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(02/10/95 10:00am)
Aiming to ensure due process for accused students, the First Amendment Task Force yesterday announced plans to write its own version of the procedures outlined in the proposed Student Judicial Charter. On Wednesday, University Council voted by a wide margin to remand the Charter to the Student Judicial Reform Committee for revisions. Council wants the Committee to focus on protecting respondents' rights. According to College senior and Undergraduate Assembly member Dan Schorr, who also chairs the First Amendment Task Force, the proposed Charter does not provide sufficient protection for student defendants. "Our premise is this -- all rights, including free speech rights, cannot be secure if the system of justice is a system of injustice," he said. "Therefore, what we want to do is propose an alternative plan for University judicial hearings that protects the rights of student defendants and recognizes that a student being prosecuted is inherently a confrontational situation." Schorr said that because a student's future academic career and membership in the University community may be in jeopardy during judicial proceedings, it is essential that student defendants are permitted to call and cross-examine witnesses. Schorr also said it is essential to allow students' advisers to speak during the hearings. Additionally, the group contends that an open hearing should be granted upon a respondent's request. "I learned in high school that an open judicial system was one of the basic principles of a free society," Schorr said. "Under this system, students can't defend themselves and there's no public scrutiny." But College junior Wilton Levine, who chaired the Student Judicial Charter working group of the SJRC, said the Charter makes "every effort to protect the respondent's rights." "The purpose of the system as we have defined it is not for the complainant to gain retribution," he said. "The purpose of the system is to determine whether the allegations about the respondent are true or not." Levine added that the Charter does permit respondents to address the hearing board, and said he is open to allowing respondents to reply to statements made by witnesses. "[But] cross-examination takes it to another level, [and] makes it a more adversarial system," Levine said. College junior Maxim Jacobs, the First Amendment Task Force's vice chair for external affairs, will be chairing the group's judicial reform committee. Jacobs said he became involved in the reform process because he was concerned about students being "railroaded." "I looked over the [proposed] Judicial Charter outline and it really didn't say that we had any rights," Jacobs said. "It basically said that they could do what they wanted to us depending on who's their chair." Jacobs said he could not estimate how long the group's work will take, but Schorr said he hopes that the First Amendment Task Force can generate a preliminary document "within the next few weeks." Provost Stanley Chodorow said he has not heard of the First Amendment Task Force, but is willing to listen to the group's ideas. "In my view, all good ideas are useful and contribute to the process," he said. "Bad ideas are only a problem if they waste time by becoming the focus of an extended discussion that leads nowhere. "But bad ideas have their role; they help define the good ideas," Chodorow added.
(02/10/95 10:00am)
Former Hill House faculty fellow and part-time English Professor Martin Orzeck has accused officials from Hill House, University Police and the English Department of misconduct and "ridiculous and unreasonable" policies. Orzeck alleges he was harassed by University Police and Hill House security guards and that the English department is attempting to eliminate his teaching position. But officials have denied Orzeck's allegations. Although he has not filed any grievances at this point, Orzeck said his accusations are serious because they shed light on larger problems with how the University handles both academic and privacy issues. According to Orzeck, Allied Security and University Police harassed him and his wife, Bethann Morrison, repeatedly while he was a Hill House faculty fellow. As a result of the incidents and a lack of response to his complaints about the alleged harassment, Orzeck and Morrison left Hill House two weeks ago. The difficulties arose when Orzeck refused to allow Allied Security guards to swipe his PennCard through the card reader. "I showed it to them but desk security said it wasn't enough," he said. "I refuse to allow the University to monitor my coming and going and I don't feel the University is entitled to that kind of paternalistic monitoring." Orzeck said, though, that his refusals were "respectful." However, Orzeck said, Residential Security and University Police officers came to his apartment twice last semester demanding to see his PennCard in a "harassing" manner. "It was very humiliating -- students gathered in the hall and it was simply a systematic violation of my privacy," Orzeck added. The two incidents occurred on October 27 and November 6. According to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, Residential Security responded the first time. The police log indicates that the University Police responded the second time, although it provided no detailed information, Kuprevich said. But he said the police action was appropriate and "nothing unreasonable" occurred. "Nothing was done to harass him," he said, adding that the process of swiping a PennCard checks the card's validity as a safety precaution and does not violate a person's privacy. "Any information is very much guarded and not open except to Public Safety when we're investigating criminal behavior [and] no one monitors people's comings and goings," he said. "If people violate the process [of swiping PennCards], security has broken down and actions have to be taken." Orzeck said Allied Security guards know the faculty in Hill House, and therefore should not require the validation of those PennCards. "Once they recognize us, why can't they let us come and go?" he said. Allied Security guard Tyrone King said Tuesday night he dealt with Orzeck and encountered no difficulties. "He always showed me his ID, I knew who he was, and it was never a problem," King said. Orzeck said he and his wife decided to leave Hill after winter break. They now live in North Philadelphia. Orzeck has run afoul of the law before. In 1991, Orzeck, who began teaching at the University in 1989, telephoned the White House, lost his temper, and called former President George Bush a "Nazi racist." He was subsequently questioned by U.S. Secret Service officers. In addition to his problems at Hill House, Orzeck said English Department administrators have "wrongly" refused to give him the opportunity to teach or advise independent studies after this semester. Orzeck said he thought a connection might exist between the two situations because they seemed "too coincidental." But English Department Chairperson John Richetti said Orzeck's difficulties are due to economic conditions and his part-time standing. "He decided he can't do [independent study work] if he's not being paid," Richetti said, adding that the University does not pay part-time faculty for doing independent study. Orzeck, however, said money is not the issue, adding that he does not want to "continue to nurture these advisee-advisor relationships." "The issue of reenumeration was never central and people in the English Department are trying to make it sound like all I want is money," he said. Orzeck had several independent study students lined up for this semester -- all of whom are being reassigned. As a result, he said, he is worried about his future with the University. But English Department Undergraduate Chairperson Al Filreis said Orzeck's concerns are unfounded. "Marty is not being run out," he said. And Richetti said Orzeck is a "fine teacher," adding that he hopes Orzeck will be able to teach next fall. "His latest troubles in getting assignments have to do with the unfortunate economic system," said Richetti. He added that the University gives first priority in class allocation to standing faculty, while providing part-time teaching for recent graduate students who may have trouble finding employment in today's job market. The process leaves all other positions open to other temporary faculty members, such as Orzeck. Filreis said Orzeck is "paid by the class" and his status with the University is purely temporary. But Orzeck said his departmental problems indicated a larger, University-wide issue of concerning how teachers earn standing faculty status. "I am being classified as a part- timer even though I have taught more classes than almost anyone else," he said, adding that the system does not fit with "common sense." Orzeck's students agreed, saying that the University gives preference to professors who emphasize research and publishing, instead of faculty members who teach well. But College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Rescorla said "scholarly activity" is important to being a standing faculty member, adding that most part-time faculty are not promoted to full-time professorships. College senior Jim Downs, a student and advisee of Orzeck's, called him "a really incredible professor." "I am so shocked this is happening to him," he added. Orzeck served as Downs' advisor for an independent study project he did last semester, and Downs said those who were to be advised by Orzeck this semester will "lose out."
