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(12/14/00 10:00am)
While the new Wharton building has yet to be completed, the school has already started its next round of expansion - all the way to the west coast.
On Tuesday, the Wharton School announced the creation of Wharton West, a San Francisco-based program that will start giving Wharton degrees on the west coast next fall.
The program will offer the Wharton master's degree for executives, MBA courses for Philadelphia-based Wharton students spending time on the west coast, internships, expanded executive education programs and faculty research projects.
"This new initiative serves various constituencies in ways that haven't been possible in our history," Wharton School Deputy Dean David Schmittlein said.
And already, the program has begun by providing internships out west to Wharton undergraduates.
Another major component of Wharton West is its executive MBA program, modeled after Wharton's program in Philadelphia. The program, called WEMBA, will offer the equivalent education and degree but will structure the program's curriculum around a full-time professional work schedule.
In the MBA program, courses will meet two days every other week for two years, at a total cost of nearly $100,000. Some courses will be staffed by current Wharton faculty temporarily based out west.
According to Schmittlein, Wharton West is beneficial to both sites of the program.
"The two sites are linked together through technology," said Schmittlein. "It is possible for us to tap into talent in Northern California and provide a link for our Philadelphia-based students."
Through the program, current Wharton students will be able to spend a semester in California and will be able complete the requirements for the Wharton degree if relocating to the area.
"There is an enhanced opportunity for our Philadelphia-based students," Schmittlein noted. "This allows them to engage in educational activities in the area where they want to be."
In conjunction with Wharton West, internship positions will soon be offered to students from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology, a joint degree program between Wharton and the Engineering School.
"There are a substantial number of students interested in working and establishing contacts in California, specifically San Francisco," Schmittlein said.
Wharton faculty will also look to increase their roles on the west coast.
In addition to conducting on-site executive training for different companies, the school has launched the Wharton Fellows in e-Business program on the west coast to prepare senior executives for the transformation to a global e-business environment.
Part of the recent interest in the California area stems from the growing importance of companies on the west coast and in the Bay Area. For example, approximately 20 percent of last year's graduating business class is now located in California.
Schmittlein attributes the desire for the new program to the large number of alumni on the west coast.
"The need is coming from both our alumni and our students," he said. "The alumni base would like to engage us there by providing such opportunities - they want to enrich contact with Wharton students."
(12/07/00 10:00am)
As the newly formed Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships has gained momentum, there has been one thing missing -- student input.
Until now.
With help from the Nominations and Elections Committee, CURF yesterday named a student advisory board to help run the new research center.
The five-member group is composed of representatives from three of the University's four undergraduate schools, as well as from the Ben Franklin and University Scholars programs.
"I thought that it would be a good way to get involved in the University," said College junior Jessica Linden, one of the new appointees.
She added that it would be an opportunity to make changes that would better the community and highlight more research opportunities that students may not realize are available to them now.
The other representatives are College junior Jeremy Chaison, Engineering freshman Beeneet Kothari, Engineering sophomore Alvin Moh and Wharton junior Sarah Campbell. The NEC plans to appoint a sixth representative from the Nursing School.
CURF, which opened at the start of the semester, will introduce undergraduates to research opportunities inside and outside the University, help undergraduates write research proposals and provide research funding.
In addition to the numerous faculty members helping get the program off the ground, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education met with CURF Director Arthur Casciato to discuss ways to help the new center. SCUE is currently helping CURF put together a student database.
"I think that it's going to be a really valuable resource," said SCUE Vice Chair and College junior Hanny Hindi, who worked closely with Casciato on the project. "In recent years students and faculty have put an emphasis on undergraduate research."
"I think this is a wonderful idea," she added.
CURF decided the center would not be complete without help from the student body, and consequently requested a student advisory board.
According to NEC Chair Nick Goad, the new board will play a crucial role in the center.
"It came really from Art feeling like CURF wouldn't be effective if it wasn't run and led by the students," the Wharton senior said. "They should really be the ones creating and shaping CURF."
The NEC, through e-mail, listserves and a recent Daily Pennsylvanian column, notified the student body of the application process. The NEC was disappointed to receive only 20 applications.
Goad attributed the low student response to timing.
"We recognize that this is such a difficult time of year to get people to volunteer for another thing to do, especially with finals coming up," he said. "I think the applicant pool represented students who were truly interested."
SCUE will nominate someone from its membership to chair the new board.
Goad said he was confident that the new board will become an integral part of the center.
"I think that a student advisory board will allow CURF to be an organization that will be of some meaning to undergrads and provide services for students," he noted.
Linden said she is excited about the services CURF will offer.
"It's completely new so what is great about it is that we get to watch it grow and make it grow," she said. "I am really looking forward to making it into something useful so that all students can benefit."
For the past semester, CURF has relied on faculty from the General Honors Program, the Office for International Programs and the Speaking Across the University program.
(12/06/00 10:00am)
W.E.B. DuBois College House celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1997. One of the celebration events was a testimonial session at the house in which alumni were allowed to publicly talk about what DuBois had meant to them.
According to House Dean Sonia Elliott, "the basic consensus was that people said they could not have made it through Penn without DuBois."
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About a quarter of Penn's African-American population lives in this dorm at 39th and Walnut.
Eighty percent of the 185 DuBois residents are African American, while the other 20 percent are composed of students of all different ethnicities.
Most say the small supportive environment and commitment to African-American culture drew them to the dorm.
"I have lived all around the world and so I wanted to live somewhere where I felt comfortable," said DuBois House President Desiree Nelson, a College senior.
"It's very much like a family and everyone knows everyone here," Nelson added. "Even people who don't live here feel very welcome when they walk in."
Elliot, the house dean, is proof of how much some students care about DuBois. She was a resident here herself as a Penn freshman in 1984.
For the last six years she has served as an administrator.
DuBois' longstanding commitment to African-American culture and history is evident practically upon walking through the door.
One wall of the house is dedicated to this cultural heritage, with a map and biographies of important African-American figures.
And the house has an active series of programs in the community surrounding Penn, including tutoring projects and research studies.
