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(10/08/97 9:00am)
They're called "woodies," "boners" and "hard-ons." A guy might be "pitching a flagpole" or having a "stiffie." However you refer to it , the male penile erection is hardly an easy topic to discuss -- especially with a straight face. The synonyms brought laughter to a roomful of first-year Medical students. But they also introduced the difficult and much more serious task of teaching adolescents about sex and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Yesterday's second installment of a six-session Medical School elective course -- "Students Teaching AIDS to Students" -- featured Bret Rudy of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who conducted an exercise in learning about different names for sex and sex-related topics. The STATS course -- led by coordinators Justin Chura and Jessica Weiser, both second-year Medical students -- teaches Medical students how to effectively communicate with middle- and high-school level kids on the issues surrounding sex and STDs. Chura, however, insisted that STATS' purpose is not to lecture students on the biological or immunological bases of AIDS or STDs, but to "focus on affecting behavioral change" in regard to sex. After completing the course, the students in STATS -- a national organization -- will put their skills to use in nearby West Philadelphia schools. Pairs of students will teach classes in two 45-minute sessions, focusing on answering the questions of curious and confused adolescents. "We're trying to uncover myths [about sex] without undermining values the kids have from their parents or religions," said Chura, who noted that most teachers are "supportive" of the group's candid instruction. The class, which is held in Stemmler Hall, covered a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from the role of socialization, which affects how kids view and talk about sex to the varying opinions on how a girl does and does not "lose her virginity." Rudy also led the class in a discussion on the importance of the clarification of sexual terminology used with adolescents. "You need to explore what they think of as sex and to remember what you're talking about in terms of sex," he said. The session also touched on the social "vilification" of masturbation and ways in which student teachers can answer sometimes embarrassing questions. Future sessions will cover STDs and racial sensitivity in teaching sexual issues. First-year Medical student Maia Rutman joined STATS because of its participatory role in the West Philadelphia community. "We can go [into the schools] with information instead of trying to play doctor and getting in the way," first-year Medical student Raj Shah of the program. "It's one of the most valuable things we can do."
(10/07/97 9:00am)
Examining a 20th century political controversy unlikely to be solved any time soon, Political Science Department Chairperson Ian Lustick spoke yesterday about the Israeli-Arab conflict over Jerusalem during a speech on "Intranational Conflict." Focusing on the conflict between Israel and much of the Arab world over the future status of Jerusalem, Lustick explained his theory of the "fetishizing" of national boundaries in the Middle East based on an area's religious significance. Lustick noted that Jerusalem is seen as holy by both Jews and Muslims, adding that such beliefs have enabled right-wing Jews to work toward arbitrarily expanding the boundaries without inciting resistance from other Israelis. "This is an instance of a problem that is an indivisible pole," explained Lustick, author of Unsettled States, Disputed Lands, a work that looks at the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Elaborating on Israel's refusal to redivide the city -- which had been divided into Jewish and Arab sectors until the 1967 Six Day War -- Lustick quoted Solomon's proverb, "Thou shalt not divide the child." He said the phrase exemplifies the Israeli position that the "whole is more than the sum of its parts." In examining the role of "fetishization" in the Israeli-Arab conflict in recent decades, Lustick made use of 1967 propaganda to illustrate his points. Displaying maps that showed the gradual expansion and "reunification" of Jerusalem to its present size, Lustick explained right-wing Jews' "sabotage of peace negotiations." He showed a "silhouette" of what Jerusalem should have encompassed since the 1840s according to radical Jewish thought. "[Right-wing Jews] arbitrarily expanded the definition of Jerusalem," Lustick said. "[They] infused [it] with symbolic meaning way beyond the little piece of the Old City." Although most Israeli Jews would enthusiastically agree to keeping Jerusalem as the capital of the country, they would not necessarily condemn giving up much of the West Bank, an area mostly populated by Arabs, Lustick explained. Many right-wing Jews, however, are adamantly against giving up any of the West Bank, which they consider to be a God-given inheritance. Such Jews have systematically expanded their definition of Jerusalem to include as much of the West Bank as possible, Lustick said. Lustick added that right-wing Jews' "image of indivisibility" has, in effect, fetishized the city from its natural boundaries as part of a territorial grabbing-spree.
(10/02/97 9:00am)
The interest in nonprofit organization work is clearly growing among Penn graduate students -- that is, if you consider that the Graduate School of Education drew more than 40 people to its "Career Options in the Nonprofit Sector" panel discussion last night. A joint program sponsored by the Career Planning and Placement Service and GSE, the discussion featured four Penn alumnae who shared their experiences in nonprofit organizations and advised those considering entering the field. Lois MacNamara in the GSE Student Activities office, who helped organized the event, said she took into consideration the feedback she and CPPS counselors received about panel discussions last year. As such, McNamara is working to accommodate student requests and needs in discussions geared towards graduate students. "We've had varying ranges of success," MacNamara said. "We're at the mercy of the quality of panelists." Last night's panel, however, was received with appreciation -- although there was disappointment in the air as panelist David Morse, director of public affairs at Pew Charitable Trusts, cancelled unexpectedly. Penn's former associate vice president for policy planning, Morse was the University's key lobbyist until he stepped down earlier this year. "I really wanted to see him," said Education doctoral student Jurate Krokys, adding, however, that the panel worked well to incorporate experience and advice for those curious about the nonprofit sector. Panelists represented a wide range of organizations -- from the New Jersey Camp Fire Boys and Girls to the Middle States Association, which accredits Mid-Atlantic colleges and universities. Leslie Esdaile, director of the Milken Institute -- a program to teach young entrepreneurs skills to start their own businesses -- described her own move to the non-profit sector as "circuitous." After graduating from the Wharton School in 1980 and embarking on a career in computer sales, Esdaile was left "with a nasty taste in [her] mouth." She criticized the particular "belief system" of the corporate environment she encountered. When several personal tragedies left her jobless, Esdaile re-evaluated her job skills and realized that much of her business and marketing knowledge was "transferable" to other areas, namely the nonprofit sector. Emphasizing interpersonal communication, writing and "entrepreneurial" skills for those looking to enter the sector, the panelists stressed the importance of "networking" to locate opportunities. Patricia Blakely, programs director for the White and Williams Foundation -- an organization which gives poverty-stricken adolescents with good grades "allowances" of money -- was also on hand to warn potential employees of the need to "hit the ground running" in a new job. Exasperated at the number of unqualified applicants she recently interviewed, Blakely noted the importance of flawless resumes and flexibility. "I need people to go outside their job description," she said. "There is no such thing as a 'bad match' that becomes a 'good job'."
