civic groups related their experiences as grass-roots urban planners to residents of the Spruce Hill community at a town meeting last night. The visit -- which was organized by the Spruce Hill Community Association -- is part of SHCA's efforts to finalize a community renewal plan. "Very recently we had to do a neighborhood strategic plan," said Michael Washington, deputy manager of the Advocate Community Development Corporation. "We went out to the community and found out what they needed." Founded in 1969, ACDC represents the Diamond Street area of North Philadelphia, and works to improve housing. One of the primary issues Washington addressed was the proliferation of vacant properties in his area, although he said this is not as much of a problem in West Philadelphia. "Why not give a person a side yard if you're doing development?" he asked, citing the importance of physical attractiveness in urban communities. "You need to take into account the community you're working for," he told the Spruce Hill residents. Kay Smith, of the Manayunk Development Corporation, described her association's efforts to boost commercial activity in their Northwest Philadelphia neighborhood. "Your neighborhood is what you make it," she asserted. "City money in projects didn't have the community support behind it," she said. "If there is going to be change, we had to look at ourselves and decide how we were going to do it." Using slides, she illustrated the progressive changes that have taken place in Manayunk over the last decade. According to SHCA Treasure David Hochman, the community renewal plan currently consists of a survey of local property and "a list of preliminary community objectives." The plan was developed by the SHCA's Redevelopment Task Force, which includes several University staff members and began work in October. They also cite the help of N.R. Popkin, an urban planner at the University's Center for Community Partnerships. "He is a professional who can help make this happen," Hochman said of Popkin. "But it is the neighborhood that is doing the planning." Popkin also said that one of the main goals of the planning was to create an environment in which people will want to stay and raise families. The specifics of the plan include improving the area's schools, lowering crime and addressing other quality of life issues. According to SHCA Vice President Patrick Starr, another important goal is to improve the area's percentage of owner occupancy. In Spruce Hill, the occupancy rate is 11 percent, as opposed to the city average of 55 percent. "We need to lock in our diversity," he stated.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
The cultural enthusiasm of Ibbu Okun, a dance troupe from Havana, Cuba, was so captivating that members of the audience joined the dancers on the stage last night for the performance of their final song, "El Comentario." More than 200 members of the University community and the city's African American and Puerto Rican communities gathered last night at DuBois College House to see Ibbu Okun in their U.S. debut tour. Elizabeth Sayre, an administrative assistant in the Graduate School of Education, was responsible for bringing the group to the University. Sponsored by the Music Department and 12 residential, student and academic groups, the performance had interdisciplinary appeal. Ibbu Okun -- or River and Sea -- is an eight-person all-female Afro-Cuban folkloric group from Cuba. They performed a repertoire of Afro-Cuban music and dance traditions. The music of Ibbu Okun originated in Nigeria centuries ago and has survived slavery in Cuba, according to Sayre. The women of Ibbu Okun played the Bata, a family of three double-headed drums which traditionally played by men, she added. Sayre said the group is considered controversial by many people who practice the traditional Caban Santeria religion. Ibbu Okun also performed the Orisha dance -- a sequence of dances that focuses on eight different Orisha characters. This dance is part of the cultural traditions of the Santeria religion. According to this belief system, which is based on different gods, each Orisha stands for a different characteristic in humans or nature. The Orisha dance began with a three-drum salute to the Eleggua, Ogun and Ochosi characters. Eleggua, a comical trickster dressed in red and black, engaged the audience. Each segment was preceded by an introduction from the drummers. As the dance sequence continued, each character approached the dance floor following an announcement by the singers. Babaluaye, the crippled healer of the Santeria religion, captivated the audience in the final segment of the Orisha dance. Ibbu Okun's performance also invited audience participation. In an expression of Afro-Cuban culture, members of the audience responded to traditional Santeria calls and joined the dancers on stage in their finale. Last night's show was the kick-off event for Ibbu Okun's week-long performance events that will take place throughout the city.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
Going through a rough time? Just broke up with a significant other? Feeling a bit down or depressed? Beware -- because if any of these criteria apply, you are a perfect target for recruitment into a cult, according to nationally renowned cult expert Rick Ross. About 50 students and community members gathered in the rooftop lounge of High Rise East last night for "How to Identify and Define a Destructive Group and Cults," a discussion jointly sponsored by the Vice Provost for University Life, the Christian Association and the Newman Center. Ross, who consulted the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the standoff with members of the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas, was the evening's keynote speaker. Ross has been involved in deprogramming cult victims, testifying as an expert witness and law enforcement consulting for the past 13 years. Christian Association Executive Director Beverly Dale organized the event after witnessing the effects of cults on student members and, more commonly, on their friends. Ross's address began with the definition of a cult, which he said is often times "not so much what the group professes and believes, but how it interacts." Typically, a cult will be hierarchically organized in a pyramid-like structure, with an authoritarian leader at the top who has no accountability to anyone or anything. The group isolates itself from the rest of society, and everything outside of it is seen as hostile, negative and carnal. Undue coercion and forced persuasion are used to draw people into the group. "There are very different types of cults," Ross said. "They are not just religious." But the cults which attract the most converts are religious cults, Ross said. "One of the criticisms of cults is their deceptive recruitment processes," he said. "[People] may be invited to an activity that is mislabeled." Following Ross's lecture, a panel of University students who would only identify themselves by their first names discussed their experiences with cults on campus. "Roseanne" first was approached by a member of the Church of Christ as a student in London. A year later, she was approached by another member on her second day in Trinidad as a student at the University of West Indies. "The flashing red light comes when you sense you are being pinpointed because you are alone and vulnerable," she said. "They're very kind and friendly -- At the time, I didn't have the tools to deal with them." For Roseanne, the final straw came when she met students at the University who are members from the Church of Christ in Philadelphia. They used the same key phrases she had heard, by this time, spoken literally around the world. "I realized something terrible was going on -- the influence of this church was powerful and dangerous," she said. "It's often less what they say than what they do." "Clayton" was lured into the Church of Christ at the beginning of his freshman year, when he left his appointment book in his psychology class. Another student found it, and when Clayton went to reclaim it, the student invited him to a Bible study session. Eager to become more religious, Clayton agreed, and was eventually baptized as a full member. "Everyone liked each other and seemed happy," he said. "The people there were very friendly and made me feel good about myself." But the constraints of the Church forced him to spend less time with friends he had made during the first week of school. "Now in retrospect, I see the complete control of the group," he said. "You live with them, you eat with them, you study with them." Clayton himself participated in the group's recruitment process. "I did it too -- gave lots of love, admonishments, rebukes, embarrassments, to change someone's behavior," he said. "I knew what I was doing, though it wasn't taught." His parents pulled him out of the group this summer and forced him to attend a deprogramming seminar. Ross said the suicide rate is high in the Church of Christ, where members often feel that they are failures if they are unable to deal the stress the Church places on them. "The bottom line is when a person loses their individuality," he said. People who leave the groups usually know their reasons for such action, he added. They have typically read books on the subject or "really crunched the scriptures with various theologians." The typical person who joins a cult is someone who does not ask enough questions, Ross said. "If we asked as many questions as we do when buying a new car or CD player [as when joining a religious group], there wouldn't be any cults," Ross said. "I'm sorry you have to be a bit cynical, [but] if a group is too good to be true, they probably are up to something."
