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Perspective: Lighting up

(02/25/03 10:00am)

Brad Breuer is what we like to call a "social smoker." He quit -- more or less -- in December. The combination of rising prices, concerns over physical well-being and a family history of heart problems provided a convincing argument. Yet the College freshman still lights up on the weekends. After all, why not? Herein lies the smoker's paradox -- though cigarette smoking is taking on an increasingly negative stereotype, smoking numbers among college students remain steadily on the rise. "If I'm out at a party and drinking, I'll definitely have a few cigarettes," Breuer says. "It's very image-based. At a party, there's so much loud music that you can't really talk so you drink or smoke." But Brad started smoking well before he started college partying -- at the age of 15. He was in Germany for the summer, away from his parents, with a group of friends. "We were on our own and experimenting with alcohol and smoking," he says. "Plus, the culture made them so accessible -- they sold cigarettes from vending machines or in singles." And while Breuer claims that German culture was the catalyst, the habit followed him all the way to boarding school in Wales. It was there, at the age of 16, that he became a full-fledged smoker. "It was a small international school, and everyone smoked," he says. "It was a very social thing, and it was glamorous to sneak away for a cigarette." Now at 20 years old, Breuer doesn't think he'll ever be able to quit completely. "I just really think there's something in them that makes it impossible for me to kick the habit forever," he says, possibly referring to the nicotine. "I'll always go back to smoking, and I think that holds true for all smokers." • Unfortunately, Breuer's situation is not unusual. He is just another one of the millions of Americans trying to quit. Because of this very epidemic, Penn and Georgetown University received funding in 1999 from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Drug Abuse to start a Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center. TTURC is dedicated to the study of tobacco use and nicotine addiction, something in which students like Breuer would be very interested. TTURC Director Caryn Lerman was recruited from Georgetown and came to Penn in July 2001. Currently, two Penn TTURC studies led by Lerman are investigating whether smoking cessation therapies can be tailored to smokers' genotypes. TTURC is one of seven research centers across the United States studying different aspects of nicotine addiction and tobacco use. Each research center studies a different smoking-related theme. For instance, the Penn TTURC is focused on linking genetic factors with smoking behavior. "The mission of the Penn TTURC is to obtain a more complete understanding of the role of specific genetic factors and bio-behavioral mechanisms in tobacco addiction," Lerman explains, "and to apply this knowledge to tobacco use prevention and treatment." As the title explains, the TTURC centers use a transdisciplinary approach to research that the Penn center embraces as well. Drawing on Penn's School of Medicine, Annenberg School for Communication as well as the Department of Psychiatry, TTURC manages to incorporate a variety of disciplines to further its research. But the center is providing more than just data. Through Quit for Health, the Penn TTURC is offering a free smoking cessation program for people living in the Philadelphia area. Participants 18 and older attend professional smoking-cessation group counseling sessions and receive stop-smoking medications free of charge. Students who wish to participate can visit the TTURC Web site at http://www.med.upenn.edu/tturc/. • As part of the Penn TTURC, Psychiatry Professor Janet Audrain-McGovern is conducting an innovative treatment study -- to begin sometime this summer -- investigating approaches to reduce smoking among college students. "This summer's study is specifically focused on college students who smoke," Audrain-McGovern says. "And it's not just Penn students -- it's students around the Philadelphia area at a variety of universities." The study comes just in time -- as rates of college students who smoke continue to increase. In a 2001-2002 survey conducted by the Office of Health Education, results showed that 22 percent of Penn students smoke cigarettes regularly, with the numbers jumping to 36 percent when cigars were included. While the data is below the national average, further studies suggest a problem unique to Penn. In a 2000 study conducted by the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, results uncovered a disturbing trend -- of those students who now smoke regularly, 25 percent began as Penn freshmen. Audrain-McGovern hopes to study the behavioral basis for these smoking patterns in an effort to develop more effective smoking cessation programs. "The rates of college students smoking have increased, and that's of course always alarming," she says. "Our knowledge about it has not paralleled the increase in how many students are smoking." Jessica Hitt, a College senior, is a case in point. She had her first cigarette when she was in the eighth grade. "I was hanging out with an older group of people who all smoked, and they offered me a cigarette so I said, 'OK,'" she remembers. "I grew up with three heavy smokers, but I never had a desire to try one until a friend offered it to me." But over the next few years, Hitt gradually began smoking more and more. Like Breuer, her habit really took hold when she went to boarding school. "We were in the middle of nowhere, and it was a way to get out of the area to do something we weren't supposed to do," she says. "Plus, there were a lot of international students there, and they all smoked." Hitt has tried to "quit smoking" quite a few times, always to no avail. And the behavioral factors that contribute to Hitt's inability to fully quit provide the basis for Audrain-McGovern's study. This summer's study is specifically targeting factors unique to the college experience. "Older people don't understand the stressors behind