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(04/13/95 9:00am)
Whoever claimed poetry is a dying craft never met Kimberly Brittingham. Brittingham, an editor at the literary magazine Kollage, has started a literary revolution -- over the phone. Trying to bring greater exposure to local poets as well as enlighten the public, she created Philadelphia Dial-A-Poet earlier this year. The line, a free-access number which treats callers to readings of recorded poetry, is a local call in the 215 area code. Anyone can dial -- 24 hours a day -- to hear the poems, all read by local poets. Brittingham funds the line with her own money, and the poets volunteer their creations and time to her cause. The line features one new poem each week. At the end of the reading, callers are given the option of relaying a message of praise or criticism to the poet. Brittingham said response to the line has been much greater than she anticipated. "I began the line just as a hobby and just for fun," she said. Though the line has been featured in several newspaper articles, most callers found out about the line "through word of mouth." "I would like in the near future to take six to eight poets and have them read at a cafe," Brittingham said. "Then, [I'd like to] have the audience read their own work so I can see if I want to have their work read on the line." She said she feels this would enable her to attain a greater range of poetry because she would hear the work of those who are hesitant to submit their poems. Laurie Wagman, founder and chairperson of the American Family Theater, learned about Dial-A-Poet from an article that appeared in the weekly newspaper Welcomat. She now calls the line once a week. "I think it's really a lovely moment," she said. "I'm really glad [Brittingham] set this up so we can share it. I think it's marvelous that something like this can still exist." Because Wagman said she believes poets have a limited audience with which to share their work, "it's special to have this kind of outreach for the poets as well as the listeners." Wagman added that she has spread the word to her friends. "I would encourage people to take a few minutes of their lives to tune in, and they will be the richer for it," she added. The number for the line is 928-5185. This week, the featured poem is "Subterranean" by Helene Bar.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
Police fine 9-mm semiautomatic A student armed with a loaded 9-mm semiautomatic pistol was arrested by University Police yesterday as he was attending evening classes in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, University Police Sergeant Tom Rambo said last night. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich confirmed today that Wharton evening student Douglas Murphy was arrested by University Police. And University Police Sergeant Larry Salotti said early this morning that the student has not yet been arraigned. Rambo said the incident began when a student, who claimed he had been previously assaulted by Murphy, called University Police at about 7:51 p.m. after he was told by another classmate that the Murphy had a gun in class. University Police responded to the call and questioned Murphy about the incident, in which he allegedly assaulted the student two weeks ago. Subsequently, when University Police searched Murphy, they found the loaded gun in his jacket, Rambo said. Murphy was then transferred to Philadelphia Police Southwest Detectives for investigation. Although Murphy was carrying the gun, Rambo said that it appeared the gun was not registered to the suspect. Kuprevich said that the Vice Provost for University Life has been notified about the incident and will be making disciplinary decisions in the "near future." He added that there has not been a similar incident in his four years at the University. According to the University's Policies and Procedures, "the possession of dangerous articles (such as firearms, explosive materials, etc.) on University property" is prohibited. A student in the class, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a "disagreement" during a presentation before the class led to the alleged assault two weeks ago. He said Murphy thought the victim was attempting to sabotage his presentation by removing transparencies and turning off the overhead projector before Murphy had finished with his speech. After class, the student said Murphy reportedly struck the victim and knocked him to the ground three times. Rambo confirmed that the victim filed a complaint with Philadelphia Police, however he did not report the incident to University Police. Even though the student was shocked when he saw University Police officers remove a gun from Murphy's jacket, he said expected a second confrontation. "If there are any two students who would conflict with one another, it was these two," the anonymous student added. This incident comes on the heels of a student threatening two other students with a loaded shotgun last month at 39th and Pine streets. The shotgun-wielding student was placed on an involuntary leave of absence two weeks ago by VPUL.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
On the day Alan Giorgio was sentenced to three to six years in prison for burglary, he came forward to accuse Marketing Professor Scott Ward of various sex crimes. Subsequently, Giorgio's sentence was lightened. Whether Giorgio's testimony will be considered valid is up to Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Bernard Moore, who is to rule on the admissibility of several key pieces of evidence in Ward's criminal trial. The pre-trial hearing to determine what evidence can be presented to the jury drew to a close yesterday in the Montgomery County Courthouse, but the actual trial will not begin until Moore releases his decision on the evidence. Moore's ruling is not expected for at least 20 days. The prosecution has claimed the delays are the result of a defense attempt to further stall the case, a contention Ward's attorneys deny. Ward faces charges including criminal attempts to corrupt a minor, involuntary deviate intercourse and solicitation to commit prostitution. At yesterday's hearing, the prosecution and the defense presented their final arguments. Donald Martin, one of Ward's attorneys, summarized the defense's long-standing position that all of the prosecution's evidence was illegally obtained. Deputy District Attorney Thomas Egan claimed the evidence was properly gathered. The dispute centers around the search of Ward's home the night of his arrest, October 1, 1993. When police entered Ward's house, they did not possess a search warrant. Detective Raymond Kuter of the Montgomery County DA's office was at District Judge Henry Schireson's house at the time, attempting to obtain a warrant. Kuter later called Ward's home, which police already had entered, to tell them of he had received the warrant. The police then commenced their search of the home, according to Egan. The detectives at the scene testified that they were in a rush because the search warrant, issued at 9:50 p.m., stated the search had to begin by 10 p.m. Martin argued that a search without the physical presence of a warrant is "warrantless" and that any evidence obtained in the search is inadmissible in court. According to Egan, this evidence includes "articles about boys engaging in homosexual acts?