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(03/18/99 10:00am)
A student is recovering from the disease and is expected to return to Penn in the near future. The female University student who fell ill with meningococcal meningitis during spring break while vacationing in the Bahamas is "continuing to do well" and will be discharged from a New York hospital in the next several days, according to Acting Student Health Services Director Evelyn Wiener. As of yesterday, Student Health had not diagnosed any other cases of meningitis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection transmitted fairly easily from one person to another. Though Student Health officials said it is unclear whether the student contracted the disease in the Bahamas or on campus, Wiener said it is now "at the end or beyond the incubation period for anyone exposed prior to spring break." The incubation period for meningococcal meningitis is usually five days but can last for up to 10. Wiener, who said the infected student will return to school "shortly after" her hospital release, stressed Monday that "a single case does not constitute an outbreak" -- which is defined by three or more cases in a three-month period -- and is not grounds for campus-wide antibiotic treatment or vaccination. Wiener added that the Penn students who had direct contact with the infected student in the week prior to the March 10 onset of the illness were given antibiotics before returning from spring break. As of yesterday, Student Health had prescribed medication to fewer than 10 people requesting it. Student Health encourages students to seek medical attention who exhibit symptoms like fever, severe headache, sensitivity to bright light, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rash and lethargy.
(03/16/99 10:00am)
A Penn student fell sick with the contagious and potentially fatal illness. A female University freshman fell ill with meningococcal meningitis during spring break while vacationing in the Bahamas and is currently in stable condition at a New York hospital, according to Acting Director of Student Health Services Evelyn Wiener. Student Health officials said it is unclear whether the student actually contracted the disease -- which is potentially fatal and transmitted fairly easily from one person to another -- in the Bahamas or on campus. However, Wiener stressed that "a single case does not constitute an outbreak" -- which is defined by three or more cases in a three-month period -- and is not grounds for campus-wide antibiotic treatment or vaccination. Only those students who came into close contact with the infected student will need preventative treatment for the disease. Meningococcal meningitis is a relatively rare disease and usually occurs as a single, isolated event. After consulting with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Infection Control and the Philadelphia Public Health Department, Student Health drafted a letter recommending antibiotic treatment to "those individuals who had close or intimate contact with the student on or after March 3," since the onset of the illness occurred around March 10 and the student left campus March 4. At a meeting last night, Student Health also provided the letter to a group of approximately 30 students -- many of whom are in the sorority the infected student is pledging -- who have had casual contact with the student and do not meet the medical criteria for treatment. Another group of identified students will meet with Wiener later today. Over the weekend, the student's family contacted the "handful" of individuals who came into close contact with the student -- several of whom are Penn students -- in the week prior to the onset of the illness, Wiener said. Contact that could cause infection includes touching and kissing; sharing eating utensils, drinking glasses or toothbrushes; and exchanging bodily secretions. Since protection by immunization is only 85 percent effective and does not protect against all strains of the disease, even individuals previously vaccinated were prescribed this weekend with an ongoing antibiotic treatment. Individuals who live on the student's hall, ate in the same dining hall or attended classes with her do not need medical attention, according to Student Health. Meningococcal meningitis is a severe bacterial infection of the bloodstream and meninges, a thin membrane covering the brain and spinal cord. Its symptoms include fever, severe headache, sensitivity to bright light, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rash and lethargy. A vaccination takes two weeks to go into effect and must be administered before exposure to the meningococcal bacteria. The most recent on-campus case of meningococcal meningitis -- which is the most serious form of the disease -- occurred in 1987, and the infected student survived the illness.
(03/16/99 10:00am)
Phi Sigma Kappa's national organization is in talks to bring the fraternity back to Penn. The national office of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity is in talks with Penn's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs about forming a new colony on campus this spring, according to OFSA Director Scott Reikofski. The fraternity's Indianapolis-based national office suspended the University's previous Phi Sig charter last spring after the brothers repeatedly violated alcohol and risk-management policies. Phi Sig Director of Member Recruitment Sean Shingler confirmed that the brotherhood is looking to return. "We do have an interest group of approximately 10 students interested in starting a new chapter," he said. Shingler visited the students and OFSA officials in late February and said he will return March 31, "hopefully" recolonizing by April 15. The Phi Sig national placed the old chapter's members on alumni status last spring and has prohibited them from associating with the new group. Students interested in reforming the fraternity said they want to have an active chapter by March 2000, the 100th anniversary of the fraternity. If it recolonizes, the fraternity will have provisionary recognition from the InterFraternity Council. Once it receives its own charter, it will receive full recognition, according to OFSA Assistant Director Tom Carroll. Wharton sophomore Michael Germano, who is one of the interested students, stressed that he wants the fraternity to focus on "creating leaders and creating bonds? rather than just partying." Germano added that obtaining a house will have to be a "long-term goal" since the fraternity is now working on securing funding and membership. He said the new group wants to move into the former chapter's house at 3615 Locust Walk -- currently the Veranda, a temporary student center -- when Houston Hall reopens next year. But Carroll said the fraternity will not have the opportunity to move into its old site. "They lost all rights and privileges to that property," Carroll said. College junior Dan Grabell, who is also helping to found the new Phi Sig colony on campus, contacted Shingler last fall after transferring last spring from Cornell University, where he said he was impressed with the Phi Sig chapter. "I wasn't happy with how [Penn's] chapter was run and with the quality of the brothers [last year]," he said, adding that Cornell's brothers were "leaders, presidents [and] people getting fellowships." Shingler, who maintained contact with the founders over spring break, said he has established a five-member alumni board to monitor the new fraternity.