(04/12/95 9:00am)
In an effort to improve campus safety, five new security kiosks will be constructed on and off campus and at least 14 new blue-light phones will be installed in the next six weeks at a cost of $225,000, Executive Vice President John Fry said yesterday. This is part of the University's master security plan, which was unveiled by University President Judith Rodin in February. The plan creates a series of "Community Walks" which will run through the center of campus and along heavily traveled off-campus streets. The five security kiosks and new blue-light phones will be strategically located along the walkways. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said kiosk installation will begin within the next two weeks and will take an additional four weeks to complete. The kiosks will be manned seven days a week by Allied Security guards between 3 p.m. and 5 a.m and have a blue-light phone mounted on the side. Kuprevich added that the walking Allied guard patrols -- which began on February 22 -- will be discontinued after the kiosks are installed. But he said the guards will periodically leave the kiosks to patrol the Community Walks. Kuprevich also said that University Police officers, who were redeployed to focus more on the perimeter of the Community Walks, may see further changes to their patrols. Kuprevich said the Allied guards will serve as additional "eyes and ears" only, and will not replace University Police officers. "[University Police officers] are still responsible for primary policing," he said. "Their jobs have not changed, while their deployment capabilities have improved." Since the Allied guard patrols started, Kuprevich said there has been a noticeable "difference in the number of instances, specifically crimes against person on campus and in the nearby community." He added that he expected the kiosk and phone project to continue reducing the crime level on campus. Fry said he plans to evaluate the latest project at first on a monthly and then on a quarterly basis, by comparing the level of crime before and after the creation of the Community Walks. "The key here is to reduce the amounts of incidents," he added. "Benchmarks of existing incidents will be matched with performance goals and then we will do a gap analysis." According to Stephen Schutt, Rodin's chief of staff, the master security plan was well received by an independent consulting team that viewed the plan last month. Schutt said three of the advisors, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Tucker, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Terry Schumard and Secret Service agent Ernie Kun, are "particularly enthusiastic about the initiatives." "[The consulting team] encouraged us to do what we are doing and that is to get this done as quickly as possible," he said. "They think it is a very forward looking program and it is ahead of the curve." Schutt added that the consultants will return to campus in the "near future" to provide further suggestions and comments. The Community Walks are Locust Street between 33rd and 43rd streets, 36th Street between Chestnut Street and the Nursing Education Building and Walnut, Spruce and Pine streets from 39th to 43rd streets.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
Sandra Barnes, the University's director of African Studies, shared her knowledge and dreams with a small gathering of students Monday in Vance Hall. As Barnes moved her chair to within a few feet of the students, the scheduled lecture began to assume the intimate feel of a discussion group. She expressed hope that at least one of the major structural impediments to African growth -- the lack of accountability of African leaders -- would eventually be countered by growing dissatisfaction from the poor. But despite her cautious optimism, Barnes admitted that there are myriad obstacles remaining to economic growth in Africa. She said that unlike their Western counterparts, the accumulation and retention of monetary resources is of less importance to African business people than the acquisition of friends and influence. "People don't necessarily accumulate monetary capital," she said. "People want to accumulate social capital." Barnes said the legacy of Africa's colonial days also contributed to its developmental difficulties. "The administrative loci and the economic loci of power were all in the bureaucracy," she said. "There was no separation of access to resources from government." Barnes said that business in Africa is further complicated by the lack of a common language through which business people can communicate. This is an especially critical impediment to Western business interests. "You learn how to operate in the culture through the language," she explained. Barnes added that individual initiative, so critical to Western business, is not necessarily as prized in African culture. "Everybody looks to someone else as senior to them, and they will only act if the senior tells them to," she said, adding that against this backdrop, it has been easy for the United States to conceive of Africa as a "bottomless pit" where invested money simply disappears. She expressed concern that this attitude could leave America floundering in the race to open and develop the continent. "The U.S. is marginalizing Africa while other nations are bringing Africa into the center of their foreign policy," Barnes said. While her knowledge of the developmental problems facing Africa was the primary focus of the forum, Barnes hopes the new African Studies World Wide Web page will make the University a center for African research. "My dream is that the Web will really establish Penn as an information broker, as the place to go for information on Sub-Saharan Africa," Barnes said, adding that the page has gained international attention. Barnes appeared as the first speaker in the "Penn Professors on Third World Development" lecture series presented jointly by AIESEC -- the International Association of Students in Economics and Business Management -- and the Philomathean Society. The series continues through Thursday -- each day at 4:30 p.m. in Vance Hall B-2. The other speakers include Legal Studies Professor Phillip Nichols, Economics and South Asian Regional Studies Professor Alan Heston and Research Associate Douglas Ewbank of the Population Studies Center.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
The strike lasted for 14 days After 14 days without public transportation, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority strike is over. SEPTA's buses, trains and trolleys hit the streets yesterday afternoon, and by 3 p.m., the Market-Frankford and Broad Street subway lines were operational, although providing limited and often delayed service. Clarence Brangman, assistant general manager for surface operations, and Juan Torres, assistant general manager for the subway-elevated division, both said they expect the entire system to be 100 percent operational by tomorrow morning. As for the University faculty, staff and students who had to depend on contingency travel plans, yesterday was their last ride on alternate routes. University Vice President for Business Services Steve Murray said the special buses were scheduled to stop running as of last night. In addition, the message on the 898-MELT hotline is announcing that the strike "appears to have been settled." "We very happy it's over and that things will be back tomorrow," Murray said. "The University community, faculty and staff have done a terrific job of pulling together and finding ways to get to work. Because of their efforts, the strike had fairly minimal impact on University as a whole." SEPTA Deputy General Manager Howard Roberts said he shook hands with union President Harry Lombardo at approximately 4:30 a.m. yesterday morning after several grueling hours of negotiations in the in the Wyndham/Franklin Hotel. But he added that at about 11 p.m. Sunday night, he had little confidence and was ready to give up. "Suddenly something seemed to break and things started to move rapidly," Roberts said. He added that the two-week mark was imperative so that permanent riders would not be lost. He said that SEPTA estimated losing $30 to $60 million in revenue if the strike was prolonged. "We are about to go into the killing zone for ridership," he said. During the strike, Mayor Ed Rendell came under harsh criticism by