(02/09/95 10:00am)
When she's out of the office, you can often find her organizing volunteer missions to Thailand, Russia, or Eastern Europe. But at 9 a.m. yesterday, Peace Corps Director Carol Bellamy was a little closer to home, stepping off a train at 30th Street Station. Bellamy, who was appointed to the position by President Clinton, was in Philadelphia in an effort to recruit new Peace Corps volunteers, and visit a program for returned Peace Corps volunteers. And under Bellamy's leadership, the number of people in the two-year volunteer program has expanded by about 500. "It's still tough, we don't just take anybody," Bellamy said. "But there are more slots available, and we're looking for everything from the liberal arts graduate to the Wharton MBA." Bellamy said that people wanting to volunteer for the Peace Corps must fill out an application and take a medical exam. "You've got to be in at least okay shape to volunteer in the Peace Corps," she said. "The Peace Corps is not Club Med." Bellamy stressed that in addition to a service opportunity, the Peace Corps offers experience, and looks attractive to employers. "For example, a Wharton MBA would be great in one of our programs in Central or Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union," she said. "[Somewhere] where we have volunteers working with budding entrepreneurs [who are] trying to convert state run economies?into free-market economies. "We're always looking for teachers," she said. Bellamy added that the Peace Corps, a U.S. government agency, receives $231 million a year in federal funding. And she wants University students to know that the Peace Corps experience is not merely "the recent college graduate digging latrines out in the middle of the jungle, next to mud huts," although she said that there are positions like this available for those who are interested. "We also have volunteers working in urban areas," she said. "Though not fancy urban areas, all of the volunteers live at the level of the community in which they are working." And while the individual experiences of Peace Corps volunteers may vary, the director said that all volunteers get something in common out of it. "You can really help people," she added, "I think it enhances people's careers." The Peace Corps will also pay for 10 weeks' language and cultural training, in addition to the two-year volunteer program. All living and medical expenses are paid by the Peace Corps, and though the volunteer does not get a salary, "they do get a lump sum of $5,400 at the end of service," Bellamy said. And while the volunteer is in the program, his loans are deferred and incur no interest during the two years. Bellamy said the typical volunteer "becomes a problem solver and a project manager, and you do it all in a different cultural environment, which is what employers all over the world are looking for?and it's also fun. "The University of Pennsylvania is the number two producer [of Peace Corps volunteers] in the state of Pennsylvania," she added.
(02/09/95 10:00am)
Philadelphia City Council President John Street was a no-show yesterday at a forum entitled "The Role of the Afro-American Collegiate in 1995" held at the W.E.B. DuBois College House. But the program, which was sponsored by the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, continued despite the absence of Street. However, the roughly 15 students who came to hear Street ended up hearing Arthur James, a Philadelphia attorney, instead. James' son is a Wharton sophomore. James stressed the need for blacks to be educated, and added that he was annoyed that more students had not shown up for the event. He said that if the rapper Tupac Shakur -- whom he referred to as a "faggot punk" who degrades women -- had come, hundreds of students would have attended the speech. "It's embarrassing to be a black man in America," he yelled. "In 1995 we have become a liability, [and] we've got to strive for academic excellence. "You guys are the tomorrow," he added. "But you scare me. I'm scared to death of tomorrow." James said blacks must not look to past figures like Malcolm X for inspiration, but must rely on themselves. "Find the Malcolm in you," James said. And James said blacks should not be getting a University education to merely get a job, but also to be the head of a law firm, or own a corporation. "If your education only allows you to think about a job, then you missed the boat," he said. "You must say to yourselves, what am I gonna own, [and] what am I gonna contribute to the community. We must take back our neighborhoods." James also said he is fearful of the current government and what they are going to do to blacks. He said blacks must be educated to understand what's really happening in government. "They're getting ready to turn this whole country around," he said. "If the people that are in power now get what they want, your ain't even gonna understand what America is." He added that blacks should not be angry with Koreans who own stores in the black community, but should rather learn a lesson from their example. And he stressed that blacks must interact with whites and stop blaming whites for black problems. "Don't turn your back on whites, it ain't about race, it's about your people, your business," he said. "In order to take back our neighborhoods you're gonna have to deal with a whole lot of people." College sophomore Obinna Adibe said he was not surprised at the turn out, but added that he enjoyed the speech, even though Street was a no-show. "It's a shame," Adibe said. "Nobody comes when something valuable is on tour. It was an excellent speech. It was real. I got enough there to take with me and tell my friends."
