Our daily newsletter rounding up all of the top headlines from the DP. Get it Monday-Friday in your inbox. Free.
Sign up »
34th Street Magazine's "Toast" is a semi-weekly newsletter with the latest on Penn's campus culture and arts scene. Delivered Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Free.
Sign up »
Penn, Unbuttoned is Penn's only intentionally satirical newsletter, giving you your weekly dose of comedy from Under the Button every Wednesday. Free.
Sign up »
Quaker Nation is a weekly sports newsletter covering all things Penn sports. Delivered Monday mornings to your inbox. Free.
Sign up »
Recruiter's Row is a biweekly recruitment newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on all things employment related. Get it in your inbox every other Wednesday. Free.
Sign up »
I've already signed up
Below are your search results. You can also try a Basic Search.
What once only seemed like fodder for urban legends -- mysterious envelopes contaminated with potentially deadly bacteria -- has now become a reality as several cases of anthrax have been confirmed across the nation.
At first, no one was willing to venture an estimate of lives lost.
If other institutions serve as any sign of things to come, the road to unionization for graduate students could be a long and difficult task at Penn.
After facing months of protest, the provider of the Penn Student Insurance Plan recently announced a few changes to ease the impact on students' checkbooks, leaving some breathing at least a partial sigh of relief -- and others still crying foul.
The Wharton Graduate Association has spent the past week collecting donations to create a memorial for Wharton alumni who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Seems the letters "M.D." may be loosing ground to "Esq."
Last week, television made history by broadcasting more than 90 hours of uninterrupted coverage.
Exactly one week after terrorist attacks struck in New York and Washington, students, faculty and community members gathered together to mark the start of the Jewish New Year yesterday morning among circumstances that could be characterized as anything but celebratory.
Despite polls that show an overwhelming majority of the United States supports taking military action against those responsible for terrorist attacks, a dissident minority is finding a voice -- through technology.
Before he had even seen the dramatic footage of the World Trade Center collapsing, College freshman Matt Klapper had already rushed out the door, on his way to offer his services as part of a volunteer squad from Springfield, N.J.
While most University students seemed out of immediate danger during yesterday's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, 15 Penn political science students spending their semester studying and working in Washington were much closer to the tragedy.
As returning and first-year graduate students settle in to Penn, those looking for a tangible sign of community must look no further than the new Graduate Student Center, which opened earlier this week on Locust Walk.
The School of Social Work announced last week that Richard Gelles has been appointed Interim Dean of the School of Social Work.
After more than seven years of successful leadership, School of Social Work Dean Ira Schwartz will step down on Sept. 3 to become the provost of Temple University.
It may not be Cannes, but the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, going on this week and next, is bringing stars like Morgan Freeman and Danny Aiello to the City of Brotherly Love. The festival, started by International House, has undergone a major facelift for its 10th anniversary. Many of the festival's 121 features and 65 short films will play near Penn's campus at International House and the Annenberg Center. "We wanted to really make it a city-wide event," said Ray Murray, the artistic director of the festival and president of the TLA Entertainment Group. Previously, International House was solely responsible for the festival, but after last year's disappointing turnout of only 17,000 total, TLA joined in. "We are trying to jump-start it," Murray said. With this year's beefed-up program, including added events and awards, TLA is hoping audiences will total more than 30,000. There will be new categories, such as "Danger After Dark," "Action Asia" and "The Documentary Tradition" -- which was programmed by John Katz, a visiting Penn professor of English and film studies, and his wife, Joan Salzman. "I think it's a chance for young people to see films they might not see," Katz said, adding that this is particularly true of the documentaries -- many of which will never be released to theaters. "The film festival provides an opportunity for students interested in film to meet with writers, filmmakers and movie stars," Katz said. He noted that many of his film studies students are taking advantage of chances to volunteer at events. And some students are interested in the festival's diverse film offerings. "I think it's great that people can see a film from a small country," said College senior Asgeir Sigfusson. On Monday, Sigfusson saw 101 Reykijavik -- a film from his native Iceland. Throughout the festival, which kicked off last Thursday, "Cine Cafes" in the Penn Bookstore will offer open dialogues on topics such as Europe and women and the media. This year also marks the festival's first competition. Awards will be handed out in seven categories. The Philadelphia City Paper Festival of Independents -- part of the festival -- will also distribute honors. A lifetime achievement award was presented to actor Morgan Freeman after the Sunday screening of his film Along Came a Spider. "It gives [the festival] a certain pizazz," Murray said, in reference to giving the award to someone well known and respected. The festival hopes to catch the attention of Hollywood with such big names. Last Thursday's viewing of Dinner Rush brought the Zellerbach theater to near-capacity. The festival will continue until May 7, with films showing both on campus and downtown.
