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(03/03/95 10:00am)
The criminal trial of Wharton Marketing Professor Scott Ward, charged with soliciting sex from minors, is slated to begin Tuesday at Montgomery County Courthouse. The trial has been delayed three times since Ward's arrest in October 1993 -- primarily because of disputes concerning the charges levied against him. Ward is charged with 11 counts, including criminal attempts to commit corruption of minors, involuntary deviant intercourse and solicitation to commit prostitution. If convicted, he may face between 10 and 20 years in prison. He has pleaded innocent to all charges. Five of the charges are the result of a six-week-long, state-sponsored sting investigation. The remaining charges were filed in a civil suit brought by an 18-year-old man, known as B.M. He said that he and Ward had between 50 and 100 sexual encounters when he was between the ages of 13 and 14 years old. Ward's civil trial is scheduled to begin March 27. Montgomery County Judge Joseph O'Keefe ruled in the pre-trial hearing last month that the civil suit cannot begin until after the criminal proceedings are concluded. B.M. claimed he was payed between $20 and $25 to perform oral sex on the professor, and that the encounters took place in hotel rooms and later in Ward's home in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore. The civil charges include assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional stress, negligence and fraud. Although Wharton officials said Ward continues his academic responsibilities in spite of the legal proceedings, the professor is not teaching any courses this semester and did not teach any courses last term either. The case is being prosecuted by Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Tom Egan, the third prosecutor assigned to the case. Ward is being represented by Jean Green, a Norristown-based attorney.
(03/03/95 10:00am)
Rochelle Webster, an administrative assistant in the Graduate School of Education, was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend Wednesday night, Victim Support and Special Services Director Maureen Rush said. Bryon Davis confessed to murdering Webster before jumping off the Benjamin Franklin Bridge at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night. A Philadelphia Police Homicide spokesperson said Davis' body has not yet been found by search crews, adding that the investigation will be continued today. Rush said that Davis is presumed to be dead. Although the status of Davis and Webster's relationship is unclear at this time, Rush said the couple has a three-year-old son. She added that Webster had received a Protection From Abuse Order against Davis last October. The order, which usually sets limitations on social interactions between the parties and child custody, was obtained after Davis struck Webster in an on-campus incident. Rush said that on the night of the murder, Davis drove Webster and their child to his home in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, because her apartment was on fire and she could not stay there. Webster was later found dead in Davis' apartment on the 1900 block of 69th Avenue by Philadelphia Police. The child was discovered unharmed and asleep in another room. Rush said Victim Support had helped Webster since she obtained the court order. In addition, University Police provided an escort for Webster when she was feeling unsafe on campus. "In a follow-up conversation with a Victim Support officer last week, it appeared that things were going quite well," Rush said. "She seemed very happy. "It was a tragic end to a situation that was unclear as to why she was with him," she added. Rush added that Protection From Abuse Orders can be helpful in domestic violence cases, and this incident should not deter other people from seeking assistance. Victim Support provided a counselling session yesterday for Webster's friends and co-workers, she said. "Her colleagues are shaken and saddened by the incident," Rush said. "They will feel her loss for a long time to come." In Wednesday night's incident, traffic was stopped on the bridge and power was cut to the westbound PATCO High-Speed Line tracks as Delaware Port Authority Police Officer Thomas Jeffers attempted to talk Davis down from the ledge for more than 20 minutes. Davis said he could not come down and had to jump because he "killed his girlfriend," according to Philadelphia Police Detectives. Earlier that day, Davis told a friend he "did something horrible," and ordered the friend to "go get his son." The Philadelphia Inquirer contributed to this story.
(03/03/95 10:00am)
Lisa Scottline would not look at the body. But she did see the pictures and the body bag. Strange as it may seem, studying forensics was not the most difficult of the hands-on research techniques Scottline employs to make her suspense novels seem realistic. For her first novel, the University alumna spent time at convent, learning the silent ways of the sisters. "I talk a lot, I'm Italian," she said. "And I'm a lawyer -- we argue all day. You're going to tell a lawyer to shut-up? It's a joke." After graduating from the Law School, Scottline married and joined a large corporate firm in Philadelphia. But nine years ago, when she and her husband divorced and her daughter Kiki was born, she traded the high-pressure lifestyle of opening statements and cross-examinations for the mellow writer's life. "I gave myself five years," she said. "And at that point, all my money would run out and all my credit cards would be maxed-out and [Kiki] would be in kindergarten. And that's what happened -- and at that point, I sold my book." The manuscript to Scottline's first mystery, Everywhere That Mary Went, sold within a week, and she was soon on her way to the top of commercial fiction. The novel was nominated for an 1994 Edgar award for "best paperback" and Scottline followed suit with her second mystery, Final Appeal, which was recently nominated for another Edgar award. Scottline said it was surprisingly easy to write her first book. "This sounds really glib," she said. "But really you just do it." And you have to find a market that needs you, Scottline added. "I read all these legal thrillers by men and figured I should try," she said. "I read a lot of people's novels and said I know I can do at least as well as this." So, Scottline sat down and wrote about what she knew. All of her novels take place in Philadelphia, where she has lived all her life. And the main characters are all University graduates. "I've taken aspects of my life and milked 'em," she said. "The theory is that if you tell a specific story people will extrapolate to the universal -- if that doesn't sound too pretentious." Coming from Scottline's mouth "pretentious" almost seems to be an impossibility -- she's a lawyer, a writer and of course, a mom. As she maneuvered around campus like a senior on a spring day, Scottline revealed more about her character than her rZsumZ. "I'm tough," Scottline said. But in the same breath, she managed to gush about her latest love and sparkle at the mention of her daughter. Kiki would not count to 50 in yesterday's game of hide and seek. Scottline said she would only count to 42 -- 50 is "too long," she told her mother. But would you expect anything other than constant negotiation from a lawyer's daughter? "I thought it was great," she said. "She's going to try to go into the world and quietly assert herself and her wishes. That's all you want in a parent." And Scottline's respect for her daughter's obstinacy parallels the no-bones-about-it attitude of her own personality. "I'm from a different generation," she added. "Asserting yourself was hard for us." Scottline said she was very different from today's University women. "I don't think there are a lot of young people writing," she said. "The only person I know who is writing is writing the slacker's handbook -- there has to be more to this generation than that." When she began to explain a subplot of the novel she is currently working on, however, the generation gap seemed to disappear. "A love affair," she said. "My next book has a great love in it. You write about what you know."