(09/29/97 9:00am)
What do the movies Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh, Return of Satan's Cheerleaders and the television version of the cult classic Dune have in common? To those unfamiliar with the genre, they might be called eyesores, nothing more than bastards of the film industry -- in a word, worthless. But to a group of Penn students and faculty, these films and dozens of others were the starting point for a conference this weekend on the elusive yet prolific director "Allen Smithee." "Allen Smithee" is a pseudonym frequently assumed by directors who do not want to take responsibility for the finished product. The Director's Guild does not normally permit its members to withdraw their names from film credits. But if a movie is recut or altered against the director's wishes, the director then may appeal to the Guild and request that "Smithee" become, in effect, the creative scapegoat. Smithee's name, for example, appeared on the "severely cut airline version" of the 1992 film Scent of a Woman, starring Al Pacino. The "sPecters of Legitimacy" conference included film screenings on Thursday and Friday -- including Smithee's "premiere," 1969's Death of a Gunfighter -- preceding the conference. Several film scholars also delivered papers Saturday in Houston Hall analyzing and interpreting the role of Smithee in film studies. The Allen Smithee Group at Penn, in an effort to examine the role of the director as auteur -- French for author -- discussed and in some cases argued about how the imaginary "Smithee" fits into that theory. The group designed the conference as a first step to critically evaluating Smithee's obscured role in film culture, inviting authorities such as Columbia University Film Professor Andrew Sarris -- a film critic for The New York Observer -- and Robert Ray, director of Film and Media Studies at the University of Florida. Labeling Smithee a "mark of failure" and "shorthand for 'bad movie'," Ray gave the conference's keynote address, entitled "The Automatic Auteur." But Ray insisted that Smithee connotes not "failure but? the unexamined," using the premises of an "insistence on authorship" in the arts and media and the "au courant idea of responsibility" to justify his position. Laura Spagnoli, a Romance Languages graduate student, presented a paper entitled "Movies On a Stick: Allen Smithee, Hollywood and Films for Cannibalizing Cultures." "Auteur-ism assumes that a film's meaning revolves largely around the director? his or her subconscious as it would be manifested through a body of work," she said. "Allen Smithee films provide an ideal way of testing the limits of auteur-ism since there is in fact no single 'auteur' behind these films," Spagnoli added. "[They] highlight the artificiality of studying films according to their director." English Professor Craig Saper, who helped organize the conference around his film studies classes, added that "[Allen Smithee is] the artificial auteur? it's like the director as figure of speech." With the upcoming release of Disney's An Alan Smithee Film, a satire of Hollywood's creative license in altering a director's work, the conference offered a timely look at the theoretical debates surrounding Smithee films. Although he technically doesn't exist, Smithee -- or an unknown individual posing as the unnamed director -- provided the conference with a lighthearted finale when "he" appeared at the conference to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Penn Group.
(09/29/97 9:00am)
The Sunset Grill at 37th and Chestnut streets was host to a party Friday night sponsored by Chi Omega -- but this wasn't any ordinary night of Dionysian revelry. The party, "Dance for Dance," benefited the Emily R. Sachs Memorial Fund, named after the Penn student and Chi Omega sister who died shortly after her freshman year in 1995. Sachs, diagnosed with asthma at the age 2, was a pre-med student and an accomplished lyrical ballet dancer. She died from asthma complications a few weeks after her freshman year ended. A member of Arts House Dance during her first year at Penn, Sachs was named Miss Dance Pennsylvania in 1992 and Miss Dance New York in 1994. She garnered several other awards and titles during her career as a dancer. Sachs' parents established the fund the summer after her death. It is slated to pay for performing arts space in the Perelman Quad, above the Irvine Auditorium stage. College senior Marla Snyder, a good friend and member of Sachs' pledge class, remembered the petite ballerina as "the No. 1 dancer in the world." "I went to watch her give up her crown [as Miss Teen Dance] in New York City in 1995," Snyder said. "In her speech, she thanked Penn for giving her the best year of her life. She loved this place." She added that Friday's party was extremely successful in raising money for the fund. It attracted a crowd of more than 700 people and raised approximately $3,661 -- double the profits from previous years. Arts House Dance performers were also on hand to pay tribute to Sachs in a floor show. "This means the most to our class graduating," Snyder said. "Everyone affected two years ago was just as affected today." Snyder added that the party was also therapeutic, giving people the chance to "get together and have fun and dance" in memory of Sachs. The goal of the fund is to reach the $100,000 mark, the cost of the future Perelman space, within five years. With the money raised at this year's Chi Omega party, the goal is well in sight -- the fund has raised nearly $85,000 to date. In addition to funds raised by the sorority, individual friends and family have also made donations to the fund. College senior Amy Siegel, an executive member of Chi Omega, described Sachs as "one of the nicest people" and noted the shock that followed her untimely death. "She was a part of my good memories," said Siegel, stressing the importance of funds which will provide much-needed performance arts space on campus. College senior Nicole Totah, a member of Arts House Dance, added that Sachs was "an inspiration" whose expertise and grace was imitated by other dancers.