(03/05/99 10:00am)
Though pledging has long been considered a stressful and time-consuming period for new Greek members, pledges say they are balancing their academic lives with their Greek commitments. Despite the rigors of midterm examinations, several pledges have reported little or no change in their academic records. Pi Kappa Alpha pledge Frank O'Neill said participating in new member education and lightweight crew is "forcing" him to use all his free time for studying. The College freshman said his fraternity encourages academic success by demanding that pledges attend two study hall sessions per week and by not making the pledges to attend a fraternity event the night before an exam. And Wharton freshman and Tau Epsilon Phi pledge David Lerner said pledging has forced him to manage his time more effectively, since TEP also provides study hours. "I'm doing just as well this semester as last semester," Lerner said, adding that he studies in between classes. "My [midterm] grades have stayed about the same since [then]." Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs officials said over 10 hours a week of pledging activity, excluding study hours, violates the University's hazing policy. "All students are here to obtain a quality education," said Larry Moses, program director for the BiCultural InterGreek Council. "There are parameters [as to how many hours can be spent on new member education]." And OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said there have been no complaints from faculty about students who are noticeably slipping in their classes. Though he called new member education a "substantial" time commitment, InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl, a College junior, said, "Everyone does realize that academics come first." "I don't think that [new Greeks] get any more or less sleep than other freshmen," the Tau Epsilon Phi brother added. And several residential advisors agreed that the rigors of pledging have thus far not taken a toll on their hall residents. Spruce Street College House Resident Advisor Amy Raphael said her residents have not been "complaining" about pledge requirements but instead have "accepted that they are not going to sleep until [Spring] Fling." Raphael, a College senior, added that new member education has strengthened her residents' organizational skills, citing a female pledge who finished a paper five days before the due date. Other RAs said they have observed residents' difficulty in meeting academic goals but maintained that pledging has not taken a substantial toll. Goldberg RA Gaurab Bansal, a College junior, said his Greek residents -- who constitute over 50 percent of his hall -- "have bemoaned the fact that they have not done as well [on midterms] as they had liked? but they have still done well" and are refining their time-management skills. While Bansal noted that his residents were motivated to improve their midterm grades, College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Dean for Academic Advising Deborah Burnham said that in her experience, "sometimes [pledges] tend not to seek help" and "what we see at the end of the semester is lower grades." Though many pledges said they were tired from numerous Greek meetings and events, they said they felt healthy otherwise. Acting Director of Student Health Evelyn Wiener, who has witnessed 12 pledging periods in her tenure at Penn, said Wednesday that "it's pretty common that a patient will tell us if they're [in the midst of pledging]," and that it is not clear "that people who are pledging represent a disproportionate number of patients being seen."
(03/03/99 10:00am)
Kicking off a semester of community-oriented projects for the InterFraternity Council and a month of heavy university blood donor rotations for the American Red Cross, the two organizations co-sponsored a blood drive on campus Monday. More than 40 people came out to give blood at a station set up in a Locust Walk fraternity house. The IFC and the Red Cross surpassed their 36-pint goal to draw 41 pints of usable blood, according to IFC Vice President for Community Service Michael Flicker, a College junior. "I am very pleased with the turnout and the support we had from all of the houses in the IFC," the Sigma Alpha Mu brother said. "It was a success because we surpassed our goal." The success of Monday's IFC drive, which ran from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the Delta Phi fraternity -- better known as St. Elmo's -- continued a tradition of large donor turnout from the University's various organizations. Flicker said he chose the blood drive as one of the IFC's major community initiatives because it is an event "in which people have participated in the past and regularly attend." American Red Cross Blood Services Account Manager Kathleen Platt, who worked with the IFC to coordinate the first of this month's eight Red Cross drives on campus, said "all blood drives at the Penn campus last semester came in or above goal," adding that accumulating 36 usable pints was not difficult "with about 1,500 Greeks on campus." Since the space at St. Elmo's could only accommodate three beds, Flicker said the volunteers "had to turn away about 15 people" who could not afford more time than the 45 minutes required for drawing a pint of blood. Before donating for his fifth time, Wharton junior and Sigma Nu brother Ryan Miller said that giving blood "doesn't hurt me and it helps other people out." And veterans like Miller were in the majority yesterday. Red Cross Nurse Manager Donna Zanneo noted it was "surprising" that of the 29 donors she had seen by 3 p.m., only five were "first-timers." Ten of Monday's 41 participants were first-time donors. The Red Cross will sponsor another blood drive in the Quadrangle today. Later this month, the IFC will plant flowers in West Philadelphia for the community service component of Greek Weekend, a joint endeavor of the IFC, Panhellenic Council and BiCultural InterGreek Council.
(03/02/99 10:00am)
Thousands of little black buttons bearing one word -- "Robert" -- are helping bring Sigma Nu Alumni Advisor Robert Drake home to Philadelphia after a brutal gay-bashing assault in Ireland. Drake, 36, was researching and writing a novel in Ireland when the two men currently charged with beating and robbery allegedly left him lying unconscious in a pool of blood on his apartment floor January 31. He remains in critical but stable condition and on a ventilator. The alleged assailants were released from Irish police custody on $14,000 bail. Presently, because Drake is on a ventilator and financially strapped, he cannot fly back to Philadelphia -- his home for the past three years -- for treatment. Members of the Sigma Nu fraternity raised over $3,100 on Locust Walk last week, selling approximately 1,000 buttons for the Robert Drake Fund to transport the writer, editor and literary agent from Dublin's Beaumont Hospital to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to Sigma Nu brother and InterFraternity Council Executive Vice President Andrew Exum. "We are very pleased with our results thus far and thank the University community for their support," Exum, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said of the donations -- which exceeded the fraternity's $3,000 goal and brought the Robert Drake Fund closer to its $10,000 target. Though the Sigma Nu brothers will not be selling buttons on the Walk this week, they are distributing buttons to other organizations to sell, including the the gay publication Baltimore Alternative, the Philadelphia gay and lesbian bookstore Giovanni's Room and the University of Rochester Sigma Nu chapter. The donations from the button sales will help cover flight and treatment expenses for the philanthropist who himself donated hundreds of hours to get the Sigma Nu fraternity "more involved in the community" before moving to Ireland last spring, according to Sigma Nu brother and Wharton senior Scott Goldchain. Goldchain said the fundraiser has "over-stepped factions," drawing support from the Greek system, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance and the University community as a whole. "They understand that this is a human being," he noted, adding that a lot of the supporters gave beyond the suggested $3 button price, often upwards of $20. Giovanni's Room bought 100 buttons last week to sell at its 345 S. 12th Street location and at the March 5 "A Reading to Benefit the Robert Drake Fund" in the William Way Community Center at 1315 Spruce Street. Ed Hermance, owner of Giovanni's Room, said "we will be happy to try to sell [the buttons]" also through an upcoming Robert Drake fundraiser in New York and possibly through mail order. Two weeks ago, Scott Pretorius -- Drake's partner of six years and the chief radiology resident at HUP -- e-mailed the Office of Fraternity and Sorority that Drake -- author of The Gay Canon: Great Books Every Gay Man Should Read and free-lance book reviewer for The Philadelphia Inquirer -- had sustained "significant head injury." Sigma Nu mobilized within hours of being notified to organize the button fundraiser. "I am particularly grateful to the brothers of Sigma Nu and their willingness to take such an active role in fundraising for Robert," said Pretorius, who had the opportunity to personally thank several brothers last week when he bought a button on his walk from Presbyterian Hospital to HUP.
