Search Results
Below are your search results. You can also try a Basic Search.
(10/08/90 9:00am)
It's not American Express, but soon, you may not be able to leave home without it. Students may someday use their PENNcards to purchase sweatshirts from the Book Store and milk from WaWa. They may run their identification cards through a reader that will allow them to do their laundry -- without the hassle of getting change. They will circumvent long lines at the Bursar's Office by using their card to get information on their financial status. The only place they probably won't be able to use it is at the Chinese food trucks on the street. Although officials stress that a system with such an extensive capability may not be implemented for several years, they said the technology for a one-card system already exists. But as the University develops plans for the "cashless environment," administrators and students are questioning the impact of such technology on personal freedom and privacy. Despite concerns that the card could create a "Big Brother" environment -- where officials would know where students are spending their money -- both students and administrators say the system's benefits would outweigh its dangers. · While support for a one-card system seems widespread, no timetable for implementation has been set and some officials say it could take years to make the all-encompassing card a reality. But they say that the University is already well on its way to expanding the PENNcard's functions. The PENNcard serves both as a visual identification card and, through the magnetic strip on the card's back, a means of access to the University's main database. The database tells card readers who is allowed to enter residence and dining halls and other buildings. The card became more central in students' lives about five years ago, when Dining Services began using the card to monitor entrance into dining halls, according to Hospitality Services Systems and Purchasing Director Frank Neithammer. And in the intervening years its role has expanded dramatically. Currently, the PENNcard electronically controls access to residence halls and the University Museum, as well as to dining facilities. It is also used as a library card. Senior Vice President Marna Whittington said last month that she wants to implement a one-card system because it would offer convenience, safety and improved service. "It could make life a lot easier for everyone," Whittington said. "The goal is ease of transactions across our large University as well as giving us a good way to secure buildings." She added that the PENNcard, which is held in different forms by all faculty, staff and students, could facilitate parking and after-hours access to some buildings. "A one-card system could allow us to keep the openness we have on campus and still let us provide access to buildings," the senior vice president said. Whittington added that by promoting a cashless environment, the card could make the University community less vulnerable to crime. But as of yet, there is no timetable for expanding the card's functions, Whittington said. Information Systems Specialist William Davies, who helps coordinate planning for the card system, said last month that there are numerous issues -- concerning privacy, extent of services and other aspects -- which need to be worked out before any concrete steps are taken. "It could be five years, 10 years, 15 years to get all the facilities," Davies said. "It's one thing to have the card. It's another thing to have all the things under the hood that you want the card to do." But he added that the possibilities are endless. "It is in our best interest to have less cash about," Davies said. "I couldn't imagine any facility or service that couldn't make use of that capability." Hospitality Services' Neithammer said officials must determine how extensive the one-card system will be. "There needs to be a happy medium where we aren't locking you up in campus behind concrete walls, but we keep you safe," he said. Neithammer said he does not know whether students will readily accept the expansion of the one-card system because each card transaction is recorded. But he said that across the country several cards, including money access cards, leave a trail of card holders' transactions. "Once you use a card, you have a permanent record," Neithammer said. "Big Brother's already there. How far that goes is the big question." · Hospitality Services Executive Director Donald Jacobs said last month the card's possibilities are almost endless, suggesting that washing machines could be operated and could even dispense soap with the PENNcard. The PENNcard could also be used by students to obtain information on their financial status at the University. Associate Vice President for Finance Frank Claus said last month that a one-card system could help to eliminate long lines at student financial service offices. Claus said students could use the card to access personal information via telephone or a personal computer. An information network, with numerous confidentiality controls, could answer students' questions, leaving more staff members free for individual counseling on more complex problems. "It may be a more efficient system by letting us have a more efficient use of resources," Claus said. "Students could have a network of transaction capability that would be better than a credit card and better than cash." Claus estimated that a no-frills, extensive one-card system would cost less than $1 million. He said he would like several services to be incorporated under the PENNcard by next fall, but that planning is still in the "very early stages." · The main factor in determining the success of a one-card system is the willingness of students to use it, Claus said. "I don't believe there are major obstacles, except if there's no market," he said. He said planners will try to gauge the popularity of a one-card system, possibly through questionnaires or the newly-formed Student Advisory Committee for Student Financial Services. Planners said they think some students, faculty or staff members may feel uncomfortable that many of their transactions would be recorded in the University's database. They also believe this unease may grow as the system expands. "There may be a perceived loss of individuality," Hospitality Services Executive Director Jacobs said. "There may be a perceived loss of privacy." He added that the system is not meant as a means of increasing control of information but only to further convenience and safety. "Some people view it as a restrictive system," Jacobs said. "I feel it allows you to do much more . . . I view it as a way of allowing me to be better." Information Systems Specialist Davies said he believes that although the general population accepts and uses credit cards, "there are people who won't touch credit cards. Some think they're evil." Associate Vice President for Finance Claus said the University has always held privacy and confidentiality as top priorities, adding that in any new system, internal controls would ensure that information about a student's financial status would only be available to those privy to the information. "The University, by virtue of its relationship with its students and staff, knows a lot of things about the people," he said. "That data is very sacred." Several students said last week that they were not overly concerned with the privacy issue, adding that the benefits of a one-card system would outweigh the costs. Wharton senior Stephanie Francis said she felt a one-card system and cashless environment would be both more convenient and would help make the area safer. She added that although privacy needs to be maintained, "students would always have the option of not using the PENNcard" to make their purchases. Fifth-year Engineering graduate student Michael Eckert said that he would like to see a one-card system at the University. Eckert, who attended Tulane University as an undergraduate, said the school had a small-scale system which allowed students to charge performing arts tickets and make similar purchases on the Tulane card. He added that not many people at Tulane objected to the system, saying "it's no more Big Brotherish than any credit card." Eckert also said that under the system, parents rather than students often ended up footing the bill. Second-year Communications graduate student Richard Kramer said last week that planners must build in ways to safeguard students' privacy, adding that some aspects of privacy are often not protected. He said student data should not be sold to outside sources wanting the information for marketing purposes. "Are they going to find a host of record club advertisements in their mailbox?" he said. He added that there is a danger that computer experts could tamper with the system.
