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(09/19/00 9:00am)
The music industry took Penn by storm last week when two top artists sent University President Judith Rodin and several other college presidents a letter asking that Napster be banned on campus.
Attorneys representing the heavy metal band Metallica and rap artist Dr. Dre requested that Penn ban access through the University Internet service to Napster.
Now, Penn's Undergraduate Assembly has voiced its support for student rights to use the Internet music site.
On Sunday night, the UA drafted a statement concerning the recent controversy surrounding Napster.
The statement said, "The UA has always applauded the Administration for its record of protecting and preserving the individual rights of the student body. We should not let Dr. Dre or Metallica, or threats of litigation dictate University policy."
At the meeting last night a motion asking to allow a handful of the members to write the final draft passed unanimously.
The letter asked Rodin to respond by September 22. Along with the letter, Rodin received copies of a suit filed by the music industry against the University of Southern California and Indiana and Yale universities. That suit was dropped when the schools agreed to limit their Napster access.
UA Chairman and College senior Michael Bassik assured the body that the statement would reflect the opinion of the entire UA.
"I think we all pretty much believe the same thing," Bassik said. "Rodin and the administration have a history of supporting students' rights whereas in some cases other universities would not have been as gracious."
After the meeting, the UA executive board -- and Facilities Vice Chairwoman and College sophomore Becky Tracy and Technology Chair and Engineering junior Eric Chen -- remained to write the statement.
"We didn't want our rights impeded until the courts had decided whether or not it [Napster] is legal," Michael Krouse said. "They [attorneys] are trying to bully the school into making a decision and going about it in a very undemocratic way."
Despite the pressure to reply to the artists' request, UA members are confident that the administration will maintain its position. "President Rodin said that they will not do anything until the court ruling comes out," Bassik said.
In conjunction with the Napster controversy, PennForum and the UA are sponsoring a debate entitled "Sound Bytes: Napster, Intellectual Property and the University" tonight at 7 p.m. in Vance Hall. Participants include Penn Law School Professor Polk Wagner, Information Security Officer David Millar, College sophomore Arshad Hasan and College freshman Adam Alalouf.
Hasan, who is also a member of the UA, supports the position that the possible lawsuit goes against students' rights.
"I think our resolution should focus on the free speech issue and that we appreciate that Rodin is waiting to hear from the courts," Hasan said.
(09/15/00 9:00am)
Few know of its existence and even fewer realize its potential. But as the year kicks off, the Ivy Council awaits its moment in the spotlight.
The council, formed in 1993, is a coalition made up of all eight Ivies as a way to provide the Ivy League with a common student government body.
Currently, the Ivy Council president is from Penn -- Engineering senior Malhar Saraiya.
"Its main purpose is to serve the home councils and promote collaboration among the Ivies," said Saraiya, who is also the Undergraduate Assembly vice chairman.
The mission of this collaboration is threefold: To promote communication and collaboration among the schools, deliver tangible projects to the Ivy community and become the voice of the Ivy League.
The council has been active in trying to achieve these goals. Last February they held an Ivy Leaders Summit at Yale, attended by 10 representatives from each school. To determine who would represent each school, the council circulated a rigorous application to students at the different universities.
Panels were led by various professors and alumni, focusing on integrity and ethics in different fields.
Another initiative launched was the Ivy Wide Community Outreach Program, or Ivy Corps, locally known as Quaker Corps. On April 8, each school ran its own community service project.
"Last year was the best," Saraiya said. "We really worked hard with all the home councils."
Every school sends four delegates who meet twice a year at a fall and spring conference with the Executive Board and Board of Governors.
Penn delegates are elected by their fellow UA members. This year the head delegate is College sophomore Ethan Kay. All head delegates make up the Ivy Council Steering Committee. The other three members are College sophomores Lara Bonner, Arshad Hasan and Rebecca Tracy.
The Executive Board is comprised of a president, internal vice president, external vice president, treasurer and secretary. Saraiya has been involved with the council since his sophomore year.
