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(08/03/95 9:00am)
A Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science student was a victim of attempted rape Thursday on the 4000 block of Baltimore Avenue at about 10 a.m., according to Victim Support and Special Services Director Maureen Rush. The 23 year-old student was accosted by a man with a knife, who attempted to abduct her into an alley way. But by continuously screaming, she was able to get the attention of six carpet layers, who came to her assistance, Rush said. The carpet layers became involved in an altercation with the 22 year-old assailant, during which one of the "good samaritans" was stabbed in the armpit. Then the suspect attempted to flee the scene, but the carpet layers chased after him and Philadelphia police arrested the suspect. The Pharmacy student received minor injuries and is recovering "okay," said Tim Michener, director of public safety at the College of Pharmacy and Science. But the carpet layer who was stabbed sustained more serious injuries," Rush said. The assailant was charged with multiple counts, including robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault and criminal attempt to rape, Rush added. He remains in custody at the Philadelphia Detention Center with bail set at $50,000, according to University Police Detective Gary Heller. Heller added that the suspect has other previous arrests. Michener said he was surprised by the time of the attempted rape. But Rush said the attitude that crime only happens at night is wrong. "People assume things like rape only happen in the middle of the night," she said. "That's a misconception." Rush added that students must be aware of their surroundings at all times, whether it is day or night. Michener said he was very pleased with the community participation in the incident. "It's really nice to see the community get involved and apprehend the criminal," he added. "We're happy to see that this one had a happy ending." Rush had several recommendations for how to deal with a rape situation. She said individuals should follow the example of the victim in this attempted rape and make as much noise as possible. If the victim is able to break free from the assailant, they should find the nearest blue phone and dial 511, she added. And the University has several resources for these individuals who are victims, or even near-victims, of sexual assault. Victim Support, Penn Women's Center, University Counseling and Phycological Services and the Philadelphia Sex Crimes Unit are all helpful sources of support for victims of sexual assault, Rush said. She added that programs like Rape Aggression Defense and safety seminars given by the University enable people to have a better chance at fending off potential assailants.
(08/03/95 9:00am)
This Monday in federal court, Wharton graduate student John Knight will be making legal history. Knight is suing his ex-wife Mary Rourke and her parents for fraud and conspiracy because he said Rourke deliberately misinformed him that she was pregnant with a child that was not his. Knight, who is asking for more than $100,000, said her parents as well knew all along that he was not the father of the girl, who is now five years old. When Knight's attorney Norman Perlberger argues the case before U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter, it will be the first time in history that such a lawsuit will be heard. It is not the first time a man has filed fraud charges over misrepresented paternity. But in similar cases, the lawsuit was supposed to relieve the man of making child-support payments. Knight abandoned his ex-wife's child when he found out that she was not really his. He is seeking to recover money he spent on the marriage and lost income from a career change he made so he could care for his wife because of her mental illness. And if Knight wins, his ex-wife, the five-year-old girl and her grandparents stand to lose the family house from the damages Knight would recover from his suit. Knight was unavailable for comment. Perlberger did not return calls placed to his office. Rosalie Davies, an attorney for the grandparents, told the Philadelphia Daily News that the family's homeowner insurance policy "will not cover an intentional wrong, and fraud requires intent. "Norman [Perlberger] has said to me at they could lose their home," she said. DNA tests determined that Knight was not the father. And when Knight was in a custody battle with Rourke in 1992 after the marriage broke up, he dropped the custody case and all contact with the child after finding that the girl was not his. "I just don't feel like it's right to be a false father figure to her for the rest of her life," Knight said in a deposition. "If I'm not her father, I think the father needs to be a part of her life and to raise her." Knight alleges that Rourke's parents are responsible for the damages because he claims that Rourke told her parents about everything. The Philadelphia Daily News contributed to this article.