(02/09/95 10:00am)
Calls for more due process University Council voted overwhelmingly yesterday to return the proposed Student Judicial Charter to the Student Judicial Reform Committee for revisions aimed at explicitly protecting respondents' rights. The vote followed prolonged debate between Council members over the character and purpose of the proposed system. It also focused on presumption of innocence, role of advisers and right of appeal. Before discussion began, Provost Stanley Chodorow acknowledged the assistance of College senior Beth Hirschfelder and College juniors Ashley Magids and Wilton Levine -- each of whom chaired an SJRC working group -- in writing the draft document. Chodorow also clarified his views about the importance of fairness in the revised judicial system, in response to yesterday's editorial in The Daily Pennsylvanian. Hirschfelder then told Council members that the presumption of innocence in the Charter is "a given," and opened the floor to comments and questions about the roles of accused students and advisers in hearings. The Charter now states that respondents would be able to reply to questions from the hearing board but not address the board directly or call and cross-examine witnesses. Advisers could not speak during judicial proceedings. Emeritus Finance Professor Morris Mendelson was the first to respond to Hirschfelder. "[Under the proposed system], the accused can't ask questions," he said. "I think that every person in a judicial system needs to be able to ask questions." College junior and Undergraduate Assembly member Eden Jacobowitz agreed, adding that he feels a student's adviser should also be able to ask questions on the student's behalf. But Hirschfelder said allowing respondents to speak may cause the hearing board "to take on the role of prosecutor," leading to adversarial judicial proceedings and making it more difficult to determine the truth. Chodorow also said the revised Charter does not try to create a court of law. "As a matter of principle, this is not a legal system," he said. "It is the institution that is acting and seeks to find the truth." Chodorow added that he thinks the new system will reveal the truth as well as or better than an adversarial system. But College senior and Undergraduate Assembly member Dan Schorr, who chairs the First Amendment Task Force, assailed the draft Charter as "totally flawed" and "inherently confrontational." Jacobowitz then read portions of a letter criticizing the revised system from History Professor Alan Kors, who served as his adviser during the 1993 "water buffalo" case. Schorr asked Council to pass a resolution rejecting the principles of the revised Charter and creating a new judicial reform committee "that reflects the minutes of this meeting" to reconsider the applicable issues and write another document. "If the principles aren't those that this Council wants, we have to send it back," he said. Echoing sentiments expressed by Hirschfelder and Magids, Graduate Student Associations Council President Bronwyn Beistle said "the thought of sending [the Charter] back fills me with despair and dread." However, Beistle -- an English graduate student who is also GSAC representative to the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly -- added that she shares the concerns raised by other Council members. Following a suggestion by College junior and UA member Lance Rogers that representatives from Council be added to the SJRC to rework the Charter, Mathematics Professor Gerald Porter proposed that the Charter be remanded to the SJRC with discussion from Council. After this substitute motion was accepted, University President Judith Rodin requested that SJRC members bring a "simple, straightforward ?much more well-articulated document" back to Council for further discussion next month. While Chodorow declined to comment on Council's actions, Hirschfelder said they did not surprise her. "We hadn't brought them a final document anyway -- we were planning on taking and using their opinions to continue to make changes to the document," she said. "Substantively, I think we heard things we haven't heard in the past." Magids said the process of judicial reform has taught her that compromise is crucial to achieving change. "I think that the system we're proposing is better than the one that exists, it is definitely a fair system," she said. "We've learned through this long process that it's not possible to just jump from A to Z and we've jumped as far as we realistically can to get a new system in effect next fall," Magids added. Levine said he also remains optimistic that the new Charter will be implemented next fall, and is still hoping for additional feedback from members of the community "to create a fair yet effective judicial system that seeks to find the truth."
(02/09/95 10:00am)
An open door could be partially to blame for a rash of thefts in the Hutchinson Gymnasium, Assistant Director of Recreation John Hamerick said yesterday. The door in question connects Hutch to the Palestra. Hamerick said the situation is "extremely bad," adding that recently there have been five to 10 locker burglaries a week. He said the thieves are avoiding Hutch's main entrance, which is monitored by security guards. Instead, it appears the thieves are gaining access via unguarded Palestra doors and also through Hutch's side doors. "The problem is that [the thieves] are getting in through the Palestra," Hamerick said. "[Closing the connecting door] will not alleviate the problem, but it will deter it substantially. "There are numerous doors where people can let other people in," he added. "But to have a free access is another situation." University Police Detective Gary Heller said the Division of Public Safety has advised the Athletic Department that they should close the door attaching the Palestra to Hutch. He said the door is one of the entry points for the thieves. And last month two suspicious males were seen in the Hutch locker room carrying what appeared to be a bolt cutter, according to University Police Lieutenant Susan Holmes. The two males then fled the locker room and exited Hutch through the unsecured door leading to the Palestra, Holmes said. A wallet and a lock were later found missing. Currently, the connecting door is kept open for the convenience of athletes and recreational joggers, Hamerick said. But the price of convenience has been rather high for those victimized by the thieves. Hamerick said the thieves typically look for credit cards and quickly ring up significant charges before the owner notices the cards are stolen. "They are using these credit cards within a half hour of stealing them," he said. "The number one rule is don't bring valuables to the gym. All you need is your ID and your workout clothes." Hamerick added that the thieves are especially difficult to catch, because after cutting the locks they replace them with new ones. This strategy, he said, gives the appearance that the thieves are legitimately using the locker room. And the lockers affected in the crime spree have been the "transient lockers," Hamerick said. These lockers are available for temporary usage and require the user to bring a padlock. He said the year-round rental lockers have not been broken into because they have combination locks.
(02/09/95 10:00am)
If more days were like last Tuesday, University Police would be able to cut down on the crime that plagues campus the most: unattended property theft. It all started when University Police Officer John Newton arrested a man believed to be connected with several thefts from several campus buildings, University Police Detective Gary Heller said. Troy Weaver of 39th and Mount Vernon streets in West Philadelphia, was taken to Southwest Detectives and charged with theft, Heller said. The arrest may not have happened without the assistance of two civilians, however. Heller said the suspect was found in a Steinberg-Dietrich Hall computer lab by Officer Newton at about 1:30 p.m., without a PennCard. Weaver was first identified by a woman who said he had been in Steinberg-Dietrich when previous thefts had been committed, Heller said. Then a female student came to the computer lab and said that Weaver had her knapsack and scarf, which were stolen from her just moments before in Van Pelt Library. Heller said Weaver, in addition to having the student's property, had a student's credit card that had not yet been reported stolen. And this arrest may begin to stem the rising tide of thefts in Steinberg-Dietrich, Towne Building, and Vance Hall. But the arrest did not come soon enough for College junior Michelle Kay. She said her knapsack was stolen last Friday night as she worked in a Steinberg-Dietrich computer lab. Kay said that when she reached down to get something from her bag, she saw it was gone. But fortunately, Kay said her bag was found by University Police in Houston Hall, minus the $100 that was taken. "I was just happy my bag was back," she said. "If this is the worst thing, I'll deal with it. "Everyone just puts their bag at their feet and they don't hold onto it," Kay added. "The person who is doing this is pretty smart because he keeps getting people who aren't paying attention." Kay added that she has learned her lesson about guarding her property since the theft. "I've been [at Steinberg-Dietrich] every day since then, and I've held onto my bags ever since," she said, adding that if the security guards checked for identification more often, unattended property theft could be cut down.
