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(04/03/00 9:00am)
The third time is always the charm. After dropping its first two Ivy contests, the Penn women's lacrosse team came up victorious in its third Ivy League game, downing Columbia, 11-7, at Franklin Field on Saturday afternoon. The Lions (3-3, 0-3 Ivy) grabbed an early 2-1 lead, but the Quakers (4-2, 1-2) responded with five unanswered goals to close out the first half up 6-2, and the Red and Blue were never seriously threatened in the final 30 minutes of play. With the win, the Quakers are on their first two-game winning streak in over two years. Columbia, meanwhile, remains winless in Ivy play in three seasons of varsity competition. "I think that going into it, all of us knew that we would win, but we knew also that Columbia was going to be really psyched up. They thought we were the closest ones for them to beat in the Ivy League," Penn goalie Christian Stover said. "I don't know if it was just because we were overconfident, or because of the weather, or what, but we just weren't playing up to our level. "I think that we should have won by a lot more." Penn was once again led on offense by sophomore Traci Marabella, who found the net three times. Marabella, who leads the Quakers with 15 goals, beat the Columbia netminder just 89 seconds in, off a pass from freshman Jayme Munnelly, to put Penn up 1-0. Columbia quickly retaliated with early goals from senior captain Sara Brubaker and junior midfielder Devin Fitzpatrick to take an unexpected 2-1 lead. But after those tallies, the Lions were unable to find the net again before the break. Much like in Penn's 11-8 win over Lafayette on Tuesday, the Quakers recovered from a slow start to take a 6-2 lead into the break. "I think we came out a little too confident," Penn defender Christy Bennett said. "We just weren't really playing, weren't really running like we should have been. When they were up, it just gave us that quick scare that we needed to realize that we really had to play and that we weren't going to roll over for them." While Munnelly and fellow freshman Crissy Book joined Marabella as multiple-goal scorers for Penn, no Lions player scored more than once or could establish herself as a consistent threat. Both Munnelly and Book added an assist, as the Quakers attack moved the ball up the field well. "We weren't as aggressive as in other games," Penn senior captain Brooke Jenkins said. "But our midfield transition was very good. We were fine in the middle of the field." Lions goalie Gina Kline posted 21 saves, but it was not nearly enough, as the Quakers peppered her with more shots than she could handle. In the other cage, Stover came up big with 18 saves, upping her save percentage to over 60 percent. The Quakers success in stopping Columbia's attack, however, lay not just in Stover, but in strong play from the entire defensive corps. "Christy Bennett played awesome. She always does, and she always steps it up," Stover said. "All around, she's just aggressive and makes herself known. She's very prominent on the field -- even as a freshman." Bennett attributed Columbia's low offensive output to preparation and good execution on Penn's part, but was quick to credit her teammates in the victory. "We don't really change our game much for anybody. We just try to do the same strong things over and over -- the passes and the collapsing on the ball," Bennett said. Jenkins, junior Annie Henderson, sophomore Jenny Hartman and freshman Whitney Horton finished off the Quakers' scoring. "I think this is giving us more confidence, but we have to be careful that we don't end up with too much, like we've done before," Bennett said. "We'd like to get a streak going, but we still need to be careful."
(04/03/00 9:00am)
Penn looked good in a win at Temple but then dropped three in a row. A weekend that started off perfectly for the Penn softball team, with the Quakers stopping their four-game winless streak, ended in disappointment, as the Red and Blue (9-16-1) dropped three straight games against Temple and Army. Saturday's action got underway exactly how Penn wanted. The Quakers, who have been struggling to put runs on the board, hit the ball well and scored six runs in the first game of the doubleheader at Temple. Freshman Becky Ranta won her sixth game and pitched well in Penn's 6-2 victory. Following Saturday's opener, Penn struggled mightily with the lumber for the rest of the weekend. The Quakers lost the second game to Temple, 4-2, and fell twice to Army, 4-1 and 7-1. "It seemed like we really came out aggressive and did some things well on Saturday," freshman Heidi Albrecht said. "[Yesterday], we really struggled to get hits at the right time." Albrecht, who plays backup catcher and designated player, had a solid weekend with the bat. Albrecht consistently gave Temple pitchers headaches on Saturday, as she went 5-of-8 and tallied five RBI. Albrecht was 2-for-5 on Sunday with one RBI. "I was just trying to go up to the plate and hit the ball hard every time," Albrecht said. "On Saturday I was hitting really well with runners in scoring position, [Yesterday] I was hitting the ball hard, but we just couldn't seem to get any runs." The biggest problem throughout the young season for the Quakers has been an inability to consistently score runs. After opening play on Saturday with six runs, the Quakers managed a total of only four runs over the next three games. "We really didn't have very much offensive production all weekend, but especially on Sunday," senior co-captain Suzanne Arbogast said. Arbogast pitched well in the last game of the weekend against Army, but the Quakers struggled to put runs on the board. "We came out really strong in the first game, but from then out we really kind of died down," Ranta said. "In the last game, Suzanne was pitching great, but we just didn't bat well and we made some critical errors." The Quakers will take today off before returning to practice tomorrow to get ready for Wednesday's home game against Lehigh. "We are going to have to come out ready and be more aggressive batting," Albrecht said. "We need to sharpen up our defense because we had too many errors over the weekend." If Penn is to get back on the winning side of things on Wednesday, chances are that the Red and Blue will have to score a bunch. Lehigh, which is coming off of a two-game sweep of Bucknell, has been hitting the ball superbly of late. An experienced Engineers squad, which returned all but two starters from last year, has tallied a total of 24 runs over their past four games. Despite their strong play in recent games, Lehigh is definitely not unbeatable. Before winning two against Bucknell, Lehigh, which stands at 14-16 on the season, had dropped six of its previous seven. "Our practices are going fine. And we are hitting the ball well in practice, so we just need to be excited about each and every game we come out and play," Arbogast said. Penn's game this Wednesday against Lehigh will be the team's final chance to prepare for the Ivy League season, which is looming right around the corner. The Quakers open play against the rest of the Ancient Eight on April 8 in a home doubleheader against Yale.
