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(02/17/99 10:00am)
For four years, Josh Styne has entertained countless Penn students with his acting skills as a member of the performing arts group Mask and Wig. But if the 22-year-old College senior has his way, he'll soon be taking his talent to Hollywood. Styne showed his 24-minute feature film, Moo Shu, to a crowd of around 150 friends and acquaintances -- including many fellow Alpha Epsilon Pi brothers and Mask and Wig members -- in a packed auditorium inside Logan Hall last night. Styne wrote, directed and starred in the short film, which he later submitted as part of his film school applications. Moo Shu, a romantic comedy featuring 10 Penn students, is the story of several young Philadelphia twentysomethings drawn together by their mutual love of moo shu, a popular Chinese dish. College freshman Joshua Brenner, a fellow Mask and Wig member, plays the character Elliot, a young man struggling to maintain a relationship with his melodramatic, nagging girlfriend Liz, played by College junior Debbi Bauml. Things improve for Elliot when his friend Bob, played by College senior David Baronoff, advises him to find a woman who enjoys "making moo shu" -- an activity that he deems "better than sex." "You use [moo shu] to get the girls, and once you get them, you use it to keep them," Baronoff said. Baronoff shares a humorously passionate "moo shu-making" experience with his on-screen love interest, College junior Kim Bardy. At the end of the show, Elliot does succeed in finding the right woman --Debbie, played by College senior Liz Franklin -- who also adores moo shu. College seniors Rich Hollman and Francis Englert, both Mask and Wig members, make cameo appearances in the film, as do College seniors Julie Fitzpatrick and Lauren Smith, a 34th Street features editor. Styne appears on screen as well. After the film, the audience members enjoyed some moo shu chicken of their own -- provided by the restaurant Beijing -- and praised Styne and his cast. "Considering the resources he had, I thought he did an amazing job," Brenner said. Filmed on a digital camera, Moo Shu was written, cast and completed over a two-week period in late November and early December. Styne sent the film to prestigious film schools at New York University, the University of Southern California, the University of California at Los Angeles and the American Film Institute. "If that's his application for film school, I can't see him not getting in," said Craig Leoce, a College junior and AEPi brother. And Baronoff, a fellow Mask and Wig performer and AEPi brother, said Styne "constantly impresses with his talents." Styne began making films in the sixth grade. In eighth grade, he made a video montage of his older sister's senior week at Penn. By ninth grade, he had started his own company, Fast Forward Video Productions, where he made videos for weddings and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. "I'm overwhelmed. I didn't expect the turnout to be like this," said Styne, in between hugs, kisses and handshakes from his friends and family. A beaming Ted Styne, Josh's father, said he is "waiting to sit in the Academy Awards 10 years from now as a proud papa."
(02/16/99 10:00am)
The "Lessons in Leadership" series is aimed at exposing College students to U. grads. Penn students pursuing degrees in the liberal arts no longer need to accept on faith that there are good jobs out there waiting for them -- starting next fall, they can talk in small groups with College graduates who have turned their belittled English and History degrees into successes. Beginning in September, students in the College of Arts and Sciences will have an opportunity to enroll in the tentatively-titled "Lessons in Leadership," a once-a-week non-credit seminar that will bring successful College alumni -- ranging from corporate executives to authors to successful Hollywood producers -- back to Penn to share tips for success in their respective fields. The program, similar to the numerous preceptorials offered each semester at Penn, will invite a different alumnus to visit campus each week during the fall semester and will be available only to College students, according to School of Arts and Sciences Vice Dean for External Affairs Jean-Marie Kneeley. Students are not required to attend the class each week -- they can, in fact, attend any session which interests them. Officials have not yet decided how many students can register for the seminar. Although Kneeley emphasized that the details are "not fully formed yet," she suggested that registering might be done on a "first-come first-serve basis" in order to prevent overcrowding at the sessions. According to College Dean Richard Beeman, the idea arose with the help of Neil Braun, former president of the NBC television network and a 1974 College alumnus, who visited Penn in November and spoke about career planning and success to a group of 18 students. "[Braun] talked not just about how his college education helped him become CEO of NBC, but about life lessons, about what are the secrets of a wealthy life," Beeman said. Braun also suggested that "other alumni, of widely varying backgrounds and careers, might have something to offer our students," Beeman said. Although invitations have not yet been sent out to various alumni, Beeman said he hopes that the selected College graduates will talk "very analytically, but very personally, about how you construct a successful life." According to Kneeley, the content of each session will primarily be determined by the speaker -- some might focus more on what they learned from Penn, while others might discuss their lives after Penn. Regardless of the specific format, Kneeley expects "Lessons in Leadership" to be mutually beneficial for both the current students and the alumni. "Alumni love the opportunity to connect with the students," Kneeley said. And College students, many of whom might be insecure about their job opportunities, can learn that a "liberal arts education provides you with the tools to be successful in all arenas," Kneeley noted. This new initiative also marks an attempt by the College to introduce students to alumni and engage in "networking" opportunities -- long considered a staple of a Wharton School education. ""We need to find settings, both for credit and not for credit, in which we could help to develop leadership skills," Beeman noted.
(02/15/99 10:00am)
Whether they supported Clinton or not, students were mostly disgusted with the year-long scandal. President Clinton's acquittal on Friday may have neatly wrapped up a messy, year-long White House sex scandal, but it has left many Penn students with conflicting emotions. Students voiced their disappointment, happiness, relief and apathy in an informal survey last night on the Senate's decision to acquit Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. The president was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19 despite overwhelming popular support for Clinton in national polls. Fifty members of the Senate voted to convict Clinton on charges of obstruction of justice, while 45 voted to convict him on the charge that he committed perjury before Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's grand jury August 17. A two-thirds majority in the Senate -- or 67 votes -- are required to remove a president from office. "I'm absolutely disgusted. I think he should be in jail," College junior James Oakley said. "He committed a felony. It's an embarrassment that someone could commit such crimes against our judicial system. It's bad. It's horrible." College junior Carly Romeo was also disappointed that the president was not convicted. "He just lied blatantly," Romeo said. "The fact that he was doing all this stuff in the office while he was trying to run the country, that pissed me off." And Kelly Ryan, a third-year Law student, characterized herself as "quietly outraged." "Clinton has no moral authority. [The acquittal] basically means that anyone in America can do anything they want," Ryan said. Some students, however, were entirely ambivalent about Friday's events in Washington. "I have no opinion on it. I couldn't care less," College sophomore Adam Wagner said. Cole Parker, a College junior, said that he "didn't even know that [Clinton] was acquitted." "I wasn't even paying attention," Parker added, noting that the entire process has been a "big waste of time." Still, others -- whether disappointed with the president's behavior or angry with the Republicans' continued attempt to remove Clinton from office -- were relieved that the controversy was finally ending. "I was just glad that it was finally over because I was just sick of the entire issue," College sophomore Nilova Saha said. Andy Robbins, an Engineering sophomore, explained that he "was slightly miffed at the whole process, that it took so long and came up with nothing." But Clinton can rest assured that he still has some loyal supporters -- or at least students who were vehemently against the impeachment proceedings -- on Penn's campus. "I thought it was a waste of time," Nursing freshman Karen Cullen said of the process. "He shouldn't have been kicked out of the office for this one little thing. He's been doing a wonderful job otherwise." And College junior Arlene Abecassis called it a "disgrace" that "everybody cuts [Clinton] down," explaining that Friday's outcome ended a "big [distraction] to everyone."