Lombardo and SEPTA strikers for not getting involved in the strike. Roberts said, however, that the strike would not have been settled without the help of the mayor. "The mayor and the chief of staff [David Cohen] were absolutely instrumental in bringing about this particular settlement," he said. The terms of the agreement include a 3 percent "backloaded" wage increase for each year of the contract which will begin on December 15, 1995. An additional 3 percent increase will take effect on December 15, 1997. The union originally asked for a 3 percent wage increase effective immediately that would have cost SEPTA $36 million. Under the settlement, however, SEPTA will only have to pay $21 million. Septa General Manager Louis Gambaccini stressed that the money for the increase came from "savings." Other terms of the contract include raising the cap on yearly pensions from $35,000 to $40,000, an increase in sick pay from 39 percent to 45 percent and an increase in the union's dental benefits. SEPTA plans to finance the increase by restructuring the workers' compensation system and reducing accident-related personal injury claims. SEPTA sales offices are providing credits for unused weekly and monthly passes purchased for travel during the last two weeks. And SEPTA will continue to accept Transpasses through April 15 for regional rail trips to and from the 51 railroad stations in Philadelphia. During the SEPTA strike, the city's transit system was crippled, shutting down all bus, train and trolley service and affecting over 400,000 riders. Only portions of the regional rail lines remained unaffected.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
Striving to foster communication with Greek leaders, University President Judith Rodin addressed approximately 60 presidents of fraternities and sororities last night at a panel discussion in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house. College junior and InterFraternity Council President David Treat, Wharton junior and BiCultural InterGreek Council President Trista Bridges, and Wharton junior and Panhellenic Council President Lissette Calderon joined Rodin on the panel. In her brief address, Rodin said the administration recognizes that fraternities and sororities are involved in community activities at the University as well as in West Philadelphia. They are not solely social institutions -- as they were when she was in a sorority as a student at the University, Rodin said. Yet questions about social activities abounded at the meeting. In response to a question about the IFC's recently adopted "Bring Your Own Beer" alcohol policy, Rodin alluded to a Harvard University study that found binge drinking to be increasing among college students -- especially freshmen. She added that the University "doesn't wish to be the police in enforcing the policy, so it must be something that is enforced -- like an honor code -- by the students." Rodin also said she acknowledges that the Greek system has a significant history at the University. She said the idea of fraternities and sororities having open events at which everyone is welcome appeals to her. However, she said it is not something she would like to see institutionalized throughout the University. Bridges asked whether the University will provide Big-C organizations with office space and an area to store their records -- since most Big-C organizations do not have their own houses. Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Tricia Phaup, who was also present at the meeting, responded that the administration is working to accommodate this request. Rodin also discussed what she described as strained racial relations on campus, acknowledging that the Big-C has encountered hostility from other students. When asked what the University has done to compensate for the Greeks' reduced role in campus social life, Rodin replied that "if you come up with ideas, as long as they're not illegal or immoral, we will try to help." She also reassured her audience that the boarded-up fraternity house at 37th and Locust streets, which formerly housed Theta Xi, will eventually become the Penn Women's Center. But she added that because the building is in such disrepair, it will take more time and cost more money to complete the project. Treat complained to Rodin that The Daily Pennsylvanian does not have adequate competition in its coverage of campus news. Rodin responded that it would be "inappropriate" for the University to choose to support another news source, such as UTV13, in order to check the DP's virtual monopoly on campus news. She added that the merger of the Almanac and The Compass is significant, as people may begin to look to the University publications for campus news. When asked whether she saw the University's fraternity system as a "problem or an opportunity," she said the "Greek system is an integral part of campus life," and assured the presidents that neither she nor the administration "has any plan to reduce the size of the Greek system." While Rodin did not guarantee that the fraternity houses would all remain in their present locations, she said "no discussion about changing any [fraternity house] locations is presently being had." Rodin concluded the meeting by explaining to the Greek presidents that the University is very supportive of their organizations. She also thanked them for their willingness to comply with the administration's suggested changes.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
The concept behind Locust Walk, a student-produced campus television drama scheduled to debut tonight on UTV13, is familiar: Beverly Hills, 90210 or Melrose Place-esqe characters grapple with issues such as sex, drugs and race. But the similarity between Locust Walk and the programs that influence its production is limited to theory. The show's novelty only emerges behind the scenes. High Rise South 1315 replaces the more well-known numbers and a early 70's home-video spotlight barely compares to the technology used to produce network television shows. It is hard to imagine that Melrose Place would stop taping for five days while waiting for a $35 spotlight bulb from Arizona. And instead of a boom microphone, one of the campus show's producers holds a microphone -- attached with masking tape to a wooden broomstick -- above the actors heads. Although the four producers, Wharton sophomores Dan Khatib and Andrew Simonian and College sophomores Alex Saltzman and Andrew Waller, received technical guidance from advisors at UTV13, the station provided them with only a video camera and a microphone. The students have spent $500 of their own money since they began the project in November. Tonight's premiere, which will air on UTV13 at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 p.m., took about three weeks to film. Because the cast and crew, including the four producers, had almost no experience with television production, taping and editing went very slowly. The first scene, which was only four pages long, took five hours to film and tonight's episode required between 30 and 40 hours of editing. In addition to their inexperience, the producers said their familiarity with the script made editing difficult. "And after six hours in the editing room, anything is funny," Saltzman said. In the HRS apartment, two of the show's actors, College freshman Gilly Guez and College sophomore Matt Kapuchinski rehearsed a scene for tonight's episode while the four producers searched for gaps in the script. Although there were many more hands than there were pieces of equipment to be handled, and about as much space as a normal high rise kitchenette provides, the cast and crew appeared to know their places and stayed out of each others way. Through the heavy crossfire of older brother-like taunting from the five men surrounding her, Guez -- who plays "Lori" -- managed to remain strong against her obnoxious television boyfriend Keith, played by Kapuchinski. Kapuchinski, who also wrote and performed the Locust Walk theme song, described his character. "The scene that defines my character is the bedroom scene when I'm sleeping with this character and all I want is the sex," he said. But just as Jason Priestly denied any real-life resemblances to his 90210 character Brandon Walsh, Kapuchinski maintained that in reality, he is nothing like his character. And his seemingly reserved manner substantiated his claim, until he sprung from the couch, grimaced down at Guez, and surprised the crew with his own creative dialogue. "I don't have hemorrhoids!" he declared, cracking up the entire crew. Unlike Kapuchinski, it is easy to see that Guez is not much different from the nice-girl character she portrays. "As you can tell, I was not type-cast," she said with a little too much innocence to believe. "I'm really mean. Anyone can tell you I'm the meanest person." But contrary to Kapuchinski's comment, none of the episodes deal with hemorrhoids. The University's infamous water buffalo incident will, however, be eluded to in a future episode.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
