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(02/28/95 10:00am)
While Residential Living employees have been cited for over 100 breeches of department policy since September, employee Lillian Blair was one of the worst offenders, alone racking up seven violations, according to documents obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian from a source in High Rise North. Since October, Blair, a Hill House desk receptionist, has failed to show up for work, slept on the job, watched television while on duty, not properly checked identification and behaved "improperly," according to the documents. And while Director of Residential Living Gigi Simeone would not comment about this specific case, she said her department takes swift action when problems arise. "Whenever we receive a report that one of our receptionists is watching TV, for example, we follow up immediately," Simeone said in a memorandum obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, addressed to Security Services Director Christopher Algard. "We deal with it, not make excuses, when it happens." The memorandum was carbon copied to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich and Residential Living Safety and Security Manager Joe Kirk. But despite Simeone's statements, Blair still works at Hill House. In February, Blair was cited twice for watching a mini-television at her desk. And in December and January, Blair was discovered sleeping at her post on two separate occasions. "The incident appears to be [part of] an incessant problem," the document states. Blair has also been cited for being absent from her post during her scheduled hours. On December 19, for example, Blair was supposed to begin her shift at 4 p.m. The desk receptionist who staffed the shift before Blair left at exactly 4 p.m., without waiting for Blair to arrive. And although Residential Living and Allied personnel were contacted several times, the post remained vacant until 7:25 p.m. In addition to her other violations, on October 10, Blair was cited for allowing a student into Hill House without identifying or signing him into the building. "Approximately 15 minutes later, she did the same thing and took the same action with another student," a document stated. Blair was unavailable for comment last night.
(02/28/95 10:00am)
The fire that destroyed the Convenient Food Store at 39th and Walnut streets will be officially ruled arson today, according to Lieutenant Harry Young of the Philadelphia Fire Department Fire Marshall's office. Although the case was not ruled arson until today, the owners of neighboring businesses, such as College Pizza and Baskin Robbins, as well as the manager of Mega Video said they were informed Friday about the cause of the fire by the Fire Department. College Pizza owner Ulysses Lancellotti said he was angered by news of the arson. His store suffered severe damage from the fire with costs totaling an estimated $50,000 to $60,000. "People like that don't belong in this country," Lancellotti said of the arsonist. "This country wasn't made for people like that. "It's so unfair because we all work so hard for our businesses," he added. Lancellotti said that the fire was the most traumatic experience he has undergone in 30 years. The store has been closed since the fire and Lancellotti hopes to open in about a week. He added yesterday that a private investigator from an insurance company is also looking into the Convenient Food Store fire to search for clues as to its cause. And Baskin Robbins owner Eric Yates said that although the incident caused little damage to his store, it has upset him. "It's definitely arson," Yates said. "[And] if it was arson the whole block was put at risk. If it wasn't for the Fire Department's quick actions, we could have all lost our businesses." Yates recalled receiving a phone call from Lancellotti telling him that his store was on fire. "I thought for sure it was a bad dream," Yates said. Rodney O'Neil, vice president of Superior Restoration Services, the company that is working to refurbish the former AMC movie theater, said the theater also suffered smoke damage. He added, however, that the new theater will be ready for its opening date of April 1. "It's not going to affect the target date at all," O'Neil said. Mega Video suffered severe smoke damage, as well as damage to its computer system and video tapes. Orest Hrabowy, manager of Mega Video, said last week that the store would be opening in a few weeks.
(02/28/95 10:00am)
After admitting to allegations of scientific misconduct before a University investigative committee, Assitant Psychology Professor Adele Diamond has agreed to leave the University at the end of this semester. The University first became aware of Diamond's wrongdoing last year when a laboratory employee accused Diamond of falsifying data and altering a letter of support from another University employee in a grant application. The employee, who subsequently left the lab, notified School of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Frank Warner, a mathematics professor, of the charges. But although Diamond has confirmed the accusations, she said her actions have been misunderstood. Diamond studies children afflicted with Phenylketonuria, a genetic disease that causes brain damage and mental retardation. She researches whether treatment completely corrects cognitive disabilities that result from the disorder. Her lab employees film sessions with the children and record their findings. Research assistants then watch the videos to confirm and code the data. In a progress report to the March of Dimes, which partially funds the research, Diamond used data that the initial tester found. But Diamond said she had sensed that the employee made errors when recording the information. Diamond said she adjusted the data in the report to what she thought would be the outcome -- which Diamond said clarified the data without changing the general findings -- before the research assistants completed a detailed analysis. According to Warner, a lab employee altered the data. "What I presented to the March of Dimes was almost identical to what came out later," Diamond said. "When I reported my results to the federal government, I did so accurately. It's not as if I was trying to change how people viewed my grant." The March of Dimes relinquished its funding after the University notified the agency of Diamond's misconduct. In a related project, Diamond applied for funding from the National Institutes of Health. University Laboratory Animal Resources Director Jeffrey Linn wrote a letter supporting Diamond in her grant application because she conducts research on rats to find the mechanism that causes the defect in the children. Diamond discussed her research with Linn before he wrote the letter and then read it before he sent it to the NIH. But Linn failed to include in the letter certain aspects of the research that he discussed with Diamond. Rushing to finish the application on time, Diamond said she asked a lab employee who worked on the project with her to add details about the research procedure. Linn was out of town and would not return until after the grant's deadline. "Everything that was added was truthful and didn't in any way misrepresent the truth," Diamond said. "What I should have done was add an addendum to the letter." Diamond added that during the University's investigation of the employee's charges, Linn wrote a letter to the committee confirming that the information she added was accurate. The NIH has maintained Diamond's grant and is funding a second project. A preliminary committee, made up of University faculty, conducted an initial investigation to determine whether a formal committee should examine the situation further. The preliminary committee also met with Diamond to discuss the allegations. She admitted to the accusations the day after she met with the committee. "Given the kind of person I am it wouldn't be possible for me to meet with the committee and tell them something that wasn't true," Diamond said. "I couldn't have done it any other way." A formal committee then convened to determine whether misconduct had occurred. Warner supervised the process, but School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens made the ultimate decision regarding what action the University should take. Under Stevens' direction, Diamond was asked to leave the University by May 15. When assessing the charges, Warner said the fact that Diamond's results supported what was reported to the March of Dimes did not affect the University's decision. "The issue was did she or did she not falsify data," Warner said. "And the answer to that question is yes. The fact that it was carried out by lab workers under her direction gives them the wrong view of how someone does science." Acknowledging that her actions merit punishment -- though not as harsh as what the University decided -- Diamond emphasized that her misconduct does not reflect her research. "Nobody has questioned the value of the research," Diamond said. "It was clearly done well and has potentially important implications for helping children." Diamond would not reveal where she plans to work after leaving the University.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