(02/09/95 10:00am)
Students in English 88 can't stop talking about the MOO -- PennMOO that is. And last night, Provost Stanley Chodorow got a first-hand taste of the MOO. What is all of this moo-ing about? The MOO -- Multiple User Dungeon Object Oriented -- is defined by its advisor Susan Garfinkel as an on-line virtual environment which is a supplement to regular classroom sessions. She added that it is a descendent of the on-line Dungeons and Dragons game. "But the dungeons and the dragons are both gone now," she said. This semester, English Department Chairperson and English Professor Alan Filreis is integrating this innovative system into the curriculum of his Modern American Poetry course, English 88. Garfinkel said that when a user enters to PennMOO, he will find himself in a space called "PennCentral." There will be a description and a map, just like in an adventure game. From there, the user can move from "room to room." English 88 has a cluster of rooms at PennMOO within the Classroom Center, Garfinkel added. Although PennMOO was created nearly a year and a half ago, this is the first large class to be put on it, he said. Filreis said his 80 students are required to spend a certain amount of time each week using the MOO. Each student is assigned a character for the program. Filreis added that he, his teaching assistants and Garfinkel all have virtual office hours on the MOO. He added that students can use the MOO for many purposes. They can construct poems, there is a bulletin board and there is an internal mail system. There is also a scrabble game and a virtual coke machine within these "rooms," he said. Students can put virtual quarters into this machine and get virtual drinks, which they can pass around to each other. There is also a Classroom 88 and a Cafe 88 and small conference rooms attached to the cafe which are named for famous modern poets, such as William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg. Students can use these locations to meet and have informal discussions about class material, Filreis said. And College junior Jon Slotkin, a student in English 88, said he thinks the MOO is great. "Sure, the MOO was intimidating at first, but once I got over any technophobia, I was surprised to find that such a seemingly impersonal experience as a computer was as intimate learning experience," he said. And last night, Chodorow got a sense of the MOO when he went on it for an hour to talk with the students. He spoke with the students on the subject of "grades and their relation to education." "It was good to be able to talk to students about a general subject like that," he said. But he added that it is tiring to be on the MOO. "I suppose that if you're a professional pianist, your fingers are in terrific shape, but an ordinary person finds his fingers beginning to wilt after 45-50 minutes," he said.
(02/09/95 10:00am)
With the approval of all but four proposals of Project 2000 last Sunday night, the Undergraduate Assembly has given to the administration what UA Chairperson and Wharton junior Dan Debicella said is the most important accomplishment of the body this decade. The UA spent the entire first semester on the recommendations contained in the project. According to Debicella, the UA will now invest much energy lobbying the administration to adopt the proposals. But much of Project 2000 has yet to be explained to the University community as a whole. The plan is divided into eleven sections. Each section includes several recommendations pertaining to specific areas of the University. There are 25 such recommendations in the document, and on Sunday, the UA approved 21 of these. Project 2000 was written by 18 UA members. Debicella revised and combined all the recommendations into the final form, he said. While many of the proposals in the plan are not ground-breaking, Debicella said they are not meant to be. Instead, Project 2000 is meant to focus University attention on a number of proposals that have been discussed before but never implemented. One of these proposals is a plan to convert the University into a "cashless campus" by turning the PennCard into a debit card, Debicella said. If this proposal becomes reality, students will be able to pay for everything on campus with their PennCards. Debicella said students would benefit from increased convenience and safety if this were implemented. A debit card would allow students to put money on their PennCard at the beginning of the year and make purchases using it -- with the cost of each purchase being removed from the money on the PennCard, according to Debicella. Currently, the new Chats coffee house uses this system. The University Bookstore employs a similar system -- allowing students to charge purchases of $25 or more to their bursar accounts. Debicella said he hopes to see the entire campus and surrounding stores using the debit card system by the fall of 1998. Project 2000 calls for laundry service and vending machines in University buildings to allow students to use their PennCards by the fall of this year. Another part of Project 2000 recommends that Dining Services also move towards a system that more closely resembles a debit card. A debit card has been proposed before, but was determined not to be economically feasible, Debicella said. He added that he has "seen things" that show that such a proposal would now be possible. Another recommendation written by Debicella deals with campus safety and the distribution of University Police officers. Project 2000 suggests that the University Police change their current system of patrolling so that police officers become more familiar with specific areas of the campus. "The idea is to create a neighborhood cop," Debicella said. "We're proposing that a group of policemen be assigned to a specific area for six months to a year." He added that rather than patrolling in cars, police would be on bikes or walking, so their presence will be more known. Debicella said he has discussed the recommendation with University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, and that it is "along the lines" of what the police administration has planned. Project 2000 also includes a recommended course of action for the administration to follow if a college house system is implemented at the University. UA Secretary and College sophomore Mosi Bennett said the UA was worried that a college house system could be harmful to student life if implemented in the wrong way. "These are things that students don't want, and that the UA feels would destroy certain aspects of social life at this school," he said. But Bennett said a college house proposal would not necessarily be damaging. "There are many benefits to the college house system," he said. "The ability to have access to services through dorms, more contact with professors, an identity with a house? [These are] something that is lacking under the system we have now."