"I saw that there was going to be an election and I thought, OHey cool, I'll try it,'" Saraiya said. "Surprisingly enough, I won and became the head delegate."
He went on to become internal VP and was elected president last spring. Combined with his responsibilities as UA vice chair, Saraiya will have his hands full.
"It's a pretty tough job," Saraiya said. "I have my work cut out for me."
The third body is the Board of Governors, which is made up of alumni. Saraiya said they are trying to get school administrators on the board and just recently got one from Princeton.
"They are legally responsible for the Ivy Council," Saraiya said. "They also advise us and provide continuity."
Saraiya also has high hopes for this year. In addition to holding another summit and Ivy Corps, the council would like to strengthen its influence. "We hope to enact more Ivy-wide initiatives," Saraiya said. "It will help the individual schools come up with ideas that can benefit the entire Ivy League."
Penn delegates are equally enthusiastic.
"I expect creative ideas to flow from this body that will benefit each school," Kay said. "As a delegate, I can get advice and bounce ideas off members so that the UA can be more successful in enacting positive change on Penn's campus."
(09/11/00 9:00am)
Check your pockets, look behind your desk and search the laundry room for all the spare change you can find -- the Class of 2004 needs it.
A new initiative called Change for Change and Charitable Giving is a new community service effort for freshmen.
Change for Change will raise money for local projects by collecting loose change and donating it to three local charities selected by the freshman class during orientation.
Undergraduate Assembly Secretary and College junior Dana Hork began the program last spring. The idea, she says, originated during move-out.
"Students find loose change all over their room at the end of the year," Hork said. "It is a way for students to get rid of their loose change and donate it towards a positive cause."
The UA sponsored a test run of the program during the final three weeks of school. Different college houses, including Community, Gregory, Spruce, Stouffer, Dubois, Harnwell and Hamilton collaborated with the InterFraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council on the project. In two weeks they successfully raised nearly $1,000 for Upward Bound, an organization that helps area high school students gain admission to college.
This year, Change for Change became a part of New Student Orientation, with Hork believing it would be a good way to get the freshman class involved on campus early on.
"It's a great opportunity to bring all of the freshmen together for a common cause," Hork said.
During orientation, small red and blue plastic cups were passed out to students. Throughout the year, freshmen will collect their spare change and keep it in these cups until the end of the semester. Dropoff locations and dates will be announced soon.
And by accessing the NSO Web site, freshmen could pick from a list of charities to aid. The top three vote getters were announced at Wednesday night's Convocation.
The three charities are Parents and Children Against Drugs, St. Mary's Respite Center and University City Hospital Coalition.
Hork emphasized the importance of finding charities in the city. "We picked things in the local area so that we can actually see the results," Hork said.
Hork also said that the program is not solely aimed toward freshmen.
"The project is for everybody," Hork said. "It is a way for the Greek houses, upperclassmen and freshmen alike to join together and give to different charities."
And in fact, Change for Change may expand beyond Penn's campus.
"We actually want to talk to other schools in the area about launching the program in conjunction with Penn," Hork said. "By accumulating change from many students and donating it towards a common cause shows that lots of small change can really make a big difference.
(09/08/00 9:00am)
With seven days of grueling orientation coming to an end and the first day of classes under their belt, members of the Class of 2004 prepared for yet another adventure -- student government.
Representatives from the campus' six different student government organizations gave pep talks to a group of 60 freshmen in Logan Hall last night.
The interested students learned about the different groups and also got information on the upcoming freshman elections, which will take place the first week of October.
Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Michael Bassik, a College senior, started off the evening by advising the incoming class to get the best out of their Penn experience. He concluded with a short speech, encouraging freshmen to get involved on campus -- specifically with student government.
"Now is the time to get involved," Bassik said. "Don't let the opportunity pass you by."
Other speakers included Nominations and Elections Committee Chairman and Wharton senior Nick Goad, UA Vice Chairman and Engineering senior Malhar Saraiya and Student Activities Council Chairman Jay Haverty, a Wharton and Engineering junior.
