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(09/11/95 9:00am)
Michael Allen graduated 'cum laude' from the College The University community has lost another member, with a second student suicide coming to light late last week. Michael Allen, who graduated cum laude from the University in May, killed himself last month, Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel has confirmed. Post-Baccalaureate student Robert Tan committed suicide in his hometown of Hershey, Pa. on September 1. Tan had been diagnosed as manic depressive. It is not clear whether Allen had similar psychological difficulties that may have prompted the suicide. Allen was an English major who hailed from Miami. His father was also a University alumnus. English Professor Robert Lucid, who taught Allen last spring, called Allen a "really fine person" who struggled even then. "It was clear that his life was difficult for him then," Lucid said last night. "But none of us realized how much he was struggling." Allen lived in Stouffer College House for more than a year during his time at the University, said Stouffer Senior Faculty Resident Karl Otto. His death shocked the small community of students living there this year. Stouffer has space for about 130 residents, according to Otto, who is also the undergraduate chairperson of the German department. This year, about 20 of them are returnees, and all had known Allen because of the Stouffer community's small size. Many current Stouffer residents, still dealing with their own grief, shrugged off questions about Allen with a softly spoken "No comment." But those who were willing to talk about Allen last night during a House barbeque remembered him fondly. College junior Salli Brown said Allen was an inquisitive, intelligent person who was "fun to talk to." He was also very caring, concerned with other people and their well-being, she said. College senior Shane Brant characterized Allen as a sweet person, filled with life and vitality. "It comes as a terrible shock to hear this news," he said. House residents had been told about Allen's death at a meeting called late last week by administrators. Otto, who described Allen as an all-around "super individual," said plans for a memorial at Stouffer are in the works, but have not yet been finalized. The University offers a number of resources to students who may be depressed or considering suicide, including the student-run Reach-A-Peer Helpline (573-2RAP), support groups facilitated by the University Counseling Service and psychotherapy through Student Health. When students or former students commit suicide, the University conducts various intervention programs for anyone with connections to the victim -- whether through residences, academic departments or extracurricular activities. It is difficult to pinpoint what can lead to suicide, according to the University Counseling Service. Loss, pressure and depression may combine to create a sense of helplessness or hopelessness, causing students to believe that killing themselves represents the only way out of a difficult situation. Daily Pennsylvanian reporters Amy Lipman and Randi Feigenbaum contributed to this article.
(09/08/95 9:00am)
The University's Institute of Contemporary Art, which has been a flashpoint for controversy over the past year, received a significant federal grant last month. The Institute of Museum Services awarded $112,500 to the ICA after a peer review by a panel of industry professionals. The money will be used for "general operating support," according to Wendy Steinberg, an ICA spokesperson. "Operating support is continually cited as the most difficult type of funding for museums to raise," Steinberg said. The ICA was one of only 275 museums nationwide to receive an award, although more than 1,070 institutions had applied for funding. In a statement, ICA Director Patrick Murphy said this year's award was especially significant because it came just after the National Council on the Arts overturned a recommendation that the ICA receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In its review, the panel of industry professionals who evaluated the ICA noted that it "has an exemplary record in exhibitions, with its projects having national as well as regional impact." The ICA also was commended for bringing "attention to young and emerging artists," and was applauded for its professionalism, innovativeness and success. The ICA has also sponsored Philadelphia's city-wide Day Without Art, an annual event designed to remind the public of the toll that AIDS has taken within the creative community. Last year, the ICA was criticized by many for showing Andres Serrano's Piss Christ photograph, which depicts a crucifix submerged in urine. The ICA has received IMS grants in every year in which it has been eligible since 1991. Its fall exhibition season opens this year with "PerForms," a combination of sculpture, photography and gallery installations.
(09/06/95 9:00am)
The Civic Center closed for good this summer, but the University and the city of Philadelphia do not appear any closer to an agreement on what will happen to the hulking white halls that comprise the complex. The city and the University are still talking about the future of the Civic Center site, though -- and some say that alone represents progress. "It's been real low-key and real informal," said Gordon Williams, senior vice president for academic and clinical affairs of the University's Health System. "The University's interested, the Medical Center's interested, but so far we haven't gotten any further with any substantive discussions." City officials refused to comment on the status of the Civic Center deal, which has been in limbo for years. "We have steadily 'no commented' this whole negotiation," said Kevin Feeley, Mayor Ed Rendell's press secretary. Located on 33rd Street next to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the Civic Center includes five buildings that have seen their share of historic events -- including concerts, political conventions and countless college graduations. If the University purchases the Civic Center site, it would demolish the five buildings that currently make up the complex, probably to expand HUP's ambulatory care facilities. Feeley said that although the complex is officially closed, the Convention Hall section can still be rented on a "pay-as-you-go" basis for various events. A small staff is assigned to the complex, he said. A year ago, Civic Center acquisition talks between the University and the city stalled because the two sides could not come to a consensus on a price for the site. Price is still a major point of contention, University Executive Vice President John Fry said yesterday, despite the University's "continuing interest" in the site. The total price tag for the deal would depend on whether the city or the University pays to raze the existing buildings, Fry said. "There is not a plan or a cost at which the city and the University can agree, and there's nothing contentious about it," said Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community and public affairs. But, she said, the property is still valuable to the University, whether as an eventual addition to HUP or campus recreation center, potentially housing a swimming pool or skating rink. Interest in the Civic Center site has remained high because of its proximity to campus. "If you look at the campus and you look at our opportunities to expand, east is the most attractive way to expand," Fry said. According to Williams, the University's vision for the Civic Center site has been shaped by the shifting economics of health care in the United States. To be successful, he added, the University's Health System needs to "take health care to the patients," not simply have a presence in West Philadelphia. Last spring, Health System executives announced a merger with Presbyterian Medical Center, located at 38th and Market streets. The union is an effort to expand the services offered by both facilities. Both Fry and Scheman said the merger does not solve the space-availability problems at HUP that could be alleviated by purchasing the Civic Center.