(10/08/90 9:00am)
Duke University, which has been steadily expanding the scope of its identification card capabilities over the past five years, has become a model for colleges interested in developing their own system. The card accessed only meal plan information in 1985, but its functions have grown and it now controls access to residence halls, parking lots and some administrative buildings. In addition, the card maintains its original meal plan account and has since added a debit account known as the "Flexible Spending Account." According to Timothy Aaron, business manager for the Duke Card Office, students must maintain a minimum balance of $25 in the Flex Account, which they can draw on for products and services on and around campus. Aaron said that about 50 to 60 percent of Duke's 7000 undergraduate population has a Flex Account, some of which hold a few thousand dollars. Currently the Flex Account permits food and product purchases from area merchants and vending machines, charges from the bookstore, use of copy machines and access to parking. Most of the services were adopted between 1988 and 1989, Aaron said. Aaron added that officials are also working on adding card readers to washers and dryers. But the system has not been without its faults, he said. When the card readers were first installed in the residences this summer, the system was overwhelmed by the number of entrances and failed to work. He said it had to be reprogrammed and upgraded. "It's been a real challenge to make the system work," Aaron said. Since that episode, however, there have been few glitches and the system continues to expand, he said. Duke's newest program, initiated last month, is the "Merchants on Points" plan where five area vendors, including Domino's Pizza, participate in both the Flex and food service system. Aaron said that although the student body seems to like the one-card system for the convenience and is especially enthusiastic about the Merchants on Points program, there were some who objected to the increasing role of technology in campus life. "There was some sarcasm by a few students, saying the Duke Card Office knows everything about us," he said.
(10/04/90 9:00am)
Five firms have submitted bids to finance, build and operate a cogeneration power plant on campus, moving the University one step closer to constructing the long-planned facility, Vice President for Facilities Arthur Gravina said. Gravina said all five firms will come in for interviews to expand on their bids, and declined to release any details. Gravina said the construction on the $100 million power plant may not begin for another two years, and would take about an additional three years before operations began. Administrators requested six firms from around the country to enter bids, and five applied before the October 1 deadline, Gravina said yesterday. Administrators and University Trustees will narrow the list of candidates to two over the next four to six weeks. Gravina said that although they may not be able to work out details with the final candidate by the end of the year, they hope to "be clear and committed to which way we're going." Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of electrical and thermal energy from a single fuel. In the process, energy that would ordinarily be expelled as waste heat is captured and utilized. Gravina said this summer that the plant will have a 60-megawatt electricity production capacity and a 300,000-pound steam production capacity. The University, which would supply the land for the facility, would in turn buy all of its power and steam from the plant. The University is currently dependent on local utility companies for energy. As the crisis in the Middle East continues, the University faces mounting steam costs from Philadelphia Thermal Energy, which will result in at least an additional $1.5 million in costs. But Gravina said the crisis is not a major factor in the administration's consideration of cogeneration. "We're being cautious so as not to be blinded by the current prices of steam in our evaluation of the cogeneration project," Gravina said. The vice president said this summer that the University was spending $30 million per year on utilities from the Philadelphia Electric Company and Philadelphia Thermal. He anticipates that a cogeneration plant would cut between seven and 12 percent of University expenses annually. Beyond the financial considerations, some administrators have said the facility is necessary because Philadelphia Thermal is too unreliable to consistently provide services to the campus. Although the University and Amtrak announced plans to jointly construct a cogeneration plant on Murphy Field in 1985, the two parties announced last year that they would examine pursuing the project individually after they could not agree on the rates the University should pay for use of the energy generated from the plant.
(10/02/90 9:00am)
Columbia University launched a $1.15 billion capital campaign last week, the largest-ever fundraising drive of any college or university. Surpassing the $1 billion goal of the University's year-old capital campaign, Columbia joined Stanford University in raising the stakes past the $1 billion mark. And Cornell University is also expected to kick off a campaign later this month which development officials said will also shoot over $1 billion. Despite widespread forecasts of a troubled economy in coming years, officials at all the schools said they are optimistic that they will reach their goals. When the University announced its own five-year capital campaign last October, the drive was the largest ever by a higher education institution. The University recently passed its midpoint three months ahead of schedule, garnering $517 million and 86 endowed chairs. Officials are hoping to secure 150 endowed professorships. Although officials say it is too early to predict whether the University will surpass its goal, Capital Campaign Director Brodie Remington said last week that the fund drive is proceeding successfully. Columbia is aiming to endow 100 new professorships and raise $100 million for student financial aid in the course of its five-year "New Campaign for Columbia." Fundraising efforts began last fall when the university raised $329 million in its "nucleus fund phase," according to a Columbia press release. Columbia Public Information Director Fred Knubel said yesterday that although some officials are concerned about the stability of the nation's economy, they do not anticipate major problems in securing donations. "Clearly we wouldn't begin a campaign if we were worried," Knubel said. Capital Campaign Director Remington said yesterday that considering the nation's economic outlook, he is glad the University kicked off its campaign last year, but added that economic ups and downs are to be expected in any five year period. "We launched it at, in retrospect, a pretty good time," he added. "Columbia is launching it at a less favorable moment, but things tend to work out in the long haul, and both Columbia and we are in this for the long run." Cornell University Development Director Inge Reichenbach said yesterday that Cornell will start its own five-year capital campaign on October 19, wrapping up its two-year nucleus phase. She declined to comment on the target amount, but said it will exceed the University's own $1 billion goal. She added that although the current national economic scene "is of concern to everybody," over the course of the period, "there are high points and low points." Brent Mitchell contributed to this story.