The lineup also included Social Planning and Events Committee President Theo LeCompte, an Engineering senior, Student Committee on Undergraduate Education Chairman and College senior Josh Wilkenfeld and Senior Class President Ray Valerio, a College senior.
Each of the representatives briefly explained the duties of their respective organizations and how to get involved.
Some mentioned their recent accomplishments. Saraiya, for example, discussed the addition of outdoor basketball courts and the new financial aid plan concerning low- or non-paying summer jobs.
LeCompte mentioned the upcoming visit by Bill Maher at Irvine Auditorium next Friday night, sponsored by SPEC. Finally, Wilkenfeld discussed the joint effort between the UA and SCUE to extend freshman orientation from three days to seven days this year.
At the conclusion, College junior Anne Hankey, NEC vice chairwoman, discussed the upcoming freshman elections. Balloting will run from October 5 to October 10, and the NEC will announce the winners on October 11.
The UA members said they were quite pleased with the night's event.
"I think it went very well and people were very interested," Saraiya said. "We should get a very good turnout during election time."
Bassik was equally content with the number of interested newcomers.
"It was a great opportunity for freshmen to learn the ins and outs of student government," Bassik said. "We're trying to reach out to the freshman class and show them what is offered here at Penn."
Freshmen said they were excited about getting involved on campus and liked the speeches.
"They kept it short and the format was great," College freshman Mehreen Zaman said.
Freshmen also liked what came along with the speeches. "There was free stuff and it was informative," Engineering freshman Meeraj Gupta said. "They gave us food and these cool flyers.
(05/25/00 9:00am)
I did it -- I made it through my first year of college. Over the last two weeks of the semester there were sleepless nights spent at the library and hours spent cleaning up a year's dust accumulation in your cardboard box of a room, it all seemed worth it just to be able to go home.
(04/24/00 9:00am)
The opening of the Barnes and Noble bookstore hs not hurt smaller area bookstores. In 1996, when the University announced the construction of a new campus bookstore run by one of the biggest names in the business, the campus' longtime independent booksellers -- namely the Penn Book Center and House of Our Own Bookstore -- feared that they would lose business to their larger rival. But four years since the announcement, it seems that the conflict between the book super-store and the independents never fully developed. Today, ask the owners of the independent bookstores how their businesses are doing and they'll say just fine -- Barnes and Noble and all. Then walk inside any of the three and the secrets to their respective successes will immediately become clear. Indeed, because the bookstores receive orders from different departments and often serve students with specified needs and interests, the independent bookstores and Barnes and Noble are engaged in a healthy competition that is based more on their differences than on their similarities. All parties seem to agree that the Penn community has reached an alternative solution to the corporate-versus-neighborhood bookstore conflict that has plagued college campuses across the county. "The three stores have actually coexisted now for almost 30 years," says Deborah Sanford, the owner of House of Our Own. "There is an amicable and cooperative sort of feeling among the three." "The stores are serving some very specific groups within their niche. In a university, you want that diversity to exist," adds Kevin Renshaw, the manager of the Penn Bookstore. A Long History of Service The House of Our Own and the Penn Book Center are long-standing booksellers on campus, having each existed for several decades. Over the years, the two have earned reputations for intimate service, deep knowledge of their stock and, above all else, their historical traditions. In 1962, the Nickles family opened the Penn Book Center on the corner of 34th and Walnut streets. Since then, the establishment has moved two blocks west, and then back. But it remains under the ownership of Achilles and Olga Nickles. The Penn Book Center was forced to move out of the former University Bookstore building at 36th and Walnut streets when it was demolished in 1998 to make room for Huntsman Hall. Surprisingly, despite its proximity to the new Penn Bookstore at Sansom Common, the location gives the store an advantage of sorts over their competitors. The Penn Book Center is located between two of the largest School of Arts and Sciences departments -- History, in the 3401 Walnut complex, and English, across the street in