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Still, while many residents say the dorm is a vital place of resources and support, it has been the target of criticism practically since its inception.
DuBois owes its existence to a group of students who fought at the height of the civil rights movement to create a residence to support and foster African-American culture. Following several sit-ins at College Hall and other forms of protest across campus, the administration agreed to the students' demands.
In 1972, DuBois College House was built. The dorm is named for the influential black scholar and founder of the NAACP, who worked at Penn in the late 1800s.
But although many students struggled to bring DuBois to Penn, within its first semester of existence it was attacked by the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union. The liberal groups felt the house promoted segregation at Penn.
And this perception has not changed over the last quarter-century. Calls to get rid of the dorm still come up periodically.
Elliott disagreed with the accusations of isolationism.
"What is good for DuBois is good for the campus and we don't feel that anything is separate," she said.
However, students said that in many ways DuBois is a self-sufficient community.
"It's like the social mecca for a lot of black students on campus in terms of education, entertainment, and culture," Nelson said.
And College sophomore William Anderson said that part of the reason he moved into DuBois his freshman year was because of its large African-American population.
"I thought it would be a good way to meet people of my race my first year here at Penn and I once I got here I stayed," Anderson said.
But Nelson adds that DuBois is not necessarily as isolated as some may think.
"People who live here have a lot in common with each other, but it's what you make of it," Nelson said. "If you want to just be around other African-American students you can, but if you want to meet and interact with other students on campus you can do that too."
While students have differing opinions regarding DuBois' relationship with the rest of the campus, Elliott maintained that the house is not an isolated community.
"We only hold a quarter of the black population," Elliott noted. "On one hand I don't think people want to know that we exist, but on some level they know we are here."
"We don't get angry but we encourage people to tell us your concerns, ask questions, and come check us out."
(12/05/00 10:00am)
Confronting two hot issues on the Penn agenda, the Undergraduate Assembly issued statements yesterday on both the ongoing sweatshop debate and the future of the beleaguered South Asian Regional Studies Department.
In two separate statements, the UA echoed recommendations that Penn join two labor monitoring organizations, and urged the University increase student representation on a task force examining the state of the SARS department.
"Since one of the functions of the UA is to voice student concerns, I think it was important to get the word out to the student body," said UA Student Life Committee Vice Chair Jed Gross, a College junior.
The decision to address the high-profile topics came two days after a Daily Pennsylvanian article in which the UA was criticized for shying away from controversial campus issues. UA members dismissed the timing as coincidence.
"I think it's just because these two issues are coming to a head right now and we didn't want to wait any longer," said UA Chairman and College senior Michael Bassik.
Following a series of meetings, debates and guest speakers over the last few weeks, the UA came to an agreement that the University join both the Fair Labor Association and the Workers Right Consortium. Penn currently belongs to neither.
President Judith Rodin is currently deciding which, if any, organization the University will join, following the Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility's recent recommendation that Penn join both labor groups.
The UA's statement encouraged Penn to join both monitoring organizations to "enhance the University's ability to ensure that University-licensed apparel is made under acceptable working conditions."
At the weekly UA meeting two weeks ago, members heard from representatives of both the FLA and the WRC.
Debate was so heated that the UA was originally unable to come to a decisive vote, but this weekend a majority finally voted to recommend joining both groups.
Gross, who drafted the UA statement, said he felt very strongly about the issue.
"I was a big proponent of this issue before we voted for it on Sunday," said Gross. "I'm not completely persuaded that either monitoring organization would be completely effective alone."
And Bassik also noted the importance of this statement.
"I think this is probably one of the most informed decisions regarding University policy that the UA has ever made," said Bassik.
But while they came to a decisive resolution to the sweatshop debate, the group postponed the decision about whether SARS should remain an independent department.
The Save SARS student coalition spoke to the body about the funding problems and small faculty size that may prompt the administration to turn their department into a program -- which would lack its own central hub. The UA noted that they wanted to hear the administration's perspective before voting on SARS.
However, the body did recommend adding a student representative to the SARS Task Force -- currently made up of faculty only. A UA contact person will also be appointed to work with the administration and Save SARS.
UA Vice Chair Malhar Saraiya was particularly concerned with the lack of a student representative on the task force.
"We find that a little disconcerting because the Administration likes to usually put students on these committees to give it a unique perspective," said Saraiya, an Engineering senior. "We think it is important for students to be on this committee in order to have all the information available."
Gross also expressed his concern in light of a recent Save SARS petition with 500 student signatures in favor of keeping SARS as a department.
"My concern was that the petition secured 500 students yet there is still no student representative on the the task force that is dealing with the issue," said Gross.
(12/01/00 10:00am)
From phone calls to President Judith Rodin to meetings with Provost Robert Barchi, the Undergraduate Assembly is the student group with the most contact with Penn's administration.
And the current UA has had vocal support from College Hall for many of its projects this semester, including the new basketball courts and its recycling program.
But there is a sense among some members of the body that the group's loyalty sometimes leans toward the administration rather than students -- and that undergraduate concerns are subsequently left unaddressed.
"I think the UA moves well on the issues relevant to them, but I don't know how cognizant they are on issues outside of the UA membership," said one member, who asked to remain anonymous.
This tone may stem from the pro-administration rhetoric of UA Chairman Michael Bassik, who punctuates his public speeches with praise for Rodin and Barchi.
"I highly doubt that there is another school across the country where the administration is so concerned with developing a mutually beneficial relationship with its student government body," the College senior has said.
This attitude makes the UA extremely cautious about challenging the administration in any way, some members say.
The student government body has this year taken the lead on issues like recycling and the lack of a video rental store. Yet it has shied away from issuing statements concerning the sweatshop controversy or the ongoing debate about whether to release names of students found guilty of violent offenses by the University's judicial system.
"The issues the UA have chosen to take to the administration have been rather tame," the UA member said.
But Bassik disputed that assessment.
"It's not that we're not dealing with controversial issues, but it is that we haven't done a good job of letting the students know what we're doing," he said. "We react to issues the students care about, such as the opening of a new diner, the Penn Environmental Group and PSAS, and we promise we will hear out the concerns of the students."