(09/06/95 9:00am)
Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell now has an Internet presence, thanks to Wharton and Engineering junior Eugene Huang. Huang designed Rendell's World Wide Web homepage, which was unveiled yesterday so that the public can interact more easily with Rendell's re-election campaign. Huang, a member of the campaign's issues staff, worked on the page this summer. He said Rendell was solidly behind the campaign's effort to go on-line. Campaign Coordinator Patricia Pisauro said creating a homepage for the mayor had been under discussion since early 1994. Campaign staffers spent more than a year determining how they wanted the page to look. "The goal [of the homepage] is to get the accomplishments of the administration to as many people as possible," she said. "It's to reach a broader audience than normal." Visitors to the homepage can send information about themselves to the campaign electronically -- registering to volunteer their time, requesting campaign information and even registering complaints. The homepage also includes a "news stand" area with an archive of press releases and media advisories, background information on the mayor, a gallery of digitized photographs and a detailed listing of the mayor's accomplishments during his first term. Key election-year dates are already posted on the homepage, and information about debates between Rendell and Republican mayoral candidate Joe Rocks will be posted as it becomes available. Rendell's homepage resides on LibertyNet, Philadelphia's community-based computer network. Readers can access it by pointing Web-browsing software such as Netscape or Mosaic at http://www.libertynet.org/~rendel95. The campaign can also be reached electronically at rendel95@libertynet.org.
(09/01/95 9:00am)
By mail ballot this summer, Faculty Senate members approved new policies on consensual sex between students and professors and on just cause for sanctions against faculty members. The policies have been recommended to University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow, who have not yet acted on them. The first new proposed policy would bar all consensual sexual relations between professors and their students, and would strongly discourage all relations between a student and a faculty member -- even when the student is not in the professor's class. The policy was developed in the wake of a number of cases at the University, including former student Lisa Topol's filing of sexual harassment charges last year against former Assistant English Professor Malcolm Woodfield, with whom she had a three-month affair. And last year, Economics Professor David Cass alleged that he had been denied the graduate group chairmanship in his department because of his on-going relationship with Claudia Stachel, a former Economics doctoral student. The just cause policy governs the way in which the University must proceed when deciding whether to fire or demote a professor. The new just cause policy, which took years to formulate, would give a faculty member or the University president the right to appeal a sanction issued by the Senate Executive Committee if either party objected to the way SEC reached its decision. It would also allow the president to reduceE-- but not increase -- the severity of any disciplinary action SEC takes. Emeritus Finance Professor Morris Mendelson, who began working on the new just cause policy in the fall of 1991, said he is "delighted" that both new policies were approved by his peers. "It takes [punishment] out of the hands of the schools, and puts it in the hands of the university, and that is a major improvement," he said. Mendelson added that when disciplinary action was kept within a school, it tended to be "prejudiced for or prejudiced against the respondent." Law Professor Stephen Burbank, who chaired the subcommittee that developed the new consensual sex policy, said he expects faculty members to approve it. "I've always regarded this as a clarification of existing University policy, and one that is designed in part to protect their interests," he said. Although some faculty members voiced objections to both new sets of rules when they were under discussion last spring, Chodorow said he is in favor of them. "I think that the professional relationship between a faculty member and a student under his or her supervision requires great care in managing, and that excludes certain other kinds of relationships," he said. The vote on the sexual relations policy was 401 to 267, while the vote on the just cause policy was 419 to 79, according to Almanac. Voting closed on June 30; all 2,049 members of the standing faculty received ballots.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Fox Chapel High School '93 Pittsburgh, Pa. The release of the Coopers & Lybrand administrative restructuring report -- and the subsequent appointment of a Coopers partner as the University's executive vice president -- have resulted in a new fiscal attitude on campus. The goal of the administrative restructuring project, initiated by University President Judith Rodin last fall, is to demonstrate ways in which the University can reallocate and more efficiently use its increasingly scarce resources. "The primary purpose of restructuring is to help us do a better job supporting and enhancing the primary missions of the University: teaching, research and service," Rodin wrote in a letter to University faculty and staff that accompanied the report, which was released in January. Former Interim Executive Vice President Jack Freeman said the University could realize savings of $25 million per year over the next five years through changes in the way the institution does business and 20 percent cuts in administrative costs. Although staff reductions will be accomplished through attrition and intra-University transfers whenever possible, Freeman admitted that layoffs will also occur. "The whole idea of reengineering is to cut out work that is not productive -- to eliminate wasted steps that do not add value to the end product," Freeman said at the time. The cost-savings figures -- and the lack of any concrete restructuring directives explaining exactly how streamlining will affect various departments -- have caused concern, uncertainty and anxiety among employees, who fear that recommendations made by Coopers may eliminate their jobs. Rodin selected current Executive Vice President John Fry, who directed the Coopers team that wrote the University's administrative restructuring report, in March. At the time, Fry said he thought managing the process of change would be the most challenging part of his job. However, he insisted that he would be guided by the goal of improving the quality of life for students, faculty and staff at the University -- delivering the best services for the least cost. Administrative restructuring will be implemented in stages University-wide over the next two to three years. It will refine, but not replace, responsibility-center management, which aims to make individual schools and budgetary centers financially accountable for their programs.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Fox Chapel High School '93 Pittsburgh, Pa. Although her on-campus responsibilities kept University President Judith Rodin's appointment book full during her inaugural year, Rodin was also hard at work off campus, traveling frequently to keep the University's coffers full. At least once a month, Rodin met with elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington to discuss the University's funding for the 1996 fiscal year -- a hot issue in the months following last November's sweeping Republican electoral victories. Like most research institutions, the University receives reimbursement from the federal government for the indirect costs of basic research, including the construction of laboratory facilities and the payment of support staff. However, during the debate over President Clinton's proposed budget, the Republican congressional leadership made clear its belief that the costs of higher education in the United States are spiraling out of control. As a result, budget cuts are expected to be directed toward both indirect cost payments and federal financial aid, especially for graduate students. In April, Rodin traveled to Harrisburg to testify before the State Senate Appropriations Committee. She hoped to secure $50 million for the University for