(03/01/99 10:00am)
IFC leader Mark Metzl sent the e-mail, which stressed funding issues. In an attempt to once again secure a significant Greek representation on the Undergraduate Assembly next year, InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl sent an e-mail last week to members of the Greek community, urging them to run for the UA. The move comes after a recent UA decision to no longer directly allocate funds from a UA discretionary fund to the IFC, but instead make that money available to all student groups. This year's discretionary fund will contain $32,500, up slightly from last year's $30,000. Two years ago, the IFC and the Panhellenic Council began urging their members to seek UA seats to allow the Greek community access to UA-dispersed funds. Greeks have secured a majority in the UA since that time. Metzl, a College junior and Tau Epsilon Phi brother, stated in the e-mail that "without representation? it is likely that [Greeks] will not receive even a majority of [the discretionary] funding." He urged members of the IFC, Panhellenic Council and BiCultural InterGreek Council to "continue a precedent" of Greek representation on the UA. The e-mail went on to say that if the three Greek umbrella organizations do not receive UA money, "the translation will mean higher dues for our members and decreased programming and events for the whole system and University community." Metzl denied that he wrote the e-mail solely as a strategy to get funding for Greek events, stressing that his motive was to continue a tradition of the UA and the IFC sponsoring events together. He said he wrote the e-mail in part because "there are students that don't believe that Greeks are a positive influence and would not support [the UA's] co-sponsorship [of IFC events]" such as Greek Week, the IFC basketball tournament and alcohol education programs. "In the last year we have co-sponsored a good number of events with the UA," Metzl added. "[I] would like to see that continue." Through the e-mail, Metzl tried to coordinate an informational session last night for Greeks interested in running for the UA, but the meeting was cancelled due to a time conflict with the UA budgetary meeting. UA Chairperson Bill Conway, a Phi Kappa Psi brother, said that encouraging Greeks to run for the UA solely to obtain money from the discretionary fund would be an unfair move. "It discredits the UA as a whole if people who only care about the single issue get elected," the Wharton junior said. UA Greek Life Committee Chairperson Andrew Mandelbaum -- a College sophomore and Alpha Chi Rho brother -- said Metzl's e-mail was not simply an attempt to secure funding for the IFC, stressing that "every umbrella organization encourages its members to run [for the UA]." Newly elected Student Activities Chairperson Jared Susco said he supports Metzl if his motive in urging Greeks to run for UA is to get them "more involved with student life at Penn." But the Wharton sophomore stressed that he would have "a problem" with Metzl encouraging a Greek majority "to control UA discretionary funding." Susco added that "the opportunity to obtain a [UA] co-sponsorship should not be limited to the IFC" but there should be "a formalized process within the UA for all groups on campus [to obtain discretionary funding]." Last year, the UA voted for the first time ever to place $30,000 into a UA discretionary fund which gave the IFC primary access. The plan drew criticism from those who called it unconstitutional to directly allocate funds to the Greeks. SAC has criticized the UA's recent decision to change the plan, arguing that it is SAC's responsibility -- and not the UA's -- to allocate funds to student groups.
(02/23/99 10:00am)
Despite the conclusion of the spring rush period, five fraternities and one sorority are still looking for new members as part of a continuous recruitment process. Greek chapters that are unsatisfied with the size of their pledge class after the official two-week rush period in January are permitted to recruit throughout the spring and fall semesters, according to Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Assistant Director Tom Carroll. The Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Nu, Alpha Phi Delta, Acacia and Delta Tau Delta fraternities and the Pi Beta Phi sorority are still offering bids this semester. To help, OFSA is providing a list of students who expressed interest in joining a Greek organizations but did not receive a bid. Though Carroll said the list took longer to get compiled than he had hoped, he said it will make it easier for the organizations to find prospective pledges. Alpha Phi Delta -- who did not even offer bids during the official IFC rush period -- has already attracted three men from the list. But DTD President Robert Cuthrell, a Wharton sophomore, said that "OFSA hasn't been very forthcoming with the list," which Cuthrell said he wants to use during fall rush this year. OFSA and chapter presidents cited several advantages in offering continuous recruitment as opposed to strictly signing pledges during the official rush period. Continuous rush events usually have a more "low-key" atmosphere and are cheaper for the chapters to put on, Carroll noted. And the idea of continuous recruitment is becoming more popular nationwide, according to Carroll. He added that some IFC national organizations are urging their Penn affiliates to "move in the direction of [spring] rolling recruitment" so that a "good, quality person" does not lose interest in pledging between now and next January. For example, the DTD national stresses that "rush is 365 days a year" and Cuthrell said Penn's chapter -- though not actively recruiting this spring -- offered two bids after rush ended last year and is "not opposed" to signing qualified persons this spring. Alpha Phi Delta President James Lucania, a Wharton sophomore, said recruiting now instead of last month was necessary since the fraternity won't have a house until next semester, which made it difficult to compete with the more established fraternities. College freshman Vincenzo LaRuffa, though, said he would still rather wait until the fall upperclass rush than pledge one of the fraternities that are currently hunting for brothers. He added that there are other fraternities, "like the Castle [Psi Upsilon]," where he would pledge but that he will wait until next year when such fraternities are recruiting again. Continuous recruitment pledges do not attend all of the same new member programming -- like the Greek Life 101 program -- as formal rush pledges. However, OFSA is still offering three workshops designed to teach pledges about drugs, alcohol and acquaintance rape, as well as two cultural diversity workshops. Carroll said usually "anywhere from 15 to 30 guys" sign bid cards during continuous recruitment. Lambda Chi Alpha, which recolonized at Penn in 1996, had taken in 11 members after the formal rush period as of yesterday, according to President Alex Davie, a College junior. Numbers for Sigma Nu, Acacia and Pi Phi were unavailable last night.
