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(10/21/94 9:00am)
To many, Fear of Flying is simply the name of a bestselling romance novel written by Erica Jong. But for the 40 Philadelphians enrolled in the USAir Fearful Flyers course, fear of flying is a serious phobia that restricts everything from vacation plans and business travel to relationships with loved ones who live far away. According to Fearful Flyers Instructor Carol Stauffer, the course -- which was held weekly this month at the Philadelphia International Airport -- teaches flyers relaxation techniques to show them how to keep from panicking once they step onto an airplane. Fearful Flyers Director Frank Petee, a USAir pilot, also helps the students get over their fear of the unknown by educating them about aviation technology -- information which is very helpful, according to several flyers. "I felt better when [Petee] went through how turbulence doesn't affect the plane," said Claudia Siegle, a student in the class who said she is now "basically" over her phobia."I was afraid because of a combination of a lack of knowledge of what goes on in an airplane and not trusting the pilots." After three weeks of learning about the innerworkings of airplanes and relaxation techniques, this week the flyers were led on a tour of the aircraft, where they meditated for about 10 minutes. Next week, brave flyers will "graduate" the class after sitting through an hour-long flight around the airport. They will then get diplomas and celebrate with free champagne, Stauffer said. "You're not the same person you were before you took the class. You're no longer helpless with your anxieties," Stauffer told flyers this week before they toured the plane -- a difficult feat for many in the course who fear the actual aircraft more than they do flying. At first timidly, and then with confidence, students touched the nose and wings of the once-stigmatized object as Petee led the tour. "There was a time when I wouldn't enter an airport, let alone an airplane," said Ray Niglio, who waited until the other flyers touched the plane before he extended a hesitant hand towards the aircraft. "I would classify my fear, though, more as being claustrophobic." Nursing graduate student Kelli Eshleman, also a member of the class, said her fear of flying is rooted in claustrophobia as well. Before she took the Fearful Flyers class, Eshleman said she suffered panic attacks and began to tremble when entering airplanes. She said, though, that compared to some of her classmates, "I didn't have it half bad." For Janet Trimbale, fear of flying has been a lifelong phobia. She said she grew to fear planes during her childhood after watching her father, a pilot, call families to inform them that their loved ones had been lost in a crashed aircraft. Trimbale said she finally brought herself to confront her phobia because she did not want her daughter to learn to fear flying as well. Some flyers said their fears grew stronger when the USAir Flight 767 crashed over Pittsburgh last fall, killing about 130 people. Debbie Jones, who has never flown in her life, finally mustered the courage to reserve two tickets to Florida this summer to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary. Later that day, she heard of the Pittsburgh crash on the news. Coincidentally, Jones said she also heard of the Fearful Flyers class that same day. "God must have made me call that day, because otherwise I sure wouldn't have," said Jones, who wore red airplane-shaped earrings given to her by a supportive sister-in-law for the occasion. "It was fate." Ed Linsk, who said he enrolled in the course because he is "tired of driving back and forth to Florida" for family vacations, said that he took the Pittsburgh crash "personally," because it was a real-life example of his worst nightmare. But, he said he is trying to keep the phobia from overtaking his life. "It ruins wherever you're going, whatever you're doing," Linsk said. "It makes for a lousy vacation -- you go somewhere and all you can think of is the plane ride back."
(10/20/94 9:00am)
She may not be Howard Stern, but College senior Debra Pickett is definitely a natural on the air waves, according to several of her friends. Pickett, who guest-hosted the WMMR morning program last Friday after winning a contest, gave a live tour of the University campus, accompanied by WMMR radio personalities Pierre Robert and Buzz Barkley. "She's just flowing," said College senior Dan Hurwitz, who also participated in the tour. "I knew she'd do a better job than she thought she would." Traveling with Pickett were Lays Potato Chip spokesperson Chris Calhoun, who handed out free bags of Lays to pedestrians, and Elizabeth Edsen, a spokesperson for Sunbolt, who had a six-foot float of the beverage tied around her waist. "We're standing right across the street from the Quadrangle, the very spot where Candice Bergen lost her virginity," said Pickett, who received $120 in cash, a T-shirt and a key chain for hosting the show. She also received as many bags of Lays chips and bottles of Sunbolt as she could consume. When Pickett led the tour to Houston Hall, she was able to make a pitch for the Women's Center, where she works as a member of the Penn Women's Alliance Leadership Team. "Since we are standing here, can I mention that we are in front of Houston Hall, where we have the Women's Center, which is understaffed, underfunded and underspaced?" Pickett said. Many passersby became excited when they saw Robert and Barkley. "Hello, Pierre!" cried out a group of construction workers at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. "Hello, citizens!" Robert called back. Robert interrupted the tour when he came across College senior Michael Ray, who was sitting in a car decorated with "Re-Elect Bush/Quayle" and "Grateful Dead" bumper stickers. "A Republican Dead-head," said Robert. "A young Republican -- nothing makes me sadder." The tour was the last in a series of features on Philadelphia college campuses. When Pickett concluded the tour, she and her friends were asked to sing "The Red and the Blue." Under Robert's direction, though, the students instead sung "Ed Can't Eat Eggs or He'll Die," a song written by Drexel University sophomore Steve Cherubin for WMMR's tour of that campus earlier this month. "On his birthdays, just one wish he would make -- he wished that he could eat his cake. But Ed can't eat eggs or he'll die," the students crooned in unison. The song is about Cherubin's friend, Drexel sophomore Ed Woolford, who is allergic to eggs. Pickett said she enjoyed hosting the tour -- although she said she was surprised to learn how live radio broadcasting is done. "I'm a little surprised at how completely spontaneous it is," she said.