(07/27/95 9:00am)
Students tucked away in their carrels diligently studying for their summer midterms might not notice, but Van Pelt-Dietrich Library is undergoing some major renovations. In the next three years, the library, at least the first two floors, will be literally transformed. Director of Library Development Adam Corson-Finnerty estimates the the project will cost about $7.2 million, with over $5 million already contributed toward renovation efforts. The library will become much more user friendly and a student will no longer have to trek two blocks to get from reference to periodicals, according to David Mowl, library facilities planner. Reference, circulation, current periodicals and microforms, services that are currently scattered through out the library, will be centralized at one location, Mowl said. In addition a number of computer search areas will be added along with new reading rooms and upgraded study lounges. The first phase of the renovation began with Lippincott library earlier this summer. Corson-Finnerty described the construction of a "public service area" which will consolidate most of the Lippincott services on the second floor. Also planned for the Lippincott library are five brand new group study rooms. Corson-Finnerty said these rooms would be where Wharton students and others could meet to study as teams. This is something that students had been requesting, he said. Corson-Finnerty hopes the Wharton library will be completed by next spring. Another part of the renovation plan calls for carpeting for the first and second floors and eventually the entire building. Lighting will also be dramatically changed . In order to add more natural light, the staff offices along the Walnut Street side on the first floor will be converted to bright study lounges and the entrance to the library will be completely redesigned. This will allow a view from the front door straight through to the Walnut Street windows, Corson-Finnerty said. "This will open up the library to probably what the original vision of the architects was," he said. "You'll be able to see out from almost any angle. One of the few beauties of the library is the glass windows." And directly to the right of entrance, a new staircase will be built that connects to the second floor. The staircase that currently stands near the reference desk will be demolished, Mowl said. Smaller projects will be taking place on the third and fifth floors, he added. Several of the carrels on those floors will be replaced and carpeting will also be one. Although the work will take about two years, Mowl hopes to minimize the noise from the construction. The contractors have agreed to work from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. with most of the noisy stuff being done between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.
(07/27/95 9:00am)
After over a year's worth of serious debate and discussion, the University and the city have recently come to an agreement on the Payment In Lieu of Taxes issue. As the city's largest employer, the University has agreed to pay the city a $1.93 million "voluntary contribution" for this year and the duration of the five year agreement, according to Vice President for Finance Stephen Golding. "The University believes this is a good deal not only for the University but for the city," he said. "And it reflects that we are an integral part of the community and we must pay our fair share of the responsibility for maintaining city services." Carol Scheman, vice president for government and community affairs, stressed that the payment was a voluntary contribution and not a tax. And Golding held a similar view. "We believe that the University has always acted as a charitable institution," Golding said. Golding said several issues the University and city had been wrangling over were hammered out before the agreement came to fruition. Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning Greg Rost said he was enthuisiastic about the agreement. "The city is extremely pleased that we were able to enter into an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania," Rost said. Recent legislation passed by the Pennsylvania Senate, Senate Bill 355, the Purely Public Charities Act, included an amendment that charities in Philadelphia that pay their chief executives more than $100,000 would lose their tax-exempt status. But, according to Golding, the amendment had no effect on the tax exempt status of the University. The issue centers around the city's asking the University to pay about 30 percent of the real estate taxes it would owe if it were a for profit institution, as part of the PILOT program. Last summer Mayor Ed Rendell began asking non-profits to pay a portion of the taxes due to the city if the organization were for profit. The city's move follows a national trend of financially strapped cities across the country that have asked universities and other non-profit organizations such as hospitals and churches to make payments in lieu of taxes. The city feels non-profits should pay for such municipal services as fire, police and street cleaning. And the city estimates that the new revenue could raise as much as $8.4 million, with $3.78 going to the city and $4.62 million allocated for the School District of Philadelphia. In addition the city has threatened to take the University and other non-profits to court if they refuse to comply with the city's wishes. Rendell is planning to announce in the next few days how effective he has been in getting large non profit organizations to pay a voluntary contribution to the city.
(07/27/95 9:00am)
In an extremely controversial decision, the University of California Board of Regents voted last week to end racial preference and gender in hiring and admission. The decision has sparked an intense dialogue across the country and is considered by opponents of affirmative action to be a major victory. But for those in favor of affirmative action, the vote represents a leap backwards to the 1970's when affirmative action was still in its infantile stages. "I think its going to make people more cognizant of the fact that there are contingencies who would really like to see an end to equal opportunity for all persons," said Anita Jenious, the University's Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action.. "We have to be concerned and ready to combat it if it comes to that," she added. Yet the affirmative action battle in California has just begun. Several government officials, including White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta have pointed out that California universities must keep affirmative action alive in order to keep research grants and federal contract dollars. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday that the change in policy at the California university puts billions of federal research dollars at risk. Panetta said that federal contracts with University of California will be reviewed and the Justice Department will be looking into the matter. Reaction to the vote among University officials was tempered. Some felt it was premature to determine its impact and others were just not sure. Provost Stanley Chodorow, who served as an associate vice chancellor for academic planning and dean of arts and humanities at University of California at San Diego, said affirmative action was an effective policy in California. "In my experience in UC, the affirmative action policies worked well," he said. "They were not quota systems, but genuine affirmative action programs that sought to increase the diversity of the student body and faculty and worked well." Sociology professor Ivar Berg, who has worked extensively with affirmative action, said the results of the California vote will not be discernable until November. Berg added that he is concerned with the decision, but it still unsure what it might mean for higher education. "We're nervous about it," he said. "Right now we are sculpting fog. We don't know what we are doing. I don't know where we are heading." He said the main problem with the cutbacks in affirmative action is whether the federal government will insist that universities follow the government's rules. And quotas are another issue according to Berg. "I don't think the courts will tolerate quotas," he said. "And our president [University] and provost will not tolerate quotas." Berg said that the potential loss of federal funding for universities which do not comply with affirmative action policies could become an extremely divisive issue among faculty, specifically between the sciences and the humanities. "We have a real conundrum," Berg said. Berg is fairly confident that as a private institution, the University will not be affected by cuts to affirmative action. "Penn is spending more and more on diversity," he said.