(02/09/99 10:00am)
Students in Economics 2 face an exam during the Penn-Princeton game. Better late than never. That's exactly the case for around 600 Penn students -- mostly Wharton freshmen -- whose Economics 2 "Introductory Macroeconomics" midterm exam begins tonight at 7:15 p.m. -- 15 minutes before the tipoff at the men's Penn-Princeton basketball game. The exam will end at 8:15 p.m., allowing those students with tickets to arrive at the Palestra just in time for the second half. The Penn-Princeton basketball game is traditionally the most highly publicized and eagerly anticipated Quakers sporting event of the year. With Penn (14-3, 6-0 Ivy League) hoping to dethrone the Tigers as Ivy champions this season, the game has taken on extra significance -- so much so that some students are wondering whether an exam should be scheduled on the night of the game. "I hate it. I don't think I'm going to be able to think during the test," said Wharton freshman David Lebel of Tuesday's time conflicts, adding that he and two friends -- both of whom are taking the exam -- will rush to the game as soon as the exam is finished. Wharton freshman Frank Jones said he "would have liked an opportunity to have gone." "Perhaps there could have been some adjustments made by the department," he said. "I don't see why [the exam] couldn't have been on a Wednesday or Thursday." But according to Economics Professor Yongsung Chang, one of the course's four professors, the "class size of Econ 2 is too big to change the exam date in a short period of time." He did say, however, that the professors had considered moving the midterm when they learned about the game. Students in the Joseph Wharton Scholars program -- the school's selective honors section -- also had an exam scheduled for today, but it was moved to Thursday after Economics Professor William Whitney deemed today a "national holiday." Mark Rosenzweig, chairperson of the Economics Department, defended the decision not to change the exam date. "The University of Pennsylvania is an academic institution in which academics are the priority," said Rosenzweig, who explained that most important athletic events are scheduled on weekends "so as not to interfere with students' ability to carry out academic activities in an academically efficient manner." Not all students, however, are crushed by the scheduling conflict. While some are disappointed that they will miss some of the game, they do not blame the Econ department. Wharton freshman Carine Ildebrando, who is hoping to find a ticket before tipoff, said the game is "not anything that I think [the professors] would know about." And Stefan Krasowski, also a Wharton freshman, said he "can't condemn [the Economics Department] too hard for not checking every schedule." "You have to deem what games are more important," Krasowski added. "If you do it for basketball, then the fencers will feel left out." Rosenzweig also said the Athletic Department should share some blame as well for scheduling "one of the most important sports events of the year, and the only Ivy League contest across all sports, on a normal academic weekday." According to Bill Richter, the Athletic Department's coordinator of marketing and promotions, scheduling is done during the summer by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which does not consider it a priority to place the more important games on the weekends. Penn's last game against Princeton was March 3, 1998 -- also a Tuesday night. The Quakers lost to the then-No.8 ranked Tigers in overtime, 78-72.
(02/09/99 10:00am)
Members of the Class of 2003 are engaging in an e-mail-based discussion. As they await the start of their freshman year, members of Penn's incoming Class of 2003 no longer have to resign themselves to the high school senior slump. An on-line seminar -- designed by English Professor Al Filreis and Classical Studies Professor Jim O'Donnell -- launched last week provides a forum for members of the incoming class to meet other prospective freshmen, current Penn students, professors and even alumni, long before they arrive in the fall as freshmen. The seminar, which takes place entirely over e-mail listserves, serves as a gateway to many of the academic and social issues that typically arise at the University. Last year, the group of 32 high school seniors who participated in the seminar were issued a required reading book for the course -- A History of Reading, by Alberto Manguel. The students discussed the book in an academic context, as well as college requirements, how to choose classes and how to handle stress. In the beginning of the course, the students wrote a personal introduction that described themselves and one that asked them to identify with another person or object. Later, as the course progressed, they bonded over the anxiety of signing up for classes and choosing professors. They were later "visited" in the seminar by various professors, including Anthropology Professor Alan Mann and Mathematics Department Chairperson Dennis DeTurck. This year, of the 920 students who were admitted in December under Penn's early-decision program, the nearly 600 who submitted their e-mail addresses on their applications received a letter from College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman inviting them to apply for the seminar, which launched last weekend. To apply, students were required to submit a paragraph describing themselves and explaining why they wanted to join the electronic seminar. Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Kent Peterman said he received over 200 applications from current high school seniors and accepted 125. An additional 125 will be added in May when more students are accepted through regular decision, Peterman said. In a letter sent to this year's crop of early admits, Beeman said that joining the seminar would allow the students to "start with a community of friends among both students and faculty." According to O'Donnell, narrowing the applicants down to a small "conversational" group is challenging, particularly because of the "highly talented and interesting" people who apply. This year, there are five separate listserves, each led by a faculty member or administrator. College senior Rachael Goldfarb, the former chairperson of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, will be subscribing to one of the listserves for the second straight year. Goldfarb, who said she is "really jealous" that no such program existed when she was in high school, said she became "addicted" to participating in the seminar and enjoys speaking with the students on-line. But it is perhaps the social aspect of the seminar that last year's participants enjoyed the most. College freshman Ben Koch, one of last year's program's participants, said it was "nice to know people" at the beginning of the year. And College freshman Zack Lodmer explained that one of his main reasons for applying to the seminar was to "meet cool people." Both said they still keep in touch with many of their former electronic "classmates." Koch said that from a social perspective, he and the rest of his classmates were well-prepared for life at Penn -- especially as the on-line conversations turned to "preparing for school [and those] kind of things." O'Donnell agreed, adding that "when people who did it last year showed up at Penn, they were ready for school in a way that freshmen aren't typically."