Although every University student has heard the term, "geographic diversity," there is still an element of surprise when a Kansas native replies to the "So, where are you from?" question amidst a field of New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia-born University students. And following the initial shock that, yes, someone residing between 33rd and 40th streets is not from the eastern seaboard or California, students may wonder how high school seniors across the country and across the world came to know about the University. Or more importantly, why they travel hundreds of miles from home to attend it. But the real shock is not just that some students are from "outreach" areas, but that 45 percent of students are not from the traditional feeder states. Geographic diversity has been a University initiative since 1980, when the University's first admissions branch opened in California. This attempt to attract a geographically diverse student body was expanded eight years later and the University opened an office in Texas. According to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson, the University's efforts in California have been successful -- this year there were 1,400 applicants from California, while 10 or 15 years ago the admissions department would only receive about 100 applications from the Golden State, he said. But does the desire for geographic diversity slant the admissions process? While admitting students from states outside of the traditional feeders does have a role in admissions, the University does not set quotas to achieve diversity, Stetson said. "Our goals of enrollment of a class are pretty much based on how the applications flow," he said. "It is dictated by its own pool. We do not have anything set in place that says we must. "All it says is that we value the diversity of the first year student class," he added. "The only way to do that is to look far and wide and travel far and wide." According to Stetson, an applicant's home town only makes a "shade" of a difference as to whether the student will be admitted. "In order to build the number, you have to admit a student," he said. "Assuming they are academically reasonable and competent you admit them. It's a shade, but not much. "On the Eastern Seaboard all the Ivies are doing this," he added. "If you're a rancher's daughter from Montana you probably have a better chance than a lawyer's daughter from Scarsdale -- but only marginally." Two regional directors in the Office of Admissions who spend about 10 weeks out of each year travelling throughout the country, explained how students from different regions are compared. They're not, they said. Admissions decisions are rarely a matter of turning one student away for another, according to Eric Kaplan, the regional director for Kentucky, Michigan, Massachusetts and part of Northern New Jersey. "It's like a comparison of apples to oranges," he said. "In Kentucky that student's more of an exception, whereas in New Jersey that student is more of a rule." Comparisons are based on the extent to which applicants take advantage of the opportunities their high school offers, said Allison Rouse, the regional director for Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin, as well as parts of New Jersey and New York. If a student takes three out of the five Advanced Placement courses his high school offers, that student shows initiative, he said. And if a student's high school doesn't offer any AP courses, but the student embraces every available opportunity, that student also shows initiative. "There is no comparison in high school to high school," Rouse said. "Only within -- you look better if you've taken advantage, if you're a package. But what it comes down to is academic element." Although Stetson said geography slightly "shades" admissions, Rouse disagreed. "Does it make it easier to get in?" he said. "No, a little bit more exciting -- but not easier." College freshman Nicole Kornitzer, who hails from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, supported Rouse's statement. "A lot of my friends in the East told me at the beginning that it would be easier," she said. "But my experience is very opposite. "I noticed that in my class a lot of people were surprisingly denied," she added. "People with amazing credentials got into Harvard and were denied from Princeton and Stanford. Someone who was accepted at Stanford was denied from Harvard and Yale." And although many students from her high school applied to Brown University, they were all denied interviews, Kornitzer added. But even if an applicant's hometown only slightly influences their acceptance or rejection, whether Admissions officials actually go out of their way to recruit specific outreach applicants is not clear. "What we try to do is get the people who have academic standards and then get them to be in our applicant pool," Rouse said. The heart of the approach is the same in feeder and outreach areas. Still, subtle changes like dress and conversation differ, Rouse said. "In Arizona I usually wear a white shirt and khaki pants," he said. "In Westchester, a jacket and tie or a shirt and tie -- it's based on the environment. The basketball team is another successful device used in arousing interest in the University in outreach areas, Rouse said. When he goes to states like Nebraska, Rouse informs students that the University beat their state university's basketball team. Then they pay attention and start to realize that the University has more than good athletic teams -- it also offers Ivy League academics, he said. "I can't say that's why, but Nebraska does have more applicants," he said. Nevertheless, it is not terrible if once in a while people think the "Penn" basketball team is the Penn State team. "Sometimes it doesn't hurt for people to think we are Penn State," he said. "They come to our table and we lure them in." Once students are in the University's applicant pool, the Admissions department tries to appeal to students' specific interests. "When we leave the area we tend to go back and write them again," he said. If a student is interested in a particular extra-curricular activity, Stetson said he will try to send the student information about that activity with a follow-up note. "We see a good number of questions about debate," he said. "So I sent them information about debate and about the forensics program. "When I returned, they said it was the only thing they had from any school," he added. While some Regional Directors worry about distinguishing the University from Penn State, others work to highlight it from the other Ivies and high-level academic universities. The University is currently participating in a "joint travel" program with Duke, Georgetown and Harvard universities in which the four schools hold panel discussions in different areas of the country. Although the program allows each university to distinguish itself, it was not developed so they could compete for students, but rather so the institutions could expand their applicant pools. In fact, the schools feed off of each other's reputations, Stetson said. While the "joint travel" program has helped the University's effort to increase geographic diversity, other Ivy League schools have similar admissions goals, according to admissions officers. Peter Orschiedt, a Cornell University Admissions officer for upstate New York, said his role as a representative of the admissions department is to relay information about Cornell so that students can make the choice that is best for them. "I would tell them that if they wanted to go to Penn or Cornell, they couldn't loose," he said. "I'd put it back in their court. I think they're both excellent schools." But Brown University's admissions approach is not as extensive as the University's, according to Eric Nelson, an admissions officer for Kansas, Nebraska and Minnesota -- among other states. Brown sends officers to as many places as it can, although an officer might not visit the midwest every year, he said. But when admissions officers do visit outreach areas, the approach is similar to the University's. "We tell the truth," he said. "We don't try to sell Brown, we simply try to explain why Brown sells itself." While Kornitzer said she did not think her Kansas residency facilitated her admission to the University, she said efforts of the Admissions Department