(07/20/95 9:00am)
A 1985 graduate of the University was charged Tuesday with murdering a man at a gas station in Providence, Rhode Island. David Barrett, 32, a psychiatrist-in-training in Brown University's residency program was charged with killing Joseph Sylvia, 33, of East Providence. According to police, Barrett had an ongoing dispute with a store clerk at McCane's Mobil, an East Providence gas station and convenience store. A little after 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Barrett drove to the station with two others and had words with the clerk, Michael Glynn, police said. "The dispute was not a serious one," Captain Joseph Broadmeadow said. "The clerk did not take it seriously and really didn't understand Mr. Barrett's problem." Sylvia, a friend of Glynn's, intervened in the dispute. Sylvia backed his van into Barrett's car. Then Barrett walked over to Sylvia's open driver's side window, pointed a gun at her and fired three shots, witnesses told police. Police arrived quickly after the shots were fired. Barrett did not try to flee and was arrested at the scene. Both the suspected murder weapon and a handgun were found in Barrett's car, police said. The two individuals with Barrett were question by police, but not charged. Barrett is a 1992 graduate of the University of Vermont Medical College. He entered Brown's residency program in 1992, spending one year at Miriam Hospital in Providence and the past two years at Butler Hospital, a state psychiatric facility. He took a one month leave of absence on June 12, and went on an indefinite medical leave on July 12. According to police, Barrett had no criminal record. But Sylvia served six months in jail for illegal possession of a firearm. She was released in May 1994. Barrett was engaged to be married in his final year of residency at Butler.
(07/20/95 9:00am)
The oppressive heat wave that has swept the country, killing at least 670 nationwide, left its mark on the University in recent days -- especially for students, faculty and administrators suffering without air conditioning. Thirty people have died in Philadelphia in heat related incidents, according to the latest estimates. But the Philadelphia number is no comparison to the shocking Chicago figures, where the death toll climbed to 376 and was expected to exceed 400. On Saturday the temperature peaked at 103 degrees Fahrenheit in Philadelphia, although weather officials said it felt as if it were 129 degrees Fahrenheit with the humidity. And the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's emergency room has had to deal firsthand with the victims of the first heat wave of the summer, one that is destined for the record books. HUP admitted four heat stroke patients since the beginning of the wave and one of the patients subsequently died, according to Susan Canning, administrator for emergency services at HUP. But Student Health did not see any heat related patients, Director of Student Health Services MarJeanne Collins said. She said that the heat primarily effects older people over the age of 60 and very young children, under the age of two. The primary symptoms of heat stroke are a body temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit, and "confused, lethargic" behavior caused by malfunctions of the greater central nervous system. Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Suzanne Shepherd if an individual is excessively thirsty, irritable or has a headache he or she should visit Student Health or the emergency room of HUP if necessary. Shepherd attributed the high mortality rates to the high humidity and to the fact that the heat wave was the first to hit this summer. She said the first heat waves usually cause the most damage because people are not expecting them and are not prepared. "It is not surprising, that the first heat wave of the summer would be the one that did this," Shepherd said. She added that with high humidity the risk of significant heat illness is greater. Humidity blocks the normal mechanism the body uses to get rid of heat. Shepherd cautioned against heavy physical activity, stressing that students must still take certain precautions so they do not become victims of heat stroke. "If you exercise, do it early in the morning," Collins said. "Don't run without water." Most important in extreme heat, Collins said, was keeping the body hydrated. She added that and other juices were good sources of hydration. Caffeine drinks and alcoholic beverages should be highly avoided, she advised. As far as keeping cool, Collins said that people should not take cold showers, but rather tepid showers. Shepherd also said that some medications can lead to heat stroke. Certain medications decrease the ability of the body to get rid of heat and some drugs block the perception that the body is getting hot. Some psychiatric medications, antihistamines and narcotics like cocaine and pcp are examples of medications that react adversely to extreme heat. And earing the proper clothing, cotton preferably, is another measure that can be taken to reduce the risk of heat stroke, Shepherd said. She also suggested that people were sunblock to prevent over-exposure to the sun and skin diseases.