The 1995 Christian and Mary Lindback Awards for Distinguished Teaching will be presented to eight University professors at a celebration Thursday afternoon. The Lindback Foundation, an independent organization, honors eight tenured University professors with the awards every spring. The award recognizes exceptional teaching. Each winner receives a $1,000 prize. Two non-tenured professors are also chosen by the provost to receive a prize. The 10 awards are divided between five professors from the Veterinary, Medical, Dental or Nursing schools and five professors from other areas of the University. In the health care schools, Associate Nursing Professor Janet Deatrick, Assistant Medicine Professor Harold Feldman, Associate Psychiatry Professor Anthony Rostain and Assistant Veterinary Medicine Professor Robert Washabau will receive Lindback awards on Thursday. Nursing Research Coordinator Elizabeth Capezuti will receive a Provost's Award. This year's non-medicine related Lindback recipients are Mathematics Professor David Harbater, Geology Professor Ian Harker, Associate Political Science Professor Will Harris and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Professor Jeffrey Tigay. George Thomas, a lecturer in Historical Preservation and Urban Studies, will receive a Provost's Award. Eight University teachers have won the Lindback each year since 1961. The Lindback Foundation, located in Philadelphia, also recognizes outstanding teachers from other area universities, according to Terry Conn, executive assistant to the Vice Provost for University Life, who coordinates the awards process. To be considered for an award, teachers must meet rigorous standards outlined in the Criteria Guidelines for the Lindback Awards. "The distinguished teacher is fair, free from prejudice and single-minded in the pursuit of truth," the Guidelines state. Lindback recipients are chosen by a committee of students and former winners. Usually, between 15 and 20 professors are nominated by students for the Lindback Award and either four or five for the Provost's Award, according to Conn. Award recipients said they were excited and honored to win the prestigious prizes. "When you've got great students and an interesting topic, good teaching is fun," Thomas said. Deatrick, the director of the Nursing School's master's degree program in pediatric nursing, said the award was a great honor. "I'm thrilled, and it's really a highest honor for me," she said. "I really value the teaching component of the academic role." The awards ceremony will be held in the Rare Books Room of Van Pelt Library from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
College sophomore Jason Fulton scheduled his classes to begin at noon throughout the week so he could enjoy sleeping the morning away. Yesterday, however, the pounding vibrations of jackhammers and drills startled the High Rise North resident out of his slumber at 7 a.m. when the Danella Construction Corporation began a project expected to last at least 10 working days. Bell Atlantic contracted the construction company to replace conduits and lay new cables on 39th Street between Walnut and Spruce streets. And according to Danella foreman Nick Tenaglia, his company's standard working hours -- from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday -- will not change despite Superblock residents' schedules. "They will be waking up early this week," Tenaglia said. "But it is for progress -- any growth in communication would affect you positively." The cables that run down 39th Street have deteriorated since they were put in during the 1920s, according to Ceil Trusello, Bell Atlantic's assistant manager for Outside Facilities and Engineering. And Trusello added that the construction now taking place will allow for "better service." "We do apologize for any inconvenience," she said. "But this is so we don't have any out of service problems -- and we've had a few problems in the last year or so." Although Tenaglia said he hoped to complete the construction within 10 days, he added that it could take longer than that. "You don't know what you're going to encounter," he said. "We could run into some ancient Indian artifact and could be out here forever." But no matter how long the project lasts, students said they are unhappy with their less than melodious wake-up call. "I was pretty pissed," Fulton said. "It looks like the next 10 days are going to be pretty miserable." He added that he wished the companies involved had waited until the students had completed finals and left Superblock. "They waited 70 years, they could wait another three weeks," he said. "Why couldn't they wait for the summer to do this?" Others said they just wished Danella Construction would change its work hours. "They should tell these people not to start working until nine or something," Engineering senior Jose Molina-Paez said. "They have to do it at another time." Molina, who lives in High Rise East, said if he wakes up because of the noise today, he plans to call Residential Living to complain. Gordon Rickards, Residential Living assistant director for safety, security and facilities, said Residential Living did not know about the planned construction until the department's employees came to work yesterday. "We have a definite problem with their start time," he said, adding that Residential Living has received numerous complaints from students about the noise. Rickards added that he plans to talk with University officials and others dealing with the project to see if the construction's timing can be changed.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
Entertainment India may not appear on the UTV13 airwaves again this semester, but General Manager Heather Dorf said she acted appropriately when she imposed restrictions on the show for irresponsible behavior on the part of its producers. Dorf's comments followed charges made by the show's producer, Wharton sophomore Toral Mehta, earlier this week that Dorf imposed unreasonable restrictions on the show's staff, which in affect canceled her show. Dorf, a College junior, said last night that multiple instances of unprofessional and irresponsible behavior on the part of the show's producers showed her that the staff was incapable of producing its show "autonomously." She added that Mehta's abuses included returning UTV13 cameras days after they were due back to the station, erasing another UTV13 producer's work, mishandling station equipment and letting untrained Entertainment India staff members use the station's cameras. Dorf said Mehta's behavior was hurting the entire station. "Her irresponsibility was making our day-to-day operations increasingly difficult," she said. "If something's not there when you need it, you don't have a story. If you don't have a story, you don't have a program. If you don't have a program, you don't have a station." College senior and former UTV13 Sports Director Sherri Solomon said Mehta's behavior affected her when she was supposed to cover a men's basketball game with a camera that was in Mehta's possession. "So many times I was ready to quit working for the station because there were no cameras there because Toral had them," she said. "She was impossible to work with because she did not play by the rules and was not fair in what she was doing." After one of the abuses, Dorf said she decided to put the group on probation until the end of the semester. But after speaking with Mehta and hearing her apology, she decided to give the group a chance to continue production this semester. Dorf then told Mehta that if she wrote a proposal explaining what she had done wrong and what measures she would take to improve, she would consider taking the group