(02/18/99 10:00am)
Go ahead and drink 21 shots to celebrate that 21st birthday. Feeling sick? No problem -- just hit "start over." While some students might wish they had that option at parties or local bars, it's actually only possible on a computer, via a new CD-ROM called Alcohol 101 -- part of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs' new member education program. The compact disc allows users to experiment with alcohol and its consequences from the safety of, among other cyber-scenarios, a virtual bar. OFSA distributed 700 CDs, which cost $2 each, to the Greek system's new member educators yesterday afternoon. According to OFSA, the InterFraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council, chapter members are "encouraged" to play the approximately 1 1/2-hour interactive cyber-game in pairs "with their big brothers or sisters." Some of the Greek national chapters also require that their new members complete an Alcohol 101 pre-test and post-test on the CD, OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said on Tuesday. Panhel President and College junior Becca Iverson said Panhel has mandated its pledge educators to "ensure" that all new members dedicate "at least 20 minutes" of their time to the game. And according to IFC President Mark Metzl, the IFC has made "suggestions" for monitoring Alcohol 101 participation but has not set specifics yet. The College junior praised the disk for its "real-life situation" movie clips and its "witty" host who is similar to the You Don't Know Jack trivia game CD-ROM announcer. Through the guidance of Norm -- the talking lava lamp which hosts the CD program -- new members make hypothetical choices about drinking or abstaining. The CD was developed by the University of Illinois in partnership with The Century Council, an organization funded by alcohol distillers to promote responsible decision-making about drinking and non-drinking. The Alcohol 101 CD follows several other OFSA initiatives aimed at educating new members about the dangers of alcohol abuse, including Greek Life 101, workshops given by Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape and the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, the Training for Intervention Procedures program and Tuesday's "The Penn Drinking Project."
(02/18/99 10:00am)
Within days of being notified that their alumni advisor was the victim of a brutal gay-bashing assault in Ireland, the Sigma Nu fraternity is organizing a fundraiser to pay for Robert Drake to be transported back to Philadelphia. Drake, 36, was researching and writing a novel in Ireland when two men -- currently under Irish police custody -- allegedly beat him unconscious in his apartment January 30. He remains in critical condition and on a respirator in an Irish hospital. The fraternity had been corresponding with Drake by e-mail until two weeks ago, when he did not respond to a message regarding an upcoming visit to Penn's campus. Presently, Drake's unstable condition and financial situation prevent him from being flown back to Philadelphia, his home for the past three years. Before moving to Ireland last spring, Drake contributed hundreds of hours to "coordinate events" and act as "a liaison between the [Sigma Nu] chapter and national fraternity" at Penn, said Sigma Nu brother and InterFraternity Council Vice President Andrew Exum, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist. Now, said the College junior who helped conceive the fundraiser idea "within six hours" of hearing about the assault on Monday, "we owe him a little time of our own." Sigma Nu will sell $3 buttons that simply say "Robert" on Locust Walk next week to raise $7,500 to $12,000 for Drake's travel expenses, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski wrote in a press release yesterday. On Monday, Scott Pretorius -- Drake's partner of six years and the chief resident in radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- e-mailed Reikofski, a good friend of Drake's, that the writer, editor and literary agent had sustained "significant head injury" and was on a ventilator. "Robert's family, friends and I are outraged by this unimaginable act of violence against this gentle and kind individual," said Pretorius, calling the crime "a natural byproduct of a culture which continues to relegate gay men and lesbians to second-class citizenship." The entire Greek system as well as the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance has given Sigma Nu "commitments of support," said Exum, who stressed that the assault does not reflect only a "gay issue" but rather a "human issue." "Until organizations outside of the gay community begin to speak out against hate crimes, we can expect such actions to continue," he added. The Panhellenic Council announced the button fundraiser to all chapter representatives at its delegate meeting last night, according to Panhel President Becca Iverson, a College junior. And the Greek Alumni Council was also informed of Sigma Nu's endeavors last evening at its first full board meeting of the semester. Sigma Nu expects donations larger than the suggested $3 button price once it begins distributing Drake's story along with the buttons next week. Drake -- author of The Gay Canon: Great Books Every Gay Man Should Read and free-lance book reviewer for The Philadelphia Inquirer -- attended Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. before obtaining his master's degree in liberal studies from St. John's College in Maryland. He was born in Portland, Maine, and raised in West Virginia.