(10/14/94 9:00am)
This University official was a two-time champion on the game show Jeopardy! this week. The question is: who is Student Financial Services Director William Schilling? Schilling, who pulled in $16,602 after winning the game show Tuesday and Wednesday, was finally defeated last night by Mark McGinty, a Philadelphia actuary. And although he did not make it to the ranks of the five-day champions, he said he enjoyed his experience on national television all the same. "It was a good experience," Schilling said. "I found that it is very unlike guessing the answers in your home." He said the pressure of being on television added a new dimension to the game. "I was nervous during the tapings," Schilling said. "It's almost like being in a tunnel -- the pace at which it moved created tension." In addition to staying calm before an audience of millions -- and correctly answering trivia questions -- Schilling said he never had anticipated what turned out to be one his biggest challenges: the buzzers. Although most television viewers assume that whichever contestant presses the buzzer first gets his first stab at answering a question, the system is actually much more complicated, he said. "When Alex [Trebek] finishes reciting the questions, if you ring in before the lights go on, it blocks your buzzer," Schilling said, explaining that contestants must look at a lightboard before they "ring in." "When people get on a role, it's a combination of just knowing [the answers] and getting into the rhythm," he added. Schilling said members of his family urged him to try out for the show when Jeopardy! held try-outs in Atlantic City this spring. According to Jeopardy! Head Contestant Coordinator Susanne Thurber, potential contestants are interviewed and administered a difficult 50 question test in the preliminary try-outs. Those who obtain a high score on the test participate in a mock version of the game. Schilling said the questions on the audition test are more difficult than the ones on the actual game because they are "more like the Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy." He said he was able to make it on the show -- and come in first place twice -- because he has always read a lot. "You have to read enough so that things click in your mind," Schilling said. "The breadth of information is too much to be able to prepare for it." One of the perks of being a Jeopardy! contestant is getting to meet Trebek, Schilling said. "He seemed like a very amiable guy," he said. "He seems very knowledgeable." But, according to Schilling, there were some drawbacks of being on the show as well. "I think it makes people look heavier than they are," he said. After coming in second place last night, Schilling won a free trip to Orlando, Florida.
(10/10/94 9:00am)
The time to invest in Maxell Audio Cassette stock is now -- thanks to a new campus club. The Penn Tapers Alliance (PTA), a group of die-hard rock fans dedicated to trading audiocassettes of rock concerts, organized at the University late last month. According to PTA founder Ted Kartzman, a College senior, the club is a trading post for students who collect taped recordings of their favorite groups' live performances. It is also a forum for students with similar musical interests who want to discuss the most recent Phish or Grateful Dead concerts, he said. "I decided to join so I could meet people with common interests," College sophomore Dave Roush said. "I'm trying to build up a bigger collection -- it's my hobby, I guess." Roush said he does not trade tapes in order to save himself the price of a concert ticket. In fact, he often buys recordings of concerts he attended in order to pick up on subtle nuances in the background music. "It's a way to remember what you didn't hear when you were there, and remember what you did hear," Roush said. For Wharton sophomore Abbott Wang, collecting Phish recordings is akin to "collecting baseball cards." "I don't listen to everything I have," said Wang, who has spent about $300 this year on blank Maxell audiocassettes to make dubs of his friends' recordings. "It gets boring." Wang said he spends so much of his time and money on the hobby because of his interest in the musicians' lives. "[At a concert] there's a lot of talking in between the songs," Wang said. "It's a way to get a deeper understanding of Eddie Vedder." Kartzman said he thinks some of the approximately 700 tapes in his collection are going to be very valuable one day. "This stuff is going to be vintage," he said. "And I'm sure I'm still going to love it when I'm 40 -- I play it for my parents and they love it." Although the PTA met for the first time several weeks ago, it already has 30 student members and four members from other universities in the Philadelphia area, Kartzman said. He added that the club only advocates the recording of groups that do not prohibit private recordings of their concerts -- such as the Grateful Dead, the Dave Matthews Band and Phish. But despite PTA's integrity, Kartzman said he does not think it will be easy for the newly-founded group to get funding from the Student Activities Council. "I don't think they'll look favorably on us," he said. "We're not helping anybody, [and] we're not helping the community."
(10/05/94 9:00am)
Caffeine junkies may have trouble balancing their bank books this month, since the price of coffee is on the rise. Because of an unexpected frost in Brazil this June, imported coffee has become scarce and merchants around the country and locally have had to raise prices. David Conn, a partner at Chimes Cafe at 40th and Pine streets, said Chimes had to raise the price of refills from 35 cents to 50 cents, and that the cost of a regular cup may increase by 10 cents if the coffee crisis does not subside. And Devin Williams, an employee at Last Drop Cafe in Center City -- a coffee house patronized primarily by college students and artists -- said the price of a cup of coffee has increased by 25 cents. The average price of a bag of ground coffee has also increased nationwide because of the crisis. This price jump has translated into empty pockets for many students at the University who simply aren't themselves in the morning -- or at any other time of day -- without their daily cup of coffee. "I need a separate bank account because of my coffee addiction," said College sophomore Stefanie Kudrac, who trekked all the way down to Caribou Cafe at 11th and Walnut streets to satisfy a caffeine fix this weekend. College junior Justin Burks said he is cutting back on his meat intake in order to counterbalance the jump in the cost of java. "An expensive cup of coffee is a buck, a cheap cup is 80 cents," said Burks, who drinks about 10 cups of coffee each week. "With the amount I spend on coffee, the [20 cent] difference adds up to what I spend on a Billybob's cheesesteak. So I'll buy one less cheesesteak." Engineering senior Jordan Gushurst said he does not have to worry about passing up cheesesteaks in order to hold onto his coffee money, because the coffee he drinks is not imported from Brazil. "I grow my own," said Gushurst. "Some people home-brew, I home-bean. I prefer domestic -- it's a flavor thing." But for die-hard coffee drinker Lija Bentley, a College junior, there is no alternative to drinking the pricey beverage sold at city cafes. "People might linger over less coffee, but I need the caffeine," she said. "It's harder to get other people to go with me [to coffee houses] now, but I'm willing to pay for the extra amount." College senior Kerri Catino said although the cost increase has had an "incredible" effect on her budget, she simply cannot stay away from the beverage. "I'll still buy it," she said. "I love it. I have at least one cup a day."
(10/05/94 9:00am)
Students left high and dry by Budweiser can now take beer production into their own hands. The Penn Enterprising Zymurologists Club (PEZ), a new group aimed at students interested in home-brewing, held its introductory meeting last night in Houston Hall. According to PEZ President Steve Kronenberg, a College senior, the club is aimed not at the party animal or fraternity party keg-tipper, but at the true connoisseur. "People who home-brew drink beer for its inherent taste, not as a cheap way to get drunk," he said. "Budweiser is the shame of the beer world." Munching on barley and malt grains -- key ingredients to beer -- Kronenberg and PEZ Vice President Alexander Evans, also a College senior, led an open discussion about everything from the joys of bottling to the beverage's historical significance. "There a lot of links between beer and history," Kronenberg told the all-male group of about 25 prospective members. "Why did agriculture start? Because of beer." Evans, who has been brewing with Kronenberg for about one year, said one advantage of home-brewing is that it has made him more knowledgeable about natural sciences. "PEZ is dedicated to the practical applications of fermentation science," Evans said. "Much of the chemistry I've learned [was] through brewing." But most PEZ members said the scientific and historical aspects of brewing were not what brought them to the meeting. "I'm tired of being passive and drinking other people's beer," said College senior Eric Dubinsky. "I want to make my own." Wharton senior Matt Goodman said he came to the meeting because he is considering making beer a more important part of his life. "Brewing beer is a serious career opportunity for me," he said. "I've been more of a taster until this point." Kronenberg, who is also thinking of applying to beer-brewing school when he graduates, said brewing professionally can be very lucrative. "You can make 60 grand working for Anheuser-Busch," he said. "Of course, that means swallowing some pride." Kronenberg added that although PEZ has not yet been recognized by the Student Activities Council, the group plans to petition for SAC funding in order to bring guest speakers from the brewery business to PEZ. He also said PEZ plans to take excursions to area beer distributors. Several PEZ members became loud and rowdy when Evans discussed plans for a field trip to the Home Sweet Home Brewery at 20th and Sansom streets to obtain free beer samples. But according to Kronenberg, not all PEZ members are allowed to taste the samples. "We request that you be of 21 years of age to taste the beer," he said. "But of course, that's your responsibility -- not ours."