(10/01/90 9:00am)
Several Houston Hall merchants said last week they have not decided whether they will relocate operations to the proposed campus center, to be built at 36th and Walnut streets. The University has not guaranteed them space in the facility, and the merchants said they are concerned they will not be offered the opportunity. Architects have just begun to develop a "master plan" of the area from 34th to 38th streets between Walnut and Chestnut streets where the campus center and related facilities will be located. Administrators said they hope to submit a formal plan for the area to the University Trustees later this semester. Student Life Facilities Associate Director Thomas Hauber, who oversees Houston Hall facilities, said last week that he anticipates that decisions on what will be located in the center will be made once the formal plan is completed. "It's premature to say that everything would be relocated," Hauber said. "There are a lot of unanswered questions." He added that once the plan is formed, merchants and campus center officials will discuss possible relocation at length. Hauber also said Houston Hall's future role on campus also depends on this plan, saying he would like to see the nearly century-old student union remain student oriented once the campus center is constructed. "I don't know that it needs to remain a student service center," Hauber said. "It all depends on what is going to be in the new student center . . . I would hope that it would be a student-focused building, with the Admissions Office for example, as opposed to administrative services." He also said he expects the building to remain a vital part of campus life, pointing to its "rich and vibrant history." But Hauber said the 5500 to 8000 people entering and exiting Houston Hall everyday points to the need for the new campus center. "This one's busting out of its seams," he said. Hauber estimated that about half the merchants want to relocate to the center. Merchants said last week that there has only been informal discussion about relocating to the new center, adding that they are not sure whether they want to make the move. Kelly Lee, who works at The Movie Ticket video rental store, said last week that she has heard discussion about the campus center amid Houston Hall merchants, but does not know what it will mean for the businesses. "I know everyone here is a little nervous because the University hasn't guaranteed anyone space," she said. "Everyone wants to be there but no one knows what's going to happen." Discovery Discs Manager Mitch Grasso said last week that he did not know whether the owners wanted to relocate to the center, but added that the store needs more space. Skolnik's Bagel Deli Assistant Manager Darien Robinson said last week that the restaurant hopes to add another franchise, rather than relocate operations. Other merchants said they have not given the matter much thought, but stressed that before they move they would need proof that the campus center will be a better location for operations. Muffins 'N' More Manager Don McKee said last week that he is still considering whether he wants to move to the campus center. "It's two or three years down the road," he said. "They've been talking about it for so long that I'm beginning to wonder if it's really going to come true." Little Caesar's Pizza Station Assistant Manager Robert Wiggins said last week that he personally did not want to relocate, adding that he is happy with the restaurant's location and its business in Houston Hall.
(09/28/90 9:00am)
When College junior Kim Duyck stepped into the shower yesterday morning, she didn't expect an ordeal. But thanks to a punctured pipe in High Rise North, she found one. "I just put conditioner in my hair," she said last night. "Then the water shut off. There was no water. Zilch. Nada." Fortunately, Duyck's roommate helped resolve the crisis with a jug of water, and Duyck made it to class. "It wasn't funny at the time," she said. "The worst things happen to me." Like the approximately 800 other residents of the high rise, Duyck was left high and dry yesterday as Physical Plant workers turned off the water from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. to perform an emergency pipe repair. The leaky pipe, located above the building's upper lounge, ruined a few ceiling tiles, according to West Campus Operational Services Assistant Edward Gordon. Gordon said Physical Plant notified him early yesterday morning that they needed to drain the system -- forcing water to be shut off for several hours. He added that in all but emergency situations, Residential Living gives advance warning about water or electricity shut-offs. Associate Director for Residential Maintenance Alan Zuino said he was contacted Wednesday night when the leak was first discovered. He added that turning off the water on such a large scale is uncommon. While some early rising residents did not even know there was a problem, most others were forced to cope with the lack of water. College sophomore Amy Mertz said yesterday that she was one of the luckier -- and cleaner -- High Rise North residents. She had taken a shower before the lines were shut off, realizing later that there was no water when she went to get something to drink. "I went to one sink and nothing came out," she said. "Then I went to another, and another . . . Finally we deduced there was no water." Wharton junior Steve Spenser said yesterday that he thought the water shutoff was a "huge inconvenience." "The water was on when I brushed my teeth and off when I tried to take my shower," he said. "I could have been in the middle of taking it." Spenser added that he had wanted to take a shower before leaving to take a test. Because of the lack of water, he had to bike down to Hutchinson Gymnasium to take a shower there. "If I do badly on the test then I hold the high rise people responsible," he said. "I'm not a morning person." But Wharton sophomore Joel Yarbrough said the shutoff didn't inconvenience him. "I don't shower that often," he said. But Yarbrough added that he was a little miffed when he discovered in the middle of brushing his teeth that the water was off. "It was tough because I don't wet the toothbrush before I brush my teeth so I had a mouthful of toothpaste when I found out," he said yesterday. High Rise North residents face an additional shutdown in the near future. Already signs are posted, announcing that electricity on floors seven to 24 will be shut off Saturday from 8:30 until 4 p.m. Operational Services Assistant Gordon said the shutoff would allow Residential Maintenance to complete refrigerator-related repairs.