influenced her decision to apply and matriculate to the University. Although she said she first learned about the University through a college search computer program, the Office of Admissions became a major source of information through its recruiting efforts and differed from other schools in its personal treatment, she said. "I thought Penn in general was more receptive and more responsive to me," Kornitzer said. "I had an interview in my hometown and [Rouse] came directly to my high school. He was very informative." Another student, College freshman Sam Dorton, who hails from Independence, Missouri, agreed with Kornitzer. The information pamphlets and admissions mailings he received played a significant role in his decision to attend the University, he said. "It did play a very large role in my decision," he said. "I hadn't really heard of Penn, per se. I knew that it had a really good basketball team -- but it was the initial mailing that got my attention to the East Coast a bit." Despite successful efforts to increase geographic diversity, Admissions officials agreed that the role of the Office of Admissions is to not to "sell" the University, but to find a "match" -- to find students who fit the University and for students, to find the university that best fits them. Stetson described the members of the Office of Admissions as "information elements" who facilitate this match. And differences in Eastern and Western recruiting only differ in the type of information presented to prospective students, Kaplan said. While he relays a visual picture of the University environment to students living in outreach states, on the East Coast he answers more specific questions about the University itself. Rouse also said he tries to convey a sense of the University to students from faraway places so they can decide if the environment is right for them. "I draw a picture of Penn," Rouse said. "I act as a video if there is no video." But admissions officers are not even the primary tool used in attracting students, Rouse added. "The data says that publicity pushes more forward than actual admissions officers," he said. "An admissions officer makes that spark." Although Dorton credited his move eastward to the admissions mailing he received, according to Stetson, students from midwestern and western states who show an interest in the University have usually made the decision to come to a highly ranked East Coast school before they even encounter the University's Office of Admissions. Kaplan said his experiences with students in Kentucky prove Stetson's findings. "Typically students looking into Penn already have an idea to travel," he said. "More frequently, from states like Kentucky, students have already decided to be adventurous." But even if an applicant's sense of adventure is primarily responsible for their decision to matriculate, the Office of Admissions is still striving to achieve more geographic diversity through various recruitment efforts. For example, through tools such as the Educational Testing Service's student search system, the department tries to expand its applicant pool, Stetson said. Information about the University is sent to 42,000 top-ranked students on the survey list. During the admissions travel season, the Office of Admissions invites students, parents and guidance counselors to information sessions near their hometowns. Because it is impossible to "saturate" every state equally with admissions officers, the department focuses on areas where a "fair amount of high ability students live" and where guidance counselors encourage students to go beyond their "normal boundaries," Stetson said.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
More than 1,000 college students from across the country joined together to "free the planet" this weekend. The Free the Planet Conference was held on campus in preparation for the 25th anniversary of Earth Day, which will occur in April. The conference's goal was to plan a future movement to save the planet, according to Barbara Dudley, executive director for Greenpeace, USA. Dudley set the mood for the conference with her opening discussion of "The Future of the Environmental Movement." She said the reason Greenpeace has not been successful in protecting the Earth is because it went directly to Congress in an attempt to gain aid. "We must trust the people," she said. Dudley said the enemies of Earth conservation are corporations. She said it is pointless to appeal only to legislators because "the corporations own Congress." Instead, the movement must ask the people to raise their voices and define "right and wrong," she said. Dudley emphasized that Greenpeace was begun in the 1970s largely as a student movement, adding that students control the future of the Earth. Dudley said the only way to save the planet is to take control of government policy by appealing to the people. "We must say 'no' to corporate power in our government," she said. The second speaker was Britta Ipri, chairman of the National Student Forum of the student Public Interest Research Groups. Ipri said the youth are the future of environmental movements, adding that student-funded and directed groups are very influential. She said the people of the world must "create a new community on our planet." The companies who are responsible for pollution are at fault, not the people, she said. "Environmental groups are attacked from all angles," she said. The final panel speaker was Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club. "The future is being planned ruthlessly and systematically," he said. "We face the greatest challenge that anyone has ever faced. We must use the scant time we have to free the planet." He fiercely attacked the 104th Congress, which he said is trying to dismantle environmental laws such as the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air Act. He added that Congress is composed of "Social Darwinists" who are allowing the Earth to be destroyed. "Social Darwinists believe that competition is the purpose of life, that humans are the only species that matters, and that only individuals count," Pope said. "They invented the concept of 'winners and losers.'" Pope emphasized that the importance of the conference is that "the present depends on us." The conference then broke down into small discussion groups that allowed students to get to know each other better and network. The students reconvened Saturday for workshop sessions, which were the main activity of the weekend. Students were able to choose four workshops from the more than 100 offered as well as listen to a number of speakers. On Sunday, the conference continued with its final workshop and two panel discussions entitled "Future of Activism" and "Reflections on Environmental Action." The conference concluded with a march to Independence Hall, rally and press conference. "I think it is heartening and thrilling to see over 1,000 students come from 35 states to speak out for the environment," said Pete Smith, a field director for the United States PIRG. "Now is the time to act to save the environment and these are the people who will do it."
(02/27/95 10:00am)
It was business as usual at last night's UA meeting. Most of the meeting was spent discussing issues pertaining to elections for next year's UA and the dates and procedures for any votes on student referenda. But at the end of the meeting, little had been resolved concretely. Also, quorum broke down late in the meeting, and two issues that had been postponed until its end -- emergency funding for the Freshman Class Board, and an amendment to a motion about elections -- were not dealt with at all. In response to allegations made last week by UA representative and College senior Dan Schorr that the Nominations and Elections Committee had purposely delayed a decision on a date for student voting on constitutional reform, the NEC brought a series of dates to the body for approval. Elections for next year's UA have been slated to be held on March 28 and 29, NEC Chairperson and College senior Rick Gresh said. Petitions to run for the UA will be due to the NEC by March 14. Gresh and NEC Elections Chairperson Roy Fu, a College senior, also brought a revised copy of the NEC's Fair Practices Code for Referenda for UA approval. The revised FPCR would replace the "skeletal" document that currently governs elections on referenda, Gresh said. But when the UA began to discuss the proposed FPCR, the body ran into problems. Schorr, acting on what he said was a verbal agreement from Gresh, prepared an amendment to the FPCR that would guarantee that any referenda submitted to the NEC "at least ten academic days prior to the spring UA elections" would be administered on the same day as the UA elections. Last week, Schorr had voiced concern that if his referendum on constitutional