off probation. When Dorf received the proposal two weeks later, she asked her board to vote on two issues: whether to let the show remain a part of UTV13, and if so, whether to mandate supervision of all of the group's activities. The board voted to keep the show in UTV13's lineup, but to "baby-sit" all production. Dorf said, however, that no one on the board has enough time to supervise the group this semester. "At this point in time, [with] about a month left in our season, everyone is tapped," she said. "Not busy with life, busy with UTV13." Dorf said the group can retrain next fall during the regular general training session, and the board will reconsider the group's status with regard to supervised activity at that time. Mehta said last night that the deadline violations she committed were mistakes, but that she had no prior knowledge of many of the rules Dorf referred to, such as one stating that every member of a show's staff using cameras must be trained. In fact, Mehta is the only trained member on her staff. "That's ridiculous," Mehta said. "Would you think that I was going to single-handedly make this whole show?" Dorf and former UTV13 General Manager and College senior Todd Donovan both said that Mehta has had the training policy explained to her numerous times. The policy is also posted around the UTV13 studio. Dorf said she hopes to see Entertainment India back on the air in the fall. "I don't want to lose programming," she said. "There's no reason we wouldn't want to have their show. It had nothing to do with the quality of their show."
(04/11/95 9:00am)
Saturday, the University once again beat Columbia -- only this time the competition was focused on intellect rather than athletics. More than 50 students convened in Bennett Hall's Penniman Library to witness the intellectual debate between the University's Philomathean Society and Columbia University's Philolexian Society. The forum, sponsored by the Philomathean Society -- the oldest continually existing literary society in the country -- focused on the famous quote by W.C. Fields: "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." Philomathean Society members defended the assertion that Philadelphia was a better city to live in than New York. The debate was moderated by Channel Six Anchorman Jim Gardner. The special guest judges were city councilman Thatcher Longstreth and Elaine Simon, the co-director of the Urban Studies Program. While the debate had a serious format, it contained many humorous overtones. According to Engineering senior Will Sauer, the funniest point was when a member of the Philomathean Society pointed out that the Liberty Bell is just a cracked bell and that New York's favorite saying is "Say no to crack." Members of the Philolexian Society rebutted by noting the association of New York with bagels and Philadelphia with cream cheese. "You can have a bagel without the cream cheese, but not the cream cheese without the bagel," Sauer said. Rob Sloane, the captain of the Philolexian Society's debate team, said that "it was good for the two societies to come together." "There was a spirit of friendly competition and things turned out quite well," he said. Brendan Cahill, captain of the Philomathean team, said the debate was an attempt by the two intellectual societies to get back to their roots. "Debate and drama were always central parts of the society," he explained. "We had a very good time," he added. "I had a lot of fun with it. We hope to have another debate this summer on [Columbia's] turf at the Penn Club in New York." The friendly rivalry was part of an American Association of Collegiate Literary Societies Congress which the University hosted this weekend.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
Every Friday night, College junior Jennifer Loh attends services at the Chinese Christian Church Center in downtown Philadelphia. Instead of having to take a taxi or public transportation, Loh relies on rides from several graduate student friends she has made through the religious organization. The church center has set up a program in which graduate fellows and young working people advise and provide a support structure for undergraduates. The graduate students even make care packages for the undergraduates during finals. "They're always available to give us advice," Loh said. But, this kind of interaction between undergraduate and graduate students is not common at the University. Not only is there a lack of social interaction between the two groups, but students said they are not interested in having more opportunities to interact with each other. According to a survey of 30 undergraduate and 30 graduate students conducted by The Daily Pennsylvanian, 61 percent of students said they either did not want more interaction, or did not have an opinion on the issue. Communication tends to be limited to the teaching assistant-student relationship. And relations that develop outside of the classroom are usually based on similar academic interests. Graduate students who are not TAs are able to meet undergraduates through various organizations on campus that provide social activities for both sets of students. But only a small percentage of the student population participates in these groups. "Because I don't teach yet, my interaction as a first-year student is confined to that which I have while participating in extracurriculars such as music and dance," first-year Music graduate student Elyse Carter said. Kirk Wattles, a Sociology doctoral student, said he has met many undergraduates through the Democratic Socialists of America -- another relatively marginal campus group. Through campus organizations, Wattles said he has had the opportunity to discuss ideas and theories with undergraduates that transcend the academic setting. Like Loh, many undergraduates have said they meet graduate students through religious organizations such as the Campus Crusade for Christ, the Hindu Discussion Group and the Newman Center. And although Hillel holds open services for all students, most social events, such as dances and dinners, are planned by separate graduate and undergraduate committees, College junior Tina Namdar said. According to Carter, most graduate students do not necessarily have the time to go to such events even if they are open to all students. "They usually encounter undergraduates while teaching and since the main source of social structure for undergraduates, as far as I can tell, is the Greek system -- which most graduate students I know happen to detest -- these two factors lead to very little interaction between students of any level," she said. Undergraduate and graduate students often have the opportunity to interact in upper-level courses. For example, the Nursing School has a double-degree program that allows Nursing graduate students to take courses with their undergraduate counterparts. Some undergraduates said that outside of the classroom, they dined and went to the movies, bars and attended parties with graduate-level friends. Yet 50 percent of the undergraduate student body reported they had no graduate student friends. Despite this limited social interaction, dating between levels does occur. Ninety percent of students said they would definitely date the other if the opportunity presented itself. But graduates and undergraduates rarely enter intimate relations because both sets of students fear the charge of sexual harassment -- especially in the case of a relationship between a TA and a student. "Anyone entering a relationship who has an official role that carries some authority it seems would carry with the relationship some tension," Wattles said. It is not only professional responsibilities, but an overall incompatibility between the students' lifestyles which deters graduate students from wanting to date undergraduates. "The experience I'm having as a graduate student is completely removed and different from one which any undergraduate could possibly have on this campus. I would definitely not date an undergraduate," Carter said. "It would make for a very difficult relationship." Undergraduates, however, have the opposite viewpoint and have said they would definitely date a graduate student if the opportunity presented itself. "Dating a graduate student isn't much of a difference from dating an undergraduate student," College sophomore Jin Lee said. "Age shouldn't matter." But