(03/03/95 10:00am)
For the incoming class of 1999, the grueling wait for a college acceptance letter might seem like a matter of life and death. However, for a student trapped in war-ravaged Bosnia-Herzegovina, an admission to the University could literally save her life. The Penn Coalition for Peace in Bosnia, known as MIR, the Serbo-Croatian word for peace, is devoted to facilitating the application of Tahija Vikalo, a 22-year-old female Bosnian Muslim war refugee. According to Jonathan Segal, a Van Pelt Library staff member, Vikalo graduated from high school in 1992, and was enrolled in her first year of college when the war began. Vikalo, like many Bosnian Muslims, believed the war would end soon, and that she would be able to quickly resume her education, Segal said. However, the war exacted its high toll in death and human suffering, forcing Vikalo to flee her native Bosnia. She is currently residing in a Croatian refugee home for students, leaving behind her parents and friends in besieged Sarajevo. Now, through the Penn Coalition for Peace in Bosnia and the Bosnian Student Project, a national organization which arranges for Bosnian students to study in America, Vikalo has been able to apply to the University. According to Segal, Vikalo is a highly qualified student who speaks fluent English. The University is the only place she has applied. MIR has coordinated with the Office of Admissions to classify Vikalo as an incoming freshman, rather than as a transfer student, providing a greater availability of financial aid. Segal commented that due to her situation, Vikalo will need complete financial aid. "Every Bosnian student I've spoken to has had mixed emotions about leaving their family," he added. Some of the problems encountered by MIR in processing Vikalo's application included a lack of available standardized testing, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Vikalo is still required to submit an essay demonstrating proficiency in English. Graduate student Jason Eisner, a member of MIR, said the group has been very thorough in its attempt to help Vikalo. "We crossed our T's and dotted our I's," he said. Four members of MIR gathered yesterday at the Penn Hillel Foundation to make a long-distance call to Vikalo and update her on the status of her admission. Although they were unable to reach Vikalo, MIR members said they would try again after spring break. Hillel, along with the Graduate Inter-School Activities Council, has assisted in providing funding for MIR. Eisner said he hopes that Vikalo will someday speak on campus and raise the awareness of the University community about the situation in Bosnia. "We want to make her feel welcome," Segal said. "She knows no one here."
(03/03/95 10:00am)
Former University student Lisa Topol, who has accused former Assistant English Professor Malcolm Woodfield of sexual harassment, must turn her diary over to the court, U.S. District Court Judge Anita Brody ruled earlier this week. Topol filed suit against the University in March 1994. In the suit, she claims the University violated her rights by failing to resolve her complaint for an extended period of time. Her federal case is scheduled to begin in April. "Since I conclude the diary is relevant and nonprivileged and that disclosure will not cause undue annoyance, embarrassment, or oppression, I will grant defendants' motion to compel discovery and deny plaintiff's motion for a protective order," Brody wrote in her opinion. Topol's case is currently in discovery, a period before a trial in which the prosecution and defense exchange information they may use as evidence in the case. Topol's attorney Alice Ballard argued that a law, the psychotherapist - patient privilege shields, protects Topol's diary from discovery. But Brody ruled that the patient privilege "fails to shield information relevant to a patient's mental state where the patient's mental state is in issue." Brody further explained that because Topol alleged that her sexual relationship with Woodfield caused her to become "depressed, anxious, and fearful" her mental state is an issue and that Topol waived her rights to the diary. Mary Kohard, outside counsel for the University, said the case is proceeding along well. "I haven't seen the diary," Kohard said. "We wanted to see the diary. She identified it as a relevant document." Topol is also suing Woodfield in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court and has filed a suit against Bates College in Maine. Woodfield has admitted that he had sex with Topol and that this was unethical under the University's policies. He resigned last April amidst hearings investigating the matter. Topol's suit against Bates College claims administrators withheld information about sexual harassment charges allegedly made against Woodfield by students at the liberal arts college where he taught for two years. Alice Ballard, Topol's lawyer, could not be reached for comment.
(03/03/95 10:00am)
and Tammy Polonsky Demanding higher pay, complete health benefits and more job security, graduate students at Yale University voted overwhelmingly earlier this week to go on strike the first week in April. In addition to the strike, which the Graduate Employees and Students Organization body approved 383-35, the teaching assistants will also discuss their issues with undergraduate students in recitations this month. Through these efforts, the graduate students hope to create a university-recognized union. Because every professor at Yale is required to teach, graduate students say they do not receive the treatment they deserve. According to Eve Weinbaum, a member of GESO, teaching assistants are payed less than the projected living expenses in New Haven, Conn. Teaching assistants with children say they have an even larger financial burden because Yale does not extend health benefits to their children. TAs also say that due to the nature of the university, there is little job security. At the beginning of every semester, Yale students "shop" for their classes before registering. As a result, teaching assistants often do not know whether they have a job until two weeks into the semester. University President Judith Rodin grappled with this issue during her tenure at Yale as dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and as provost. But unionization of graduate students has not proved as controversial here at the University. Currently, a graduate student union does not exist, and many say they do not foresee the establishment of one. According to the University's Graduate and Professional Students' Assembly Chairperson Ari Brose, graduate students do not agree on whether to establish a union because there is no central source of funding. Health and other benefits are provided in some University centers, depending on which provides the funding for the individual graduate student, Graduate Student Association Council President Bronwyn Beistle said. "The source of funding can change during a student's education," Beistle said. "For example, I am now funded through Mellon but when I first came to the University I wasn't." Many graduate students said they are satisfied with their position at the University because their funding is adequate, while others are unhappy that not enough benefits are provided, Beistle added. Rodin said being a teaching assistant is an integral part of graduate education, and unionization is not appropriate. "I opposed and continue to oppose unionization by graduate students?," Rodin said earlier this week. "I believe that graduate students are fundamentally students and that being a teaching assistant is part of the training for being a Ph.D, since most of the Ph.D's we produce go into teaching." Daily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer Lisa Levenson contributed to this article.