(07/20/95 9:00am)
The intersection of 33rd and Walnut streets has been the site of several serious accidents involving pedestrians and vehicles this year. And now the University is taking some steps to make the controversial intersection safer. Victim Support and Special Services Director Maureen Rush said the University is working in conjunction with the Philadelphia Streets Department to increase the safety of the area. The changes to the intersection will include the addition of international signage, warning pedestrians of the dangers of the intersection. In addition, new speed limit signs will be installed and a no-turn-on-red sign will be set up in the near future. Rush added that she believes that University police will be using radar enforcement to potentially slow some of the speedy vehicles on Walnut Street. Some of these new precautions have already been implemented, while others will be put into effect during July and August, she said. An educational component is also part of a proactive plan to improve safety at the infamous intersection, Rush added. She said new employees and new students will be informed of the dangers surrounding crossing certain intersections around the University campus. College sophomore Jae Lee was hit by a car at 34th and Walnut streets November 7. He was in very serious condition at first, spending several weeks in the hospital, undergoing brain surgery, but has since recovered and returned to the University. Post-baccalaureate student Adam Zion was also seriously injured December 7 after being hit by two cars while crossing at the 33rd and Walnut intersection. Zion said he expected to be back to campus by the fall. "The best thing students can do is to cross at cross walks and always ensure that the cars are waiting for you to cross," University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said at the time. " It is basically an awareness issue." Several posts made to the newsgroups upenn.safety and upenn.talk discuss the hazards of the intersection of 33rd and Walnut streets.
(07/13/95 9:00am)
Through an elaborate scheme, someone has sabotaged the Internet security of eight Macintosh computers in a computer lab in the David Rittenhouse Laboratory. The perpetrator installed a phony program, called "Mac Life Insurance," that secretly captured all of the text that was typed during all Telnet and Fetch sessions in room 2N40 of DRL, according to University Information Security Officer David Millar. Millar said its very difficult to say how many students may have been affected by the scam. He also warned that anyone who used their account in is room between June 1 and July 6 should have their password changed immediately. The perpetrator could be reading the students' mail, forging correspondence, altering their files or using their account to get additional privileges, he added. Information Security is currently investigating the scam. If an individual is caught, Millar said that the matter will be referred to the Student Dispute Resolution Center. "I take the matter seriously," Millar said. "I consider it a violation of the Ethical Computing policy to try to steal passwords like this. However, I have not yet heard any reports of this problem in any other campus labs. Dan Updegrove, associate vice provost of Information Systems and Computing, said that there are "serious penalties" for internet security violations. Updegrove, who is also the executive director of Data Communications and Computing Services, said that the phony program is known as a "trojan horse." While it might look and act like a Telnet application, in reality it is a fraud. "If it's done artfully it's darn near impossible to tell," he said. He added that Internet users should be wary of a scam if they observe that the program seems to be behaving differently, especially if it is operating at an unusually slow pace. Millar, Updegrove and Engineering senior and Internet expert Meng Weng Wong all agree that is relatively easy to install "trojan horse" software. "Computers on the Internet are insecure," Wong said. "Start with the assumption that everything you transmit is being intercepted, and that everything you have publicly available is under scrutiny. Then take advantage of the intelligence in the computer before you to encrypt your messages. "Protocols are being being developed that will make security on the internet less of worry," Wong added. "Right now, the Information Superhighway is an open road, but soon we'll have bulletproof cars to drive on it." Millar urged students to regularly change their password and encouraged lab administrators to be cautious of suspicious activity. Updegrove said that when students log into e-mail, they do not always check the message that informs them of the last time their account was opened. But, he said the "last login message" is a useful tool for determining if someone has accessed the account, because it tells the location of the last login.