Added UA member Jed Gross: "I think it's good that the administration is willing to work with us, but I think it is important as representatives of the student body that we don't try to sell our constituents short."
Still, members of the UA executive board said the organization has tried to create a healthy balance between students and the administration.
"Basically, the UA gets more accomplished if it is working with them and not against them," said UA Vice Chairman Malhar Saraiya, an Engineering senior.
And UA veteran Jonathan Glick, the body's liaison to University Council's steering committee, noted that the UA has had difficulty dealing with students on a more direct level.
"It's always been an issue and it's something we have made great steps to improve from communicating more with students to getting our name out more," he said.
Glick, the only other member besides Bassik to serve on the UA for the last four years, also said the UA owes its current achievements to the work of the last several UA chairmen, including Bassik.
But other UA members had mixed opinions about Bassik.
"I think he is a very opinionated [chairman]," one member said. "He can be unintentionally biased."
And another member also had negative comments.
"Internally, in terms of the UA, he has his faults," the member said. "I also think he needs to learn how to run meetings better."
Bassik himself noted the lack of communication between the students and the UA.
"Obviously, it's no secret that the UA has a PR problem, and there is a misconception that the UA has done nothing," he said. "We are doing much more to reach out to students to let them know what we are working on and how they can get involved too."
(11/22/00 10:00am)
As Penn students celebrated winning the Ivy League football title, the Undergraduate Assembly had something else to cheer about.
The UA's eighth annual Ivy League Fall Conference, held two weekends ago at Yale University, was, by most estimates, a success.
The Ivy Council, a conglomerate of student council delegates from all eight Ivy League schools, convened over the weekend. Nearly 60 students attended to discuss the importance of communication among the schools.
Ivy Council President and UA Vice Chairman Mo Saraiya said he thought the conference was tremendously successful.
"We had one of the highest participations ever," said Saraiya, an Engineering senior. "I talked to some of the student government presidents at other schools and they are really excited about what the delegates are bringing back to their home schools."
Penn sent eight students -- twice the number of delegates from the other schools -- including Saraiya and College sophomore Ethan Kay, who served as Penn's head delegate.
Other UA representatives at the conference included UA Treasurer and Engineering junior Mike Krouse and College sophomores Rebecca Tracy, Arshad Hasan, Aaron Short, and Seth Schreiberg.
One non-UA member also attended the conference -- College senior Eric Lomazoff, who is studying the UA for his senior thesis.
Tracy said she found it helpful to speak with other Ivy League leaders pursuing similar goals for their universities.
"I thought it was good to hear what is going on at other schools," she said. "I talked to other representatives and a lot of us seem to be working on the same things."
During the main portion of the conference, the delegates broke up into breakout sessions to discuss topics relating to campus life.
"The goal is for the delegates to develop some kind of action plan to bring back to the schools which gives them a strong framework to work with when they go home," Saraiya said.
Topics for breakout sessions included campus activism, Greek policy and student group funding.
Tracy, who attended the Greek policy session and one on student services, said those two sessions were not very helpful.
"From what the other delegates were saying, our school seems to be the best one in terms of Greek life and there was very little I could take back from it," Tracy said.
But Short said the session he attended, which dealt with relations between student groups, was useful.
"It gave us a lot of good ideas how different student groups can relate to each other outside of a funding setting," he said.
Overall, Saraiya said the breakout sessions were helpful.
"The delegates I have talked to [have] a lot of great new ideas and issues they want to work on," Saraiya said.
The Ivy Council will reconvene at Harvard University in February for its second annual Ivy Leaders Summit.
Ten students from each school are selected to attend through a vigorous application process, where they will have the opportunity to participate in panel discussions and seminars with Ivy League administrators, professors and alumni.
(11/16/00 10:00am)
Even the biting cold couldn't keep Provost Robert Barchi from taking the first shot to celebrate the opening of Penn's only outdoor basketball court yesterday.
The new court on the roof of the parking garage at 38th and Spruce streets officially opened for play yesterday after months of collaboration between the Undergraduate Assembly and Penn administrators.
"It's absolutely unbelievable up here," UA Chairman Michael Bassik said at yesterday's press conference. "It all really came together, and the guys really worked hard on it."
The court will be open to Penn students, faculty and staff as well as the local community.
University Police Chief Maureen Rush, Penn basketball players Geoff Owens and Dan Solomito and several UA members joined Barchi and Bassik for yesterday's opening.
And to inaugurate the new court, UA members played a friendly men-versus-women basketball game.
The project -- organized by UA Student Life Chairman Ethan Kay and UA Facilities Chairman Alex Moskowitz -- took nearly a year to complete, but both said it was worth the effort.
"I think this is awesome," said Moskowitz, a College senior. "I was up here four months ago and I never thought it would look this good."
Bassik said he considered the new court to be a great UA accomplishment.
"[Kay's and Moskowitz's] work on this is a true testament that UA members can accomplish tangible goals," he said.
He also praised Barchi for his "commitment to campus life and quality of life" in seeing the project to completion.
College sophomore Kay, who was unable to attend the opening ceremony, said he was very satisfied with the end result.
"This project signifies a great step by the administration to fulfill the outdoor recreational needs of Penn students," he explained. "We hope that the huge demand for this facility will offset some of the crowds at Gimbel, and we expect recreational basketball players to fill the court at every hour."
According to Moskowitz, the original proposal called for two courts, but after a series of compromises and meetings, only one was constructed. The construction of an additional court is dependent upon student response.
"If this turns out to be successful -- which I think it will be -- we will want to build another court," Moskowitz noted.
And Moskowitz said the UA had plans in store for other sports facilities on Penn's campus.
"We plan to make other improvements to Penn's facilities for recreational purposes," Moskowitz said. "I believe that the student body will definitely respond to the new additions."
(11/08/00 10:00am)
After a year of proposals, meetings with the administration and an extensive search for money, the Undergraduate Assembly has provided Penn with a new facility -- an outdoor basketball court due to open next week.
Construction on the outdoor court, which is located on the roof of the parking garage at 38th and Spruce streets, is in its final stages. The finishing touches are the installation of a PennCard reader and the activation of timers on the lights.