(04/03/00 9:00am)
Wearing a suit and tie and gripping a bill book tightly under his arm, Ross Albert stood in the basement of Williams Hall on Friday afternoon and sternly discussed his role as a representative to Congress. At 15, Albert might seem young to have such an aura of professionalism, but it was all part of the act he and 320 other students played this weekend when they arrived at Penn late last week for the third annual High School Model Congress Conference. The conference, held Thursday through Sunday and hosted by the University's own Model Congress organization, invited high school students across the nation to come to Penn and participate in a series of simulated debates based upon the procedures of the U.S. Congress. "While we are trying to have a very educational experience and learn about politics and debate? we also try to do it on Penn's campus, to show [the high school students] a glimpse of Penn life," event organizer and Wharton junior Jon Rosner explained. Rosner, the president of Penn's Model Congress, called the gathering of students a "broad cross-section" of private, public and parochial schools. Indeed, the several hundred students in attendance traveled to the University from eight states, ranging from Massachusetts to Nebraska. Before coming to the conference, students prepared sample congressional bills on a variety of issues according to their preferences. Proposed acts ranged from eliminating the capital gains tax to stopping the immigration of people into the United States who are HIV-positive. Throughout the weekend, students attended committee sessions and debated the proposed bills in a formal environment similar to that in which Congress conducts its own meetings. Students even maintained the same degree of formality in conversation, as they referred to themselves in the third person as "Representative" and "Speaker" and used the official language of the parliamentary rules of order to create a realistic simulation of congressional activities. But unlike other Model Congress conferences that often are held in bleak and impersonal government centers, Penn's conference -- held on campus -- boasted a lively college atmosphere that organizers said made the weekend more social. Rosner and his staff of roughly 45 Penn students worked hard to provide students with entertaining breaks from hours of concentrated debate. Highlights of the weekend included a Thursday night "mocktail" hour held at the Wyndham Franklin Hotel, a Friday night a cappella performance by Counterparts and a free Saturday afternoon that enabled students to explore downtown Philadelphia. Nadine Fatoussi, a high school senior from Great Neck, N.Y., said she thought the additional efforts of Penn's organizers made a huge difference in the overall conference experience. "This is my second year at the conference, and it's my favorite. [The organizers] foster a nice environment. I like that it's on campus, and that we get a feel for the school, so we're not just in the hotel room." And Albert, who is a sophomore from Great Neck, N.Y., added, "Penn is definitely part of this conference, and I think that they are doing a good job at showing us the sights and making us aware of a lot of the stuff Penn has to offer." Though it has been in existence for more than three years, Penn's Model Congress has yet to participate in a conference on the college level. Membership in Penn's Model Congress has risen from 22 to 45 students over the past few years. If membership continues to follow in this upward trend, according to Rosner, a college conference could be a definite possibility in the future. "It's great," Rosner said of the group's dynamic. "It's a wide range of interests that people have, but they come together for a love of politics."
(04/03/00 9:00am)
Nationwide, fraternities are looking to de-emphasize the role alcohol plays in Greek life. There's more to fraternities than alcohol, and four fraternity chapters at Penn are putting down their beer bottles to prove it. The fraternities -- Delta Upsilon, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Sigma and Sigma Nu -- will all become alcohol-free beginning July 1, in accordance with policies mandated by their national organizations. And they are not alone. The move toward alcohol-free housing is part of a growing national trend aiming to reduce the role of alcohol in fraternity life. Seven other national fraternities -- which do not have chapters on Penn's campus -- will also go dry this summer. "Fraternities are about a lot more than alcohol and parties," said Interfraternity Council President Andrew Mandelbaum, an Alpha Chi Rho brother. "I don't think [this] will greatly affect the social scene." Also following the shift in Greek life, Penn's Panhellenic Council will no longer hold mixers in fraternity houses that are not dry, in accordance with a suggestion put forth by the National Panhellenic Council. While only five of Penn's eight sororities -- Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta and Pi Beta Phi -- were required by their nationals to follow NPC's suggestion, Panhel decided to adopt the resolution across the board. "We're trying to be proactive," Panhel President and Sigma Delta Tau sister Jennifer Chanowitz, a College junior, said. "We want to make it a fair playing field for all houses." Panhel sororities will still hold mixers with non-dry fraternities at third-party locations. Sigma Nu National Director of Insurance and Risk Reduction David Glassman said there are many advantages to having an alcohol-free fraternity house. For instance, Glassman believes that de-emphasizing the alcohol aspect of fraternities will help to boost their sagging memberships by portraying fraternity membership as an asset rather than a liability. "The question now is, can students afford something they perceive will detract from their ability to compete?" Glassman asked. "They need something they can sell to a graduate school or future employer." Tom Balzer, project coordinator for alcohol-free housing at Phi Delt's national organization, agreed. Balzer pointed out that the Phi Delt houses that are already dry have experienced larger pledge class numbers. Glassman also said banning alcohol from chapter houses may help to reduce insurance costs. Fraternity members, he explained, typically pay between $70 and $120 each per year -- while sorority members, whose houses are alcohol-free, pay only about $20. According to Balzer, Phi Delt's decision to go dry reflected a desire to return to the fraternity's founding principles. "The question was, could our founders sit in any one of our chapter houses and be pleased at what they saw?" Balzer said. "And the answer, in many cases, was no. Our No. 1 problem is about the misuse and abuse of alcohol." "We don't want to be the entertainment center on campus," added Bob Miller, the national executive vice president of Phi Kap. "Besides, you have a better time when your feet don't stick to the floor," Miller said. Balzer said Phi Delt has a "zero tolerance" policy for blatant violations -- four alcohol-free chapter houses have already been shut down for major alcohol infractions. "If there were keg parties or minors drinking, we have closed the chapter down without question," he said. "But if a chapter member walks in with a case of beer and drinks it alone in his room, there will be no punishment on the entire chapter." Penn Greeks said they were positive about the changes. "It's a good idea for the houses to go dry," said Sigma Nu IFC Representative Erik Franks, a Wharton junior. "It's an attractive living option for those people worried about alcohol in the chapter house. It also puts more of a focus on brotherhood, on becoming good friends with a bunch of guys."
(04/03/00 9:00am)
The Quakers had won three straight dual matches coming into Saturday's Ivy League opener. In the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis League opener for both squads, Princeton defeated the Penn men's tennis team Saturday afternoon at the Lott Courts. The Tigers, who defeated Penn last season, 6-1, managed a 5-2 victory this weekend, with the Quakers only able to eke out two singles victories. "This was an encouraging result," Penn freshman Ryan Harwood said. "Princeton has a very good team but we were prepared. We showed a lot of improvement, but Princeton was able to take the big points, especially in the doubles matches." Penn's spring season, which opened January 29 against Virginia, had yielded a record of nine wins and eight losses heading into the league opener. The Quakers' pre-conference record included a season-best three-game winning streak that the team was riding into Saturday's match. Penn closed its spring break excursion to Hawaii with a shutout win over Chaminade, which they followed with lopsided victories over Temple at home on March 24 and Navy on the road on Wednesday. The Red and Blue did not fare as well against the Tigers, who carried an 11-5 record into Philadelphia for Saturday's contest. Penn began the match in a one-point hole, dropping all three doubles matches to the Tigers duos. Doubles matches have been a sore spot for the Quakers recently, with two losses to Temple followed by sweeps at the hands of Navy and Princeton. All of the Penn-Princeton doubles matches were hotly contested, each ending by a score of 8-6. In the ensuing singles matches, Penn took its two victories with wins at No. 3 and No. 5. Penn's Harwood continued to perform strongly in his first year of college play, claiming a victory in two sets, 6-2, 7-5, at the No. 3 position. He bested last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Princeton sophomore Judson Williams. Harwood has been remarkably consistent for the Quakers, going undefeated in singles play since the team was swept by Hawaii-Pacific on March 16. The Quakers' other win came after two sets of a match between Princeton sophomore Darren Joe and Penn junior Joey Zupan. The players split the first two matches, with Joe taking the first set, 7-6, and Zupan taking the second, 6-3. The victory was ceded to Zupan when, with Princeton's win already in hand, Joe aggravated a minor injury. He retired before the third set. The remainder of the matches fell to Princeton in straight sets, although every singles match included at least one set that was played to seven games. This is a positive sign for the Red and Blue, who will look for a turnaround at home against Brown on April 7. At the top of the Penn order, junior Fanda Stejskal, ranked No. 9 regionally, dropped his match, 7-6, 6-3, to Princeton junior Kyle Kliegerman, a second-team All-Ivy selection last season. Stejskal's past two matches were victories over the No. 1 and No. 5 players in the region, Mitchell Koch of Navy and Pero Pivcevic of Temple. The Quakers head into next weekend preparing to host Brown on Friday and Yale on Saturday. "Brown and Yale will be a big weekend for us," Harwood said. "They have comparable rankings to us, but [Penn coach] Gordie Ernst has us working harder than any team in the Ivies." The Quakers will look to resume their winning ways beginning Friday afternoon at the Lott Courts when they square off against Brown.