(07/06/95 9:00am)
Relief might be in sight for women suffering from premenstrual syndrome, as a result of a new University study. The study, which was published in the this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, reports that the tranquilizer Xanax can relieve symptoms suffered by women with PMS. And the study found that the hormone progesterone, which is commonly prescribed for the treatment of PMS, is not effective. These findings come in the wake of a recent Canadian study that showed the antidepressant drug Prozac is effective in treating PMS. Xanax was determined to be "significantly" better than placebo or progesterone in reducing the overall severity of premenstrual symptoms, particularly improving mental function and mood, as well as in alleviating pain, the study reported. The study, which included 170 women, age 18 to 46, lasted for a three month trial and tested the efficacy of oral progesterone, Xanax and a placebo. Of those taking Xanax, 37 percent experienced a 50 percent reduction in symptoms, compared with 29 percent from progesterone and 30 percent from the placebo. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Ellen Freeman, the principle author of the study, said that the Xanax discovery is important because it could help those women who were not aided by the use of Prozac. "This is a different kind of drug that could help the other women," Freeman said. The Prozac study, which was published in last month's New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that about half the women who took Prozac had an improvement in PMS symptoms. Freeman said any new research on PMS is exciting because five to 10 years ago there was no information on the subject. PMS afflicts two percent to 10 percent of menstruating women, and is marked by irritability, tension, mood swings, anxiety, confusion, swelling, depression, fatigue, insomnia, aches or other symptoms before each cycle. One issue the use of Xanax brought up was that of dependency. But Freeman contends that dependency is not a problem because the women take the drug for such a short time. Unlike Prozac, which is taken every day, Xanax is only taken for about 10 days while the PMS symptoms persist, Freeman explained. Xanax, made by UpJohn, is also known as alprazolam and is part of a class of anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazapines.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Shawnee High School '93 Marlton, N.J. After an unprecedented three re-arguments before the Commonwealth Court, a seven-judge panel ruled in favor of the University and the City of Philadelphia in the long-standing Mayor's Scholarship lawsuit. The vote was four to three. The decision upheld Judge Nelson Diaz's original decision in favor of the University and the city in February 1993. The Public Interest Law Center has vowed to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. If the decision is upheld, it will clear the way for the University to award 125 Mayor's Scholarships to University-bound Philadelphia residents over the course of four years. PILCOP had argued that the University was obligated to provide 125 scholarships each year. University General Counsel Shelley Green said she was very pleased with the court's decision. "I'm delighted with the outcome," Green said. "I believe the University's position, and I am pleased the Commonwealth Court has agreed with it." The dispute over the Mayor's Scholarship agreement between the city and the University has been in litigation for the last three years. A 1977 city ordinance required the University to award a set number of scholarships to Philadelphia residents in exchange for rent-free land from the city. PILCOP sued the University in 1991, claiming that the 1977 agreement provided for 125 scholarships per year, for a total of 500 scholarships. The University contends the total should be set at 125. PILCOP attorney Michael Churchill said the Commonwealth Court's decision will have a negative effect on Philadelphia students. "It's a tough day for the students of Philadelphia," Churchill said. "At a time when Philadelphia is trying to improve education and stimulate students, the loss will have a big impact." But Churchill also said he is pleased with the University's effort to expand its recruiting in Philadelphia and lauded the improvement of the Mayor's Scholarship in general. According to University spokesperson Barbara Beck, a 1992 agreement between the University and the city reaffirmed the University's obligation to Philadelphia students. The agreement also substantially enhanced the Mayor's Scholarship financial aid packages. Beck said the average Mayor's Scholarship package includes $18,806 in grants from the University. Mayor's Scholars are selected by the Mayor's Scholarship Committee, whose members are appointed by Mayor Ed Rendell.
(06/29/95 9:00am)
Keith Vivett, who carjacked, robbed, raped and shot a College of General Studies student in the face in October 1993, was convicted by a jury last week. Vivett was convicted of aggravated indecent assault, two counts of robbery, kidnapping and a weapons offense. The 26-year-old student was walking to her car in the public parking lot at 34th and Chestnut streets October 20 at 9:30 p.m. when Vivett kidnapped her, according to Assistant District Attorney Curtis Douglas. Vivett forced the student into the backseat of her car at gunpoint and robbed her of $7. He then drove her to North Philadelphia, and forced her to remove her clothing in the car. He then sexually molested her. After driving around for 20 minutes, Vivett stopped the car and molested the student again. He then gagged her with her bra and forced the nude student into a house, where he shot her in the face. "I felt the hot metal on my face," the student told the Philadelphia Daily News. "I thought I was going to bleed to death." Still conscious, the student played dead, waiting for the man to leave. After Vivett fled in the victim's car, she went out into the street asked someone to contact police. The student was taken to Jefferson Hospital and was released later that week after being treated. Common Pleas Judge Arnold New sent Vivett to prison to await sentencing in September. The student's lawyer was unavailable for comment.
(06/29/95 9:00am)
The search for a new University Police Commissioner has kicked into high gear as the July 31 resignation date of current Commissioner John Kuprevich approaches. According to Executive Vice President John Fry, the search is moving along well. He reported that a field of 70 or more applicants has been narrowed down to 15 people. He described the applicant pool as being "extremely qualified." "I'm really excited about some of the people who have applied," Fry said. And he added that a new commissioner would most likely be chosen in the next month or month and a half. Fry said the next step is for the field of 15 to be narrowed down to six, which could happen in the next week to 10 days. Faculty, administration and students are involved in the process of narrowing the number down and interviewing the individual applicant, he said. Kuprevich announced on April 13 that he would resign his position at the University on July 31. Since his resignation, Kuprevich has maintained that he will stay involved in campus law enforcement. According to University of New Mexico Lieutenant Steve Lewis, Kuprevich is on the short list of UNM's candidates for the next commissioner of public safety. Kuprevich was the University's first commissioner of public safety and oversaw the University Police department and the Victim Support and Special Services unit since assuming the post in December 1990.