(03/03/95 10:00am)
U. officials push for change Student Activities Council Chairperson Richard Chow announced last night that SAC will reconsider its financial guidelines, as well as The Red and Blue's SAC status, in light of the recent debate and controversy surrounding the denial of funding for the magazine. After meeting with Acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain Cade McCoullum, Associate VPUL Larry Moneta and Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Dan Debicella yesterday, Chow said he is willing to reevaluate the SAC Finance guidelines that deal with the funding of groups or activities of a religious or political nature. "We have to clarify what we define as political," said Chow, a College senior. "We need to make sure that something does get done." According to Chow, these changes will involve amending the guidelines to include criteria and information that will greater delineate the policy. In a statement issued shortly after yesterday's meeting, University President Judith Rodin said decisions on the funding of groups "cannot be based purely on the content of the organization's oral or written speech." And according to a statement made by McCoullum yesterday, SAC will immediately clarify its funding guidelines to make them consistent with the Code of Student Conduct and the Guidelines on Open Expression. "I believe that this University has a special, critically-important obligation to provide public forums where diverse viewpoints can be clearly voiced," she said. McCoullum added that SAC has agreed to reconsider its decision regarding The Red and Blue, should the magazine decide to reapply for funding. The Red and Blue's Editor-in-Chief and College junior Christopher Robbins would not comment as to whether the magazine would reapply for funding, saying he was "considering a number of options." Although SAC plans to make changes, Chow said the basic guidelines involving religious and political groups or activities will remain in tact. "You're opening yourself up if you choose to fund everybody," Chow said. "If you disregard everything, an extreme example could occur." For instance, Chow said, a Nazi or skinhead group could ask for funding -- a request that SAC would not want to honor. But Rodin said SAC funding should not be denied to groups "because of the content of their speech or the tenor of their ideas." Chow said Rodin's statement is not in conflict with the basic SAC guidelines preventing the funding of political or religious activity. "It is all consistent with the guidelines that were put out about open expression," he said. But PENNPals SAC representative and College junior Graham Robinson, who made the original motion to deny the magazine funding, said a Nazi publication should fall under the same basic standards as The Red and Blue. "I don't think there's any substantive difference between saying we're not going to fund a Nazi journal and what happened at Monday's SAC meeting," he said. Robinson added that he supports Rodin and Chow's plan but is "uneasy" about their decision. "I believe that free speech is guaranteed by never punishing a student or student group for expressing an opinion," he said. "However, the University and SAC are under no obligation to provide financial resources to make it easier for one group to express an opinion. "Those misgivings aside? at this point, the best resolution is to allow [the] agreement which will temporarily quiet this issue, though I have no doubt that it will explode again in the future," he added. Robbins responded to SAC's decision last night, saying he was pleased "an effort might finally be in the making to ensure fairness in funding." But he added that he still has "little confidence" in SAC. "Reason and precedent ask that we question the motives of this group, for it is the same group that on Monday set out to censor our publication," he said. Although the SAC Finance Committee made no recommendation on the issue of funding The Red and Blue at Monday's meeting, the body voted 47-21 with 35 abstentions to restrict the magazine's recognition and rescind all funding for the publication. Since the decision, two former SAC groups -- the Newman Council and PennWatch -- have withdrawn from the organization in protest. And PennWatch President and Wharton sophomore Jonathan Brightbill said he was "curious" as to why yesterday's meeting only involved SAC. "I'm sure [the administration's] intention all along has been to get all sides of the story," he said. "I am hoping they still plan to meet with us." Chow said he plans to distribute a statement regarding revisions to SAC Finance's guidelines at the next SAC meeting, scheduled for March 28. The new guidelines may not be fully ready for implementation at that time, however, because Chow said he hopes not to be "too hasty."
(03/03/95 10:00am)
The smoke has cleared, but it still reeks of controversy in Hill House. Students on a second floor suite of Hill are questioning the actions of three graduate fellows who accused two students of smoking marijuana in their rooms Sunday. And as a result, the three GFs will have to face questions from a senior staff disciplinary review board, according to Assistant Dean of Hill House Steve Feld. "Emotions are running fairly high," Feld said. "The behavior the students are relating to me [about the GFs] is not acceptable." College freshman Sarah Davies said she was studying with a friend Sunday night when three GFs knocked on her door. Although Davies gave the GFs permission to enter her room, they instead "stormed" in and told the students they heard an illegal activity was going on in there. Then, she said, they asked to see their PennCards. Davies added that third year Wharton and Engineering graduate student and GF, Prasad Veluchamy, did not say why he entered her room, but informed Davies that the police were on their way. She added that Veluchamy said she and her friend would have to take a breathalyzer test. Veluchamy said he was responding to reports from Lance Dunlop, a first-year Psychology graduate student and GF for Davies' suite, that there was marijuana smoke in the area of Davies' room. Veluchamy said he expected to find the students using drugs in the room, but was shocked with what he found instead. "They were both just sitting on beds with books in their hands," he said. However, Veluchamy, and other students in the suite, maintain that someone was smoking pot. "We treat it not with levity," Veluchamy said. "It affects other people in the community." But Davies said that she is very upset and angered by the way the situation was handled both during the incident and afterwards. "It got sort of out of hand," Davies said. "The three of them were out of control. That was the scariest part; the GFs didn't realize what they did was wrong. "Did anyone give us a chance to be innocent?" Davies asked. "Did we do something wrong? We got busted for something we didn't do." Veluchamy admitted that he went to the dorm room with the attitude of guilty until proven innocent, and that he trusted Dunlop's information. "I did not have any grounds to doubt Lance's veracity," Veluchamy said. "I have had four successful busts. I didn't occur to me that Lance was wrong." The students also complained that after a heated argument among the GFs and the two students, the GFs left, leaving the students to wait for the police to show up. Davies said she repeatedly asked Dunlop, her next door neighbor, when the police were coming, but he would not give her an answer. Veluchamy said he used the line about the police to try to coerce the students into telling the truth -- even though University Police were never contacted. "The motives beyond using such credible threats is to tell us they're smoking pot," Veluchamy said. "There were mistakes made and I'm sorry about them." Instead of answering her questions, Davies said Dunlop came back into her room and said, "Cut the bullshit Sara, you know you were smoking pot." Davies said she became furious with this accusation and promptly kicked Dunlop out of her room. "They took their little scheme too far," Davies said. "It was a complete violation. I want to make sure people realize the magnitude of it. They didn't feel like they had done anything wrong." On Tuesday night, Dunlop held a suite meeting to discuss the incident. But students said that the meeting became a screaming match between themselves and the GFs. On Wednesday night, Feld met with the students. "If we had to do it again, we wouldn't go into the room without knowing what the hell was going on," Veluchamy said. "I'm not abandoning any culpability on my part." Many students in the suite are still bitter, and said that the GFs had gone overboard in the handling of the ordeal. "We wanted to make sure this wouldn't happen again," College freshman and Hill House resident Gordon Gochenauer said. "They accused them of doing it first, rather than asking them." Engineering freshman Ernest Poon, also a resident of Hill House in Davies' suite, agreed. "It was totally unjustifiable and unreasonable," Poon said. Tammy Lefcourt, a doctoral student in mathematics, was one of the GFs involved and says she is sorry the anything ever happened. Lefcourt added that her role in the incident was minimal. "I definitely feel the women involved were at the short end of some stick," Lefcourt said. "But you have to take action in a way that seems the best course of action at the time," she added.