(03/31/00 10:00am)
Tom Yuill and Aviya Kushner hardly fit the mold of the stereotypical moody, world-weary, black clothes-wearing modern poet. Indeed, when the two up-and-coming poets -- one dressed in a nice suit, the other garbed in a skirt, blouse and jacket -- stood up to read their works last night at the Kelly Writers House, an audience member even joked that they looked too nice to have had the extreme life experiences that some think are required of an accomplished poet. Yuill, who teaches literature and writing at Boston University, joined Kushner -- the contributing poetry editor for BarnesandNoble.com -- to read some of their poems at the Writers House before 35 family members, friends and students. Yuill's work has appeared in several publications, including Newsday. Kushner, meanwhile, is an independent writer who practices literary criticism and specializes in the visual arts, in addition to writing a monthly column on new poetry books for the Barnes and Noble World Wide Web site. Last night's reading was co-sponsored by the Writers House, the Hillel Social Committee, the Jewish Studies Department and SPEC Connaissance. A celebratory dinner at Irv's Place, Penn's kosher dining hall, preceded the event. The two poets' works covered topics ranging from nightmares to relationship situations. The poems, which were far more experimental in form -- and content -- than they were traditional, also differed in their emotional substance. For instance, Kushner read several poignant poems about her late grandfather. Yuill, in his poem "Ode to the Moon," discussed doing sit-ups in front of a window and gazing out at the moon. After they each shared a selection of poetry, they took time to answer some questions from the audience members. Specifically, they addressed the stereotype of the "suffering" poet. "You don't have to have any experiences of sadness," Yuill explained to the audience. "It isn't hardships that get someone to create art." Kushner added, "Everyone has problems, but if you have a creative pursuit, you have a coping method." Following the reading, Engineering sophomore Merav Kushner, Aviya's younger sister and an event organizer, said she thought the two poets' works provided a nice break from her regular studies. "I'm an Engineering student," Merav Kushner said. "Poetry is not just for the poet, it is for everyone." College freshman Sherry Orbach said she liked that the poems were accessible and allowed her to connect with the sentiments expressed. "I found [the reading] very delightful to the spirit," she said. "[Aviya] said things we can all relate to. Poetry is like music. It surrounds you and brings out emotion." Aviya Kushner stressed the fact that she writes poetry for the general public and not simply for her fellow poets. "Poetry is a difficult form. It is hard to appreciate, but it is worth the effort," she said. "Some poets only write for the literary audience. I feel very strongly in appealing to the general audience."
(03/31/00 10:00am)
Wharton dropped one spot to No. 3, but other Penn schools stayed the same or moved up. The annual U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best graduate schools in the nation moved four of Penn's schools into higher positions this year, but dropped the Wharton School to the No. 3 business school in the country. The Wharton graduate program slipped from second to third on the list, following Harvard and Stanford universities. Ten of Wharton's 11 specialties were ranked in the top 10, with the Finance Department occupying the No. 1 spot. Bruce Allen, vice dean and director of the Wharton graduate division, said he was not concerned by the slight drop. "If you look at the top five schools, they're all within one point of each other," Allen said. "And historically, we're in the top three or top five of anyone's rankings." The rest of Penn's graduate schools either remained the same or moved higher in the ratings. The Graduate School of Education jumped to the No. 11 spot -- up from No. 20 last year but down from No. 10 two years ago -- and the School of Social Work climbed to No. 11, seven spots higher than when ranked for that category were last done in 1997. And the School of Veterinary Medicine moved from third to second, a position it shares with Colorado State University. Cornell University was named the top vet school in the country. The Law School stayed at No. 12, with Yale, Stanford and Harvard filling the top three slots. The Medical School remained at No. 3, and six of its eight specialties were ranked in the top 10. Pediatrics came in second, Women's Health third and Drug and Alcohol Abuse was ranked fifth. And the Nursing School was tied with the University of California at San Francisco for second, coming after the University of Washington. The Engineering School ranked 33rd on the list, up from No. 35 last year. University President Judith Rodin praised the various schools in a written statement issued yesterday. "While the U.S. News and other rankings should not be taken overly seriously," she said, "the editors of the magazine have affirmed once more that our graduate and professional schools are among the finest in the nation." Officials from the various schools had mixed reactions to the rankings. Medical School Deputy Dean Arthur Asbury said he was pleased with the school's rank, but that he considers such rankings "relatively artificial," pointing out that schools that are ranked high tend to put more faith in the rankings than lower scoring schools do. And Law School Dean Michael Fitts also challenged the validity of the rankings. "I think we're much better than No. 12," he said. "Penn has a great law school. The rankings change from year to year and [prospective students] shouldn't focus on any one year." Nancy Streim, associate dean of the Graduate School of Education, attributed the school's jump to Penn's increased attention to educational policy, school evaluation and school reform. But Streim also expressed skepticism as to the validity of the rankings, considering the school's drop from No. 10 in 1998 to No. 20 in 1999. "Any kind of rankings that can produce such wild swings has to raise questions over what is being evaluated," she said. According to Education Dean Susan Fuhrman, the fluctuations are due to a change in the magazine's methodology concerning education school rankings. U.S. News and World Report also ranked individual doctoral programs. In the sciences, Penn ranked 23rd in the biological sciences, 20th in chemistry, 25th in computer science, 21st in mathematics and 18th in physics. In the social sciences and humanities, Penn scored ninth in Economics and Psychology, 11th in English and 12th in History and Sociology. Penn was also ranked ninth in Architecture. University spokesman Ken Wildes said the rankings should not be given too much weight. "You can't ever take them too seriously," Wildes said, explaining that the magazine ranks schools without considering their size or whether they are public or private institutions. "It's like trying to compare apples and oranges," he said. "You have to take [the rankings] with a grain of salt."
