Letters to the Editor
(10/30/01 10:00am)
Hairy-legged feminists
661 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
Alex Wong: Danger on the ground
(10/02/01 9:00am)
Throughout the English literary canon, one enduring image you'll find is that of the prescient fool. From the soothsayer in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar to Fitzgerald's owl-eyed man and even to that crazy trailer park pilot in Independence Day, there's always one man who recognizes impending doom -- who even warns others -- yet whose ravings go unheeded.
Perspective: Three years later, still no answers
(04/18/01 9:00am)
As the three-year anniversary of Wharton doctoral student Shannon Schieber's death approaches next month, the investigation into the yet-unsolved murder remains riddled with setbacks and disappointments. Although DNA evidence has linked Schieber's killer to five Center City sexual assaults, three years of investigation have left the attacker unidentified and still at large. Sylvester Schieber, Shannon's father, summed up his opinion of the Philadelphia Police Department's investigation in three words -- "In the toilet." "The police department screwed up the investigation big time," Schieber said. "Not only did they set [Shannon] up to get killed, they couldn't investigate their way out of a paper bag when it came time to figure out who killed her." Major misclassifications of crime may have added to the initial problems in the investigation. A 1999 Philadelphia Inquirer investigation found that the PPD had downgraded thousands of reports -- including those of rape and sexual assault -- in order to improve their annual crime statistics. "[Schieber's] murderer had assaulted five other women in the area and two of their cases were classified as non-crimes because they did not continue to investigate them," said Carol Tracy, executive director of the Women's Law Project, a public interest law group concerned with women's issues. "They underreported crime and eventually the DNA was connected," she added. The PPD was forced to audit over 3,000 case files, and the audit showed that almost 700 were Felony One rapes, and 500 others were some form of felonious assault. "One will never know if, had they investigated all these cases thoroughly, they would have realized they had a serial rapist on their hands... perhaps they could have saved Shannon's life," Tracy said. Sylvester Schieber agrees. "The guy that attacked Shannon had attacked four other women in a very small neighborhood," he said. "Nobody had warned the community, nobody warned Shannon. They were either indifferent to it or couldn't detect it." Although police quickly identified a suspect -- Yuval Bar-Or, an acquaintance of Schieber's from Wharton who had been accused of harassing her -- DNA tests completed within a month of the murder soon cleared him. It was not until February 1999 that the DNA found in Schieber's apartment was matched to samples found on the scene of two 1997 rapes, a delay Police Commissioner John Timoney at the time blamed on computer glitches. But Ken Coluzzi, the former lieutenant from PPD Homicide who handled the investigation, justified the department's efforts. "Countless people have been spoken to as potential suspects, and have been cleared through physical evidence," Coluzzi said. "The commissioner put out a notice to the labs to test all DNA samples and to compare all DNA samples with those from Shannon's apartment." "There are detectives that are still diligently working, there are still teams of detectives looking at every sexual assault that happens," he added. PPD officials declined to give specific details about the investigation. "It's active and ongoing and we're consistently investigating this case," PPD spokeswoman Sue Slawson said. Special Victims Unit Captain Joseph Mooney -- who is heading up the investigation -- refused to comment. With the investigation at an apparent standstill, criminologists are left only to speculate about the identity and the motives of the Center City rapist. Brian Marx, a Temple University professor who has studied violence and victimization, said offenders of this sort tend to have violent histories and are capable of committing non-sexual crimes as well. He added that these types of offenders typically "have psychopathic tendencies," tending to be "manipulative, out for themselves," "remorseless" and are usually involved in other, non-sexual crimes. "It's unclear as to what the circumstances were that lead up to murder," Marx said. "It could be the case that he is not usually looking to murder his victims but did in these circumstances... I wouldn't say this guy is not capable of killing other victims. It's hard to know what he's capable of." An FBI report last year alleged that Schieber's attacker had not intended to kill her, but had strangled her in a moment of panic upon hearing the police outside her Rittenhouse Square apartment door. The assailant's second victim was stripped and throttled until she fell unconscious. While raping his third victim, the man wrapped a belt around her neck and punched her as he said "stop screaming and I won't kill you." "[He] may be sexually turned on to things normal people wouldn't be excited about," Marx added. "They may be highly aroused and they just don't have the tools to regulate their affect or emotion in a healthy way." With the knowledge that such an offender had gone undiscovered for years before Schieber's death, her parents filed suit in U.S. district court in 1998. The Schiebers seek unspecified damages from the City of Philadelphia and the two officers who knocked on Schieber's door, as well as improved police treatment of rape and sexual assault cases. After a factual discovery period, motions for summary judgement were filed last August and Judge Norma Shapiro heard arguments in December. Shapiro has not yet decided if the facts of the case are clear enough for her to make a ruling without a jury trial. The suit alleges that Schieber was still alive when the officers, Steve Woods and Raymond Scherff, left her apartment. Additionally, the suit claims that the practice of downgrading crime left the officers without crucial information pertaining to the criminal, but that, regardless, officers failed to respond properly to a neighbor's 911 call and thus contributed to Schieber's death. This claim was supported by a June 2000 FBI report profiling the case. The profile alleges that Schieber's attacker had not intended to kill her, but strangled her to death in a panicked response to knocks on the door, first from her neighbor and later from police. Upon arriving on the scene, according to court documents filed by the police department, the officers questioned Parmatma Greeley, who placed the 911 call, as well as another resident who hadn't heard anything unusual. They then proceeded to Schieber's apartment and banged on her door with their batons. Police claim Greeley then expressed uncertainty about what he'd heard earlier that night. "They asked me if I was sure [the noises] came from her place or did it come from outside," he said in a deposition. "I said -- I said I'm not -- I said maybe, when they said 'Are you sure it didn't come from outside?'" Since no other residents heard noise from the apartment, the officers decided they had no probable cause for entering the apartment. Motions filed by the Schieber family, however, state that Greeley informed the officers that he had heard "the screams for help and the choking sounds from Ms. Schieber's apartment" and did not exhibit as much uncertainty as the officers claim. The Schiebers claim that any expressions of uncertainty were the result of leading questioning by the police. Timoney has stood by the two officers ever since the lawsuit was filed. Lawyers for both parties declined to comment on the lawsuit. Experts for the police department have disputed the Schieber family's claim and testified for the department in court. In October 2000, forensic pathologist Vincent DiMaio testified that Schieber would have become unconscious in 10 to 15 seconds after her assailant began strangling her and would have been dead after about five minutes. But Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist who testified for the Schiebers, said there were marks in Schieber's mouth often seen in victims who have been gagged, leading him to believe Schieber could have been held hostage when police arrived, and then killed any time before 3 a.m. This type of expert testimony is crucial to both sides of the case. However, a 1993 Supreme Court ruling placed strict limitations on expert testimony, requiring that it hold up to certain scientific criteria. The testimony must concern a hypothesis that has been tested using methods generally accepted by the relevant scientific community where the rate of error is known. The research must also have been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Penn Professor Lawrence Sherman, director of the Jerry Lee Center of Criminology, said that it will be difficult to find testimony in this case that fits these criteria. "The question is whether any expert will testify that there is a standard of care that requires the police to knock down the door under these facts," Sherman said. "I don't know of any such standard of care, but I know of many experts that would be willing to give that testimony...." "The point about causation in this case is that someone would have to testify that police breaking a door down where someone had been screaming would reduce the level of injury to that person," Sherman added. "I'm not aware of any research that has tested that hypothesis." If the case does go to trial, the result is far from predictable. "Generally, some courts are reluctant to second guess the police in the terms of allocation of resources, with regards to response time," Law Professor Regina Austin said. "The one area where it's pretty likely that the court will be an interventionist or closely scrutinize the police response is the area of domestic violence and violence against women." Reiterating that he believed there was a lack of admissible expert testimony, Sherman said, "I think there's enormous sympathy for families of rape-murder victims and a lot of ill will against the Philadelphia police system."