(03/03/95 10:00am)
After hittingAfter hittingthe streets,After hittingthe streets,these cops hitAfter hittingthe streets,these cops hitthe books After a long shift patrolling campus, many University Police officers trade in their ticket books for textbooks. Like all University employees, University Police officers can take two free classes each semester. Those who take advantage of this opportunity find themselves in the dual role of police officer and student. While this may complicate their jobs, most officers say it has made law enforcement easier for them. "Kids are more responsive to me because they know me and they know I'm doing my job," Officer Paul Misner said. Officer David Carroll agreed. "[Students are] much more respectful toward me than the officers they don't know," he said. "I've gone to frat parties and asked them to lower the music and they do -- no questions asked." University Police Chief George Clisby believes that interaction in the classroom "gives each an opportunity to develop some common ground?and extend the relationship between public safety and the community." "I am a proponent of education," he said. "I think that any opportunity for school and training helps develop not only students but employees as well. "And I would certainly like to see more of our people take advantage of a very valuable privilege that the University permits," Clisby added. Officers said they also enjoy getting to know students personally, as this alleviates the animosity between students and authority figures. Officer Andrew "Happy" Molloy said that officers have even dated students, but that "it's not a problem." "But if students are doing something illegal you have to do your job," he said. However, being both a police officer and a student has not yet presented a conflict of interest for him. "I know a lot of students on a first name basis," he said. "Nobody has ever tried to take advantage of my position." Carroll said he has experienced several on-the-job benefits from knowing students. When called to the scene of a complaint about a suspicious person, Carroll was able to verify that the suspicious person was a student, because Carroll knew him from class. Carroll said students also call him on the telephone, send him electronic mail and speak to him directly about personal problems or concerns. "Classmates call me if they don't know what to do or don't feel comfortable talking to other officers," he said. "Anyone who wants to talk to me can feel free. "I requested foot duty because I love to interact with students," he added. "I try to take community policing to another level." Students also find such relationships beneficial. "I get positive feedback from students," he said. "Kids have come looking for me on Parents' Weekend to introduce me to their families." Misner agreed. "Students are more comfortable dealing with me because they know me," he said. "I take a more personal interest in their case." While Molloy said his relationships with students have not been as extensive, he said students are "supportive -- even jealous because they're paying such big money [and the University pays for my tuition]." Police Dispatcher Monique Upshur said she has noticed a difference in the way students treat her while she is on the job as opposed to in the classroom. "People don't treat me as a person [when] I have a uniform on," she said. "People really have a chip on their shoulder." She added that students are "much nicer" to her when she is in the classroom. All the officers admit that the educational opportunity of the University is the reason they chose to work here. Officers must apply to the University to take classes. Misner said he knows of people being turned down because of a waiting list for public safety jobs. He said at first he had difficulties with the administration while trying to get into the Wharton School, where he is now majoring in Strategic Management and Operations and Information Management. Currently, Misner is receiving two independent study credits for developing an information data base system for the Victim Support Center. He is working with Associate Professor of Operations and Information Management Steven Kimbrough. "It was nice to see [Officer Misner] get into this," Kimbrough said. "It's rewarding to see someone apply the [coursework] -- it's one of the joys of teaching." Misner admits that he would "like to keep [his] options open" for the future, but added that he really enjoys his present job. Upshur said she is also happy with the education she is getting. "It's cool, it's a great deal," she said. "I can't wait to graduate, though." She added that she plans to leave the University after graduating. "I'd like to work for a cable company," she said. "I'd rather be in front of the camera than behind it, but I'll take what I can get." None of the officers showed any lack of enthusiasm or loyalty to their jobs, although a few plan to leave upon graduation. "I won't be staying here," Molloy said. "I applied to some law schools. [Being a security officer] doesn't have the job security -- no pun intended with 'security.' " He added that taking classes is "a big incentive for people to work at the University." He complained, though, that "the teachers should work on their teaching skills. [College of General Studies] sucks!" Nevertheless, Clisby's experience in the Dynamics of Organization -- a professionally-oriented graduate program offered by the Graduate School of Education -- was a positive one. "[It] broadened my perspective as a manager in a service-oriented organization," he said. "I've been enlightened by the magnitude of this curriculum. It's not traditional -- it's not a banking theory with a professor lecturing." In terms of student-officer relations, Clisby is very enthusiastic, insisting that "the classroom creates a positive arena for debate and the dissemination of ideas and can only help us develop an appreciation for each other. "But as a night student you miss the social experience of a college," he added. That was not the only complaint from officers. Molloy said that employee benefits should cover the graduate schools as well, and that employees must take classes in the College of General Studies before transferring to The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or The Nursing School. Molloy said he was not told this before accepting the job. Richard Hendrix, CGS dean, stated that he was not aware this was the case. But he admitted that "there has been a tendency at Penn for employees to be told they can be in CGS, but they have to be admitted first." He added that "Penn supports it's employee study program," but said the benefits do not cover taking classes at other universities -- even though Molloy originally believed this was an option. "I planned on continuing attending classes at St. Joe's, but the University wouldn't [pay for it]," Molloy said. "And they didn't accept many credits either." In general, the main complaint was the difficulty in managing a full-time job and schoolwork. Upshur admitted that "it's hard as hell working a full-time job and taking classes." Misner said he often plans his vacation time around his exams to make things a bit easier. But Kimbrough said he remembers him being extremely tired in class "because he was up all night." Molloy complained that taking classes and working full-time "interferes with your social life." "It requires a bit of time," admitted Clisby. "I admire the working person who is set on continuing their education." But the time commitment is probably the reason more employees do not take advantage of the benefits. Molloy estimated that only 10 or 12 people in the department -- of around 90 -- actually take classes. "We have a good nucleus of employees," Clisby said. "I'd like to see them continue to develop."