(09/26/90 9:00am)
With the winter weather approaching, even Ben has migrated south. But Ben and his bench are a little bent out of shape about the relocation. On the morning of September 16, officials discovered that the statue of Ben Franklin sitting on a bench, donated three years ago by the Class of 1962, had been uprooted by unknown culprits from his home at 37th Street and Locust Walk and moved 10 feet south. Although Ben himself escaped serious harm, his bench is suffering from a severely indented and fractured leg. Officials reported the incident to University Police but do not have any motive or leads. In an on-site investigation, outside experts determined that the perpetrator or perpetrators first broadsided the bronze bench with a vehicle, breaking the bolts securing the statue. The kidnappers then spirited the hapless Ben -- which officials said weighs about 500 pounds -- to his new spot. Many students assumed that the relocation was a practical joke by revelers at the previous night's Quarter Millennium Celebratory Jam. But for many others, it is no laughing matter. "I can't imagine that anyone's happy about this," she said. "If it were a practical joke, the consequences are rather unpleasant . . . People don't realize the implications of a joke of that sort." Jacovini stressed, however, that it is "pure conjecture" as to whether the relocation was a practical joke, accident or something else. "On occasion, a paper hat has been left on Ben Franklin, or there's unintentional vandalism," she said. "This is very, very unusual." Ben and his bench will have to be removed from campus this Friday for repairs and will be absent for about a week, Jacovini said. Officials have moved the statue about two feet further south in order to chain it to a railing. College senior Lyen Djakov, who works with Jacovini, said yesterday that she was "appalled that anyone would do that," adding that she has not seen other vandalism on such a scale. And while some students did not notice Ben's new location, others mourned the damage the statue suffered. "Poor Ben," said College freshman Kristin DiMezzes said yesterday. "Last spring I visited, and my dad said 'Oh, go sit in his lap.' I got my picture taken." "Poor dude," she added. "It's a really cool statue," College senior Geoff Hess said yesterday. "It was definitely the wrong thing to do."
(09/25/90 9:00am)
and PATRICK O'DONNELL University Police Director John Logan said he wants to remain a part of the police department even after a new commissioner takes over as his boss next month. The long-time head of the police force said he is willing to work under former Brown University Police Director John Kuprevich. When Kuprevich steps in next month, he will oversee a newly restructured department, Senior Vice President Marna Whittington said. In addition to running University Police, Kuprevich will supervise Victim Support Services and an internal security unit. This new unit will hire and train University employees to replace contract guards who patrol areas around campus and staff security desks in residence halls. Whittington said the performance of security firm guards has been "less than satisfactory" in the past. Whittington and other business administrators oversaw the contract guard services in the past. Logan and Victim Support Services Director Ruth Wells have both reported directly to Whittington. The new commissioner will be an intermediate step in the command chain. He will be responsible for long-term planning while Logan and Wells will handle day-to-day operations, Whittington said. Kuprevich will concentrate on community and city relations as well, she added. Logan said he has met with Whittington briefly to discuss his role under the new commissioner, but said these talks were only "general." "A lot of information will probably be coming from the new commissioner as to what my role will be and to what everyone else's role will be," he said. Logan said he knows Kuprevich, but has not worked with him in the past. He said he expects to be able to work under the new commissioner without any trouble. "I won't have any problems," he said. "It's not awkward for me. I've been in police work for a long time, sometimes as a supervisor, sometimes in support. I'm very good at supporting people." "As long as there's a mutual respect, it should be a good relationship," he added.
(09/25/90 9:00am)
Capital Campaign Director Brodie Remington probably did not learn his skill of soliciting donations during his years as a History graduate student at the University. But Remington apparently learned very quickly once he joined the ranks of the Development Office. "His assurance and skills have developed at an accelerating rate," said History Professor Lee Benson, who worked with Remington in his graduate days. "He has become a splendid advocate for the institution." And as Remington prepares to assume his new post of vice president for public affairs and development at the University of Oregon, he leaves the legacy of a successful career. Over the past 16 years in the development office, he has helped garner millions for the University. After graduating from the University of Rochester with a degree in history, the New Jersey native enrolled at the University in 1970. He joined the development office four years later and never left. The 41-year-old father of two said he has stayed at the University because of its people, its energy and its sense of progress. Administrators said yesterday that they were happy for Remington, but regretted his departure from the University. "Brodie's leaving is a major loss for the University," Provost Michael Aiken said. "His deep understanding of the nature of the University and its needs for the future will be sorely missed. Yet it is a wonderful opportunity for him." "You can never overestimate the level of contribution he has made to the campaign," Vice President for Development Rick Nahm said. "He knows the University of Pennsylvania very well and he gets along with everyone, which is a combination that's rare." "He'll be a great success if he can keep his mind on work and not on all that you can do in Oregon," Nahm added. "Like skiing and horseback riding." Although Remington said he is looking forward to joining the population of Eugene, Oregon, he added that he will miss the University and its people. "I'll always be a Red and Blue alum," he said.