(06/22/95 9:00am)
and Amy Lipman Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman announced on Tuesday that he will be stepping down from his position September 1. "It's been a long time," he said. "I have been Vice Provost for 13 years." Provost Stanley Chodorow said holding the position for a period of more than 10 years is an extraordinary accomplishment. "The length of his tenure alone indicates that Vice Provost Cooperman has done a superb job," he said. "No one who was not first-rate and who was not making a major contribution to the University could have stayed on that long." Cooperman, who has been a member of the faculty since 1968, is now going back to teaching Chemistry full-time. He said he was frustrated during his tenure, because he did not have the opportunity to conduct extensive research for himself, although he was happy to be able to teach at least one class each year. He will still be directing the French Institute for Culture and Technology and chairing the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Wistar Institute. Chodorow said this is good timing for Cooperman to make this move. "He has excellent support from the [National Institutes of Health,] and this an ideal time for him to go back to teaching and research full-time," he said. Cooperman said he would have left his position earlier if it were not for two factors. He said he wanted to see the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology -- a project who's history goes back to 1987 -- go through as a project. Last month, the Air Force released its Record of Decision, giving the University the last piece of governmental information it needs to demolish Smith Hall and begin the construction of the high-tech building. He added that the IAST product is something that he is very proud of. "I hope there will be an actual tangible product when I step down on September 1st," Cooperman said. He added that he wanted to serve as a bridge between the old administration and the new administration. And Chodorow said he was happy for this assistance. "From my personal experience during the past year, I can say that I am very glad indeed that he gave me a year," he said. "He helped to orient me to Penn, he accomplished several important projects, beside IAST, and he gave me good advice and support when I needed it. I've enjoyed working with him." Chodorow added that he will now try to find a member of the senior faculty to serve as Acting Vice Provost, but added that he does not expect to find a permanent replacement until the fall. "I expect to start the preliminary phases of a search for a permanent replacement during the summer, but the search will only gather steam when the faculty return from their summer activities," he said. Cooperman said the University has changed its position to become more highly ranked as a research institution under his leadership. But although he said he has made numerous improvements in the research program during his tenure as Vice Provost, he added that there are still some deficiencies. The issue he is most concerned about is providing mechanisms for financing institutions in the University. He said he believes in the University's credo that good research and good teaching go hand in hand. Cooperman said the Rodin administration is still searching for how it will deal with research, adding that its challenge will be to determine its priorities. But he said he is positive they will succeed. "In the long-term, I am quite optimistic for Penn and research in general," he said.
(06/22/95 9:00am)
The University Medical Center is taking the lead in the race towards finding an AIDS vaccine. On Friday the University announced that the first DNA based vaccine is currently being tested on HIV-positive patients. The vaccine is designed to delay or possibly stop the onset of AIDS in people infected with HIV. "As the first human trial of a DNA vaccine, this signal a new era in vaccine development and could revolutionize the way vaccines are produced and give, William Kelley, CEO of the University Medical Center and Health System said in a statement released to the press. The first patient in the study is a 34 year-old woman who is HIV positive. She has received her initial injection of the vaccine and is now undergoing tests as part of Phase I safety trial. Over the next year, 15 other patients will join in the study. And the patients will be placed in three groups of five, with each group taking a different dosage. The trial will last about one or two years. The brains behind the new technology is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine David Weiner. Weiner and Apollo, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in Malvern, Pennsylvania systematically designed these cassettes from dead strands of the HIV virus and viral proteins. The clinical trial is being conducted by Professor Ron MacGregor and Professor Stephen Gluckman, both professors of medicine and infectious disease. "The idea is to beef up the immune system against the virus and hopefully maintain [a] state of control and keep the virus infection silent," Weiner said in a September interview. Earlier studies conducted by Weiner with mice, rats, rabbits and non-human primates have demonstrated that DNA injection does indeed stimulate the immune system. But the researchers have not yet determined whether the treatment will prevent subsequent infection in HIV-positive subjects, he said. The vaccine contains HIV genes that will instruct the virus to produce two specific proteins within the patients' cells. The proteins will spark an immune response, causing the patient's bodies to produce additional antibodies and the white blood cells known as killer T cells. These so called killer T cells kill HIV infected cells. "While this study is for HIV, if the approach is safe and successful, it could change the way we think of vaccines," Weiner said in a press statement. "This approach appears to have promise not only as a preventive measure against infection, but also as a treatment for many varied diseases." Some other possible diseases the vaccine could attack include hepatitis, tuberculosis, certain cancers and autoimminue diseases. Weiner and his colleagues were given a $4.2 million grant form the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop the vaccine.