A press conference and dedication will be held next week to formally open the court.
The court cost about $80,000, with the UA coughing up $11,000 and the administration paying for the rest.
Nearly a year ago, UA Chairman Michael Bassik, Student Life Committee Chairman Ethan Kay and Facilities Committee Chairman Alex Moskowitz presented the initial proposal to Provost Robert Barchi.
Barchi agreed to the UA's proposal, noting the need for such a facility on campus.
"We need as many opportunities as possible for outdoor recreation facilities on campus," Barchi said. "The UA convinced me there was a great demand for it."
Barchi brought the idea to University President Judith Rodin, who then approved it. The provost worked in conjunction with the UA to develop a financial plan in order to secure adequate funding for the court.
With help from the administration and the Office of Alumni Relations, the UA is also attempting to secure outside funds from specific alumni. A letter is being sent out to six alumni in the next week or two.
"If and when the alumni decide to give money to the courts, that money will go back to the administration," said Kay, a Wharton sophomore.
Kay said the UA did encounter some funding problems during the course of construction.
"There was confusion on the administration's side as to who would help us get additional funds," Kay said.
The UA did not want to take away funding from the Athletic Department or the alumni office. Once the alumni office came up with a list of outside donors, Kay said the remainder of the project ran smoothly.
"It was quite a roller coaster, but I think the end justifies the means," Kay said.
Barchi said he thinks the new court will elicit a positive response among students.
"Hopefully, they will see it as a response by the administration to meet their needs on campus," Barchi said.
Assuming student response is high, the construction of an additional court is a viable option.
"We discussed the possibility of an additional court, and if the demand is high enough based upon student interest, we do have the space to do it up there," Barchi said.
However, before the court opens, the timers on the lights on top of the roof must be completely set up. The timers should be activated next week and will shut off the lights every night at 11 p.m. or midnight.
Kay said,"They are trying to strike a balance between people wanting to use the courts and avoiding disturbing the neighbors late at night."
(11/03/00 10:00am)
Having trouble finding off-campus housing? Can't find the right roommate? Let the Office of Off-Campus Living give you a little advice.
The Undergraduate Assembly's West Philadelphia Committee, the Penn Consumer's Board and the Office of Off-Campus Living co-sponsored an informational seminar for undergraduate students who want to live off campus last night in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall.
Director of Off-Campus Living Mihaela Farcas educated approximately 20 students on the ins and outs of off-campus living. Farcas emphasized how important it is to start looking for housing early because of the large housing market.
Handouts were given to students concerning tenants' rights and responsibilities to both the houses and to their neighbors. In addition, the handouts stressed the importance of finding reliable roommates.
Farcas said she was pleased with the seminar.
"We're working together with the students so that they know how to go about getting housing," Farcas said. "We told them how much they should budget and what to look for in a house, among other things."
The low turnout at the event might have been the result of a last-minute room change and a lack of publicity for the event on the part of the coordinators.
The Penn Consumer's Board co-sponsored and helped run the seminar. Members of the Board said they were pleased with the outcome despite its problems.
"I think it's good we are doing it now because students need to be made aware of the option to live off campus," Penn Consumer's Board treasurer and Engineering sophomore Kirstin Emershaw said. "When we do it again, though, we need to be a little more organized because I think students really need this information."
The Penn Consumer's Board,which was reorganized this year, is working in conjunction with Farcas on a guide that tells students all they need to know about off-campus housing. The guide will be released to students free of charge in January.
"As part of the guide, we're working on tenant and landlord surveys," Penn Consumer's Board Director and College sophomore Gabrielle Berlinger said. "And the guide is the best resource we could ever have."
The UA also co-sponsored the event. West Philadelphia Committee co-Chair and College sophomore Molly Siems said she was satisfied with the outcome, despite the lack of publicity.
"I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and, since we did very last-minute publicizing, I think it just goes to show the need for such an event," Siems said. "Next time we need to publicize it better."
Another seminar is scheduled to take place within the next two weeks.
(11/02/00 10:00am)
Tree-huggers across campus won't have to try so hard to correctly dispose of their plastic bottles any more.
A pilot recycling program, which will place about 22 new recycling containers around campus, was announced yesterday by the Undergraduate Assembly, the Penn Environmental Group and the Office of Facilities Services.
University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi were there for an unveiling ceremony on College Green.
The pilot project is the product of a task force composed of members from the UA, PEG and Facilities Services. Following a survey conducted by the PEG last year and a resolution passed by the UA on September 24 concerning outdoor recycling, the administration agreed to demands for more recycling containers.
A total of 22 new recycling containers will be placed on campus. Nineteen of those will be located between Spruce and Walnut streets from 34th to 38th streets for the recycling of aluminum, glass and plastic. The remaining three will be located on College Green and at the two ends of Locust Walk on 36th and 37th streets for outdoor paper recycling.
The program was launched by UA Student Life Committee Vice Chairman Jed Gross, PEG co-Chairwoman Sharon Hsu and Director of Facilities Services Michael Coleman. Following opening remarks by UA Chairman Michael Bassik, all three spoke about the new initiative.
Hsu emphasized the fact that the new program is an important asset to Penn's campus.
"The University of Pennsylvania is among the world's most prestigious universities, and a university of our size, reputation and affluence should have a recycling system that correlates to its ability and desire to protect our environment," Hsu said.
Gross said he was impressed by the administration's responsiveness to the pilot program.
"Penn's urban environment presented some special considerations, but when the Division of Facilities Services was put to the test, they responded by developing a vibrant, operable pilot project," Gross said.
Following Bassik's closing remarks, Gross, Hsu and Coleman participated in a symbolic ceremony by recycling an apple, a Pepsi can and a copy of a The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Rodin said she was pleased with the project.
"I'm delighted that the UA has taken the mantle of PEG's project and at the same time that PEG has expanded its scope and the size of its goal," Rodin said. "I think it's a great project and a lot of hard work has gone into it."
Coleman noted how helpful the program will be for the recycling effort on campus.