(02/09/95 10:00am)
Prohibition of consensual sexual relations between faculty members and their students -- a policy change proposed by a subcommittee of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee -- has been both applauded and condemned by faculty members. "I think voluntary acts between consenting adults is no one's business and that it is prurient and tacky for people to pry into the voluntary lives of adults," History Professor Alan Kors said. But Emeritus Finance Professor Morris Mendelson said he approves of the suggested policy, which was released in Tuesday's Almanac. "[In the old policy] there was lots of ambiguity about what was prohibited and what wasn't," he said. "I think the present proposal is imminently sensible." The University's process of handling sexual harassment cases against faculty members has been criticized recently -- as in the case of former student Lisa Topol, who accused former Assistant English Professor Malcom Woodfield of sexual harassment. Topol had filed a grievance with the University Ombudsman several months before a hearing was scheduled. According to Lisa Topol's attorney, Alice Ballard, a policy must be contain a substantive rule, a procedure for enforcement and a punishment for violation of the rule. "I think that you not only need the substantive change -- which I applaud -- but you also need a procedure that returns the policy to the administration," Ballard said. Ballard said she sees the proposal as a positive side effect from the recent, impending lawsuits. "I think it's a great tribute to Lisa's endurance and courage in the sense that it seems to be an acknowledgement that the old policy was inadequate to deal with her situation," she said. However, a few faculty members believe that the policy is in an invasion of privacy. And others have found fault with the way the University processes cases of professor-student relationships, as no procedural changes are suggested in the policy proposal. "There is no hint in this proposal of the problems of due process," said Economics Professor David Cass, who has been romantically involved with Economics graduate student Claudia Stachel. Cass has alleged that he was refused the position of Acting Economics Graduate Chair because of his relationship. Cass said he feels the proposal is an insult to the professionalism of the faculty. "It takes as a presumption that the faculty is not ethical enough to deal with a situation which you would find very normal," he said. Kors agreed that the policy assumes that faculty and students are not capable of making responsible decisions. "It is part of the ongoing infantilization of students and a part of the ongoing intrusion into private adult realms of behavior by an increasingly authoritarian university," he said.
(02/09/95 10:00am)
In a memorial service yesterday in Van Pelt Library, more than 100 friends, colleagues and former students remembered the life and career of Rebecca Jean Brownlee, the former dean of the College of Women. Brownlee was 83 years old when she passed away on January 23. While members of the audience choked back tears, speakers recalled the charm and class with which she handled her position. "She maintained an air of dignity to the end, which won her a lot of admiration," long-time friend Robert Teitelman said. "Because of her deep commitment to her students?, her disarming manner and personal warmth?, Jean was generally regarded as a great lady. [And] she was more -- she was a noble woman." Teitelman set the tone for the rest of the memorial, which was punctuated by humorous anecdotes and lavish praise for a woman who had spent over 50 years at the University. "Jean remained an active and viral role model for generations of Penn people," former Interim President Claire Fagin said. "She loved Penn dearly and worked for its betterment." Fagin also read a letter from former University President Martin Meyerson in which he said that "the University is greatly in her debt." Brownlee's love for the University and its people was also conveyed by her former students. "She was always reaching out for others," friend and University alumna Elizabeth McLean said. "She was an integral part of [our lives], and we were the richer for it." Many of those attending the memorial praised its format and the content of the service. "It was a beautiful ceremony with very personal comments," School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens said. "What touched me was how well the different talks brought her to life." McLean agreed. "I think it spoke to the kind of person that she was," she said. University President Judith Rodin, who was a student in the College of Women when Brownlee was dean, had a prior commitment at the University Council meeting and could not attend the memorial. At the University Council meeting, Rodin said Brownlee was noted for promoting the role of women at the University, for her commitment to effective student advising and for her cheerfulness and friendship. Brownlee's life was summarized by University Chaplain Stanley Johnson. "She was the quintessential Pennsylvanian," he said. Staff writer Lisa Levenson contributed to this story.
(02/08/95 10:00am)
The area around 40th and Market streets is slated to undergo a major facelift this summer, thanks to a joint effort by the University, the city's Commerce Department, and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Beginning this July 1, the Commerce Department will inject $25,000 into the area, followed by an additional $125,000 next year, PCPC Executive Director Barbara Kaplan said. The money is designed to help refurbish the area, which is suffering from years of urban decay. Kaplan added that although the Commerce Department is funding the effort, it will allow area merchants to choose where the money is spent. And she said that the area around 40th and Market streets is ripe for revitalization because it is home to popular ethnic restaurants. University Project Coordinator Nathaniel Popkin said the University has also been involved with merchants in the area for the last several months, helping to decide how the money should be spent. He added that the Elwin Institution and the Presbyterian Hospital are involved in the project. Popkin said he hopes a rejuvenated 40th and Market streets corridor will not only increase student and faculty traffic in the area, but bring visitors from outside the region. He said he wants the neighborhood to be a cultural and entertainment district. Some of the proposed improvements include better street lighting, increased security, improved marketing and street cleaning, Popkin said, adding that SEPTA has displayed an interest in renovating the 40th Street subway station. Popkin said the key to a revitalized region, however, is building a strong business association. He stressed that urban redevelopment in West Philadelphia is a "collaborative" effort between the University, local businesses, and the city. And he added that the 40th and Market streets concept is only in its "infancy" and is a part of a larger effort to enhance the Spruce Hill neighborhood. "The University will continue to be involved in a variety of ways through participation in projects such as this and as well as academic service and beyond," Popkin said. "It's part of the University's priority to make West Philadelphia a better place to live." And Popkin said that people passing through the commercial district around 40th and Market streets will see a dramatic change for the better within five years. In addition, students from the Graduate School of Fine Arts are taking an active role in the urban renewal effort by looking into landscape and architectural ideas. Robert Hanna, professor of land architecture and regional planning, is leading the design project. He said the plan is in its initial "analysis" phase because he and his students have only been working on it for three weeks. "We thought it would be a very good student problem," Hanna said. "We don't know what were going to come up with. It may be utopian or practical, but it's too early to tell." The local business community is also a rallying around the idea of a revitalized West Philadelphia. Glenn Ellis, a University alumnus and owner of University Herbs on 40th Street, said he is very enthusiastic about the proposed renovations because he said they will bring new life to the area. He added that this effort will build a "bridgeway" between the University and the surrounding community. But added that initially merchants were "shocked" when they heard news of the plan because they saw the relationship with the University as "non-existent." But Ellis said he believes the University is acting in good faith. "There's a willingness to see this kind of thing happen," Ellis said. "It's a good intention on the part of the University to be part of a community. It's a very integral part for that ultimate growth."