(10/03/94 9:00am)
The University's Dining Services has claimed it is the best in the Ivy League. It is also the costliest, according to a recent study of Ivy League schools. The average cost of a meal on Dining Services' 15 meals-per-week plan is $5.57 -- almost $2 more than the average cost of a meal at Cornell University's Dining and Retail Services, which offers the least expensive plan in the Ivy League. University Dining Services Director William Canney said meal plans' high price can be justified by health food, all-you-can-eat service and an unusually large selection. He also cites awards won by Dining Services several years ago as evidence of the quality of the food -- the Silver Plate Award by the National Foodservice Association and the Ivy Award in the college and university Dining Services category. Canny added that simply looking at the overall cost of meal plans at the Ivy League schools is an unfair comparison, and that the University is actually "somewhere in the middle of the pack." The University has the costliest meal plan, followed by Princeton University's plan which charges $5 per meal in a 20 meals-per-week plan. Trailing close behind are Yale, Columbia and Harvard Universities, which charge $4.90, $4.65 and $4.33 per meal respectively on 21 meals-per-week plans. Dartmouth College and Brown University have more affordable plans, charging $4.01 on a 14 meals-per-week plan and $3.85 on a 20 meals-per-week plan respectively. But comparing the University's plan to those at other Ivy League institutions "is like comparing apples to oranges," Canney said. He explained that unlike most of the other Ivy League schools, the University does not offer meals on the weekends. As a result of this, Dining Services must charge more because they do not receive as much of a discount on bulk purchases. "In essence, if I did offer a 19-meal plan, the cost per meal would be cheaper," Canney said. "But the risk factor is higher on the weekends." In 1993, Dining Services did offer an option for a Sunday brunch for athletes, but not enough students expressed interest in this plan for the department to continue with it the next year. Dartmouth, which also does not use a 20 or 21 meal-per-week plan, charges $1.56 less per meal than the University. But Canney said Dartmouth is actually more expensive than the University, and the $4.01 per meal figure is not representative of how much Dartmouth students are really paying for their food. According to a brochure provided by Dartmouth Dining, that college has a different dining service system than the other Ivy League schools altogether. Along with offering a regular meal plan called "Full Fare," it also has a debit system in which students pay in advance to utilize on-campus cafes, food courts, taverns and convenience stores. Although the Full Fare cost-per-meal works out to $4.01, when totalled with the average price of food and beverages at on-campus restaurants, Dartmouth students are spending more for their food than those at the University, Canney said. He added that Dining Services operates on a "break-even budget," and any extra revenue the department takes in is spent in making improvements in the menu or the equipment. Even if University students are forking out more money for their daily bread, they are getting what they are paying for, Canney said. He said Dining Services only purchases top-of-the line meats, vegetables and dairy products, which are available to customers on an all-you-can-eat basis. Yearly surveys are conducted by Dining Services to see which of these five-star menu items students would rather do without, Canney said. Menu items ranked the lowest on these surveys are automatically struck from next year's menu, he said. Even with these unpopular items, Canney said a high student turnout at the meals indicates that they are satisfied with Dining Services. "Penn's Dining Services has a 90 percent participation rate," he said. "That's the highest participation rate in the country." Canney added that if students do not like the quality of food in the dining halls, they can simply take their business elsewhere. "7,600 students are on meal plan even though our meal plan is voluntary," he said. "People choose our food service because they want it." Unlike most of the other Ivy League schools, the University does not require that students purchase a meal contract -- except in the case of those students residing in Living and Learning programs, such as Van Pelt College House or Modern Language House, or students living in Hill House. These students must buy at least the five meals-per-week plan, he said. But some students have said they use Dining Services because it is convenient -- not because of the fine quality of the meat or the Grade A vegetables. "I eat at the [Training] House a lot because I'm an athlete," said College junior Tove Christensen, a member of the Penn men's cross country team. "But I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach every time I approach it." Christensen said he thinks Dining Services is "the biggest rip off ever," and that he can get food of the same quality for less money at the Shops at Penn Food Court at 3401 Walnut St. The easiest thing is to go to the T-House after sporting events, though," he said. College junior Chris Sanger, also a member of the men's cross country team, has a 10 meals-per-week meal contract. Sanger said he also dines in the T-house because it is convenient - but, he said he does not mind the way the food tastes. "The easiese also dines in the T-House because it is convenient -- but, he said he does not mind the way the food tastes. "I actually like it," Sanger said. "I eat generally a lot there, and it's better than it could be. I don't think the food is worth [the price] but you have to realize you're paying for convenience." He added that he has a theory that Dining Services has a "potato cycle." "You have to appreciate the potato cycle," Sanger said. "It's kind of convenient how they go through potatoes --you start out with a baked potato, the next day you have potato skins, and then you have tater tots, and then mashed potatoes. It's probably the same potato." But, Sanger said he does not really mind dining on recycled spuds. "It's something you have to accept in feeding masses," he said. You just end up with something like that." Students at other Ivy League schools said, though, that the quality of food at their institutions is not sacrificed because of mass-production. "It's really good -- there's a healthful selection of choice," said Cara Weiner, a junior at Cornell. "They always have selections at the grill, and there are omelettes on Sunday." Debbie Gross, a sophomore at Yale, also said she enjoyed the cuisine at her school -- although she said many of her friends disagree with her. "I personally think it's pretty good," she said. "There are a lot of choices, and the dining halls are nice -- there are number of different ones you can choose from." But Meeko Oinshi, a freshman at Princeton, said she does not feel as positively about her university's meal plan. "It's okay-- it's not too bad and it's not too good," she said. "Some days they just don't have anything good." At the University this year, Dining Services is working on several new initiatives. Students can look forward to "Chats," in an after-hours coffee shop expected to open its doors in the Class of 1920 Commons sometime in February, Canney said. A Taco Bell, "Vive de France" bakery and "Gene's Beans" coffee house serving "new-age beverages" will be housed in the new Chats, he said. Using a program similar to Dartmouth's debit system, students will be able to obtain cash cards that they can use toward purchases through a kiosk. Canney said, though, that he is worried that Chats, like the weekend meal plan, will fail because of a lack of interest from students. "I don't feel there's been a coffee house in the area that's been successful," he said. Canney said he is also working to make "more of an exchange between Penn and [Penn] Hillel." Currently, there are two meal plan options available to students who want to eat their dinners at Hillel. For $5.73 per meal, students can eat 14 meals a week at Dining Services and Friday night dinners at Hillel, and for $8.06 per meal, students can have dinner at Hillel on Friday nights and nine other meals at Dining Services food halls. In the future, Canney said Dining Services may be preparing all Hillel meals, thereby reducing the price of meal plans purchased by students who eat at Hillel.