(03/03/95 10:00am)
College sophomore Kristen Ludwig always wanted to learn American Sign Language. But the language is not officially offered at the University as a credited course. However, she now has the opportunity to learn the subject in a relaxed environment -- without the added tensions of grades and academic credit. The sign language class is one of several mini-courses Van Pelt College House has begun to offer its residents. The mini-course program was initiated last semester when Gary Capone, who graduated from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences last semester, wanted to take more varied classes than his Engineering program allowed. He approached Van Pelt residential advisor Amy Hodgson, a Graduate School of Education student who has taught at the University in the past, to discuss the possibility of developing in-residence courses that could expand upon the University's academic opportunities. "I believed in it from the start," Hodgson said. "It's a learning experience for everybody." This semester, faculty members and graduate students are teaching five mini-courses to Van Pelt residents. Some of these classes will meet three or four times this semester, while others plan only one meeting. But they all present unique learning opportunities that students say they cannot get from standard University courses. "The whole idea is to give an opportunity for students who live in the house to take some courses not necessarily affiliated with school," Sociology graduate student and Van Pelt Graduate Fellow Cathleen Riddley said. "We want them to get together, to have some fun and to learn about something they might want to learn about." Riddley, who is teaching the sign language class, said the program helps her just as much as it helps the undergraduate residents of the house. Between 40 and 70 students have participated in the classes over the course of the semester. And students who have chosen to take the mini-courses have said the classes fulfill one of the central purposes of the college house. "Van Pelt College House [means] more community living -- it emphasized learning outside of the classroom in general," Wharton senior William Barry said. "There is a definite core of people who want to live in the house and the people who want to do things like this." College sophomore Nick Picardo, who helped to organize this semester's mini-courses, said the program's other benefits include low time commitment and no outside work loads. "It doesn't entail a lot of stress," Picardo said. "And it's a neat way to use the resources we have in Van Pelt -- especially our in-house faculty." Senior Faculty Resident and Design of the Environment Department Chairperson Marco Frascari taught an architecture class last semester and noticed a great variety of students taking the course. "Some students were from completely different fields [such as] Wharton and Engineering," he said. "I was able to learn more from their different perspectives." Some mini-courses provide smaller versions of courses offered by the University. Medical School Associate Dean of Student Affairs Helen Davies, who also lives in Van Pelt, teaches "Infectious Diseases," a course also taught on the University level. "In my regular course, students are responsible for presentations and coursework," she said. "In the mini-course, I do all of it. "I only ask that students come prepared to ask questions," she added. Both faculty and students said the mini-courses bring the residents of Van Pelt College House together more than they were before the program began. "We've really improved upon getting people to come together and interact," Ludwig said. "We now have a community, with faculty totally involved." Barry said the mini-courses are examples of what differentiates Van Pelt from other University facilities. "People always confuse us with the library," he said. "Here, you have the means of making a community within a large campus -- the theme is diversity and it's a very diverse culture." Picardo said he hopes the mini-course program will expand next year to allow undergraduates living in Van Pelt to teach some of the classes.
(03/02/95 10:00am)
and Lisa Levenson While the recent denial of funding for The Red and Blue by the Student Activities Council may appear to be an isolated incident of poor judgement, SAC's action may be indicative of the prevalence and dangers of political correctness on campus. Even though the infamous "water buffalo" incident occurred two years ago, and the Commission on Strengthening the Community issued its report, it appears that students and the office of the Vice Provost for University Life have not yet learned their lesson. Only last night did University President Judith Rodin address SAC's actions, releasing a statement that she is committed to "a University where free and open expression is a paramount value and where we will all learn from dialogue and debate." But to some, SAC -- by stifling the voice of The Red and Blue -- has prohibited this exchange and interplay of ideas from occurring. "In terms of SAC, it seems to me that the foundation of any ethic is the equality of citizens before the law and before rules -- that the same rules apply equally to all," History Professor Alan Kors said. "At a university of free people, we all are variously offended at different times and we do not end the debate and we do not apply rules arbitrarily and unequally." Others, however, believe that by silencing The Red and Blue, SAC has done a service to the University community. "Within the Penn community, since the administration is always preaching diversity and multiculturalism and sensitivity to all cultures, I don't feel that there is a place for such a paper as The Red and Blue," College senior and Black Student League President Robyn Kent said. Numerous events over the past two years have further clouded the University's perception of that vision. Tuesday night, a black student and a black University employee were denied access to a meeting sponsored by the Penn Women's Center. Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi told them "it would not be appropriate for you to be here at this time." Ironically, Black Student League President and College senior Robyn Kent said she supported DiLapi's rationale. Her organization barred a Daily Pennsylvanian reporter from a meeting in the W.E.B. DuBois College House last week. And early Monday morning, a raucous and unregistered Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. celebration in Superblock kept students from studying or sleep during midterms. Some students questioned the University's motives in not quieting the black sorority. "I think if the issues are addressed on the basis of maturity and intellectual honesty and forthrightness of discussion, then we move closer and closer to a time where we can have genuine debate and discussion of ideas," Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Gloria Chisum said. "But there are always immature people and that cuts off a real discussion of issues." Although the Commission on Strengthening the Community, which Chisum chaired, was intended to improve relations between various campus groups, some say nothing has changed. "Apparently, nobody wants to have a community in which people know each other well enough to talk to each other, because that hasn't been happening," Adjunct Professor of Legal Studies Nicholas Constan said. However, a source from The Red and Blue -- who spoke on the condition of anonymity -- said Monday's SAC meeting shows that the University "is as politically correct as ever. "Unless [Rodin] has the guts to make heads roll within the bureaucracy, things are going to get no better," the source said. "Within the bureaucracy still lies the PC monolith which dominates at our University." Indeed, examples of politically correct thinking abound on campus, including the recent controversy over the printing of racy satire in The Penn Law Forum, and the Law School dean and faculty's subsequent call for the resignation of its student editors. The University also drew criticism for its decision not to prosecute the students involved in the confiscation of 14,000 copies of The Daily Pennsylvanian in April 1993.