getting a paper in or studying for exams or breaking up with your significant other,"Audrain-McGovern says, referring to some of the very factors that cause Hitt to light up. "The biggest part of smoking is behavioral," she continues. "Many people quit smoking meaning they can give up the nicotine, but the problem is that they relapse later, usually for the behavioral reasons. It's the over-learned habit that makes most people relapse." Behavioral factors that contribute to the addiction include alcohol consumption, stress, weight loss and social pressures. "I can't count how many times I've said, 'That's it, I'm quitting,'" Hitt says ruefully. "The biggest problem is when I'm drinking. Even when I have this rock solid desire not to smoke, when I start drinking, I feel weird not having a cigarette." And when she adds academics to alcohol, it's a mixture for disaster -- after all, she says another big factor that triggers her habit is the stress that plagues all college students. "If I'm pulling an all-nighter, writing a paper, alone at my computer all night, then I'll have a few to take a break and keep me awake," she says. Audrain-McGovern's study will not only investigate the factors that trigger smoking but will also offer help to students like Hitt who want to quit without being reduced to trying the local Student Health Service. "We want to help college students who want to quit," Audrain-McGovern says. "It's more appealing for college students to be in smoking programs with participants who are their own age." The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, will yield results with more far-reaching consequences than just smoking cessation. "Smoking is a great contributor to cancer, so quitting smoking is one of the biggest things you can do to prevent many cancers and cardiovascular-related illnesses," she says. "It is probably the biggest premature cause of death in the U.S." Yet, in spite of these grim statistics, students like Hitt continue to smoke. However, there is hope. Despite the role of cigarettes as a stay-awake crutch -- not to mention the fact that previous attempts to quit have failed -- Hitt thinks that someday she will be able to kick the habit. "Once I get out of college is sort of the limit I've set for myself," she says. "I want to be a lawyer and have kids so I will quit for that." Still, not even a law school student yet, that future looms distant -- "Right now, the thought of never having another cigarette again in my life is completely ridiculous," she says. In fact, the 2000 study conducted by the Department of Earth and Environmental Science indicated that 80 percent of Penn smokers planned to quit after graduation. However, if national data are any indicator, only 25 percent of these attempts will be successful. • Environmental Science Professor Bob Giegengack is more interested in preventing people like Hitt from picking up a cigarette in the first place than in smoking cessation for those already addicted. As one of two professors for Environmental Studies 407 -- Prevention of Tobacco Addiction Among Pre-Adolescent Children in Philadelphia -- Giegengack is trying to stop the habit before it begins. "We know that it takes a lot of time and lot of money and a lot of attention trying to get people to quit, and the quit rate is extremely low and it's expensive," he says. "Then I realized if you had a certain amount of money to spend, it makes a lot more sense to keep people from starting smoking than it does to try to spend that same money to get them to stop after they've started because those efforts have been terribly unsuccessful." Giegengack's approach involves throwing out as many nasty facts about smoking as his students can stomach. He's hoping that guest speakers from the medical school will give students like Breuer -- a Giegengack protege -- the facts to turn down the glamorous offer of his first cigarette, and graphic pictures of blackened lungs to help someone like Hitt refuse the peer pressure of her older friends. Enter his class -- a mixture of Environmental Studies and community service. Students spend the first half of the semester learning about the evils of smoking. Then they take the knowledge they've accumulated out into the real world. This second half of the course involves, in addition to weekly lectures, a six-week teaching program that sends students to local Philadelphia middle schools to teach classes about smoking prevention. "When they know enough to be effective, we send them into the middle schools," he says. "This way, these teenage kids learn the real expression of independence is to tell the tobacco companies to buzz off." "You see," Giegengack says, "the tobacco companies have known a lot more about nicotine addiction than the medical community has for a long long time. They know the most vulnerable people to acquire the addiction are young teenagers, and they've designed their advertising accordingly." His class, then, is an attempt to level the playing field. And his students are enthusiastic, eagerly discussing various aspects of lesson plans and survey questions. Yesterday was their first day in the middle school classrooms. "Remember, they think you're cool," says Elaine Wright, the other teacher of the course, offering words of encouragement. "And you are cool. You know ample amounts, and hopefully they'll all get the picture. You'll be fine." • Times are changing along with what is considered socially acceptable. Smoking -- once the signature of the sophisticated socialite and James Dean movies -- is now turning into a societal stigma. "People at Penn now have a very negative connotation of smoking," Breuer says. "I get a lot of friends pressuring me and saying it's gross." Hitt, too, feels pressure to quit. "I think that even within the time span that I've been here, perceptions have changed," she says. "There is a stronger negative stereotype, fewer people smoke, fewer places allow smoking and fewer people have a tolerance for smokers now." Now that is one thing that TTURC, Audrain-McGovern and ENVS 407 would love to hear.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2003/02/perspective_lighting_up