Bennett Hall. "When a professor orders from us, he/she knows exactly who they are speaking to," current Manager Keith Helmuth says. History Professor Bruce Kuklick has been purchasing books at the Penn Book Center since he was in graduate school at Penn in the 1960s. His entire department orders from the two independent bookstores, as does the English Department. "I am a firm believer in tradition, and Barnes and Noble is not my idea of a bookstore. Ultimately, they don't care about selling books, they care about making a profit. [At the Penn Book Center] they are not businessmen, they are book men," Kuklick said. English Professor Dan Traister, the curator of the Annenberg rare book and manuscript library, is a frequent shopper at the store. "The people at Penn Book Center care about you. It is nice to have two to three eyes watching the kind of things you buy and shmoozing with you about books." "Book People Who Care" For an almost entirely different group of people, House of Our Own, like the Penn Book Center, has provided the community with the service of "book people who care." Located in an old row house at 3920 Spruce Street, House of Our Own was started almost 30 years ago, when two Penn graduates decided to open a small bookstore on campus. Beyond stocking an eclectic mix of literary and academic texts, on the second floor of House of Our Own resides the only second-hand book collection in West Philadelphia. Like the Penn Book Center, House of Our Own's loyal clientele -- including many Penn professors in the humanities -- are largely responsible for its survival. "Not only do the faculty members shop consistently at House of Our Own, but professors try to get their students to utilize the resources of the independent bookstore," Sanford explains. Then there are the scenarios that play themselves out in the store each day. This time, it's a Penn student who walks in searching for a book for one of his classes. As he approaches the counter asking for assistance, Sanford immediately recognizes the course and the professor. When the student says the professor is running behind in the course syllabus, Sanford jokes that this book will take even longer to finish than the last one. "We cater to a different clientele," Sanford says. "You can see serious book lovers moving slowly from shelf to shelf." Yet, the owners say their intimate setting -- with cushioned rocking chairs waiting invitingly between the dusty shelves -- is the true selling point. Sanford says, "There is a quiet, reflective atmosphere which is very good especially for people developing ideas for dissertations for papers." But the store's smaller size, which accounts for much of its charm, is often a negative for some students. Indeed, in the beginning of the semester, when shelves and extra tables are crammed with books, students elbow their way into the narrow entrance and wait in lines that often stretch out the door. Still, people shop -- and will continue to shop -- at House of Our Own, Sanford explains, because there's no other bookstore quite like it on campus. "The important thing is that we connect people to books." The Corporate Giant What the Penn Bookstore does, according to its proponents at Penn and in the surrounding community, is provide for both the University and West Philadelphia as well. "The Bookstore is truly an anchor store in the neighborhood," Renshaw says. Figures do not lie: The Bookstore, the largest of all the Barnes and Noble-owned bookstores on college campuses, has approximately 15,000 transactions weekly. Situated in the middle of Sansom Common, and flanked by Xando, Urban Outfitters and the Inn at Penn -- among others -- the Penn Bookstore is part of Penn's attempt to help revamp University City. "The new bookstore certainly redefined the landscape, but at the same time, forces the smaller bookstore to strengthen its quality," explains Vice President for Business Services Leroy Nunery, whose office manages the bookstore. The Penn Bookstore now includes the Computer Connection, a cafe, a foreign language center and a reading section that has 135,000 books. Much to the happiness of the store's management, the sale of books not used for courses has doubled in size over the past two years. It's not to say that everything is perfect with the bookstore, though. Textbooks are often not available early in the semester because the professors have ordered them too late, and the sale of textbooks -- which include all of the sciences and most of the books used for Wharton and foreign language courses -- has been consistent since before the store's expansion. It is the only section of the store that has not seen an increase. "A lack of growth in textbook sales is due to the Internet," Renshaw explains, referring to the increase in online booksellers like Amazon.com.