reform was not given to the NEC prior to spring break, it would not be voted upon on the same day as UA elections. But before the amendment could be made, a lengthy debate began over the UA's role in approving the FPCR. The debate started when UA representative and College sophomore Adam Strunk proposed an amendment to remove a section of the FPCR that would make signers of a petition on a referendum financially responsible for any penalties levied by Residential Living for posters about the referendum. Currently, the NEC and the UA are liable for these fines. But Gresh said the UA had to approve the document in its entirety, or the NEC would have to run referenda elections according to the existing FPCR. He added that deleting any sections of the document would mean rejecting the entire FPCR. Schorr then moved to approve the FPCR, with his amendment attached, sending it back to the NEC for a final decision on whether or not the referendum election will be on the same day as UA elections. The motion passed. But Gresh said that Schorr's amendment would have to be approved by the NEC -- and if it is not, the UA will have rejected the FPCR. Because UA Secretary and College sophomore Mosi Bennett left the meeting immediately after the vote on Schorr's motion, quorum broke down, and Strunk's amendment was not fully discussed. After the meeting, Schorr said he had spoken to Gresh and resolved his concerns. "After talking to Rick, I am very confident that he and the NEC will do what is in the best interests of the referendum," Schorr said.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
Allied Security has been cited for over 170 infractions and "performance deficiencies" in the six months it has provided residential security for the University, according to a letter sent to Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone today by Security Services Director Christopher Algard. There were eight incidents of guards sleeping, 26 of guards away from their posts, and 41 reports of guards showing up late for work, the memo states. In addition, guards were cited 17 times for not checking IDs, 83 times for "deficient job knowledge," and twice for placing unauthorized phone calls. "There has been an increased level of problems with the number of people dozing off after 3 a.m.," University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said last week. "We saw a long period of time of minimal violations. It has just been the last few weeks that we've had more instances happening." During the first 30 days of Allied's contract with the University, four guards were fired for sleeping on the job. Algard also said in the letter that "in many cases, but not all, we have been watching critically for something to go wrong rather than to go right. The reasons may be the history that led to the changing of the guard contractors in the summer of '94. I believe some people want Allied to fail." The letter also states: "Allied is the outsider contractor and receives most of the attention when something goes wrong." In August, Allied replaced McGinn Security Services, which came under fire after guards were caught sleeping on duty and it was discovered that the firm had hired minors. In an interview last week, Algard said that he would "hate to see any comparisons" between Allied and McGinn. Algard added that Residential Living's full-time employees and student workers commit many of the same violations as the Allied guards. Kuprevich said the Division of Public Safety and Allied have been working together to resolve the problems and he is "very pleased with [Allied's] immediate response." But in a memorandum obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian from a source in High Rise North, Simeone said she was "concerned" about the quality of service Allied is providing. In a separate memo sent by Simeone a day earlier, she states that she is "feeling more and more that Allied management does not respond satisfactorily to our customer complaints." The memo is addressed to Security Services Director Chris Algard and carbon-copied to Manager of Safety and Security for Residential Living Joe Kirk as well as Kuprevich. Simeone said the complaints, "all of which are legitimate, are sometimes totally ignored." She also recommended that Algard be "very aggressive with Allied about their training programs, supervisory processes, quality assurance programs?all of which they 'sold' us as part of the bid process." But in an interview with the DP last week Simeone expressed none of these concerns, instead citing a Residential Living telephone survey of 50 random students, in which 84 percent of those called said Allied's performance was "good or excellent." The survey, conducted in November, also reported that 94 percent of those surveyed said the midnight to 8 a.m. -- or "graveyard" shift -- was also "good or excellent." Simeone said she was aware of the recent sleeping incidents, adding that she considers guards falling asleep a major security problem. Algard said after the new incidents of sleeping guards came to light, Public Safety requested that Allied develop an "action plan" to investigate ways to "reengineer the job itself." The restructuring will include changing temperature conditions at indoor security posts and providing additional work for guards during the periods of decreased overnight activity. In response to the recent problems with guards sleeping on duty, Allied has doubled the number of supervisors on the "graveyard" shift as well as increased the number of nightly checks supervisors perform on the guard posts. Allied Account Facilitator Bernard Urquhart declined to comment.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
The fairytale has not even started and already it seems as if this year's Spring Fling has been touched by a fairy's wand -- or maybe sprinkled by a sample of magic dust. The Spring Fling Concert Committee announced that the band The Samples will play at Fling on April 22 along with Sonic Youth. The phone call from the Samples' booking agent Friday evening was the second lucky break in less than a week for members of the Social Planning and Events Committee. The Fling Concert Committee was able to announce that Sonic Youth would play Fling last week, the earliest announcement of a Fling band in three years. "It's a function of hard work and a good dose of luck," said Co-Director of SPEC Concerts Vivek Tiwary, a Wharton and College senior. When the Samples agreed to play at Fling, the committee secured the second of at least three bands that will co-headline the outdoor Fling concert. Fling Co-Director and Wharton junior Gil Beverly attributed the committees' success to good timing and good feelings. "Sonic Youth begins their tour two weeks after Spring Fling," he said. "And they were looking for a real low-risk opening for their tour. And the Samples have a good following and were well received." When The Samples came to play at the now shut-down Chestnut Cabaret last year, they also played a free show at Houston Hall, SPEC Concerts Co-Director and College junior Mike Parker said. The band was so well received at the 4 p.m. show that they offered to come back in May and give a free concert. But because it was finals week, the concert was not feasible Parker added. The band's popularity at the University motivated the committees' decision to give them the Fling concert bid, Tiwary said. "The reason we threw The Samples on the bill is we thought they would appeal to a more mainstream crowd," he said. "We want to create a show with a little bit for everyone. But not so much so that fans of one band won't be able to party with fans of another." If the committee can secure a third band, they will try to add a fourth "smaller band" to the ticket, Tiwary added. In an attempt to combat rumors, Parker explained why several bands refused bids for the Fling concert. Live is touring in Australia and the Beastie Boys are playing at another Philadelphia location, Parker said. Although the committee also tried to get Hootie & the Blowfish for the concert, they were not available, Parker added.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