Before he even graduated from Wharton in 1992, Joseph Ansanelli had already launched himself into the world of entrepreneurship. With Trio Developments, a class project he worked on with two Engineering students, Ansanelli created, marketed and sold a personal management program to Claris software company -- the makers of ClarisWorks. Since then, Ansanelli has pursued opportunities with Apple and Macromedia, plus founded the company Connectify. All the while, he's gained a wealth of experience in entrepreneurship and marketing. And Ansanelli came back to Penn to share some of his leaps into the business world, as the final speaker in Wharton's Musser Schoemaker lecture series. The series, which Ansanelli actually helped create in 1991, is run by a committee of Wharton undergraduates and a faculty advisor. Several times a year, the committee invites business and government leaders to speak. Previous speakers have included Robert Hurst of Goldman Sachs and former Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown. With the aid of PowerPoint slides, Ansanelli spoke to about 30 students in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall yesterday, discussing topics from the "dot-com graveyard" to tips on starting and managing a company. "One of the best places to start a company is in school because you have this cradle around you," Ansanelli said. "Naivete is actually a positive thing because if you knew about the hardships of entrepreneurship, you probably wouldn't get into it." He also addressed some of his failures, such as the Newton, Apple's unsuccessful attempt at a pre-Palm Pilot digital assistant. "In failure, we reflect, whereas in success, we celebrate," he said. In regards to the Newton, he added, "We did not fail enough." After the lecture, 10 students, selected by lottery, had a chance to eat dinner with Ansanelli. "I was interested in the topic of marketing," said Esther Hsu, a Wharton and College freshman, who was among those dining with Ansanelli. "I read his bio and was impressed at how he was so successful." Other students said they thought of the event as a better learning environment than class. "It's a very sort of personal viewpoint you came away from it with that you don't get in bigger lectures," said Engineering junior Prashanth Jayaram. "It was very inspirational."
Last Friday, 19 students jumped out of bed to gather at 8:30 a.m. for class. And they weren't even receiving credit for it. Bound for Atlantic City, the students were participating in a preceptorial -- one of 25 non-credit seminars for undergraduates, offered at no extra cost. Upon arrival at Caesar's Palace, the students took in all the flashing lights, slot machines and schmaltz Atlantic City had to offer. But the real excitement lay in what they discovered away from the chips and card tables. The trip and lecture were part of "A Crash Course on Gambling and Statistics," offered this spring. Students toured the casino's facilities, including backrooms not normally open to the public, and actually spent much of the day confined in a stark conference room, discussing everything from casino operations to gambling odds with employees of Caesar's. The week before, students had met with Statistics Professor Adi Wyner, who taught the ins and outs of casino games, strategy and the odds of winning. "[It] was remarkable.... He held 19 students' attention for three and a half hours. It let out a half hour late and nobody complained," said David Herman, a College freshman. Most preceptorials meet three times over the course of the semester or are one-day trips. Recent preceptorials have covered such topics as wine-tasting, movie special effects and power yoga. Students run and organize the preceptorial program, generating ideas for possible courses from a preceptorial committee. "The first meeting we have is a giant brainstorming session," explained Meredith Chiaccio, a College junior and one of two co-chairs of the preceptorial program. Students discuss topics they would like to explore -- or professors they think would like to lead a preceptorial. The idea for the casino visit evolved from a similar excursion Wharton students took two years ago, while studying finance. "It's educational -- something you'll take away from college," said College junior Dyer Halpern, the other preceptorial co-chair. "You'll remember this preceptorial whereas I doubt you'll remember 90 percent of your classes." Students who attended shared Halpern's passion. "It was great to be in a class with so few students with such individual attention," added Christian Gaffney, a Wharton and Engineering sophomore. All preceptorials are small -- most with no more than 15 students. The small size makes for an intimate environment, students say, but creates an frustrating application process. Halpern estimates that only about seven percent get into their first choice preceptorials. Together, there are over 6,000 applications for roughly 375 spots. "It actually wasn't my first choice," said College sophomore Sujit Suchindran, in reference to the gambling preceptorial. "I signed up for all the ones that were trips, but this wasn't my first choice. I'm glad I got it though." Students request preceptorials like regular classes during the advanced registration period. Then, applicants are picked at random to participate. Despite difficulties, Halpern estimates that around 80 percent of students participate in some sort of preceptorial during their college career. The preceptorial program continues to expand. Once a branch of the Student Committee of Undergraduate Education, the program is currently branching off into an independent entity. Though still funded by SCUE, the preceptorial committee basically stands on its own. Financial independence would help the program expand and save SCUE resources, Halpern explained. However, there are some concerns about the cost of the program. Next semester's preceptorials -- open for applications until advanced registration ends Sunday -- include a seminar on Sushi making and a leadership class with University President Judith Rodin. As for Friday's casino-goers, they were revved up after the experience. "It was definitely educational," Suchindran said. "I knew nothing about casinos before I came, let alone marketing or finance. And we got to see old people in action at the slots."