The threat of violence - right in our midst
(04/10/01 9:00am)
Signing people into Penn dorms is like trying to enter one of those secret villain lairs you always see in the movies. You know -- with the numeric code, the face scan and the voice recognition. Last week when I was trying to obtain a guest pass for my boyfriend, I almost had to send him right back to Pittsburgh. It was the middle of the day, and after giving my room number, phone number, PennCard and his driver's license and school I.D., the front desk guard still wouldn't let him in because they wanted a second card with a signature on it. I was convinced my parents had called in advance and told the front desk not to let him stay here! In instances such as this, Penn's security measures can seem almost excessive. Do we, for example, really need the University's planned "biometric handprint sensors" for the dorms? But at least one aspect of this University's security system is still lacking. As indicated by the continuing stream of sexual violence and harassment on our campus over the last few years, women's safety at Penn is still far from satisfactory. This is not to say that we haven't made great strides over the years. Back in 1973, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that after a "recent rash of rapes in the University area," Penn women staged a successful protest in College Hall. Among other things, the women won improved lighting on campus, the installation of 40 emergency telephones, the formation of the Penn's Women's Center and an "investigation of improved alarm systems." These gains were certainly an amazing step, especially in the face of obstacles -- like the University's director of security at the time, who reportedly told women to protect themselves from rape by avoiding "enticing clothing." But almost 30 years later, the safety precautions on campus are still inadequate. Yes, most public bathrooms are equipped with emergency alarms; our closed circuit cameras are always watching and it is increasingly difficult to get non-residents into the dorms. But what about threats from within the student population? Having lived in the Quad freshman year, I was always shocked by the absence of bathroom safety alarms. While these precautions were always present in public University buildings, they were nowhere to be found in the concrete showers or toilet stalls of my new home. If there is significant danger to warrant these alarms around campus, shouldn't they be in the dorm's communal bathrooms as well? Penn's policy seems to indicate that the threat of violence comes only from strangers, and is absent from our own student population. According to a recent article in Cosmopolitan magazine, however, the need for increased women's safety measures both in public and private sectors of our campus is quite necessary. As the article "Danger in the dorm" reports, "In 1998, the University of Pennsylvania paid an undisclosed sum to a former student who said that the school failed to do anything after she was raped in 1994 by a school football player whom she had met on the night of her attack." If these allegations are true, it is a complete outrage that our University is not only failing to increase safety standards for women on campus, but has also suppressed important information that could motivate students to rally for stronger measures. By stronger measures, I do not mean the racist harassment that unfortunately accompanied the strides made in the 1970s. According to a DP letter to the editor in 1973, increased security often meant that, "If you are black," and on Penn's campus, "you will be picked up by the police for questioning," regardless of whether you were a student or a stranger. Women cannot work for their safety without fighting other forms of discrimination and hate crime. We need to demand increased safety standards for all University constituents. And in turn, I hope that men, too, will stand with us in the fight against sexual violence. For example, this coming week hosts Take Back the Night, a series of events aimed at fighting acquaintance rape. And as the TBTN Web site says, it takes an "entire community" to "end the violence." Yes, we as women have come a very long way since we first entered this University, but we still have a long way to go until we can feel completely comfortable within our deserved "equal opportunity." It is important that we continue to recognize and actively combat this injustice.
Congressman Frank speaks at B-GLAD rally for equality
(03/27/01 10:00am)
Nearly 70 people came together yesterday for a rally on College Green as part of Penn's Bisexual Gay Lesbian Transgender Awareness Days, listening to a handful of speakers discuss issues concerning the LGBT community. Speaking to an often cheering audience, Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Provost Robert Barchi highlighted the panel of speakers. During the rally, Barchi pointed out that while the University community has become more tolerant of sexual minorities, problems still exist. "We're still at a time when the occasional hate mail is received," Barchi said. Students who attended the rally praised Barchi's appearance and appreciated his knowledge of B-GLAD on campus. "It was nice that he was so willing and ready to speak," B-GLAD Planning Committee co-chair and College sophomore Karim Javeri said. "He knew what the calendar was like," Javeri added. Frank's remarks centered on his belief that political involvement is necessary to further the awareness of LGBT issues not only on college campuses, but throughout the country. "We need to do a much better job of participating politically," said Frank, one of the few openly gay members of Congress. "We have done a much better job of winning the cultural war than winning the political war," he added. Frank stressed that while attending events like the B-GLAD rally is important, political participation is most crucial in working for social change. "I'm glad to see people here at this rally," Frank said. "But I'll be honest with you, I'd be even gladder to know that you all vote religiously in primaries and... elections." Prior to the event, Frank said he came to Penn to help students talk openly about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. "I feel a particular obligation to talk to student groups," Frank said."Obviously, there are particular problems with students facing homophobia and not yet being fully protected." Greenfield Intercultural Center Associate Director Karlene Burrell-McRae stressed the importance of student activism and alliances between different groups. "I am an ally and I come to share my thoughts to you today as an ally of the queer community," Burrell-McRae said. Later in the rally, College senior Michael Hartwyk told those in attendance that he had experienced two incidents of harassment just last weekend. "I felt completely like an outsider," Hartwyk said. Yet Hartwyk was positive overall about his experience as an openly gay man here at Penn and hopeful for the future. "I'm delighted to be passing the torch to some very fine activists," he said. Frank also stressed that many Americans are tolerant of gay and lesbian issues. "Straight people suddenly realized that they really weren't homophobic, they just thought they were supposed to be," Frank said. He was, however, critical of the new Bush administration. "There's no significant Republican support of any of our rights," he said. For those in attendance, the rally was a largely positive experience. "I thought it was absolutely terrific," Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center Director Robert Schoenberg said of the rally. "Every speaker was thoughtful, moving, inspiring." "I thought Barney Frank was great," Engineering junior Michael Krouse added. "I was especially moved by the people who shared their own experiences," he added.