(02/08/95 10:00am)
James Ingo Freed said that when he designed the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum in Washington, his intent was to make visitors feel the anxiety of an actual concentration camp. In a thick German accent, Freed delivered his "Memory and History: a discussion of the United States Holocaust Museum," to a packed house in Meyerson Hall last night. The principal architect for the museum, Freed focused his speech on his objectives while designing the building. In 1939, at the age of nine, Freed and his four-year-old sister fled Nazi Germany and moved to Chicago with relatives. "When my family and I came to the United States, we never spoke German again, and we never spoke of the Holocaust," Freed said. He viewed his commission to design the museum as an opportunity to explore many of his childhood memories of Nazi Germany. Initially, Freed tried to research the Holocaust from his New York City office, but eventually realized that he had to see the concentration camps first hand. For three months, Freed traveled to Germany twice a month. "When I went to Auschwitz, I felt it in my body, I felt in in my stomach, I felt it in my legs," Freed said. But he added that he had to distance himself from the camps, and "take refuge in architecture" when visiting them. "I wanted to do something visceral with the museum. I wanted the experience to go through your body, through your pores," he said. "I had one overriding goal. I didn't want it to be a theme park or a replication. It had to have the flesh and blood of the Holocaust, somehow, somewhere --but not directly visible. "We could never design anything as symbolic as the Holocaust," he added. "It was like a red plague." Freed also spoke of a courtyard at Auschwitz that he could not forget. He said he felt one of the main corridors in the museum was influenced by this courtyard. When visitors arrive at the museum, they are taken via elevators -- which resemble the cattle cars in which prisoners were taken to the camps -- to the fourth floor. They must then walk all the way out, he explained. Freed added that this is meant to resemble the technology and efficiency with which prisoners were delivered to and killed in the camps. "You enter a universe that is not quite as civilized as the one you left," he said. "This building is meant to keep you inside. You're not supposed to be able to see outside." He also explained that he intentionally designed the museum to face Arlington National Cemetery. Freed, who explained that he has had Parkinson's disease for 20 years, used a slide show and motion picture projection for most of his lecture.
(02/08/95 10:00am)
A landmark settlement in an AIDS discrimination case was announced yesterday at the office of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania in Center City. The case, concerning orthopedic surgeon Paul Scoles -- originally referred to as "Dr. Doe" -- stemmed from a mandate by Mercy Health Corporation that barred him from practicing medicine unless he disclosed his HIV status to his prospective patients. Mercy Health operates two hospitals in the Philadelphia area, Mercy Catholic Hospital and Mercy Haverford Hospital. Scoles filed a federal lawsuit in 1992, alleging that Mercy Health violated both the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act, when it prohibited him from practicing. In response to yesterday's settlement, Mercy Health officials released a prepared statement maintaining that "while the chances of transmitting the disease to a patient during surgery are very small, the result of such a transmission is nearly certain death for the patient." During a press conference announcing the settlement, Catherine Hanssens, AIDS Law Project director, disagreed with the Mercy Health statement. "In the 14 years of the AIDS epidemic, there has never been one confirmed case of HIV transmission from care worker to patient," Hanssens said. "Mercy Health knew all along that Paul Scoles did not pose a threat to his patients. But Mercy Health was afraid of being sued by patients who would make false claims about HIV exposure," Attorney John DiPietro, lead counsel for Scoles said. "This fear is exaggerated, particularly in light of the increasing number of courts around the country, including in Philadelphia, that have rejected these 'fear of AIDS' type claims," he added. Saying that he was "not satisfied with the destruction of my operative practice," Scoles claims that Mercy Health, "set out to deprive me of my non-operative, non-invasive practice, by telling their staff and the public that I was no longer involved in patient care and instructing their physician employees not to send me patients of any kind. "They removed my name from the ER referral and coverage lists," Scoles added. "Knowing that I could not respond, they told the press that I was no longer involved in patient care." The hospital later decided to allow Scoles to perform surgery if he get informed consent from his patients prior to scheduling surgery. The hospital then refused the consent, stating that each case must be individually reviewed by an expert committee. Scoles appealed his suspension to the Medical Board, who voted unanimously in his favor. The hospital did not accept this ruling, however. "It was only then, when Mercy's intransigence and scientific nincompoopery were clearly manifest and immovable that we went to Federal court," Scoles said. Last year, a federal district court dismissed major portions of the lawsuit. Scoles' attorneys were preparing for an appeal when the present settlement was reached. While the conditions of the settlement were not disclosed, both Scoles and Mercy say they are happy with it. "I brought this lawsuit in order to reclaim my reputation and to educate the public that HIV-positive health care workers do not pose a risk to their patients," Scoles said at the end of his press conference. "I am happy to know that since my case went public, not one doctor has had to go through the same ordeal in court."