As part of HIV/AIDS Awareness Month, triathlete Jim Howley spoke Thursday about the benefits of fitness, athletics and a positive attitude for people with HIV and AIDS. He explained that despite always practicing safe sex as a teenager, he contracted AIDS later in his life. "In high school, my friends and I all slept around a lot, but none of us would have ever thought of having sex without a condom," he said. "But later in my life, I was at a party in L.A. and had sex without a condom." Howley later learned that his sexual partner from that evening was HIV-positive -- only after seeing him on the cover of a publication in a convenience store. Howley further explained that he spent the first seven years after learning he was HIV-positive as a depressed cocaine addict. But this changed one day, when he resolved to live out the remainder of his life as productively as possible. "I remember looking out the window with my mother one day, drinking orange juice -- I thought orange juice would somehow keep me alive -- and thinking that if I could compete in a triathlon, I could stay alive forever," Howley recalled. He said AIDS has given him an entirely new and positive outlook on life. "One of the best things that has happened to me in my life is getting AIDS," he said. "It changed my life for the better. I'm not dying of AIDS, I'm living of AIDS." Howley, who presently takes about 60 pills each day, said that athletics have been a very effective therapy for him. "I remember being on my bike during a triathlon, with tears on my eyes, thinking, I'm not going to die, I'm going to live," he said. Howley's discussion of AIDS and athletics was of particular relevance in light of Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis' revelation last week that he has AIDS, according to Kurt Conklin, health educator for Student Health Services. "It's unfortunate that the media is focusing not on the fact that one of the best athletes of our time has AIDS," he said. "But on the fact that he bled into the swimming pool in the '88 Olympics." Howley said it amazed him how few precautions some people take with sex, despite the presence of the AIDS epidemic. "Even my straight friends, who live with me, train with me, [and] see what I go through don't practice safe sex," he said. "Their idea of safe sex is staying with one man or one woman for more than a month at a time." Howley explained that he wants no sympathy, but rather wants people to learn from his experiences. "People don't pity me, and thank God for that, because I'd rather they hate me than pity me," he said. "I don't think of myself as someone who is dying of AIDS, but as Jim -- a triathlete with no T-cells." He added that he wished his message were not coming from a gay man, because so many people wrongly believe that only gays can get AIDS. He said he plans to compete in the Hawaii Ironman triathlon in a couple of weeks. Howley, who grew up just outside of Philadelphia in Upper Darby, PA, has since moved to California.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
Anita Jenious, assistant director of Vanderbilt University's Opportunity Development Center, was named executive director of the University's Office of Affirmative Action on Friday. "We are delighted that [Jenious] has agreed to accept the position of executive director of the Affirmative Action Office here, and we look forward to her starting at the University by April 1," said Stephen Schutt, University President Judith Rodin's chief of staff. Although Jenious's appointment comes at a time when the goals and future of affirmative action are being extensively re-examined and debated nationwide, Jenious said last week she is "pleased and excited about working with the Penn community." "The reputation of the community was a major factor in my decision" to come to the University, Jenious said, adding that the "dynamic" presence of University President Judith Rodin was also an attraction. A Vanderbilt graduate, Jenious became that school's first assistant director of financial aid for minority affairs in 1988, after receiving her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. As an undergraduate, Jenious was president of Vanderbilt's chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which has a city-wide chapter in Philadelphia that includes students from Bryn Mawr College and the University. AKA City-Wide Chapter President Brynee Gandy, a Bryn Mawr junior, said she was happy to hear of her "soror's" appointment. "In our sorority we have many experiences that help us prepare [for life], so I know that she'll be very successful in all of her undertakings," Gandy said. Jenious has also served as disability services coordinator for Vanderbilt's Opportunity Development Center and as a graduate assistant in the University of Tennessee's Office of Affirmative Action. Additionally, Jenious currently hosts a weekend radio talk show in Nashville called "Express Yourself," and is a consultant to educational institutions and government agencies regarding issues of diversity, racism and sexism in the workplace. Bob Schoenberg, coordinator of the Program for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn, said Jenious's experience with respect to mutliculturalism is especially relevant and makes her well-qualified for the position at the University. Jenious's selection follows a national search that began in October 1993 -- when former Affirmative Action Director Joann Mitchell left the University to become associate provost and affirmative action director at Princeton University. Sharon Harris, assistant director of the Office of Affirmative Action, has been serving as interim director since Mitchell's departure.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
The Red and Blue archives, estimated to be worth over $100,000, disappeared from their storage location in Irvine Auditorium this weekend, and were thrown away, according to The Red and Blue spokesperson Thor Halvorssen. Halvorssen, a College junior, said some of the issues and bound volumes that were removed from the office -- which the magazine shares with other student organizations -- dated back to 1889. So far, only a few issues have been recovered, some of which were found Friday night in a nearby dumpster. He added that the magazines are valuable because The Red and Blue was the first college magazine in the Ivy League. College junior Jennifer Lynch, co-chairperson of Penn Musicians against Homelessness, which shares the office, said that some members of her organization along with Houston Hall employees threw away the papers. Lynch said that last Thursday, magazines from The Red and Blue, Punch Bowl and other campus publications were placed in a hallway. Lynch explained that the magazines and papers were later removed Friday because they were creating a fire hazard by blocking the hallway. The hallway need to be cleared immediately because an environmental conference was being held in the building. But she added that three copies of each magazine were saved, two for University archives and one for The Red and Blue Editor-in-Chief Christopher Robbins, a College junior. "It was a misunderstanding," Lynch said. "We were under the impression they were no longer in that space. I'm completely shocked by Chris [Robbins] calling police at three o'clock in the morning. I had no idea this would be a major dispute." And Lynch said she had no intention of purposely harming The Red and Blue. "There was no malicious intent whatsoever," Lynch said. "We just wanted a musical rehearsal space. There was no political agenda as far as I know it." Kevin Chun, information coordinator for student life activities and facilities, said his supervisors authorized the removal of the papers. "This thing is getting blown out of proportion," Chun said. "I encouraged [PMAH] to keep things for posterity. I don't think this was at all malicious." Lynch said she had been in contact with Robbins, asking him to remove his materials from the office. "We asked them to please move papers out of the office," she said. "We delayed working on the office for several months, waiting for Robbins to move the stuff." And Chun said he thought The Red and Blue had no access to the room for the past two years. Halvorssen disagreed with Chun, stating that The Red and Blue has keys to the office, and has gone into the facility periodically to access their archives or supplies. In addition, he said that no one on the magazine's staff had been notified to remove their belongings, or that they could not use the office. Lynch said that she expected The Red and Blue to vacate the room after it was given to PMAH and the Curtis Organ Restoration Society for use as a musical practice space. Halvorssen said that 477 issues dating from 1889 to 1938 were missing. He said the documents also included more recent issues of the magazine, stationary and office supplies. "It's really sad," Halvorssen said. "Why did this have to happen? It's just really appalling. "It was a complete and total disappearing act," he added. "There's no trace of The Red and Blue ever having been in that office." Halvorssen said he searched through a dumpster behind Irvine and recovered about 15 percent of the missing magazines. He also said that he definitely suspects foul play due to recent incidents with The Red and Blue. He cited such episodes as the Student Activities Committee refusing to fund the group. "We demand Penn Police and the administration carry out an exhaustive investigation against the deliberate and malicious attempt at sabotaging The Red and Blue. "As far as we're concerned we're going to pursue this farther," Halvorssen added. "Everything right now points to foul play." Halvorssen said he made a report with University Police, and contacted Physical Plant officials, who had no knowledge of work being done in the room.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