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California Superior Court Judge Peter Stone struck down Stanford University's speech code Tuesday, ruling that it violated the First Amendment. Stanford's code -- which the University used as a model in creating its own former speech code -- aims to protect students from racist, sexist and homophobic speech. Stanford students sued the school because they said the speech code violated a 1992 state law that extended First Amendment protections to private universities. The university argued, however, that it's own speech code did not violate the First Amendment. Stanford lawyers also argued that even if the code did violate the First Amendment, the code could not be struck down because the First Amendment can only apply to state actors and not private businesses, like Stanford. The university's attorneys further asserted that using this law to strike down the code violates the university's own First Amendment rights by forcing it to allow unacceptable speech on campus. But Stone ruled that the code was overly broad and failed to meet the "fighting words" standard, meaning it would prohibit speech that would not necessarily incite violence. "By proscribing certain words without even considering? whether under a given situation there will be a breach of the peace, [the] speech code fails to meet the 'fighting words' standard," Stone wrote in his decision. Stone's ruling marks the first time the speech policy of a private institution has been found to be unconstitutional. However, California is currently the only state with a law that extends First Amendment protections to private actors. According to History Professor Alan Kors, the court's decision could effect private institutions throughout the country. "It can't effect it legally, but its part of the moral revulsion against speech codes," he said. "Many wise minds in the country now have very grave doubts that some of us have had for years about speech codes -- although legally it will not have an effect on the University of Pennsylvania." Kors, who said he devotes his soul, his money and his life to the issue of free speech, said the decision raises two questions: "Are you against speech codes? And do you favor the courts telling private universities how to behave?" Kors gained national notoriety as an advisor to College junior Eden Jacobowitz, who was charged with violating the University's old speech code during his freshman year. Jacobowitz had called several black women who were making noise outside his high rise window "water buffalo." The women eventually dropped their complaint against Jacobowitz. Although he advocates free speech, Kors said he is opposed to the court's intervention in private universities. "I do not think that University of Pennsylvania students should have fewer rights than student at Penn State." Kors said. "But I secretly celebrate every time a speech code is overturned, because I think that freedom is infinitely better than tyranny." Stone also struck down Stanford's policy because he saw the code as "an impermissible content-based regulation, since it does not proscribe all 'fighting words' but only those which are based upon sex, race, color and the like." Stanford's speech code prohibited harassment, including "discriminatory intimidation by threats of violence and also [including] personal vilification of students on the basis of their sex, race, color, handicap, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin." Although Stanford's speech code had been in place since 1988, no student had ever been charged under its provisions. Stanford officials have not decided whether they will appeal the case. Staff Writer Jeremy Kahn and The Stanford Daily contributed to this article.
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During spring break University Police will continue its special check program -- which attempts to keep off-campus student housing secure through increased police patrols. "With low occupancy there is a greater opportunity for people to break into apartments and houses," University Police Director of Victim Support Maureen Rush said. "Criminals are very smart people," she said. "They get a feeling of what is happening on campus. "Opportunity is the key to their success," she added. As part of the special break program, students who are leaving for break can register their houses with the University Police. The police will then check the property for any suspicious activity at least once every shift, with a total of about three checks a day. Students interested in registering their properties can pick up forms to sign up for the program at police headquarters at 3914 Locust Walk or at the Victim Support and Special Services office at 3927 Walnut street. University Police will begin monitoring registered properties Friday afternoon, and continue until the morning of Monday, March 13. Rush also pointed out that students remaining at the University can submit forms as well. Over winter break, 44 properties were registered for the program, and slightly more were signed up for Thanksgiving break. In addition to registering their properties, police also recommend that students who leave the area during break secure all doors and windows and remove valuables. As for students remaining on campus, University Police encourage them to stay alert and avoid outdoor automatic teller machines. "Educational awareness is another component," University Police Lt. Susan Holmes said. Rush and Holmes also stressed that many other safety services are provided by the University over the vacation. "There is no spring break for the police," Rush said, adding that University Police officers will maintain regular patrols and staffing. Walking Escort and Escort Service will also continue regular service. "We encourage students to use it," Rush said. In addition, when Escort is not running, student can call University Police for escorts.
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Seven faculty and staff members and eight students gathered to discuss the future of the University's judicial system yesterday afternoon. Sitting at an oblong conference table in a stuffy room on the second floor of Houston Hall, a portrait of Bishop White staring sternly down upon them, the group of 15 vaguely resembled a convention of jurists from centuries past. The group spent two hours in heated discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the once-again-revised Judicial Charter, returning repeatedly to unresolved issues until a consensus was reached on many points. College junior Wilton Levine, who chaired the Student Judicial Reform Committee working group that wrote the new Charter, centered debate around the role of advisors in the new judicial system and the procedure for questioning witnesses. Other concerns that were raised include whether a hearing board's decision will be a final decision or merely a recommendation to the provost and who is permitted to present new evidence after a finding has been made in a case. College senior Dan Schorr, an Undergraduate Assembly member and chairperson of the First Amendment Task Force, opened the conversation by expressing his fear that without an advisor who can speak on their behalf, accused students will be unable to present their cases effectively to a hearing board. Levine countered by explaining that if an advisor -- once permitted to speak -- began to dominate judicial proceedings, the hearing board would have no way to remove him or her from the hearing. But John Rudolph, manager of the Student Employment Division of Student Financial Services, disagreed. Rudolph has served as an advisor within the judicial system for the past three years. "I really see the role of advisor as more than a hand-holding function," he said, adding that although students should not be expected to face judicial proceedings alone, advisors also need more direction from the University. The group agreed that a procedure should be developed to prevent advisors from assuming control of a hearing, while simultaneously offering them more comment than a simple summary statement. Judicial Officer Steven Blum admitted that the current system is unwieldy, but said that whatever system is implemented in its place must allow the University to function as a University -- not a court of law. "The purpose of the system is to bring together a wide variety of viewpoints," Associate Professor of Radiology David Hackney said. "[We need] more people, less arbitrators." College senior Beth Hirschfelder, who chaired the SJRC working groups that drafted the Code of Conduct, agreed -- citing the importance of protecting both victims and those students who are wrongly accused. Arguments followed about the purpose of the University's judicial system, specifically whether it is inherently confrontational or adversarial and how it can better serve students' needs. "Finding the truth is not your purpose -- it's not the University's purpose either," Associate Professor of Political Science Will Harris said. "Doing justice is." A timetable for the procedures outlined in the draft Charter was also discussed yesterday. Levine said he felt the meeting was "perhaps the most productive we've had so far," adding that he will work with Hirschfelder and College junior Ashley Magids, chairperson of the academic integrity working group, to incorporate new ideas into the existing Charter's framework.