the upcoming academic year, up from about $35 million this year. The increase was requested to stabilize tuition at the Veterinary School, which is the only one of its kind in the state, and to guarantee financial aid availability for state residents, according to Carol Scheman, the University's vice president for government, community and public affairs. However, state representatives pushed Rodin to reveal her $350,000 salary during her testimony, and questioned the merits of providing an institution as rich as the University with 40 percent more state aid than it has received in the past. Rodin said she was pleased with the answers she offered lawmakers during the hour-long hearing, adding that she expected their "tough and probing" questions and felt they did not treat her more harshly than they did representatives of other Pennsylvania schools. During January and February, Rodin participated in the deliberations of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge's Keystone Commission, a coalition of civic leaders culled from across the state to advise Ridge on issues of policy reform. Rodin also served on President Clinton's White House safety panel, which recently recommended turning the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House into a pedestrian thoroughfare similar to the University's Locust Walk. Scheman and Rodin's new chief of staff, Stephen Schutt, were both Washington insiders before coming to the University. Scheman was deputy commissioner for external affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, while Schutt served as chief of staff for former Sen. Harris Wofford (D - Pa.). Apart from political travels, this year Rodin attended fundraising functions in California, New York, Florida and Texas. She characterized her off-campus jaunts as necessary for the University, and said she tries to be away from campus no more than 20 percent of an average semester. "In a sense, my schedule reflects the University's priorities," Rodin said.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Fox Chapel High School '93 Pittsburgh, Pa. University alumnus and Trustee Ronald Perelman has pledged $20 million to a student center that will bear his name, University President Judith Rodin announced in April. Perelman's donation is the largest single gift earmarked for campus life in the University's history, doubling his 1988 pledge of $10 million for the Revlon Center student union project. "Judith Rodin's commitment to the quality of student life is a major element of her vision for Penn in the 21st century, and I am proud to be part of that effort," added Perelman, who is chairperson and chief executive officer of New York's MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings, Inc. The new complex, dubbed the Perelman Quadrangle, replaces the Revlon Center project -- first proposed by former University President Sheldon Hackney -- which would have erected a student center at 36th and Walnut streets. Perelman Quad will link Logan, Williams and Houston Halls with Irvine Auditorium, restoring the amount of space available for student activities to 85,827 square feet -- nearly the level included in original Revlon Center plans. Project plans call for the creation of meeting rooms, lounges, music listening and practice rooms, indoor shops and cafZs in all of the buildings, along with an art gallery and recital hall on Logan's ground floor. Irvine Auditorium will house a "flexible proscenium stage," able to accommodate audiences of 500 to 1,400, according to Provost Stanley Chodorow. A two-story glass atrium intended for 24-hour reading and quiet study will be built between Logan and Williams halls. The atrium is designed to flood the area with light and thereby increase safety, Chodorow added. Houston Hall, the nation's first student union, will be restored to its former grandeur, and a parking lot located next to Irvine Auditorium will become a park similar to College Green. Administrators hope the creation of this "great urban space" will draw students and faculty back to the center of campus, Rodin said, since it will be both modern in its amenities and historic in its ambience. The cost of the Perelman Quad project is currently estimated at $69 million, much more than the $40 million price tag former Interim President Claire Fagin gave for the scaled-down Revlon Center in the spring of 1993. But Rodin explained that $9 million in deferred maintenance funding has already been allocated and used for the repair of Logan Hall's exterior. She added that class reunion gifts are expected to contribute another $2.5 million to the building of Perelman Quad, placing the amount of funding yet to be secured at slightly below $40 million. Plans for Perelman Quad were drawn up by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, a Philadelphia architectural firm that handled the restoration of the Furness Building and developed a concept plan for Dartmouth College, detailing what that school will look like in 15 years. Rodin said she expects construction of Perelman Quad -- which should take about three years to complete -- to begin before the end of this calendar year.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Fox Chapel High School '93 Pittsburgh, Pa. The University General Counsel's Office is spending the summer codifying a new Student Judicial Charter, developed to change the way justice is served on campus. The revised Charter -- characterized by its high degree of student involvement -- was written by a student committee during the past year in the wake of the 1993 "water buffalo" case. In late 1992, then-freshman Eden Jacobowitz was accused of racial harassment after he called five black sorority sisters making noise outside of his window "water buffalo." The women eventually dropped their racial harassment case against Jacobowitz, but the incident highlighted what many perceived as flaws in the existing judicial code. First released to the University community for comment in January, the new Charter created a mediation center and standing Student Judicial Council to resolve cases. In February, University Council -- a body of students, faculty and staff that convenes once a month to advise and update the president and provost -- remanded the newly proposed, less legalistic charter to the Committee for Judicial Reform. Council criticized the charter as lacking in due process, since it did not include an explicit presumption of innocence and would not have allowed students' advisers to speak on their behalf at a hearing. But Provost Stanley Chodorow said the charter is not intended to create a court of law or an adversarial situation for student complainants and respondents. He believes the less-confrontational system now under consideration will be able to determine the truth of accusations of misconduct. However, despite Chodorow's assurances, a student group known as the First Amendment Task Force said it will release an alternate Judicial Charter in the fall. The group plans to incorporate provisions that would permit student defendants to call and cross-examine witnesses during judicial proceedings and to request that their hearings be open to the public. During the February Council meeting, University President Judith Rodin complained that the charter was still too vague for Council to offer a valid opinion on its implementation, and asked members of the Student Judicial Reform Committee to bring a "simple, straightforward, much more well-articulated document" back to Council for further discussion. That discussion is expected to occur early this fall. However, as a result of these delays the charter will not be implemented by September 1 -- the date committee members had targeted so that members of the Class of 1999 would begin their University careers under the new system. Consensus was reached on many issues this spring, including who may serve as advisers -- now any member of the University community -- and whether complainants may participate in hearings. A lingering disagreement between Chodorow and Student Judicial Reform Committee members centers on whether the hearing board's finding would be a final decision or a recommendation to Chodorow. Before the charter can begin impacting students facing judicial action, Chodorow, Student Judicial Reform Committee members and the deans of the University's schools must approve the draft prepared by the General Counsel's office.