(02/17/99 10:00am)
Men's basketball tri-captain Jed Ryan put a bottle of Jack Daniels to his lips during his freshman year and woke up from a coma two days later in a hospital bed. And after Senior Class President Sarah Gleit's older brother partied one evening with drugs and alcohol, he never woke up at all. Ryan, a Wharton senior, and Gleit, a College senior, shared their experiences with alcohol abuse last night before a crowd of approximately 200 people as part of "The Penn Drinking Project," a Drug and Alcohol Resource Team event. After attending a Sigma Chi hotel party in 1996, Ryan said he "almost died." "I want to kick your ass," Ryan's father -- an ex-Marine -- told him after he woke up with "a tube in [his] throat the size of a human hand." Ryan said his father then added, "It looks like you already kicked your own ass." Ryan told those in the Terrace Room of Logan Hall he did not want to "preach" last night, but rather was there to stress that "alcohol affects not only you but your entire family." Gleit preceded Ryan with an account of her family's encounter with alcohol abuse. She told the crowd that her brother -- a Pennsylvania State University graduate -- died two weeks after his 1996 graduation from a combination of alcohol and other drugs. "I figured he was invincible," Gleit said of the 6'1", 250-lb. varsity wrestler. The Phi Sigma Sigma sister warned the audience to watch for signs of drug abuse in family and friends. Gleit said she still wonders whether her brother could have been saved "if his friends had warned us." "I just know that it doesn't have to happen to any of us," she added. The Senior Class Board, the InterFraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority co-sponsored the DART program. As part of SAM's disciplinary agreement following its violation of the dry rush policy at a New Jersey bowling alley in January, the fraternity is "required to have a high level of involvement with DART," according to health educator and DART advisor Kate Ward-Gaus. New SAM President Jason Post, a College junior, confirmed that "this program is part of the culture change that SAM is helping foster." College junior Sara Vakil, who is in charge of risk management for Theta, contacted DART last week to allow its new members to get involved with yesterday's educational program. "Since we are on probation, we are trying to make our chapter stronger," Vakil noted. Theta's new members -- who said they had not heard the seniors' stories prior to receiving e-mails about the event -- described the evening as "humbling." In addition to Theta, several other sororities brought their new member classes. During the brief open-mike portion of the evening, a male who noted he was "one of the few guys here tonight," urged the women present to be wary of intoxicated men at campus social events. On Monday, Gleit said she had been planning since sophomore year to publicly reveal her story as a senior. She noted that she sees her peers -- the senior class, with whom she feels "very comfortable and close" -- doing "exactly what my brother did" and risking their lives. Gleit said she initially approached University President Judith Rodin with her idea and was referred DART.
(02/15/99 10:00am)
Many said Dartmouth's move against single-sex Greek houses would fail. In response to last Tuesday's announcement that Dartmouth College President James Wright wants to eliminate single-sex fraternities and sororities at his school, most Penn administrators and students said they would not approve of a similar move here. According to a statement released last week by Dartmouth's Board of Trustees, the school's residential and social system should "be substantially coeducational and provide greater opportunities for greater interaction among all Dartmouth students," as well as foster "a greater choice and continuity in residential living." Penn Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said the University's current coed Greek system is the "best structure" for Penn. "While each institution, certainly including Dartmouth, has the right and responsibility to make choices for each campus, I would not support such changes at Penn," she said. Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Assistant Director Tom Carroll echoed McCoullum's high regard for Penn's Greek system, pointing to the "rich history of Greeks on campus" that will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year. He added that "for an institution to force an organization to go coed" raises the "question of freedom of association? and first amendment rights." Members of all three Greek umbrella organizations at Penn -- the InterFraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council and the BiCultural InterGreek Council -- cited the "relaxed atmosphere" that single-sex organizations foster as the major sacrifice of a coed Greek community. Panhel Secretary Nicole Natoli, a College junior and Delta Delta Delta sister, said advantages of sisterhood or brotherhood such as "emotional and academic support systems" would be lost should Penn's Greek system ever go coed. BIG-C President Ramon Marmolejos, a Wharton junior, said a coed minority Greek system would "limit" social options. "There are so few of us," the Lambda Upsilon Lambda brother said. "It is very difficult to find comfort amongst ourselves [and would be even more difficult in a coed setting]." Marmolejos pointed to minority brother-sister organizations like Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha that provide "interaction between the sexes" and thus "eliminate the need" for a coed Greek system on Penn's campus. IFC Vice President Andrew Exum, a College junior and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, called Dartmouth's decision an "unfortunate move," stressing that the change "has come down from an outside source" rather than from the students or alumni. And Exum pointed out that the University imposing such a decision in the reverse case would also be unjust. "I think an organization like St. Elmo's [Delta Phi] would resent [being forced] to go single-sex," the Sigma Nu brother added. Delta Phi -- the IFC's sole coed fraternity -- chose on its own to admit women in 1980. Some University students said they were under the impression that Wright's decision will eventually lead to the total elimination of the Greek system at Dartmouth. Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother David Caldwell called Wright's proposal a "sneaky" method of "destroying the Greek system at Dartmouth," stressing that the national chapters at that school will likely pull out their charters in opposition to the coed mandate. And IFC Secretary and Delta Phi member Peggy Hanefors said she thinks Dartmouth will "lose many of their applicants" if the school enforces a coed Greek system. "Even though the coed fraternity is perfect for me, I don't think it's perfect for everyone," the College junior explained. Several Penn students said Dartmouth's possible overhaul of the Greek system would not solve what they saw as the "underlying" problem with Dartmouth's fraternities and sororities -- alcohol abuse. "[Maybe] frats aren't a positive thing there," said IFC President Mark Metzl, a College junior, pointing to the possible abuse of alcohol within Dartmouth's fraternity system. The Tau Epsilon Phi brother added that much of the University administration -- including sorority alumnae McCoullum, a Delta Sigma Theta sister, and University President Judith Rodin, a Delta Phi Epsilon sister as an undergraduate at Penn -- supports Greek life at Penn. Various non-Greeks also disagreed with the idea of ending single-sex fraternities and sororities. Alison Fair, a College freshman, said the coed Greek system would "put an end to frat parties" and "change an integral campus tradition."' "All those movies like Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds would be inaccurate," Engineering senior Brian Fabella noted. Some non-Greeks, however, said a revamping of the current fraternity and sorority system could be a positive change at Penn. College junior Tamar Migdal said that "people rely too heavily on the Greek system" for entertainment and socializing. The change would force students to "look elsewhere for entertainment," she noted.