Pastel balloons and a clear spring sky set the scene for the dedication of the new Penn Children's Center yesterday afternoon. The PCC, operated by Penn for over a decade, provides child day care to University faculty, staff, students as well as community members. Yesterday's dedication marked the PCC's move into the Left Bank luxury apartment complex on 31st and Chestnut streets, which opened in January. The PCC -- previously housed at 42nd and Spruce streets in the former Divinity School -- began looking for a new permanent home when construction for the Penn-assisted public elementary school was planned nearby. The school is scheduled to open in September. Though other possibilities were under consideration -- including renting space at the Newman Center at 37th and Chestnut streets -- the new apartment complex seemed like the most viable option, according to University officials. "There weren't a whole lot [of options] to choose from," said Marie Witt, associate vice president of business services. "We wanted to stay as central to campus as possible." University President Judith Rodin and Executive Vice President John Fry were on hand for yesterday's ceremony. "Taking care of children is a partnership between parents and schools, but also between learning institutions like ours and parents," Rodin said. She also expressed her personal support for day care facilities. "I could not have raised my child and do what I have done professionally without quality childcare," she said. After Rodin delivered her brief remarks, she helped some of the center's young children plant flowers outside the center. The children sang songs for parents, friends and other community members who attended the opening before plunging into a newly built 4,000 square foot playground. The new, expanded center -- now occupying over 10,000 indoor square feet -- will increase its enrollment by 27 percent, allowing the enrollment of a total of 106 infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Currently, approximately 75 percent of the children at PCC are the children of Penn faculty, staff or students, who receive services at a 15 percent discount. "We love it here," said Colette Desrochers -- a doctor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia -- whose son, now two and a half, has attended PCC since he was three weeks old. "It's the best day care in the city."
Forbidden music, once banned as "degenerate," blared loud and clear on campus Wednesday afternoon. That's when several dozen community members and students gathered in Irvine Auditorium's Amado Recital Hall to hear pieces written by Jewish composers that were banned by the Nazis. "This is not an ordinary concert," said Marion Kant, a senior research fellow at the Center for the Advanced Judaic Studies at Penn, which organized the event. "The occasion today recalls one of the darkest periods in human history." The program -- titled "Entartete Musik" or "Degenerate Music" -- covered pieces composed between the rise of Nazi power and World War II, as well as a more recently composed piece by Raoul Pleskow, a Jewish musician whose family fled to New York from Austria. Nazis held the first exhibition of "Degenerate Music" in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1938. It demonstrated for the German public the type of music that would not be tolerated by the Third Reich. "[They] sat in judgement over what was and was not acceptable in art, music and popular entertainment," said Kant. "The Nazis took art and music seriously. They saw them as powerful ideological instruments and, therefore, intrinsically political." While the Nazis may have stifled the voices of some of those political instruments, other musicians continued to compose. The music, an outgrowth of American jazz, included pieces written for the saxophone and piano. For Wednesday's concert, Temple and La Salle universities' Marshall Taylor played the saxophone, accompanied by Philadelphia Biblical University's Samuel Hsu on the piano. Between the musical pieces, Taylor and Hsu, a visiting scholar at the Center, explained the significance of each composer. Taylor's interest in degenerate music began several years ago. Though Taylor himself is not Jewish, his brother married into a Jewish family, and Taylor was asked to play at a family reunion. In his search for music, he began assembling pieces of degenerate music. "This music is not really played a great deal," Hsu said. The concert's creators hoped to help "rescue from oblivion some of the music of those who were the objects of such hatred, and to celebrate that music and the lives of those who wrote it," according to an excerpt from Taylor in the event's program. "It has been very gratifying and enriching for my life," Hsu said. "It is very heartwarming to know people overcame such great personal tragedies and still wrote such heartfelt work."
Claymation flower film clips, panoramic video displays of fireworks and a closed-circuit video security camera filled the Institute of Contemporary Art on Friday evening. The ICA hosted a preview reception for two new science fiction-influenced exhibits by Bruce Yonemoto and Clint Takeda, both Japanese-American artists. ICA Director Claudia Gould explained that the museum hosts several shows by various artists each year. "Each is different," she said, adding that they develop ideas for shows through a variety of sources. "[Yonemoto's art] was brought to my attention by Carol Ann Klondarides," Gould said, referring to the ICA's media arts curator. Klondarides had seen Yonemoto's exhibition with his older brother at the InterCommunication Center in Tokyo last year. Those same works are now on display at the ICA -- in Yonemoto's first one-man museum show. He has held previous shows in Los Angeles with his brother. "This show is about the idea of spectacle," Yonemoto said, elaborating on the inspirations for his art. Those sources include the H.G. Wells classic The Time Machine. Sculptures by Takeda, a Philadelphia area resident, are also on display in the ICA. His works are titled, "The Other People." Takeda's works include a larger than life bust of a monkey called "Transship," a human figure titled "Arctarus II" and hanging latex configurations referred to as "Untitled (Hallucinations)." Guests at the reception -- which was open to the public -- included members of the art community and interested students. "This is my first opening," said College junior Eileen Weinstein, who recently began interning at the ICA. She was helping out at the event. "It's interesting to see this part of the art world," Weinstein said. Students from local institutions came after hearing about the show from fliers. "We are really encouraged to view other artists," said Lia Brennan, a sophomore at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. "I'm here to see what's out there." Even nearby employees could not resist the exhibit's unique presentations. "[The ICA] is a fantastic space," said Dona Lantz, who works at Moore College of Art and Design in Center City. "I am new to the area and thought I should come check out the opening." The show will continue to run until April 22.