(05/19/95 9:00am)
When the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education releases its report for faculty review this summer, the nebulous concept of creating a 21st century undergraduate experience on campus will begin crystallizing into a set of pilot programs and student-faculty committees. Provost Stanley Chodorow said last week that PCUE's deliberations during this semester took a dual approach, focusing on the characteristics and context of a "Penn education." The group examined a wide range of the activities available to undergraduates, including service learning, access to graduate and professional schools for independent study and research, and participation in international programs such as study abroad or other "out-of-culture" experiences. PCUE members also evaluated the undergraduate advising system, opportunities for improving the use of new technology and the future of on- and off-campus residential communities. Their suggestions focus on creating coherence among disparate parts of the undergraduate experience -- for example, service learning by working on an oral history project in one of Philadelphia's ethnic communities and maintaining fluency in a foreign language through interaction with these native speakers. Chodorow also said PCUE wants students to feel comfortable with emerging electronic technologies, since students "will play a direct role in helping us to determine how to use them." University President Judith Rodin said projects on the drawing board in this area include an improved electronic information system that would enable students to register and get their grades more easily. Chodorow also said he would like to draft an admissions application to be posted and submitted by prospective students via the World Wide Web. Also included in the PCUE recommendations is a proposal for "virtual colleges" -- four-year communities composed of 200–500 students drawn from both dormitories and off-campus locations, Chodorow said. He added that this proposal -- based roughly on a plan drafted by the Residential Faculty Council in February -- is intended to "provide students with a University community of a human scale," with opportunities for leadership, social activities and academic assistance, if needed. Rodin said she is pleased with PCUE's work, adding that the group has generated broad and interesting recommendations that will be offered to the full University community for comment and input in the fall. She also said she has been struck by how much undergraduates love the University -- that they approach her on Locust Walk to tell her how excited they are to be on campus, she said. Change resulting from PCUE's work must be structured so that it "amplifies and increases the positive parts of the experience," Rodin added. "I don't think Penn has changed very much from the time I was an undergraduate," she said. "[It is] a place that offers a diverse array of opportunities. For a student who's willing to work hard to negotiate Penn, it is extraordinary in its richness -- what we want to [do] is to make it a lot easier to negotiate the system." The Council of Undergraduate Deans, acting through student-faculty committees, will manage the process of implementing pilot programs derived from PCUE suggestions during the upcoming semester, Chodorow said. He added that PCUE was able to accomplish its goal of generating a report after just one semester of work because of the "efficient and effective" work of Kim Morrisson and Robert Lucid, co-directors of the 21st Century Project on the Undergraduate Experience. Chodorow also praised the group's "unruly" and forthright discussion -- which he said often included criticism directed at him -- as well as the reports generated by committees charged with studying the state of undergraduate education at the University in previous years.
(05/19/95 9:00am)
The Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility has concluded that administrators acted improperly last fall when they questioned Economics Professor David Cass about any past sexual relationships with graduate students in evaluating his fitness to serve as acting Economics graduate chairperson. In August 1994, despite support from Economics Department Chairperson Andrew Postlewaite, Cass was denied the position of acting economics graduate chairperson because of his ongoing relationship with Claudia Stachel, a former Economics graduate student. Stachel and Cass discussed the University's sexual harassment policy when they began dating in 1989, but decided that because their relationship was consensual and Stachel was not in Cass's class, the guidelines did not apply to them. Stachel received her doctorate from the University in August 1994, just weeks before Cass's proposed appointment was rejected. According to Cass, Vice Provost for Graduate Education Janice Madden was the first to raise concerns about his proposed appointment, when she told him about rumors that he "had a pattern of dating graduate students." Madden said last fall she felt Cass's appointment as graduate chairperson would have perpetuated hostility toward women in the Economics department, and that his relationship with Stachel -- and his views on the University's sexual harassment policy -- would have made it difficult for her and other administrators to work with him. In its report, dated May 3, the Senate Committee characterizes administrators' prying into Cass's personal life as "unwise and objectionable." However, the report recommends no sanctions because the Committee did not find evidence that Cass's academic freedom had been abridged. Cass characterized the report as "too subservient to the administration" because it does not offer any suggestions that would prevent what has happened to him from recurring. University Provost Stanley Chodorow said while he was "pleased" that the Committee found the administration acted within the bounds of its authority and responsibility, he was "not happy" with its conclusion that questions about Cass's past behavior were inappropriate. "In my view, the Committee's conclusion on that point rests on a misunderstanding of the events," he said. "We are talking about the administration's right to decide who should hold an administrative position." The Committee's report was to be published in this week's Almanac, but outgoing Committee Chairperson and Political Science Professor Jack Nagel said Madden and Chodorow asked him to delay publication so that they could meet with the Committee to discuss the group's findings. "The report is a final report, and we're just delaying publication as a courtesy," Nagel said last week. "It's not that we're contemplating changing it or rescinding it." However, he added that the Committee would consider adding "an addendum or a footnote" to the report as a result of conversations with administrators because of Almanac's "right-of-reply" rule. Cass said last week he will spend the 1995-96 academic year at the European Economic Community–funded European University Institute in Florence, Italy, working on research with graduate students. He added that he had hoped the events of last fall would have been resolved by now, but believes administrators are trying to deliberately postpone publication of the report to again avoid dealing with his demands of University President Judith Rodin. Reiterated in a May 8 letter from Cass to the University's Board of Trustees, these demands are: reprimanding all administrators involved in the denial of Cass's proposed appointment, including Chodorow and Madden; removing Madden from her post as Vice Provost for Graduate Education; and apologizing and compensating Cass and Stachel for damage to their "personal and professional" reputations. "I consider the PC climate here to be incredible," Cass said. "When I come into Penn now, unlike in previous years, my stomach turns. At this point, I have absolutely no intention of ever coming back to the University to teach or do research."