(09/26/97 9:00am)
Crowning the Van Pelt Library, the Department of Special Collections remains an obscure yet vitally important addition to the University's academic resources. Anyone, from students and faculty to independent researchers and scholars around the world, can leaf through such rare treasures as the early printed editions of Walt Whitman's poetry or the manuscripts of former University Professor John Mauchly, one of the co-developers of ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer. Currently under the direction of Michael Ryan, Special Collections formed shortly after World War II at a time when many libraries were beginning to take rare and valuable collections out of general circulation. "[Rare book departments] developed out of the book collecting community," Ryan explained. "It was still the dominant mode of collecting if you had money and wanted status." Since WWII, however, Ryan said libraries simply began the collections as "custodial operations," merely for the purpose of storage. When collecting art became more popular than collecting books, curators felt obliged to preserve and display rare and valuable books. The hardwood floors and display cases lining Van Pelt's sixth floor -- where the collections are housed -- give the library a museum-like atmosphere, serving as a charming contrast to the linoleum and metal bookcase stacks on lower floors. Hosting eight exhibits per year, the library features the collections of donors as well as books and manuscripts on loan from other libraries. Relying mostly on the "kindness of strangers" for funds and acquisitions of books and manuscripts, the library works with one of the smallest budgets among the rare book collection libraries in the Ivy League, according to Ryan. Despite these financial limitations, Ryan and his colleagues are working to procure new additions to the library's collections and are planning to renovate the library in an effort to add seminar rooms. A recent acquisition that Ryan called "mind-boggling" includes a collection of 15th century cookbooks and some 3,000 "salesman sample books" from the 19th century. These items were used by publishers to publicize forthcoming books, encouraging subscribers to buy such works as Frederick Douglass' memoirs. "This will knock your socks off," Ryan asserted. "There is nothing else like [this collection] in the world." Another recent endeavor features a collaboration between Special Collections and English Professor Rebecca Bushnell. With hopes of making Van Pelt's Furness Memorial Library accessible to the world, Bushnell and Ryan are submitting a grant proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities to scan nearly 15,000 pages worth of material into a World Wide Web site. The site will provide links to help decipher Old English text and pronunciation as well as artistic interpretations of Shakespeare characters throughout the centuries. The library houses one of the best Shakespeare collections in any university library in the United States.
(09/24/97 9:00am)
The Career Planning and Placement Service wants to show that it's not just for Wharton students. Amid the endless parties and screamers celebrating the "beginning of the end," many seniors have also begun bemoaning the necessity of starting to plan for their post-graduation lives. For the Class of 1998, the fall semester marks the start of the job search and graduate school application process. And for a significant number of undergraduates, Career Planning and Placement Service, part of the Division of University Life, is the place where it all begins. Under the direction of Patricia Rose, CPPS is tucked away in the bowels of the McNeil Building. In a recent interview, Rose outlined the goals of CPPS and tried to dispel some of the "apprehensions" attached to the office and its services. "There is something for everyone here," Rose said, adding that she was aware of the misconceptions of the office as exclusively for "Wharton and Engineering jobs." "We want to make sure that we're bringing as many opportunities to [students'] attention as possible," she said. Lauding the University's "outstanding" on-campus recruiting services, Rose cited statistics showing that students had about 16,000 interviews with 432 businesses last year and met individually with CPPS counselors approximately 13,000 times. The statistics include multiple visits by the same person, however, and CPPS does not have information on the exact number of students who use the service. Despite Rose's enthusiasm, many students give a much more negative opinion of CPPS, citing friends' bad past experiences. College senior Andrew Hertzmark, who is currently looking for a job in the business sector, complained about the difficulty he has had in obtaining information for "Wharton" jobs as a College student. Many of Hertzmark's friends in the Wharton School get a slew of CPPS mailings about job opportunities, but he complained that getting the same information requires him to "catch up" with Wharton counselors. "I have friends who don't think CPPS is helpful," he said. "The resume drop is scary? you don't know where [the resume] goes." Instead, Hertzmark said he and his friends have begun to "network," relying on relatives and other contacts for job opportunities instead of CPPS. Despite perceived benefits for Wharton students, Wharton senior Enrique Saez voiced similar concerns. "I'm not putting much hope into this," Saez said as he slipped resumes into boxes labeled with each employer participating in the resume drop. "Most people go out on their own to find jobs." Others, however, found the service's self-help resources beneficial. "It's not that difficult to gauge where you are in the [application] process," said Wharton senior Denise Lee, who hopes to attend law school next year. But Rose said she was delighted to hear of these students' independent, if somewhat reluctant, job searching. "No one can find you a job. You have to find a job," she said. Emphasizing what she sees as an "extraordinary time to graduate," Rose urged students to take control of their futures by using CPPS as an aid, not a crutch. "We don't want people to become complacent," she said. "You still have to do a lot of work."