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Nursing Associate Dean and Graduate Studies Director Joan Lynaugh is retiring early, Nursing doctoral student Cheryl Neisser-Frankson announced at the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly meeting last night. Lynaugh served as a Nursing School professor before assuming the position of associate dean. She is also director of the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. "I'm sorry to see her go since she has only been here about two years," Neisser-Frankson said. She said Nursing graduate students have said Lynaugh's replacement will come from outside the School of Nursing. "The word is they will probably search for an external candidate although the position will be open for internal candidates," Neisser-Frankson told GAPSA members. Lynaugh declined to comment on her retirement. GAPSA continued the meeting with the election of first year Wharton graduate student Victor Prince as the new chairperson of GAPSA. Prince will replace Wharton doctoral student Ari Brose, who became the GAPSA chairperson in January after Astronomy graduate student David Mestre resigned midterm for personal reasons. "I feel like I'm leaving [GAPSA] in good hands," Brose said. Prince, who assumes the position in May, said he will strive to foster more interaction between GAPSA and the University community. "I think that GAPSA is a great way to get more involved with the whole school," Prince said. "I also hope we will be able to get a running start on next year." Hoping to elect the new GAPSA board ahead of schedule, Prince asked GAPSA members to remind their schools to elect new representatives before the semester ends. Members were also informed that English graduate students will protest in response to the English Department's decision not to promote Associate English Professor Vicky Mahaffey to a full professorship. Mahaffey is tenured and is the chair of the graduate program in the English department. But, unlike most graduate chairs, she is only an associate professor. The graduate students will ask Provost Stanley Chodorow to promote Mahaffey and to form a task force that can review the process that departments use to grant professorships. The protest will take place March 14 in front of College Hall. According to sixth-year Medical student Erick Santos, the Medical student government body has begun to develop a proposal for a University-wide process that would allow undergraduates and graduate students to participate in the selection of candidates for high-caliber positions. This action is in response to School of Medicine Dean William Kelley's decision to search for Vice-Dean Frederic Burg's replacement without a search committee.
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The Department of Residential Living has not developed a plan to deal with this week's report of inadequate performance and policy violations by department employees, according to Director of Residential Living Gigi Simeone. Although Simeone met with officials from the Department of Public Safety this week, she said she stands by her department's current policies and performance and does not plan to take any new actions. Earlier this week, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that Residential Living personnel have been cited for over 100 incidents of inadequate performance, policy violations and improper behavior, according to documents obtained from a source in High Rise North. The infractions included leaving posts unattended, sleeping and watching television while on duty and not following proper procedures involving identification and security. Simeone said, however, that her department will continue to follow up "quickly and effectively" on any problems that are discovered. "There is no new game plan since the story came out -- we will continue what we have always done," Simeone said, adding that she hopes students will contact the department if they notice any residential security problems. "If they see anyone not doing their job properly, they should notify us," Simeone said, adding that her goal is to achieve the "highest possible level of security in the residences." She added that over 50 Residential Living employees have been fired this year alone due to incidents such as those reported in the documents obtained by the DP. One employee, a Hill House desk receptionist named Lillian Blair, was cited more than any other worker in the documents. While on duty, Blair was found sleeping and watching television at her post, failing to properly identify a student, absent from her post and behaving "improperly." Blair was at her post at Hill House last night, and said in a telephone interview that the reports were "blatant lies. "A lot of it is not true," she said. "Speak to some of the students and see what they say about my conduct and personality." University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said that he is working with Simeone to ensure that residences have, "the best level of security that can be had. "We in public safety are working very closely with Res Living," he said. "We may be coming from different directions, but we're going to do it collectively." Simeone refused to comment on Blair's status with the Department of Residential Living.
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African American student leaders said this week that Superblock residents complaining about noise "single out" black organizations. In the most recent incident, a group of about 40 students gathered for a Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., sorority event early Monday morning -- a long-standing tradition, according to members -- and sang for about 20 minutes. Students living in the high rises, however, complained about the noise generated by the event at which University Police and Allied Security were present. And within minutes of the disturbance, debate ensued on the electronic newsgroup upenn.talk. According to AKA members, however, the event is one of many that creates noise in Superblock. Wharton junior Trista Bridges, president of the BiCultural InterGreek Council and AKA member, said last night that the complaints that prompted the subsequent story stemmed from misunderstanding and unfairness. "There's many other instances when the groups have made noise --other organizations -- and people have said nothing," she said. "It seems that we consistently are the brunt of people's complaints when we're outside and when we're singing." But College junior Keith Keller, a High Rise North resident who posted to the newsgroup Monday, said color and culture is not an issue. "[It's] whoever is making noise, it doesn't matter what race they are," he said. Last year, over 100 students called University Police during Spring Fling when black students held a block party. But students said other Fling events received no complaints. "Students only complain when it's certain groups," Black Student League President and College senior Robyn Kent said. "Then it becomes an issue and makes the front page of the DP." College junior Onyx Finney, a member of the BSL, said the problems may stem from misinformation and lack of tolerance. "I just think that people don't take the time to understand other people's events," she said. "I think people need to realize, I guess the black Greek system is much different than the [InterFraternity Council] and Panhel." The event Monday was one of a number of traditions that have been celebrated in the Big-C for years and are sacred, according to members. "We just ask people to respect that tradition," Bridges said.