"This program will help us better understand how to improve recycling and make it fit into the campus in such an urban setting," Coleman said.
However, it is the Penn community that will determine the effectiveness of the program.
"I know it will be successful if people participate in this recycling effort and we are relying upon our students to get the word out," Rodin said.
Gross noted that the project will rely upon the collaborative effort of the entire community.
"The ultimate test is in the hands of the student who collects quarter sheets on Locust Walk and in the hands of the professor who finishes a bottle of water at Wynn Commons," Gross said. "We're counting on the student body to help take outdoor recycling to the next level."
(10/27/00 9:00am)
As the Undergraduate Assembly basketball court project enters its final stage, the body is looking for ways to come up with its share of the bill.
The cost of the new courts on the roof of the parking garage at 38th and Spruce streets is estimated to be about $100,000. The UA has already allocated $20,000 from its annual budget, but members hope to raise another $60,000 in donations.
To reach this goal, the UA is sending a letter to Penn alumni, trying to elicit donations for the project.
The University will foot the money for the rest of the bill, contributing however much the UA needs to reach the total.
Wharton sophomore Ethan Kay, Student Life Committee chairman, and College senior Alex Moskowitz, Facilities Committee chairman, are the UA members in charge of the project.
A preliminary draft of the letter was presented at a UA meeting two weeks ago, and the final draft will be presented for approval at the upcoming Sunday night meeting.
The letter is only being sent to six to eight alumni who have some connection or love for basketball.
"We're looking for donors who are either passionate about basketball or have involved it into their careers somehow," Kay said.
"The courts will be built regardless of whether or not we get additional money," Kay added. "All the money we get will go into a pot and collectively it will support the project. There is no specific area of construction it is going to fund."
In consideration of the subject matter, the final draft of the letter, according to Kay, utilizes a slightly different approach than a typical letter would.
The last paragraph of the letter contains a small anecdote asking alumni not to let the "freshman 15" turn into the "freshman 30" without the presence of the new basketball courts.
"We did it in a cute way that is both tasteful and fun so it will appeal to them," Kay noted. "The project is very unique and because of this fact I think it will strike a cord with the philanthropic alumni."
The plea also focuses on what Kay calls the "innovativeness" of the project.
"We're in a city where space is a hot commodity and a premium," Kay said. "We have found a way to take the rooftop of a garage and make it into a place where Penn students will want to go to spend their free time."
And Kay also stressed the need for the alumni to positively respond to the letter.
"There is a dire need on Penn's campus for extended outdoor recreation," Kay said. "It's a good outlet for students when they are studying during the warm weather months."
Pending approval from the UA, the letter will be sent to the Alumni Relations office for the final OK. Alumni will be contacted within the next two weeks.
(10/25/00 9:00am)
Representatives from more than 80 different student groups participated in the second general body meeting of the Student Activities Council last night.
In the course of two hours at the David Rittenhouse Laboratory, SAC introduced the body to its new online system, elected four new executive board members and approved last week's contingency budget requests.
Wharton senior Jared Susco, online committee chairman and the former SAC chairman, opened up the meeting with a demonstration of how the new online system works. Through the SAC Web site, student groups can check their account summaries and keep track of their budgets daily.
"This is the beauty of the whole system," Susco said. "We think it is going to be a very useful tool."
In addition to the introduction of the online system, SAC also filled four spots on its executive board. In order to run for executive board, a student must be an officer in his or her SAC group this semester and an undergraduate for at least two semesters. A total of nine undergrads make up the executive board.
When the floor opened up for nominations, only three people were selected, leaving one spot empty. College sophomore Seth Bressack of the Debate Council, Engineering junior Paula Colmenares of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and College sophomore Afnan Tariq of the South Asia Society were the three SAC members automatically elected.
The floor was reopened for nominations several minutes later, at which point Engineering sophomore Eduardo Vieira filled the fourth spot.
"Some groups have gotten a fairer cut in the deal than others, and I intend to cut down on that, as well as the bureaucracy, if possible," Vieira said.
Colmenares also said she felt the need to accept the nomination as a way to get more money for student groups.
"I have been having a lot of trouble finding funding for the SHPE," Colmenares said. "I would like to help other students get more money and find out why the general budget got cut from last year."
SAC Chairman Jay Haverty said he wasn't surprised by the low participation in elections.
"We have never had a high participation," Haverty said. "I think it went well but I don't even know three of them."
Associate Director of Student Life Rodney Robinson attributed the apathy toward elections to the students' busy schedules.
"A lot of groups are busy within their own organizations and don't have the time," Robinson said. "The executive board is a weekly commitment and can be very intense in the spring."
Following elections, the body voted on a number of contingency requests, which are essentially budget requests. They decided to allocate more funding to Alternate Spring Break, among other requests.
(10/20/00 9:00am)
After years of futile attempts to lure a major video rental chain to the area, the administration has given up and is now working to spruce up the existing facilities.
And after talking with Penn and the Undergraduate Assembly, the Video Library, at 4040 Locust Street, said it will stay open for longer hours.
The store had been closing each night at 10 p.m. It will now remain open until 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
Tom Lussenhop, Penn's top real estate official, said the extended hours of operation were necessary.
"Students were asking for it," Lussenhop said. "And the UA made a particularly effective appeal to us to help."
A better video store has been a long-standing student request, and the UA has tried, along with the administration, to get a new store to campus for two years.
But the video rental market has become less profitable as video on demand and the Internet has made it easier to watch movies at home, and Penn was unsuccessful in its efforts to bring a chain like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video to the area.
This new proposal was submitted on October 5. The UA also asked the store to increase its stock and possibly install a PennCard reader so students could charge movies on their cards.
UA Chairman and College senior Michael Bassik said Video Library plans to check out a list of videos, compiled by the UA, to add to its collection and has promised to expand its DVD collection.
Bassik emphasized the importance of taking action regarding the service of video stores to the Penn community.
"We have been working hard with the administration to try to attract a large video chain to campus," Bassik noted. "In the meantime, we thought it would be beneficial to work with stores already on campus in order to better serve the student body."