(09/23/97 9:00am)
History Department Undergraduate Chairperson Bruce Kuklick cannot imagine the department without Professor Thomas Sugrue. "We searched for several years unsuccessfully for a 20th century American history [professor]," said Kuklick, who was one of the people responsible for hiring Sugrue and recently granting him tenure. Describing his relationship with the younger Sugrue as a running "generational debate," Kuklick explained the differences between their takes on recent American history. "I would describe my views as mature," said Kuklick, who acknowledged the fact that his perspective comes from direct personal experience, while Sugrue's does not. "In that sense, [Sugrue] is really the historian, untainted by [recent historical events]." The events that usually spur friendly debate between Kuklick and Sugrue are those of the 1960s -- a decade in which Kuklick was protesting the Vietnam War while Sugrue was just beginning to walk. Most know Sugrue as the professor who teaches History 373, "America in the 1960s." While his concentration is that tumultuous period in recent American history, his interests are by no means limited to that decade. "I still have a great interest in colonial history," said Sugrue, who attributes much of his passion to a high school history professor who was himself "a product of the 1960s." But during his studies at Columbia University and King's College in England, Sugrue discovered that 20th century history was still uncharted territory and decided to pursue a concentration that he described as "a terra incognita for historians." "The questions the '60s raise are questions that are out there still, unresolved in current American politics, in current American culture," he said, pointing to continuing debates over welfare, poverty and the role of women in society as issues first debated in the 1960s. Although Sugrue's relatively removed perspective on the '60s may be seen as something of an anomaly, many cannot help but notice his love of the subject. "He has an infectious enthusiasm," History Chairperson Lynn Lees said. "[He] makes his audience feel a personal stake in the issues at hand." Describing him as "impassioned" about the era, College senior Dan Saval pointed to Sugrue's classroom antics. He said, for example, that Sugrue "throws his hands up a lot and runs around" during his lectures. Still feeling the afterglow of his recently published book, The Origins of the Urban Crisis, Sugrue noted that the book was "selling better than my editors thought it would sell." Sugrue -- who is considering taking a sabbatical next year to conduct research -- continues to incorporate many different historical perspectives in his work, as he did in Crisis. His next books include a "thematic overview" of the 1960s, based on his course and one on "the history of racial integration and its politics between the 1930s and the present. "I'm combining intellectual, political and social history? for a top-down look at how [racial integration] played out in various localities."
(09/19/97 9:00am)
At a university where student-run performing arts groups are a dime a dozen, the independent Bach Society stands alone. Born from the now-defunct Composer's Orchestra of the University of Pennsylvania, the Bach Society has quickly gained momentum as the only student-run orchestra on campus. David Austin, an oboe player studying under former Philadelphia Orchestra player Louis Rosenblatt, conducts the group. Austin said he encountered a great deal of frustration while trying to establish the orchestra at the University. "It was a ludicrous amount of red tape? a long series of petitions and proposals to be recognized," the College senior said, citing the acronyms of several real (and imaginary) funding councils -- "SAC, PAC, SMAC" -- responsible for the creation of new student-run groups on campus. Having passed the initial hurdles, the Bach Society is in its second full season and is comprised of between 30 and 50 student musicians, nearly all of whom are undergraduates. The group performs a range of classical music -- from Bach to Brandenberg to Haydn. Austin said the group plans to hold a "composition competition" sometime this year and will play the winning student compositions at performances. "We're a serious orchestra but we do cut loose sometimes," Austin said. "The students really are in touch with what they want out of a quality performing arts group." Returning players, who include College senior Jennifer Loh and Wharton junior Terence Chang, also pointed to the group's dynamics as a major reason for their involvement. "It's an intimate and musically rewarding group," said Loh, a flutist. Chang, a clarinet player and the Bach Society's financial manager, called the group the "credit union of orchestras" -- a reference to the group's independence from the Music Department, which governs the University Symphony Orchestra. Many students who became part of the Bach Society said they did so only after their involvement with the University Orchestra left them disenchanted. "I was in the University Orchestra for three painful semesters?. When Bach Society became an alternative, I decided to jump ship," Chang said. Listing his personal grievances with the University Orchestra, Chang said the students rarely liked the musical selections, lacked input in the Orchestra's managerial matters and were "publicly embarrassed during rehearsals? treated like children." Chang said the Bach Society was created as a "protest" against "an administration biased against undergraduates." College sophomore and French horn player Madeline Abrams added, "[The Bach Society] fulfilled so much for me in a musical sense that I had missed in the University Orchestra." The Bach Society is looking for additional members, playing any instrument.
(09/17/97 9:00am)
Few Penn students know who designed Hill College House, but the freshmen who invaded Van Pelt Library last night learned both that piece of trivia and how to navigate and better utilize the library's many resources. Using a scavenger hunt with questions designed to familiarize students with Van Pelt, the orientation attempted to lure new students to the library by making the tour interactive. "It's kind of a waste of time, but it's fun," said College freshman Duwayne Terry, as he and his group from Ware College House searched the library's World Wide Web site for answers to the hunt's questions. The University's college houses recently implemented support networks designed to help students -- especially freshmen -- with computing and library systems. Information technology advisors, as well as "library liaisons" and math and writing tutors, have been recruited to assist students in the dorms. The liaisons and tutors bridge the gap between the library system and dorms to assist students and to give feedback to library officials about student needs. College sophomore Kobie Xavier became involved with the program after he got frustrated last year over what he termed an "intimidating" system. While trying to locate books for a research paper, Xavier said he "found the bathroom twice, but none of the books" that he needed. After a crash course late last year on the University's library system, however, Xavier was "surprised at how easy it was." He now works as one of the Ware liaisons. "The students learned stuff that they found very valuable [tonight,]" he said. A similar pilot program, implemented in Van Pelt College House last year, signaled to library officials that orientations and other assistance was needed to help students in their research and studies. Debra Bucher, a reference librarian at Van Pelt, organized much of the orientation. "The goal is to [familiarize students] so that they aren't so lost in November when term papers are due," Bucher said. The scavenger hunt self-directed students around the library while also providing a way for suitemates to interact socially. "It's a chance to see [the library] without making it a dreary library lecture," noted Patricia Renfro, a library spokesperson. As students ran from circulation desk to fifth-floor stacks to the new Goldstein Electronic Classroom -- which contains 17 computer terminals -- many commented on the usefulness of the program. And after finding out that Finnish architect Eero Saarinen was the designer of Hill, a group of students learned to search the Web at the library. One of their discoveries was a photo of another of Saarinen's designs -- the St. Louis Arch.