(02/03/99 10:00am)
Penn Mathematics Professor Richard Kadison is a self-proclaimed "low profile" kind of guy. But after winning the Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement, the 73-year-old mathematician might have a harder time maintaining a low profile than solving an algebraic brainteaser. The American Mathematical Society awarded Kadison its Lifetime Achievement prize -- considered the most prestigious prize in the field of mathematics -- on January 14 at a ceremony in San Antonio, Texas. Kadison -- who arrived at Penn in 1964 from Columbia University -- specializes in operator algebras and is one of the leading experts in the field. At Penn, he was named the Kuemmerle Professor of Mathematics and has also been honored with Fulbright, Sloan and Guggenheim research fellowships. Kadison is the first Penn professor to ever win the award. According to Kadison, operation algebras is a "subject that provides us with the mathematical language and mathematical technique for describing quantum physics." The Lifetime Achievement award is given annually to one mathematician -- usually a university professor -- for long-term outstanding research. The ceremony's program attributed the "tremendous flourishing of [operator algebras] in the last 30 years" to Kadison's efforts. The AMS told Kadison in early November that he had won the award, but none of his colleagues knew Kadison was the winner until the day he was leaving to claim the prize. But while only his wife made the trip with him, Kadison joked that his colleagues -- particularly Mathematics Chairperson Dennis DeTurck, who tried unsuccessfully to book a last-minute flight to San Antonio -- were "down there with me in spirit." Kadison said he was happy to hear about his victory. "I was pleased for a lot of reasons," he said. "[The award] is very nice for the University [and] it's very nice for my colleagues." But Kadison also recognized that the award "could have gone to a number of other people as well." "I think I'm also aware of how much luck goes into [winning]," he added. Kadison himself may downplay the importance of the Lifetime Achievement Award, but his colleagues had nothing but high praise for his accomplishments and for the significance of the honor. "It's well-deserved," said Math Professor Gerald Porter, adding that the department has "been a leader for a long time in functional analysis," Kadison's specialty. And Math Professor Jerry Kazdan, who has known Kadison for 32 years, said he was "delighted" for his long-time friend. "It's one of the highest honors the American math community can give to a mathematician," he said.
(02/02/99 10:00am)
Thanks to the creation of a new interdisciplinary program, Penn's list of alumni might soon include the next Steven Spielberg or even a big-shot Hollywood executive. Effective this semester, the University is offering a Film Studies minor, which allows students to take film courses in various academic departments -- and have the concentration noted on their record for the first time. "The idea is to give students a sense of film culture," said Italian Professor Milicent Marcus, who will serve as the program's director. According to Marcus -- the Mariano DiVito Professor of Italian Studies and former director of the University of Texas' Film Studies program -- the new minor indicates that studying film is now considered a "serious academic endeavor" among college students and faculty. The Film Studies minor requires at least seven course units, including two introductory courses: Film Studies 101, entitled "History of Film," and Film Studies 102, entitled "Reading Film." Marcus, a renowned expert on Italian cinema, said students can complete the minor by taking two different types of courses. Some of the courses are "primarily dedicated to film," such as "Masterpieces of French Cinema" and "Topics in Film and Literature." The second category includes courses that are "more loosely related to film," such as "History of Photography." Penn currently offers film courses in several language departments -- including French, German, Japanese and Italian -- as well as in the English Department. Although the minor is specifically intended to educate students about film as an art form, English Professor John Katz said students might also learn tangible skills and knowledge that could benefit them after graduation. "[Film] students are extremely keen and extremely well-motivated. I think, if they want, they'll be able to enter the industry in some form or another," said Katz, who is currently teaching English 92, "Film History and Theory," as well as English 292, "Directors of Comedy Cinema." Marcus said student input will be an integral aspect of the new program. A soon-to-be-formed Undergraduate Advisory Board for the Film Studies minor will work in conjunction with the faculty, advising professors on course offerings and publicizing relevant events. College junior Eugene Kwack, who will head the student committee, said that "commitment and interest in film studies at the University" is the primary criterion for joining the advisory board. Members do not have to be minors, Kwack said, adding that he hopes to get applications from diverse students of any year who have varied interests. Since the minor is newly developed, University officials are not sure whether a Film Studies major will be a future option. "It is my expectation that some time in the near future we would move to expand the program and make Film Studies a major," said Richard Beeman, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "But obviously, we need to be assured that our smaller scale efforts are successful before doing that," Beeman added. English majors already have the option of pursuing a concentration of "Film, Literature and Theory" within the major.
(01/29/99 10:00am)
Whether it's the proximity to campus or the spacious front-yard gardens, several University faculty members say their West Philadelphia homes and neighborhoods suit their needs perfectly. "I was attracted by the beauty of the neighborhood, the beauty of the homes and by the convenience of being able to work," said Hematology Professor Janet Abrahm, who moved to West Philadelphia 19 years ago. Although they said they recognize potential perils of the neighborhood, Abrahm and other faculty members seem largely unfazed by such fears as local crime. "[I] do not feel that the neighborhood is any less safe than other comparable urban environments," said Abrahm, who lives on the 500 block of South 41st Street. Maurice Burrison, the 89-year-old director of the Faculty Club Art Gallery and longtime resident of the 300 block of South 46th Street, said students' concerns about moving west of 40th Street are "extremely exaggerated." Burrison -- a former president of the Spruce Hill Community Association -- also said crime in West Philadelphia "varies very little from the norm [of an urban neighborhood]." University officials are working to make the area attractive. In April they unveiled two new programs that give cash incentives for living in the surrounding community. The Home Ownership Incentive Program -- modeled on a successful program at Yale University -- provides University faculty members or staff who buy homes in University City and agree to live in the house for at least seven years with either $3,000 for seven years or $15,000 up front for housing costs. And the Home Improvement Loan Program allows those who already own homes in University City to get up to $7,500 in matching funds for exterior home improvements. Yet some, like John Carstens -- the University's editor of media and publications services -- still say the community needs to make more improvements. Carstens, who lived on the 4200 block of Chester Avenue for 20 years until recently, said the neighborhood has "gone downhill" over recent years. But Carstens described his old West Philadelphia neighborhood as "nice and cosmopolitan," and said that he "never felt particular dread" about walking late at night in the community. Another inevitable fact of life in West Philadelphia is the perennial presence of students in the neighborhoods. But several faculty members said they simply accepted the noise -- if they even heard it all. Abrahm said she and her husband "have certainly not been disturbed, or not often, by any student activities." Philosophy Professor Gary Hatfield, who lives on the 500 block of South 46th Street, remarked that he does not "experience noise from parties at night, which would bother me if I did." Those who do live near students and do hear noise emanating from their houses, however, still regard undergraduates and graduates as important parts of the neighborhood. Carstens reasoned that "different age groups make it a good neighborhood," while Burrison took a more comical stance. "They're young and I'm old. What can I do?" Burrison joked.