Reviewing Roe v. Wade
(01/25/01 10:00am)
Our collective ambivalence toward Roe v. Wade started with the decision on January 23, 1973, and reflected our own uncertain treatment of sexuality and of women. Nearly 30 years later, Roe's anniversary still provokes a look at how far we have come and how far we have to go. In 1996, 1.37 million abortions were performed in the United States, a decrease from the approximately 1.61 million in 1990. Both sides of the debate on the issue took credit for this decrease. Today, more women are using highly effective contraception than ever before. But more women find that, when needed, there are few available places to get an abortion. Some women have no abortion provider in their entire county of residence. Physicians, clinics and hospitals cite harassment by anti-choice groups among other difficulties in providing a full spectrum of medical services to women, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. Although the aging of baby boomers partially explains the decrease in abortion, most of the drop is from the decrease in unintended pregnancy related to the use of better contraception. Teens began using long-acting injectable contraception such as Depo-Provera, not available before 1992. Pro-lifers in support of the Equity in Prescription Insurance Coverage Act -- which mandates insurance coverage of contraception -- have proof of reduction in abortion from improved contraception use. Furthermore, violence that shuts down providers stops the provision of contraception as well -- a dubious victory. And sadly, Pennsylvania has a long history of provider violence. Allegheny Reproductive Health of Pittsburgh and Hillcrest Women's Medical Center of York both suffered arson attacks. And on September 29, 1993, Planned Parenthood of Lancaster suffered an arson attack resulting in $130,000 in damage. Nationally, 1,700 acts of violence swept the nation against abortion providers between 1977 and 1994. Now, women are facing the appointment of an attorney general who is a deep foe of Roe. John Ashcroft will be charged with upholding Clinton-era provider protection legislation. Ashcroft's long and reactionary opposition to choice does not bode well for clinic protection, although the former Missouri senator and governor claims that he will uphold the law. Ashcroft may be slyly referring to the possible stacking of the U.S. Supreme Court against Roe, which, although upheld in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (a case originating from Pennsylvania opposition to abortion), could easily be overturned by a conservative Supreme Court. Unfortunately, college-age women are among those most likely to suffer the assault on Roe, especially those living in Pennsylvania. Fifty-two percent of all U.S. women getting abortions are younger than 25 years old. Pennsylvania is among the top two states with the least abortion provider facilities in metropolitan areas, along with Texas, which leads the nation. Altoona, Beaver County, Erie, Johnstown, Lancaster, Sharon, State College and Williamsport provide little or no abortion services at all. Meanwhile, the Commonwealth has dragged its feet in enrollment for the Children Health Insurance Plan, a program which provides health insurance to uninsured children. It is up to the state to publicize and organize CHIP enrollment, but enrollment in the Pennsylvania program lagged when other states boasted burgeoning rosters. Yet the data is suggestive that to reduce abortion, women must not view parenthood as impossibly expensive. Two-thirds of women in large-scale studies who get an abortion report that they cannot afford a child. Half say that they do not want to be single parents or are having problems with a husband or partner. Problems with a partner traditionally may include alcohol, drug abuse and domestic violence. Pro-lifers support the decrease of abortion by supporting legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act. Support of legislation that guarantees every U.S. citizen a treatment bed for drug or alcohol addiction will have an impact on the segment of women having abortions who fear for the safety and well-being of a child in their household. Will compassionate conservatives lead the charge? Compassionate conservatism becomes an oxymoron when the second item on the agenda of the new administration is tax cuts. With tax cuts there is no room for EPICC, no increases in VAWA, CHIP, treatment beds or stepped-up prosecution of pro-life violence. With massive tax cuts, compassionate conservatism becomes the buzzword in a cheap trick, the only item in an inaugural address that barely managed to awake cheers from an audience dozing in icy rain. During this 27th anniversary week of Roe v. Wade, it may be that women are still scapegoats in a ploy wielding sanctimony without substance for easy, responsibility-free votes. Happy anniversary.
Injustice fighter, or enemy of equality?
(01/23/01 10:00am)
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" -- The Declaration of Independence. Our earliest national document seems to speak of incredibly noble ideas. They're optimistic and focus proudly on equality and human rights. Unfortunately, our federal government has never truly followed these words. Sexist, classist, racist and heterosexist behaviors have permeated the administrations of every American president. Though I realize former Vice President Al Gore would not have cured these social ills, I am especially heartbroken to see the new administration perpetuating hateful practices. Specifically, I am speaking of President George Bush's nomination of John Ashcroft for the position of attorney general. Ashcroft has a history of bigoted attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, and he has allowed these attitudes to influence his legislative stance. Many senators seem to share my concerns and have grilled the former Missouri senator and governor on alleged accounts of his discriminatory behavior. During the Senate hearings, Ashcroft responded that he truly felt, "Injustice in America against any individual must not stand." I would love to believe this statement, but because of Ashcroft's track record, I remain skeptical. The senator's proposed commitment to fight injustice would actually require a major overhaul of existing national legislation, especially that which governs the workplace. Currently, the United States has several laws to protect employees against discrimination based on race, color, sex, pregnancy, national origin, religion, disability and age. These federal mandates, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Equal Pay Act, leave out at least one group of Americans -- LGBT people. Thirty-nine states continue to allow the firing of employees simply because they are not straight. The Human Rights Campaign, a national organization that fights for LGBT rights, documents unfair firing decisions based on sexual orientation alone. They list a variety of cases on their web page, quoting people who have been fired from a number of organizations, from restaurants to brokerage firms. I know some Americans feel private business should be able to do whatever it takes to stay open, but why should an employer be able to fire a lesbian for no reason and not a straight woman or a Jewish man? As long as our country is in the practice of protecting targeted groups, our government should not condone employment practices based solely on sexual orientation or gender identity. Other Americans obviously feel there is something immoral about being LGBT. And some base these judgements on religious views. It is important to note, however, that our nation was founded upon a promise of certain separations between church and state. As taxpayers and legal citizens, LGBT people have a constitutional right to job protection and occupations free from harassment. Fortunately, some legislators and many lobbyist groups have been pushing for a national law that would add sexual orientation to the list of already protected minority groups. This law, which has faced considerable opposition from many legislators, including Ashcroft, is known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The act simply protects LGBT people from discrimination in the same way that other minorities are already protected. It does not provide them with special privileges nor does the it apply to religious organizations. So why can't our legislators pass a law that only serves to bring equality to an unprotected minority? Many members of Congress feel that discrimination toward LGBT people is not an issue and, unfortunately, many Americans support them. So how about Ashcroft, the so-called "injustice fighter?" He was quoted in a 1996 Congressional Record as saying, "[ENDA] contains seeds of real instability and inappropriate activity, seeds of litigation which could grow way out of hand and send the wrong signals to young people." Our potential attorney general feels that prohibiting discrimination sends a bad message to America's youth. He is so passionate about his bigotry that he has created visible efforts to impose it on the country at a national level, and this shows he cannot be trusted to impartially prioritize law enforcement issues. Unfortunately, in addition to Republicans, many Democrats are beginning to support Ashcroft's nomination. His new stance -- that he will not try to overturn the legal protections of abortion -- may have pacified some, but this does not negate his discriminatory attitudes.
Boys should cry, says author
(11/22/00 10:00am)
Though over 6 million people have bought into the idea that "men are from mars, women are from venus," Michael Kaufman is definitely one who has not. "My point, very contrary from the bestselling book [by author John Gray], is that we are not from different planets," Kaufman said. "We are not different species." In a lecture last night in Logan Hall, Kaufman, an author, educator and activist from Toronto discussed how to change societal expectations of the sexes in order to promote healthier relationships. Before an intimate audience of about 25 people, Kaufman presented his views on stereotyped gender roles and why they often lead to violence. "We live in a society based on an inequality between the sexes," Kaufman said. "Men are trained to wield power and be dominant, yet at the same time, they have insecurities about never feeling that [they] can live up to expectations." Analyzing men and masculinity, Kaufman said that males have traditionally been forced into a "suit of armor" that does not allow for public expression of emotions such as empathy and love. "This isn't a males-are-bad bit of analysis," Kaufman said. "The good thing about armor is that you can take it off." According to Kaufman, the idea that males are not supposed to cry or show fear leads to a repression of feelings. In turn, males tend to compensate by resorting to violence against women, through date rape, domestic abuse and sexual harassment. "The truth is that inside the suit, [males] are just flesh and blood," he said. "We are terrified that other men will see our vulnerability, that we will be discovered as not being 'real men.'" In order to combat this "epidemic," Kaufman urged a restructuring of today's patriarchal society -- for women to continue their already-started fight, and for men to join them. "This is about men taking responsibility for the privileges and power given to them," he said. "I don't have to feel guilty about being a man, but I do have to be responsible." Kaufman, an expert in gender issues, is also the founder and international director of the White Ribbon Campaign, an organization of men helping to end men's violence against women. Though Kaufman urged cooperation on the part of both sexes, most of Kaufman's speech was directed toward males being more active in changing the stereotype. He challenged males to talk about their feelings and to question why they are often forced to act a certain way. Those in attendance were generally pleased with Kaufman's assessment. "Gender and power issues can definitely be improved if we work together," said Mary D'Aiuto, a College of General Studies senior. And though only five men were present in the audience, they accepted Kaufman's suggestions. "I definitely agree with the idea that being a dominant, strong, insensitive male is not something to embrace," College and Engineering sophomore Zach Smith said. "Everyone should make an effort to make the world a more equal place."