(05/03/95 9:00am)
Serious efforts to select a permanent Vice Provost for University Life will begin this week when a faculty-student search committee appointed to screen prospective candidates has its first meeting. Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, who has served as acting VPUL for the past 18 months, said last week that she is a candidate for the permanent position. Characterizing her term to date as "the most invigorating [experience] of my entire professional life," McCoullum said that as VPUL, she has enjoyed working with diverse constituencies and that she would like to continue contributing to campus life. But last March, when then-interim Provost Martin Lazerson extended McCoullum's tenure as VPUL for the 1994-95 academic year, she told The Daily Pennsylvanian that her term would "definitely end on June 30, 1995." McCoullum was unavailable for comment regarding her decision to seek the VPUL position on a permanent basis. Associate VPUL Larry Moneta refused to comment when asked whether he is seeking the position of permanent VPUL. According to Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons, Mathematics Professor Dennis DeTurck, Religious Studies Professor Ann Matter, Microbiology Professor Helen Davies and Operations and Information Management Professor James Laing will serve on the VPUL Search Committee. Medical student Erick Santos and Engineering doctoral student Charles Roe will also participate in the committee's deliberations, and Koons said she expects to receive the names of undergraduates who will serve on the committee from Nominations and Elections Committee Chairperson Rick Gresh, a College senior, this week. Provost Stanley Chodorow said he decided to search internally for a permanent VPUL because of his desire to have "someone in the job who knows Penn well and who is known." He added that he does not want an outsider to make the changes in the Division of University Life that have been recommended by the Coopers & Lybrand report on administrative restructuring and will be recommended in the forthcoming report of the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education. "I want change to be natural -- an outgrowth of how we have provided student services and of how Penn as a whole does what it does," he said. Implementation of these recommendations is expected to alter the organization of the Division of University Life and the way it delivers services to students over the next few years. But Chodorow said it is impossible to speculate on precisely how the responsibilities of the VPUL will change. "[PCUE] is setting up a process for the development of some aspects of the existing experience and of some new things," he said. "The University Life division and the job of the VPUL will help shape and be shaped by those new and expanded elements of the experience." Chodorow said the goal of reorganizing the Division of University Life is to better integrate student services into the academic programs available on campus -- thereby improving all programs. A timetable for the search process has not yet been set, and Chodorow said the pace of the search committee's progress depends on how long it takes to review candidates' files and interview them.
(05/03/95 9:00am)
Terms are confidential A settlement was reached last week in three sexual harassment suits filed by a former University student who was romantically involved with one of her professors. The student, Lisa Topol, accused former Assistant English Professor Malcolm Woodfield of harassment after their three-month affair ended in the spring of 1993. Terms of the settlement are confidential, according to University General Counsel Shelley Green. "The parties have agreed to resolve their differences," Green said. "This ends the process -- all of the litigation." Topol's attorney, Alice Ballard, confirmed that no further action is expected on any of her client's complaints. In March 1994, Topol filed suit against the University, charging that administrators had failed to resolve her harassment complaint in a timely manner. Proceedings in that case were expected to begin in federal district court last month. Topol also had suits pending against Woodfield in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court and against Bates College in Maine, where Woodfield taught for two years before coming to the University. She contended that Bates withheld information about Woodfield's conduct there -- including allegations of sexual harassment leveled by students there. Woodfield resigned in April 1994, after admitting that he had had sex with Topol while she was a student in his class, making their relationship in violation of the University's sexual harassment policy. In March of this year, U.S. District Court Judge Anita Brody ruled during the pre-trial discovery period that Topol would have to turn over as evidence the diary she kept during her involvement with Woodfield. The University believed the contents of Topol's diary would discredit her claims of harassment and prove that her relationship with Woodfield had been consensual. During the spring of 1993, Topol had shared some of the diary with then-Ombudsman Daniel Perlmutter and Assistant Ombudsman Gulbun O'Connor. Ballard contested the University's motion to gain access to the diary, claiming that since Topol had been advised to record her thoughts by Penn Women's Center personnel, the patient-psychotherapist privilege protected any information the book contained. But Ballard said earlier this week that the University did not get to view the diary after all. The Woodfield-Topol case, with its conflicting allegations of illicit sex and abuse of power, has become somewhat of a cause cZlebrZ in the media. It spawned a lengthy feature in Philadelphia magazine last fall and was one of the focal stories in a Time magazine piece about student-professor relationships last month. Additionally, as a result of fallout from the case, the University's Faculty Senate recently approved a draft policy forbidding all sexual relationships between students and faculty members.
