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(02/25/03 10:00am)
A group of clients at West Philadelphia's At Home Health, Inc. had their typical medical routine interrupted as Mayor John Street walked into the business yesterday afternoon.
The company was one of four black-owned businesses that Street visited as part of a series of events planned throughout the city in honor of Black History Month.
One of the major goals of the initiative was to support the growth of local businesses as part of a greater effort to improve the community.
"We can't transform neighborhoods without jobs," Street said to the small crowd gathered at At Home Health, his third stop of the day. "Of course you need housing and public safety, but you first have to create economic opportunities for people."
Joel Avery, a Mayor's Office public relations specialist, echoed Street's sentiments about attempts to reach out to the community.
"We want to see them grow and prosper," he said.
At Home Health, Inc., a home healthcare service based at 39th and Market streets, focuses on providing nursing services, speech, physical and occupational therapy to a primarily elderly client base in the West Philadelphia area. Since the company was founded in 1995, it has moved in and out of the city and has grown from two employees to more than 40.
Street also visited an eclectic collection of other local businesses, including Tommy's Mens Shop, Jubilee HVAC, a heating and ventilation company, and JMAR Insurance. Each was selected based on recommendations from Chamber of Commerce officials, who were looking for companies of varying sizes and services.
"We are active in the African American Chamber of Commerce, and we are striving to make the city a better place to live," said Jerry Vallery, president of contract support systems and commercial insurance brokers of JMAR Insurance. "Our clientele span the city so we feel our obligation to make the city a better place to live."
In addition to honoring businesses specifically owned by blacks, another of Street's goals was to evaluate the status of small, locally patronized businesses as a whole.
"We are aware and sensitive that people shop in their own neighborhoods," Avery said. "We want to discuss the effectiveness of outreach programs with these businesses."
And according to Vallery, the mayor has an obligation to make working with small local companies one of his major priorities.
"I understand that the mayor can't do everything for everyone, but there is a tone and a level of interest that the mayor must set," Avery said. "The things he is doing and what he will do in the future will further support that."
In addition to his visits to local businesses, Street also held a reception for influential blacks last night.
(02/24/03 10:00am)
Poor weather rained -- or rather, snowed-- on the Anti-Poverty Action Week's parade, held at Civic House last week.
Activities planned for last weekend, including a reality tour of Philadelphia's drug industry and an Oxfam hunger banquet, were canceled and rescheduled.
"The snow threw things off," Empty the Shelters leader and College sophomore Martha Cooney said. "Turnout hasn't been very high."
And indeed, at last Friday's student workshop sponsored by ETS, attendance was limited to those already involved in Civic House programs. Yet despite the poverty of audience members, the ETS leaders forged on, undeterred.
The purpose of the workshop was to make students aware of the opportunities available to those who support social and economic justice for the poor.
The three ETS leaders who led the hour-long workshop addressed the stereotypes and myths associated with poor people, the history of movements aimed to end poverty and the avenues through which students can become involved.
ETS is a Penn organization that works in conjunction with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union -- an internationally known organization that works locally in Philadelphia to organize poor people in order to secure housing, welfare benefits and other basic human needs.
In addition to local focus, the KWRU has sponsored two national bus tours to document poverty in the United States as part of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign founded in light of the United Nations' adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
"The ultimate goal is to create a broad base movement," said ETS leader and College sophomore Shelby Ahern.
And the group recognizes that the movement requires political attention before any policy changes can be made.
"Basically through education and awareness, we can improve on our ability to influence politicians," said Jesse Tendler, an ETS leader and fifth-year Management and Technology student.
According to College senior Sam Heller, ETS is unique compared to other groups in that its biggest objective is education.
"It is so much more about really understanding than doing one-day service projects as band-aid solutions," Heller said.
Although the focus of the campaign is on the poor, Cooney extolled the universal benefits of the movement.
"Rather than a movement for the poor, it is a movement for everyone," she said.
"It's not just the poor who don't have healthcare," Tendler added.
(02/21/03 10:00am)
The amicus curiae briefs in support of the University of Michigan continue to flow into the U.S. Supreme Court this week, with a group of state legislators led by state representative Mark Cohen (D.-Phila.) adding their voices to the discourse.
An amicus curiae brief, literally meaning "friend of the court," is filed by an independent entity or individual on behalf of one of the parties involved in a case. Generally, these briefs are filed by groups with a vested interest in the outcome, as either a matter of law or policy.