(01/28/99 10:00am)
School officials are considering making major changes to the core course requirements in the College of Arts and Sciences. University officials are currently engaged in a "top-to-bottom review" of the College curriculum and are considering revising the General Requirement, according to College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman. The most dramatic possible revision -- currently being discussed by Beeman, the Committee for Undergraduate Education and other faculty members -- is the tentatively-titled "experimental college," an initiative that could start in the fall of 2000 for the incoming Class of 2004. The suggestion is to offer around 200 incoming freshmen the opportunity to enroll in the program, which would exempt the students from all aspects of the current General Requirement -- as well as the writing, language and quantitative skills requirements -- and would obligate them instead to fulfill a separate set of requirements. No one would be assigned to or be required to enroll in the experimental college. Officials are brainstorming possible revisions of the existing General Requirement, Beeman said, because there is a general sentiment that "the knowledge base is changing dramatically" at the turn of the century. Under the current General Requirement, students are required to take a total of 10 courses in seven different sectors, including history, the humanities and the sciences. Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Kent Peterman said invitations to participate in the experimental college program would not be based on academic merit but would include a "broad cross section of students" and a "good representative sample." The program's requirements would differ depending on the individual student's specific interest. If a student were interested in international affairs, for example, the experimental college might require him to fulfill a language requirement and spend a semester studying abroad, Beeman said. Administrators and faculty members emphasized that the planning has just begun and that no details have been finalized. It is not yet known which requirements would be included in the experimental college, nor which students will be able to participate or even when -- if at all -- it takes effect. "[The plans] are very, very preliminary," Peterman stressed. "We don't know if we're going to come up with a set of recommendations that amount to a mild revision of the General Requirement or a dramatic one," Beeman said. It is possible, though, that if the initiative proves successful during its first year the General Requirement could be eliminated for all students, administrators said. Beeman said the idea for this "fairly bold educational alternative" stems from the University's "obligation to think very boldly" and envision what a Penn education is going to be like in "10, 20 years." According to Beeman, the wide range of choices that characterizes the existing General Requirement will -- to some extent -- remain in the experimental college. "Whatever substitute we emerge with will allow students significant choice because? there's too much stuff out there to be able to say 'these six courses are the essential courses'," Beeman said. Another possible aspect of the experimental college, administrators said, could be a more detailed core curriculum. Beeman noted the increasing desire among administrators for more stringent requirements with "more focus and coherence." "We would work to engage our faculty to design some special courses that synthesize and integrate knowledge across a wide range of fields," Beeman said. And other administrators also envision more structured requirements in the experimental college. "I think movement would be towards consolidated core courses," School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston said. Preston too said there is no "single criticism" of the existing General Requirement, but noted that the current requirements are a "decade old" and merit another consideration. Once details for the General Requirement have been worked out more fully, the entire College faculty will review the proposition. But while the experimental college is certainly an experiment, Math Professor and CUE Chairperson Frank Warner explained that "students shouldn't get the idea that they'll be guinea pigs," since the alternative curriculum will be entirely optional. Beeman's proposal surfaced this summer, according to Warner, when Beeman raised the issue of a "fresh, new consideration" of the general education requirements.
(01/26/99 10:00am)
The longtime head of Penn's African Studies Center officially stepped down earlier this month, ending a 10-year term dedicated to educating students about African life and culture. Sandra Barnes resigned in September as the Center's director but stayed on since then in an interim capacity. The University responded to Barnes' departure this month by naming Sociology Professor Tukufu Zuberi as the Center's director. Until he takes over on July 1, Political Science Professor Tom Callaghy will be the Center's acting head. The African Studies Center is part of a four-school consortium that includes Penn and three smaller regional schools. According to its World Wide Web site, the Center "promotes interdisciplinary instruction and research" in Africa-related studies. Barnes, an Anthropology professor at the University, said she is ready to leave the Center, but is looking forward to returning to teaching next fall. "I've done this for 10 years and it's time -- 10 years is long enough," Barnes said. "The Center needs new and fresh ideas and a new vision." Currently on sabbatical, Barnes plans to continue research on her manuscript this semester, which provides a "historical reconstruction" of life in a West African region during the slave trade. Since she spearheaded several initiatives during her tenure, there is no doubt that Barnes is leaving a lot behind her. With Barnes at the helm, Penn's African Studies Center was the first of its kind to broadcast language lessons in area public schools -- an initiative that Barnes called a "great success." And in 1993, the African Studies program -- in cooperation with Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore colleges -- received a $520,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, allowing the four-school consortium to establish an African Studies Undergraduate National Resources Center. Penn is one of 12 universities to have a federally-funded National Resource Center. In addition, the Center has a Web site that has been hailed by the Library of Congress as the "most comprehensive on-line source of information about Africa." Barnes' own commitment to African studies dates back almost 30 years to when she traveled to Sierra Leone as a Peace Corps volunteer in the mid-1960s. She said she "became so enthralled that [she] wanted to go to graduate school." She later attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she studied Anthropology and African History. Callaghy, who is also the co-director of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies in the Wharton School, will be the Center's acting director this semester. "I hope to operate [the Center] at peak proficiency," Callaghy said. Callaghy is also one of 12 faculty members of the Center's Executive Committee -- a group comprised of professors who teach African Studies-related courses. While Zuberi could not be reached for comment yesterday, his colleagues said they have no doubt that he will be a successful replacement. "I think he can manage. He knows the challenges. He knows what's going on," said Ali Ali-Dinar, the Center's outreach coordinator. And according to Lynette Loose, the Center's program coordinator, Zuberi has "lots of ideas."
(01/21/99 10:00am)
Six scholarships worth a total of $4,000 will be awarded to recognize outstanding research. Undergraduate students interested in challenging themselves academically -- and making a few bucks on the side -- now have an additional opportunity to do so. Working in conjunction with the Perspectives in Humanities program, an undergraduate living-learning program in Harrison College House -- formerly known as High Rise South -- and Kings Court/English House, the new Penn Humanities Forum will be offering six scholarships to undergraduate students interested in doing research in the humanities, English Department Chairperson Wendy Steiner said. One scholarship, called the Undergraduate Research Prize, is worth $1,500, while five others each provide for $300. "The larger [scholarship] is to allow an undergraduate who is doing really wonderful research to be honored for that," said Steiner, who is also director of the Humanities Forum, which is intended to facilitate intellectual exchange between professors of different academic departments. The fellowship opportunity marks the first joint initiative undertaken by the Perspectives in Humanities program -- the undergraduate wing of the forum -- and the forum itself. According to College sophomore Sara Nasuti, the PIH program manager, the criteria for the prizes include a "well-thought-out proposal for a research project in the humanities and the motivation to foster communication between the Penn Humanities Forum and the undergraduate community." Steiner said strong academic standing is also an important criterion. Each year, scholarship applicants will have to research a specific topic -- starting with human nature this year. "The idea is to create a kind of ongoing research seminar for undergraduates that parallels the faculty's research that's going on at the same time," Steiner said. She added that research has "not always been an easy thing to promote" among undergraduates, particularly in the humanities. "When the forum was first created, there was really no undergraduate aspect in it," said Nasuti, who is also a Daily Pennsylvanian staff photographer. The PIH approached the forum, and together, the two groups have created the six scholarships. The Humanities Forum is currently accepting applications from undergraduates and will announce the winners February 8. The fellowships themselves will begin next fall and will last for the entire 1999-2000 school year, Nasuti said. The forum will kick off February 18 in College Hall. Slated to operate out of Bennett Hall, it is intended to keep students and faculty informed of humanities-related issues and events in the Philadelphia community. Guests at the celebration will include the former and current heads of the National Endowment for the Humanities -- History Professor Sheldon Hackney, who left his position as Penn's president in 1993 to head the NEH, and William Ferris, who currently holds the post. The president of Bryn Mawr College will also participate in the event.