(05/03/95 9:00am)
Serious efforts to select a permanent Vice Provost for University Life will begin this week when a faculty-student search committee appointed to screen prospective candidates has its first meeting. Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, who has served as acting VPUL for the past 18 months, said last week that she is a candidate for the permanent position. Characterizing her term to date as "the most invigorating [experience] of my entire professional life," McCoullum said that as VPUL, she has enjoyed working with diverse constituencies and that she would like to continue contributing to campus life. But last March, when then-interim Provost Martin Lazerson extended McCoullum's tenure as VPUL for the 1994-95 academic year, she told The Daily Pennsylvanian that her term would "definitely end on June 30, 1995." McCoullum was unavailable for comment regarding her decision to seek the VPUL position on a permanent basis. Associate VPUL Larry Moneta refused to comment when asked whether he is seeking the position of permanent VPUL. According to Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons, Mathematics Professor Dennis DeTurck, Religious Studies Professor Ann Matter, Microbiology Professor Helen Davies and Operations and Information Management Professor James Laing will serve on the VPUL Search Committee. Medical student Erick Santos and Engineering doctoral student Charles Roe will also participate in the committee's deliberations, and Koons said she expects to receive the names of undergraduates who will serve on the committee from Nominations and Elections Committee Chairperson Rick Gresh, a College senior, this week. Provost Stanley Chodorow said he decided to search internally for a permanent VPUL because of his desire to have "someone in the job who knows Penn well and who is known." He added that he does not want an outsider to make the changes in the Division of University Life that have been recommended by the Coopers & Lybrand report on administrative restructuring and will be recommended in the forthcoming report of the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education. "I want change to be natural -- an outgrowth of how we have provided student services and of how Penn as a whole does what it does," he said. Implementation of these recommendations is expected to alter the organization of the Division of University Life and the way it delivers services to students over the next few years. But Chodorow said it is impossible to speculate on precisely how the responsibilities of the VPUL will change. "[PCUE] is setting up a process for the development of some aspects of the existing experience and of some new things," he said. "The University Life division and the job of the VPUL will help shape and be shaped by those new and expanded elements of the experience." Chodorow said the goal of reorganizing the Division of University Life is to better integrate student services into the academic programs available on campus -- thereby improving all programs. A timetable for the search process has not yet been set, and Chodorow said the pace of the search committee's progress depends on how long it takes to review candidates' files and interview them.
(04/28/95 9:00am)
The Executive Committee of the University's Board of Trustees basked in the glow of the University's accomplishments at its Stated Meeting yesterday. The Trustees also approved resolutions that will hopefully provide for an equally bright future. In her opening remarks, University President Judith Rodin announced that Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos was recently inducted into the Fortune Business Hall of Fame and received the National Academy of Sciences Chemistry in Service to Society Award. Rodin also updated the Committee on her trips to Harrisburg and Washington this semester and on University alumnus and Trustee Ronald Perelman's $20 million gift for the student center that will bear his name. Additionally, Rodin said she continues to be impressed by the "dedication and support" demonstrated by University alumni she has encountered during her "heady and exhausting" development trips this semester. In his report, Provost Stanley Chodorow reviewed the multitude of awards and honors University faculty members have received in recent weeks, including five Guggenheim Fellowships, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and, for Rodin, installation in the American Philosophical Society. Chodorow also told the Committee he has selected Michael Wachter, a professor of law and economics, as deputy provost. Wachter will assume the position July 1, and will focus much of his attention on academic planning. Medical School Dean William Kelley, who is also chief executive officer of the University Health System, said in his report that the recent merger of the University Health System and Presbyterian Medical Center is "extremely important for health care in this region." Executive Vice President John Fry and Trustees' Investment Committee Chairperson John Neff then detailed the current state of the University's finances and investment holdings. Prior to adjourning, the Committee approved a resolution renaming Biomedical Research Building I in memory of former Anatomy Professor and Provost Eliot Stellar, who died last year, and in honor of Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics Britton Chance. The facility will now be known as the Stellar-Chance Laboratories. The Committee also appointed a number of alumni -- including Rolling Stones manager Joseph Rascoff -- and equally prominent, non-alumni executives to various University Boards of Overseers, and approved the sale of University-owned properties in suburban Philadelphia and New Jersey at yesterday's session.
(04/27/95 9:00am)
University President Judith Rodin will update the Executive Committee of the University's Board of Trustees on campus happenings over the last month at today's Stated Meeting. Before yesterday's University Council meeting -- the last of this year -- Rodin said many of the issues she planned to raise there would be included in her remarks to the Trustees today. At the meeting, Rodin addressed the visit of the Middle States accreditation committee to campus in early April to evaluate undergraduate education and briefed the Council on her recent trips to Harrisburg and Washington to push for continued funding for higher education. At today's meeting, Provost Stanley Chodorow will brief the Executive Committee before asking members to approve faculty appointments and promotions. The Committee is also expected to approve resolutions on the disposal of various University-owned properties in Chester County and Jackson Township, N. J. today. And it is expected to act upon resolutions for renovation of the Medical School's Johnson Pavilion and the naming of the Stellar-Chance Laboratories. Finally, Executive Vice President John Fry and University of Pennsylvania Health System Chief Executive Officer William Kelley will present financial and health system reports to the Committee. Before adjourning, the Trustees are expected to approve a number of other non-academic appointments, including that of Marjorie Rendell -- wife of Philadelphia Mayor and University alumnus Ed Rendell -- to the Board of Overseers of the School of Arts and Sciences. Architect Denise Scott Brown will join the Board of Overseers of the University Libraries. Her firm -- Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates -- handled the restoration of the Furness Building and is working on the Perelman Quadrangle student center project. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in the Faculty Club's Tea Room at 2 p.m.