Affirmative action and the ability to use race as a factor in admissions is the issue in question in the two Michigan cases before the Supreme Court -- Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. These cases are expected to redefine the 1978 ruling in the case of University of California Regents v. Bakke, which declared the use of quotas in college admissions policies unconstitutional but allowed race to continue to be used as a factor in admissions decisions.
Cohen's amicus brief, filed on Tuesday, will join an estimated 70 other filings in support of Michigan. Politicians, academics, businesses and military personnel are among those who have also filed briefs.
Cohen's brief was supported by 36 other current and former Pennsylvania legislators that include State Representative and former Speaker of the House H. William DeWeese, former State Representative and former Speaker of the House Leroy Irvis and State Senator and former President Pro Tempore of the Senate Robert Mellow, as well as the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Pennsylvania State Association of Black Clergy.
According to Michael Cassidy, executive director of the Office of the Democratic Caucus Chairman, Cohen has been a longtime proponent of racial diversity.
"In Mark's case, for a long time he has had strong feelings on race relations," said George Buddy, information specialist for the house of the Democratic Caucus. "He has had a long-standing concern abut diversity in our college campuses."
"We believe schools should have the right to determine who to let in -- not just to integrate, but to provide for the broadest diversity possible," said Eric Fillman, co-writer of the brief and legal counsel to Cohen.
Earlier this week, Penn signed a brief submitted by Harvard University that was also signed by Brown, Duke, Princeton and Yale universities, the University of Chicago and Dartmouth College. Penn Law School Dean Michael Fitts, and a group of 259 Penn Law students, were also signatories in separate briefs filed earlier this week.
But according to Cassidy, Cohen "wasn't aware" of these briefs, as all parties faced the same deadline. But due to the weather, the Supreme Court extended the original Tuesday deadline through today.
Despite the fact that all supporters of Cohen's amicus brief are Democrats, Fillman said the case is "not a party issue across the board."
"It is a party issue to some degree, but not just Democrats support affirmative action," Fillman said. "Across the board, it is acceptable.
"This group of people has recognized the necessity to allow schools to determine who they are going to teach and to ensure not just racial diversity, but academic diversity," he continued. "It used to be that only those who were rich and well-connected could go to college. We have come a long way to make higher education available."
Fillman pointed to the comparatively high number of amicus briefs submitted supporting Michgan's policies, which he estimated were five times that number of briefs advocating abolishing race in admissions decisions.
Despite these numbers, President Bush has taken a firm stance against using race as a factor in admission.
"President Bush has taken such a hard line that it scares us," Cassidy said. "If the court rules against the University of Michigan, it could throw out at law schools, or any college level, the programs used to racially diversify."
Cassidy asserted that prohibiting the use of race in admissions "tramples on legislative authority and tramples on academic freedom" and "makes it more difficult" for universities to develop policies to promote racial diversity in their student bodies.
Representatives of the colleges and universities that have filed amicus briefs concur with Cassidy.
"All of the universities shared a common rationale in that they believe it is necessary for universities to be granted significant autonomy in determining their admissions policies," said Beverly Ledbetter, general counsel at Brown. "This includes the search for diversity -- diversity in all aspects."
Beth Harris, general counsel at the University of Chicago, echoed Ledbetter's sentiments.
"There is a widespread feeling that it is critical to be able to recruit a diverse student body and to continue the admissions practices that we've been using," Harris said. "We are hopeful that the court will uphold the decision in Bakke and will continue to allow universities to use race as a factor in admissions."
(02/17/03 10:00am)
As the nation steps up security measures in response to increased terrorist activity, students are aware of the threat level but have not significantly changed their daily routines.
Last week, after government officials upgraded the country's level of alert from "yellow" to "orange," Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller noted at a Senate committee meeting that college campuses were at an especially high risk.
And on Thursday, Penn students received an e-mail from University President Judith Rodin, Provost Robert Barchi and Executive Vice President Clifford Stanley, informing them of the University's emergency plan and encouraging them to continue with their daily activities while remaining mindful of the situation.
The e-mail, which was sent to the entire undergraduate student body, also notified students of the Department of Homeland Security's Feb. 7 decision to heighten the terrorist threat level. It also directed students experiencing worry or anxiety to contact University officials and Counseling and Psychological Services.
For some students, the e-mail helped ease their concern about possible terrorism.