(03/31/00 10:00am)
The UA has traditionally had problems attracting minorities to seek office. This semester, the United Minorities Council and the Undergraduate Assembly began a joint effort to encourage minority students to participate in student government elections. And these efforts may have paid off. This year, a significant number of minority students -- approximately 15 percent of the candidates -- are running for the UA. "We definitely have more minority candidates [running]," Nominations and Elections Committee Vice Chairwoman of Elections Teresa Lee said. Lee did not have exact figures on how many minorities ran last year, but estimated that about 6 to 7 percent of the candidates were minorities. The Wharton and Engineering junior attributed this increase in part to the NEC's extensive poster campaign in the college houses, including DuBois College House -- which houses a significant number of minority students -- urging students to run for the UA. Lee also added that the UA and UMC's efforts to promote minority representation in student government has aided the increase. UMC Chairman Jerome Byam said his organization contributed to the number of minority candidates. "I believe that the UMC actively [went] about encouraging minorities to run for UA positions," the College junior said. "Currently the UA is not representative of the entire student population," he said. Byam added that more minorities would be important in order for the UA to address minority-related issues -- such as the recruitment and retention of minority students and faculty. UA Chairman Michael Silver said that the UA and UMC agreed that both organizations had made efforts to encourage minorities to participate in student government. "[UA-UMC collaboration] helps make UMC members aware of the opportunities the UA can give them," the College senior said. "Having a more diverse UA would give it more legitimacy -- especially when we tackle issues that affect minorities a great deal." College freshman Lara Bonner, one of the four minority students currently on the UA, said that minority representation is definitely a concern. She added that of the minority students serving on the UA, two of them were elected in the fall as incoming freshmen. "[While the] UA as a body is terrific, it definitely doesn't represent the whole student body in terms of racial issues," Bonner said. Bonner added that racial issues were not neglected by the UA since efforts have been made over the semester to work with the UMC to get more minorities to participate in elections. Many minority candidates also explained that they were running to promote minority issues on campus. "It's really important that [the UA] is diverse and is not a one-sided [government body]," said College sophomore Kimberly Dobson, a candidate for the UA. Wharton sophomore and UA candidate James Ku said the UA has not paid attention to particular minority issues. "I don't think the current UA has tried to do anything about [racial integration problems]" Ku said.
(03/31/00 10:00am)
After a controversial one-loss, one-tie twin bill at Villanova, Penn looks to get back on track. With two key players back in the lineup, the Penn softball team will look to end its offensive struggles as well as a four-game winless streak this weekend on the road against Temple and Army. The Quakers will open up the weekend tomorrow in a doubleheader against Temple and then play another two games against Army the next day. Penn, which saw a four-game winning streak snapped just last weekend, has struggled of late, dropping two games to Rider and one to Villanova. The Red and Blue also tied the Wildcats in a controversial game that was called early, due to darkness. "We're not exactly sure what is going to happen with that game," senior co-captain Michelle Zaptin said. "The rule is that once you start an inning you have to finish it, but the umpire should have never started the last inning." In the late innings on Wednesday, with darkness setting in, the Wildcats mounted a ferocious charge, scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to close to within one run of the Quakers, at 5-4. In the sixth, Villanova scored a run with one out to tie up the game at five, and immediately after the score was knotted, the umpire decided to stop the contest. Absent from Wednesday's doubleheader were Jamie Pallas and Clarisa Apostol, a first-team All-Ivy League selection a year ago. Both players were attending the funeral of Penn classmate Justin Finalle, who committed suicide last weekend. "It was a big deal missing those girls because it definitely took away from the flow of our game," freshman hurler Becky Ranta said. "They are both good hitters and they are both big parts of our team, so it will help a lot to have them back." Penn, 8-13 on the season, will not be the only team looking to get back on the winning side of things on Saturday. Temple, which stands at 7-8 for the year, is coming off two losses against Hofstra. The Owls have been on the short end of the stick in five of their last seven contests. "In my four years at Penn, this is the first time that we have played Temple, so I am really excited about that," Penn co-captain Suzanne Arbogast said. "We know that they are supposed to be a pretty good team, but they are definitely beatable." Temple could be just the type of team to help Penn stop its losing skid. The Owls managed only two total runs in their doubleheader against Hofstra. The Quakers have also suffered from a lack of offensive firepower, having been shut out a total of five times this season. They were no-hit by Western Kentucky over spring break and only scratched out one hit in Wednesday's first game at Villanova. "We definitely could have used their [Apostol's and Pallas'] bats in the lineup against Villanova," Zaptin said. "Everyone that was in the line-up could have gotten hits, but I think that we got down on ourselves after we fell behind in the first game." Despite the Quakers' offensive woes as of late, Penn sophomore standout Jen Moore has continued her superb hitting that saw her batting .500 after two early-season tournaments in Florida. The 1999 first-team All-Ivy selection boasts a gaudy .443 average, seven doubles, two homers and recognition as last week's Ivy League Player of the Week. Another bright spot for Penn so far in this young campaign has been Ranta. The freshman is credited with five of Penn's eight victories and has already pitched an impressive four complete games. "College softball is a lot different than in high school because we play so many doubleheaders," Ranta said. "There is a lot bigger time commitment, but I feel good about the season and I'm learning a lot." With a hectic stretch straight ahead, including four games this weekend and eight games in a nine-day span, Penn should be in midseason form in time for the Ivy League opener on April 8. The Quakers are hoping that this weekend will bring some more offense, a few more victories and a little less controversy.
(03/31/00 10:00am)
Penn will face Cornell on Hofstra's campus this year and next. Tomorrow, the Penn men's lacrosse team will be facing it's third Ivy opponent in as many Saturdays. The Quakers, ranked No. 24 in the STX/USILA poll, will travel to the campus of Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y., where they will meet No. 10 Cornell at 4:00 p.m. Cornell? On Long Island? What's the deal? The Quakers would normally have played the Big Red at Franklin Field this season, but in a mutual agreement, Penn and Cornell decided to face off at Hofstra for the next two seasons for a variety of reasons that both schools consider advantageous. "Both teams have a lot of alumni in the [New York] metropolitan area," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "We'd like to get a game on Long Island and [Cornell] would as well, but so many of our weekends are locked in with traditional rivals that it's hard to get a game there. So, we decided to go neutral site the next two years." Van Arsdale considers the move beneficial not only because it will satisfy alumni, but he also believes that the game -- which will be televised on Long Island Cablevision -- will aid Penn's recruiting efforts in the Long Island area. Additionally, for a lot of Quakers, the game is a chance to go home for a weekend. "I think it's awesome, because me and a bunch of other guys are all from Long Island," Quakers co-captain and senior defenseman Bill Fowler said. "It's just like playing at Franklin Field -- there's nothing better than going home." Fowler expects the Quakers to be playing in front of a large contingent of friends and family members. He also said that the "very big turnout" would add even more pressure to an already very important matchup. "It puts pressure on us to come out and play a perfect game, like we're supposed to do," Fowler said. Playing a perfect game against Cornell isn't easy, as it involves stopping the Big Red's honorable mention All-American and All-Ivy first-teamer, senior attacker Sean Steinwald. Fowler will draw the unenviable task of shadowing Steinwald -- whom Van Arsdale compared to Penn star attacker Pete Janney -- for the entire afternoon. "Steinwald presents a challenge," Van Arsdale said. "He's a lot like Janney in that, if he gets a step free, he can score from long-range and very quickly. He's always a threat out there." Fowler, though, isn't intimidated by Steinwald's accolades or reputation. "I'm going to handle him the way I usually handle guys," Fowler said. "I'm going to try to prevent him from getting any big shots off. I'm going to be on his hands the whole time and just try to make it a long day for him." Van Arsdale and his senior captain agree that there is more to cracking the Big Red's code than merely solving the Steinwald equation. "I think the biggest challenge they present is that they really make you earn your goals," Van Arsdale said. "They play very good team defense. They have a solid goalie returning." That goalie is sophomore Justin Cynar, little brother of Harvard's senior goalie Keith Cynar, who held the Quakers to 12 goals just last weekend. However, even with Steinwald accounted for, Van Arsdale wasn't overly impressed with the sheer athleticisim of the Big Red. "I don't think individually there's anybody on that team that really stands out as being incredibly scary athletically or whatnot," Van Arsdale said. "I think it has more to do with the group. They're playing very well as a team, they're very well organized." "I think it's going to take a whole defensive stand on our part," Fowler said. "All six defensemen plus the goalie need to be working cohesively. It's not going to be a one-on-one match for each defenseman. It's going to have to be the whole team." The whole team playing the whole game is what Van Arsdale has been looking for in the Quakers' first two matchups of the Ivy season, losses to both Yale and Harvard. Because each team plays each other team only once, each Ancient Eight matchup is of the utmost importance. So, at 0-2 in the Ivy League, are the Quakers feeling the heat? "I think the pressure is just to beat a good team on a weekend," Van Arsdale said, in comparing the Saturday Ivy League losses with midweek drubbings of local teams like St. Joseph's and Lafayette. "I don't even know if it's Ivy versus the local teams," Van Arsdale said. "But it's the quality of opponent that we're going head to head with. In all honesty, we should beat Lafayette and St. Joe's?. Those are games we should win. "I think the Ivy games are different types of challenges, like Notre Dame or Bucknell, another good team that you feel good about going out and playing well against and getting a win." But in terms of the conference season, Fowler believes that the Quakers, with a loss to the Big Red, could soon be facing a desperate situation. "It's a crucial game," Fowler said. "If we win this, it helps keep us in the race. If we lose it, then we're really going to be struggling the rest of the seasonƒ Ivy-wise."