(04/27/95 9:00am)
Some University alumni have taken tinsel town by storm Wendy Finerman, a 1982 Wharton graduate, always planned to work on Wall Street. But then, during the fall of her senior year, the would-be businesswoman started interviewing with high-powered companies -- and quickly discovered that she wasn't really interested in what prospective employers were offering. So, armed with an entrepreneurial management degree from Wharton, Finerman went to work for The Movie Channel, where she coordinated film deals. Soon, she was the first woman in the business affairs department of Universal Television who wasn't a lawyer. "That was really bizarre," she said recently, reflecting on her circuitous route into show business. "I fell into this, and then I got smitten." Smitten indeed. In 1988, Finerman founded her own production company. By March of this year, working through that company with Steve Tisch and Steve Starkey, Finerman had won the Academy Award for Best Picture -- for the blockbuster hit Forrest Gump. Not surprisingly, Finerman currently feels all Gumped out and declined to muse further on that aspect of her success. However, she was eager to talk about her new projects -- feature films dealing with a wide range of topics, from World War II-era female pilots to fairies to a drama focusing on a family's response to cancer. "I feel that I have the greatest job in the world," she said. "I get to meet, both fictionally and non-fictionally, the most fascinating people in the world, and get to learn about them." To prove her point, Finerman explained that she will be talking to Acting Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for her next movie, The Fan, which tells the story of -- what else? -- a deranged baseball fan. From her headquarters in Southern California, Finerman said she oversees every aspect of movie production, from the development of scripts and shooting locations to the marketing of finished products. Her days are filled with activity --whether she is pitching ideas to prospective talent or studios, meeting with writers or budgeting to turn an idea into reality on the silver screen. Finerman said she, like the characters with whom she works, is constantly aware of the past -- including her time at the University -- and the subtext it provides for the present. Someday, she added, she'd like to return to the City of Brotherly Love to make a movie -- although her college roommate, Stacey Snider, has already beaten her to it. Snider, who is president of production at Tri-Star Pictures, was instrumental in the release of such hits as Sleepless in Seattle, Legends of the Fall -- and of course, Philadelphia. "Much of what I do now, even though it seems like a very glamorous position, is select[ing] and choos[ing] the material we develop into screenplays," the International Relations major and literature buff explained. She also said she enjoys the hectic and varied pace of her job, because it allows her to work on upwards of a dozen interesting projects at one time. "Projects are always in different stages of development," Snider said. "As a result, I'm meeting talented, creative, vibrant people all the time." Snider added that she feels the University gave her not only a broad-based, liberal arts foundation for her eventual career, but also provided her with a large network of colleagues in all areas of the entertainment industry. Joan Harrison, vice president of the miniseries division at CBS, is just one of these many colleagues. Founder of the all-female musical comedy troupe Bloomers, Harrison graduated from the University in 1981 with an English degree. "I feel very indebted to Penn," she said, adding that she got her start in the entertainment business by pursuing the practical opportunities available at Philadelphia television and radio stations. Since she moved to the Golden State, Harrison has been active with the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Association of Southern California. The club has about 700 members, both because California is now the fourth-most represented state on campus and "because the entertainment business has proved to be such a magnet" for alumni, she said. A few years ago, the growing size of the University's California alumni contingent inspired Harrison to start what has become another University tradition -- the annual Penn-in-Pictures luncheon, which brings together 300 to 400 University alumni working in motion pictures, television, news, talent agencies and numerous other segments of the entertainment field. Among those who were invited to a recent luncheon: Paul Provenza, who replaced Rob Morrow on CBS' Northern Exposure, Joe Rascoff, manager of the Rolling Stones, Richard Baker, executive producer of The Santa Clause and Home Improvement star Tim Allen's manager, and Tri-Star Pictures President Mark Platt. "I found that I was on the phone with someone, and sure enough, we'd hit upon our Penn connection," Harrison said, explaining the impetus behind Penn-in-Pictures. "It seemed like an obvious meeting waiting to happen?[it has been] hugely successful for people in and out of the business. "Penn is a really good place to spring from, and now that there's a strong alumni network, it's even better," she added. Many of Harrison's on-the-job responsibilities resemble those mentioned by Finerman and Snider, although Harrison said she did not receive formal preparation at the University for her television career. In recent years, Harrison has worked with stars such as Melanie Griffith, Sidney Poitier, Anjelica Huston and Cicely Tyson. It's these people -- and the members of her production team -- who make possible the long process of seeing a story through from script to celluloid frames. "I work with such smart, informed people and I'm constantly learning," she said. "The business is changing and evolving before my very eyes?I can't say where I'll be in 10 years but that's also the exciting part of this business." Stand-up comedian, actor and producer Lew Schneider couldn't care less where he'll be in 10 years -- as long as he has as much fun getting there as he has had over the past 10 years. "I don't know where this will take me -- I'm still finding my way 10 years later," he said, adding that the ability to use acquired knowledge and "fit things into intellectual frameworks [is] rarer and more valuable than you think out here." Being able to write has benefits, too, since the written word is one of Tinsel Town's hottest commodities -- and the only product studio executives have until they plunge into filming, according to Schneider, who majored in History. He eschewed law school for a career in show business so that he could retain the Mask & Wig aspect of his collegiate career for a lifetime. "Not with the clothing," he cautioned, referring to the fact that Wiggers dress in drag for a good portion of their shows. "But I wanted to be involved in writing and performing." After appearing in the CBS series Wish You Were Here and the FOX series Down The Shore, Schneider had his own HBO "One Night Stand" comedy special. For the past four months, he has been writing and producing The George Wendt Show for CBS. A pilot he co-created for the network -- Meant for Each Other -- should hit the airwaves this fall, and last month, Schneider started his own production company, Back to Camp Productions. "Everything in my life relates to summer camp," he said, adding that before he commits to a project, he weighs its fun factor relative to a summer at camp. "There's nothing more satisfying than coming up with a great idea and having fun doing it," Schneider added. Like Harrison, Schneider said he believes his experiences at the University did point him toward his eventual career. "The seed was basically planted there," he said. "Knowing how much fun it was to perform and to create and to write -- at least it helped exclude everything else that was worthwhile." Mandy Films President Leonard Goldberg, who characterized himself as "probably the oldest living alum working in the entertainment industry," took considerably longer than Schneider to strike out on his own. With a 1955 Wharton degree and an interest in marketing and advertising, Goldberg established the path to television that Finerman followed three decades later, serving as head of programming at ABC before going into partnership with Aaron Spelling of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame. Goldberg and Spelling produced literally dozens of series, including The Rookies, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels and Fantasy Island. They also made about 40 made-for-TV movies, a genre Goldberg credits himself with inventing. After running Columbia Pictures Television and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation -- where he oversaw the production of movies such as Big, Wall Street and Working Girl -- Goldberg released War Games, Sleeping With the Enemy and Distinguished Gentleman under the Mandy Films label. "I thought that television was going to be such a powerful medium that I wanted to be a part of it," Goldberg said, adding that films followed from television in "an easy transition." His current projects include a remake of a 50-year-old "thriller love story" called Laura, which will start production in September, and a feature-length version of Charlie's Angels. And although Goldberg has thrived in the often-cutthroat entertainment industry, he said that these days, surviving at all is an accomplishment. "It took Wendy [Finerman] seven years to get [Forrest Gump] made," he said. "[But] her passion for the material was just so strong. "If you have that passion you will persevere," Goldberg added. "It happens fairly frequently in this business, and you must not give up if you believe in it." Schneider agreed, explaining that if a recent graduate is lucky enough to find work in the business, his or her position is likely to involve copious amounts of "grunt work." That's not all bad, though. "The problem and the good thing about the entertainment industry is that some of the most powerful people in Hollywood started in the mailroom," Schneider said. "They know the business from the ground up, and the tenacity required to stay with that ill treatment?That goal-directed behavior becomes real valuable." Unfortunately, according to Schneider, "Your college education doesn't count for much." Unless it's from the University, Harrison said. "Having an Ivy League degree is always helpful," she quipped. "People are very status conscious in Los Angeles."