"It didn't make me scared, and it reassured me that the University is doing something about it by informing students," said College senior Martin Hommes. "For those who are scared, it is good that there are places for them to go for support."
But others said that the e-mail raised their level of anxiety, bringing the threat "to a more local level," although they were already aware of the increased national alert.
College junior Jon Alagem said he thought that the University's notification of students was unnecessary, in light of the extensive national coverage of the increase in alert.
"I don't think Rodin can offer me anything more than anybody else," Alagem said.
According to a press release from Penn's Division of Public Safety, the decision to move the nation's threat level from "elevated" to "high" status was based on "information received from multiple intelligence sources confirming an increased likelihood of unspecific terrorist activity against American citizens and assets at home and abroad."
The Department of Homeland Security's Web site is more specific, attributing the shift from "yellow" to "orange" to "increased likelihood that the al Qaeda terrorist network may attempt to attack Americans in the United States or abroad."
College senior and Harrison College House Resident Advisor Jessica Bell felt that the University's decision to make students aware of the situation was beneficial, although belated.
"It made me feel a little more informed to better serve my residents," Bell said. "I thought it was good but a little late by a few days."
As far as precautions are concerned, some students are taking steps to prepare themselves against a possible attack.
"We bought gas masks," Alagem said.
Bell said she told her residents to keep extra water and food on hand and to keep in contact with roommates, friends and family.
But many students do not plan to alter their day-to-day schedules.
"I always keep food," Hommes said. "I am not changing anything out of my normal life."
Still others are skeptical of the threats themselves.
"I don't feel there is anything that I have read to back it up sufficiently," College freshman Jessica Benash said.
(02/11/03 10:00am)
The Presbyterian Medical Center, one of the four hospitals under the University's Health System, was renamed the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center-Presbyterian on Friday.
The hospital will now function as part of the University's Medical Center, which previously included the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania, according to a memo distributed to Health System faculty and staff Friday.
According to Michele Volpe, executive director of the UPMC-Presbyterian, the name change is an attempt to reinforce public awareness of the link between the hospital and the University and to emphasize its relationship with Penn faculty physicians.
According to Volpe, when Presbyterian was purchased by Penn in 1995, the hospital was mainly comprised of independent practice doctors. Over the years, however, there has been increased integration with clinical practice faculty from Penn.
Officials also hope the modification of the hospital's title will solidify the connection to the University's brand name.
"The brand 'Penn' is something that is attractive and well-known to consumers," Volpe said. "The outside world identifies more with the Medical Center than with the Health System."
According to Volpe, surveys performed by Presbyterian have shown that the hospital, located at 39th and Market streets, has continually ranked low in name recognition outside of the local West Philadelphia region.
"Consumer awareness scores are low because people aren't sure where it is," Volpe said.
The hospital had been contemplating changing its name for about three years, according to Volpe. The decision to make the switch now is based on the city's approval for the hospital to install new signage. With the signs ready to be made, the hospital thought it would be an opportune time to display its close relation to the Penn brand.
Other possible names that were considered included Penn Presbyterian, similar to Columbia University's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
"We will always keep 'Presbyterian' because it is significant to the community," Volpe said.
The University's Health System includes the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Phoenixville Hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital.
(02/04/03 10:00am)
As the University prepares to implement its new strategic plan, the Health System is also in the midst of revising its own set of goals and initiatives.
Penn Medicine -- the governing board for the Health System -- is slated to complete its new strategic plan by May or June, when it will be submitted to the University Board of Trustees for its approval and adoption.
According to Arthur Rubenstein, executive vice president of the Health System and dean of the School of Medicine, about 80 percent of the plan is done.
"We analyzed [Penn Medicine] and found areas where we could go from good to better, from excellent to great and from very good to outstanding," Rubenstein said. "We want to promote certain areas and become world-class in certain areas."
The strategic model is based on five pillars that include expanding certain clinical services in the cancer, cardiovascular, neuroscience and transplant departments and emphasizing quality patient care.
Rubenstein said he will strive to make Penn "a leader in patient safety."
"As technology improves, we are able to do amazing things, but we are also able to make mistakes," Rubenstein said. "We will make mistakes minimized."
Rubenstein emphasized the coordination of Penn Medicine's strategic plan with the agenda of the University as a whole.
"We work closely with the University's strategic plan," Rubenstein said. "Our philosophy is to be greatly integrated with the University."