(01/15/99 10:00am)
Four months after Penn's Institute of Contemporary Art Director Patrick Murphy announced his resignation, the University this week selected an interim director to fill the slot. Former Interim Provost Michael Wachter tapped Judith Tannenbaum, 54, to begin this week as the ICA's interim director, a position she held nine years ago before Murphy took over. "I am happy to serve and basically carry the job during its transition," Tannenbaum said. She added that she did not actively seek out the position and that she is not interested in being a contender for the permanent job. At the time of her appointment, Tannenbaum was the ICA's associate director and curator. She currently serves on the art committee of the City of Philadelphia's Redevelopment Authority as well as on the Mayor's Art Advisory Council in City Hall. In a press release issued Wednesday by the University, Wachter said he was "very pleased that someone with Judith's experience and commitment has agreed to serve as interim director for the ICA." He added that arts institutions like the ICA "help us to meet our cultural priorities." Three University representatives -- Graduate School of Fine Arts Dean Gary Hack, School of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Rebecca Bushnell and provost's office staff member Bonnie Gibson -- have been charged with finding a new ICA director since Murphy stepped down in November. The ICA also has three representatives of its own on the search committee. Gibson said that while a specific date for a permanent hiring is "difficult to predict," the committee's current target is July 1. She said the committee has just recently begun advertising for the job and has hired the assistance of a professional search firm -- Management Consultants for the Arts. According to Gibson, the committee is looking for "someone who can do it all" -- specifically a person with "strong management experience" and "curatorial experience in the arts." The 35-year-old ICA -- located at 36th and Sansom streets and overseen by the provost's office -- has long featured avant-garde exhibits of contemporary art. It was the ICA, for example, that exhibited the work of then-unknown artist Andy Warhol and became the first public space to show his work. In 1988, the institute showed an exhibit of the work of the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The exhibit was denounced as pornographic and homoerotic by some members of Congress and sparked a long debate about the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts -- which funds the ICA and many of its artists. Two years later, when Murphy took over as director, he displayed another controversial exhibit -- Andres Serrano's art, deemed antireligious by many critics -- which led further Congressional debate. Murphy served as ICA director for eight years and announced in September that he would resign and return to his native Ireland this summer to assume a similar position. Until then, he will remain with the ICA in an adjunct status to curate two of the exhibits he helped to establish -- "Three Stanzas: Miroslaw Balka, Robert Gober and Seamus Heaney," opening today, and "Teresita Fernandez," opening March 19.
(01/14/99 10:00am)
The impeachment showdown has proved a useful lesson for some Political Science courses. With issues of partisanship and loyalty currently encompassing the nation's capital, the effects of impeachment politics are likely to resonate across the country. And while President Clinton can certainly rest assured that not everyone in Penn's Political Science Department will be glued to C-SPAN for coverage of the historic Senate trial -- which begins today on Capitol Hill -- some of the department's professors have decided to make the impeachment an integral part of their coursework. Most of the department's American Politics professors said Clinton's predicament would serve as an illustration of certain concepts taught in class, but that the focus would be on the legal and constitutional basis for impeachment -- not the president's now-notorious sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Political Science Professor Jack Nagel's Introduction to Political Science course, for example, has a section on the syllabus devoted to political leaders, their characteristics and their moral standards. Although Nagel said that these issues are standard fare for the course, he noted that they are certainly more important given Clinton's present political situation. "We'd touch on [impeachment] one way or another, but this time we'll explicitly relate it to President Clinton," Nagel noted. During his first lecture of the course, Nagel joked with his class that politics today seem "all about sex, lies and audiotapes." And Political Science Professor Anne Norton said her Introduction to American Politics Course will also include a discussion of "impeachment in general," while focusing specifically on Clinton. "The impeachment will also be discussed in relation to the party system and partisanship," she explained. Other professors claimed that while the impeachment itself might deserve some mention, the media has erred in focusing too much on Clinton's sex scandal -- a topic that will be absent from Political Science Professor Will Harris's class on constitution-making. According to Harris, the biggest issue at hand is the nation's "dysfunctional" bipartisan government, not the President's sexual escapades. "I think [the impeachment] will be studied historically for all of its errors and misconceptions," Harris said, referring to the entire scandal as a "media-driven phenomenon" and explaining that he will only make "indirect references" to Clinton's situation. Some other professors said they would not devote time to any aspects of the impeachment proceedings. Political Science professors Avery Goldstein and David Rousseau -- both international politics experts -- said the trial bears little relevance to their respective course agendas. Goldstein, who currently teaches a course on International Security, said that although he "undoubtedly will briefly mention the impact of Clinton's troubles on U.S. foreign policy," he has "no plans to focus closely on the issue." "It is more likely that I will simply interject observations [on the president] as I touch on matters," Goldstein added. And Rousseau, who is teaching International Relations Theory and Practice, said that the current political situation does not directly impact international affairs. "[The impeachment] probably doesn't play a central role in [Saddam] Hussein's decision-making process," Rousseau said, explaining why his class will not spend time on the Clinton scandal. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. But regardless of individual differences of opinion concerning the impeachment's relevance, most agreed that December 19 will be an important date to future history students. "It will certainly be a part of history," Rousseau said. "Impeachment hasn't happened very often.? People will be discussing it and analyzing it."