(09/15/97 9:00am)
Enthusiastically looking forward to a semester of World War II studies, College sophomore Scott Cohen stood outside Williams Hall's room 215 last week waiting for the teacher he described as a "dynamic speaker" -- History Professor Thomas Childers. After waiting for the previous class to exit, Cohen and a few other students filed in for the first day of Childers' WWII course, History 102. As the group quickly exceeded the number allowed for a "seminar" class, the small-talk became animated with concern. "Is everyone here registered for this course?" asked one student, who hoped to take the popular course even though it was "technically" closed. "I heard he's a good teacher? that's all I hear." Meanwhile, sitting behind a small desk in the middle of 24 students, Childers -- who teaches two acclaimed history courses on WWII and the Third Reich -- delved into the subject by stating the "not-so-obvious obvious." "War has an attraction. In war, humankind shows itself at its absolute best? and it also shows people at their abysmal worst," Childers said with a hint of a Southern accent. Comparing the war to a "morality play," he stressed the importance of studying WWII and its repercussions. "Germany was not so terribly unlike the U.S., yet this terrible movement comes to power," he said. "How does one explain that -- collective madness? I don't think so. [We need to know how] to deal with our own political culture and? with the rights of others." Declaring it "the single most important event in human history," Childers has examined the war from a more personal perspective in the last few years. His 1995 book Wings of Morning was the first in a trilogy of books on WWII. After being "haunted" by his family's WWII experience, Childers said he had a strong desire to clarify the circumstances under which his uncle Howard Goodner died during the war. With the "epiphany" of his discovery of several letters and photographs from his uncle during the war, Childers set off in search of what actually happened. "I learned more about history doing that book than I did in all of my graduate studies," he stressed. After publishing scholarly works like The Nazi Voter and Reevaluating the Third Reich, Childers abandoned a project concerning imperial Germany to write the novel-esque book. "I had nothing new to say about the interpretation of [WWII] in this book," Childers said of Morning, which focuses more on telling a story rather than just presenting facts. "I wanted people to feel? some sense of what war really means. It means loss, people not coming home." Childers is currently working on the last two installments of the trilogy. One, entitled We'll Meet Again, recounts the story of an American pilot who was hidden by a schoolteacher in France before being captured and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. The third book, The Best Years of Their Lives, explores the difficulty that servicemen found in "returning to America and re-adjusting to life." History Professor Walter McDougall, who met Childers when the two studied together at the Goethe Institute in Germany, emphasized his friend's Southern "gift of storytelling." "[Wings of Morning] is justifiably legendary," he said, stressing Childers' continuing popularity with students and faculty alike.
(09/10/97 9:00am)
College senior Michael Saunders spent this summer making his brainchild a reality -- designing and marketing an on-line food delivery service for the University community, called campusfood.com. The service is designed for anyone in the area who wants to order food from local restaurants. Instead of placing an order over the telephone, customers can access the company's World Wide Web site. The site features such local establishments as Allegro Pizza, Salad Works Cafe, Campus Epicurean and Lee's Hoagie House. It can be reached on the Web at http://www.campusfood.com. Those using the free service must first register their personal information -- including their address and phone number -- on the Web site, before receiving a password and username that they can use when accessing the service in the future. "It was a lot easier [to develop] than we expected," said Saunders, an Economics major who is excited as his business goes into its second week of operation. "I'm somewhat of a programmer, and it was really neat to do." Saunders started developing the service about six months ago, after feeling that he and other Penn students shared common complaints about restaurant food delivery on campus. "With all of [the menus] on-line, there is never a busy signal, the order is always right and it's not as rushed," Saunders said. Seeking financial support from a consulting firm where Saunders was once employed, he said he got "100 percent" backing from his former boss. And after realizing that he and his computer weren't enough to develop the service, Saunders once again looked for help -- this time from his friend, Engineering senior Jarid Lukin. "I had a similar idea, but he took the initiative," said Lukin. The Web site, Saunders noted, will be adding new restaurants periodically. He said he hopes some of the future participating restaurants will be located in Center City. "So far, 100 people have registered, and we've had about 25 orders [to the restaurants]," Saunders said. The pair also hopes to add restaurants that deliver to other college campuses, including Drexel and Villanova universities. To monitor the fledgling system, Saunders carries a beeper, which automatically notifies him when an order is placed and if it is received successfully. "So far everything's been great," Saunders assured. In the future, the site will also feature a weekly sweepstakes, as well as opportunities for members to accrue "membership points" that can be used to buy more food. To generate profits from the service, campusfood.com charges restaurants credit-card fees, and Saunders hopes to sell advertising space on the site to local businesses. He said he found encouragement not only from his benefactor, but also from the local restaurants that he approached with the idea. "It's a good marketing idea," explained Salad Works Cafe owner Edward Siegle. "We have a small number of take-outs and this is another avenue to increase business." And while Allegro manager Angelo Hernandez also praised the service, he showed his skepticism as well. "I've got to wait a week or two [for community response]," he said. But noting that most Penn students have access to the Internet, he added, "I hope it becomes something great."
(06/19/97 9:00am)
Union between two institutions hopes to improve the already acclaimed centers of care and research. The Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center -- formerly affiliated with Allegheny University Hospitals -- recently signed an official agreement to join the University of Pennsylvania Health System as part of the Neurological Institute. The Center -- which has had a "long association" with the University's Medical Center -- will be located at Pennsylvania Hospital starting in mid-July. As the only provider of comprehensive care for Parkinson's patients in the Delaware Valley, the Center is recognized by the National Parkinson Foundation as one of its Worldwide Centers of Excellence. Doctors from both institutions are optimistic about the Center joining the Neurological Institute -- which already includes the Departments of Neurology, Department of Neurosurgery and Division of Neuroradiology. "We chose to join UPHS because of the tremendous potential to expand our clinical an d research programs," said Matthew Stern, Director of the Center. Founded in 1982 by Stern and Howard Hurtig, the Center offers comprehensive care to patients with Parkinson's disease, a common disorder of the central nervous system. The Center also specializes in the surgical treatment of patients with other movement disorders such as dystonia, chorea, and Tourette's syndromes through procedures such as pallidotomy and deep brain stimulation. The academic component of the Center Involves research with the goal of finding a biological basis for Parkinson's and other neurological diseases which affect movement. Officials in the University Medical Center's Department of Neurology -- the oldest academic neurology department in the nation and consistently ranked among the top five in the country also had positive responses to the recent agreement. "We're looking forward to expanding upon our already productive relationship," noted Neurology Department Chairperson Robert Barchi. Physicians from the Center will work closely with Penn neurosurgeons to expand the neuroscience services at Pennsylvania Hospital. John Bell -- President of Pennsylvania Hospital -- also commented on the "exciting joint venture" between the two institutions. "The Center's distinguished role as a regional hub of clinical care and research excellence for Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders is a welcome addition to Pennsylvania Hospitals's neuroscience services."