Another significant facet of the new strategy is the spectrum from which advice and comments were drawn.
"There has been significant buy-in," said Health System Chief Public Affairs Officer Rebecca Harmon, noting that students, faculty and administrators all contributed to the effort. "It was opened up to input from the people."
"Nothing is secret," Rubenstein said. "This includes all the problems and all the joys."
Rubenstein said plans similar to the one being composed at Penn are usually drafted by a core group. Rubenstein, however, prefers a more "grass-roots strategic plan."
The existing plan -- known as the Molinoff Report-- was pioneered by former Health System Chief Executive Officer William Kelley in the early 1990s. When it was formulated, administrators' primary objectives were to expand the Health System and to raise the level of prestige and selectivity of the Medical School.
Now, with the Medical School ranked No. 4 by U.S. News & World Report, the strategic plan that guided the Health System through the past decade is being updated.
The new plan also comes at a time of transition for the Health System. In October, CEO Robert Martin announced that he would step down from his role at the end of the academic year. And just two months later, Penn Medicine dissolved its $100 million grant agreement with the Philadelphia Health Care Trust.
According to Rubenstein, the grant termination will not affect the development of the new strategic plan.
Although Rubenstein admitted that receiving large sums of money is always nice, he said he is "neutral" about the grant dissolving and added that the conditions attached with receiving the grant "became so complicated."
(02/03/03 10:00am)
Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector spoke at the Fels Institute of Government last Friday on topics ranging from the possible war with Iraq to his penchant for Boca Burgers.
The Republican senator addressed the audience by voicing his opinions on the current situation in the Middle Eastern nation.
"Right now, we're in a very very unpredictable course, and the conventional wisdom says there's going to be war," Spector said.
Spector's speech was met with praise.
"He did an outstanding job," said Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, a professor at the Fels Institute and former Pennsylvania congresswoman. "I was impressed with his solid intellect. He is a fair person."
Senator Spector supports military action in Iraq and is "optimistic that we'll get a second resolution passed authorizing the use of force."
However, when Saddam Hussein begins to feel the pressure of the massive military buildup, Spector hopes that he will back down.
"There's no doubt that he's brutal and he's venal and he's gassed his own people, but I do not think that he's suicidal," Spector said.
Spector believes that Hussein should ultimately be tried in an international court as a war criminal charged with crimes against humanity.
Spector is one of the few senators who has met with Hussein, as he was part of a special delegation that visited Iraq in the mid-1990s following the Persian Gulf War.
Students who were in attendance appreciated the senator's candidness.
"I was glad that he spoke about his position on Iraq," Wharton freshman Daniel Cope said. "He clarified U.S. goals for going there."
Human Relations Professor Lawrence Sherman, director of the Fels Institute, hailed Specter as a moderate who is "the major linchpin between [the Republican and Democratic] intransigent forces," and is able to find "common ground" in an era of heightened partisanship.
The speech was followed by a question-and-answer period. In addition to inquiries about Iraq, Spector fielded questions dealing with reparations for slavery, judicial appointments, affirmative action in the college admission process and the fate of Trent Lott.
"I think Senator Lott was treated unjustly," Spector said. Many negative racial sentiments "all got dumped on Trent Lott."
Amidst his commentary on these serious issues, Spector lightened the mood with his answer to a student's question about one of his favorite foods -- Boca Burgers, the soy-based alternative to beef hamburgers.
"Take a Boca Burger and put a very thin slice of onion and mustard," Spector suggested as the best way to enjoy the meal.
Spector, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Penn in 1951, encouraged students to pursue careers in public service.
"We are living in a complex and dangerous world," Spector said. "We need to bring as much talent as we can to the public sector."
Staff writer Luke Tay contributed to this report.
(01/31/03 10:00am)
Without the watchful eye of a resident adviser or faculty master, some students expect the move to an off-campus house or apartment to be accompanied by unlimited parties and unsupervised ruckus.
But those who aren't careful about property damages can face some serious financial consequences.
Upon signing a lease, tenants are required to make a security deposit, which is returned to them when they vacate the property on the condition that they have not incurred any damages.
If they do, money will be deducted from their security deposit, which, according to state law, cannot exceed the equivalent of two months' rent.
According to Liz Polizzotto, a secretary for University Enterprises, the real estate agency performs yearly inspections of its properties to assess damages. These can include "holes in walls, leaving furniture in the house, leaving the house dirty and any kind of past or due bills," she said.