Pa. First Lady gives leadership advice

(02/05/03 10:00am)

The Honorable Marjorie Rendell paid a visit to her alma mater yesterday afternoon and addressed an intimate crowd of students as part of the Fox Leadership Program's Lessons in Leadership series. Samuel Preston, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, introduced Rendell as a former Penn graduate and current judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. "Today's guest was recently called by The Philadelphia Inquirer the most powerful woman in Philadelphia -- and it's a big city," Preston said. Enjoying a warm round of applause, Rendell -- who became the First Lady of Pennsylvania last month with the inauguration of her husband, Governor Ed Rendell -- began her talk with a lighthearted quip. "I hate to correct a dean, but I need to set the record straight in a couple respects," she said. "I think the quote that I was the most powerful woman in Philadelphia, was other than Judith Rodin and Rebecca Rimel." To begin her discussion, Rendell separated leaders into two categories: nominal leaders and leaders without titles or designated followers. Describing her current position of leadership as a nominal one, she went on to emphasize the more challenging role of a leader "without a portfolio or preordained designation." Drawing on her experiences as a practicing attorney and vice chair of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Rendell discussed three aspects of leadership she considers essential in any position. "First, you have to understand the needs of the people who you want to follow you, and that may be the most important thing that I think there is about leadership," Rendell said. "That element of trust and acceptance is the toughest yet most crucial element." The other aspects of leadership Rendell touched on were a clear, forward thinking to solving problems and the ability to paint a clear vision of a goal that others would follow. At one point, Rendell used the governor as an example of a leader. "People follow him because he says, 'We're gonna do it, we're just gonna do it and I'm not taking no for an answer.' And he tells them how he's going to do it, one-two-three." Following her address, Rendell fielded some questions from students in the audience. When asked whether she had ever made a decision that was at odds with that of her husband, Rendell laughingly replied, "Yeah, when I turned him down the first time he asked me to marry him." Student reaction to Rendell's talk was overwhelmingly positive. "I think her coming here to speak gives me a better perspective on her and Governor Rendell," College freshman Ling Wu said. "I learned a lot." "It's great to have someone with so much experience and a history at Penn come back to help undergraduates," said College senior Mandy Doherty. "She made some good points, especially about getting people to accept you as a leader before you can succeed." In addition to graduating from Penn with a major in French, Rendell was involved in the Phi Beta Kappa society, volunteered for the local Red Cross and was president of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2003/02/pa-first-lady-gives-leadership-advice

Students make plans for mayoral faceoff next fall

(02/04/03 10:00am)