(06/05/97 9:00am)
Owner William Hoffman knows his restaurant, La Terrasse, from top to bottom--literally. Back when Hoffman was a Penn undergraduate in the early 1980's, he started working at the Sansom street eatery as a busboy. And now, after graduating and running a popular restaurant downtown, he has returned to bring La Terrasse back from the dead. Reopened May 14, La Terrasse has been waiting a long time for its facelift. A dispute between the former owners caused the restaurant to close in 1988, when the doors shut and the decay began. Hoffman described what a "terrible condition" the building was in when he finally returned to Sansom. "It was a fun project," said Hoffman, who added that the job of revitalizing La Terrasse was "huge ?we gutted the building ?and restored it from the ground." Also the owner of Carolina's restaurant at 20th streets between Spruce and Locust, Hoffman felt a need to return to the University City area with his restauranteur experience. "It was killing me ?that it was vacant," said Hoffman. "I wanted to see the block get finished." As for atmosphere, Hoffman emphasized that the newly refurbished "bistro" -- with its contemporary decor and hardwood floors -- would be anything but "pretentious" in its delivery of fine French cuisine. "It's fine dining ?but casual," insisted Hoffman. With two chefs -- one American, one French -- who share in what the restaurant calls a "transAtlantic partnership," Hoffman promised the menu is as authentically French as it is seasonal. And he emphasized how much he appreciates the University -- his landlord for the restaurant property. "Penn did a great job with the remodeling," Hoffman noted. With an expected clientele of "administration and graduate students," La Terrasse hopes to bring a new "watering hole" to the Sansom Street row. "It's used the same way a bistro is used in France," said Annie Bentley, Hoffman's consultant. "It's definitely not for special occasions?it's just casual." Henry Graves, a recent patron of the restaurant, reminisced about the restaurant, and compared it to Hoffman's reinterpretation of La Terrasse. "I used to come here a lot," said Graves. "They really fixed this place up."
(05/29/97 9:00am)
University gives newly-created West Philadelphia-based business a good start. In an effort to improve relations with the community, the University has recently entered into a multi-year contract with the west Philadelphia-based greater Philadelphia Commercial Residential Services Company. The contract stipulates that local business will provide Penn with cleaning, janitorial, graffiti removal and other special services for $265,000 annually. CORS CEO and 1987 Wharton graduate Blane Stoddart said he hopes his company's services will make the area bounded by Market Street and Baltimore Avenue between 39th to 41st streets a "desirable place to congregate." The most recent contract is a five month agreement which stipulates that CORS will keep the area attractive with regular sidewalk cleaning and graffiti removal and can be renewed by the University. And under the terms of a separate two-year contract, CORS will also provide housekeeping services for the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania as well as Penn Tower Hotel offices. The total cost per year for both contracts is approximately $265,000. "I applaud the University for taking such a huge step," Stoddart said. "There is the potential that millions [of dollars] can be spread out into the community." While CORS is just beginning its venture into the business world, Executive Vice President John Fry said the University has demonstrated its commitment to support new business in West Philadelphia by signing on to CORS' services--agreements which comprise most of the company's total contracts. "[Penn] is almost helping to start the company," noted Phyllis Holtzman of University Relations, who also called the recent contracts "exciting." Jack Shannon of the Office of Economic Development also commented on the newly formed relationship, confident that the University would "exercise its renewal option" in the five month contract with the UCA. "Both parties have expressed their satisfaction," Shannon said. "CORS provides a very necessary service." "This new arrangement will not only provide the University with much-needed services, but will enable CORS to demonstrate its expertise and services to other potential customers," Fry said in a written release. Stoddart also emphasized that University contracts are important to helping CORS attract future clients. "Rome wasn't built in a day," he said. "Institutions and businesses need to work together." He added that "businesses like McDonald's and Kinkos need to pool their resources to keep the area clean."