(04/18/00 9:00am)
Howard Berkowitz has such a high-profile job that he speaks regularly with leaders like Yasser Arafat, Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson. Yestserday, the national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League took some time off from his schedule to discuss anti-Semitism with about 50 Penn students and staff members. In a talk co-sponsored by Civic House, Penn Hillel and the Greenfield Intercultural Center, Berkowitz discussed, "Making a Difference: Fighting Racism, Anti-Semitism and All Forms of Bigotry." The ADL is a human rights organization formed 87 years ago by a group of Jewish leaders in Chicago in order to protect Jews from discrimination. "I have always been a believer that people should give back to the community," he told the crowd, which included people of varied ethnicities and racial backgrounds. Through the ADL, Berkowitz has worked to promote tolerance and eradicate anti-Semitism. The ADL now works with the NAACP and different Latino and Asian groups. "If there is any racist or bigotrist action, we will speak up and stand together," said Berkowitz, a Wharton graduate. Berkowitz also discussed the Holocaust and its lasting effects. He noted that there were only two countries where 100 percent of the Jews were saved during World War II. "Where people said, 'No, why should we hurt Jews?' the Jewish population was saved," he said. "Stand up and say, 'It cannot happen here.'" A member of the audience then asked about the proposed Holocaust memorial in Berlin. Berkowitz explained that the mayor of Berlin did not want the memorial erected. Berkowitz himself traveled to Berlin in hopes of reasoning with the mayor. "I am an activist," Berkowitz said. "Silence in my opinion is not an answer." In addition, the ADL is currently involved in a highly publicized attempt to get the acquittal of 13 Jews accused of espionage in Iran. Berkowitz said he considered the conditions of the trial to be unfair -- the prosecutors and the judges are the same, there is no jury and the defense attorneys are not allowed to talk to their clients. "If Iran carries this forward, they will be ostracized by the world community," he said. Berkowitz also discussed several educational initiatives the ADL has undertaken to promote tolerance and understanding. In one program, students travel to Washington, D.C. to undergo a tolerance-training program and visit, among other sites, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Several members of the audience later said they were quite impressed by Berkowitz's commitment. "I think he is a phenomenal leader and activist," said Rachel Saifer, a student in the Graduate School of Social Work. "We have a lot we can learn from him." "I think the work of the ADL is some of the most important in the country," added College sophomore Ari Alexander, a Jewish Renaissance Project fellow. "For those of us engaged in such work, it is important for us to hear about what they do."
(02/15/00 10:00am)
Adoring fans, interested onlookers and several dozen Penn undergraduates paid homage to writer Grace Paley at the Kelly Writers House last night. With nearly 90 people in attendance, the intimate house on Locust Walk was packed beyond capacity with audience members crowding the stairs, the kitchen and the small living room itself in an attempt to hear the author's every word. After an introduction by English Professor Al Filreis and College senior Sara Coehlo -- a member of the Writers House Fellows Program -- Paley stood behind a podium in the living room and proceeded to entertain her fans. She read a story entitled "Friends" -- a fictional tale chronicling a woman's relationship with her friends and children -- from The Collected Stories, a compilation of her three collections of short fiction stories, as well as selected poems from her collection of poetry. Throughout the nearly hour-long reading, audience members listened intently as Paley spoke. By the end of the public reading, numerous people rushed to get Paley to sign their books. Filreis, who coordinated the night's events, said he found Paley's talk educational and inspirational. "She is just amazing," he said after the reading. "Although Grace Paley is an experienced teacher, she spoke to us as a writer and a parent and, therefore, she was a great teacher." Filreis also teaches Contemporary American Literature, which is the seminar linked with the program. Earlier in the afternoon, Paley took part in this week's seminar, interjecting comments and answering students' questions about her works. Following the three-hour seminar, several students in attendance said they were, almost literally, speechless. "I don't even know where to begin," College junior Blake Martin said. "It is difficult