(02/08/95 10:00am)
Officials are doing everything imaginable to keep as many students as possible living on campus next year. These actions range from adjusting on-campus rent rates to shooting several commercials on the subject. Last week, officials announced that the average rate of rent for undergraduate housing would not increase this year. While the aggregate rent will remain the same, some rents will go up while others go down proportionately. Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta said this is "directly tied to a long and consistent and concerted effort to make the residence halls more marketable." Earlier this week, the department released a tentative list of proposed rents. These figures are still pending approval by the University Board of Trustees. According to the Undergraduate Residence Rent Schedule, all rents for the high rises are either staying the same or decreasing slightly. But rents for most other dorms, especially those frequented by freshmen, have increased slightly. The cost of a single in the Quadrangle has gone up to $4,259 -- a $250 increase from this year's price. A double room in Ware College House rose by $220 to $4,570. The cost of a double in Hill House and Kings Court/English House have all increased to $4,000. This is a $300 increase for Hill and a $180 increase for Kings Court/English House. Besides adjusting rents, the department is also producing several short video spots to be shown on the ResNet movie channel in between movies. According to ResNet Coordinator Chris Cook, the commercial spots serve a dual purpose. "We wanted to get students on the movie channel," he said. "And this is the time of year when students are deciding where to live and this is an innovative way to tell students their options." He added that the commercials will begin airing in two to three weeks. Cook said his department filmed students and faculty members last week. They interviewed students passing by on Locust Walk, in the lobbies of several dormitories and in the dining halls. They also got a brief statement from University President Judith Rodin, Cook added. And the video team filmed several "informal chats" between students with common interests. One segment took place in the greenhouse of the Modern Language College House and featured a discussion between nine students living in College Houses. During the hour-long conversation, they talked about the advantages of living on-campus and in theme houses. Cook said the crew accumulated 10 hours of footage over the two days. "We have so much great material that I imagine that while these are airing we will be producing more [commercials]," he said. Officials were very pleased with the outcome of the project. Moneta said he saw the rough footage, adding that "our students are the most articulate and candid of any I've met." And Cook said he was very happy with the student reaction. "As a member of the Department of Residential Living it is especially gratifying to hear the positive feelings that students have for Penn's residential living options," he said. Simeone said the group of students had a lot of interesting and very positive things to say, adding that "some of it was very moving." She added that she hopes it is something students enjoy watching. "We hope students will get a bang out of seeing their friends and colleagues on camera," she said. "It was really neat hearing all of the students' perspectives," Simeone added. A full list of the rents for next year is available in the Residential Living Assignments Office located in the upper lobby of High Rise North.
(02/08/95 10:00am)
Continued debate about the proposed Student Judicial Charter and reports from the president and provost on the proposed Perelman Quadrangle student center will be the focal points of today's University Council meeting. The agenda also includes interim reports from Council's Admissions and Financial Aid, International Programs and Student Affairs Committees, as well as a presentation on benefits for professional staff members. Provost Stanley Chodorow said he anticipates "a deep discussion" of the issues raised by the draft Judicial Charter, including its basic principles and their consequences. "I also expect faculty to raise questions about the relative authority of faculty and students in the process," he said, adding that the issuance of grades by faculty members in cases where cheating is alleged may also be debated. "I expect the discussion of the Charter to be substantive and intense," Chodorow said. "I look forward to it." A final point of contention between Chodorow and members of the Student Committee on Judicial Reform who worked to create the revised Charter is whether the findings of its hearing boards will be final and binding decisions, or simply recommendations to the provost or his designZe. In a statement distributed to Council members this week, Chodorow said he respects "the absolute authority of the board as a judge of fact," but believes that "the officer who has to defend the decision should have the authority to make it." However, Chodorow later concedes that he "may have put too much weight on the University's liability." He also suggests in the statement an expanded role for the deans in the new judicial system and confirms his commitment to allowing respondents to have advisers from outside the University present during judicial proceedings. But the Charter as it now stands would not permit these advisers to speak -- a provision that concerns College senior and Undergraduate Assembly member Dan Schorr, who chairs the First Amendment Task Force. Schorr said earlier this week that he and UA Chairperson Dan Debicella plan to introduce a resolution at today's Council meeting asking for a return of the proposed Charter to committee for revisions that would protect complainants' rights. But Debicella said last night that he and Schorr are requesting revision of the Charter for different reasons. Chodorow said he expects comments, but not controversy, during discussion of the Perelman Quad proposal. The Council meeting, which will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall today, is open to the public.
(02/08/95 10:00am)
Kaplan Educational Centers and their largest rival, The Princeton Review, have begun offering services on the Internet's World Wide Web. According to Ed Potter, Internet project manager for Kaplan, "Kaplan on the Internet" went on line two weeks ago. "Kaplan on the Internet" is Kaplan's second foray into the online world. In August 1994, the company introduced Kaplan Online on America Online, a computerized information service. More than 250 documents, containing over 1,000 hyperlinks on subjects ranging from help with Scholastic Aptitude Test preparation to Law School admissions, can be accessed in the Kaplan service. "The service is an all-in-one reference place," Potter said. "We are providing another reference to students. And it is totally free." The Princeton Review is offering similar services, including profiles of college and graduate schools that include ratings compiled from Princeton Review surveys of 80,000 students attending the schools. "This is what the Net is all about," Princeton Review President John Katzman said in a statement. "We're giving students our in-depth info about a college, sharing evaluations of it from students we've surveyed at the school, and then our links drive the student to the college's door to pick up even more information." Students can ask Kaplan experts questions by addressing their concerns to http://www.kaplan.com. The address for the Princeton Review service is http://www.review.com. "The questions are already starting to come in," Potter said. "We are providing another resource for students." "Kaplan on the Internet" also features live real-time seminars and an extensive library featuring university admissions information, reference databases and Internet developer tools. In addition to the standard information services, Kaplan's site has a Virtual Store that sells Kaplan retail products and services. By March 1, the store will be selling third party products and processing credit card transactions. According to Potter, Kaplan initiated the service primarily as a way to enter the information superhighway. "We did this to get exposure on the Internet," Potter said. "Web services are growing by leaps and bounds every day." While Kaplan has informed prospective users of the service on the Internet, it has also used other means of communication.