(04/25/97 9:00am)
Calling for an attack on Mayor Ed Rendell and assailing Louis Farrakhan as a "Black Hitler," Jewish Defense Organization National Director Mordechai Levy held a press conference yesterday in front of Hillel. The head of the self-described militant Jewish group "declared war" on Rendell for his alleged "embracing of the hate-monger" Farrakhan. Rendell met with Farrakhan last week to discuss race relations after tensions flared in the Grays Ferry neighborhood of Philadelphia. Farrakhan had initially planned on holding a march in the community, but Rendell proposed a more peaceful solution, prompting criticism for associating with Farrakhan. Urging students to actively campaign against the mayor, Levy also pleaded to the more than 30 people in attendance to demand that Farrakhan be banned from campus. Although Hillel is not associated with the JDO and did not sponsor the event, Levy recalled the joint rallies that Farrakhan prompted five years ago, when he spoke at the University. In the interest of keeping "anti-Semite and anti-white" Farrakhan off campus, Levy insisted that he "is a threat to any decent person in this city." Comparing Farrakhan to David Duke -- a former member of the Ku Klux Klan -- Levy grouped both men under the label of "inciters of race riots." The JDO leader also rejected suggestions of speaking peacefully with Farrakhan, saying, "You don't ignore a David Duke -- you don't sit down and reason with a David Duke." Grasping photocopied pictures of Rendell and Farrakhan holding hands below the scribbled title, "Traitor to America," Levy called the photo "lunacy" and attempted to incite the crowd of onlookers to join his "war." "Rendell is calling [Farrakhan] a hero," Levy yelled. "Would a black mayor be seen with David Duke?" He called for a national campaign to "humiliate Mayor Rendell," and urged Jews and non-Jews alike to give the mayor "the silent treatment." He also announced that petitions would be circulated throughout campus rejecting Rendell and his association with Farrakhan. Individuals attending the rally had mixed reactions to Levy's protest, as well as to Farrakhan. "I don't hate [Farrakhan] personally," West Philadelphia resident Emery Williams said. "He has done very good things for the black community." Levy also established a special hotline that will be giving out Rendell's home address, in an effort to organize a demonstration in front of the mayor's house. That demonstration -- which Levy assured "will be lawful, legal and loud" -- will take place May 25 at 2 p.m. "I don't like violence," said Levy, adding that while the JDO has not become a "pacifist organization," the Rendell demonstration would be peaceful. "The mayor, I understand, does not like loud noise? if [the demonstration] wakes up the mayor and his family, I suggest he move out of Philadelphia," Levy said. Wharton sophomore Mason Reiner said he supports Levy's campaign "wholeheartedly." "There is no excuse for Mayor Rendell's actions," Reiner added
(04/23/97 9:00am)
While Law Professor Regina Austin made history by becoming the first African American to be named to an endowed chair at the Law School, the appointment of Law Associate Dean Michael Fitts was almost expected. "I am a third generation [endowed chair recipient]," explained Fitts, whose father and grandfather were named to endowed chairs in the Medical and Wharton schools, respectively. Fitts, who has lived in West Philadelphia most of his life, called the Robert G. Fuller, Jr. Chair "a great honor," noting that Fuller, a 1964 Law graduate, is "loyal? and actively involved." Law School Dean Colin Diver, who made the appointments, honored Fitts because of his exceptional skills as a teacher and lawyer -- skills the school were "especially interested in recognizing and promoting when [it] established the chair." Diver called Fitts "one of the leading American law scholars." "He is an invaluable asset to me as dean," he added. A Yale Law School graduate, Fitts specializes in separation of powers, the presidency and administrative law. As associate dean, Fitts is currently striving to create "programs to connect with Law and the rest of the [University] community" and making progress facilitating interdisciplinary degrees more feasible. "We're talking about a submatriculation between the Law School and the College right now," said Fitts, who added that planning is only in its elementary stages. Chris Gollatz, a first-year Law student, noted that she enjoyed Fitts' class in administrative law and that he had "good insight" into the field. Austin, who was recently named to the William A. Schnader Chair, graduated from Penn Law in 1973. A nationally prominent legal scholar in race and gender studies, Austin was "thrilled" to receive the honor. She noted that Philadelphia's Schnader, Hanson, Segal & Lewis law firm -- which established the chair --Ealso gave her her start. At work on a number of articles on the subjects of black women's lack of self-worth and the impact of the legal system in low-income minority urban communities, Austin also participated in the recent conference, "The 'Black Image' in the 'Black Mind'." She congratulated the graduate students who organized the series of academic discussions. "I was thrilled how supportive they were to each other? I would've liked that [support] as a graduate student," Austin said. A well-liked teacher, Austin's "approach to torts law is refreshing," commented first-year Law student Brant Campbell. Dismissing her outstanding accomplishments, Austin gave her own explanation for receiving the prestigious honor. "I just guess my number came up," she said.
(04/22/97 9:00am)
Philadelphia-based artist Sara Steele signed copies of her calendars and diaries Thursday at the Center. The artwork of "fabulous femme" Sara Steele will paper the walls of the Penn Women's Center between now and May 23. Steele, a Philadelphia-based artist who works primarily in watercolors, was on hand to sign her award-winning calendars and desk diaries Thursday at the Center. "We're really incredibly pleased that Sara temporarily loaned us her original art," said Women's Center Director Ellie DiLapi, who hopes to bring more woman artists to the Center. "She's a very special Philadelphia woman who's very committed to serving justice." An artist with a social conscience, Steele uses her talents to benefit a number of organizations -- including Women Against Abuse and the National Wildlife Federation -- with her interest mainly lying in assisting victims of domestic violence. Proceeds from Steele's calendars and diaries support the National Domestic Violence Hotline, while a portion of the revenues from the sale of her artwork at the Center will be designated as a "survivor fund" for victims of domestic violence, according to DiLapi. Although Steele is well-known for her work in the floral genre as a result of the published collection entitled In Bloom: The Floral Art of Sara Steele, she insists that the vibrant flower images are not her main interest. "I paint the natural world and my emotional life," Steele said. "Publishers are just assisting the stereotypes of women artists as only painting flowers? it's too bad." Recently finishing the artwork that will comprise her 1998 calendar, Steele will begin work on the 1999 calendar soon and is also in the process of designing china for Lennox. "Her paintings are exquisite? she has a good eye for colors," said College senior Onyx Finney. With art in pencil, oil pastels, gold leaf and even a mirror lining the walls, the exhibit at the Center presents Steele -- who was self-taught -- as a versatile artist, expressing her emotions through various media. Second-year Social Work graduate student Tasha Tervalon noted the artwork's wide appeal. "Everybody can find something they like," she said. "It's a broad range of expression." While Steele uses vivid colors and long, almost carefree, brush strokes, her visually beautiful imagery often obscures the pathos and rage the artist meant to illustrate. One work, a canvas covered in bright red and purple oil pastel strokes -- inspired by the impressionist movement -- finds its subject not in beauty, but in pain. "I painted that the first time I had cramps? I didn't know what to do -- I was in excruciating pain," Steele said. Commenting on the dualistic nature of many of her paintings, Steele noted, "That's what is magical about abstract expressionism."