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A Bell Atlantic circuiting problem caused service to shut down for over four hours early yesterday. The University's PennNet system was once again plagued with trouble early yesterday morning when a connection glitch with third-party network carrier Bell Atlantic brought service to a halt for more than four hours. The shut-down -- which occurred between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. -- marked the second consecutive day that PennNet service was disrupted, although the incidents were unrelated. On Wednesday, PennNet users experienced difficulty using many applications, such as the ICQ instant messenger, when University officials responded to security problems by restricting network access. But according to Executive Director for Networking Michael Palladino, yesterday's troubles were purely technical. He said that a circuiting problem caused by Bell Atlantic -- which provides a local-loop connection linking the University's local network to the national Internet service provider UUNet -- was the culprit. "The circuit was upgraded and wasn't fine-tuned properly," Palladino said. "In the process of upgrading to make it better, [Bell Atlantic] made it temporarily worse." According to Palladino, PennNet circuit monitoring devices detected problems with the network at around 4 a.m. and automatically paged an on-call University technician. Penn officials then contacted Bell Atlantic, which was able to bring its system back online by 8:30 a.m. But for more than four hours, PennNet users were unable to connect with networked computers outside the University. The problems meant that users could not send or receive e-mail from outside of Penn, or access Web sites not part of the www.upenn.edu domain. "Given the time, it didn't affect students too much," Palladino said. "But administrators who came into work early were antsy." According to University information systems officials, PennNet has been shut down due to technical difficulties five times in the past 11 months, resulting in about 20 hours of lost service. Although University officials said they have been pleased with PennNet's operation, they admit that the network would work better if they purchased a redundant Internet connection -- a backup system that many large institutions already have. But with costs for an independent backup connection adding more than $200,000 to the current $400,000 that was spent for UUNet, University officials have been reluctant to pay for additional bandwidth. Palladino, however, said that plans are in the works to have a redundant connection system in place by the fall semester, and perhaps as early as July. On the other hand, Penn officials said that security problems earlier this week may be more difficult to resolve. "The threat is always out there," Palladino said, pointing out the increasing risk of hacker attacks. "Even non-profits aren't safe from this stuff." Palladino explained that earlier this week, hackers launched a series of "flood-attacks" on PennNet. By using several automated computers, the hackers sent billions of data packets to Penn's intranet, clogging the system by overloading it with information. In response, the University put in place temporary filters to weed out some of the outside traffic, which caused some popular applications to malfunction. Penn officials eased up those restrictions, though, once the attacks seemed to stop. Palladino said that Penn officials are still investigating the recent attacks and the source remains unknown. However, he warned that if they continue or increase in intensity, the University may be forced to consider placing permanent filters on its network as well as other security measures.
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Penn plays four games this weekend in doubleheaders with Yale and Brown. The friendly confines of Murphy Field await the return of the Penn baseball team this weekend. For the Quakers, it's not a moment too soon. After a rough two-game road trip this week that consisted of two one-run losses to Temple on Tuesday and Lafayette on Wednesday, Penn (8-9) will open its Ivy League schedule tomorrow at Murphy Field with a doubleheader against Yale (8-14) at 11:30 a.m. The Quakers hope that a return to their home stadium, which yielded three wins in five tries before they hit the road this week, will help to solve their various ills. Against both the Elis and Brown (6-11), which visits Philadelphia for a double-dip on Sunday at noon, the Quakers will need better performances from their pitchers in order to avoid falling in their first Ivy games of the season. Penn hurlers walked 13 Lafayette batters on Wednesday. Against top Ancient Eight competition, that sort of production is likely to lead to further defeat. However, Penn coach Bob Seddon is confident that the Quakers will rise to the challenge that Ivy play sets out for them. "On the weekend, you're going to see a game like [against Temple] or against Northern Iowa," he said, referring to two of Penn's close losses in tight games. "Usually against the real good teams in a league setting, your team steps up and really plays well? because they have to." Last season, the Quakers lost three of four on the road to Yale and Brown. Their only win was against the Elis, a 13-7 decision on April 10. Penn dropped the second game of that afternoon's doubleheader and traveled to Brown the next day to lose by a combined score of 27-5 over two games, the latter match a 19-1 drubbing. Such weekends were the norm for the Quakers last year, as they won a paltry six Ivy games while dropping 14. However, all of the teams in the Ivy League have been characterized by mediocre-to-poor starts this year. While many Ivy teams have played tougher non-conference schedules than the Quakers -- Yale, which visited Kentucky, ranked 27th in the country by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll, and Brown included -- the fact remains that the Elis and Bears will walk into Murphy Field with records of 8-14 and 6-11, respectively. "The Ivy League, if you look at the standings, good God," Seddon said. But while Yale's record may be subpar, the Elis' play of late has not been. Yale invades Philadelphia on a three-game winning streak after Wednesday's 15-4 New Haven mauling of 14-4 Marist. The Elis received solid pitching in their victory, something that could stop Penn's potent offensive attack -- the only thing that has been working for the Quakers lately. Yale is led by 1998 Ivy Player of the Year and 1999 first team All-Ivy shortstop Tony Coyne, who homered Wednesday. Despite being hindered with a knee injury last season, Coyne managed to hit .417 and led the Elis with six home runs. The Quakers will also have to deal with senior Brian Ivy, who transferred from Yale to the University of Texas as a sophomore, only to return to the Elis for this, his final collegiate season. As a freshman in 1997, he led Yale in batting. The aptly named Ivy also notched three hits against the Red Foxes on Wednesday. Brown, on the other hand, split a doubleheader at VMI (12-16) on Tuesday, winning by the score of 16-7 in the first game before falling in the nightcap, 10-7. The next day, those two teams faced off again, with Brown beating the Keydets, 8-6. On Sunday, the Bears will bring their considerable offensive weapons to bear on Penn. A good chunk of that offense comes in the form of the Bears' double-play combination, senior second baseman Jeff Lawler and junior shortstop Dan Kantrovitz. Lawler is a first team All-Ivy selection who set a school record for hits last year with 52. Kantrovitz, also a first team All-Ivy selection, led the Ivies with 32 hits in Ivy League games, including 10 doubles. He also led the Ancient Eight in hitting last year with a .478 batting average. To counteract these threats, the Quakers will send sophomore pitcher Mark Lacerenza to the mound in the first game against Yale tomorrow, and Andrew McCreery will start the second game on the mound. Seddon said that McCreery was pitching in tomorrow's second game so that he would be able to be used as an outfielder in the first game -- he would have a sore arm Sunday if he pitched the first game and patrolled center field in the second. Sunday, Mike Mattern will take the ball for Penn in the first game against Brown, while Ben Krantz will probably start the nightcap. Mattern pitched well on Tuesday at Veterans Stadium, somewhat easing Seddon's concerns after his shaky outing in the Murphy Field opener against St. Joseph's last week. "The stage is set," Seddon said. "[The] experimentation is over."