Currently, Video Library is owned by Whit and Nancy Schilling, a husband and wife duo. Both owners met with Lussenhop and Bassik last week and agreed to address their concerns.
"We felt it was a legitimate request from the community, specifically Penn's students," Whit Schilling said. "We are looking at it not from a money perspective, but it's about keeping the customers happy."
And according to Lussenhop and Bassik, the Video Library is definitely an asset to the community.
"Every quality neighborhood needs a decent video store," Lussenhop said. "I rent from Video Library myself."
Schilling expressed his shock upon learning that students were unhappy with the current service and hours.
"We as the owners were never directly asked to extend the hours and this was our first formal request," Schilling said.
He also noted some past and potential problems with the hour extension.
"We tried staying open later in the past, but it didn't seem to help," Schilling said.
"Safety is a concern too. We are at 41st and Locust Street, and it is kind of dark and quiet in this area," Schilling said.
So with these changes and maybe more, it looks like Video Library will remain the only video renting facility around.
Lussenhop said there are no plans in the works for an additional video retailer.
"The market is much better served by a local operator who is close to and attuned to student needs," Lussenhop said. "Video Library is that operator."
(10/17/00 9:00am)
Need a lawyer? Rest easy, the Undergraduate Assembly and the Graduate And Professional Student Assembly have reinstated free legal services for Penn students.
Legal Services was a project that was first started in the early 1980s, but it has not been active since the spring of 1998 -- mainly because no member wanted to coordinate the service. In its renewed form, the service will provide selected students with a free initial lawyer consultation.
Over the summer, UA Technology Chairman Eric Chen, an Engineering junior, decided to revive the project. Chen worked with Office of Student Life Director Fran Walker and lawyer David White, from local law firm Fineman and Bach, in order to bring the program back to Penn.
Chen said the need for the continuation of such a program is necessary.
"Oftentimes students are under external pressures from impending litigation, troubles at home or at school," Chen said. "Legal Services attempts to help alleviate these pressures."
Fellow UA member and College senior Ryan Little has been helping Chen get the project back on its feet.
"We recognize that students are vulnerable to a wide range of legal problems that can distract from or impede their studies," Little said. "Legal Services is the UA's and GAPSA's way of looking out for the legal health of the student body."
Legal Services is funded mostly by GAPSA and has been since the early 1990s, but the UA also contributes to the lawyers' fees. However, the main role of the UA is to spread the word about the service, approve its budget and, most importantly, help process the applications.
Students can apply online at http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~legalsrv, and the UA screens the applicants to decide whether they have a case or not. Fineman and Bach have no direct say in choosing cases. Costs would be covered for the initial consultation, but after that students would have to draft a contract with the firm and pay for services on their own.
"We rank it on the basis of need as best as possible," Chen said.
Added Little: "We look specifically for legal issues that impact one's student experience or one's ability to continue studying at Penn."
Cases in the past included problems specific to the community, such as problems with the city of Philadelphia, as well as disputes involving roommates, insurance claims, wills and accidents.
This year the UA committee consists solely of Chen and Little. This will not change unless others express interest in the committee or the number of cases becomes too much for them to handle.
However, they do not take on cases that directly involve the University or landlord tenant disputes. If students have problems regarding such issues, they can obtain discounted legal counsel from the Office of Off-Campus Living.
Once the UA decides to take a case, the student is scheduled for an appointment with a lawyer, which lasts approximately 30 minutes. The first session was held yesterday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
"There was an extraordinary number of applications submitted during the past week," Chen said. "Students seem to be constantly in need of free legal advise from practicing lawyers."
Little said he thinks that students will respond well to the revival of the service.
"Students are no different from the rest of society -- accidents happen or unforeseen problems arise and require legal action," Little said. "By bringing lawyers to campus and providing our service free of charge, Legal Services makes life that much easier for students who already face troubled times."
(10/12/00 9:00am)
Freshman student government election winners were announced last night after a week of voting.
During the brief half-hour meeting, the Nominations and Elections Committee shared the results with the candidates.
Roughly 45 percent of the freshman class participated in the online voting. About the same percentage turned out to vote last year, but in 1997 and 1998 only a third of the class voted.
"[The high percent] shows huge class participation and gives candidates a lot of weight and responsibility," NEC Chairman Nick Goad said.
There were 36 freshmen running for UA positions and nine students running for openings on the Freshman Class Board.
College freshman Jason Levy earned the highest number of votes and will assume the role of Freshman Class Board president and UA representative to University Council.
"[The win] is pretty overwhelming. I think it will take a while to sit in," Levy said.
Six other College freshmen will join Levy as representatives to the UA: Jamie Berg, Kirsten Grubbs, Jennifer Hsu, Tucker Perret, Dominick Romeo and Evan Smith. Wharton freshman Andrew Gomez will also join them.
"I am excited to make sure the voice of freshmen are heard because a lot of strong people were elected. We will definitely have a large impact," Grubbs said.
College freshmen Taivon McKinney and Meredith Seidel will act as class board vice president and secretary, respectively.
And College freshman Gaurav Patel will join the class board as treasurer, along with College freshman Tucker Perret who will be the vice president for corporate sponsorship.
Freshmen Dominick Romeo and Jamie Berg will be the class board College representatives.
Freshmen Bryan Chao and Andrew Gomez will be the Engineering and Wharton representatives, respectively, to the Freshman Class Board.
On Monday night, College freshman Chris Padilla was disqualified from the elections when he failed to turn in his campaign spending form on time.
Padilla opted not to appeal the committee's decision.
Goad and Vice Chairwoman of Elections Anne Hankey attributed the success of this fall's elections to both the strong cooperation of freshman candidates and the incorporation of technology into the campaign process.
"This year's election was atypical in that all candidates were amazingly sharp and on key," said Hankey, a College junior.
And Goad, a Wharton senior, noted that this year's efficient elections were due in part to the fact that this fall was the first time freshman votes have been cast online through Penn InTouch.
(10/05/00 9:00am)
The Class of 2004 flocked to Houston Hall last night for free food, live entertainment and a chance to meet their student government candidates.