(09/30/94 9:00am)
For Wharton seniors Tim Fazio and Joe Kohli, some things are more important than the "college experience" -- like changing the world. While some students spend their after-class hours at parties and with extracurricular activities, Fazio and Kohli have worked more than 100 hours a week at times to make their dream of creating a national day of community service into a reality. And after several exhausting years of negotiating with the mayors of two large cities and major corporations, such as Reebok and Evian, "Project America," will finally take place on October 15. On this long-awaited day, hundreds of thousands of people in more than 16 cities will volunteer their time and energy to everything from building ramps for the disabled to painting over graffiti, Kohli said. "It's not hard to do something like this," he said of his accomplishment. "You just need a good idea." But while Kohli said organizing a national day of community involvement was not difficult, he and Fazio admitted that it was also not exactly a walk in the park. The students had to take a leave of absence last year to establish the Project America headquarters in a low-rent warehouse in Kohli's hometown of Skokie, Ill., he said. During this time, Fazio and Kohli set up a toll-free Project America hotline that directs callers to different volunteer community service organizations in which they can become involved. The students also spent much of their time last year asking large corporations to endorse their campaign. When Fazio and Kohli first began asking companies for support in 1992 they encountered a myriad of closed doors, but the students were eventually able to obtain free computers, publicity, an "800" number and the production of a book about their organization. "We got more 'no's' in those first few months than we ever got in our lives," Kohli said. "We were pretty young and we didn't have legitimacy -- but the idea was a good one and people really liked it." Kohli, who will not return to the University until the spring semester, is still running the understaffed office in Skokie consisting entirely of volunteers, he said. Fazio, however, is back on campus after his one-year hiatus. With a little help from his fax machine, he has been able to remain active in Project America. Fazio said he first came up for the idea for Project America when he was a senior in high school. "Everyone I knew had this massive frustration -- people were being overwhelmed by social problems," he said. "[I thought] there should be a way that every individual could make a contribution to solve the problems." Kohli said when he first heard of Fazio's idea, he decided to get involved. "It was a chance to do something we'd never again [have] in our lives," he said. "We were propelled by a lot of enthusiasm."
(09/30/94 9:00am)
A number of students are living with reptiles. Literally. Not fast-talking "snakes-in-the-grass," or polyester suit-clad "lounge lizards," but the real thing -- iguanas and pythons, and even an alligator. Without soft fur or a wagging tail, these pets cannot be described using the traditional definition of "cute," but their owners say they love them just the same -- fangs, forked tongues, horny skin and all. The foot-long baby alligator Wharton senior Keith Peltzman brought into his off-campus house last weekend is actually very cute -- "deceptively cute," he said. "He can do some real damage," said Peltzman, who named the reptile "Luther." Peltzman said he and his housemates purchased the animal for $80 at the Trade Winds Aquarium and Pet Center, located at 29 S. 40th Street. He added that because the salesperson told him a story about a baby alligator biting off the finger of a five year-old child, he has only dared to touch the sharp toothed pet on the top of his head with a pencil. "No one has been so bold as to kiss him yet," he said. But if Peltzman and his housemates are afraid of the alligator, the infantile reptile is just as afraid of them. "He's pretty scared -- he cowers in the corner [of his aquarium] a lot," he said. "He had a friend alligator in the pet store and now he's pretty lonely." To "ease" Luther into his new surroundings, Peltzman and his housemates gave the alligator a "tour" of the house while carrying it in the aquarium. Peltzman said, though, that when his new pet increases in size, he actually plans to take him for walks -- only, of course, with the help of a leash and a muzzle. But what happens when Luther becomes an adult? "When he starts getting bigger, he's going to have to become a pet belt or wallet," quipped Peltzman. "I don't mean to be cruel, but if he escapes, it could be like a horror movie, where he swims through the sewers and comes up peoples' toilets." For College sophomore Alex Umansky, owning a 15-inch pet iguana -- named "Bobisis" after Bob Dylan and Dylan's song "Isis" -- was a change of pace. Umansky was used to having a pet python slithering around his room when he was in high school, he said. Before that, he owned a salt water fish tank filled with exotic fish. But when Umansky came to the University, he decided to go for something different. "She was pretty wild," Umansky said of Bobisis, whom he had to give away to a friend when he travelled to California this summer. "She was a pretty strong animal, she could whip you with her tail." Although Bobisis's aggression frightened some of his friends, Umansky said he finds himself pining away for the belligerent beast. "I really miss her a lot," he said. But not all iguanas share Bobisis's mean streak, according to College freshman Devra Jaffe. Jaffe said she is sure that "Zepplin," her one year-old iguana, "loves affection," even if he can't purr. "He knows me when I'm holding him," she said. "Everyone on my floor loves holding him, but when I'm holding him he relaxes a lot more." Jaffe said she enjoys playing with Zepplin -- or just taking casual strolls with him around the Quadrangle, where she lives. "I have a leash that I walk him on," she said. "He's just a fun pet to have. He's fun to watch." But why an iguana? "I like the fact that its unusual," Jaffe said. "It's not your run-of-the-mill cat or dog." When College junior Rudy Delgado's 30-inch Florida King snake, "Sam," escaped from his High Rise South apartment where the snake was kept illegally earlier this month, many students said they were petrified of waking up and finding the non-poisonous reptile slithering around in their bed. College sophomore Michelle Hand, who until a few weeks ago shared her room with a four-foot Ball Python snake named "Judge," said her housemates shared the same fear. "I partly got rid of it out of respect for them," she said. "None of my roommates like the snake." But Hand said her friends were not in real danger. "Pythons are very docile. They don't attack you unless they think they can eat you," she said. "And they're not dumb, they realize you're too big." Still, Hand admitted that Judge -- like Delgado's Sam the Snake -- did occasionally give her friends a scare by escaping from its cage. "It was kind of funny," she said. "My snake got loose a few times in my bed. Once it crawled into my bookbag, [and] once I stayed in an apartment and it got caught in the radiator." Hand also said she frightened people at parties by appearing with the python coiled around her neck. After a year with Judge, though, Hand said she began to get bored of her pet. "After the novelty of having a snake wore off, I realized I had a snake and I didn't want to play with it," she said. "It's a snake. All they do is lay there, if they're not trying to get out of the cage. "They're just not fun-loving creatures," she