With the upcoming mayoral race heading toward a likely rematch between Mayor John Street and Sam Katz, the Penn College Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for a spirited campaign. Mayor Street's handling of the state of public education in Philadelphia schools will be a hotly contested issue, which many see as the deciding factor. "Street has not handled the school crisis in an acceptable manner," Penn College Republican Arthur Bochner said. "Sam Katz would bring a welcome change in cleaning up the Philadelphia schools." Member and former president of the Penn College Democrats Arshad Hasan agreed with Bochner's comment on the deplorable state of education in Philadelphia. "This is a city like no other city with education. No city in America has had a state impose on them a privatization of the school system." However, Hasan disagreed with Bochner on Katz's solution. "Sam Katz didn't present a compatible viewpoint with Philadelphia in the last election," Hasan said. "He kept pushing school vouchers when he knew most people were hostile to that idea." Another divisive campaign issue will center around the fiscal crisis Philadelphia is facing in a time of national economic recession. Street addressed the issue last Tuesday when he announced proposals for a series of budget cuts that would eliminate more than 1,600 city jobs by 2008. "I think the city budget problems are a result of Mayor Street's fiscal problems," Bochner said. Hasan disagreed. "Street has made some recent courageous moves to cut some of the fat out," he said. "National recessions just tend to hurt states and municipal areas more than the federal government." The election of Democrat Governor Ed Rendell could also play a role. Although Rendell is known for his ability to reach across party lines, his experience working with Street could give the current mayor an advantage. "Street and Rendell would have a smoother working relationship purely on the basis that they know each other well," Hasan said. Both the College Democrats and Republicans plan on affecting the outcome of the mayoral race through active participation both on and off campus. Each organization plans on volunteering in the downtown campaign headquarters of its respective candidate, as well as working the polls on Election Day and helping with voter registration drives. "We're looking forward to mobilizing as a body for a campaign right in our backyard," Hasan said. "We want to make an effort to get students involved to maximize both on-campus and off-campus activities." With turnout proving to be a deciding factor in the last mayoral election, Bochner and the College Republicans are working to mobilize voter participation. "We will be coordinating volunteer efforts on campus and in West Philly as well as passing out literature," Bochner said. "If people want a change, then they will turn out and determine the election."

https://www.thedp.com/article/2003/02/students_make_plans_for_mayoral_faceoff_next_fall

U. continues search for Dantzler-Wolfe

(01/28/03 10:00am)

University Police, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police Department, are continuing the search for David Dantzler-Wolfe -- the Wharton junior who has been missing since Dec. 10. The Division of Public Safety has utilized all resources available to facilitate the investigation, according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush. This has included posting information about Dantzler-Wolfe on the National Crime Information Center computer network, to which all national law enforcement agencies have access. Because Dantzler-Wolfe is a Penn student, his disappearance demands a slightly different procedure. According to officials, the question of jurisdiction often comes into play with cases involving crimes committed on college campuses, particularly those within large cities. "We have primary jurisdiction because Dantzler-Wolfe was a University affiliate whose last sighting was in a dorm that is University property," Rush said. "But the Philadelphia Police Department was aware from the get-go. We kept in touch on a daily basis, and they've been assisting in any way they can through flyers and alerting surrounding police districts." Students are generally hard to classify as missing because they are considered adults. "When they're that age, they're not necessarily considered missing right away because they don't have to tell anyone where they're going," said a Philadelphia Police Department officer who did not want her name published. "But every university has a police department, so we would put it in their hands and help where we could." General national guidelines from the Federal Bureau of Investigation dictate that police wait 72 hours before classifying someone as a missing person. But, Penn Police does not have to adhere to these strict guidelines. "Here at Penn we don't wait," Special Services Director Patricia Brennan said. "When something that seems unusual comes to my attention, we start the investigation immediately." This sentiment is echoed at other Ivy League universities, which follow the same protocol. "We start looking for them right away," said Princeton Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser. "The University Police handles it with some joint help from the bureau, but we never hand it over completely unless it's a ransom or a kidnapping, which we have never had." Harvard University Police Department Public Information Officer Steven Catalano said that he has a cooperative relationship with the Boston Police Department. "We're a full service police department for Harvard, but we work with any law enforcement agency that is necessary," Catalano said. "We work jointly with any police department that can help." Missing student cases that actually result in long-term investigations are rare, according to police. "It's very uncommon to have a student actually be missing. Usually they went away for the weekend and didn't tell anyone," Rush said. "I've been here for eight years, and the only other missing student we've had was" Anirban Majumdar. Majumdar was an Engineering graduate student who was found drowned in the Schuylkill River on Nov. 18, 2001. He had been reported missing on Nov. 2 and Penn Police had been conducting an investigation into his whereabouts. Dantzler-Wolfe was last seen around 8 a.m. on Dec. 10 when he entered Harnwell College House, his dormitory. University Police began searching for him after he failed to show up for his scheduled exams on Dec. 10 and 11. Anyone who may have information regarding Dantzler-Wolfe's disappearance should contact the Special Services Department of the University Police at (215) 898-6600.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2003/01/u-continues-search-for-dantzlerwolfe

