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(02/09/00 10:00am)
It would have just been another routine Wharton faculty meeting. But with the exhaustive search for a new dean coming to an end and University President Judith Rodin scheduled to make a guest appearance, anticipation was running high through the halls of the business school yesterday. And when Rodin made the long-awaited announcement that Interim Dean Patrick Harker was officially appointed the new Wharton dean, the positive reaction from the faculty was overwhelming. "It was the longest applause I've ever heard at a faculty meeting," said Erik Clemons, professor of Operations and Information Management. Paul Shaman, chair of the Statistics Department, echoed Clemons' sentiments. "The faculty were greatly pleased with this appointment," Shaman said. "There was a strong and lengthy applause." Even though news of Harker's then-upcoming appointment was kept secret after the Wharton Dean Search Committee's 14-month search, some members of the faculty sensed that a final decision was coming yesterday. "There was a lot of anticipation on the part of some people, but many people had assumed that Harker would be named dean," Shaman explained. The expectation of Harker's appointment was met with approval, if not surprise, by certain faculty members. "Earlier on [in the search], it would have been more surprising to have an internal candidate selected," Finance Professor Jeremy Siegel said. "Pat has done such an excellent job as interim dean, I'm not surprised. He became the logical choice of the committee." And Richard Shell, chair of the Legal Studies Department, also vocalized his support for the committee's decision. "I was delighted by the choice," Shell said. "[Harker] is the right kind of person to take this job at this time." Siegel said Harker seemed committed to advancing Wharton's prowess in electronic commerce and education. Indeed, Harker's strong information technology background has made him especially appealing to faculty members and students alike. "[Harker] seems to want to move aggressively into the area of distance learning," Siegel said, suggesting Web-based learning as an example. "He seems to be very responsive in wishing to incorporate that into the Wharton curriculum." Wharton junior Nikhil Da Victoria Lobo, who served as Wharton class representative freshman and sophomore year, said students seem to be very excited with the selection. "A lot of students, both undergraduates and MBAs, want the school to move forward in the department of e-commerce," Da Victoria Lobo said. "[Harker] is an expert in this field and people are very excited that he's bringing this background into the Wharton School." Clemons added that although Harker's technology background is a strong point, he has other assets to add to the job. "Pat will make sure that we're not ever out of date, but he won't forget the traditional strength of the school," explained Clemons. "Pat has been a spectacular researcher, a spectacular teacher, a spectacular administrator and he did a great job as an interim director."
(02/01/00 10:00am)
The Initiative intends to spruce up the city by focusing on growth in areas such as the quality of schools and housing. The days when University City had a family-oriented, suburban atmosphere may soon return -- at least if the West Philadelphia Initiative continues the way it has. Moving off campus has more to offer than ever before, with students and faculty alike discovering the many advantages that lie west of 39th Street. Thanks to several University initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life in the area, there are more safety ambassadors, brightly lit streets and cleaner sidewalks than ever before in University City. "The University cannot survive if it is surrounded by a decaying neighborhood," said Esaul Sanchez, director of neighborhood initiatives. "Slowly, University City is becoming the place to be 'in'." The University's West Philadelphia Initiative is a five-part program that seeks to improve on five aspects of urban living -- economic growth, business development, improved housing, a"clean and safe" environment and the quality of schools. These programs were conceived in the spirit of strengthening the community itself and also to better the relationship between the University and its surrounding neighborhood, Penn's Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said. Scheman explained that working on all five parts of the West Philadelphia Initiative is crucial to the continued improvement of University City. "As far as improving the neighborhood, we're trying to make sure we have the most attractive community possible," Scheman said. Retail projects are also sprucing up many areas of West Philadelphia, specifically the development of Hamilton Village and the 40th Street corridor. That project reflects the University's desire to encourage "high quality and diverse retail," Scheman said. Another initiative designed to boost community partnership is the new Penn-assisted public school that is scheduled for construction at 42nd and Spruce streets beginning in March. Penn has promised to give the pre-k-8 school $700,000 -- $1,000 for each of the school's projected 700 students -- annually for 10 years. The school will also draw technological and teaching support from Penn. Additionally, Penn has created a home loan and mortgage incentive program for Penn faculty and staff who purchase homes in University City. UCBrite, a Penn initiative aiming to light up area sidewalks, lit up 153 blocks in West Philadelphia before its end in 1998. Along the same line, another initiative, UCGreen, was instrumental in adding dozens of trees and flowers to the area's once-sparse streets. And the University City District, a non-profit organization that is currently funded by Penn and other West Philadelphia businesses and institutions, is also working to improve the quality of life in area for all residents. "It was in the interests of all these institutions to stabilize the surrounding community," UCD Executive Director Paul Steinke said. UCD provides the 35 yellow-jacketed safety ambassadors who patrol the street by foot and bicycle from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. They are also responsible for a public space maintenance project that cleans 130 blocks in University City. The organization opened a new headquarters last summer. Third Thursday, another program created by UCD, attracts Philadelphia residents from all over the city to West Philadelphia each month to sample the local food and culture.