Melissa Impagliazzo, a leasing consultant for local real estate agency University Crossings, added that changing paint color as well as leaving food or trash in the property can also result in security deposit deductions.
"Most of it is cleaning," said William Lynch, a project coordinator for University City Housing.
"Basically, you need to get it back to how it looked like when you moved in," Impagliazzo said.
Both University Crossings and University City Housing have pre-set charges for particular damages, but determining whether something is classified as damage or simply inevitable wear and tear is "up to the discretion of the owner," Polizzotto said.
Companies will charge tenants if damages are found -- however, there are a few simple steps students can take to lessen the costs.
According to Miki Farcas, director of the Office of Off-Campus Living, although real estate companies conduct annual inspections to determine already-existing damages, students should also document these problems. Farcas advises that they should thoroughly inspect the property upon move-in and make a move-in checklist, keeping a copy and sending a copy to the landlord. A similar list should be compiled near the termination of the lease.
Impagliazzo suggested that tenants also photograph damages.
"When the tenant moves in and notices something, they can tell us right away, and we will get it fixed," Impagliazzo said.
State law requires real estate agents to notify tenants of expected damages and charges before moving out to protect tenants against unjust or unknown charges.
"We give a checklist of what needs to be done and how much it is going to cost about one month in advance," Lynch said.
According to Lynch, his company puts particular emphasis on notifying the tenants of potential damages in advance because the more effort the tenants put in, "the less amount of work that we have to do," he said.
All agencies contacted said the terms of the security deposit are outlined in the lease.
Farcas stressed the importance of providing proper notice of termination.
"When students don't give the landlord their forwarding address, the landlord is not required to give the deposit back," Farcas said.
If students take the necessary steps, "the security deposit issue is pretty clear-cut and easy to get back," Farcas said. "Students just need to communicate appropriately regarding the condition of the apartment."
Farcas said that although "there are situations and landlords who basically make unreasonable charges," and if this occurs, "there are ways to get it back."
"It is unlikely that the tenants will receive nothing back," Polizzotto said.
Farcas said that the Office of Off-Campus Living is a good place for students to consult if they wish to file a claim.
(01/28/03 10:00am)
Shouts of laughter and children's voices could be heard well before entering the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on Saturday morning.
Inside, kids waving red crepe paper ribbons ran from room to room. A woman knelt in one corner, playing horsey to the toddler riding on her back.
All this, in honor of the Chinese New Year. Performances and lectures ran nonstop from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the museum's auditorium. On the third floor, artists and educators set up booths.
This was the museum's 22nd celebration of the Chinese New Year. According to Pam Kosty, assistant director for public information, it is also the museum's most popular event, drawing hundreds of people.
"There's always more to do than you can do," Kosty said. She named the "strong Chinese community" in Philadelphia as the primary reason for this event's popularity.
But few in the crowd seemed to be Chinese.
"Why are there no Chinese people here?" AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power member Katie Krauss asked. She herself is interested in Chinese culture because of her work with AIDS in China.
The Chinese who did attend were mostly artists, educators or performers.
One such artist from the Huaguang Oriental Art and Cultural Center was Zhe-Zhou Jiang, promoting his own paintings as well as works of his students.
Across the room, Yulan Mimmy San used paper torn from magazines to teach children how to fold boats, shirts and stars. She quoted her heritage as one of the reasons for teaching origami.
"Most people think of it as Japanese, but it was the Chinese who first folded paper" San said.
Another reason is San's enthusiasm for the art. She calls folding origami "an adventure."
"You take a piece of paper and you get this," San said, gesturing to a paper boat. "Isn't that awesome?"
Lijie Sun and Qing Qing Qiu educated people on Falun Gong, a martial art banned by the Chinese government. Armed with flyers, CDs and a video demonstration, they also rallied support for people allegedly arrested for practicing Falun Gong.
Sun had her own theory for the lack of Chinese people in attendance, claiming it is due to a lack of advertising in Chinatown. Even the people working the event, Sun said, like Jiang and herself, are Chinese who often work with the Western community.
In the future, Sun plans to tell people about the event, saying it is "good for both adults and children."
That sentiment was echoed by Kathy Jackson, whose 2-year-old adopted daughter Caroline hails from China. She plans to involve Caroline in Chinese language and culture classes and sees the event as a way to teach her about China.