(06/22/95 9:00am)
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives allocated $35.5 million in state funding to the University Tuesday night when it passed the proposed budget for the 1995-1996 fiscal year. But unless the Senate approves the budget, the University might not see the money until the fall. After speaking with several senators on Wednesday morning,Vice President for Government, Community and Pubic Affairs Carol Scheman said she is confident that the Senate will pass the budget by the July 1 deadline. She said the lack of senate action has nothing to do with the University. Instead, she attributes it to a battle between democratic leadership and Pennsylvania Republican Governor Tom Ridge. The $35.5 million appropriation is the same amount that was allocated last year, but is a substantially lower amount than President Judith Rodin's request for $49.8 million. But Scheman said she was not surprised with the decision, explaining that the $49.8 million figure was what the University "could use," but that she did not really think the state would allocate that much money. "It's what we expected," she said. Scheman added that the University's highest priorities in the budget were increasing the money for the Veterinary School and lowering in-state tuition. She stressed the importance of the Vet School as being the only one of its kind in the state and the cutting-edge bio-medical research that is taking place at the school. The Vet School was allocated $20.7 million, which was only slightly lower than the $23 million that Scheman had hoped for. And $9.5 million was appropriated for General Instruction, while $4.28 million was given to the Medical School. The Dental clinic received just under $1 million. The major change between this year's allocations and last year's funding is that $6 million was taken from General Instructions and put towards the Vet School. Money appropriated by the state is earmarked for the University's health profession programs, specifically the Vet School and for maintenance of a need blind admissions policy. One of the amendments that was passed along with the budget includes the creation of a special committee to investigate spending practices by universities receiving direct state assistance. Representative John Lawless, the main sponsor of the resolution, grilled Rodin and other University officials at a budget hearing in the spring about the number of hours professors spend teaching and the money spent on travel and sabbaticals. But Scheman said she did not think that Lawless' attack had no effect on the amount of money allocated for the University.
(06/15/95 9:00am)
When the University solar car team heads out on Tuesday for Indianapolis, they hope to be basking in the sun for the next few weeks. If the team qualifies for Sunrayce 95 -- a 1,200 mile trek from Indianapolis to Golden, Colorado -- they will be one of 40 teams competing in a race designed solely for solar-powered cars designed and constructed by students. The race to Golden will take nine days, with the competition culminating on June 29 with a celebration. Last year the team competed in a considerably shorter race -- the Tour De Sol -- which went from New York to Philadelphia. The team finished third in the competition. Engineering sophomore Aaron Vernon said the team believes it has a decent shot this year, possibly finishing in the top 20. But the solar car, aptly named the Liberty Belle, will be facing some stiff competition from local rival Drexel and also former 1990 and 1993 national champion University of Michigan. Vernon attributed Michigan's racing prowess to the fact that Michigan has a $1.5 million budget, due in large part to corporate sponsorship from Detroit automakers. The University's solar car team has a budget of approximately $80,000, and Vernon estimated that the organization has spent $125,000 in the last two years. One difference that separate the University's team from other competitors is that the project is almost completely run by students, according to Engineering junior Ryan Crowell, who has been working on the car's electrical system. The team is so optimistic about this summer's race because some changes have been made on the solar car in the last year, he said. There has been a doubling of the solar cell surface area, a redesign of the rear wheels and suspension and the vehicle's electrical system is being upgraded from 100 to 200 volts. This change in electrical power should increase the speed and efficiency of the car, Crowell added. Another technological advance for the team is a state-of-the-art data acquisition system, which will be used in the chase car to collect 16 different types of data, ranging from the temperature of the car to how long the battery will last. In recent practice runs, the car has gone slightly faster than 40 m.ph., and Crowell said he expects the average speed during the race to be about 45 m.p.h. Although the solar car team is composed of 40 members, only 10 will actually be competing in the race. The 10 were chosen based on who put the most time into the project, Crowell said. He added that the team has recently been "burning the midnight oil," working on the car from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. for the last two week, putting on the finishing touches before race day. "We're the underdog, the cinderella story," Crowell said. "But we like it that way." The competition is not over when the teams finally reach Golden on June 29. The next day is Pike's Peak Challenge, in which the cars try to race up Pike's Peak. But Pike's Peak is not the last challenge of the summer, according to Vernon. In July the team plans to go to Pocono Raceway to attempt to break the world record for speed by a solar car of 83 m.p.h "We thought we could call Guinness and get him out here and see what this baby can do," Vernon said. In addition to receiving a big trophy, the top three finishers in Sunrayce 95 win an all expense paid trip to Australia, courtesy of General Motors, to compete in the 1996 World Solar Car Challenge. Sunrayce 95 is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, in an effort to promote solar energy as an alternative to the consumption of fossil fuels and to reduce pollution.