Potential justice won't name names
(09/28/00 9:00am)
Walter Dellinger could be named as a Supreme Court justice if Vice President Al Gore wins the upcoming election. Just don't bother trying to get his opinion on the Bush-Gore showdown: In public, for all intents and purposes, he has none. Dellinger, a Duke University Law professor who has argued nine cases before the Supreme Court, delivered a talk entitled "The Supreme Court and the Presidency," in a filled-to-capacity auditorium in the Law School yesterday afternoon. The talk was part of the Irving R. Segal Lectureship in Trial Advocacy. The lecture featured a man revered in the legal field. In addition to being on the Law faculty at Duke , Dellinger has served as the United States acting solicitor general and assistant attorney general. Although it is hardly surprising that someone so experienced in the legal and political scene would speak on the upcoming elections, Dellinger spent the vast majority of the lecture praising the legal know-how of Abraham Lincoln. "I'm interested in Lincoln because he worked through the processes of government knowing that racism was rampant," Dellinger said. His talk was funny at times -- he amused the audience with his closing anecdote about confusing the names of several Supreme Court justices while arguing a case before them -- but he left many hanging by deliberately not mentioning the presidential race. Indeed, when asked point-blank for his opinion -- and preference on the election -- he declined to comment. "I came expecting it to be of the moment," College senior Joe Gordon said. "The speaker struck me as being more even-handed." Dellinger did allude briefly to more current issues when he mentioned his disagreement with the Supreme Court's 1997 ruling allowing Paula Jones to pursue her sexual harassment suit against President Clinton, which ultimately lead to Clinton's impeachment. Dellinger went on to provoke the crowd by stating that he disagreed with the decision, but found it beneficial nonetheless because it proved that all government officials were under one and the same law. "His point explaining that no one is above the law was important," first-year Law student Latonda Dunbar said. Third-year Law student Adam Coates said he thought that the lecture was very applicable to the studies of Law students and liked that it provided "perspective of the inside levels" of politics. "It was inspiring," he said. And Dellinger's historical background on the Supreme Court was, despite his lack of discussion of the contemporary political scene, viewed as an important topic for many Law students and legal scholars. This is a "timely topic," Dunbar stated, because whoever the next president appoints to the Supreme Court will be setting a legal course "for the next 50 years."
Alumnus fights for tolerance, against political correctness
(09/25/00 9:00am)
It's no secret that religious fundamentalist groups and gay rights activists don't usually support each others' causes. But thanks to Thor Halvorssen, a balance has been struck between the two on many a college campus. Halvorssen, a 1996 College graduate, addressed a group of 25 people -- only a few of whom were students -- at the Newman Center last Thursday night on the topic of "Political Correctness versus Religious Liberty on Campus." Halvorssen is the executive director of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Inc. -- a non-profit educational organization dedicated to civil rights and co-founded by History Professor Alan Kors. The event, sponsored by the University's Orthodox Christian Fellowship, is the first in the organization's Distinguished Guest Lecture Series, which will bring seven speakers to campus over the 2000-2001 school year. Halvorssen focused on controversies on various college campuses that have pitted gay-rights advocacy groups against selected student organizations -- in particular, evangelical Christian groups. Halvorssen recalled a case in which a religious group at Tufts University was barred from campus because it would not allow a homosexual to hold a leadership position. The group was eventually reinstated after FIRE negotiated with Tufts' administration. Halvorssen noted that FIRE is working on nine different university campuses to help defend religious groups that have been punished for not allowing gays to hold leadership positions or have otherwise allegedly discriminated against gays. "There's a danger in mandatory political correctness," Halvorssen said. "It stifles free speech and student life in general." Halvorssen also highlighted the dangers of university policies, especially those that try to enforce political correctness but ultimately serve to "oppress and censor its own students." In particular, Halvorssen cited speech codes at various universities that prevent students from telling certain types of jokes, laughing at certain types of jokes and even eating food in a sexually suggestive manner. When asked how Penn measures up to other institutions in its protection of students' rights to free speech, and the right for students to freely associate with each other, Halvorssen admitted that he was very impressed. "Penn has made extraordinary progress in promoting free speech," Halvorssen said. Halvorssen also took a few shots at controversial former Penn President Sheldon Hackney, who resigned in 1993 and has since returned to the University as a History professor. Halvorssen said Penn has made tremendous progress since the 1993 "water buffalo" incident, a notorious example of mandated political correctness in which a Penn freshman was charged with violating the University's racial harassment policy for the allegedly racist comments he yelled at a group of African-American females. Still, Halvorssen said he felt that Penn has room for improvement. "The ideal situation would be less racial segregation on campus and, instead, [if] students were encouraged to freely association with each other," Halvorssen said. "Also, there should be no speech codes on campus and, foremost, the University should protect the eccentric. The ideal would be a university of free minds," he concluded. Following the talk, several audience members said they were impressed with the lecture. "I wholeheartedly agree with him," said OCF President Alexis Decerbo, a Wharton sophomore. "He basically said everything that I ever wanted to say on the subject."
Probation ordered for a cappella group Penn Six
(04/19/00 9:00am)
Two umbrella student groups put Penn Six on probation for a number of rule infractions. Just days after being thrown in the hot seat for an alleged disrespectful display during a concert with a Princeton University singing ensemble, the popular a cappella group Pennsylvania Six-5000 was placed on probation last night by two student administrative bodies for a number of independent rule infractions. The A Cappella Council and the Performing Arts Council -- umbrella organizations for Penn performing arts groups -- both decided at meetings held over the last two days to place the group on administrative probation for activities which, group leaders say, had nothing to do with the Princeton Wildcats debacle on April 6. "Currently, [Penn Six] is on probation from the performing arts community due to previous attendance and postering issues," ACC Chairman and College sophomore Abraham Lo said. "The issues that were dealt with today will be in effect for the entire year." According to PAC Chairwoman and College junior Cassandra Georges, the punishment was handed down to deal with what were considered long-standing differences between the performing arts community and Penn Six. "Basically, the concerns were regarding their membership being conducive to a PAC community," Georges said. "That's what we were there to discuss -- how to make them better members." Under the terms of the probation, the group will lose voting rights and other privileges of organizational membership until they successfully re-petition for membership by completing community service. The group will retain their performance privileges. "[Penn Six is] still a part of both organizations -- a very vital part of the a cappella and the performing arts communityƒ and it would be detrimental to that community and to the University if they were prevented from performing on campus as a singing group," Lo said. Penn Six members reacted with anger to the news of probation. "I am completely outraged by what has transpired over the past week in the PAC community," Penn Six Business Manager and Engineering junior Jake Peters said. "I have been completely disrespected by other students who should be there to support other members of the performing arts community but have taken part in a biased and unprofessional proceeding which should have been handled differently from day one," he said. At the next meeting of the Student Activities Council -- the body which ultimately governs both PAC and ACC -- next Wednesday, the two groups will recommend that SAC enact further probation upon the group. Such probation, if approved by a majority of SAC representatives, could result in Penn Six losing its SAC funding. "A representative of PAC will be addressing the SAC community and will suggest that the body address the same concerns," Georges said. "From there, a final decision will be made." Revelations of these separate rule infractions were uncovered as PAC and ACC leaders began investigations into alleged acts of sexual harassment during a Penn Six concert with the Princeton Wildcats a cappella group about two weeks ago. Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Stacy Humes-Schulz contributed to this article.