for many undergraduates, there is a gap between the two levels. "Once a student is in graduate school, they're not in the same college scene," Namdar said. The administration addresses graduate student needs differently from undergraduates'. Graduate students said they thought they were treated better than undergraduates by the University administration. A few undergraduates agreed, primarily because they feel the University is research-oriented. One graduate student who was surveyed, however, said the University seems to operate on the undergraduate calendar with no consideration to the graduate students who are attending classes all year round. Earlier this year, Graduate and Professional Student Association members spoke to University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow about being ignored in administrative plans that focused on undergraduates. Both Rodin and Chodorow said at the time that they feel interaction needs to be encouraged and that they are aware of the problem. According to the survey, many students are apathetic about a lack of interaction -- mainly because the issue has not been addressed by the administration. Graduate students also said the branches of administration that they are in contact with are completely separate from the undergraduates. Yet 38 percent did not have an opinion on how undergraduates were treated because they were only aware of how the administration responded to graduate students. Another factor that inhibits interaction between graduates and undergraduates is the University's geography. The Law School buildings are located on 34th Street between Sansom and Chestnut away from the central campus. Therefore, Law students that live in the Graduate Towers, also located on Chestnut Street, have no reason to venture past Walnut Street to Locust Walk, where most undergraduates congregate. Medical, Veterinary, and Dental students also have the same geographical challenge since their buildings are located on or south of Spruce Street. Regardless of these inhibiting factors, there should be more interaction between different level students and it should be a point of concern, said one College senior surveyed.
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In an open letter, English Professor Houston Baker apologized to School of Arts Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens yesterday for comments attributed to him in a Daily Pennsylvanian column that ran last month. In the column, which was written by College junior Mike Nadel, Baker was quoted as making several serious accusations against Stevens. Nadel quoted Baker -- who is also the director of the Center for the Study of Black Literature and Culture -- as calling Stevens incompetent and described incidents in which she was accused of being biased against certain ethnic groups and departments. Since then, many SAS faculty members and administrators have rallied in support of Stevens. In yesterday's letter, Baker said he did not call Stevens a racist. He denied any ill intent on his part. "My harshness was a direct result of the frustration I feel about the general status and function of our School of Arts and Sciences within the larger university community," he stated in the letter. Baker suggested an "open, public, 'civil' forum on the future of the liberal arts and sciences at Penn, to be attended by University trustees, administration, faculty and staff." He said last night that he sent this letter "out of my genuine concern for the excellence of the University of Pennsylvania." Stevens said she thinks the forum is an interesting idea because it is in the spirit of the continuing goal of the faculty to build excellence at the University. "There are many important issues to be dealt with in the University," she said last night. "And I look forward to putting this episode behind us and proceeding with the work that needs to be done. But Nadel was not so quick to dismiss Baker's original comments. "I am glad that Professor Baker has made it clear that there was no misinterpretation of his comments on my part," he said. "I just wish that members of the University community felt free to be more honest and vocal about what they know to be the poor quality of Rosemary Stevens' deanship." Nadel added that although there has been a lot of support for Stevens over the last two weeks, there has also been "vocal criticism of undergraduate education coming from dynamic, futurist faculty members all over the University." "Those who say that Rosemary Stevens is either dynamic or future-thinking are being disingenuous, possibly for political reasons," Nadel said.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
Hundreds of students packed the lower level of Irvine Auditorium yesterday, lured by free ice cream and a chance to hear Ben and Jerry speak. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, entrepreneurs and owners of the Vermont-based ice cream and frozen yogurt business that bears their names, discussed their ideas of radical business philosophy and social responsibility. Friends since the seventh grade, Cohen and Greenfield realized their dream of becoming their own bosses in May of 1978, when they opened an ice cream store in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vt. Soon after, the pair found themselves the owners of a business with a net worth of $3 million. At this point, Cohen and Greenfield were on the verge of selling the business. "We weren't scooping ice cream anymore," Greenfield explained. "It had become a big business and we didn't want to be responsible for exploiting people like most businesses do." But these two visionaries managed to find a way to run their business in a manner that supports people rather than exploits them. In their efforts to make the local community around them prosper as their business grew, Cohen and Greenfield offered Vermont residents a chance to stock in the ice cream company at a reduced price. "When all the stock was gone, one out of every 100 families in Vermont owned shares in our company," Greenfield said. Greenfield emphasized the fact that business is the most powerful force in our society. "If business is the most powerful institution," he asked, "then why aren't businesses using their power to help society rather than destroy it?" Greenfield said that many businesses fail to measure success correctly and cited the profit motive as one of the main reasons for businesses' social irresponsibility to the community. "Businesses tend to measure their success by how much profit they are making," he said. "They base their decisions on which [option] will bring the most profit." Greenfield stated that their company was trying to integrate their business needs with those of the surrounding community. "We have a Ben and Jerry foundation," Greenfield said. "We give 7.5% of pre-tax profits to non-profit organizations. "We measure our success not only by how much profit the company is generating, but also by how much we have helped to improve the quality of the community," Greenfield said. "We have begun to choose courses of action that have a positive effect on the community and our business at the same time." He mentioned that many of their products integrate social concerns into the production process. Rainforest Crunch is one of those products. The ice cream contains brazil nuts which are harvested from rainforests. "This is more profitable both for the environment and for the community," Greenfield said. "People are less inclined to cut down rainforests if they are profitable." Chocolate Fudge Brownie is another flavor on the list of socially responsible products. "We buy the brownies from a bakery in inner-city New York that employs homeless people," Greenfield said. "This way we are able to get our ingredients and the employees of the bakery can count on a job as long as we are creating a market for [the product]." Cohen and Greenfield buy their pecans from farmers in the South, their coffee beans from an Aztec cooperative in Mexico, and their dairy products from a co-op in Vermont. "It is very important that we keep the money going back to the people who need it," Greenfield said. "We are using the power of our company to be socially responsible. "We at Ben and Jerry are learning that business has a spiritual aspect," he added. "We are all interconnected. As we help others, we cannot help but to help ourselves."