(09/25/90 9:00am)
Capital Campaign Director Brodie Remington will leave the University at the end of next month to assume a vice presidency at the University of Oregon. Remington, a 16-year veteran in the Development Office, said yesterday that he accepted the position as vice president for public affairs and development in August, adding that the offer presents him with new professional and personal challenges. Remington, who has served as the University's $1 billion campaign director for the past three years, leaves the fund drive in strong standing. Officials recently announced that the five-year campaign, kicked off last October, surpassed its midpoint about three months ahead of schedule. Vice President for Development Rick Nahm said yesterday that he has not yet decided whether to name a new campaign director, but added that he will reorganize and readjust staff. Nahm said he expects the campaign to continue without interruption because many people are involved in the effort. But he said Remington was "a key player" in the success of the fund drive's first phase, and that the future success of the campaign will not be effortless. "The three negative factors of the economy, Brodie's leaving and the natural slowing up of the [capital campaign's] second phase are all converging this year," Nahm said. Nahm added that although he regrets Remington's leaving the University, he understands that the University of Oregon offer may be too good to pass up. Remington said he believes the campaign will encounter very little difficulty when he leaves. "I'm sure the transition is gong to be very smooth," Remington said. "There are lots of very strong people in the Development office. Penn wouldn't be raising the money it is without its strong Board of Trustees, strong administration, dynamic vice president for development and terrific development staff." "I do hope that I'm missed as a person," he added. "But in terms of my responsibilities, those will be absorbed very quickly." As director of the capital campaign, Remington has been responsible for advising and assisting Nahm on policies and strategies and managing various fundraising programs and special campaign events for the drive.
(09/21/90 9:00am)
As the Persian Gulf crisis heats up, the University is going to be paying an arm and a leg just to keep warm. The University is expecting to pay at least $1.5 million more than it did last year for steam to heat buildings, Associate Director of Engineering and Utilities Juan Suarez said yesterday. He said costs could rise by as much as $4 million. The cost increase is due to rate hikes by Philadelphia Thermal Energy. Suarez said Philadelphia Thermal has already raised its prices by 15 percent. He added that the increases are "absolutely . . . a consequence of the crisis." Steam is used to heat all campus buildings, Suarez said. He said the University used about 180 million pounds of steam last year, costing the University close to $11 million. Suarez estimated that fiscal year 1991s steam costs could go as high as $15 million, depending on the winter's severity. Philadelphia Thermal officials were unavailable for comment yesterday because of the Jewish holiday. Even before the sharp increases in energy costs due to the Persian Gulf situation, the University cited utility costs as one reason for a 6.7 percent hike in the 1990-1991 academic year's tuition and fees. It is unclear if the larger-than-expected increases in energy costs will affect next year's tuition and fee rates. For now, the University is dependent on Philadelphia utilities. The administration is continuing to accept proposals from contractors willing to finance, build and operate a cogeneration power plant, estimated to cost about $100 million. The facility is expected to have a 60-megawatt electricity-producing capacity and a 300,000-pound steam-producing capacity. Philadelphia Electric Company spokesperson Bill Jones said yesterday that the crisis in the Middle East has almost no effect on electricity rates because the utility relies primarily on nuclear energy to generate electricity. But he added that this was not always the case. In 1972, 46 percent of electricity was generated by oil. Jones said electricity rates climbed 31 percent over the next three years. With the city's addition of four nuclear generators in the past 16 years, PECO has reduced reliance on oil to only four percent. Philadelphia Gas Works spokesperson Audrey Dean said yesterday that the Persian Gulf crisis did not have any effect on customers for the month of September, but could not predict future costs and effects. "We'll just have to wait and see," she said.
(09/18/90 9:00am)
Budget Analyst Pat Christianson has found there are some perks to having her office uprooted and transplanted one and a half blocks away to a building that her fellow workers term "a hole in the wall." "You know the coffee place across the street? They've got great coffee," Christianson said after moving from College Hall to the Law School dormitories. Like many others in the Budget Office, Christianson has had to move her computer, file cabinets and pictures to the Sansom Street dormitories while College Hall undergoes extensive renovations. College Hall, built in the 1870s, entered its first phase of renovations in May. Workers are repairing the serpentine stone on the outside and are fortifying the inside walls, starting with the southeastern corner of the building. The entire project is expected to take between four and five years, according to Vice President for Facilities Management Arthur Gravina. Gravina said last week that the construction currently underway will cost approximately $3 million and that the entire project, funded through the University's deferred maintenance program, will total $14 million. The vice president said he expects the first phase to be completed in January or February. Renovations of the next area -- the northeast corner -- are expected to begin at the end of the academic year, according to School of Arts and Sciences Assistant Director for Facilities Management Charles Bronk. But as workers repair the structure, gutters and roof, offices in the corresponding wings will have to relocate to other buildings for several months. The first phase displaced about 25 people, forcing them into the Law School dormitories, which themselves will be demolished in the summer of 1991 for construction of the new Law School library. Gravina said water leaks were the main culprit in the deterioration of College Hall, adding that Logan Hall suffers from similar but more serious problems. He also said the building requires immediate care. "Once [a building] starts to deteriorate, it doesnt go linear," Gravina said. "It goes almost exponentially." The next phase of renovation will be in the corner of the building which includes the Admissions Office, the president's administrative staff offices, and the History and American Civilization departments. Bronk, who is helping to relocate offices, said yesterday that not all the offices would have to leave College Hall, adding that some may be able to move to other spots in the building.