(01/23/03 10:00am)
Two Penn professors brought some issues in bioethics to the forefront last night at a forum held downtown.
"If of nothing else, Philly is the capital of bioethics," said Glenn McGee, associate director for education at Penn's Center for Bioethics, who spoke alongside Pasquale Patrizio, a School of Medicine professor and director of Penn's male infertility service at an event produced by WHYY last night.
The station conducted a town meeting to create an opportunity to discuss issues raised in the recently broadcast PBS series "Our Genes/Our Choices." The two Penn lecturers spoke on a range of issues associated with genetics.
The discussion covered a wide spectrum of topics, from biotechnology's influence on the architecture of the WHYY studio to the similarities between Oldsmobile's slogan, "It's not your father's Oldsmobile" and the progression and expansion of genetic testing.
The topic of genetic screening's impact on health and life insurance was a heavily addressed issue as well. McGee went so far as to say that biotechnology's advances have opened a "Pandora's box for insurance."
McGee and Patrizio discussed the prerogatives and possible dangers of insurance companies having access to genetic testing results and further using the information to raise premiums or deny clients insurance based on susceptibility to certain diseases.
According to McGee, there are a handful of states that already have laws against genetic discrimination in both health and life insurance in place. He cited California and New Jersey as two examples.
He also noted that around $1 million could be saved by choosing not to carry to term a baby diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, one of the most common genetic disorders for which parents can test.
"A company can save money by keeping some people out of the gene pool -- like lifeguarding," McGee said.
Aside from the business and financial end of the genetic testing consequences, Patrizio briefly addressed the moral complications.
"In 20 to 30 years [genetic testing] is going to put in crisis the world of religions," Patrizio said. "'What is the role of God?' raises a completely new set of questions."
Patrizio also predicted that in 10 years, the focus in the field will be not only in knowing the genes but also in knowing their real function in the human body.
The town meeting was affiliated with WHYY's Wider Horizons program, which focuses on providing informative programming concerning issues associated with aging.
The dialogue was available for live viewing over the Internet, and McGee and Patrizio fielded questions posed by national viewers who virtually participated through a moderated online chat room.
(01/22/03 10:00am)
Last night, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center pulled a sister act.
Emphasizing a place for homosexuals in the Catholic Church, Sister Jeannine Gramick spoke on "LGBT Ministry and Non-Violent Love," and many of the 40 or so people who attended the event already knew each other, or Gramick, or both.
Which is hardly surprising, considering that Gramick is a Penn alum and was eager to return to her alma mater.
She spoke about the parallels between Martin Luther King Jr.'s words and her own life and between the Civil Rights Movement and the LGBT movement.
Gramick told the story of being investigated and censored by a Vatican committee for ministering to LGBT people, only to run into the cardinal who was leading the committee on a plane.
"What that happenstance meeting on the plane did for me was to put a human face on... my enemy," Gramick said. "If nothing else, one must admire someone who is committed to a cause."
Gramick also spoke about some of King's strategies that pertain to her own mission, counseling the audience to remember "how far we have come" and to economically support LGBT institutions.
Gramick then greeted the audience members after her speech.
About ten people were from the Catholic Parents Network, a group that offers support to Catholic parents of gays and lesbians. Also attending were members of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
Even the people who arrived knowing no one, like Meghan Sullivan, a spiritual director at Chestnut Hill College, were soon schmoozing.
Sullivan was Catholic but does not define herself as such anymore because she is gay. She found Gramick's speech inspirational for those in the Catholic Church, but she did not feel that the talk addressed "those of us who can no longer be complicit in our own oppression."
Many of the CPN and PFLAG members said their children are also no longer practicing Catholics.
"My son wouldn't go near a church if you paid him," said Melina Waldo of PFLAG.
However, some find in Gramick their reason to stay in the Catholic Church.
"I try to make [Gramick's talks] whenever she's in the area," said Fran Kirschner, president of the Philadelphia chapter of PFLAG. "I'm leaving the Church every other day. She's the one who encourages me to stay."
(01/21/03 10:00am)
Gertrude Stein would have been proud.
Throngs of bohemian students and adult supporters filled the Institute of Contemporary Art last Friday night for a first glimpse of the Institute's winter exhibition and a chat with the artists who had created it.
This season's showing is a smorgasbord of painting, photography, film and mixed media that, without being directly related, merge together for a exhibit of geometric continuity.