This year, Mother Nature has treated the University kindly. Last year at this time, severe weather had closed the University an unprecedented four times and the Department of Physical Plant had spent over $100,000 in snow and ice removal and salt distribution. But so far this winter, classes have continued on schedule, and weather-related costs total approximately $6,000, Director of Physical Plant James Wargo said. As of February 24 last year, the University had seen day after day of snow and ice storms. Students were forced to ice skate down Locust Walk, and snow drifts continued to pile up on College Green. There was also an increase in the number of injuries on campus due to the weather. Extra costs due to last year's weather conditions included paying employees overtime and repairing pipes when they froze or burst, Wargo said. When the snow hit this year, Physical Plant employees said they were better prepared. According to Director of Environmental Service Norman O'Connor, the University had more equipment, a better salt supply and contractors prepared in advance, in case extra help was needed. In addition, this fall forecasters predicted that about 30 violent snow and ice storms would strike the East Coast. But so far, only one storm has hit the area, and in comparison to last year, the damage was minimal. Still, this year's sole snowstorm, which occurred in the beginning of this month, did not leave the University unscathed. "We had some impact this year," Wargo said. "But it really was not near what we had last year -- everything is much better than last winter." He said the milder weather also allows the Department of Facilities Management to continue working with on-going projects that are sometimes slowed by winter weather. Students are also finding this winter much easier than last. "I don't have to worry about killing myself biking," College sophomore Rachael Muecke said. "It would be nice to have a snow day here and there, but this is much easier." Muecke, who hails from Houston, said last year's weather was a shock to her, adding that at times, she "just wanted to go home." Houston, Muecke said, has recently experienced temperatures in the 80s. As a member of the crew team, Muecke also said this year's weather makes being outside on the river much better. "That's miserable when it's cold and snowing," she said.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
Once again, the Penn Cycling Team is on a roll. According to Arts and Sciences graduate student Brian Hirsch, the club's "non-president," Penn Cycling was active at the University in the past, but disbanded two years ago. Hirsch said that since its reestablishment last summer, the group's goal has been establishing cycling as a permanent club sport with a viable campus presence. He added that the title "non-president" reflects the club's decentralized atmosphere and its focus on fun rather than organization. Penn Cycling now consists of approximately 35 students from across the University -- representing all experience levels, Hirsch said. Chemical Engineering doctoral student Randy Knarr said most of the club's members are beginners and that "word-of-mouth was beginning to bring [in] more members." The club has joined with the Quaker City Wheelmen, a Philadelphia racing association, which boasts more than 100 members. It is primarily composed of area residents with a common interest in bicycle racing. Hirsch said the relationship between the two groups is truly symbiotic. "[The QCW] wanted to give us access to their coaching and workshops and lend stability to our team," he said. "They wanted to get new members." And according to Hirsch, the QCW does not charge the students dues. Functioning as an affiliate member of the QCW, Penn Cycling is privy not only to the expertise of its members, but also to QCW's national sponsorship, Hirsch said. Peter Durdaller, whom the students call "Dr. Pete," has volunteered to be the team's de facto coach and fitness instructor for the upcoming season, which begins with a race in March. With the assistance of QCW, Penn Cycling is hosting its own competition on April 9 in Trenton, N.J. Hirsch and Durdaller both said they expect more than 200 riders -- representing at least 25 schools -- to attend. Durdaller, a local chiropractor who has raced for more than 30 years, said he enjoys the challenge of working with students. "This is not the first group I have coached, but it is the rawest group," he said. But he applauded the students for their enthusiasm and willingness to learn. "They are more open to ideas, ask more questions about what goes on in the races," he said. "It's quite gratifying." Durdaller said he organizes early morning training rides through Fairmont Park for both students and QCW club members. "Dr. Pete only wants to give something back to the cycling community," Hirsch said. "It sounds corny, but it's true." Durdaller said his goal is to have all students working to their potential. "I don't want the student to waste their time," he added. "[Cycling] is only fun if you can participate to the best of your ability. "Cycling is like any team sport, except that you always go in the same direction," he said.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
The University is leading the state in AmeriCorps volunteers, topping its own goal of filling 15 Pennsylvania Service Scholars slots and extending to 23 the number of participants in the program. After the University filled all of its 15 allotted positions for the Pennsylvania Service Scholars division of the AmeriCorps program last week, the Pennsylvania Campus Compact gave it permission to increase the number of Scholars Although one week prior to Friday's deadline, seven of the 15 slots had yet to be filled, applications poured in towards the end of the week. Penn Program for Public Service Associate Director Amy Cohen said she interviewed about 30 students for the positions. She added that she had not expected to go over the University's allotted number of slots. The University received the greatest number of slots out of the 32 participating institutions in Pennsylvania. The University had to submit names of applicants by Friday. Any spots remaining unfilled at that time would be redistributed to other schools in the state. According to Cohen, 11 of the University's slots had been filled by Monday, but as the deadline approached she applications to the program surged. "During the rest of the week -- because of the deadline, I think -- I got quite a number of applicants toward the middle of the week," Cohen said. Cohen said all applications were in by Wednesday, and decisions were made by Friday. Cohen said that some students waited until the last few days to apply. The University was informed it had received AmeriCorps grants just before winter break and began recruiting students at the start of this semester. She added that stories in The Daily Pennsylvanian about the program may have helped increase the number of applicants. Participating students must work on a service project for 900 hours. In addition, they must take at least one service learning course. Upon completion of their service, they will receive $2,363 from the National Service Trust and a matching grant from the University. Students also receive a living stipend slightly above minimum wage. Director of the Penn Program for Public Service Ira Harkavy was enthusiastic about the students who were accepted as Scholars. "I understand they've chosen absolutely outstanding undergraduates," he said. "I'm enormously impressed with their abilities, their interest and their education." Cohen also strongly praised the Scholars. "I had really wonderful applicants," she said. Harkavy added that these students are "deeply interested in linking their interest in service and academic work to make West Philadelphia better." Harkavy said he feels Pennsylvania is leading the country by combining academics and service. "The University's being able to identify 23 outstanding Pennsylvania Service Scholars is illustrative of the University's leadership role in advancing academically-based community service, the linkage of service to teaching and research," Harkavy said. Cohen said earlier this month that the Pennsylvania Service Scholars program is unique among AmeriCorps programs in that it is linked to academics. "The service is the only statewide higher education service corps in the country," she said.