LETTERS: Monday, April 17, 2000
(04/17/00 9:00am)
Access, but not for all Access, but not for allTo the Editor: It is 10 years after people with disabilities became the most recent group to gain civil rights legislation, and yet we are still denied access to programs, activities and services at Penn. If these buildings actually open for business in the fall of 2000, they won't be accessible to students and others with mobility impairments; the Veranda also won't be accessible to graduate students with children in strollers. If they don't open for business in the fall, it will be because we have asked for equal access from the get-go, and Penn has actually decided to comply with the law. Sigrid Peterson Ph.D. candidate Religious Studies Department To the Editor: The recent article "Princeton group alleges Penn Six impropriety" (DP, 4/12/00) came as no surprise to me. The way the all-female group, the Princeton Wildcats, was treated at Penn Six's spring show was typical of the kind of reception their guest groups have received for years. In fact, the kind of lewd behavior that Penn Six is famous for is almost a Penn tradition. But this once-talented group has finally offended this former fan. Penn Six's business director's comment that they were unaware of the streakers' intentions is insulting to our intelligence. This occurs every single year at every single one of their spring concerts by the exact same fraternity. This claim that they "had no idea that was going to happen" tells us that they are either lying or are the stupidest people on this campus. The Wildcats feel that they were invited specifically to be made fun of and I believe they are correct. Penn Six's alumni traditionally sit in the front row to boo, heckle and mock the guest groups. They even make mooing noises to the women who are overweight. And in the past, they have admitted and even bragged about this behavior. This is the way Penn Six treats their guests, and at the end of the evening, they hope to hook up with the very same women. The situation is unfortunate. As little as a few years ago, the group was actually very talented, and I overlooked and sometimes even enjoyed their toilet humor. But this has gone too far; the musical talent of the group has plummeted and they feel they can thrive on their habitually offensive behavior. But what exactly is the group contributing to our community as well as our school's reputation? I feel very sorry that the Princeton group had to endure the humiliation of this experience, and I do hope that their complaints to our administration do not go unanswered. As I understand it, Penn does not take sexual harassment lightly, and I hope no exception will be made in this case. If Penn Six would just concentrate on improving its music, refining its comedy and respecting its guests, everyone would benefit. Amanda Chin College '00 To the Editor: While I understand and support the arguments in the article "South Asians seek more recognition," (DP, 4/11/00) I don't understand why all people of Asian descent in the U.S. are commonly labeled as Asian American, regardless of whether they are studying here for a few years or have been here all their lives. While we may all be "Asian" in some respect, we do not all come from countries in Asia. Some of us come from Brazil, Peru and other countries, and many of us are American and from places such as California, Pennsylvania and Georgia. I've studied and worked in both France and Japan, but that never made me Asian French or American Japanese. I don't believe that one has to be born and raised in the U.S. to be "Asian American," but I don't know why a temporary visitor to the U.S. would be labeled or want to be labeled as American. Mitchell Furumoto Ph.D. candidate Graduate School of Education
Students to 'take back the night'
(04/06/00 9:00am)
Abuse survivors will speak on College Green tonight during the annual rally. The annual "Take Back the Night" rally will be held tonight, concluding a week-long series of events focused on violence and sexual abuse against women. The rally, part of a national program, will be held for the seventh time at Penn tonight, with a march across campus followed by a survivor speak-out on College Green. Since attendance hit an all-time low last year, organizers have tried to revamp this week's program with more activities, such as panel discussions and workshops, and more advertising, including a supplement in The Daily Pennsylvanian. The rally will begin at 6 p.m. with keynote speaker Elena DiLapi, director of the Penn Women's Center, speaking about violence against women. Organizer Craig Abbs, a research coordinator in the School of Social Work, said the goal of the event was to "raise awareness that this is a problem that is extremely common." He also said the issue is particularly relevant to college students. "College age students from ages 18 to 23 -- they are at the highest risk [of sexual violence]," he said. He also said that 30 percent of college women and 16 percent of college men are victims of some sort of sexual violence. The violence against women rally will be followed by a march and a discussion group. A separate rally will be held specifically against sexual violence, where Sally Brown, a local community activist, will be the keynote speaker. This will be followed by a speak-out, in which victims and survivors are invited to talk about their trauma and recovery. Professional crisis counselors will be present throughout the speak-out. "It is very intimidating to talk about something so personal," Abbs said. But he said he hoped "Take Back the Night" would create an environment in which women and victims of sexual violence could be comfortable sharing their experiences and receiving support. DiLapi said she hoped the rally would "create a campus that's intolerant of sexual violence." She also said that some of the topics addressed would be wife battering, dating violence, acquaintance rape, harassment and childhood sexual abuse. She said the speak-out "was created as a place for empowerment for survivors" and to "honor the courage of survivors." She added that she hoped both men and women would come out to show their support and relate their stories.
Anita Hill talks on gender equality
(03/09/00 10:00am)
Speaking in a Penn class, the lawyer also discussed sexual harrassment. Trying to spark an activist spirit in young women, Anita Hill spoke to a Communications class focused on women and leadership last night, urging the mostly female attendees to fight for gender equality. Hill, a 43-year-old lawyer, gained notoriety in 1991 when she accused Clarence Thomas, then a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, of sexual harassment and testified about it during his Senate confirmation hearings. She came to Philadelphia primarily to endorse her old friend from law school, Democratic senatorial hopeful Tom Foley. While in town, she made an appearance at an undergraduate class titled "Empowering Women Leaders in Emerging Democracies" to discuss issues of women's rights and female participation in the political process. Hill said she was afraid that the public criticism she received back in 1991 would discourage others from coming forward in similar situations. "I thought that women would retreat," she said to the approximately 35 audience members, but added that, "In fact, what happened was quite the opposite." Hill asserted that in the aftermath of her accusations against Thomas, women began to run for political office and report sexual harassment in higher numbers. Although the class Hill addressed has about 20 students enrolled in it, her considerable name recognition also attracted a number of outsiders and members of the local news media. Audience members responded well to Hill's speech and were eager to discuss her experiences and ask for advice on coping with harassment situations. "When I heard that Anita Hill was coming to campus, my memory of the hearings stood out in my mind," College sophomore Caitlin Anderson said. "I thought it was great. I thought it was inspiring," she continued. Most audience members vividly remembered the hearings and Hill noted that she was surprised that such a young audience was aware of her role in sexual harassment history. "I'm not sure that anyone knew of the impact that the hearings would have," Hill said. Hill also advised the female audience members on how to deal with sexual harassment when they encounter it. "You have to know who you can talk to," she said. Hill also suggested that before taking a job, one should know the employer's sexual harassment policy.
Princeton's Nude Olympics ends with barely a whimper
(01/24/00 10:00am)
Over the last three decades, the first snowfall of the year has had Princeton students scrambling to take off their clothes rather than bundle up. But skin was well hidden beneath coats and scarves during last Thursday's snowstorm, the first of the school year. Princeton's trustee board banned the Nude Olympics -- a tradition that typically drew hundreds of student streakers from the sophomore class -- last January after 10 participants were hospitalized with alcohol poisoning and reports surfaced of women being sexually harassed, nude runners urinating in public and couples engaging in sexual activities. Last week's snowfall was the first official test of the new ban, which promises streakers a one-year suspension from the school. Administrators claimed that they would not tolerate any streaking this year, even if it took place off campus. "It was only a matter of time before something really tragic happened," Princeton spokesman Justin Harmon said. "We decided [the Nude Olympics] was just unmanageable and a risk to health and safety." The event, which had become confined to a small courtyard, drew about 400 runners and as many spectators last year. In spite of the ban, some students had said they would run anyway, either by streaking or by throwing nude parties at the nearby, privately owned eating clubs, where some students eat their meals. Public Safety officials scanned the campus Thursday night in order to apprehend nude runners, but no disciplinary action was needed. According to Harmon, the campus was relatively free of trouble. Officials did, however, spot one unidentified streaker in a mask. Sophomore class officers, who in previous years had been in charge of organizing the Nude Olympics, proposed several alternate events, including a snowball fight, a food fight, an outdoor dance, a bonfire and a tropical party. However, administrators rejected all of those specific suggestions. According to Sophomore Class President Ben Shopsin, administrators said they wanted an event that would take place indoors with full clothing. However, students failed to agree on an alternate plan, he said. "I think it's a real loss just to let [the Nude Olympics] go," Shopsin said. "It was a chance to blow off steam and relax." He sent out a class-wide e-mail apologizing for not scheduling a replacement activity. Shopsin added that it is difficult to say whether or not a new tradition will emerge in the near future. An activity like the Nude Olympics is "silly and spontaneous and can't be planned," Harmon said.