(09/18/90 9:00am)
Those who have never walked around Logan Hall will soon be able to look right through it. Passers-by next year will be able to peer into the facility from 36th Street during massive renovations which will remove the building's entire western face. The massive renovations of the century-old structure will include reinforcing walls with concrete and other modern materials. The work will force all Logan Hall offices to evacuate by fall 1991 and to relocate to other areas for the three-year long project, Vice President for Facilities Management Arthur Gravina said last week. Currently, Logan Hall houses the School of Arts and Sciences advising offices and the College of General Studies administrative offices. The Philosophy and Folklore/Folklife departments and the Women's Studies and International Relations programs, along with other offices, also make their home in the building. The project of rebuilding the decaying structure, slated to begin next winter, will cost the University $10 million -- more than it would cost to tear down the building and replace it with a purely functional building, Gravina said. But he added that because of Logan Hall's history, the University wants to preserve the building's character. "We have to save the building," Gravina said. "Our history is more important than our economics." He added that the building will look exactly the same, but will be outfitted with more modern materials. SAS Assistant Director for Facilities Management Charles Bronk said yesterday that officials are trying to identify alternative space for the offices near the center of campus. "There are boundaries to where you can put them," Bronk said. "You probably can't stick them in Valley Forge and have things still work."
(09/17/90 9:00am)
To historians, he was an author, a scholar and an activist ahead of his time. And to a group of students on the University's campus, he is an inspiration, a model of what hard work and hardship can bring about. The students, who live in the college house that bears his name, celebrated W.E.B. DuBois and his visions in the first-annual "Souls of DuBois" conference last March. Some house residents said they considered the conference to be the "event of the year," adding that they hope last year's event was the start of a tradition. "It shifted the focus of the college house from here's a bunch of African-American students who want to live together' into a group of students who want to come together with a mission," said House Faculty Master Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, an assistant medicine professor. DuBois was a Harvard graduate and an assistant professor at the University in the late 19th Century a time when few black men and women were even allowed to attend college. At last year's day-long conference, titled "Souls of DuBois: A Celebration of Culture and Achievement," University professors taught seminars focusing on the different aspects of the early civil rights leader's work, including his emphasis on education, his philosophy and his feelings about racism. The conference, named after Dubois' book, The Souls of Black Folk, attracted over 140 people and provided an opportunity for vendors to show and sell art, books and jewelry. Lavizzo-Mourey said last week that the program was designed to educate the University community about DuBois' work, and to bring house residents together. The conference attracted students and administrators from across the University and others from throughout the Philadelphia area. DuBois House Council President Melody Guy said last week that the conference was a bigger success than she had expected, adding that she expects next March's program to be even better. Guy also said that she was proud of the way house members pulled together to organize and run the program. In addition to focusing on DuBois' work, students at last year's conference also addressed current black issues. Wharton senior Isvara Addison-Wilson said the sessions offered her a different perspective of the world she lives in. "We talked about issues that were pertinent to the ideals that W.E.B. DuBois talked about," the house resident said last week. "I was amazed at the diversity of opinion that people had. It really made me think about my own opinions." Addison-Wilson, who worked on a committee which helped to plan the day's events, added that she was pleased to see so many non-residents of the University community attending the program.
(09/17/90 9:00am)
Thirteen years after graduation, David Biggs has come home. As an assistant dean for residence in DuBois College House, Biggs is reliving his undergraduate days just a few doors down from the room he slept in as a freshman at the University in 1973. Now Biggs, one of the first participants in the DuBois program, has vowed to share with new residents everything he learned in the house. He said the program, which focuses on black culture and history, was invaluable to him. Like the Universitys five other college houses, DuBois is a residence hall centered around the idea of building community. But DuBois might never be seen as just another college house. Although the house, located in Low Rise North, is open to all students, most residents are black. And on a predominantly white campus where diversity has become the buzzword, DuBois residents often feel pressured to justify why they have chosen to live where they live. Several of the houses 100 undergraduate residents came from predominantly white high schools to a predominantly white college. Many of them stress that the program develops a sense of community among residents by enabling them to learn about black culture and history, which they say is neglected in the rest of their education. To that end, the 18-year-old college house program sponsors trips to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., Alvin Ailey dance concerts or Philadelphia exhibits on African art. It also runs artist-in-residence and scholar-in-residence programs, which in recent years has brought celebrities such as filmmaker Spike Lee and author and civil rights activist Angela Davis. It also has initiated a new cultural program called the Souls of DuBois Conference. But many non-residents maintain that a predominantly black college house defeats University efforts to form a diverse and integrated community. And Ray Lewis, a senior in the College of General Studies, said last week that he believes students need to live together to establish a well-integrated community. One of the points of education should be to promote integration, Lewis said last week. This [DuBois] seems to go against that . . . It doesnt seem that we are ever going to get any kind of social peace if we cannot get different kinds of people living together. Other upperclass students said they had never heard of DuBois. While some non-residents said they assumed most of the black community lives in the house, only about one-fifth of the black student population at the University participates in the program, which is open to all students. DuBois has this image of being an all-black dormitory, former Faculty Master Allen Green said. Its not . . . The concentration of that small part of the African-American population tends to be a problem for people. DuBois residents said that while they are constantly accused of separatism, they do not live in the house to separate themselves from the white community. [Separatism] is one of the rumors that is definitely not true, Engineering sophomore Shelly-Ann Smith said last week. Its a lie . . . I came to live here because Im from a predominantly black community and coming to a predominantly white university world, I thought it would be a good support system. This is like home, she added. And many of the residents said they think it is misconceptions about the house that lead people to label the house as separatist. From the mispronunciation