The optical paintings of Edna Andrade from 1963 to 1986 comprise the main exhibition located on the first floor. Andrade's work focuses on geometric form and contrasting colors brought together with a draftsman's precision to create visual combinations and optical illusions.
"Form and color -- what you see is what you get," said Andrade, a 1937 Penn alumna. "There's no story that comes with that."
Amidst a contemporary movement that strives to give meaning to every brush stroke, Andrade remains bold about the nature of her work.
"If you bring anything to it, it may have some symbolic value for you, and it may have some symbolic value for me," she said. "But that's after I've done it."
With 86 years to her name, Andrade feels that, although time has passed, her work has not aged.
"I understand that young people enjoy work like this now, and it relates to issues in art that much younger people are now addressing," Andrade said.
College sophomore Stephanie Roach echoed Andrade's
sentiments.
"It still has freshness and appeal to a young audience," she said. "It's just beautiful, and I'm very impressed with it."
The second floor's main exhibit, entitled "Intricacy," is composed of computer-aided mixed media from various artists and architects, and curated by architect Greg Lynn. The whole room looks very modern, from the mother-of-pearl light fixtures dripping to the ground to the digitally-aided blobs of red polyester in the middle of the floor.
The exhibit also boasts architectural plans from cities all over the United States, CADKEY-generated drawings, a sensual video about robot construction and computer-aided painting.
Lynn said that his architectural background had a large influence on this exhibit.
"Architecture is about coming up with a way of making wholes out of elements that are unique," he said.
Yet, a sense of comfort pervades the exhibit's innovation.
"I feel like I'm among friends," said Jesse Reiser, one of the architects whose work was on display. "We've gotten very warm reviews."
The adjoining room is a photo show by Justine Kurland. Generally set against untouched American landscapes, Kurland photographs theatrically posed females -- teenage girls and nudists -- in a sexually charged atmosphere.
"The quality is really good, and there is a nice composition," Penn alumnus and architect Antoine Rotival said. "The subject matter doesn't offend me at all -- it's part of her statement."
On the mezzanine level, six small flat-screen televisions show flying, toothed objects rotating furiously. The work is called "Without Warning (Flying Vaginas Are Trying to Eat Me)" by Adam Ames, a 1991 Penn graduate.
From all these apparently disparate elements emerges a show that is both visually stimulating and thought-provoking, Lynn said.
"This is an idea show," Lynn added. "Hopefully the University community will get a lot out of it."
The exhibition, which opened Jan. 18, will run through April 6.
(01/16/03 10:00am)
When Penn and the Philadelphia Health Care Trust announced a now-dissolved $100 million grant agreement last year, the University saw the funding as an opportunity to help strengthen the once-ailing system.
But not everyone in the Philadelphia community was as pleased with the decision as Penn administrators were.
Two local organizations -- the Philadelphia Unemployment Project and the Action Alliance of Senior Citizens of Greater Philadelphia -- filed petitions last April in an attempt to stop Penn Medicine, the Health System's governing board, from receiving the grant.
Although both groups and Penn administrators have said that this resistance was not the cause of the grant's December termination, members of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project are satisfied with the dissolution.
"We feel that we called in question the whole transfer," the organization's director John Dodds said. "We feel vindicated."
According to the University's Vice President and General Counsel Wendy White, no legal outcome resulted from the groups' resistance, and it did not affect the status of the grant.
"It was all just pending," White said.
The agreement announced in March between the University and the PHCT stipulated that Penn Medicine would receive interest on the trust over a period of seven years before inheriting the remainder of the assets by 2009.
The grant was terminated last month in a "mutual" agreement, according to a memo distributed by University Board of Trustees Chairman James Riepe. The deal had not yet received the necessary approval from the Philadelphia Orphan's Court, which oversees cases to protect the rights of those unable to handle their own litigation.
The Philadelphia Unemployment Project and similar local organizations opposed the grant because they claimed that the original purpose of the PHCT was to assist with developing more low-income healthcare options.
"To give the entire resources of the trust to a wealthy institution like Penn is not appropriate," Dodds said. "We felt there was a better use of the resources to provide for the community at large."
According to Dodds, the Philadelphia Unemployment Project would rather see the money used to improve healthcare for citizens without medical insurance and to expand access to city health centers.
"We wanted the money directed toward a more specific program," Dodds said.
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