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Tough competition awaits the Penn women's track team as it heads off to compete in the Raleigh Relays in North Carolina this weekend. The Quakers hope to prove themselves against some of the top track and field programs in the country including Virginia, North Carolina, Wake Forest and N.C. State. The Relays, which will take place on Saturday, are "one of the best relay meets in the country," Penn assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. Referred to by Tenisci as the "Penn Relays of the South," the Raleigh Relays will bring high-quality competition and will provide a good indication of the strength of this year's Quakers. The Southern schools attending, noted for their fast sprint teams, should challenge the youth and inexperience of the Red and Blue's young sprint contingent. Freshman Enyinne Owunwanne, however, has confidence in the talented newcomers and believes the women will compete well "against anyone on the schedule." The Quakers will need to maintain that level of confidence throughout the month of April, during which they will compete five times in preparation for the Heptagonal Championships, which will be held at Penn on May 13 and 14. Following a successful showing at last weekend's Quaker Invitational, and with a strong performance this weekend, the Red and Blue look to improve upon their sixth-place finish at last year's outdoor Heps. Setting the tone for the entire squad will be this year's group of talented captains. Senior captain Richelle Clements, who ran the first leg of last weekend's winning 4x400-meter relay, is coming off a very successful year and will lead this year's group of young sprinters. Junior captain JaJuan Gair is also running extremely well after suffering a hamstring strain during the indoor season. Gair placed second in the 100 high hurdles last weekend on Franklin Field's track. Senior captain Ruthie Neuhaus will lead Penn's dynamic jumping team. Neuhaus recorded a second-place finish last weekend, and, according to Tenisci, the wide range of experience among all of the captains will contribute to the team's overall success. Seventeen freshmen replace the 13 track seniors who graduated from Penn in 1999. And this year, said to be one of rebuilding for the Quakers, the team's health will be a major factor throughout the rest of the season. "Since it is still early [in the season], everyone is a little rusty," Tenisci said. "But we've been lucky as far as injuries are concerned, and [maintaining condition] will be key for April." Indeed, the Quakers' future appears to be bright if they are able to stay healthy and focused. A last-place finish at indoor Heps in late February hurt the team, but they are hoping to bounce back early for the outdoor season. The Raleigh Relays on Saturday will be key to that comeback. "This meet allows us to be in a spot with real competition," Tenisci said. "We really hope to continue with the success of our last meet and move forward."
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The Quakers are hoping that their string of victories since returning from spring break continues. After competing against five nationally ranked teams over spring break and breezing by Boston College and Rutgers last week with landslide victories of 7-2 and 9-0, respectively, the Penn women's tennis team is plenty warmed-up for its Ivy season. Tomorrow the Quakers will head to New Jersey to challenge powerhouse Princeton, the consensus favorite to win the Ivy title this year. Penn opened last year's Ivy season by edging the Tigers, 5-4. That win was the Quakers' first in a nearly flawless Ivy season. The Red and Blue overpowered every Ivy team except Harvard -- which ultimately captured the Ivy title following Penn's disappointing 1-8 loss. After the Quakers took a second-place Ivy finish last year, Penn coach Michael Dowd created a tougher schedule for the Quakers this spring -- including Fresno State, Georgia Tech and No. 1 Stanford -- to better prepare the Quakers for this year's Ivy schedule. "It has definitely helped to see such a high level of competition," Penn senior and co-captain Elana Gold said. "[Princeton's] not nearly as good as a lot of the teams we've played so far." Penn junior Shubha Srinivasan believes that beginning the Ivy season by facing one of the tougher teams will prove helpful to the Quakers. "Last year our match with Princeton gave us a lot of confidence," she said. "It helps to get Princeton out of the way." However, beating Princeton this spring may be even more difficult than it was last April. In October, the Quakers fell to the Tigers, 5-1, when they faced them at the ECAC Championships. In addition, at Penn's Cissie Leary Invitational -- an individual competition held in September -- Princeton freshman phenomenon Kavitha Krishnamurthy swept Penn's Anastasia Pozdniakova, 6-0, 6-0, on her way to winning the tournament. Krishnamurthy is currently ranked No. 20 in the nation. Over the fall and winter, the Canadian native had a 22-match winning streak, during which she won six tournaments -- including the Georgia Invitational and the ITA Eastern Regionals. It has not yet been determined whether Krishnamurthy will compete on Saturday, as she has been spending time in Canada visiting a sick relative and has not played in the last few Princeton matches. Tough players and all, Srinivasan notes that the Tigers' recent record has not been very daunting at all. In its last match, Princeton edged Boston College -- a team Penn recently clobbered, 7-2 -- by a mere point. The Tigers took a hard, 7-2 fall to UC-Irvine on March 14, and barely squeaked by Loyola Marymount, 5-4, a few days later. Gold believes that since Penn faced Princeton in the fall, the currently 8-8 Quakers have improved in winning key points and doubles matches. "A lot of matches come down to doubles," she said. "I think we'll be ready to take it if the match comes down to three-all in singles." Dowd also believes the Quakers are ready to take on Princeton. "We've played a much tougher level of competition than Princeton," he said. "We're hitting the ball cleanly, and we're very confident. We're playing much better than we did in the fall, and if our emotions are in the right place, we have a very good chance to beat this team."
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University and community parents will have a newly designed, increased-capacity day-care facility within blocks of campus for their children starting next year. In January 2001, the Penn Children's Center -- a more than decade-old Penn-owned child-care center for children aged 12 weeks to five years -- will move into the former General Electric building at 31st and Chestnut streets. The University is converting the building into a luxury apartment building. PCC will occupy 10,000 square feet on the first floor of the new Westside Commons complex, along with Penn office space. The facility is also expected to feature 285 apartment units, a fitness center and 17,000 square feet of retail space. The center's current location -- which has a capacity of 76 children -- is partially housed at 43rd and Spruce streets while the site at 42nd and Locust streets is prepared for the construction of the new University-assisted public school. With a parking lot and exterior playground close by, the new 106-child capacity site will be more efficient than the old location, according to University Associate Vice President for Business Services Marie Witt. She said, however, that "the program is going to be very similar," adding that she is happy with the decision on a final location. The search for the center's new site lasted over a year, with one possible option -- constructing a new facility on the site of a burned-down church near 33rd and Chestnut streets -- proving too costly with a more than $6 million pricetag. Previous plans to lease space in the Newman Center at 37th and Chestnut streets also fell through. Yesterday, PCC Director Anjali Chawla said she was pleased that the University, along with outside childcare experts, can now design a space specifically with the center in mind. "The staff and I are really excited about this new location and looking forward to our move," Chawla added. She said the expanded program will require five new full-time staff members and a few more part-time workers, in addition to its current 37-person staff. President of the PCC Parent's Advisory Board Donna Petrelli said that while she has not yet received much feedback on the move, those parents who have spoken say they are glad to see a "win-win" result after the long search. "It's in walking distance for a lot of people who work on campus," added Petrelli, who works for Business Services. Petrelli, whose daughter currently attends PCC and will return there next year, said parents had wanted the new location to offer drop-off space, a playground and convenience. "I think that all those needs have been met," she noted. Eighty percent of the PCC's enrollment will be reserved for children of University employees.