(06/15/95 9:00am)
Pennsylvania Attorney General Ernie Preate, a University alumnus, agreed to plead guilty to mail fraud and resign from office Tuesday. The attorney general, a 1965 graduate of the University Law School and a 1962 graduate of the Wharton School, could go to jail for as long as five years and be fined as much as $250,000 for the single federal charge. On Tuesday Preate told U.S. Middle District Court Judge Sylvia Rambo that he was pleading guilty. Preate turned control of the Attorney General's Office to top deputy Walter Cohen, and he will officially resign June 23. U.S. Attorney David Barasch said Tuesday that Preate engaged in "a decade-long scheme of repeated violations of state campaign finance law in a pattern of fraud, concealment and deception." Preate, a former president of the Newman Council at the University, had been under investigation for the last five years concerning his campaign finances. He solicited cash contributions for his campaign from illegal video poker operators and hid the funds from election officials, prosecutors said in court papers. The agreement, which was signed last week, says Preate filed false and misleading documents to conceal the cash donations. Throughout the investigation, Preate continually denied any wrongdoing and maintained that he would be vindicated by the federal probe. The investigation found that poker operators contributed about $40,000 to Preate's campaign, half of that in cash donations above the legal limit of $100, to buy relaxed enforcement of gambling laws by the state, prosecutors said in court documents. Preate was district attorney of Lackawanna County from 1977 to 1989 and has been attorney general since 1989. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor last year. Pennsylvania state law requires the governor to nominate a replacement for the vacancy in the attorney general's office. The replacement will serve the remaining 1 1/2 years of Preate's term. The Associated Press contributed to this Article.
(06/15/95 9:00am)
Recent University graduate and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist Ian Blake was convicted of disorderly conduct at a court hearing at the Philadelphia Police Southwest Detective's station. But Blake contends that he was mistreated by the police officer who arrested him and he plans to mount an appeal. In court, in front of Judge Robert Blasi, Officer David Carroll testified that on May 2 at about 2:50 p.m. he was called to Van Pelt Library to respond to a complaint that a woman's wallet had been stolen. Carroll said the woman believed that Blake was the individual who took the wallet. Carroll explained that he approached Blake and asked to speak with him, but Blake raised his voice and spoke "very nasty" to the officer. Carroll also said that Blake pushed him into the library office. But Blake tells a different story. Blake claims that Carroll told him to go into the stacks, but Blake said he was unwilling because of Carroll's "reputation." "I was very reluctant to go into the stacks with Officer Carroll because of his reputation," Blake said Tuesday. Blake added that Carroll pulled him into the stacks and shoved him 3 or 4 times and told Blake that he was under arrest. He also said in court that he was arrested under false pretense, because a woman, who had been sitting next to him at a computer lab in Van Pelt, claimed he had stolen some items out of her wallet. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said he couln't comment on the case. University Police Chief George Clisby was unavailable for comment.
(06/08/95 9:00am)
Scientist, researchers, company executives and military officials from around the world are meeting throughout the month of June to discuss solid electrolytes. But thanks to School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Gregory Farrington transportation to the conference is free. That is because the conference is being conducted via the information superhighway from the University. And the "virtual conference" is one of the first of its kind, according to Associate Director of Computing and Educational Technology Services Helen Anderson. Farrington designed the entire worldwide internet forum and a program called Adobe Acrobat allows the magic to happen. Two hundred scientists throughout the world began meeting Monday over the World Wide Web to exchange ideas about solid electrolytes, the material batteries are made from. In this "virtual conference," authors from around the world have electronically submitted papers on the topic. Forty-five papers can be accessed on the Web for those who are part of the conference. Some of the countries participating include Sweden, India, Australia, Great Britain, Japan, Denmark, Brazil, Germany, and Spain. And Anderson said language is not a communication barrier, even though all the articles are written in English. She added that English has become the language of international science because most of the scientific journals are published in English. The purpose of the internet meeting is twofold, Anderson said, serving both scientific needs and experimenting with the new information technology. Batteries are a "hot topic" because of electric cars and the push to make more powerful, longer-lasting batteries, she explained. "Maybe there is a paper in their that revolutionizes batteries," Anderson said. From the Universities viewpoint, the real benefit of the "virtual conference" is the chance to experiment with new technology, cutting edge tools that might be the wave of future. "We have never tried to exchange information in this way before," Anderson said. Anderson said the conference not only attracts scientists and university researches, but military officials and large corporations like Dow Chemical. "It's of great interest to all kinds of people," she said. The first few days of the meeting have encountered some glitches, Anderson said, adding that this is to be expected in the initial stages of most new endeavors. After the month-long experiment concludes, Elsevier, a Netherlands based company is going to publish the papers.