[and] dozens of photographs of young males engaging in masturbatory acts and sexual relations." Martin further claimed that Kuter did not have probable cause to obtain the warrant or a previous one that allowed Pennsylvania State Trooper Sean McMahon to pose undercover as a 15-year-old boy in a sting operation called an "intercept." Ward allegedly propositioned McMahon for sex on the night of the arrest. The warrant for McMahon's intercept was signed by a district neutral judge. Martin argued that, according to a ruling in a different case tried a few months later, the detectives would have needed permission from a superior judge. But Egan claimed the intercept was legal. "We made every compliance with every law existing at that time," he said. The probable cause for the search warrant was primarily based upon McMahon's experience and Giorgio's testimony. If, as the defense claims, McMahon's operation was illegal and Giorgio's testimony is inaccurate, Moore may suppress all of the evidence from the jury because of a lack of probable cause in the search. The defense has shown discrepancies between Giorgio's original testimony and the statements he made "after his sentence was lightened?and he talked to his attorney about perjury," according to Martin. But Egan said the discrepancies had to do with minor details -- not the main ideas. In addition, he said, Giorgio volunteered the information "without expectation of receiving any benefit and without requesting any." Egan argued that Giorgio's lightened sentence was due to a court mistake made during the sentencing process. However, Martin claimed that the new sentence "was more lenient than the mistake allowed for." The defense requested a brief from Egan before Moore reaches a decision. They also asked for, and were granted, 20 days to look over the brief. But Egan is vacating his position as deputy district attorney on April 28, and another DA will have to take over the case. "The defense is stalling, in my view," he said. He claimed the defense knew about his imminent departure a week ago. "I'm one of the most senior people here and I'm familiar with the case," he added. "By asking for 20 days, they know we will have to assign a new prosecutor."
(04/12/95 9:00am)
In light of the racial stereotypes and misunderstandings that exist in the United States, the University community took time over the weekend to discuss the perceived role of African-American men in today's society. The two-day symposium, sponsored by the Afro-American Studies Program, brought together more than 50 scholars, students and members of the community to "look at the state of African-American men in society, and the ways in which they are imagined in our culture," according to Program Coordinator Gale Ellison. The keynote address, entitled "African-American Men and Newt Gingrich's Contract with America," was given by Leon Higginbotham, the Public Service Professor of Jurisprudence at Harvard University, and a former University Law School professor. He shared an open letter which he wrote to Gingrich explaining that he believes "the weak and poor will suffer more than any time since the Great Depression" as a result of Gingrich's reforms. Higginbotham said the Contract does not consider the poor or the children of the country, adding that it is up to African Americans to create a contract they think America needs. He encouraged African Americans at the University to take action, asking, "If you don't do it at Penn, who will?" Higginbotham explained that the black community must resist polarization, adding that they must get involved with "non-African Americans" in order to make a difference. He concluded by saying that although he sympathizes with and applauds "the black man," the community must continue to think of the future. The symposium continued with several panel discussions. On Friday night, "Issues of Style in the Construction of Black Masculinity" were addressed. Saturday included discussions dealing with "African American Men, Society, and the Nature of Work," and "African American Men and the Business of Sports: The Focus of Aspiration and a Source for Role Models." Arthur Flannigan-St. Aubin also gave an address, entitled "The Black Male Body: Theorizing Testicular and Testerical Masculinity." Ellison said she felt the symposium was a success. "The symposium was very successful," she said. "The panels were well received by the audience. The audience members were very engaged in the topics being addressed, and with the panelists." Fourth-year history graduate student Herman Graham, who attended the symposium, agreed. "I think the conference did a good job of speaking to a diverse audience that included scholars and community activists," he said.
(04/12/95 9:00am)
One month before his expected graduation, a Yale University student was expelled from school after being accused of fraudulently accepting $61,475 worth of student grants and loans from the federal government. Lon Grammer, a 25-year-old from Brentwood, Calif., was arrested Thursday by Yale University Police on charges of first-degree larceny. According to Yale Police Sergeant Michael Pattern, Grammer could face between one and 20 years in prison. As a junior, Grammer transferred to Yale from Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He is accused of forging and altering several of the documents in his Yale admissions file. Grammer's admissions file at Yale contained two different copies of his transcript, according to police reports. The copy he sent to Yale showed a grade point average of 3.91, while the transcript from Cuesta Community College indicated a 2.07 GPA. In addition, Grammer's file contained several forged letters of recommendations signed by nonexistent Cuesta Community College professors. Norman Pattis, Grammer's attorney, told the Yale Daily News that Grammer would enter a plea of not guilty at his arraignment which was originally scheduled for yesterday. But Grammer was not arraigned and his case received a continuance until April 20. Yale officials declined to comment on the case. Some of Grammer's friends said they were surprised by his arrest, but others felt that there had always been something suspicious about him. The Yale incident is similar to last year's arrest of a man who tried to gain admission to the University Law School using false identification. Jorge Chambergo, who allegedly sought admission to the Law School under an assumed name, was arrested in California in January by United States postal inspectors. A federal grand jury indicted Chambergo on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of attempting to a use a false social security number. Chambergo could face up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. He is accused of altering his name in January 1990 in an attempt to pass off the LSAT scores of another individual, Dae Kyung Seu. And the indictment also charges Chambergo with submitting a financial aid statement with a false birth date. The Yale Daily News contributed to this article.
(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.
(04/11/95 9:00am)
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.