(12/10/98 10:00am)
Penn's new provost, Asian American concerns and the planned Wharton School building were also discussed. Lengthy conversations about women's safety on campus, Penn's Asian American community and the proposed new Wharton School building highlighted yesterday's University Council open forum, held during the advisory body's monthly meeting. After bidding farewell to Interim Provost Michael Wachter and welcoming Provost-designate Robert Barchi, University President Judith Rodin addressed women's safety on campus -- an issue that gained prominence last month when a sophomore woman was attacked by a knife-wielding man just before 3 a.m. in a basement bathroom of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, one of the few campus buildings open 24 hours a day. "We all share distress in the fact that a student was attacked early in the morning in Steinberg-Dietrich," Rodin told the crowd. "There was an intensive 24-hour-a-day investigation. The suspect was arrested very, very shortly." According to Rodin, the administration is currently engaged in a "comprehensive review of academic facilities," noting that several methods designed to lessen crime on campus have recently been proposed. Rodin said Penn is assessing the number of facilities being used for 24-hour academic activities and deciding which buildings merit being open all day. The University is also considering limiting after-hour access to one door only and requiring students to "prominently display their PennCards" in order to gain access late at night. But Rodin also noted that "if users of the buildings continue to prop doors open, then no action that our Public Safety department can take will ensure all of our securities." Public Safety officials believe the suspect in the attack, a 16-year-old West Philadelphia resident now charged with attempted murder and attempted rape, entered Steinberg-Dietrich via a side door which was propped open. The first speaker to address Council as part of the body's annual open forum meeting was College junior Erin Healy, the co-chairperson of the Penn chapter of the National Organization of Women, who spoke on behalf of a "coalition of proactive women students and organizations." Healy presented a list of four demands to Council, as well as a list of 19 bathrooms on campus lacking in "emergency security alarms." The demands included "regularly maintained emergency alarms, multiple victim advocacy resources, a more frequent publication of the step-by-step procedure for reporting crimes and a mandatory workshop" on violence prevention which would be included in New Student Orientation. Council member Deborah James, a student in the Graduate School of Education, countered Healy's arguments by saying that "in my 10 years here, I felt safe as a woman on campus." After some deliberation, Council agreed to discuss the issue during next month's meeting. Following the women's safety discussion, Council turned its attention to English Professor Eric Cheyfitz, chairperson of Council's Pluralism Committee. Cheyfitz charged the administration with giving "no further response" to the committee's April report recommending that Penn "aggressively recruit Asian/Pacific American staff and/or staff with skills in dealing with the issues faced by Asian Pacific American students." The report also called for "planning and development of an Asian American resource center." Cheyfitz asked for an immediate response to the committee's recommendations. Andrea Cherng and Seung Lee, representing the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs Committee and the Asian Pacific Student Coalitionrespectively, echoed Cheyfitz's sentiments. According to Lee, while Penn may have a relatively large number of Asian and Pacific Americans, there is "little Asian American presence on campus." Wachter responded by saying that the School of Arts and Sciences has authorized the History Department to search for a tenured Asian-American faculty member for the year 1999-2000, adding that the "number of Asian Americans on our rolls is a good number." Council Moderator William Harris, a Political Science professor, referred the issue to Council's steering committee. Transportation Professor Vukan Vuchic reviewed the 1997-98 year-end report of Council's Facilities Committee. The report focused on what committee members viewed as a lack of consultation on plans for the new Wharton School building to be built on the former University Bookstore site at 38th Street and Locust Walk. The discussion was originally scheduled for last month's meeting, which was canceled because of what University Secretary Rosemary McManus called a lack of agenda items. It was the first Council meeting in six years to be canceled. Rodin said that demolition of the Bookstore site and construction of the new facility would not begin until next summer, not the spring, as outgoing Wharton School Dean Thomas Gerrity said in October. Council, composed of 92 faculty, staff and students, meets monthly to talk about major issues facing the University community and to make recommendations.
(12/09/98 10:00am)
The hearing will address minority permanence, safety and playing fields. University Council will hold its annual open forum this afternoon, enabling the University's top advisory body to hear campus leaders express their opinions on some of Penn's most pressing issues. During today's meeting -- scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall -- students, staff and faculty members will discuss issues including athletic field space availability, women's safety on campus, the future of the University's Asian-American community and the naming of Penn's buildings and locales. The meeting, like all Council sessions, is open to the entire University community. Today's forum will also feature a potentially contentious discussion of the 1997-98 year-end report of the Council's Facilities Committee. The report focused on what committee members viewed as a lack of consultation on plans for the new Wharton School building to be built on the site of the former University Bookstore at 38th Street and Locust Walk. The discussion was originally scheduled for last month's meeting, which was canceled because of what University Secretary Rosemary McManus called a lack of agenda items. Council, composed of about 92 faculty, students and staff, meets monthly to advise the president and provost on issues facing the University. After regular status reports from University President Judith Rodin, Interim Provost Michael Wachter and other top administrators, the six open forum speeches -- each limited to three minutes -- will begin at about 4:15 p.m. and will be followed by questions and comments from audience members. "Part of the character of Penn is this opportunity to voice your opinion," McManus said. "It's about participating in the community." Each of the issues to be discussed has recently attracted significant attention around campus. Women's safety on campus was brought to the forefront last month, when a female sophomore was attacked at 3 a.m. by a knife-wielding man in a bathroom in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. A 16-year-old juvenile has been charged with attempted murder, attempted rape and other charges in connection with the assault. Penn's current lack of field space became prominent in September, when the Athletic Department announced its plans to build a 2,000-seat baseball stadium on Murphy Field -- the current playing field of several of Penn's club sports teams. Also, English Professor Eric Cheyfitz, chairperson of Council's Pluralism Committee, will be "raising some issues" about Penn's Asian community -- issues that are particularly pertinent following last month's report by the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs Committee, which was formed by Penn President Judith Rodin. The students issued a report in November. The report -- published in Almanac, the University's journal of record -- asked Penn to "aggressively recruit Asian/Pacific American staff and/or staff with skills in dealing with the issues faced by Asian Pacific American students." United Minorities Council Chairperson Charles Howard, a College junior and member of the Pluralism Committee, said that he will release the specifics of a "project" that he has been working on with Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Bill Conway. Conway, a Wharton junior, said that the project entailed 1,000 or more members of the Penn community joining hands in a line stretching down Locust Walk from 34th Street to 40th Street. Administrators would be invited to speak and participants would contribute money to help raise scholarship funds. "It'd be like a unity thing," Conway said, emphasizing that most of the details for the event, tentatively scheduled for April, have not been set. "[It could be] just cheesy enough to work."