(04/10/95 9:00am)
The University's sixth annual Celebration of Culture transformed College Green into a multicultural festival filled with food, costumes and performances. Saturday's celebration -- sponsored by the United Minorities Council, the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Greenfield Intercultural Center -- featured tents lining Locust Walk selling ethnic food and crafts, as well as performances under a larger tent on the lawn in front of Van Pelt Library sponsored by UMC member groups. UMC's Celebration of Culture board member Ian Corbin, a College sophomore, said the day was designed for both educational and recreational purposes. "It's for the University to see what the different cultures are like," he explained. "It's also a day for people to relax and have fun." The crowd on College Green was estimated to have reached 100 at one point Saturday -- only half the number present last year -- according to Officer Pat Dunn of the University Police. Vendors said they blamed this year's lower attendance on the cloudy weather. "Last year the weather was much nicer so it was more crowded," said Linda Chan, a College sophomore and UMC representative from the Chinese Student Association. This was the second year the celebration was held on Locust Walk rather than in Superblock. As a result, the festival which once again attracted many more passersby than might have ordinarily made a conscious effort to attend. "All different people are stopping," Chan said, "even people who didn't know this was going on." Attendees of all races and ethnicities said they thoroughly enjoyed the festival. College senior Joe Pinon said he liked the performances for their aesthetic value. "I love it," he said. "It's really great to see the beauty in all the different cultures." College senior Jeanette Melendez, who was watching the Mariachi band sponsored by El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano De Aztlan, the Japanese Cultural Society and the Black Student League said she loved watching the performances-- although not for their artistic value alone. "It's so great when people take the time to appreciate other people's cultures," said. "And I think it's also a time when the Latino and Asian cultures can feel that even when they're away from home they have a place where they're accepted."
(04/10/95 9:00am)
Santa and his elves made an off-season stop in West and North Philadelphia this weekend. Members of Christmas In April, an organization comprised of Wharton graduate students, spent Saturday rebuilding 21 dilapidated area homes. Over 1,500 students and volunteers participated in the community re-construction project, which culminated with Saturday's activities, according to Anna Bulkot, a second-year Wharton graduate student and public relations chairperson of Christmas In April. Students have been involved with the construction projects for the past month, with the majority of volunteers pitching in this weekend, second-year Wharton graduate student Ethan Eisner said. The students raised over $100,000 in grants and donations from local businesses and charitable foundations. Home Depot provided a budget for supplies. Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell and University men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy also attended, and the program received television coverage, Bulkot said. John Steigerwald, a second-year Wharton graduate student and the organization's fund-raising chairperson, said the program "did a very good job of house selection." Each group of students received a individual home to work with. And Eisner, a two-year veteran of the program, said that he and others spent up to 15 hours per week restoring his particular home. The volunteers, who were both University students and professional skilled laborers, made a variety of home improvements -- from repairing a leaky roof and fixing faulty wiring to painting and plastering. However, Eisner said that "99 percent of [the construction] work is done by unskilled labor." One community resident who benefited from the renovations, Mary Boston, is a 62-year-old grandmother working towards her masters of arts education. She had been without heat for the past three years, and her house was deemed too damaged for assistance from the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation. Bulkot said that Boston, who is converting her basement into a community arts center, is "a fantastic person to help."
(04/10/95 9:00am)
Students' wallets are getting a workoutStudents' wallets are getting a workoutfrom the Hutch Fitness Center Currently, a University education allows students the opportunity to become wealthy and wise. The healthy portion of Franklin's proverb, however, requires more than just an alarm clock -- membership at the Hutchinson Gymnasium Fitness Center necessitates a hefty wad of cash. Since the center's inception in 1988, students, faculty and staff have been charged a fee to use the Nautilus weight room and aerobic equipment. In 1989, students were charged a yearly fee of $135; today, students are charged $125. College sophomore Marc Cohen did not join the facility because of the money and "there were other things I could do." Cohen transferred from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he said there are four different fitness centers -- all of which offered high-quality equipment at no extra cost to students. "It's been an inconvenience -- I don't think I've been able to fulfill the same type of workout goals as I did at Madison," he said. "I think anyone will tell you that in order to have a fit mind, you have to have a fit body." College junior Beth Ferreira joined the fitness center in the middle of the year, having been previously deterred from buying a membership because of the cost. "For what they have there, I don't think it's worth it to have to pay $125 a year," she said. "The facilities stink, it smells, it's stuffy and who wants to exercise on top of someone else?" Ferreira added that she was not aware that students do not have to pay for use of the facilities at other institutions. "I'd think that for $28,000 a year they would let you use the Stairmaster for free," she said. In fact, all other Ivy League schools except for Cornell University provide Nautilus and aerobic equipment to their students free of charge. At Cornell, students pay a fee of $135 a year to use the campus' two athletic facilities, according to senior Gary Baldwin. Many Cornell students therefore opt not to work out on campus, and instead choose to join athletic clubs in Ithaca, many of which charge over $125 a semester, Baldwin said. At Columbia University, anyone carrying a University identification card is allowed admission to the Dodge Fitness Center, which houses an indoor running track, pool, weight facilities, saunas and exercise and conditioning equipment. "Our policy is that all students, faculty and staff can use our facility," explained Al Carlson, Columbia's assistant director of athletics. "It's hopefully something students can take with them for the rest of their lives." The University's own fitness center was the brainchild of a student committee during the 1986-87 school year. Since the only existing place for exercise was a free weight room in Hutch at the time, the group asked the President's Office for assistance in updating the campus facilities. "We had to take a position and looked at various areas -- the only one we really had was the Hutch gym," Recreation Director Bob Glascott said. "It was originally going to be financed and paid for out