of the name many mistakenly pronounce DuBois in the French style to the widespread belief that only black students are eligible to live in the house, inaccuracies about the house are common throughout campus. And residents added that accusations of separatism extend from DuBois to the tables of the Class of 1920 Commons to Spring Fling. People see more than four black people together at once and they think theyre being excluded, College junior Dawn Johnson said. Everything thats not part of the general population, theyre going to say is separatist. Johnson lived in DuBois her freshman year. She opted to live in the high rises during her sophomore year, but moved back into the house this fall. She said DuBois is necessary because it offers security in addition to support. You have to deal with racial slurs and that bullshit at Penn, Johnson said. You should not have to deal with that where you live . . . That should be the community where you are safest. Residents and administrators also say the University community is more judgmental of DuBois than of other groups. They say that it is unfair that DuBois theme of black culture and history comes under fire while other college house themes do not. Why have we not asked the same questions about the other college houses? asked former Faculty Master Green, now director of the African-American Resource Center. He said that the community places the house under the microscope and overanalyzes it. Green, who served as DuBois faculty master from 1986 to 1989, said last week that students need the support the house offers. Because of the paucity of African-American students on campus and the lack of positive images and reinforcement that occur at a predominantly white University, it [the house] becomes a very important point of self-esteem . . . as well as allowing students to learn about their heroes and their heroines, he said. Program participants say DuBois consistently attracts applicants, and Resident Faculty Master Risa Lavizzo-Mourey said the number of applicants increased last year. Several candidates were wait-listed, but Lavizzo-Mourey said the house was finally able to accommodate everyone. People choose to live here because they are interested in the theme, she said last week. All the programs relate to the theme . . . It gives people real hands-on-experience to the culture, history and art of the African-American people. Part of the role of DuBois is to give a positive image of the culture you wouldnt ordinarily get, she added. Wharton freshman Michael Chang said last week that he chose to live in DuBois because he wanted to learn more about his roots. They dont teach about African-American culture in high school, Chang said. Theres one or two pages in the whole textbook about African-American or Caribbean-American culture. He added that the labeling of the house as separatist irritates him. Theyre putting down everything W.E.B. DuBois stands for, he said. He didnt stand for separatism. Were trying to live up to his ideals. Its not separate from the University, Chang added. It just brings people with common interests in the culture together. College freshman Yi Chen Lai is one of the few non-black undergraduate residents. He said he chose to live in DuBois as a freshman because of his interest in learning about other cultures. Its a nice house with a bunch of nice people regardless of the color of their skin, he said. Its not that they want to be separate, but others dont come here. I dont feel like the outsider, he added.
(09/14/90 9:00am)
Patricia Kaurouma, the former associate vice provost for student affairs, resigned this summer just eight months after assuming her newly-created post. The Student Affairs division and Kaurouma's position were created last year by Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson as part of a restructuring of the University Life division. In her short tenure at the University, Kaurouma oversaw the Judicial Inquiry Office, Student Activities and Facilities, Student Life Programs, Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the University Counseling Service, Student Health Service and the Drug and Alcohol Resource Center. Morrisson said last night that Kaurouma left the University at the end of June because she was no longer interested in student affairs. She declined to comment directly on Kaurouma's tenure, but said the post demands "a great deal of attention and care" and that the administrator "needs to be fully committed." Morrisson said she will begin a search this fall to replace Kaurouma. Barbara Cassel, formerly executive assistant to Morrisson, has filled the vacancy since July. Before coming to the University last November, Kaurouma served as the associate dean for students affairs and director of the Office of Minority Education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kaurouma could not be reached for comment last night. Morrisson has been restructuring the University Life division for about one year. She said she hopes to hire an associate vice provost for residential living by the end of the academic year. She also plans to hire an associate vice provost for academic support and educational programs. Morrisson said the searches will include both internal and external candidates. Cassel declined to comment on whether she would apply to keep her current post. She has been at the University since 1976, and joined the University Life division four years ago.
(09/12/90 9:00am)
The University's five-year, $1 billion capital campaign zoomed past its halfway point this summer, topping $517 million by the end of August. Donations during the summer months alone - which Vice President for Development Rick Nahm said are typically slow - reached $35 million, helping push the campaign three months ahead of schedule. The fund drive has raised 86 of the targeted 150 endowed professorships, and $15 million of a $35 million goal for "minority permanence." Officials have set aside money for specific programs such as graduate fellowships, program grants, and faculty support plans, all designed to increase minority support and retention at the University. Stanford University, which unseated this University as having the highest campaign goal, launched its $1.1 billion campaign in 1988. It has not alloted resources specifically for minority programs, according to Nahm. Nahm attributed the campaign's success to the collection of pledges that had been worked on previously, to the efforts by deans and the development staff, and to the University's Peak Week 250th anniversary celebration, which he said helped raise spirit and excitement. But he said it is too soon to consider whether the University should up the ante. "It will be another two years before there's any more discussion about looking at the goal," Nahm said. "We're running on track, but not drastically beyond what we planned." He said he is cautious, anticipating that the national economy and the "natural lull in the middle of the campaign" will slow the campaign's growth. He added that donations are more difficult to secure in the second half of the campaign. In the "nucleus fund" and in the first official year of the campaign, fundraisers approached alumni, University Trustees and corporations who have close ties to the University. Fundraisers will now approach those with weaker affiliations with the University. "The farther away people are, both emotionally and geographically, the less likely they are to make gifts," Nahm said. The campaign has secured about 75,000 gifts. About 125 donors have made gifts of $1 million or more, and over 1250 donors have made gifts of $25,000 or more. The vast majority of gifts are earmarked for such purposes as scholarships, research, library resources and buildings. Only about $29 million of the donations are unrestricted, and most of this amount, from annual giving, will go into the operating budget.