to convey how awesome of an experience it was, especially if you don't know her work." Wharton junior, Adam Kaufman, this year's Fellows coordinator and a member of the class, said he gained personal respect for Paley as an individual in addition to his professional respect for her as a writer. "It went really well. Personally, I found her amazingly charming," Kaufman said after the class had ended. "She is concerned with the students here." Prior to the seminar, the students spent three weeks reading and analyzing Paley's works, so that they would be prepared to talk intelligently with the writer. "It's a rare experience. We could ask her where she got the idea for a certain character or what she meant by a specific scene," Kaufman said. "It was funny to see how we misguessed things, but at the same time we looked at some things in a way she had not considered." Some aspiring writers said they particularly enjoyed Paley's words of wisdom concerning her craft. "I asked her if there were any stories you could only tell at a certain point in time and she said that as you get older and your experience accrues, you are able to write things you could not have when you were younger," said Cassie MacDonald, a Writers House administrative assistant. After the seminar, Paley took part in an informal discussion with some of the students and Filreis. She gave a public reading two hours later. The discussion, which only lasted a little under an hour, allowed for a setting more intimate and informal than the seminar did. There, topics ranged from influences on Paley's writing to her friendships with fellow writers to the politics of writing. "She has a way of passionately personalizing politics, and students who are not normally political were eager to get involved," Filreis said. When asked at the end of the night if she had advice for aspiring writers, Paley replied simply, "Keep a low overhead and don't live with anyone who doesn't respect your work." Filreis will interview Paley about her writing at the Writers House at 10:30 a.m. today. The conversation will be broadcast on the Internet.
(02/14/00 10:00am)
For the young aspiring writer, it is a dream come true: interaction with world-renown writers and poets in the comfort of a small house on Penn's campus. Today Grace Paley will be visiting the Writers House to discuss her writing and speak with a group of undergraduates. The Kelly Writers House Fellows Program, which is one of the projects incorporated under and organized by the Writers House, is designed for undergraduates interested in a writing career. English professor Al Filreis is in charge of the program and teaches the three hour seminar in Comtemporary American Writing associated with it. "The purpose of the program is to put young writers in intimate contact with very eminent writers," said Filreis. The program was started in the spring of '99 with Gay Talese inagurated as the first Writers House Fellow. Thirty students listened to a lecture on Literary Nonfiction at the Writers House. Students from last year's program seemed to have nothing but good things to say about the program. One of the students from last year's seminar is quoted on the program's web page. "Through the Writers House Fellows program, the Writers House became not only the center but the heart of my Penn education," said Taylor Drotman, Class of '99. "Once five minutes with a famous writer seemed great. The Fellows project makes a new educational intimacy with great writing possible." This year's Writers Fellows include Grace Paley, Robert Creely, and John Edgar Wideman. Paley will sit it on Filreis's seminar from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Following the class, Paley will meet with a small group of students from Writers House and will do a public presentation of her reading at 7 p.m. Tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. Paley and Filreis will conduct a conversation/interview, which will be broadcasted on the internet. Paley will discuss her most recent work, "The Collected Stories," published in 1994. Her earlier works include three collections of short fiction and three collections of poetry. Paley, who currently teaches at City College in New York and Sarah Lawrence College, was a professor at both Syracuse and Columbia Universities. Her long list of awards range from a Guggenheim fellowship in 1961 to a Senior Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1987. Filreis and his students seem to be excited about the upcoming program. They believe she is a fabulous choice for the first Writers Fellow of the 1999-2000 year. In particular, Filreis is looking foward to the event. "Paley's interacting with Penn undergraduates in the intimate setting of Writers House should be amazing."