of the President's office." However, as the situation developed, the money ended up coming from a loan by the University to the Recreation Department. "Both the student group and the athletic department tried to get funding for it -- it eventually came down to a point of investment," Vice President of Facilities and Management Arthur Gravina said. "There just weren't any funds available." "Another caveat was that we didn't want it to affect tuition money and the general fee," Gravina said, adding that the funds came from the University Treasurer's Office. The center was established under the agreement that it would be financially self-sufficient. Monies collected from the students have been used to pay for the equipment and other fees related to the general upkeep of the facility -- from the salary of the fitness center's director to the paychecks for the center's student employees. But various administrators disagree about the amount of the original cap placed on the loan's repayment. Assistant Director of Recreation John Hamrick was told the loan would be paid back in five years when he started working for the University in September 1988. "Now its been over five years and I was told that the loan was re-done over a seven-year period rather than five years," he said. Glascott confirmed that the loan was extended to seven years when the center increased acquisition of aerobic equipment -- which today includes eight Stairmasters, three treadmills, five stationary bicycles and two NordicTrack machines. The center contained only two bicycles when it first opened. "I know we have another year, and the money is down to roughly $21,000 a semester," he said. "When this is paid off, my suggestion is that we still charge a modest fee. It would be great if it could be free, but like the Levy Tennis Center and the ice rink, [the facilities] have to pay for themselves." Glascott said the loan will be paid off during the 1995-96 fiscal year. The center's budget, which encompasses all the above costs, totals $120,000 annually. But Gravina said it was originally a seven-year loan. "A five-year loan would have required a higher cost of administration and membership," he said. "The whole idea was to keep it at a five-year period, but it was not financially feasible." After the loan is paid off, he said, "we have to plow funds back into over $100,000 of equipment." "If there is an excess of operating expenses, it ought to go for the replacement of equipment," he said. "It is very rare that fees go down. If you take away that income, you have to replace it with another type of income. If expenses go down, then yes, you may decide you want to use fees in another area -- somebody has to pay for it." Potentially, such income could go to the maintenance of the facility, such as the payment of bathroom expenses, he said. "This was a supplemental facility for people who wanted a supplemental facility," he said. "It's not big enough to accommodate the whole university. It's something over and above." Fitness center administrators such as Hamrick, however, questioned the administration's fiscal intentions. "Even once the loan is paid off, I don't know what their intentions are," Hamrick said. "You have a guaranteed income -- it's tough to say, 'oh, we're going to stop [charging students].' "Personally, I don't believe students should have to pay. From what I have been told, a percentage of the student activity fee goes to recreation -- in essence, they're already paying recreation fees," he added. "Philosophically, I don't believe they should be paying." Fitness Center Director Joanne Rafferty said she believes the University should make a commitment to recreation and fitness. "The University has to start putting money into recreational programs for students -- not just a fitness center, but offering more classes and more well-rounded programs," she said. "You're learning things you can't learn sitting still in class or with a beer in your hand. That is just as much a responsibility of the University as classes and residential living. If it's a priority to students, then they need to do something about it." The Athletic Department is currently in what Rafferty terms a period of "limbo," with Athletic Director Steve Bilsky making restructuring changes. Bilsky was unavailable for comment. But College junior and Undergraduate Assembly member Eric Tienou, who is in charge of the UA's committee on Hutch, said he is aware of Bilsky's restructuring plan, which he said will involve new facilities for recreation and fitness. Money for a $220,000 repair to the Hutch weight room, which includes a newly poured concrete floor with rubber matting and air ventilation system, was generated from the President's Office, Tienou said. "We're looking at making it cheaper," he said. "Students are willing to pay for it -- it's a problem they are paying, but it is not a major, major problem." As far as Tienou has been informed, the revenue from student fees goes directly into the upkeep of the facility. "To my understanding, the revenue is going just to the fitness center," he said. "It's not like the University is making a profit from that. If it was, I would have a major problem with that -- the University should not be making a profit from students." Tienou believed such fees should be included in tuition. "I think it would give it greater access to everybody," he said. University administrators agreed that while it is possible for the membership fee to be reduced, it was not probable that it would ever be completely cut. "Everybody feels that they're fee-ed to death," Gravina said. "The whole thing started with a fee for service kind-of-thing to go for a top-flight facility."
(04/10/95 9:00am)
Embers from a chimney fire set the top of the Palladium Restaurant's front awning ablaze and forced the evacuation of the crowded restaurant and bar early Saturday morning, according to Philadelphia Fire Chief Pat Campanaro. Although witnesses said patrons exited the building by traveling under the smoldering overhang, University Police Sergeant Larry Salotti said no one was injured in the incident. Campanaro said the chimney blaze started when a fire in the Palladium's fireplace burned out of control, shooting flames up through the two-story high chimney. Embers escaping from the chimney landed on the awning, setting it on fire at about 12:30 a.m. Campanaro added that the embers flew out of the chimney because it had not be cleaned and had been "overloaded" with ashes. Although the awning fire was extinguished by Palladium employees, six Philadelphia Fire Rescue vehicles responded to the scene to extinguish the remaining ashes that were still smoldering on the roof. In addition, firefighters spent nearly an hour investigating the building and the adjacent property owned by the Christian Association to insure there were no other burning ashes. The Palladium was able to reopen later on Saturday since the fire only caused minor damage to the building. College sophomore Matthew Blanchard, who watched the fire from Locust Walk with over 75 other students, compared the chimney to a "Roman candle." He said he could see "wispy flames" and "large burning ashes" coming from the chimney. While most of the crowd stood by as the events unfolded, several students who were attending the Community Service Living Learning Program's Castle Coffee House applauded as the Palladium's awning burned. The coffee house program serves as a non-alcoholic entertainment alternative for students. Palladium management was not available for comment Saturday morning.