Police take over as teachers
(01/20/00 10:00am)
Public Safety is running a 12-week program to teach about law enforcement. Nineteen members of the University City community spent the better part of last night in a back room at the Penn police station. And not one of them went in wearing handcuffs. They were there, in fact, not on charges of theft, burglary or assault, but for the first session of the Penn Public Safety Institute, a 12-week program organized by the Division of Public Safety to give members of the local community an extra glimpse into the work of the Penn Police Department and its associated divisions. "The institute will hopefully give people a better idea of what it is that the Division of Public Safety provides for this University and for the West Philadelphia community," said University Police Chief Maureen Rush, who served as a host and presenter during the evening's program. Every Wednesday night for the next 11 weeks, the participants -- five Penn students, six University staff members and eight West Philadelphia residents -- will spend an evening at the police station meeting officers and learning about topics such as security services, crime scenes, victim support and other law enforcement-related subjects. And while much of that learning will take place in a classroom-style environment, the participants will have several opportunities to get hands-on experience as they engage in some authentic police training exercises. Among the planned activities are a session in a computerized firearms simulator and a series of special one-hour "ride-alongs," during which the participants will accompany a University police officer throughout his or her patrol of the campus community. According to Rush, the main intent of the program -- which is slated to run every fall and spring semester -- is to reinforce the bonds between the police department and the community that it serves. "The general idea was to have representatives from students, faculty and staff, as well as the West Philadelphia community," she said. "It's terrific to have this kind of community involvement because we really want our neighbors in West Philadelphia to see us as an ally." For the first session, Rush and a team of police and community officials gave the group a general overview of the Division of Public Safety and the measures taken by Penn and other community organizations to make University City a more liveable community. Future sessions will delve into more specified subjects, as the group gears up for their official "graduation" on April 12. Initial response to the program was very strong. Most members of the group were enthusiastic about what they will be learning over the next 11 weeks. "I thought it went very well, and it should be a very interesting session," Wharton senior Kevin Hodges said. "There's been a lot of information given out and I learned a lot of new things. It's going to be a good group." "To me, the police [department] is really an alien world and I just wanted to understand things better," Powelton Village resident Mark Humphries said. "I like how they touch on all sorts of different topics, like fire safety, harassment, sexual assaults, the firearms simulation. It's a wide variety of stuff and I think it's a great general law course." The most positive response, though, may have come from the course's presenters. "I was extremely pleased. It was clear to me that [the participants] were enjoying the program, and numerous people have been telling me how excited they are already," Rush said. "The informal interaction and passing of information has already occurred."
COLUMN: Kids growing up too fast in the 'Buffy' era
(12/06/99 10:00am)
From Melissa Wong's, "Days Like This," Fall '99 From Melissa Wong's, "Days Like This," Fall '99Seems like only yesterday that we would play kickball on the playground after school or chase after boys we had crushes on during a game of lunchtime tag. And it really wasn't that long ago when we college students were a generation of kids, full of the vitality and innocence that comes with childhood. Children today are growing increasingly adult-like before their time. Nine-year-old girls wear more make-up than your average sorority sister and dress more provocatively than the 21-year-old patrons of local nightclubs. Boys are more aggressive in pursuing their female classmates and instances of sexual harassment, and even sexual violence, in schools are alarmingly high. It is important to realize that this newfound adulthood does not equal maturity. Growing up has always involved its fair share of trials and tribulations, but today's growing pains arrive earlier and are thus much more severe. In their efforts to exhibit their so-called maturity, kids are more susceptible to the pressures of sex and drugs at a younger age. Parents and teachers are often unsuspecting and unprepared because they do not expect to confront these problems when kids are that young. And the difficulties only multiply over the next years of a dwindling childhood. What is different today that leads to such a wide variance between the generations of children? We were as devoted to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as today's kids worship PokZmon and Beanie Babies. Kids study the same grammar points and take identical spelling tests year after year. But this is where the similarities end on several levels. First, there may be a purely biological reason for rapid maturity. Recent studies indicate that children are reaching puberty at earlier ages than ever before, meaning that the process of moving from childhood to adulthood begins at younger ages and occurs over a shorter amount of time. When kids physically mature faster, it is no wonder that their peers often feel pressure to exhibit traits of maturation as well. Even so, the more disturbing trend is how much certain elements of society exhibit, cater to and even facilitate this early maturation. Visit the local mecca of teenybopperdom (the mall, of course) and you'll find obvious differences in the environment from when we used to roam the shopping mall. Clothing lines for young girls are no longer decorated with bows and plastic daisies, but instead incorporate adult fashion trends that are meant to be a little more daring and a little sexier. Spaghetti straps, low-cut tops, higher hemlines and platform shoes are found all too often in children's sizes. Perhaps the most apparent displays are found within the entertainment industry. I was shocked when I took my 11-year-old brother to see films rated G and PG, only to be confronted by violence and sexual innuendo -- even from family-friendly studios like Disney. Must-see television for kids during the 8 to 10 p.m. time slot includes hypersexed shows like Dawson's Creek and Friends, and Buffy episodes focused on bloody violence. When such mature themes are prominently displayed and vaulted in media that are made available to kids, it is no wonder they become affected by these pressures. When my brother Andrew received his first love letter from a classmate last year, I realized that children will continue to pine after first loves and play hopscotch or Pop Warner football for years to come. But while many elements of growing up will remain constant, we should take notice of the things that take away some of the innocence and navetZ of those precious years.