Rendell digs in as new Pa. governor

(01/23/03 10:00am)

Governor Ed Rendell has a lot on his plate. Following Tuesday's inauguration, Rendell assumed control of a state plagued with economic woes, partisan bickering and education reform. In addition, the Democrat faces an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled state legislature. In order to pass legislation, he will need to reach across partisan lines and form coalitions, something with which his predecessors have not had much success. "He's going to have his work cut out for him," said Arshad Hasan, president of the Penn College Democrats. "But he has first-hand experience with that as a former mayor of Philadelphia so I think he'll be able to handle it." But chairman of the Penn College Republicans and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist David Copley is not so sure. "While he is clearly charismatic and an excellent politician, I disagree with his agenda," Copley said. "However, with a solid Republican majority, we should be able to block his proposals." Rendell is inheriting a state facing budget deficits and an economic recession that has affected the rest of the country as well. "It's a tough year for governors everywhere," said Political Science Professor Henry Teune. "There's not a lot of bounce in that budget, so he's going to have to use his imagination." One of Rendell's proposed measures for economic revitalization involves using gambling as a form of "painless revenue." The proposal includes putting slot machines at racetracks, thereby generating revenue that is, in effect, voluntary. "It's not a tax so you can choose whether or not to throw away your own money," Hasan explained. Rendell's tax-free idea has fallen under scrutiny for a number of reasons. "There are two issues here," Teune said. "The fact that it might not be worth all the trouble and the issue that comes into play." Rendell's success in revitalizing Philadelphia during his tenure as mayor leads many to think that he will accomplish more of the same as governor. Rendell's ability and charisma have also led to his name being tossed around as a vice-presidential, and even presidential, nominee in 2004 or 2008. "He should be in the pool -- all good governors are," Teune said. "He comes from a big state, he ran a big city and he has had a lot of electoral success. He certainly has the credentials." Annenberg Public Policy Center research fellow David Eisenhower agreed. "Pennsylvania is going to be a huge battleground state in the next few elections, and Rendell is in the spotlight right now," he said. "If he is a successful governor, I would not discount him." Despite the issues facing him, most people feel that Rendell is up to the challenge. "I think he is going to be as energetic and positive a governor as he was a candidate and a mayor and that bodes well for the state," Political Science Department Chairman Jack Nagel said. "His appointments to the cabinet have been really excellent, very high quality people." "He has magnetic energy and is a great politician," Eisenhower said. "I anticipate success."

https://www.thedp.com/article/2003/01/rendell-digs-in-as-new-pa-governor

Rendell fills more new cabinet posts

(01/21/03 10:00am)