(12/03/98 10:00am)
While Philadelphia Public League teams vie for a place in the league's upcoming championship games, the games' organizers continue to vie with a much more serious problem -- finding an area arena willing to host the boy's and girl's finals. Penn officials have not yet agreed to host the games in the historic Palestra -- the site of the last two championships -- out of lingering concerns sparked by the shootings after last year's game that left one person dead and three wounded, including a University student. "I have nothing to report," University spokesperson Ken Wildes said. "We'll make [the decision] when we're ready to make it." Meanwhile, Public League officials, preparing for a possible rejection, recently contacted Temple University in Northeast Philadelphia to inquire about using the school's Apollo arena. The games are traditionally played on the first Sunday in March, which falls on March 1 in 1999. Temple officials, though, say that the arena isn't available on that date. "As of right now, the date [the Public League] asked for, we do not have available," said Tom Anderson, Temple's associate vice-president of community relations. Temple is hosting the George Washington Carver Science Fair on March 1, Anderson said. Public League officials could not be reached for comment on the possibility of postponing the games. Penn's deliberations about hosting the event stem from a gunfight outside of the Palestra following last year's men's championship game. Gunshots had also been fired the previous year, although no one was hurt. Philadelphia resident Anthony Davis, who was killed in last year's shootings, and two of the people who were wounded had attended the game. Police have charged two suspects in the shootings. The shootings rocked both Penn and the city. The trials of the two alleged shooters have yet to begin. On March 15, police obtained an arrest warrant for Kyle McLemore, 21, of South Philadelphia's Gray's Ferry section. Two days later, he turned himself in at the Center City office of his lawyer, Charles Peruto, Jr. Nearly two months later, police also arrested Nate Ortiz, 21, of the 1800 block of South 6th Street. Although police officials do not believe the shooting was directly related to the basketball game, University administrators came under criticism for agreeing to host the event at all. If Penn does indeed refuse to host the championship game, it would be the second time in as many years that a Philadelphia university declined to host a Public League event. Drexel University declined to host the league's boy's and girl's all-star games earlier this year, citing concerns stemming from the Palestra shootings. St. Joseph's University -- located along the western outskirts of Philadelphia County -- volunteered to host the game shortly after Drexel made its decision.
(12/02/98 10:00am)
Different cable outlets combine to cover 14 men's basketball games. If the men's basketball team beats a couple more top ten teams, then maybe, just maybe, its future games will be televised on ESPN and CBS. But until that day, local alumni can still catch some Quakers games without even leaving home. This season, fourteen of the Quakers' games will be televised, mostly on local cable systems. Comcast Network, CN8, will televise seven of those games -- including both the home and away matchups against perennial conference rival Princeton. The channel is separate from Comcast SportsNet, a network carried by Wade Cable, the company that serves off-campus students in University City. Comcast SportsNet televises Phillies, Flyers and 76ers games and will broadcast the ECAC Festival -- a tournament involving Penn, Georgia Tech, Iona and Hofstra -- which will be played on December 26 and 27 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Although CN8 serves most Philadelphia area residents, it is not picked up in University City or Center City -- two of the Quakers' largest fan bases. "It's ridiculous that only CN8 covers the Big Five, and it's not available in Center City," said Lyle Goldberg, a 1980 College graduate who currently lives in Center City. "The Athletic Department needs to apply pressure to Greater Media Cable to pick up CN8." But, according to Decker Uhlhorn, the Penn Athletic Department's director of development and public affairs, getting extensive coverage from a prime-time network is extremely difficult. An NBC-owned affiliate will not, for example, "drop Friends to carry the Penn-St. Joseph's game," Uhlhorn said. Three of the men's games -- including the March 2 game at Princeton -- will be shown on Direct TV, a channel that is exclusively available to those who purchase a small satellite dish as well as an NCAA basketball package. ESPN also televised locally Penn's November 17 thriller against Kansas and will also show the December 12 date with Penn State. All of the Quakers' home games and selected away games will be broadcast on UTV -- a channel available to all students living on campus. WXPN, the University's public radio station, will be broadcasting six women's basketball games and 18 men's basketball games throughout the season. The station's broad range extends as far south as Maryland and as far north as central New Jersey. "[The Athletic Department] feels like it is important to have consistent, reliable coverage of basketball, and we provide that," said Vince Curren, general manager of WXPN -- located at 88.5 on the FM dial. WXPN will broadcast all but three of the Quakers' games. The only matchups that fans won't be able to catch on the station is a February 23 game against local rival Villanova, as well as two home contests against Dartmouth and Harvard on February 5 and 6, respectively. The Athletic Department has not yet determined who will cover those games. "What's happened this year, with the radio and TV, we're pretty pleased. We've gotten some very good coverage -- much more than we've had in the past," Uhlhorn explained.
(11/23/98 10:00am)
More than 200 people gathered in the Palestra to mark 25 years of women in Ivy League championship events. Though it was billed as a celebration of 25 years of Ivy League women's championship athletic competition, the exhibits, speakers and alumnae present made it clear that the event commemorated much more than just a silver anniversary. More than 200 former and current women student-athletes, administrators and coaches gathered Saturday in the Palestra to reminisce about glory days, see old friends and, most importantly, commemorate the past and celebrate the present of women's athletics at Penn and throughout the Ivy League. Upon entering the Palestra, many alumnae -- some escorted by husbands, children and grandchildren -- studied a massive timetable along the basketball court sideline that chronicled the history of women's athletics at Penn, from when the first women's varsity team, tennis, debuted in 1916, to next year's scheduled tee-off of women's golf. The exhibit, replete with decades-old photographs, traced many landmark events in women's athletics. "I didn't know half of what I've read today," said Polly Mitchell, a 1976 Penn alumna who started the women's fencing team and still coaches both sexes at Penn today. In 1973, the Ivy League had its first championship competition for women, a rowing contest. To celebrate the historic anniversary, each of the eight Ivy League universities is hosting a special commemorative event throughout the year. Penn's event, the second after Harvard's, was held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships, which were held at Franklin Field Friday and yesterday and won by Old Dominion. Indeed, while the Ivy League is collectively celebrating 25 years of championship competition, Penn is celebrating more than 80 years of women's athletics. Besides the Penn timeline, visitors also enjoyed a 20-foot, double-sided traveling photo exhibit that will be brought to each university for its respective event. The schools contributed photos of noteworthy athletes and historic moments in women's athletics in the Ivy League. The images ranged from a 1926 photo of Louise Drake, Penn's first black female athlete, sitting among her all-white basketball team, to a 1955 shot of four young Penn women in long dresses and posing with a golf club. Although they may not have personally recognized many of the alumnae in the pictures, several current women student-athletes were interested in the displays. "I've learned a lot about other Penn athletes. It makes you feel really good about playing women's sports," said College senior Amanda Bradford, a member of the squash team. In the formal part of the program, Penn Senior Associate Athletic Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich told the audience that "women's athletics at Penn goes back further than 25 years -- a testament to all of you today." Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, a 1971 Penn alumnus and former star guard on the Quakers basketball team, then cited the large increase in media coverage and national attention given to women's athletics. He added that "Penn has always been on the forefront of gender equity." The school has 15 women's varsity teams to 17 for men. University President Judith Rodin, a 1966 graduate of the College for Women, also discussed the "expansion of women's athletics," and the value of athletic competition. "You learn more than how to play a game. You learn about yourself and about life," Rodin said. Coaches, both past and present, were also honored on Saturday. Anne Sage, Penn's veteran lacrosse and field hockey coach, called them "surrogate parents, through the thick and thin of it all." After the speakers, Penn recognized 30 Honor Roll representatives -- two outstanding athletes from each sport. The athletes, 29 alumnae and one current student -- College senior and soccer player Darah Ross -- were selected over the summer by nearly 400 Penn alumnae. The alumnae at each university selected two representatives for each varsity sport. Nicky Hitchins, a 1989 Penn graduate and Honor Roll representative of the field hockey team, said after the program that being selected by peers was an "overwhelming" experience. "I got a letter in the mail from the Athletic Department. I didn't understand what it was all about," Hitchins said. The program concluded with a 10-minute video montage of Penn women athletes set to a soundtrack of female pop vocalists. Saturday's celebration was the culmination of months of comprehensive research done by students, administrators and alumnae -- most notably Cathy D'Ignazio, a 1984 alumnus of Penn and the field hockey team, who searched yearbooks, newspapers and archives. "I'm happy to see other people looking at all this," D'Ignazio said, pointing to the timeline.