(02/01/00 10:00am)
Residents want students who live off campus to take pride in their community. When Penn students decide to move off campus, civic responsibility is probably not the first thing on their minds. But according to permanent residents who share the neighborhood, it should be more of a priority. About 40 percent of Penn's undergraduates leave the sanctuary of the college houses in search of better housing each year. These students, along with many graduate students, often head west -- signing one-year leases with landlords in University City. And while off-campus housing offers a wide appeal to many students, their presence isn't always so appealing to permanent neighbors. When George Thomas, a Penn Urban Studies professor, moved onto the 3900 block of Pine Street in 1969, University faculty and staff were just beginning to vacate the area. Undergraduate students replaced them and the result, according to Thomas, was disastrous. "It became an unmanaged dorm -- smelly, noisy, unsightly and not much fun," Thomas said. "It's really a shame that students in the off-campus market think that's OK." According to Thomas, Pine Street could really be a great place for students and faculty to live together if the students treated their off-campus homes with a "sense of permanence." Further west on Pine Street lives History Professor Lynn Lees, a 25-year resident of the 4400 block. She insists that her student neighbors have made important contributions to the community -- such as patronizing local businesses and making the area safer by increasing the number of people walking in the area late at night. Overall, Lees described her interaction with the students as "positive." However, Lees shares Thomas's complaint that students don't take as much care of their houses as a longtime homeowner would. "The one difficulty with having student neighbors is they don't see themselves as residents of the block," Lees said. "They see themselves as transients." Lees suggested that students could be better neighbors if they picked up any trash outside their houses and asked their landlords to fix up their houses if they become run down. The long-time residents of Regents Square, an area southwest of Penn's campus, have a different approach for building relationships with their student neighbors. Richard Womer, a Penn associate professor of Pediatrics who has lived in Regents Square for 14 years, said that the members of his traditional family neighborhood do their best to include students in community activities, such as a May Fair and a Halloween block party. "We let [the students] know that it's a family-oriented block and they have to be a part of keeping it that way," Womer said. "Some are very participatory and others don't participate at all."
(01/31/00 10:00am)
The Daily Pennsylvanian took nearly every possible precaution to ensure that Saturday night's inaugural banquet at the University Museum didn't get out of hand. They sat the rowdy 34th Street staffers in the very back of the room behind a mummy. They had Spectaguards stationed at every entrance. They even brought in Provost Robert Barchi to sober up the crowd. But they made one mistake. The after party had an open bar. The evening began at the Museum where 250 DP staffers, families and alumni gathered to honor the outgoing editorial board and formally inaugurate the 30 members of the 116th Board of Editors and Managers. After speeches by Barchi and Penn Alum Stephen Smith, editor of U.S. News & World Report, outgoing Executive Editor Kent Malmros introduced his successor, Binyamin Appelbaum, a College junior who, uncharacteristically, spoke for just a few minutes and used the word "extraordinarily" just once. "Journalism was really the least of it for me," said Appelbaum, who served as the papers' Editorial Page Editor last year. "I've learned about commitment and dedication? and I've learned about respect." Smith, the evening's keynote speaker, talked about the future of journalism in a world increasingly controlled by the Internet. But despite the proliferation of new types of media, he insisted, journalism is far from dead. The evening was also a chance to honor excellence over the past year. Appelbaum was named editor of the year, while reporter of the year honors went to incoming Campus News Editor Catherine Lucey, a College junior. Michael Vondriska, who served as credit manager last year and is now the paper's finance manager, won the award for business manager of the year for his work in 1999. The award for sports writer of the year, meanwhile, went to College sophomore and incoming Sports Editor Will Ulrich. And the Daily Pennsylvanian Alumni Association gave its annual photography award to incoming Senior Photo Editor Jacques-Jean Tiziou, while Appelbaum won for best story. After all the awards were given out, the crowd -- minus parents and faculty members -- headed over to the Penn Tower Hotel for the post-banquet party. With his speech over and his awards in tow, Appelbaum said he had only one more goal for the evening. "My plans for the rest of the night are to hook up," he said. But he didn't. Early on, talk centered around DP Columnist and Scotsman Andrew Exum, who chose to sport the ultimate in effeminate male attire: the kilt. "The only thing beneath my kilt are my socks and my shoes," the College senior admitted freely, while attempting to keep outgoing Photo Editor Suzanna Urminska from lifting up his skirt. Embarrassed by his own behavior at last year's banquet, incoming Assignments and Features Editor Eric Tucker unsuccessfully tried to keep a low profile. "My goal this year is to be inconspicuous," the College junior promised. "I will eat my words if I get nasty on the dance floor." Within minutes, however, he was getting nasty with several female DP staffers on the dance floor. Outgoing Art Editor Tom Schmid, who has been known for banquet hook-ups, was also seen getting his groove on with a certain member of the business staff. Another superstar on the dance floor was incoming Managing Editor Ben Geldon who wowed the crowd by "shaking his bon bon" to Ricky Martin. At one point, tempers flared between Geldon and Senior Sports Editor Rick Haggerty after Geldon insisted he was 5'10". "I think Ben Geldon is a drunken idiot and [Copy Czar] Matt Mugmon can kick his ass," Haggerty lashed out. "He's not 5'10"." Geldon fired back, "I've got to go drink more." It was also an evening for rekindled romances, especially former Greek Life beat reporters. The annual Chehtan R. Mehta Award for Not Being Able to Hold One's Liquor went to incoming dailypennsylvanian.com Editor-in-Chief Nick Plagge, a who collapsed several times on his way out of the hotel. The artistic highlight of the evening was when incoming Sports Editors Jesse Spector and Will Ulrich performed their notorious "back that thing up" dance. Later, two female members of the advertising department were seen intimately embracing in the middle of the dance floor. "[She] and I kissed. Open mouth. Three times," one of the girls said. "It was a blissful experience." The "adults" of the group showed that they weren't afraid to party like rock stars. DP Operations Manager Katherine Ross displayed some diva-like moves on the dance floor, while Production Assistant Brent Kreischer exclaimed that even though he may drink a lot, he "shows up for work every Monday afternoon." And Advertising Adviser David Graham was keeping a close eye on his wife -- "if I don't," he said, "she may hook up with the deejay."
(01/28/00 10:00am)
UCNS officials vetoed an offer to fold into the new Penn-aided school. The University City New School Board of Trustees formally rejected Penn's offer to merge with the new Penn-assisted public school that is scheduled to be built on the same block at 42nd and Spruce streets. UCNS will now be forced to relocate elsewhere in West Philadelphia. Citing such reasons as the New School's goal of a low student-teacher ratio and a commitment to maintaining a diverse student body, the Board made its final decision after nearly 1 1/2 years of deliberation, as well as consultation with faculty and parents. "UCNS was assured that the new public school would be modeled on their own small, strongly diverse, progressive school model," Elizabeth Ratay, head of the New School, wrote in a press release yesterday. "As the project continued, it became clear that the public school would not resemble UCNS in any of its essential qualities." University officials did not return several calls for comment yesterday afternoon. Penn owns the block of land on 42nd and Spruce streets which is currently home to University City New School, the Penn Children's Center and the Parent-Infant Center. When the University announced in June 1998 that the new public school would be built on the same location as UCNS, it invited the small private school to merge with the new project. And although the Board was initially willing to entertain that idea, Ratay said, it soon became clear that the goals of the schools were just too different. "It just doesn't fit what we want to be," Ratay said. "It's too big. It's too traditional. That's none of what we want." UCNS has approximately 100 students and was created in 1973 by a group of Penn-affiliated parents who were not satisfied with homogenous private schools in the suburbs. However, they still felt that West Philadelphia public schools were unacceptable, New School Admissions Director Elene Kavitsky said. Since that time, Kavitsky explained, UCNS has been committed to maintaining a small and diverse student body that attracts students from Philadelphia and the surrounding region. After surveying the parents of children who attend UCNS, many long debates among Board members -- and even a day-long retreat in December with a facilitator -- the Board decided to reject the University's offer. "The University was urging us to merge," Kavitsky said. "I don't think they were happy with our decision." As for the future of UCNS, Ratay hopes that the school can relocate its students and faculty elsewhere in University City. She believes it would be beneficial if the community can choose between a public and private school, and that such competition would improve each institution. Still, Ratay indicated her regret at having to leave a building that UCNS has occupied for 23 years. "Anything that anybody does to make public education better is worth the effort," Ratay said. "Our problem has been 'Why do you have to do it to this block?'"