LETTERS: Thursday, December 2, 1999
(12/02/99 10:00am)
Don't rub it inDon't rub it inTo the Editor: We are of course well aware that President Rodin makes good money for a job well done; however, what about the many faces behind the woman? Could she run this University without her staff assistant, secretary, speech writer or receptionist? Would students apply in droves to the University without the efforts of our admissions staff? For every business administrator, coordinator, administrative assistant, accountant and clerk, please do not print another article like this until the headline reads: "Penn employees' salaries tops among universities." Andrea King Administrative Assistant Legal Studies Department Hoop dreams To the Editor: As we begin another exciting season of Penn basketball, we look forward to your support both on the road and at the Palestra. With an exciting 1999-2000 schedule, our team looks forward to defending our Ivy League championship in college basketball's most historic gym. We feel that the energy of our fans often makes a difference in the outcome of the game. While we encourage you to be as enthusiastic and supportive as possible, we ask the Penn basketball community, players and coaches included, to practice good sportsmanship. We ask that our fans please remember that enthusiastic cheering is greatly appreciated, but the use of inappropriate language or profanity does not reflect well on our University. We will do our best to make Quaker basketball exciting for students, alumni, community members and families. We ask your cooperation in making the Palestra an enjoyable place for anyone and everyone to watch a great game. Thanks for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at the Palestra. Fran Dunphy Michael Jordan College '00 Matt Langel College '00 Dunphy is coach of the Penn men's basketball team. Jordan and Langel are team co-captains. Interview etiquette To the Editor: Like Josh Callahan, I am dismayed at instances of boorish, rude, or inappropriate behavior by recruiters, either on campus or during interviews at employer sites. ("Etiquette for interviewers, too," DP, 11/30/99). I am appalled at behavior that harasses students sexually or in any other way. In workshops and in our written materials we stress how important it is for us to hear about any inappropriate or questionable behavior or questions. We urge students to speak to a counselor, or to fill out a complaint form available both at OCRS and Career Services. All the information reported will be held in strict confidence unless the student requests that we follow up with the company involved. Let me assure you that we do follow up, and have on occasion banned both individual recruiters and organizations from our campus. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure that Penn students are treated with respect throughout the interviewing process. Patricia Rose Director, Career Services Bad motivation To the Editor: Having attended Harvard University as an undergraduate, I am somewhat accustomed to a certain insanity in the daily life of my educational institution. Generally, I am content to take it all in, reflect quietly, and occasionally map well-intentioned cause to disastrous social effect, in the comfort of my own mind. However, I couldn't do that yesterday morning because I read in the DP that Tuesday night a model, former veejay and self-anointed health-care advocate spoke on women's health in Hill College House. Am I crazy? Karen "Duff" Duffy is being paid by a company that makes a birth control pill. She gave a live commercial Tuesday night for Organon's Mircette pill, and Penn billed it as objective "Learning About Sexual Health!" A quick crash course about hormones: They are molecules which have been designed in the course of evolution to effect relatively rapid change in the state of an organism. Ingesting synthetic hormones is a very big deal; witness the full page of microscopic cautionary print which appears on the flip side of any birth-control ad in a magazine. I guess those side effects were covered extensively by the lecturers at MTV's prestigious School of Veejaying and Women's Health. I'm glad Karen Duffy was here to help us make sense of it all. It is true that "Contraceptives are not for everyone," as Hester Sonder so brilliantly understated in the article. Who better, then, to help women at Penn to decide whether contraceptives are for them than an employee of a contraceptive-manufacturing company? Would we tolerate that kind of conflict of interest in any other area of our community life? Some of the people who attended the event may have left with the impression that they had heard a balanced, intellectually honest and altruistically minded presentation on "A New Age in Women's Health Care," and that is nothing short of a crime. Gene Civillico Biomedical Ph.D '04
Ivy student-leaders convene
(11/15/99 10:00am)
Students from all eight Ivy League schools were on Penn's campus this weekend to participate in the Ivy Council Fall Conference, an annual event designed to bring together student government leaders to discuss common problems. Delegates to the conference -- all of whom were members of their respective schools' student governments -- participated in workshops on a variety of topics, including financial aid, social life and alcohol, health services, race relations and sexual harassment. At a community relations workshop led by College senior Megan Davidson, the Undergraduate Assembly secretary and a chairperson of Civic House, students discussed topics ranging from ways to improve student participation in community service projects to ensuring safety in campus neighborhoods. The reactions of conference attendees seemed to be generally positive, with many students saying that they came away from the weekend with new ideas for solving problems and improving student life at their own schools. "All of us coming from Ivy League schools, we're facing a common set of issues," Brown University freshman Kevin Schwanfelder said. "We're approaching these issues in different ways." Cornell University junior Connor Galvin agreed that the common issues faced by various Ivy League schools allow students to offer helpful advice on dealing with these problems. "It's very constructive to hear how students from different peer institutions deal with problems," Galvin said, noting that this fall's conference had especially useful programming for the students participating in the weekend's events in comparison to previous Ivy Council conferences. "We have a lot of the same problems, but we don't all have the same solutions," he said. "It's striking how very similar our problems [are]." Galvin noted that the Ivy Council is planning to expand the scope of its work in the future to "give us more legitimacy." Among these efforts is IvyCorps, a planned Ivy League-wide community service weekend which was discussed at one of the conference's programs. Engineering and Wharton junior Malhar Saraiya, the UA's University Council Steering Committee representative and an Ivy Council vice president who was one of the fall conference's main organizers, said IvyCorps is tentatively planned for April 9 to 11 next year, which will also be the weekend of the Ivy Council Spring Conference at Princeton University. Saraiya noted that many Ivy League schools already have community service days, so participating in IvyCorps would simply mean rescheduling an existing event.
Penn's Statement Street
(10/13/99 9:00am)
At the heart of campus, Locust Walk has long been the focus of attempts to define and reflect Penn's very nature, a process that continues to this day. and Eric Tucker For years, it has been the primary thoroughfare of the campus, a central pathway shared by students, administrators and faculty alike. Among students, fraternities have long populated Locust Walk housing. Whether the brothers are eating lunch together on outdoor benches or hosting public barbecues, relaxing on couches in front of their houses or actively publicizing Friday night parties, Locust Walk fraternities have always been in the public spotlight, a part of the literal and figurative "heart" of campus. But if fraternities on Locust Walk have been important to the campus socially, then they have been equally important politically. For the past decade, the question of what belongs on Locust Walk has been at best an issue for debate and at worst a source of heated controversy. Now, as the University engages in a virtual game of give-and-take with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and more student groups, campus organizations and academic centers wait in line to take their places on the Walk, administrators are again faced with the decision of how best to utilize Locust Walk facilities. Over the past 30 years, the majority of fraternity houses that once ran up and down the Walk have been relocated. In 1967, there were 14 fraternity houses lining the main stretch of the Walk. Today, by contrast, there are six, excluding the three houses on the far western end, past the 38th Street footbridge. A long stretch of the 3600 block of Locust Walk -- from the Palladium to the plaza entrance to the Annenberg School for Communication -- is now entirely non-residential. Years ago, most of those facilities were Greek. No one can know for sure how many fraternities, sororities and academic buildings will occupy Locust Walk in the near future, but the possibility still exists that Locust Walk may look as different 20 years from now as it did 20 years ago. Fraternity Row With fraternity houses lining both sides of the street as recently as the mid-1970s, the Locust Walk of yesteryear was not quite the intricate mixture of student residences and administrative facilities that it is today. It was instead a prototypical fraternity row, a stomping ground for Greeks. Many fraternities that current students identify as having off-campus houses -- including Alpha Epsilon Pi, Beta Theta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Upsilon and Phi Kappa Psi -- were all once located on Locust Walk. Many current administrative buildings, in turn, were once fraternities. The Penn Women's Center at 3643 Locust, for instance, fills the void left by Theta Xi. DU's old house at 3537 Locust now houses the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Alliance, as well as the Management and Technology Program. The DTD house at 3533 Locust is now the E. Craig Sweeten Alumni Center. Last year, the Walk welcomed back two of its longest-standing tenants -- Psi Upsilon and Phi Kappa Sigma -- who were both thrown off campus for disciplinary violations earlier in the decade. But since then, the University has converted the former Phi Sigma Kappa house at 3615 Locust Walk into the Veranda, a temporary student center. And just this summer, Penn administrators announced short-term plans to bring School of Arts and Sciences programs to the former Phi Gamma Delta house at 3619 Locust. Eventually, and maybe even soon, permanent decisions will be made on the future of those properties. 