(11/19/98 10:00am)
On Saturday, the Quakers' thrashing of Harvard became a university-wide celebration when thousands of students tossed the east goal post into the Schuylkill River. This Saturday, Penn will once again host a celebration -- a Silver Anniversary celebration, that is. Over 500 alumnae, students and guests will come to Penn on Saturday to commemorate 25 years of women's championship competition in the Ivy League. Throughout the year, each of the eight Ivy League schools will host a special weekend event to mark the 25-year landmark. Penn's weekend celebration kicks off on Saturday. The following day, the festivities continue as Penn hosts the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships at Franklin Field. Besides the field hockey championships -- an event that is, by itself, generating significant attention -- Penn is also specifically honoring the history of women's athletics in the Ivy League with a special exhibit at the Palestra. In preparation for the event, administrators, alumni and current students researched the history of Penn women's athletics -- a difficult task since much of the history was either incomplete or unrecorded. "We looked at what the archives had, what the yearbooks had, we looked at the newspapers," Carolyn Schlie Femovich -- Penn's senior associate athletic director -- said. The Palestra display, which will make its way to each of the eight Ivy campuses, features a 20-foot, two-sided traveling photo exhibit. The photos capture both the past 25 years and older moments in the history of women's athletics. Penn is also creating a timeline that traces important moments in Quakers' women's athletics, beginning in the 1920s. In addition, the exhibit features a more general study of what sports were being developed, where they were played, what the facilities were like and who the competition was. Though the Ivy League is celebrating the 25th anniversary of women's sports, the Penn timeline begins in the 1920s because, as Femovich noted, Penn women's athletic history dates back far longer than the 25 years of official Ivy competition. Penn's first recorded women's varsity team is the 1916 tennis squad. Prior to 1973, Penn's women's varsity squads competed against local schools and other Ivy League teams, but never competed in any sort of recorded championship contest. The first Ivy League women's championship held was a 1973 rowing contest. Squash is the most recent addition to the list of championships, having been added in 1982. Golf will be the next women's sport to debut an Ivy championship, as it holds its first this spring. According to Valerie Cloud, Penn's veteran field hockey coach, chronicling the history of women's collegiate athletics is especially important, as it gives current student-athletes a chance to connect with their predecessors. "I don't think the current students have a good sense of history," Cloud said, adding that she had just seen the photo display and considered it simply "awesome." Women's lacrosse coach Anne Sage agreed that Saturday's celebration will educate current student-athletes. "I think a lot of the current athletes think this is the way it always was," Sage said. "We didn't have the opportunities." Between the field hockey championship and the display inside of the Palestra, Penn expects a massive celebration of women's athletics this weekend. "It's just an awesome weekend for field hockey and for women's sports," Cloud said. "It will be very gratifying when it's all over."
(11/16/98 10:00am)
Their schedule features home games against nationally-ranked Kansas and Temple, their expectations are nothing short of huge and their chances of winning the Ivy League crown are the talk of the town. Welcome to the big time, folks. Welcome to Pennsylvania Quakers basketball. With a 60 percent increase in student season ticket sales and a pervasive sense around campus that the Red and Blue can dethrone Princeton and advance to the NCAA Tournament, the Palestra figures to be a charged arena this season. But for those fans who need a little extra incentive to travel out to the Palestra and cheer on the Quakers, Bill Richter, Penn's new coordinator of marketing and promotion, might have what you're looking for. Richter has plans to increase attendance at the Palestra and attract more student interest -- even before the season starts. Last Saturday, for example, students, faculty and staff were invited to the men's basketball practice from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. After the practice, fans were invited onto to the court to meet the players and coach Fran Dunphy. "It [was] a get-to-know-your-players kind of event," Richter said. Throughout the season, at each home game, students will be entertained by a halftime contest, sponsored by Susquehanna Investments. Three randomly chosen fans will shoot a three-point shot at halftime. If they make the shot, Richter said, they will receive a $100 gift certificate to Foot Locker. After the three-pointer, the lucky fans will fire from half-court. If one makes that shot, he or she will receive $10,000. "Somebody will hit that shot this year. I guarantee it," Richter said. In order to be eligible for the contest, students must bring their designated coupons to the games. Coupons for each home game will soon be distributed to every student living on campus. The coupons are, however, not substitutes for the actual tickets, which students can purchase at the Palestra the night of the game. As of the weekend, neither the Kansas game on November 17 or the Temple game on November 23 were sold out. For those two games -- the first of the season and arguably the Quakers' toughest -- the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News will hand out "fan packs" to every fan inside the Palestra. Inside the fan pack, for the Kansas game, will be a newspaper and a full-sized schedule poster, featuring action shots of the Quakers' basketball players. "Every game that [the fans] come to, there will be some type of promotional item," Richter said. Peter Bentivegna, Penn's coordinator of basketball operations, explained that "some [incentives] will help draw attendance and some will simply make the game more enjoyable for those in attendance." While it might seem like a foregone conclusion that opponents like Kansas and Temple would automatically bring fans out in herds, Richter doesn't want to take anything for granted. "You have to work just as hard to promote the big games as you do to promote the small games," Richter said. "People aren't thinking basketball yet," Richter added, explaining that promotions and incentives always draw more fans, regardless of the opponents. With the added incentive and the big-name opponents, Richter expects a "boisterous crowd to spur the Quakers onto victory." "It doesn't get much better than this," Richter said.