(02/27/95 10:00am)
The federal government is taking too much power away from the states, according to Joseph Sobran, syndicated newspaper columnist, author and publisher of a monthly newsletter. An audience of more than 15 students and faculty listened attentively to Sobran's lecture about the contemporary implications of the 10th Amendment in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall Thursday. "No health care, welfare, subsidizing of the arts or those sorts of things," Sobran said. He added that he feels federal government is exercising power not accorded by the constitution. Sobran stressed his belief that social programs such as welfare, Medicare and public television are unconstitutional because they are powers not specifically granted to the federal government. "Those programs, in my opinion, should not exist," he said. "But they should be state programs." Sobran added that the federal government is too big and is not truly serving the people. He explained that constitutional law has degenerated and that the justice system is not upholding the checks and balances of the federal government. Sobran also said that the fears of the Anti-Federalists -- those once opposed to a centralized government -- have come true. The role of the President of the United States provided Sobran with more explosive fuel. In his opinion, the first five presidents of the county's history were the best. "Presidents in those days were not Czars," Sobran said. "[Their positions were] based on rhetoric -- [they succeeded] by saying something memorable." In general, the audience seemed to agree with most of Sobran's points. "As a student?studying American intellectual history and constitutional theory, it is very interesting hearing people from the outside academia's perspective," College junior Ryan Hanley said. "But not one that I necessarily agree with across the board."
(02/24/95 10:00am)
Two more bands to be announced The Spring Fling Concert Committee announced last night that Sonic Youth, the popular alternative band, will play at Fling on April 22. The announcement of the lead Spring Fling band normally ends weeks of speculation, but the committee cut short the traditional period of anticipation with yesterday's announcement. In the past three years, the Fling band had not been signed before March 17. And so the phone call Wednesday night that solidified the University's contract with Sonic Youth made the committee directors ecstatic. Still, committee members said this year's task of finding a band was as "tedious" as it was in past years. "Ahhhh," exhaled Fling Co-Director and Wharton junior Gil Beverly with a huge grin. "We attribute it to just luck --basically." Not every whisper has been squelched, however -- Sonic Youth is only one of the three bands that will "co-headline" the concert, Beverly said. Sonic Youth is currently recording an album and was looking for a few shows to kick off a summer tour, Beverly said. And because the concert committee had previously inquired about the band's availability, Sonic Youth actually came looking to play at the University. "I just want to reiterate that this is one band," Beverly said. "I will say with a certain amount of certainty that there will be at least three." Although the other two bands have not yet been signed, the second band should be confirmed soon, College sophomore and Fling Co-Director Melissa Schaefer said. "We have another band that we're 99.9 percent sure about," she said. "But we want to make sure, so we don't give any false information." By signing three bands to play at the outdoor concert, the committee --Ea combined effort from the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Fling Concert Committee, is trying to establish a "festival" or "Lollapalooza" type atmosphere, Schaefer said. SPEC Concerts Co-Director Vivek Tiwary, a Wharton and College senior, agreed. The multiple-band outdoor show is being organized to satisfy as much of the University's diverse student body as possible, he said. "It's not just a concert -- it's Fling," he said. "The outdoor [atmosphere] will allow everyone to run around, to dance and to hang out. We want people to come to the show to enjoy the music and to have a really good Fling with their friends." Sonic Youth has not toured recently because the two lead singers, husband and wife team Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, just had a baby. The band which sold out two nights in a row last year at the Tower Theatre, in Upper Darby, will make one of its first appearances of the year at Fling. Tickets for the concert will be on sale by April 1, Beverly said. The tickets will be $15 -- up $2.50 from last year -- and because the concert will be outside, all tickets will be general admission. Tiwary attributed the price increase to "a stronger bill of very solid acts," security needs and the necessity of a covered stage for the outdoor concert. Although the price of tickets for this year's Fling concert will be higher than past year's, in comparison with today's concert prices the tickets are reasonable, he added. The student bands that will play in the Quadrangle have not yet been determined, committee members said. But they are accepting demo tapes this weekend at Houston Hall.
(02/24/95 10:00am)
A representative from the Rutgers University Black Student Union spoke at a forum sponsored by the Black Student League last night. BSL officers barred staff members from The Daily Pennsylvanian from entering the multi-purpose room of the W.E.B. DuBois College House, where the Rutgers student was speaking. According to students who attended, one reason the function was held was to discuss with University students the controversy currently enveloping Rutgers. Many members of the Rutgers community are outraged at recently published remarks made in by Rutgers President Francis L. Lawrence. In a November speech about Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and race to the American Association of University Professors, Lawrence said "?or do we deal with a disadvantaged population that doesn't have that genetic hereditary background to have a higher average." The statement's release January 31 incited Rutgers students to call for Lawrence's resignation. Some students protested Lawrence's remarks by interrupting the Rutgers-University of Massachusetts basketball game February 7 with a sit-in. The other primary goal of last night's function at DuBois -- which was attended by about 35 students -- was to brainstorm ways that University students could help improve the situation at Rutgers, according to BSL President and College senior Robyn Kent. Such ideas included investigating "the exact reasoning the [New Jersey] Board of Governors gave in supporting [Lawrence]," College senior and BSL member Jorge Fernandez said. "That may lead to information that we do not know," he said. "We just want to know their opinion and why they chose to support him." Students also discussed holding a peaceful gathering, "possibly to represent the feelings we feel about what was said and to express to the academic community that if something is done wrong at one institution that it affects many institutions," Fernandez said. At the beginning of the function, BSL leaders held a vote on whether participants wanted members of the press to be present, Kent said. "The consensus was that they didn't want anyone from the DP there," she said. After the DP was barred from the meeting, Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel was called about a possible infraction of the University's Guidelines on Open Expression. "Unless designated as public, meetings are considered to be private," the policy states. "Events are considered to be public." BSL leaders asserted that although flyers advertised the gathering to the "Penn Community," the discussion was a private meeting, which would allow them to bar the press from attending, Kent said last night. During the meeting, Cassel spoke with BSL advisor and Director of Academic Support Programs Terri White, a University-designated Open Expression Monitor. By the time Cassel spoke with White and White officially warned Kent about a possible violation -- which might have granted the press access -- the meeting had already adjourned. "Terri White warned that there conceivably would be a violation of open expression and then the meeting broke up, so that was it," Cassel said. Cassel said that the biggest impediment to interpreting the Open Expression Guidelines in this instance is the definition of "meeting." "That's subject to interpretation. I guess this has never really been tested," Cassel said. Kent, however, said the event was a "closed meeting" and that she did not want anything to "hinder" the meeting's goals of exploring "how Penn and the Penn community could help the students at Rutgers." "There's still a feeling of mistrust between BSL and the DP, as much as both sides have tried to bridge the gap," Kent said. "The DP coming in would have prevented any progress." DP Executive Editor Charles Ornstein said he hopes to work with the BSL leaders to iron out a protocol for future events. "We believe events which are open to all members of the University community should be open to the press," said the College junior. "At the same time, we look forward to a productive dialogue with the BSL to keep the lines of communication open." At the forum, the BSL executive board decided to hold a closed meeting with the leaders of Rutgers' BSU.