added. Although reptiles seem to be the latest rage among some students, others are content to play with unusual pets of a smaller size. A hermit crab is the animal of choice according to College junior Al Kim, who keeps two of the sea creatures in a cage in High Rise North. One of the hermit crabs is named "Mariano Duncan," after the Phillies second baseman, Kim said. Mariano Duncan's companion, however, will remain nameless "until it shows some signs of life," he said. "I wanted some living animals in my room," Kim said. "It's a positive addition, but you expect them to do more and they don't." "They don't fulfill too many needs," he added. Kim said that one of the advantages of owning hermit crabs instead of reptiles is that other dorm residents are not intimidated by his pets -- as many said they were by Delgado's snake. "No one's really complained," he said. "They're not the prettiest creatures in the world but they haven't crawled into any vents." But not all reptiles are intimidating. College sophomore Kate Lester, who keeps turtles in her room, said her pets have a soothing effect. "My favorite thing about having turtles is they are really nice to share my thoughts with," Lester said. "I really like when they do high dives off my hand into their aquarium." College sophomore Ben Conrad also has owned non-reptile pets -- although his were not quite as harmless as Kim's Mariano Duncan. "Bubba the Piranha" and "Lucy the Rat" were Conrad's pets last year. Now, the animals are dead, he said. "The rat you could play with -- it was mostly friendly," he said. "Everyone in the hall [in the Quad] liked it and wasn't afraid of it." Conrad said, though, that Bubba the Piranha did not have as many admirers as his rodent companion. "Most people were disgusted at first when they saw how he ate," he said. "[But] Bubba just wanted food." Conrad said while he had fun watching Bubba mutilate and devour goldfish, he liked playing with Lucy better because "you just couldn't cuddle up" with the pet piranha. Tek Yim, a salesperson at the Trade Winds Aquarium and Pet Center where several students purchased their animals, said he thinks students opt for the more exotic creatures because they want to come across as being "tough." "It's not because of 'cute' [that they buy them]," Yim said. "It gives [the impression of] a tough attitude -- you can't be a sissy to own a scorpion."
(09/29/94 9:00am)
Some said it was Spring Fling all over again -- but without the beer. Others called it the perfect opportunity to stock up on free Kellogg's Pop Tarts and Agree Shampoo. To still other students, it was a chance to sumo wrestle with their roommates to decide who has to clean up the bathroom -- once and for all. But for whatever reason, hundreds of students poured into Hill Field to participate in the Sports Illustrated Campus Fest yesterday. Featuring more than 20 activities and product information tents, the Campus Fest is a nationwide campus touring event designed to expose students to different consumer products in a "relaxed atmosphere," according to Rob Thibault, a spokesperson for the MarketSource Corporation, which organized the event. The Campus Fest will continue today until 4 p.m. One of the more popular features of the Campus Fest was the Sony Auto Sound karaoke, where students were able to belt out their favorite tunes on stage with sophisticated Sony stereo equipment amplifying their sounds for all of University City to hear. "Making a fool of yourself can be fun," said Engineering freshman Ed O'Shay, who sang the Monkees' theme song with College freshman Andy Waldrum. "I do it in my room all the time." But O'Shay said the joy of public humiliation was not his sole motivation in singing the '70s tune. The free Sony T-shirt given to all performers was what made him sing, he said. "It's one more day before I have to do laundry," he explained. "I did it for the free T-shirt." Although he did not serenade Fest-goers like O'Shay, College freshman Jamal Harris caught the attention of others by beating his roommate, Engineering freshman Anthony Crawford, in a jousting match with foam- padded lances. "He hit me on the head with a light blow and then I caught him the chest and he went flying," Harris said. "People were screaming my name out." Crawford said that his victory was not completely a foregone conclusion, however. "I soared past him by doing a back flip on his back," Crawford said. While some students said they came to the Campus Fest to take part in the various amusements -- including bungee jumping, Hot Shot Basketball and an obstacle course -- others went to collect the many free samples offered. "I got got a T-shirt," said College freshman David Prescott. "And I got a plethora of deodorants and Pop Tarts." But College freshman Janet Cohen said she found the selection of free samples lacking. "There's a sexist selection of deodorants," she said. "There's only Right Guard. I didn't see any deodorants for women." Michael Formichella, a co-organizer of the event, said more students turned out for this Campus Fest than any other held this year. So far, the Campus Fest has visited the Universities of Kansas, Pittsburgh and Iowa, he said.
(09/27/94 9:00am)
The Penn Paintball Club is making a big splash on campus -- but don't worry, it's machine-washable. Students are rushing with paint-capsule loaded guns in hand to play the popular new sport, according to Engineering junior Philip Shie, one of the Paintball Club's founders. "It's the sport of the '90s," said Shie, who has been playing paintball for the past four years. "It's kind of like 'Capture the Flag' except that you have a gun. Just shooting at people is fun, but it's also about strategy." Wharton junior Jonson Chen, who is also a founder of the club, said he trained with the professional "California Bushwhackers" team before bringing his skills to the University. "It has a lot to do with teamwork," Chen said of the sport. "It requires a lot of patience, good wits and a pretty fast trigger finger." The Paintball Club will be taking on teams at Carnegie-Mellon, Drexel and Lehigh Universities this semester, Shie said. The team is also planning a trip to New Jersey next month for a big paintball showdown, he said. Although the Paintball Club is pursuing Student Activities Council recognition, Intramural Recreation Sports Director Robert Glascott said it is too early to say whether the team will be recognized. But even without SAC recognition, students are flocking toward the new club because of their own experiences on the paintball battleground, Shie and Chen said. Andy Rudnick, a College of General Studies student, said he joined the Paintball Club because playing the sport is a "cathartic experience." "It's almost like living out some kind of a fantasy," he said. "It's so powerful that afterwards you feel cleansed. "People tend to describe paintball in spiritual terms," Rudnick added. "It's sort of like surfing." College freshman Dave Adekman said he decided to join the Paintball Club simply because he enjoys the sport -- which he has been playing for more than five years. "It's unique and a lot of fun," he said. Adekman's zest for paintball enticed College sophomore Paul Levin, a newcomer to the sport, to join the club. "I heard it was an addictive sport," Levin said. "I wanted to give it a shot." All of the hype about paintball -- which, according to Shie, has become the recreational game of choice for young people across the country -- also made Wharton senior Lauren Probst curious about the sport. "I'm interested in it as a sport and as entertainment," he said. "It's a way to get your competitive feelings out."