(02/12/99 10:00am)
Organizers of the ongoing Black History Month celebration transformed the DuBois College House multipurpose room into a makeshift theater yesterday evening to welcome actress and performer Renn Woods. Yet the multipurpose room's poor acoustics, the recent death of one of Woods' friends and the absence of her drummer prevented Woods from performing all but one of the songs she and pianist John Stephens, a College senior, had rehearsed last week. "I don't cancel," Woods told the approximately 25 audience members. She complemented a short excerpt from her one-woman show, Roots of an Empress Like Me, with a question-and-answer session and a showing of several television clips to entertain for roughly 45 minutes. "Being a true actress, she ad-libbed," said Jack Lewis, assistant director of the African-American Resource Center. In the sketch from Roots of an Empress Like Me, which is based on Woods' experiences working on Alex Haley's 1977 television miniseries Roots, Woods discussed an incident in which the miniseries asked her to bare her upper body before the camera. "Take down your top" was the command, she said. After she resisted and "cried a river" in her Savannah hotel room, Woods -- a teenager at the time -- said Haley knocked on her door and offered his support like an "enlightened master" who recognized a "troubled" spirit. "I kept my chin up and I kept my top up," said the actress whose television credits now include NYPD Blue, The Jeffersons and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Woods was not the only performer yesterday in DuBois. Stephens, musical director for the a cappella group Counterparts and a pianist on the Grammy Award-nominated album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, accompanied Woods on piano and played solo during the several times Woods left the stage. Stephens, who has his own album coming out in mid-March, said his three rehearsals with Woods helped him to "grow as an artist." And Woods, too, is still growing as an artist. She informed audience members that over the next five years she will work on a musical, novel, screenplay and soundtrack for Empress. The AARC, the Afro-American Studies Program and the Center for the Study of Black Literature and Culture, sponsored Thursday's event after Woods contacted them. She said she has "an affection" for Penn because her fiancee's father graduated here. Woods plans on returning to the DuBois multipurpose room in the future. "I want to play in this room -- really play -- with musicians and a full blown set," she said.
(02/11/99 10:00am)
Working to foster a responsible drinking environment across campus, the Undergraduate Assembly will now allocate money from its discretionary fund to defray the cost of a popular alcohol education program for new members of Greek organizations and interested non-Greeks. The Training for Intervention Procedures program -- developed in 1982 to teach bars and restaurants how to prevent clients from drinking irresponsibly -- has been offered primarily to fraternity presidents, social chairs and risk management chairs at Penn since the fall of 1996. Since then, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs has trained nearly 800 students in the InterFraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and the BiCultural InterGreek Council. In the past, however, Greek chapters or individual Greek members have paid for the training. Now, the UA is providing $5,600 from its $30,000 discretionary fund to subsidize part of the $13 TIPS materials cost for pledges and interested non-Greeks, according to UA Greek Life Chairperson and IFC Vice President for Academics Andrew Mandelbaum. As a result of the new funding, 700 people can undergo training at a rate of $5 per person this spring, said Mandelbaum, a College sophomore. "The UA's discretionary fund specifically used to sponsor the TIPS training program gets to the heart of the intended purpose for which the fund was established," said UA Vice Chairperson Michael Bassik, a College sophomore and Zeta Beta Tau brother, stressing that the purpose of the fund is to "subsidize costs for the individual Greek houses." OFSA Assistant Director Tom Carroll said OFSA's goal is to reach 500 of the roughly 700 new Greeks from February to April through TIPS training, adding that TIPS is available to the entire campus but is targeted toward individual Greek chapters. OFSA trains approximately 30 people in each TIPS session. Trainees watch an interactive video and participate in discussion before culminating their three-year TIPS certification with a test. Several national Greek organizations, including the Sigma Phi Epsilon and Phi Sigma Kappa fraternities, reduce risk management insurance and liability insurance rates for chapters that complete the 2 1/2-hour training, according to Carroll. However, Carroll pointed out that the alcohol-related death of Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Scott Krueger transpired at a TIPS-trained brotherhood. The chapter "chose not to utilize" TIPS skills, he said. "We challenge the students to be responsible [at Penn]." Carroll noted that the message OFSA is promoting through TIPS is that "you don't need to drink yourselves to death on chapter time and chapter property."
(02/10/99 10:00am)
For at least the seventh consecutive semester, the Greek grade point average ranked higher than the overall student average, according to statistics released by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Greeks earned an average 3.28 GPA last semester, compared to a 3.25 all-student average and a 3.24 non-Greek average. OFSA Director Scott Reikofski attributed the Greeks' ever-increasing academic standings to both University-wide and inter-chapter competition. The Greeks, like the rest of the University, realize "the primary reason they are here is school," Reikofski said. He added that the average GPA among members of Panhellenic Council sororities continued to get higher, outpacing those of the InterFraternity Council and BiCultural InterGreek Council. With a fall average of 3.4 for Panhel females, Reikofski said "they stand a pretty good chance" at winning the Outstanding Scholarship Award honor this summer, which is awarded every two years to the school with a high Panhel GPA. The all-female average for last semester was a lesser 3.28. In fall 1997, Panhel females ranked in at 3.39, with the all-female average standing at 3.28 "The supportive network of sororities leads to a conducive environment for good grades," said Panhel President Becca Iverson, a College junior, adding that big sisters work with little sisters in Panhel's commitment to scholarship. Iverson noted that females who rush "tend to be already very driven" and were academically motivated even before they joined the Greek system. Although the IFC average rose from 3.13 in the fall of 1997 to 3.19 this past fall, its average is still slightly below the all-male average of 3.2. IFC President Mark Metzl called the IFC rise in GPA "noteworthy" but added that the board will be working to improve academics system-wide. "At this point, academic support programs are concentrated at the chapter level," said Metzl, a College junior. "It's the goal of the IFC exec board to provide a more structured framework for academic support for the system." The BIG-C -- comprised of both male and female minority organizations -- earned an average 2.83 last semester, nearly half a point lower than the all-student average. And last semester's ranking showed a drop from the fall of 1997, when the BIG-C scored an average GPA of 2.91. BIG-C officers were not available for comment last night. Universities with academic environments and Greek systems comparable to Penn's did not show a discrepancy in Greek versus campus-wide grades this past fall. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Assistant Dean of Residence and Campus Activities Steven Dorow said that in the past 10 years there has not been a "significant difference" between the Greek grade point average and the school-wide average. And Northwestern University's first-quarter average for Greeks was 3.25, slightly below the all-student 3.27 average and the non-Greek 3.31 average, according to Associate Director for Greek Affairs Steven Dealph.