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A complete overhaul of the Student Activities Council's bylaws may be underway in the wake of the group's decision to deny funding to The Red and Blue Monday night. Several members of SAC and the Undergraduate Assembly -- as well as students interested in reforming student government at the University -- met last night to discuss the ongoing controversy, according to UA representative and SAC Steering Committee member Eric Tienou, a College junior. Tienou, who called the meeting, brought together leaders of the Performing Arts Council and the United Minorities Council -- two umbrella organizations that are extremely influential voting blocs in SAC -- and other SAC groups for what started out as "damage control," he said. But the group quickly realized that the damage was beyond control, and began to formulate a new means for SAC to fund and recognize its member organizations. Former SAC Finance Committee member and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist Mike Nadel, a College junior, said the group came very close to "radically changing the way SAC functions" in a proposed constitution for student government at the University that he and UA member Dan Schorr, a College senior, have been working on for months. "We decided not to [do so] because it would be impossible to change if there were holes," he said. Instead, PAC Chairperson Pat Ede, an Engineering and Wharton senior, and PennWatch President Jonathan Brightbill, a Wharton sophomore, will write a new set of bylaws governing the funding process for SAC groups, Brightbill said. But he added that the group doubts the bylaws will be adopted by SAC once they are written. "I think everyone on campus is recognizing the need for reform," he said. "But I doubt SAC recognizes the need for itself to be reformed." Brightbill joined the growing chorus of student leaders on campus calling for a total overhaul of the structure of the University's student government. "It needs to be done," he said. "SAC doesn't function because its members don't want to be there. The UA has no purpose -- it's like a line item on people's rZsumZs. We need checks and balances just like in the [U.S.] Constitution." Tienou said he called The Red and Blue Editor-in-Chief Christopher Robbins, a College junior, to invite him to the meeting, but Robbins declined to attend. Daily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer Jeremy Kahn contributed to this article.
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Sports radio host Angelo Cataldi described the differences between the three types of media -- television, print, and radio -- before an audience of more than 30 University students yesterday. Cataldi shared his view of the media industry and told comic stories about his experiences in the field -- which met with boisterous laughter from the crowd. Cataldi currently hosts a sports talk radio show on 610 AM and "The Great Sports Debate" on cable television's Prism. Cataldi was unassuming, often making jokes about himself, famous sports figures and his fellow talk radio hosts. "Rich Kotite is an inept coach," he said, adding that his fellow talk show host Howard Eskin is "a horse's butt." A Columbia University graduate, Cataldi began his career as a newspaper reporter at his hometown paper, The Providence Journal Bulletin. He eventually moved on to becoming a sports beat reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He told the audience about his first foray into radio. Al Morganti, a fellow Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, went down to the WIP 610 AM station with Cataldi to talk to his station manager Tom Brookshire about a job. They were both hired on the spot and were on the air 10 minutes later. "It was a total nightmare," Cataldi said, explaining that he and Morganti were unknowingly pushing wrong buttons and making fools of themselves. When they left the broadcast booth, Cataldi said he and Morganti thought they would never work in radio again. But, Brookshire met them and said, "That was a great hour of radio." Cataldi also recounted the time when WIP and the Philadelphia Daily News were fighting and the Daily News ran a story with the headline, "Radio Talk Show Hosts Back Drug Dealer." Besides his comic stories, Cataldi also showed his serious side. He told prospective journalists that they can "flush" 98 percent of what they learn in college. He also warned that things do not always turn out as expected. The story a newspaper reporter writes is not the same story the public reads, he said. It has been rewritten by assistant editors and copy editors several times. Cataldi described radio as always looking for "the 15-20 second sound-bite." Television, he explained, focuses on "the action" -- the most visually striking stories. Cataldi ended his speech by answering questions from the audience. Students asked him both sports-related questions and journalistic questions. The event was organized by Engineering sophomore Elliot Witney, a member of the Philomathean Society.
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Conservative groups across the country are fighting an uphill battle against university groups that do not want to fund them. On Monday night, the Student Activities Council voted to restrict recognition and remove funding from The Red and Blue after it determined that the magazine was a political organization and therefore not qualified to receive SAC money. But many have accused SAC of axing The Red and Blue's funding not because it is political, but because it expresses a conservative political slant rather than a liberal one. Earlier this month, the Student Services Fees Committee at the University of Minnesota also voted to deny funds to two student groups, Students for Family Values and the Conservative Student Interest Group. The Minnesota committee voted not to give money to the Conservative Student Interest Group because it is not a registered student group. Its members also did not sign an Equal Opportunity Statement. Robin Dodson, treasurer of Students for Family Values, said her group was not supported by the SSFC for purely political reasons -- because it is a conservative group. Her organization not only signed the statement, she said, but members of all races and affiliations -- even Democrats -- are involved. "I feel they have their own program against conservative groups," she said. "And they were going to deny us no matter what. If we went along with their guidelines then they would give us funding." The SSFC funds liberal groups such as YM, a feminist organization, the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group and a gay, lesbian and bisexual group, Dodson added. Although the circumstances surrounding the decision at Minnesota and at the University differ, student leaders at the two universities had similar reactions. According to The Red and Blue Layout Editor Jeff Greenhouse, a Wharton sophomore, it was obvious that SAC representatives were set against funding the magazine from the outset. "When voting for de-recognition, their demeanor was lacking a certain decorum," he said. "It was gleeful [and] they weren't doing it very professionally. "They took it more to a personal level of 'wow we're beating them,' " Greenhouse added. Patrick Sperry, a member of the SSFC at the University of Minnesota, said he voted to award the groups funding, but refused to comment as to whether or not he thought the committee's decision was fair. A SSFC subcommittee recommended funding the groups as well. "Obviously I voted for the subcommittee's recommendations so I agree with it," he said. "I don't want to say something on fairness at this point. The recent tribulations between administration and conservative groups is not new to Minnesota's campus, according to Dodson. A few years ago the administration confiscated conservative literature that contained jokes about President Clinton, the Minnesota senior added. "That not only violates the First Amendment," she said. "That's censorship -- plain and simple."