(09/20/94 9:00am)
After a year of striving for success, College senior Jonathan Gottfried and Wharton senior Mike Graves have pulled out of the condom business. Bringing a whole new meaning to "The Trojan War," Gottfried and Graves planned to sell a line of prophylactics with a Greek twist -- condoms tucked into wrappers with different fraternities' letters printed on them. Although the condoms proved more effective than Trojan condoms when tested by the Food and Drug Administration, Graves said, the two did not even begin production because Sigma Chi fraternity and several other national fraternities threatened to sue. Fraternity headquarters denied Gottfried and Graves permission to use the Greek letters. When the students made plans with a Malaysian factory to go ahead with production anyway, they were threatened with lawsuits, Graves said. "A lot of it had to do with licensing and the fact that it was a sensitive issue," Gottfried said. "A lot of fraternities are headquartered in conservative areas." Graves agreed, adding that the lack of a license was only part of the reason fraternities were so quick to threaten litigation -- since many fraternity headquarters were appalled by the idea of having their name linked with condoms. Fraternity members on campus had mixed reactions to the condoms. Some said they would have liked a personalized prophylactic to pull out of their wallet when the occasion arose. "Personally, if I was getting any sex I would use a condom with my fraternity's name on it," said College junior Joe Parisi, a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. But Wharton junior David Dwares, a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, said he is not "flamboyant" enough to want to use a Greek condom. "It's not particularly offensive but it's not my style," he said. "But I definitely would not have been up in arms if I saw AEPi on a condom wrapper." Graves said, however, that he did not plan to market the condoms toward members of the University's Greek system. "It's so cheesy?I wanted to give Penn people the benefit of the doubt," he said. "Every state school was a target." Although Gottfried and Graves lost money in manufacturing 1,000 "sample" condoms for an FDA approval test, Gottfried said he does not completely regret the backfired business venture. "It was definitely a learning experience," he said. "We were just trying to make some money -- I still think its a pretty good idea."
(09/19/94 9:00am)
Being a man isn't easy. At least, that's what a small group of students who founded a male support group say. The Men's Alliance for Change and Openness --"MACHO" -- will begin holding meetings in the next several months, group founder and College sophomore Guilherme Roschke said. In an open-discussion forum held later this semester, members will discuss everything from their discomfort around women to testicular cancer to stress, said Kurt Conklin, a health educator for Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape who is advising the club's founders. One of the major issues MACHO will address is the male role in the feminist movement, Conklin said. "I think a lot of college-age men are curious about feminism," he said. "Some aren't sure they agree [and] some do not feel safe talking about it because they are afraid it would be interpreted as them being against women's groups." Roschke said he is hoping a diverse group of heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual men will come to MACHO meetings. But Conklin said attracting a large crowd to MACHO meetings may be difficult because many men are conditioned by society to talk less about their problems than women. "For men I think there is a discomfort about talking confidentially," he said. "Men are often raised to withhold emotion and not talk about what they feel." Still, Conklin said, "all men are encouraged to attend," even those with more conservative political viewpoints about men's role in society. And although the club is intended to address men's problems, even women interested in sharing their viewpoints are invited to MACHO meetings, he said. While a male support group may seem a bit unusual on the University's campus, Conklin said MACHO-like organizations have been popping up all over the country in the past few years. Men Acting for Change -- a progressive group similar to MACHO -- recently formed at Duke University, he said. Along with discussing issues dealing with men and feminism, MACHO will also focus on homophobia and racism -- and any other issue of concern to the members, Roschke said. The founders of MACHO met for the first time late last spring semester, but the club has yet to gain Student Activities Council recognition. "It's still at its very early stages," Roschke said.
(09/15/94 9:00am)
There are more than 95 good reasons to do community service, students at the Annual Volunteer Day Fair on Locust Walk learned yesterday. An unprecedented selection of different non-profit organizations --ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the West Philadelphia Partnership--were recruiting student volunteers on campus, said fair coordinator and Program for Student Community Involvement Secretary Yanina Carter. "The fair tripled in size this year," she said. "The response has been really tremendous." The fair seemed to offer something for everyone. For College junior Safiya Walker, tutoring West Philadelphia schoolchildren is a way she is able to "give back" to her community. "It's important to give back to the community because everyone isn't as privileged," she said. "We aren't any better than they are because we've had more opportunities." College sophomore Guy Lin is also volunteering his time -- but to a very different community. As a participant in the newly founded, Hillel-sponsored Adopt A Grandparent program, Lin will visit elderly Jewish people living in a residential section of South Philadelphia. "You learn something about yourself," he said. "You make use of your time by helping others." College junior David Cohen has not volunteered since he was in high school. Now, he wants to make a difference by playing sports with children for the Police Athletic League. "I haven't done community service in a few years because I've been thinking about myself, and what I'm doing here," he said. "Now, I want to help." Engineering junior Chinsol Choe said she wants to either help the homeless, or work in a women's shelter. "I get a sense of gratification by helping others," she said. "I always helped out in my high school." Both upperclassmen and freshmen alike said they were excited for a chance to perform community service. "Part of the reason I came to the University of Pennsylvania was because of the community service," said College freshman David Forlander, who participated in the Penn Corps volunteer program before classes began. "With Penn Corps, I grew attached to the different services I'd done," he added. College senior Gillian Silver, who works in PSCI as an intern, said the Fair was geared towards making incoming students aware of community service opportunities, as a follow-up to the "Into the Streets" community service program held last weekend for freshmen. "One of the goals [of the Fair] is to reinforce the idea of community service started with 'Into the Streets'," she said. "There are so many resources at Penn that it would be a shame not to take advantage of them."