With polls opening today for freshman elections, a midnight breakfast was sponsored and organized by the Nominations and Elections Committee in conjunction with the Freshman Class Board and Undergraduate Assembly elections.
Polls can be accessed online until October 10. This year, 36 candidates are running for eight freshman spots on the UA. For Freshman Class Boards, nine students are running for president, three for vice president, three for secretary and one for treasurer.
About 100 freshmen got to meet the candidates while enjoying a bagel and dessert buffet and listening to the tunes of one of Penn's a cappella groups, Off the Beat.
The is the first time the NEC has coordinated such an event -- organizers said they decided to try it to drum up more votes.
"We used to just have speeches and we never had good turnouts," said College sophomore Rebecca Silberman, a NEC member and the event's coordinator. "The speeches don't really work and we think this will draw a large crowd."
"It's a good way for them to meet the candidates they are actually going to be voting for," Silberman added.
NEC Vice Chairwoman of Elections Anne Hankey noted, "They don't really know everybody by name yet and this allows them to get acquainted with their class."
And NEC Chairman Nick Goad said, "It's a great way to increase voter turnout, and even freshmen who didn't come tonight are aware that elections are tomorrow because it was very well publicized."
Silberman said the event was a way to bring the freshmen together.
"By getting freshmen involved now it will create a trend of getting them involved for the next three years," Silberman said.
In attendance were most of the candidates, as well as a large crowd of freshmen. The heavy rain may have dulled attendance somewhat, organizers said.
The candidates used the event to get the word out about their campaigns and meet their fellow classmates.
"We feel that if we have a chance to talk to students and mingle with them then we have a better chance of getting their vote," College freshman Taivon McKinney said.
College freshman Jason Lewis said, "It's very important for the voters to know who we are and that we are more than just a name you can click on with your mouse."
"You can get a more accurate representation of what the class actually wants when a large number of people vote, and the people who really care about voting are here tonight," College freshman Rea Harrison said.
NEC coordinators said they were pleased with the event.
"I think the freshmen are really trying to interact and that's what our aim was," Silberman said.
(10/02/00 9:00am)
With the presidential election a month away, this week the Undergraduate Assembly is converting Locust Walk into a mini-political headquarters.
UA Voter Registration Week -- funded and coordinated by the UA Election 2000 Taskforce -- will run all this week.
Both the UA and other Penn student groups will have tables out on Locust Walk, Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to encourage students to register to vote.
The deadline to register in Pennsylvania is October 10.
Last night at the UA's weekly meeting, the body agreed to pay up to $1,935 for the week's events. The events' coordinators are Wharton junior James Ku and College sophomore Arshad Hasan.
In addition to the "Get Out the Vote" work, the UA is also sponsoring several political events this week, including a day-long gathering on College Green Friday, with food and games.
According to the press release, this series of events was formed "with the goal of increasing student registration and turnout to match national levels."
And statistics don't lie. The original statement the UA drafted says that in the 1996 election, voter turnout for the Penn campus area was 36 percent, in comparison to a national turnout of 49 percent. Registration rate was estimated at 50 percent, whereas it was 74 percent nationwide.
Ku and Hasan both said that Voter Registration Week is necessary here on Penn's campus.
"Student political participation is so low, especially at Penn," said Hasan. "Some groups have wanted to get involved politically, and I think if we work together as one group we may be efficient at it."
Ku actually came up with the idea for the event. "I saw that voter participation was very apathetic and I thought that a great way to fix that would be to bring everybody together," said Ku.
Both UA members are hopeful that Voter Registration Week will be successful.
"We're confident that our campus has a renewed political spirit," Hasan said. "We know that voter turnout will far surpass turnout on campus during the 1996 national election, which was a dismal 36 percent."
Other sponsors include the Penn Environmental Group, College Democrats, College Republicans, Penn For Bush, Penn For Gore, Penn Green Party, Penn Pro-Life, Model Congress, the Newman Center, Muslim Students Association, Asian Pacific Student Coalition, Penn Hillel, Debate Council, Penn ACLU, Penn Feminists and the Black Student League.
Ku said, "With so many groups you never know, but I think all the groups will pull together because they all seem very excited. Let's just hope the student body receives it well."
In conjunction with Voter Registration Week, there will be several events across campus.
Tomorrow at 9 p.m. in Logan Hall 17, the UA is sponsoring a public viewing of the first presidential debate, and on October 4 at 7 p.m. in Houston Hall, Political Science Professor Jack Nagel will speak on student political participation. The week will end with a day-long event on College Green, with food, games and activities.
(09/29/00 9:00am)
Among them there may be a future President of the United States.<P>
The Class of 2004 kicked off its student government election last night with its introductory candidates meeting.<P>
Arriving nearly 20 minutes early, approximately 50 freshmen swarmed into Stiteler Hall, anxious to kick off their campaigns for Class Boards or the Undergraduate Assembly. The Nominations and Elections Committee waved the eager crowd into the lecture room.<P>
For the next 40 minutes, NEC Vice Chairwoman of Elections Anne Hankey educated the crowd on the regulations of the upcoming election. Polls will be open from October 5 to October 10 and results will be announced on October 12.<P>
In this year's elections, 36 candidates are running for eight spots on the UA, seven are running for the two College representative positions, six are running for Wharton, one for Engineering and a surprising none for Nursing.<P>
For the Class Board, nine students are running for president, three for vice president, three for secretary and one for treasurer.<P>
Emphasizing the importance of following all of the rules set by the Fair Practices Code, Hankey stressed how seriously the NEC takes the entire process.<P>
"If you fail to turn in your spending forms you are automatically disqualified," Hankey said. "I can't stress how important this is."<P>
Halfway through the meeting, UA Chairman Michael Bassik and Director of Student Life Fran Walker got up to address the crowd and entertain questions.<P>
"We deal with a wide variety of issues that you personally, as students, are passionate about," Bassik said, referring to the UA.<P>
The meeting ended with a question-and-answer session in which the eager candidates surrounded the NEC member, asking questions.<P>
"They had fantastic questions that were of relevance and not ridiculous ones," NEC Chairman Nick Goad said.<P>
When the meeting adjourned, the crowd of freshmen said they were excited about the idea of running.<P>
"I've had a lot of experience with working with the administration to try to get them to change things and, for me, I think this is the next logical progression," College freshman Jenifer Rajkumar said.<P>
And College freshman Mei Elansary said, "I was anxious to get involved the minute I got here."<P>
The meeting itself elicited a great response from the freshman candidates.<P>
"They were very straightfoward and clear -- and very humorous," Rajkumar said.<P>
One candidate was relieved to discover he won't have to campaign at all. College freshman Gaurav Patel only found out today that he is the new freshman class treasurer.<P>
"I was treasurer of student council in my high school and I thought it was something I wanted to do again," Patel said. "I'm really excited -- I like the idea."<P>
Campaigning begins today and on Wednesday, October 4, the NEC will hold a Get Out the Vote event for freshmen from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. in Vance Hall.<P>
The polls open at midnight next Thursday and close the following Tuesday. Following the FPC hearing on October 11, results should be announced the following day.<P>
<P>
(09/26/00 9:00am)
After a long and contentious debate at its Sunday night meeting, the Undergraduate Assembly issued a resolution calling for better outdoor recycling.