(02/08/95 10:00am)
The Freshman Class Board received significantly less money than the other Class Boards this year, according to College freshman Melissa Fien, the class treasurer. And now, the class is running out of money. Freshmen Class Board members said the freshmen got less money than other Class Boards because of mistakes and poor financing by last year's freshman class. The current freshman class received only $701.60 from the Undergraduate Assembly for this year, Fien said. UA Treasurer Sabrina Gottlieb, a College sophomore, confirmed that the other classes got significantly more money than the freshmen. The sophomores received $7,358, the juniors were allocated a total of $5,356.90 and the senior class was budgeted $7,476.23, in addition to a loan of $44,512, according to Gottlieb. Freshman class officers said they resented that this year's class was punished financially because of last year's mistakes -- especially because the current sophomores were budgeted ten times as much as this year's freshmen. "Instead of punishing the sophomore class, [the UA] punished the freshmen this year and gave us less money," Fien said. Freshman Class Vice-President for Corporate Sponsorship Ryan Anderson, a Wharton freshman, said the UA gave the freshmen less money than the other classes because last year's Freshman Class Board spent much more than their budgeted amount. Due to the lack of money, the freshmen are very close to running out of funds for the activities they have planned for the rest of the year, Lasher said. UA Chairperson and Wharton junior Dan Debicella said the UA did cut funding to this year's freshmen because of last year's deficit spending. "The freshmen last year, in the budget they presented, didn't have anything they wanted to do," Debicella said. "They couldn't justify any of [their funding requests]. So the UA cut it down to what they needed to do the program they wanted to do, which was $700." Debicella admitted that this year's Freshman Class Board had nothing to do with last year's mistakes, but he added that the budgetary process requires the UA to fund Class Boards based on past accomplishments. "The only thing the UA can go on is the past results of how the Class Boards have performed in the past," he said. "We're still trying to find our stride as far as funding." This funding disparity is the third revelation to rock the freshman Class Board in the past two weeks. Two weeks ago, then-President Dave Forlander, a College freshman, resigned, according to the new Freshman Class President, Engineering and Wharton freshman Brett Lasher. Lasher had been the freshman class vice-president. Lasher announced on Monday night that he would be taking over the presidency of the freshman class. Then, at a Class Board meeting yesterday afternoon, College freshman Josh Rockoff, the public relations officer, resigned from his post. At that meeting, several members of the Freshman Class Board commented on the relative lack of funding the class received from the UA.
(02/08/95 10:00am)
They are tired of being labeled "Generation X." And a panel of four of America's youngest leaders in politics and community service argued that, despite public criticism, today's young people are more involved in their communities than ever. At an open panel discussion in the Law School auditorium Monday night, they debated the paradox of the "Twentysomethings" increasing participation in community service and simultaneous apathy toward politics. Many agreed that although Americans between the ages of 18 and 30 lack a single, visible cause for which to fight, they have turned to community service as a means to perpetuate change. College senior Jamie Daves, who hosted the panel discussion, has already become politically active and chose this forum to encourage discussion about the role of the young generation. The panel's moderator, Leslie Crutchfield, is the co-founder of Who Cares : A Journal of Service and Action, a magazine which covers young people who are involved in politics and service programs. She began the evening by putting forth a challenge to the audience --which was made up of over 200 public officials, non-profit leaders, students and community members -- to continue to get involved. Crutchfield said that young people began to define themselves as knowledgeable and concerned voters when 40 percent of this generation voted in the 1992 elections. She added that 20-year-olds are the fastest growing group of volunteers in the United States today, giving them the reputation of "the fix-it generation." Patricia Perkins-Auguste, who, at 29, was elected in 1992 as the first female African-American city councilwoman in Elizabeth, N.J, also spoke at the panel. She stressed her understanding that politics is, in her opinion, the most influential form of service. She added that America's true problems lie in racism and the deteriorating public educational systems. John Cowan, co-founder of Lead or Leave, the nation's largest political organizing group of twentysomethings, insisted that "our generation is getting screwed over by almost any measure." Lissa Hilsee, another panelist, is founder and executive director of Philadelphia Cares, a non-profit organization that coordinates volunteer projects for over 7,000 full-time professionals in the Pennsylvania area. Her resounding message was that "every person can make a difference and has a responsibility to give back in line with their talents and values." Kathleen Sullivan, the final panelist, is the coordinator for the grassroots organization Empty the Shelters. The group was founded by University alumni, homeless activists and community members and pledged to ending homelessness and poverty. She urged the young generation to "make sure to listen to the voices that aren't being heard or represented [by activists]." College sophomore Steve Wilson reinforced her assertions. He said University students need to accept West Philadelphia as "our" community, rather than "theirs." Until students accept the problems surrounding them as their own, positive change can not be attained.
(02/07/95 10:00am)
Yesterday morning's sun ushered in the kind of cold that numbs fingers in seconds. But the temperature, which was 32 degrees below zero with windchill, did not prevent two women and 18 men from participating in the seventh annual Quadrangle Streak. At 6:45 a.m. the streakers gathered in the "nipple" of the Quad for "mental preparation." In keeping with the post-Ground Hog Day tradition, they filtered outside and began to undress for their forthcoming buck-naked lap around the Quad. Although the runners made noise in an attempt to wake up sleeping Quad residents, the frigid temperature and early hour kept most students in bed. The spectacle did not go completely unnoticed, however -- female Quad Residential Maintenance workers gathered on Junior Balcony to cheer on the streakers. As the clock struck seven, the men and women dropped their drawers, untied their robes and revealed it all. "Hands up! Hands up!" they screamed as they made their way to the first stairway. "Get up! Get up!" With the exception of hats, gloves and sneakers, body paint was the only thing covering the twenty bare bodies. A rear view exposed buttocks boasting runner's initials, backs painted with the numbers "1995" and one smiley face. The brave group of students included 19 seniors and one sophomore. Within minutes, they had completed their run through the snow-covered Lower Quad and up along the Spruce Street side of Upper Quad. For two male and two female streakers the adventure did not end with a single lap -- upon returning to the "nipple" they discovered that their clothes were missing. They handled the catastrophe with grace though, and calmly followed the instruction's of a voice from an Upper Quad window. "They're in the lounge," a student called from above. Following the run, the participants hurried into a Quad building to finish dressing and have a post-run discussion. The students said they send their regards to those who stole their clothes. The exhibitionists also commented on their early morning exercise. "It needed to be done," said one female streaker who did not want to be identified. She added that the brisk morning run made her feel "alive." College senior Stephen Houghton had a different perspective on the icy temperature. "My piercings got pretty cold," he said. "From the tip of my nipple to the tip of my navel to the tip of my penis." A fourth year veteran streaker, who would only identify himself as a residential advisor in the Quad, said unlike last February's gift of warmth, this year's streak was the coldest he ever experienced. The senior also praised the two female streakers who also identified themselves as R.A.'s in the Quad. "Last year there were more women and we were happy about that," he said. "But we're happy with what we have." "A hand for the women," another male streaker added. When the sting of the morning's cold had almost warn off, one student declared he was now "a representative of the National Foundation for Shrinkage." And after "Farm-boy Flinn" finished off 1995's flesh display with a "symbolic mooning of all of Penn's campus," this year's crop of streakers headed off for hot chocolate and warm beds.