(02/04/99 10:00am)
After what leaders described as a "remarkable" year for the largest women's organization on campus, the Panhellenic Council Executive Board handed over the gavel to its new board last night at Panhel's annual Circle of Sisters ceremony. Pledges, sisters and officers from each of the eight sororities filled Meyerson Hall to witness the event. The assembly also marked the official induction of pledges into Greek life after 1 1/2 weeks of exposure to pledging. Outgoing Panhel President Janelle Brodsky explained the roles the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and Panhel will play in pledges' college careers. "Tonight you become? tied to more than 1,200 other Greek women at the University of Pennsylvania," said Brodsky, a College and Engineering senior. She added that with a Panhel grade point average of 3.4, "you walk out as a cum laude." Brodsky then introduced OFSA Director Scott Reikofski and Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum as the evening's featured speakers. Reikofski praised Panhel as "one of the top resources for women's fraternities in the country." McCoullum-- a Delta Sigma Theta sister in her undergraduate days -- joked that every year she speaks at the Circle of Sisters, her children seem to give her another grandchild. This year, she had a new granddaughter whom she said will hopefully join Panhel. The outgoing executive board bestowed symbolic gifts upon the incoming board members, along with their new responsibilities. For example, outgoing Executive Vice President Elisabeth Bernard, a College senior and Sigma Delta Tau sister, gave incoming EVP Dina Penny, a College junior and Alpha Chi Omega sister, an evergreen. Bernard said the "evergreen tree never dies," thus representing the "everlasting" strength of the thousands of pine needles and the hundreds of Panhel individuals. The ceremony concluded when the new members recited the Panhellenic pledge followed by the Greek Responsibility Statement. "We hope that you enjoy the rest of your time at Penn as a Greek woman," Brodsky said to close the ceremony.
(02/04/99 10:00am)
Four Greek organizations aim to 'plant the seeds' for increased racial harmony. In an effort to battle racism on campus, the members of Alpha Phi Alpha, Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Kappa Alpha Theta led a discussion about race Tuesday night at DuBois College House. As part of the Campus Organized Lectures on Racial Sensitivity program, known as COLORS, the chapters -- representing the Panhellenic Council, the InterFraternity Council and the BiCultural InterGreek Council -- have led similar discussions all week and will feature yet another tonight. Around 40 people attended Tuesday's event, which was moderated by Walter Palmer, a professor in the School of Social Work. Prior to presenting the issues, Palmer urged participants to speak openly about controversial racial topics and "check your PC at the door." "The best way to alleviate racial tensions is to get the students talking to each other," said COLORS Co-Chairperson and APA brother Paul Alvarez, a junior at Haverford College. COLORS Co-Chairperson Melissa Pierre, a College sophomore and Theta sister, stressed in her introduction that the purpose of COLORS is not to improve racial relations in one week but, rather, to "plant the seeds" for gradual change. Although Palmer was the moderator, the audience guided the discussion -- often temporarily setting aside his questions in favor of its own agenda. Students at the discussion examined the existence of racially based housing on campus, citing DuBois as a prime example, while Palmer interjected with questions like, "Do black people have the power to segregate?" Events kicked off Monday night at Harrison House, when Off the Beat and Inspirations shared the lineup at an ice cream social and sang for approximately 200 people. COLORS will host New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial -- an Alpha Phi Alpha brother -- tonight at Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, where he will speak on race relations. COLORS Co-Chairperson Daniel Leberman, a College sophomore and Sigma Chi brother, noted that COLORS will be "more social" this year than in years past. They held a party last night on campus and a party is scheduled for Friday at Eden Rock between 18th and South streets. The COLORS program -- started in 1988 by Sigma Chi and continued annually by Sigma Chi and Alpha Phi Alpha -- disbanded in 1996 due to a lack of effort from both chapters. This year, however, Kappa Alpha Theta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon "jumped at the chance" to help the brothers in Sigma Chi and APA rejuvenate the program, Alvarez said.
(01/29/99 10:00am)
The fraternity, which is facing a two year ban on in-house alcohol, registered 24 rushes this week. The brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi say they have succeeded in attracting a large pledge class after beginning spring rush as what InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl called a "test case" for alcohol-free fraternities. Twenty-four rushees signed bids for AEPi, making the fraternity's new pledge class "twice the size" of last year's class, according to AEPi President Dan Tehrani, a Wharton junior. "The rushes that decided to sign bids at AEPi [did so] for the right reasons, the strength of their brotherhood and the ideals that their house represents," added Metzl, a College junior and Tau Epsilon Phi brother. In November, the fraternity was forced to go dry for two years because of its role in September's non-fatal alcohol poisoning of a female freshman who had at least 12 drinks at an AEPi "hotel party." The chapter headed into this year's rush as the only fraternity in the IFC with an alcohol-free house. Tehrani said that the pledges came to his house without the "stereotype of the Greek system" that brothers "drink all day." "[The rushees] may have felt more at ease coming to our house" since they knew the fraternity was dry, he added. Although College freshman and AEPi pledge Nat Bach was "slightly" skeptical about rushing a dry fraternity, he said "the quality of the guys made up for any lack of alcohol." Last year's AEPi Rush Chairperson Charles Moskowitz, a College junior, stressed that rush statistics were up for fraternities throughout the campus. As of Tuesday, rushees had signed a record 361 bid cards. Phi Kappa Sigma's pledge class increased from 15 to 17, for example, although Tau Epsilon Phi's pledge class of 24 was the same size as last year's. "I didn't really field many questions [about the dry policy]," Moskowitz added. Moskowitz also credited the increased pledge class size to the "harder work" put into AEPi's rush. "When something bad happens to a fraternity, either it crumbles and disbands or becomes stronger," said this year's AEPi Executive Rush Chairperson Jordan Bliss. "There were points last semester when I wasn't sure if my house was going to be a brotherhood that could go through adversity." The Wharton junior attributed his chapter's success to the fact that he and his rush chairs were "hyped up" during the rush process. "A lot of [rushees] didn't care about dry or not dry," he said. "They saw a lot of guys energized." On Tuesday afternoon, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said AEPi brothers had been "surprised at the number of people expressing interest" in their house. AEPi is not the only fraternity that faces a dry future. Other fraternities, including Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta and Sigma Nu, are part of national organizations that have volunteered to go dry permanently by July 1 of next year.