The resolution asks for more recycling receptacles across campus and better removal and management of recycling.
But before the resolution got the OK, the body argued furiously about the language for over an hour.
Still, in the end, the body approved the resolution and the Penn Environmental Group endorsed it.
"The presence of recycling receptacles in key outdoor campus venues is a matter of importance for University students, a top priority of the Undergraduate Assembly, and a quality of life issue in the broadest sense," the statement reads.
College junior Jed Gross, who was the key member behind the resolution, said: "I think we made a strong statement that Penn students, as well as the Penn Environmental Group, are concerned about recycling. We felt that this was a matter of urgency."
The UA now plans to talk to the administration to determine how to realize these goals.
The resolution notes that there has been a decline in recycling at Penn, according to statistics published by Facilities Services. "In 1998 and 1999, the University recycled 26 percent of its waste by weight, falling short of the 30 percent mark that was achieved circa 1996."
One of several resolutions within the statement addresses the issue of adding recycling receptacles to both Locust Walk and the Perelman Quadrangle.
"I think there is a need for recycling bins on Locust Walk," UA Chairman Michael Bassik said.
Gross said that he decided to look into the lack of recycling after reading the Environmental Group's Green Times last spring. He and other UA members met with Vice President of Facilities Services Omar Blaik to discuss the problem.
"I thought this was something that the UA should get involved in," Gross said. "They [the Environmental Group] had some very compelling arguments, and I felt it was an issue of importance to Penn students."
The resolution is only part one of a multi-part initiative to improve all aspects of recycling. The resolution states: "Provisions for recycling should be incorporated into any new University facilities that have provisions for trash disposal."
According to Bassik, the Student Life committee's next task is to attack the issue of indoor recycling in classrooms, residence halls and dining halls. The UA plans to carry the recycling issue to the next step.
"We plan to follow up extensively with the administration on the issue," Bassik said.
With the endorsement of the resolution by the PEG, the UA has plans to collaborate with them in the future, as well.
"It's great that we have their support," said UA Secretary Dana Hork, a College junior. "We plan to work with them more in the future, and we hope that measures concerning indoor recycling are to come."
Present at the meeting were two members of the PEG, College sophomores Sharon Hsu and Julia Baylor Harton. "I'm really glad that we could endorse the resolution," Harton said. "It's nice to show the administration that we have a lot of student support."
(09/21/00 9:00am)
What do the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA Hall of Fame and Penn all have in common? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He scored over 38,000 points in his NBA professional career and was a 19-time NBA All Star. Now he comes to Penn as the Connaissance annual fall speaker on October 4 at 8 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium.
Abdul-Jabbar will be discussing his experiences in a lecture entitled "Black Profiles in Courage: The Untold History of America." His speech is inspired by his book Black Profiles in Courage, co-authored by Alan Steinberg, a Chicago-based writer.
Before Abdul-Jabbar tackled the literary world, he was "sky-hooking" his way to become, arguably, the best basketball player of all time.
The No. 1 NBA draft pick in 1969, Abdul-Jabbar spent six years with the Milwaukee Bucks and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. Under coach Pat Riley, Abdul-Jabbar led his team to five NBA titles. In 1989, after 20 seasons, Abdul-Jabbar retired.
His accolades include Rookie of the Year, six-time MVP, two-time finals MVP and a spot in the NBA Hall of Fame. In 1993, he became the first basketball player to receive the National Sports Award.
Since then, Abdul-Jabbar has dedicated himself to other interests. He has established programs to help young athletes make academics an integral part of their lives as well as worked with various literacy groups. He's also an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Connaissance Co-Director Samantha Cohen, a College junior, said the basketball player was a good choice for this year's fall speaker.
"We thought it would be really interesting to have a speaker who is coming to talk to Penn students about an important topic that has not be addressed in a while," Cohen said. "His background, combined with the book he wrote about the obstacles he has faced, will make for a great speech."
Connaissance co-Director Nishchay Maskay, a College senior, agreed.
"He has a lot of experience and although he is known for his basketball background, he has done quite a bit for education and racial equality," Maskay said. "I think that richness will make him a very interesting speaker."
Students have high expectations of the basketball legend's speech, as well.
"I think that it is great because people tend to view athletes as idiots, and it really shows that some are very intelligent -- like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar," College sophomore Greg Stumm said. "He is a great role model and he should bring a lot to Penn."
Men's basketball captain Geoff Owens, a College senior, said, "He's someone I've tried to watch in my game. He's a pretty good choice."
"It is nice that a celebrity takes time out of his busy schedule to come talk to college students about issues that are of such importance," College sophomore Alexis Marchio added.
Connaissance is hopeful that Abdul-Jabbar will not only give a great speech, but will draw a large crowd.
"He will attract people that might not have come to hear other speakers in the past," Cohen said.
Recent Connaissance speakers have included Benjamin Netanyahu, Gloria Steinem, Conan O'Brien and James Earl Jones.