(01/17/00 10:00am)
A decision is close on who will attend the new Penn-assisted school. Sometime over the next two weeks, the Philadelphia School Board will draw the lines determining once and for all who will get to attend the new Penn-assisted public school -- putting to an end the hotly contested issue that has plagued area residents for about a year. Although controversy has surrounded the school since Penn introduced plans for it in June 1998, the fact that the new school will only accommodate 700 students -- meaning it cannot serve the majority of West Philadelphia children -- has led to intense debate among residents about how to determine the "catchment" area of the school, or the neighborhoods that would fall into its jurisdiction. In light of the impending announcement, residents showed up in droves to the board's Education Committee meeting last Thursday to give their opinions about the school, scheduled to open in September 2001 near the corner of 42nd and Spruce streets. School Board President Pedro Ramos led the meeting, which centered around whether the attendance at the public pre-K-8 school should be determined by a traditional catchment area or some form of lottery system. With a catchment area, all students within the proposed boundaries are guaranteed a place in the school. Under a lottery system, the composition of the school would be randomly selected from a broader region, which proponents say will ensure economic and racial diversity. Four out of the five committee members -- three of whom are on the school board and will vote on the final decision -- all expressed their favor for the catchment system over the lottery. "There is no such thing as a racially compatible lottery," School Board Chief of Staff Germaine Ingram said. Expectations are high for the school, which Penn hopes will quickly become the best public school in the city and serve as a model for neighborhood inner city schools. The University has promised to provide curricular and instructional assistance from the Graduate School of Education, and funding of $700,000 a year, or $1,000 per student. On Thursday, the committee and several dozen area residents discussed two separate school board proposals related to the school's makeup. The first, Zone 1, has boundaries extending as far north as Sansom Street, as far south as Regent Square and west to 49th Street. The second proposal, Zone 2, calls for applicants to be chosen through a random lottery. Zone 2 is much larger than Zone 1 and includes a section of West Philadelphia that Zone 1 would not encompass -- the blocks from 45th to 50th streets, stretching from Larchwood Avenue to Sansom Street. Because Ingram said there had been "resistance to the idea of a lottery," she offered a revised plan for Zone 1 that extends to 50th and Pine streets -- a move that would add 14 additional blocks to the original Zone 1. Several community members said they are worried that the school will benefit wealthy, white West Philadelphians. Melani Lamond, a real estate agent in West Philadelphia, pointed out that Ingram's amendment would simply be adding "affluent" houses to the catchment area. Many residents echoed Lamond's concerns that the school board's decision could drastically affect the value of their homes. "The property values in that area by the school are going to go up and property values in other areas of University City will go down," said Karin Bivins, educational chair for the Philadelphia Branch of the NAACP. Despite these objections, many residents feel that the community will benefit no matter where the lines are drawn and hope the process proceeds as scheduled. "I am tired of everybody saying that this is an elite school to serve a small bunch of people," Spruce Hill resident Prentice Cole said, pointing out that five of the six regions in University City would be represented in the new school. "Look at the map. It is not." Tim Johnson, a homeowner who has two children, ages six and eight, already knows his kids cannot attend the school because they live on 47th Street and Kingsessing Avenue, south of the proposed border. But Johnson is still concerned. "I don't care if I'm included in the area, I just don't want my neighborhood to be divided in half," he said.