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Baby Boomers' kids are flooding schools with a record number of apps. They say that history tends to repeat itself. Most college admissions officers across the country would agree. About 30 years ago, college enrollment numbers reached an all-time high as the Baby Boomers -- those born in the post-World War II years spanning from 1946 to about 1964 -- filled classrooms across the country. The 1980s and early 1990s saw a decline in college-aged students, but today, the number is rising once again: the Baby Boomers' children are ready for higher education. Born between 1977 and 1994, the so-called "Echo Boomers" -- who currently account for 26 percent of the United States' population -- are contributing to growing application numbers at colleges and universities nationwide. According to School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston, an expert on demographic trends, today's population of 17-year-olds is about 10 percent larger than it was five years ago. What does that mean for Penn and its peer institutions? A dramatic rise in college applications, which they all have seen over the past several years. However, Preston said that the Echo Boom is mild in comparison to the Baby Boom -- which, at its peak, was 20 percent larger than the Echo Boom. "This is nothing like the boom of the past," he said. "The biggest period of growth is over [and the college-age population] will remain the same for another 10 or 12 years." Penn Sociology Department Chairman Douglas Massey said the Baby Boom generation is nearing the end of its child-bearing age, but the Echo Boom's effects on college enrollment should last about another decade since more middle-aged women are giving birth. While Massey said the Echo Boom is not as intense as the Baby Boom, the generation has left its mark. "All colleges and universities will experience increased pressure for admissions because of the echo of the Baby Boom," Massey said. He added that he expects the effects of the Echo Boom to remain steady. "[College enrollment] will increase a bit in the short term, but there will be no wild swings," Massey said. While the upswing in application numbers is benefitting schools across the country, its effects are particularly evident in the Ivy League, where admissions applications for the Class of 2004 were up almost across the board. Brown University and Penn led the Ivies with increases of 14 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively. According to Penn Admissions Dean Lee Stetson, the number of applications has risen fairly consistently in the past decade, from under 12,000 applications in 1992 to nearly 19,000 this year, at least partly because of the Echo Boom. And while the Echo Boom has played a role in the trend of increasing applications, Joyce Smith, executive director of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said there are other more significant contributing factors. "The boom [in applications] is also reflected in students submitting more applications," she said. She added that five years ago, high school seniors typically applied to only five schools, while a growing number of students nowadays are applying to as many as 20 colleges and universities. Smith said technology, especially in the form of online applications, has made the application process easier and faster.
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Yesterday's B-GLAD event at the Law School examined the pros and cons of hate crimes legislation. In 1998, a black man was dragged to death in Jasper, Texas. The very same year, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was murdered after allegedly hitting on two heterosexual men. Hate crimes legislation, sponsored by such groups as the Human Rights Campaign and the Anti-Defamation League, is meant to deter such vicious acts of aggression. And while most Americans would never claim that hate crimes are not morally offensive, some, such as Penn Law Professors Heidi Hurd and Stephen Morse, feel that hate crimes laws go against the ideological framework of liberal political thinking. Hurd and Morse were two members of a panel of four at yesterday's B-GLAD event, "Hate Crimes Law: Defending Communities or Policy Thought?" They joined Keven Layton of the HRC and Andrew Torsy of the ADL, who spoke in favor of hate crimes legislation, such as the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The four discussed the issues surrounding hate crimes laws before an audience of about 125 people, most of whom were Law students, at the Law School yesterday. The debate was moderated by Law Professor David Rudovsky. Torsy, a civil rights counsel for the ADL, outlined why his organization feels that hate crimes laws are necessary. "When you have harm, criminal law all the time separates it on a spectrum," he said. He argued that because hate crimes are worse than the crimes themselves, they require a greater penalty under the law. Layton, the HRC's deputy legal director, discussed the nature of federal hate crime laws. Federal laws mandate that the FBI collect statistics regarding hate crimes. They also offer penalty enhancements for hate crimes on federal property. While some include protection based on gender and disability, not all federal hate crimes laws protect all groups. The HCPA "would amend federal law to include protection [based on] gender, disability or sexual orientation," Layton said. Hurd and Morse questioned the very premise of hate crimes legislation. Hurd, who teaches criminal law, said hate crime laws punish a perpetrator for what he cannot control. "The short of it is that enhancing penalties ultimately punishes defendants for bad emotions," she said. Hurd then issued an attack directed against the proponents of the HCPA. "Those of you who support hate crimes laws are not political liberals, but political perfectionists," she said. In agreement with Hurd's summation, Morse, an expert in criminal law, said liberal ideology completely opposes current hate crimes laws. Political liberals, instead of narrowly defining criminal acts, "would like to limit extensive criminal law," he said. "We want our criminal law to be as general as possible, and we would like fewer people in prison," Morse added. Hate crimes laws, he contended, go against all of these goals. After a lengthy question-and-answer session, most in attendance joined the panelists for a reception. First-year Law student Michelle Seldin said she would have liked to have seen an academic on the panel in favor of the HCPA. "I'm Jewish and a lesbian, and feel particularly strong about the necessary strong protection from hate crimes laws," Seldin said. First-year Law students Susanne Salkind and Richard Sandman, who organized the event, felt that the academic and professional mix of the panel added to the discussion. "I think our purpose was to have a broader discussion about hate crimes. It helped fill out the conversation," Salkind said.