(02/24/95 10:00am)
An article in the Law School's monthly student newspaper, intended as satire, exploded into a double controversy this week after a number of faculty members called for the resignation of the paper's 22 editorial staff members. Last Wednesday, the Penn Law Forum published a small article headlined "Top Ten Things Students Missed Seeing Associate Dean Heidi Hurd Do at the Faculty X-Mas Party," which included items described by faculty members as sexist and offensive. More than 100 students signed a letter two days later condemning the article and its anonymous author, according to Law School Dean Colin Diver. But faculty members took the issue one step further. The last sentence of a letter signed by more than 20 professors, including Diver, suggested that the Law Forum staff resign -- or at least "disavow" the article. Some Law students felt the letter was "unduly harsh," according to first-year Law student Jonathan Fox. "I think most students, including myself, are extremely supportive by saying they have the right to print it ? so as not to chill free speech," second-year Law student Phil Sivin said. But Diver said last night the letter was not meant as a threat to the editorial staff of the newspaper, and that faculty were suggesting, rather than forcing resignation. "We've tried to explain to people that it was not the intention -- certainly as dean I would never allow [censorship]," he said. The irony, according to Diver, is that Law School faculty have been overly supportive of free speech and newspapers in past years. "I would say it was an overreaction in the heat of the moment, and I think most of the faculty have come to realize that after reflection," Law School Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Gary Clinton said last night. Hurd, who has taught at the University since 1988 and is regarded by students as an "accomplished" professor, is the highest ranking female faculty member at the Law School. "She is one of the most highly respected members of the Law School community, she's an excellent teacher and excellent scholar," Clinton said. "She's somebody who really lives for that law school." But the article is particularly troubling, according to Diver, because its target has been attacked before. "Unfortunately, she has been a target of this kind of sexual humor in past years," he said. And the controversy comes at a particularly bad time for Law School women, according to Clinton. Last month, a study compiled by professor Lani Guinier concluded that men outperform women in law school -- and that women are not having positive experiences there. "It's especially of significance in light of the recent article," Sivin said. "A lot of people said [the satire] was just because she was a woman," Fox added. Law Forum Editor-in-Chief Magdalen Braden, a third-year Law student, sent letters of apology to both Hurd and Diver last week. Friday, the staff published a reprint of the paper without the original article. "I think the newspaper has behaved very commendably," Diver said. Despite calls for the anonymous author to apologize, editors have refused to release the person's name. "It was just over the line," said Fox. "I would have to bet that even his or her friends wouldn't think it was funny." Hurd and Braden were unavailable for comment last night.
(02/24/95 10:00am)
In a lecture that was both witty and personal, former New York Times columnist Anna Quindlen spoke about journalism, health care and women's rights before a crowd of about 250 people yesterday in the Nursing Education Building. Quindlen, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1992, described how journalism has evolved since she started writing for newspapers over 20 years ago. "You basically had the news and the sports -- men wrote those stories. And you had the social pages -- written by women for women," she said. "Any newspaper that stuck to that formula is probably defunct today." Now, Quindlen said, there is a wide variety of stories in newspapers -- "everything from how to save a cream sauce to how to save Bosnia, with some 'Contract With America' thrown in." She also explained how newspapers have changed to the reader's advantage. "We learned to listen to the reader, and that saved the business," she said. Quindlen drew a parallel between past problems in journalism and present problems in health care. "Newspapers have lost the confidence of readers, audiences and consumers. And that's why we have a perceived crisis in health care too," she said. "Not just because of costs, not just because of insurance, but because a significant number of consumers believe that the system does not even see them." She talked about her experiences with health care, as well as those specifically dealing with her family. Quindlen's mother died shortly after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when Quindlen was 18 years old. She said her mother's care was insufficient, in large part because it seemed the doctors did not care about her mother or her family as human beings. "There was no attempt to talk to her or to us," Quindlen said. "The doctors saw themselves as clinicians, as though the cancer touched only her body -- not her mind, not her husband, not her children." In addition, her sister-in-law also died of cancer. Quindlen, who said she was a "constant, happy advocate for nurses" during the five years in which she was a columnist for the Times, discussed the importance of nurses in the future of health care. "Nurses will be the backbone of healthcare in America, as in fact they've always been," she said. She said nurses are being given greater authority today than in the past, and the public is in favor of this. "Now polls show that people are confident that with nurses, they will get something approaching tender loving care," she said. "And that's what they want." Quindlen said the "great social revolution of feminism" dovetails with the issue of health care. "Women have been at the forefront of demands for changes in the way health care is delivered," Quindlen said. "The reason why this should be so should be manifest. We've spoken up because we have had so much to talk about because we have so often been the patients." Ann-Marie Rafferty, a visiting fellow at the Center for Health Services Research and Policy Analysis, was enthusiastic about the speech. "It was a very riveting analysis," she said. "It was reflective of the kind of intensity and the passion and the value which she places on nursing. And hopefully that value will actually help form the perception of nursing in the public sphere." Quindlen's speech was the part of the Annenberg Public Policy Center's "Women in the Public Sphere" series.
(02/24/95 10:00am)
Amidst a scattering of red and blue balloons, the oldest student union in the country celebrated its 99th birthday yesterday. Fran Walker, director of Student Life, Activities and Facilities, began Houston Hall's anniversary celebration with a brief speech. "In our opinion this building has served us pretty well for 99 years," Walker said. "And that deserves a celebration." A small crowd of faculty and students gathered around a table laden with cake and ice cream as the Beatles' "Birthday" played in the background. The modest party was Houston Hall's first birthday party since the 1985 celebration marking its 90 years of service. But Walker said it paled in comparison to the bash planned for the building's centennial next year. "This is just a small preliminary to the big bash of next year," she added. "We plan to have a major celebration involving both the students and the faculty." The Houston Hall merchants contributed cards, balloons, coffee and cake to the celebration. In addition, the mall's stores held 99-cent specials to commemorate the event. The majority of the assembled students seemed most interested in snatching a piece of cake before leaving. "I just thought I'd get some cake and ice cream as long as I was here," College senior Dave Seminara said. Second-year graduate student Michael Roach seemed to sum up student sentiments. "[I'm here] for the cake," he said. The building was erected in 1895 with a financial contribution from Henry and Sally Houston in honor of their son who had attended the University. The annual conference of the Association of College Unions International will be held at Houston Hall next year -- the celebration of its 100th anniversary, Walker said.