(01/26/99 10:00am)
Art Casciato came to Penn with a wide variety of job experiences. Five months after Art Casciato moved into the 11th floor of Harrison College House as its first house dean, the 49-year-old former bartender is making strides in transforming one of the most notoriously anti-social dormitories on campus into a thriving community. With 24 floors, 840 students and a painstaking reputation for impersonality, making such a change in the building once known as High Rise South might seem like a daunting task. But the native Philadelphian has held many "service-related" jobs that have prepared him for the challenge. In fact, students in the house say the former bartender, teacher, apartment manager and salesperson goes beyond the call of duty as house dean, making it his priority not only to learn the names of as many residents as possible but to ensure that Harrison becomes more than just a dormitory for its students. "As far as I'm concerned, the guy walks on water," said College senior Thomas Boulay, a residential advisor in the building. "[Casciato] always goes the next step. He's actually taken RA duty sometimes when someone's been sick." Casciato, his wife Valerie Ross -- the former house manager -- and their 2-year-old son, Domenic, can be seen just about every day in the Harrison Cafe or at the many house functions that he has helped to organize. One of his biggest successes was the Christmas party that benefited the Philadelphia Association of Foster Children. Harrison residents raised $7,000 to buy presents for 265 children on a Saturday night in December. "Community service will go further in creating [house] community than anything else we could do," Casciato said. "The main thing was that people felt like they belonged to something bigger than themselves." Other events have included a Halloween Swing Night and a play at Belmont Avenue Social Club at Second and South streets. In addition, his daily duties as a house dean range from working out roommate disputes to working on getting an ATM machine for the front lobby. Casciato seems to possess an impeccable memory, greeting many house residents by name. He insists that there's nothing to it. "When I was a bartender, if I could know your face, name and drink, you could probably tip me better," Casciato joked. "One way I can make this environment more friendly is to greet people." And along the road to Penn, Casciato certainly had no shortage of practice adjusting to new people. He taught English at Northeastern University in Boston and then at the University of Miami for 10 years. In 1995, Casciato and Ross left their teaching posts in Florida for Seattle, where he applied for the assistant manager's position of a high-rise condominium. Although the job seemed an unlikely path for a Ph.D. to take, he emphasized its value in preparing him to work with students. "I started applying to hotels and condos. People were suspicious because I had a Ph.D. and they were like, 'What's up with that?'" Casciato explained. "But I think I learned a lot from that experience that's prepared me for this experience." After three years, Casciato moved back to his hometown. While working as a salesperson, his lifelong friend and Penn English Professor Al Filreis told him that Penn was looking for house deans in their new college house system. Casciato interviewed at all three high rises and Kings Court/English College House and in July began his administrative duties in Harrison House. He said that when he assumed the post, he felt his "big personality" could make the high rises a somewhat smaller place.
(01/21/99 10:00am)
Sherman Labovitz, standing at 5'7" tall with silky gray hair and a warm smile, hardly looks like he could ever be considered a threat to the United States government. But on a hot July night in 1953, the FBI waited outside his house in Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion section and arrested Labovitz for just that crime. A group of 25 students, faculty members and area residents gathered Tuesday night at the Kelly Writers House to hear Labovitz speak about his experiences as a Communist leader and discuss his book, Being Red in Philadelphia: A Memoir of the McCarthy Era. During the speech, Labovitz attempted to convey the "pervasive fear" society exhibited during the Red Scare and the government's abuses of the First Amendment throughout the period. Labovitz defined the Red Scare as spanning from 1946 until the early 1960s, a time under the influence of Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy, "that erstwhile devil from Wisconsin." During that period, Labovitz was openly Communist and served as the business and circulation manager for The Daily Worker, a Communist newspaper. "Thousands of people were affected," Labovitz remembered. "People were afraid to express their political and ideological views to others. People wouldn't talk to their neighbors for fear they might find their name in a headline somewhere." Congress passed the Smith Act to make it illegal to "teach or advocate" the overthrow of the U.S. government or to be a member of any party that did. It was under this act that Labovitz and eight other Communist leaders were arrested and imprisoned. Some of the crimes listed in Labovitz's 29-count indictment included attendance at a Communist meeting and involvement with The Daily Worker. Labovitz explained that he felt it was unjust to arrest him for non-violent activities. "You could say I was arrested for selling newspapers," he joked. The nine Communist leaders found difficulty finding an attorney, as even the American Civil Liberties Union refused to represent them. Eventually, Thomas McBride -- then a Philadelphia lawyer and later a State Supreme Court Justice -- insisted on heading their defense team. Labovitz attributes McBride's decision to the "Philadelphia lawyer tradition of [defending] the right to free speech." Although Labovitz was initially convicted, an appellate court later dismissed the case. He spent two months in jail from the time he was arrested until bail was posted. The U.S. Senate eventually censured McCarthy for his conduct and the anti-Communist frenzy passed. "This was a horrendous period of attack upon constitutional rights and particularly the First Amendment," Labovitz said. "It's important to see the resilience of the first amendment and the need to fight for it." The audience reacted with confusion and amazement to Labovitz's depiction of the McCarthy era. "I don't think I could grasp the cloud which [America] was under," College sophomore Greg Steirer said. "I can't imagine being that afraid." Paddy O'Flynn, a visiting Chemical Engineering professor from University College Dublin, added that "the times I've been in America, it's struck me as odd that socialism or liberalism is a term of political abuse." Labovitz's presentation was part of the Alumni Writers Series sponsored by the Kelly Writers House.