(04/16/97 9:00am)
Penn will be the sole university sponsor at the April 25-27 event. With Provost Stanley Chodorow at his side, Mayor Ed Rendell announced the corporate and non-profit sponsors for the upcoming Presidents' Summit on community service yesterday, naming Penn as the only university to contribute to the event. Rendell noted that the conference --Escheduled for April 27-29 --Ewill bring "a lot of hoopla, a lot of excitement and a lot of fun" to Philadelphia. The summit, which is designed to increase the amount of community service nationwide by the turn of the century, includes delegates from 140 cities. President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, as well as former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and George Bush, have all agreed to participate in the humanitarian event. Retired Gen. Colin Powell will serve as the event's chairperson, while television personality Oprah Winfrey will be its mistress of ceremonies. Chodorow pointed to University President Judith Rodin's collaboration with President Clinton's America Reads literacy initiative, and pledged "half of [Penn's] new workstudy funds and students to that project which will double the number of Penn students engaged" in the program. During yesterday's press conference, the five corporate sponsors and three non-profit sponsors outlined their individual plans for accomplishing the summit's five goals. The goals include giving children a "healthy start," a safe and warm place for after-school activities, providing a mentoring relationship with an adult, fostering "marketable job skills through effective education" and establishing programs that allow young kids to "give back to their community" through community service." Rendell added that the conference aims to reverse "the destiny of 2 million young Americans? who are trapped in what appears to them to be hopeless, cheerless lives." Stressing that the summit "isn't government," Rendell introduced the Philadelphia-based sponsors as a "combination of the very best of the private sector." He added that the representatives are only the start of a long list of "over 75 major corporate pledges and over 100 non-profit pledges" that he hopes to present April 28. "Philadelphia is not only going to host events? but we are going to lead the way in putting together a Philadelphia pledge book that will be a model for the other 140 cities and 50 states to follow," Rendell said. Representatives from the corporate sponsors --Ewhich include such companies as SmithKline Beecham, the Comcast Corporation and CoreStates -- spoke at the conference and explained their companies' contributions to the summit. Comcast CEO Ralph Roberts said his corporation will provide high-speed modems to 250 public libraries across the country, as well as 1 million hours of free Internet usage and volunteers to teach children to use the new technology as their donation to the event. He explained that such knowledge is vital to children's education, adding that "there has been a gigantic explosion of technology in the communication world." And as he announced the summit's non-profit sponsors, Rendell praised the University, noting that "[Penn] does so much on a day-in, day-out basis already for the people of West Philadelphia and the people of the entire city of Philadelphia." And Chodorow added that Penn has a"multi-faceted pledge to the summit." "The University of Pennsylvania is one of the leaders among higher education institutions in providing community service activities," he said. Outlining the University's plan to "contribute to all five of the summit goals," Chodorow said Penn has the ability to sponsor community service activities such as the summit because of the range of its "activities and the size of student body and workforce." "[The University] is committing itself in specific ways to increase the numbers of faculty, students, staff and alumni involved in one-to-one mentoring in peer and community health education activities and in school to work programs," he said. Chodorow also pledged Penn's promise to "develop and expand safe places and structured activities for children during non-school hours." "We are delighted to make these contributions regarded by [Penn] as critical to our mission as an educational institution," Chodorow said.
(04/11/97 9:00am)
Masque runs for the next two weeks in Houston Hall. Reveling in the success of the latest Artist Guild production, Co-President and College senior Javier Villar stood among dozens of colorful masks that will line the walls of Houston Hall's Bowl Room for the next two weeks. "Our organization's purpose is to represent artists in the Penn community? and this is like a microcosm of Penn," Villar said last night at the opening of Masque, an exhibit sponsored and organized by the student-run organization. The masks -- distributed by the Artist Guild to "whoever expressed interest in it" -- were decorated by people throughout the University community, including University President Judith Rodin. Rodin decorated her mask with streamers of red and blue emerging from the face, painted with a mosaic-like "P." Underneath, a typed message accompanied each work of art. "We are a community of different identities, and we must openly celebrate our differences as well as our similarities," Rodin wrote. Villar was initially skeptical about the response to the project, but expressed excitement about the exhibit. "We wanted to include as many people as we could, but it is hard to get individuals to submit [art]," Villar said. "We initially distributed 60 masks [for decoration]? and got about 200 percent back? there are about 110 to 115 masks here." The idea behind the masks, Villar explained, was twofold. "On one level, the concept of the mask is that it's your face -- genderless, not racial specific," he said. "On the second level, it is an expression of the community and the individual at the same time." Villar likened the art exhibit to a complete "mural" while also drawing attention to the fact that each individual mask is a unique entity. Diana Falchuk, a co-president of the Artist Guild, also expressed excitement over the large turnout at the opening night of the Masque exhibit. "It's an ingenious way to unite the community," said Falchuk, a College sophomore. "Rather than assaulting the community with art, we try to unite the community." College sophomore Abby Feldman -- who curated the exhibit -- noted that she is "really proud of us as an organization." Pointing to the tendency of the group to be seen as "elitist," Villar expressed his optimism about the Artist Guild's changing atmosphere. "We are staying away from hierarchies?we don't categorize, but try to represent people," Villar said. College senior Neema Ghazi-Moghadam -- one of dozens who perused the exhibit last night -- mused, "It's interesting just to look. It's like a look into the [artist's] subconscious." College freshman and Artist Guild artist Alexandra Minnaar -- who decorated a mask with aluminum hair cut from soda cans -- said the exhibit promotes artistic appreciation. "It's important? that so many people are interested," she said.