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Penn tries for two wins in a row as Columbia pays a visit tomorrow. The Columbia women's lacrosse team is mired in an unenviable streak. After falling by a combined score of 33-1 to Princeton and Dartmouth in the past 10 days, the Lions visit Franklin Field tomorrow to take on Penn, still in search of their first-ever Ivy victory in the three-year history of their program. The Quakers (3-2, 0-2 Ivy League) are coming off an 11-8 win over Lafayette on Tuesday and will try to start a two-game winning streak when the Lions (3-2, 0-2) limp into town for tomorrow's 1 p.m. game. Still, Penn is not taking this game lightly by any means. "We're going to prepare for it the same that we've prepared for all our other games -- and we need an Ivy League win," Quakers senior Brooke Jenkins said. "Columbia has been improving each year, so we need to prepare for anything, because every year they've gotten better. And we had a close game with them last year." Penn's only Ivy win last spring came against the Lions, 10-8. In two-plus years, Columbia is 0-16 in Ivy play, which lends confidence to the Quakers but makes the Lions an even more dangerous team to face. "That's motivation for them, to try to get there first Ivy win. I'm sure that's spurring them on," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "Coach [Celine] Cunningham has done a good job in bringing in some talented new players. But they're definitely a team we can beat." The Lions have struggled mightily to put goals on the board this season and were shut out by No. 2 Princeton, 18-0. Meanwhile, the Quakers have found the net 55 times in five games, including eight tallies at No. 14 Yale. Lions junior Devin Fitzpatrick and sophomore Alissa McCadden are Columbia's offensive leaders -- each has tallied a hat trick once this year. Also on the prowl for the Lions is junior attacker Caroline Samponaro, who netted 21 goals last spring. The Quakers counter with sophomore Traci Marabella (12 goals) and Jenkins (12 goals), who have combined to pull off hat tricks five times through five games. Junior goalie Christian Stover, sporting a 9.75 goals against average, will be charged with stopping the Columbia attack. Penn has followed its first two non-league wins with Ivy losses this season, a trend the team will try to break out of with a win tomorrow. Quakers junior Amy Weinstein, who netted three goals in Penn's win over Columbia last April, has faith that the home team will come away with another victory. "Yeah, we definitely can break out of that streak. We're hungry for an Ivy League win," Weinstein said. "I think it'll be a good matchup. It'll be a good chance for us to really execute the things that we know how to do well and show ourselves and everyone else the type of team we really are." A key to this matchup will be which squad is more aggressive, forces turnovers and gets to the ground balls. On the season, Penn has won 89 ground balls to just 45 for the opposition, but has committed over twice as many fouls in the process. "I thought we hustled and were a lot more aggressive against Lafayette," Jenkins said. "We doubled well in the midfield and got the ball back when we lost it. And we passed more instead of running so much, which was good." The Quakers bring a slight advantage in this game. Jenkins went to high school with Lions sophomore goalie Gina Kline, and Weinstein faced the duo while playing for a rival school. Kline, who has faced a plethora of shots through five games, including 32 versus Princeton, may encounter a few tougher ones from two friendly faces. "Brooke and I both know their goalie real well," Weinstein said. "So I know they've got a really good goalie -- she's strong." Familiarity may not breed contempt in this case, but it may breed goals just the same.
(03/31/00 10:00am)
In last week's Quaker Invitational, the Penn men's track team was rather pleased with many of its individual accomplishments. This weekend, though, in the squad's first scored competition of the spring season, the Red and Blue will get an idea of how they stack up as a team. Leaving town early yesterday morning to make the nine-hour journey to North Carolina, the Quakers will participate in the Raleigh Relays today and tomorrow at N.C. State. Penn's stars such as jumper Tuan Wreh and thrower Matt Pagliasotti will undoubtedly rack up a lot of points this season, but this weekend's meet will test the team's depth. "From a team perspective, it's important," senior pole vaulter John Church said. "This is a meet in which we get to compete against some of the best of the East." Church expects the vaulting unit, perhaps Penn's greatest asset during the indoor season, to be strong when the pressure is on later in the season for Penn Relays and the Heptagonal Championships, but feels that it might not get off to such an auspicious start. Junior Josh Coleman no-heighted last week; senior Bob Reynolds is taking some time away from the team; and Church will not travel to Raleigh due to academic commitments. In addition to that, junior Luke Stokes injured his back at the close of the winter season and is out indefinitely, though mid-April seems a likely target date for his return. Unlike the vaulters, who expect to overcome their early-season obstacles without much of a problem, Penn's throwers have wasted no time in impressing. While Pagliasotti, junior Ben Williams and senior Brent Stiles may have all enjoyed a great deal of success at the Quaker Invitational, it was a freshman participating in his first-ever collegiate meet who raised the most eyebrows this past Saturday. Javelin thrower Brian Chaput qualified for the NCAA championship meet last week, as he posted the second-longest distance in Penn javelin history in just his first meet as a member of the Red and Blue. The Quakers are excited about their throwers, who may serve as somewhat of a secret weapon. Since javelin and discus are solely spring events, Penn's strength in each could launch the team to far greater glory than it had in a better-than-respectable indoor campaign. "The javelin itself adds about 20 points to the team," Church said. Perhaps even more foreboding for the Red and Blue's opponents this year is the fact that Pagliasotti feels that no Penn thrower was really near the top of his game a week ago. Not bad for a group that garnered four first-place finishes in throwing events, including two courtesy of Pagliasotti himself. The talent is unquestionably in place, and the focus of the team, a major concern following indoor Heps, seems to now have been restored after a solid season-opener. "We do believe that we can win Heps," Church said, claiming that Penn's blend of athletic ability, depth and a strong mindset could carry the team to victory in the esteemed meet. Time will tell, but the Raleigh Relays should provide a good early barometer.
(03/31/00 10:00am)
Neighbors of the new alcohol-free indie rock club at 4040 Locust Street don't want the performers to pump up the volume. Students living near the new 4040 club said they called the police and the Department of Licenses and Inspections Wednesday night to complain about the excessive noise. "The music level is absolutely insane," said College junior Paula Miller, who lives at 4051 Locust Street. "I might as well be in the club." Some students, including Miller, said they want the club -- which has been holding concerts since spring break -- to shut down. In February, city officials and community residents approved zoning changes to permit a music club in the former Urban Outfitters site, next to the Video Library. Miller added that the reason behind 4040's zoning remains a "mystery" to her. College junior Alyson Fien, who also lives at 4051 Locust, said she had called the police twice about the noise. Penn police were unavailable for comment last night. Yesterday, club co-owner Sean Agnew said he was aware of the residents' concerns regarding music levels, adding that he has printed letters for the 4000 block that say 4040 wants to be a "good neighbor." The club will install a theater curtain -- costing several thousand dollars -- to help lessen the noise level, according to Agnew, who said he does not have an exact date for its arrival. Agnew said the venue's "awkward" architecture, specifically its high ceiling, contributes to the sound amplification outside. "We are currently looking into ways to sound-proof the room completely to prevent sound from escaping the building as well as managing the calendar so that shows best fit into everyone's schedule," Agnew wrote in the letter. The letter also includes assurances that the club will end shows by 11 p.m. during the week and prevent concert-goers from loitering around houses. Still, music from 4040 interrupted Nicole Matusow's reading at 9:00 p.m. Wednesday night, according to the College junior who lives on nearby Beige Block. "It's the loudest thing ever," she added. However, some students living nearby said they couldn't hear anything. Wharton sophomore Jeff Braverman -- who lives on the side of 4031 Locust Street that does not face the club -- said the sound did not disturb him Wednesday night. 4040 Locust Street will serve as a temporary location until the University finds a permanent venue more suitable for a music club. Penn, which leases the building to the club, granted a license to 4040's operators barring the sale of alcohol, food or beverages. Tom Lussenhop, the University's top real estate official, said in an e-mail yesterday that Penn "would be more than open to dealing with the noise issue during this busy time of study in any other creative ways that people suggest." Yesterday, Spruce Hill Community Association President Barry Grossbach, who signed an agreement with the University in January detailing the frequency and hours of shows, said the club is "a work in progress." Tommorrow, the music club will hold its grand opening show, featuring Atom and his Package. The event marks 4040's arrival as a consistent venue on the Philadelphia indie and punk scene. Agnew had been in talks with the University about opening a club in the area since last summer. In the fall, plans to build the venue at 40th and Market streets fell through because, Agnew said, at the time, Penn officials were afraid the club would increase area crime. Students reacted with petitions, signs and letters, and Penn officials resumed their discussions with Agnew shortly afterward. The club's opening fulfills the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse's recommendation that open a late-night, alcohol-free music club open on or near campus.