(09/15/94 9:00am)
The male version of pop singer Tori Amos may be wandering around the University campus, according to Ruff House Records spokesperson Glenn Manko. College senior Gabriel Rutman, the musical director of the a cappella group Off The Beat, is a "stand out" talent, Manko said. And with a little luck and a lot of effort, Rutman's face may be the next thing to grace the cover of Spin magazine. "Not since the Penn basketball team was number five in the nation have I seen talent like this at Penn," Manko said. Manko first spotted Rutman's ability when he saw him perform an original song at this spring's Off The Beat performance. "I walked into Penn thinking 'this [show] is going to be so boring,' and I was absolutely blown away," Manko said. The manager of several Philadelphia-based groups, Manko said he decided he wanted to represent Rutman after watching him perform. They are currently "shopping" for a record company interested in producing Rutman's work, he added. Also helping Rutman further his musical career is Jiff Hinger, the producer of the top-charted group Boyz II Men. Hinger aided Rutman in creating a "demo tape" which Manko will market to record companies. "I think that if Gabe stays true to himself as an artist we can make him the male equivalent to Tori Amos," Manko said. "I'm putting a lot of my professional time into this." Despite Manko's enthusiasm, Rutman said he is unsure that Manko's interest in him means that he will definitely get signed to a record label. "It's physically possible but still unlikely," Rutman said. "But hopefully something will happen." Although Rutman, a musical composition major, is holding off plans for graduate school for the next few years because of his recent discovery, he said he is considering writing music for television commercials to support himself -- unless Polygram Records comes knocking on his door. "Every kid who's a musician has this dream of being popular and of writing songs for a living," he said. "But it's a little more than a dream [for me]." Rutman also said he plans to perform in clubs in New York and Philadelphia to increase his popularity. "I want to perform in places like the Tin Angel downtown -- real folky music clubs," he said. Manko said Rutman has a quality about him of "genuineness" which makes him a stand-out. "He just seems like a really sweet person," Manko said. "His music is absolutely passionate." And what is the inspiration behind these tumultuous tunes? "Chicks," said Rutman. "I write about chicks, because that's what I know about now."
(09/13/94 9:00am)
By the somber warmth of candlelight, members of the University City community held a vigil last night in remembrance and protest of last month's violent murder of fifth-year Mathematics graduate student Al-Moez Alimohamed. City and University administrators joined hundreds of students, faculty, University employees and West Philadelphia residents in a march from the Peace Symbol on College Green to the site of Alimohamed's slaying at 47th and Pine streets. Ironically, while people were still dispersing from the vigil that called for an end to crime, a person was robbed at gunpoint at 46th and Pine streets at 10:06 p.m., according to Philadelphia Police Officer Frank Oliverio. University President Judith Rodin, who spoke at the vigil, said that although the University is making greater efforts to deter crime after Alimohamed's death, she told participants she could not offer a simple solution. "I have no single intervention to introduce to you," she said. "To Penn, this has been a summer of despair and great horror." Penn Newman Council President and College senior Jeremy Chiapetta protested Rodin's rationale. "There are concerns when you have a $10 million budget to secure a little more than a square mile and you have these acts of violence going on," he said. "It's time for these so-called 'random' acts of violence to cease." Protesters agreed that violent crime needs to be stopped -- immediately. They pointed to other acts of violence which also took place in and around campus during the past year. Most recently, Wharton senior Samir Shah was shot in an attempted robbery at 39th and Pine streets, and last fall a College of General Studies student was car-jacked at 34th and Chestnut streets, and subsequently robbed, raped and shot in the face . Rona Rosenberg, an administrative coordinator in the Graduate School of Education, said the time for action is now. "Something has to be done," she said. "I've been a resident of this neighborhood for 20 years, and I've brought up four children in this neighborhood, and they've been mugged, beat up, two cars were robbed [and] one truck was set on fire." Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi said the government must place a higher priority on ending urban poverty before significant change can occur. "Social problems underlie the rise in this random violence," she said. "Without a steady job and a hot meal, people turn to their worst elements." College senior Danny Leader said cooperation must figure into the solution to urban problems. "The members of the University community and the West Philadelphia community need to work together to improve the state of violence," he said. "Urban violence threatens to tear apart our nation." While many at the vigil protested the devastating epidemic of crime in the area, others had come simply to pay tribute to Alimohamed. Richard Rosin, the father of Alimohamed's girlfriend, College junior Rebecca Rosin, and a close friend of Alimohamed, spoke with emotion about the loss of "a very wonderful and special young man." "Once in a lifetime we are lucky enough to meet someone we can describe as one of God's chosen people," he said. "My daughter has lost a very special love and I have lost a very special friend." Some of Alimohamed's former students also marched in the vigil in memory of him. "He was one of the best teachers I ever had," said Chris Hiester, a School of Arts and Sciences computer/media consultant who had Alimohamed as his Mathematics 130 teaching assistant. "I want to remember him as a person, as a teacher, and as a member of the Penn community."
(09/12/94 9:00am)
It was music, dancing and laughter at the Performing Arts Night variety show Friday and Saturday night in the Zellerbach Theatre. In an attempt to familiarize its freshmen target audience with the University's performing arts community, Performing Arts Night featured four-minute skits from almost 30 different student theatre groups. About a third of the performances were by a cappella groups. A packed audience was entertained by everything from the humor of Mask and Wig to the cultural flair of the South Asian Society's dance troupe. The a cappella group Penny Loafers set the theatre on fire with its steamy rendition of Peggy Lee's "Fever." And Bloomers, the University's only all-female collegiate comedy troupe, had the audience in stitches with its bawdy, humorous skit. After each sketch, performers provided the freshman with information about how to audition for their group or join the backstage crew. While many freshman said they are still shopping around for extra-curricular activities and attended Performing Arts Night for the entertainment value, others said the show made them want to jump on stage with the upperclassmen. "I'm checking out all of the groups," said Wharton freshman David Poline, who said he would audition for anything that did not entail singing. "I'm fairly impressed. It's not like anything I've seen in high school." Even those at Performing Arts Night without on-stage ambitions said they enjoyed the show. "I heard this was totally amazing and it is," said Wharton freshman Scott Leiman, who attended the show's closing performance on Saturday. "I knew the school had a lot of talent, but this is amazing." Performing Arts Council Chairperson Rosalie Will, a College senior, said putting on the show was probably as much fun as watching it. "Performers have a great time doing it," she said. "It's one of the few times we get to be in one place at the same time." College sophomore Brett Lovins, a member of the Glee Club, said watching Performing Arts Night last year prompted him to audition for as many groups as he could. "I don't regret it," he said. "It's the best way to do it. And the Glee Club turned out to be a great experience."