'Roof rating' Bret Kinsella knows a thing or two about fraternity life on Locust Walk. As the InterFraternity Council President in 1990, Kinsella -- a Kappa Sigma brother and an adamant supporter of Greek presence on the Walk -- found himself becoming the primary liaison between the Greek community and the administration during a time when women and minorities claimed they were being harassed by fraternity brothers on the Walk. Indeed, Penn Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi, who arrived at Penn 15 years ago, said the presence of numerous fraternities on the Walk brought what she calls an "overt kind of harassment" into the middle of campus. "In years past, fraternity members would sit in front of their houses or on their roofs, literally rating women with signs from one to 10," DiLapi said. She said "very clearly documented" incidents made it clear that sexual harassment did indeed occur inside Locust Walk fraternity houses years ago. Many incidents, she said, have never been made public. Anthropology Professor Peggy Sanday, author of Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Brotherhood and Privilege On Campus -- a book chronicling an alleged gang rape inside a Penn fraternity house in 1983 -- has similar memories of a time when the Walk was a controversial area of campus. "A lot of female students were telling me they always avoided the Walk to come to the [University] Museum and always took Spruce Street," Sunday said. Today, having been away from the University for nearly 10 years, Kinsella said he believes fraternities as a whole earned an undeservedly bad reputation for the actions of just a few members. "I remember hearing those things but I don't remember witnessing them," Kinsella said. It was, as he remembers it, only a "vocal minority" of students who opposed the presence of fraternities on Locust Walk and began contacting administrators and writing columns in The Daily Pennsylvanian, marking the beginning of what would be one of the more contentious debates in recent Penn history. White male fraternities It was precisely this notion of Locust Walk as "Frat Row" that students and administrators sought to dispel in the mid-1980s. Amid concerns that a significant presence of fraternities on the Walk created an environment in which women felt objectified and minorities felt excluded, administrators and students engaged in a campus-wide debate focusing on the physical makeup of the Walk. It was April 1990 when then-University President Sheldon Hackney assembled a committee of administrators and students to discuss ways in which the University could diversify Locust Walk. "This was a time when everyone had fairly sharp public postures on questions," said Hackney, now a professor in the History Department. The committee stopped just short of recommending the removal of fraternities from the Walk. Instead, it suggested that Locust Walk be occupied by a more diverse representation of the student body. Hackney accepted the committee's report in September 1991. But the Committee to Diversify Locust Walk was only one in a series of several comprehensive inquiries into the quality of campus life, most of which centered on Locust Walk and none of which had positive things to say about the presence of fraternities there. Two other committees looking at on-campus violence, harassment and discrimination in 1987 -- one headed by then-College of Arts and Sciences Dean Ivar Berg and the other chaired by History Professor Drew Faust -- both suggested that fraternities on the Walk had negative effects on student life at the University. The reports criticized the fraternities for making the center of campus a site of frequent racial exclusivity and sexual harassment. "What we found was that there was kind of a symbolic statement having the central artery of campus occupied by the Wharton School and white male fraternities," Faust said. "The current arrangement of the campus, with white male fraternities lining its central artery? is more appropriate to Penn of the 1950s than to what Penn hopes to be in the 1990s," the Faust report concluded. Similarly, Berg, a Sociology professor, said fraternities lacked the "academic justification" that would warrant their presence on the Walk, considered a coveted part of campus. The discussion brought with it one of the more memorable protests in recent history. On April 18, 1990, more than 400 fraternity members marched to Hackney's house to protest his proposal to increase diversity on Locust Walk. And the committee itself was rife with conflict, as several members nearly resigned from the group at Hackney's insistence that fraternities not be relocated. According to Faust, whose own committee recommended the relocation of the 11 Locust Walk fraternities, the Hackney-appointed committee never seriously considered removing all of the fraternities. "[The goal established by Hackney was] finding spaces to diversify Locust Walk, not purify it of fraternities," Faust explained. But Kinsella said he still believes that finding ways to remove fraternities from the Walk was more of a priority -- and even a desire -- than administrators are willing to admit. "The fact was that there were structures [other than fraternity houses] that could have been converted into student houses," Kinsella said. "A group of people had very clear political agendas that were very clearly anti-fraternity." When the Hackney-charged committee released its report in September 1991, it did not explicitly recommend the removal of any of the fraternities from Locust Walk. In fact, four committee members chose not to sign the report because they felt the committee had not gone far enough in seeking diversification. "The fraternities perpetuate a social standard and a mode of behavior which is deplorable and which distresses me? greatly," Adelaide Delluva, a professor in the Biochemistry Department, wrote in a letter of dissent. Berg, who was in Phi Delta Theta at Colgate University in the 1940s, stressed that most members of the committee were not at all opposed to fraternities. He said it is only when they misbehaved that their presence on the Walk became an issue. Disciplinary action against fraternity members, Berg added, was particularly difficult when some of the students guilty of misconduct had prominent parents who could take action against the University. "[What] we felt in giving our report was that these were social organizations in the middle of an academic environment, but they were also subject to a system of law and order that was shot through with hazards," Berg said. A different animal Whatever harassment or sexism might have occurred inside fraternity houses at one point -- and, according to DiLapi, might still exist today -- current Greek leaders say severe examples of misconduct are mostly a thing of the past. "The fraternity system of the '80s was a different animal than that which exists today," IFC President and College senior Mark Metzl said. The Tau Epsilon Phi brother added that fraternities' various contributions to campus merit their presence on the Walk. And OFSA Director Scott Reikofski agreed that having social life on Locust Walk creates a safe environment for the University. "I think that having residential fraternities on Locust Walk provides? an important 24-hour presence and life in the middle of campus," Reikofski said. In addition, several administrators say they support maintaining fraternities on the Walk along with other types of programs. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, for one, said she believes that today's Locust Walk is "more welcoming now to all groups" than it had been before. University administrators have repeatedly insisted that they intend to preserve a Greek presence on the Walk and will do what they can to make sure that the heart of campus does not turn off its lights and go home at the end of the work day. "There certainly is no long-term plan to uproot fraternities on Locust Walk," University President Judith Rodin said recently. Provost Robert Barchi, whose first months in office saw the FIJI brothers forfeit their house, said his plan for a diversified Locust Walk absolutely makes room for fraternities. "We are really looking for diversity on Locust Walk. I believe we have diversity on Locust Walk right now," Barchi said, adding that fraternity houses placed next to administrative buildings makes the "core of campus a more active and vibrant place." Some students, however, don't necessarily believe the claims of the administrators. Former FIJI President Martin Park, a Wharton senior, said he sees fraternities "being cracked down on a lot" -- so much so that they might not be around too much longer. And there are some, like DiLapi and Berg, who believe that fraternities should definitely still exist -- though not on the Walk. "It would be nice if some fraternities reconsidered their 'need' to be in the middle of campus," DiLapi said. Added Berg: "There's no reason why that space couldn't be used for more extracurricular activities, with the emphasis on 'curricular.'" A curricular emphasis was brought about with the Community Service Living-Learning Program, a group of 25 students who lived in the Castle for most of the 1990s until Psi U returned to the house in 1998 after an eight-year eviction stemming from the 1990 kidnapping of a rival fraternity brother. College senior Hillary Chernow, who lived in the Castle in the 1997-98 academic year as part of CSLLP, said she remembers her former home as a "magical" place that served a positive purpose on Locust Walk. Chernow said that Psi U getting its house back is an indication that "alumni money must have meant more to the University than this important program being in the center of the University." If a Greek presence does indeed remain in the heart of campus, then the issue also becomes whether sororities will again occupy a place on Locust Walk house. Delta Delta Delta is the only sorority to ever live on the Walk when the chapter leased the Phi Kap house in 1994. Tri Delt left the house when the brothers returned last fall. "I'd like to see sorority houses on the Walk. They represent one third of the [female] population," said Panhellenic Council President Becca Iverson, a College senior and Chi Omega sister. "It's an honor to live on the Walk." Reikofski explained that the fraternity system is much older than the sorority system and therefore achieving what he called a "good gender balance" on the Walk is more difficult than just erecting more houses there. Barchi said he would support the "introduction of a sorority on the Walk" but he said that there are "no specific plans or proposals before us." Faust suggested that the widespread construction on campus might place the emphasis on areas other than Locust Walk. "I would expect Locust Walk to become less the focus of everyone's concern," Faust said. These days, "a lot of people are walking up and down Walnut Street."