Before officially taking office today, Governor-elect Ed Rendell tied up some loose ends with eleven more cabinet appointments over the long weekend. Bringing together both political and first-hand experience, the nominees represent a wide cross-section of leaders -- including a former aid to President Bill Clinton, a Columbia County dairy farmer and a lawyer. These new announcements come on the heels of several others Rendell has made over the last month, including the appointment of Penn Vice President for Budget and Management Analysis Mike Masch as budget secretary. Among others, he also named Benjamin Ramos secretary of state, making him the first Latino to serve in a state office at the cabinet level. In addition to looking to people of varying backgrounds, Rendell has also appointed more women and minorities to high-level positions than men. Rendell appointed Katie McGinty, the former Clinton aid and chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, as secretary for the Department of Environmental Protection. Dennis Wolff, formerly a dairy farmer and a member of the World Trade Organization's Agricultural Technical Committee, was nominated as secretary of agriculture. Rendell said in a Sunday press release that he hopes Wolff will bring his personal experience to help oversee the large agricultural industry in the state. Four experienced leaders in the areas of banking, finance, economic development and labor were appointed to help control a $2 billion projected budget deficit and revitalize Pennsylvania's sluggish economy. Stephen Schmerin is an attorney who was chosen to head the Department of Labor and Industry. Formerly the arbitrator for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mediation, Schmerin has worked with many of the industries in the department that he will now lead. "The quality that most attracted me about Stephen is that he balances an intense commitment to justice for workers with a valuable understanding of the needs of employers to stay competitive," Rendell wrote. "After all, without the business -- there is no work force to protect." Rendell turned to another veteran in choosing William Schenck to head the Department of Banking. Schenck has more than 31 years of banking experience and is a former chairman and CEO of Fleet Mortgage. "Words cannot express how pleased I am to have found a person with Bill's depth of experience and success to serve as Secretary of Banking," Rendell wrote. "He knows that on each savings and checking account there is a name and behind it a family that depends on it being safe and strong." Dennis Yablonsky and Gregory Fajt, who were appointed secretary for the Department of Community and Economic Development and secretary for the Department of Revenue respectively, round out the economic team. Several appointees have ties to Philadelphia, including new secretary for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Michael DiBerardinis. DiBerardinis was the former Philadelphia recreation commissioner. Another recent cabinet appointee is current Bethlehem Mayor Don Cunningham as secretary of General Services. Cunningham is known for his revitalization efforts in Bethlehem.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2003/01/rendell_fills_more_new_cabinet_posts

Questions cloud Edison takeover

(01/16/03 10:00am)

As students at the 20 Philadelphia public schools under the management of Edison Schools, Inc. begin to settle back into classes, questions still linger over the success of the privatization. Edison -- a for-profit company that runs 150 public schools throughout the country -- was brought in by the state in September in an attempt to improve the troubled school system. The company now manages 20 of Philadelphia's lowest-performing schools. The takeover has encountered heavy community opposition from its outset. With the recent resignation of Janice Solkov, principal of the Edison-run Morton McMichael Elementary School, Edison has once again come under scrutiny. Solkov was brought in by Edison as one of the principals who the company hoped would help turn around the ailing Philadelphia public school system. With 30 years of experience, a doctorate in education and a track record for success, she seemed like a natural choice. But after spending just a semester at the school -- which, like many of those handed over to Edison, has been plagued with teacher shortages and other problems -- Solkov has resigned. Edison has undergone financial scrutiny as well as controversy over the success of their curriculum. Before being allowed to assume control of the 20 Philadelphia schools in September, the company was required to turn over some of its financial statements to new school district Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas to prove that it was stable. However, Edison officials remain optimistic about the success of their partnership in Philadelphia. "The reason we believe that we have been invited to be a part of the Philadelphia District is to raise student achievement level," said Edison Schools, Inc. Director of Communication and Advocacy Aparna Prasad. "Our mission is to work with staff, students and the community to bring about dramatic achievement in our schools." Part of the Edison curriculum includes intensive training sessions for teachers and principals prior to the new school year as well as meeting with families in the community to ensure smooth transitions and maintain overall standards for school management. "We have a very open dialogue and communication with them which makes an effective working relationship," Prasad said. "There is already a difference," she added. "I'm standing in a school building right now and school is going on and it's silent in the hallways. The code of conduct and learning environment are taking shape and increasing student achievement is becoming a reality." But according to some, it's simply too soon to tell whether or not Edison's work in the district will accomplish its goals. "It is far too early to assess Edison's success in Philadelphia," said Norman Newberg, a senior fellow at the Graduate School of Education. "However, Edison nationally does not have a distinguished record but rather, a mixed reputation. It has been successful in about half of the projects that it has instituted."

https://www.thedp.com/article/2003/01/questions_cloud_edison_takeover

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