(01/28/99 10:00am)
Three hundred sixty-one students signed their bids at a ceremony Tuesday night. Ending two weeks of difficult choices and extravagant parties, the InterFraternity Council offered 543 bids to 468 students Tuesday night at a ceremony in Meyerson Hall. As of Tuesday, rushees had signed a record 361 bid cards, but they have until Friday to choose a fraternity, according to outgoing IFC Vice President of Rush Jeff Snyder. The Wharton senior and Phi Kappa Sigma brother added that "more people successfully rushed than last year," when 544 bids were delivered to 455 people. The IFC Executive Board, representatives from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and prospective pledges attended the bid ceremony. The ceremony began with speeches by Snyder; outgoing IFC President and College senior Josh Belinfante, an Alpha Chi Rho brother; and incoming IFC President Mark Metzl, a College junior and Tau Epsilon Phi brother. IFC officials then divided the rushees into alphabetical groups and gave them their respective bid cards to sign. While 468 people received at least one bid, some were offered two or as many as three bids, Snyder said. College freshman Ross Fieldston received bids from TEP, Sigma Alpha Mu and Zeta Beta Tau. "I liked ZBT the best in the end," Fieldston said. "It was really a hard decision." OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said most fraternities informed prospective pledges of their bids over the weekend and on Monday. "[Although] guys don't have to decide [Tuesday night], generally, in 24 hours, they do," he added. Reikofski said he was wondering how the college house system would affect the bid-signing process. Since community-building is "one of the goals of the college house system," Reikofski continued, "students may not be turning to the Greek system as quickly as they would have in the past." Yesterday, however, Metzl said this year's rush set a "record as far as how many bids were signed on the first date." Those students who signed cards will proceed with pledging until April. In addition to tasks thought necessary before initiation, pledges will attend mandatory workshops next month on drug and alcohol abuse, among other topics. Snyder said that rolling recruitment throughout the semester will allow rushees and non-rushees who did not receive bids on Tuesday to join the Greek system. This year's IFC rush was marred by a few setbacks. The Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity was placed on one semester of social probation and two years of standard probation after it violated the dry rush policy by allegedly bringing five kegs to a New Jersey bowling alley. And some rushees also complained that too many fraternities held their rush events on the same nights. "It didn't really give everyone an opportunity to see all the houses," said College freshman Alex Crisses, who received a bid from Alpha Epsilon Pi. "A lot of the events were the same night." Metzl said that over the next year "[the IFC is] going to evaluate the current rush structure in response to apparent flaws."
(01/28/99 10:00am)
Three hundred sixty-one students signed their bids at a ceremony Tuesday night. Ending two weeks of difficult choices and extravagant parties, the InterFraternity Council offered 543 bids to 468 students Tuesday night at a ceremony in Meyerson Hall. As of Tuesday, rushees had signed a record 361 bid cards, but they have until Friday to choose a fraternity, according to outgoing IFC Vice President of Rush Jeff Snyder. The Wharton senior and Phi Kappa Sigma brother added that "more people successfully rushed than last year," when 544 bids were delivered to 455 people. The IFC Executive Board, representatives from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and prospective pledges attended the bid ceremony. The ceremony began with speeches by Snyder; outgoing IFC President and College senior Josh Belinfante, an Alpha Chi Rho brother; and incoming IFC President Mark Metzl, a College junior and Tau Epsilon Phi brother. IFC officials then divided the rushees into alphabetical groups and gave them their respective bid cards to sign. While 468 people received at least one bid, some were offered two or as many as three bids, Snyder said. College freshman Ross Fieldston received bids from TEP, Sigma Alpha Mu and Zeta Beta Tau. "I liked ZBT the best in the end," Fieldston said. "It was really a hard decision." OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said most fraternities informed prospective pledges of their bids over the weekend and on Monday. "[Although] guys don't have to decide [Tuesday night], generally, in 24 hours, they do," he added. Reikofski said he was wondering how the college house system would affect the bid-signing process. Since community-building is "one of the goals of the college house system," Reikofski continued, "students may not be turning to the Greek system as quickly as they would have in the past." Yesterday, however, Metzl said this year's rush set a "record as far as how many bids were signed on the first date." Those students who signed cards will proceed with pledging until April. In addition to tasks thought necessary before initiation, pledges will attend mandatory workshops next month on drug and alcohol abuse, among other topics. Snyder said that rolling recruitment throughout the semester will allow rushees and non-rushees who did not receive bids on Tuesday to join the Greek system. This year's IFC rush was marred by a few setbacks. The Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity was placed on one semester of social probation and two years of standard probation after it violated the dry rush policy by allegedly bringing five kegs to a New Jersey bowling alley. And some rushees also complained that too many fraternities held their rush events on the same nights. "It didn't really give everyone an opportunity to see all the houses," said College freshman Alex Crisses, who received a bid from Alpha Epsilon Pi. "A lot of the events were the same night." Metzl said that over the next year "[the IFC is] going to evaluate the current rush structure in response to apparent flaws."