(09/12/90 9:00am)
Campus center planning has moved one step closer to construction after officials recently named an architectural firm to design the facility and the area around it. A committee of University Trustees and administrators selected the Manhattan-based firm of Kohn, Peterson and Fox out of about eight firms, Facilities Planning Director Titus Hewryk said yesterday. The firm will focus on the area from 34th to 38th streets between Walnut and Chestnut, devising a "long-range plan for development," Hewryk said. He added that although the firm will not specifically address the future of Houston Hall, which houses many of offices and shops which will relocate in the center, ideas for the current student union facility may come up in the course of planning. Hewryk said that designing a building usually takes about one year. Planners have not set a groundbreaking date, but he said he expects construction to begin sometime in 1991. "If everything goes right and there are no problems, the entire process would take three years from the moment of getting an architect to the moment when people move in," Hewryk said. In June, Trustees authorized the administration to spend $2 million of an estimated $30 million for preliminary work in designing the center. Capital campaign directors anticipate that $30 million may be as much as they are able to raise for construction of the non-commercial spaces in the campus center. Hewryk said that it is his "understanding that $30 million is budgeted for the center." But Vice President for Development Rick Nahm said yesterday that the $30 million is not a cap for the campus center fund. Currently, only the $10 million in seed money donated by cosmetics magnate Ron Perelman has been raised for the center. Nahm said fundraisers will concentrate on getting donations for the facility once the center's general design has been sketched out. He added that the campus center will be a top priority in fundraising. Students and some campus center committee members have urged the administration to commit more funds to the center, saying that $30 million is insufficient to meet all the needs listed in a preliminary report. The co-chairpeople of the campus center committee, Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson and Associate Regional Science Professor Stephen Gale, revised the preliminary report to weigh in financial constraints. The two maintain that $30 million would be sufficient to meet all the needs listed in the report if the University uses existing facilities around the 36th and Walnut streets site.
(09/11/90 9:00am)
Exactly one year ago today, the University received a letter. And what a doozy it must have been. The letter - a request for documents from the the U.S. Justice Department - marked the inclusion of the University in an extensive federal probe of at least 50 elite colleges and universities for possible tuition and financial aid package price-fixing. Since its arrival last September, the letter and many of its kind have wreaked havoc on the lives of administrators, lawyers and mail carriers across the nation. The University completed submitting about 30,000 pages of documents to the Justice Department last spring. Although the Justice Department initially set a deadline of September 28, 1989 for submission of requested materials, colleges protested the date as unreasonably early. And the immense number of documents sent to the federal government's antitrust division has slowed the pace of the investigation, Justice Department Spokesperson Joe Krovisky said yesterday. He added that although probe officials originally hoped to complete reviewing the data this fall, they still need more time. He said he did not know when they would complete their review. Krovisky declined to specify exactly how many colleges are included in the probe or what initiated the investigation. General Counsel Shelley Green said yesterday that her office has not been contacted by the Justice Department since submitting the files. She added that the investigation has not prompted the University to change or revise its tuition or financial aid practices. "The University is obviously sensitive because the investigation is going on, but it hasn't radically altered any way the University operates," Green said.
(09/10/90 9:00am)
Theft costly for Dining Service With Dining Service charging up to $10 a dinner, some students feel they deserve to take home the leftovers. And the silverware. And the bowls. And the mugs. In fact, over $170,000 worth of flatware and cutlery disappears from dining halls across campus each year. And that figure does not take into account the coffers of Crunch Berries or the miles of trail mix pirated away for future consumption. The cost of replacing silverware and china eats away about 1.5 percent of Dining Services' $11 million budget annually, according to Dining Services Director Bill Canney. But the burden of replacing inventory is passed along to the customers. Canney said Thursday that Dining Service officials order five times as many sets of silverware per customer as they did about 10 years ago in order to get through the year with a sufficient supply. But he said that although there needs to be increased awareness of the economic effects of stealing food and silverware, Dining Services will not implement any "Gestapo-like" monitoring techniques. Instead, workers monitor the dining rooms in order to stop would-be food thieves. Those who admit to or even boast of being masters in the art of thievery shrug off accusations that they are social deviants. And many of the pilferers are picky about what they pirate away. "I'm a fork/knife/spoon kind of guy," said College senior Joel Trotter last week. "But once I get four plates, four saucers, four cups, four bowls, I don't take anymore. I like having a U. of P. flatware set." He added that he believes pilfering is a widespread problem. "It's not just Wharton students," he said. "And it's not something [Dining Services] can stop. People feel they have it owed to them." Not all are thieves willing to go public with their deeds, although many assert that they do not feel guilty. One College junior, who asked to remain anonymous, said yesterday that although he and his roommates have acquired some silverware and plates over the years, he does not regard it as stealing. "We're borrowing them long term," he said. "We plan to return them someday." The junior justified his practice of confiscating flatware and food by pointing to Dining Services prices, saying that he is only trying to get his money's worth. He added that he often misses meals and that Dining Services' snack bar at McClelland Hall does not offer attractive options. He said he has heard rumors of an impending crackdown on food pilferers, but vowed that Dining Service dragnets would fail to apprehend him. "I don't think their counter-techniques could beat my methods," he boasted. He also said he knows several people who have been caught red-handed. He advised that a non-descript backpack, plastic sandwich bags and subtlety are key to success. But it is not a game for him. "It's a means for my survival," he claimed. "I don't do it to play a game, I do it because I get hungry [between meals]." But some students lament that stealing food has become a way of life for many. College senior Yale Eisen said last week that although he has seen people stealing food with ease, he would never partake of the taking. "I'm too honest," he said. 1920 Commons Student Manager Brian Helmke said last night that although he understands why people feel they are entitled to steal food from Dining Service, "it doesn't give you a right to steal." He said that he has stopped several people in his four years