(09/12/94 9:00am)
For about 1,300 freshmen, Saturday was a day of sunshine, sharing and good old-fashioned elbow grease. As participants in the fourth annual "Into the Streets" program, freshmen volunteered their time and energy to a variety of community improvements -- including neighborhood clean-up and reading to the elderly. Students rolled up their sleeves as early as 8:30 a.m., toiling alongside their hallmates and residential advisors in over 45 different sites in West Philadelphia. Habitat for Humanity, the Anti-Graffiti Network and Philadelphia Housing Authority were all recipients of the student's efforts. The Schuylkill River Development Council drew the most students, according to College senior Dana Brakman, who helped organize the event on behalf of the Penn Program for Student-Community Involvement. Volunteers who worked at this site mowed the area along the Schuylkill river in order to help develop it into a park, she said. The event was concluded at 4:30 p.m. with brief speeches by Mayor Ed Rendell, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and State Senator Chaka Fattah. "This is a terrific thing to do for the city," said Rendell, who graduated from the College in 1965. "I hope you will allocate a little of your time to to the city you chose to make your home for the next four years." As students sprawled out, exhausted, on the Quadrangle lawn listening to the speeches, many said they enjoyed their day of community service. "I liked the manual labor," said College freshman Adrienne Hembare, who helped paint over graffiti on a trailer. "It made me aware of how easy it is to do community service." College freshman Rita Rource said she was happy that she was able to make a difference by volunteering. "A lot of problems in society today can't really be helped by politics," she said. "People have to do it themselves." Brakman said "Into the Streets" is a way to "spark an interest in first-year students in community service." "If a couple of students get turned on to community service, then it's worth it," she said. "[It is important] to get students to get to know their community on a regular basis." Brakman added that the Annual Volunteer Fair, which will take place on Locust Walk Wednesday, is also aimed to show students the many ways they can give back to the community.
(09/09/94 9:00am)
Once thought to be a fugitive on the loose in High Rise South, "Sam the Snake" is no longer at large. The notorious 30-inch Florida King snake -- which College junior Rudy Delgado brought into his dorm room illegally to keep as a pet -- escaped from its cage earlier this week. But thanks to Delgado's ingenuity and one very tasty-smelling mouse, dorm residents will no longer have to check their beds twice at night before crawling in between their sheets. Delgado said yesterday that he always had a hunch his estranged reptile had not strayed too far from his room. So, he used a trail of "wood shavings," which smelled of fresh mice, to lure Sam from its hiding place in the heating/air-conditioning unit in Delgado's room. Sam is now in captivity at an off-campus location, Delgado said. Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said she is thrilled that "Sam the Snake" is no longer on the loose. "We're delighted that it has been removed from the building, never to return," she said. "I'm sure the residents of Harrison are delighted as well." Nursing sophomore Michelle Mooney, who lives on Delgado's floor, said she is relieved that Sam no longer poses a threat. Mooney constructed a fortress of "milk crates and pillow cases" around her bed this week to prevent the snake from entering her room via the heat vent. "As long as I didn't find it under my bed I'm happy," she said. "But I don't see why they didn't look [in Delgado's room] in the first place." As a residential advisor in HRS, College junior Ryan Stevens said he spoke with several students who were traumatized by the incident. To make light of the situation, he placed signs all over the dorm which read: "Wanted: Snake. Armed but not dangerous. Reward: free pizza." But once Sam was lured out of hiding and Stevens was able to hold it in his arms, he said he became convinced the entire event was blown out of proportion. "He's quite a cute little guy," he said. "He's really a mellow snake." Because Delgado located the missing reptile, he will receive the free pizza reward -- complete with the topping of his choice. But Delgado, who was fined $50 each day since the snake's escape last weekend, said he would rather use the money Stevens plans to spend on the pizza toward his debt. Although Delgado said he was relieved when his pet snake finally came slithering out of hiding yesterday, he said he is worried that Sam became "thinner" from the ordeal. To fatten up the reptile, Delgado fed it a mouse at his friend's off-campus apartment, he said.
(09/08/94 9:00am)
Many students and faculty members are having a difficult time coping with the murder of a fifth-year Mathematics graduate student last Monday and what they see as the continuing pattern of in-your-face violence. Al-Moez Alimohamed, 27, was shot and killed after five men robbed him of a small amount of money near 48th and Pine streets. In an unrelated incident three weeks earlier, Wharton senior Samir Shah was shot in the stomach during an attempted robbery near 39th and Pine streets. Some students have responded to the influx of violent crime with outrage, others with helplessness -- a few said they are even considering transferring to another university set in a less crime-ridden environment. First-year Electrical Engineering graduate student Ufuk Tureli said that although he did not know Alimohamed personally, he was very strongly affected by his killing. Now, Tureli is afraid to leave his on-campus dormitory apartment at night. "Your life is always in danger here," he said. "I won't walk by myself [now] -- I don't even go out after nine o'clock. "I don't really trust anybody after this experience," Tureli added. "Maybe I did the wrong thing in coming to Penn -- I can see this is going to be a major problem. I'm thinking of transferring." Mathematics graduate student Jeff Achter, who worked with Alimohamed, said he and other math graduate students are very upset about the loss of their colleague. "Are we surprised? Yes. Are we saddened? Yes. Are we outraged? Yes," Achter said. "Is there anything we can do about it? No." Achter and other members of the Mathematics Department will have a memorial service for Alimohamed early this semester. While Alimohamed's death has left some feeling bitter and helpless, others at the University are reacting to the murder by demanding community improvements. A neighborhood group of University employees and faculty -- the Penn Faculty and Staff for Neighborhood Issues -- is taking steps to prevent future University City slayings from occurring. PFSNI members will conduct a candlelight march and vigil in protest of Alimohamed's death and to "mobilize government, community and institutional resources to improve the quality of life in West Philadelphia" next Monday night at 8 p.m., according to a statement issued by PFSNI. Marchers will proceed from College Green down Locust Walk to 38th Street. From there, the vigil will continue to the residence of University President Judith Rodin at Eisenlohr Hall, and vigil participants will ask Rodin to join the march. Rodin is not currently living in Eisenlohr, as it is under renovation. From there, the march will proceed to Spruce street, and then to the site of Alimohamed's killing at 48th and Pine streets. History Professor Lynn Lees, who is a member of the PFSNI steering committee, said the march is a "call to action" intended to "draw attention to the problems." "This is our society," Lees said. "Our toleration of violence [and] our toleration of guns permits this to occur. "A march can't stop murders," she added. "But it can motivate people to pressure the 18th Police District for more patrols [and] draw people's attention to the need to maximize their own safety in the area." But some students said they are particularly concerned that Alimohamed's attempts to maximize his safety prior to his murder -- by purposefully wearing shabby clothing, not carrying a lot of money and often using campus transportation services -- were rendered fruitless. "It just makes me scared that they took his life for five bucks," said College freshman Michelle Caruso. "[And] you don't have to look flashy to get mugged -- it could be anybody." College senior Cristobel Von Walstrom, whose off-campus apartment was burglarized twice this summer, said she was upset by the slaying, but not shocked. "It should shock you but it doesn't," she said. "Penn does its best to keep it under control." Penn Women's Basketball team member and Engineering senior Shelly Bowers, who lives off-campus near 44th street, said she is also satisfied with the way the University is dealing with the killing. "I feel a little more secure that they put a blue light phone across the street," she said. "I was definitely scared [about the killing], but they're definitely cracking down on off-campus crime."