(01/26/00 10:00am)
Fiery arguments, passionate debaters and an active audience were all on display at Monday night's gun-control debate in Logan Hall. Before an audience of 100 students and local residents, National Rifle Association officials and gun-control activists joined several Penn undergraduates in an all-out war of the words over federal handgun possession laws. The informal debate, which was sponsored by PennForum -- a group of Penn students who regularly host organized debates on controversial issues -- featured four debaters, a student moderator and included questions and comments from a particularly spirited audience. Debaters included the NRA's Director of Grassroots Division Glen Caroline, Executive Director of Ceasefire New Jersey Bryan Miller and two student debaters -- College freshman Arshad Hasan and Wharton freshman Chad Edmonson. Engineering senior James Renfro moderated the debate. The debate centered around the question of whether the United States should issue more stringent gun-control laws. Caroline, articulating a frequent NRA stance, stressed that the government's laws should focus far more on apprehending actual criminals than on making it more difficult for ordinary citizens to acquire a gun. "The way to reduce violence is to remove identifiable criminals from the streets," Caroline said. "Criminals should be held accountable, not law-abiding citizens." Miller, conversely, advocated the addition of new and better laws that would regulate gun use and suggested that merely dealing with criminals would not do enough in preventing violent crimes. "We are interested in gaining laws that restrict juveniles from getting their hands on guns, not law-abiding citizens," Miller said. "We are in favor of requiring that handguns be regulated and more safety standards instituted." The argument sparked a further debate about the Clinton administration's handling of gun-control laws and, in particular, the implementation of instant background checks on people who wish to purchase guns and a waiting period of anywhere from three to five days. Hasan, one of the three Penn students involved in the debate, sided with Miller and said that instant checks and a waiting period were necessary in addition to tougher safety standards. "The fact that toys have more safety regulations than guns is not sufficient," Hasan said. The audience made frequent contributions throughout the debate, so much so that Renfro even had to periodically ask the audience to be courteous and silent. Overall, members of PennForum said they thought the debate went extremely well. "It was a learning experience and a very fired-up debate," said College sophomore Jeanne Zelnick, one of the event's organizers. "Audience participation in some ways hindered the debate, but I think it was an invaluable experience." Wharton sophomore and PennForum co-chair Ethan Laub said he thought the controversial nature of the debate topic made for a particularly interesting discussion. "This is the sort of topic where you have to worry about the audience getting out of hand, but I thought they added a lot with such intelligent questions," Laub said. Among the several dozen undergraduates in attendance was College freshman Erica Young, who said she thought the debate "tended to get out of control at times because it was a fiery topic." But she added, "It was very informative for me because I really did not know too much about the topic."
(10/05/99 9:00am)
Singers, dancers, painters, poets, sculptors, writers and journalists -- come one, come all. The Pew Charitable Trusts wants your support. The Penn Humanities Forum held a panel discussion last Thursday night in College Hall on cultural arts policy and the role it plays in American society today. The Humanities Forum is a new initiative that was launched last spring as an interdisciplinary effort to unite area universities with the Philadelphia community and promote faculty collaboration across different disciplines. This year's theme for the forum is "Human Nature," which looks to join humanists with scientists. Last Thursday's panelists included Stephen Urice, Pew's national culture program officer, and Pew Culture Program Director Marian Godfrey, as well as Philadelphia Inquirer columnist David Boltz and Philadelphia Daily News editorial cartoonist Signe Wilkinson. Professors from Columbia, Stanford and Ohio State universities also sat on the panel. English Professor Wendy Steiner, the director of the Penn Humanities Forum, served as the moderator. One major issue that the panel addressed was funding the arts. The Pew Charitable Trusts, endowed by the founders of the Sun Trust Oil Company, has just established a five-year, $50 million program dedicated to the research of cultural arts. "Artists, citizens, philanthropists and the government together will play a distinct role in determining public and private policy," Urice said. "It is not the intent to create one national cultural policy or a plot to bureaucratize the field." While one of the intentions of the Forum is to create a dialogue about University issues, the topics discussed went far beyond the college community. In particular, the group discussed the recent controversy surrounding New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who tried to cut funding for the Brooklyn Museum because of material he found offensive. The museum filed a lawsuit against him to block the move. According to Steiner, it was exactly this sort of discussion she envisioned for the Humanities Forum. "Interacting with members from various cultural institutions from the city is actually one forum of the program," Steiner said. "We hope to interest students by focusing both on the real world and college life." "I think it's a wonderful way for people with liberal arts backgrounds to interact with university students," said College senior Jennifer Luo, who works for the Penn Humanities Forum. "It shows you so much about the culture of Philadelphia."