(04/26/95 9:00am)
Although today's meeting of University Council is the last this academic year, Associate University Secretary Constance Goodman said the session will be "certainly more than a wrap-up." To begin the meeting, University President Judith Rodin, Provost Stanley Chodorow and the chairpersons of Council's various constituent groups will give updates on their activities since Council last convened. Then the Council Committees on Safety and Security, Community Relations and Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics will present their year-end findings to the entire body. "I think that the old business reports are interesting and informative because they speak to these three committees' important work throughout the year," Goodman said. Before adjourning, Council will also tackle issues including whether UTV13 should be allowed to videotape and broadcast Council meetings and benefits for part-time staff members. Goodman characterized these issues as "significant." UTV13 President and General Manager Heather Dorf, a College junior, submitted a memo to Council's Steering Committee asking that her group's request for access be brought to the full body for debate. "In order to do our job correctly we need pictures," the memo states, in response to concerns that Council members' remarks at meetings might be aired out of context. "The purpose of television is to bring people places where they not only could not get to themselves but do not go to." Council will also engage in a preliminary discussion of next year's focal issues, according to Goodman. "The preliminary discussion is critical because effective functioning of Council is dependent on what they consider and how they consider it," she said. College junior Mike Nadel, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said earlier this week that the First Amendment Task Force will unveil its revised judicial charter at today's meeting. The charter will be open for discussion at Council in the fall. The meeting will be held from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall. It is open to the public, but non-members wishing to attend are asked to inform the Secretary's Office of their intentions.
(04/25/95 9:00am)
Winners chosen by peers The eight top members of the Class of 1995 have been selected by their peers. Notification letters were mailed last week to the winners of the Spoon, Bowl, Cane and Spade Awards for men and the Hottel, Harnwell, Goddard and Brownlee Awards for women -- some of the University's oldest and most prestigious honors. Scott Reikofski, assistant director of student life activities and facilities, officially released the winners' names yesterday. The students will be recognized for their achievements at the University's annual Ivy Day ceremony, to be held at 4 p.m. on May 20. The eight honorees were chosen by their classmates from a pool of 15 men and 15 women that a committee of students, faculty and staff generated earlier this semester. The selected students represent a diverse array of interests and talents, from involvement in Greek organizations and student government to members of athletic teams and those performing community service. College senior Hayden Horowitz, former president of the InterFraternity Council, said he is "thrilled" to be this year's Spoon recipient. "I'm ecstatic, it's definitely a great honor," he said, adding that he is happier about his success because his "best friend" and Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity brother Manny Citron was chosen as the Bowl winner. Citron, a Wharton senior who served on the Junior and Senior Class Boards, said he feels "honored" to have been given a senior award by his classmates. "I appreciate how much fun I had doing all the things that I've done here and all the people I've met," he said. "In and of themselves, they were great experiences -- this just sort of adds, it's like icing." College senior Leigh Molinari, a Junior and Senior Class Board member who has also worked with the Student Health Advisory Board, won the Hottel Award. Molinari said last night she is proud to have been recognized with other seniors of such high caliber. "It's really rewarding to know that the peer group has appreciated the work I've put forth the past three years," she said. Harnwell winner Jordana Horn, former executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian, said she is also pleased with her selection. "I've really enjoyed The Daily Pennsylvanian and everything I've done at the University of Pennsylvania, but to be recognized for it by my peers and my classmates is something that's very special," she said. Former Bi-Cultural InterGreek Council President Wayne Wilson, a Wharton senior, will receive the Cane Award on Ivy Day. Engineering senior Ha Nguyen, who chaired the Senior Gift Drive and was also involved with the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Undergraduate Assembly, is this year's Goddard Award winner. College senior Michael "Pup" Turner, a co-captain of the Quaker football team last fall, is this year's Spade man -- as well as the winner of the Class of 1915 Award recognizing an outstanding student athlete. "It's great," he said, when asked about his reaction to the awards. "I'm really excited and obviously doubly honored." College senior and Reach-A-Peer Helpline President Tama Weinberg will receive the Brownlee Award on Ivy Day.
(04/24/95 9:00am)
The words "Fuck niggers" were discovered scrawled on the wall of an elevator in High Rise South at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday night by first-year Social Work student Penny Alexander. According to Alexander, a Residential Advisor in the building, the letters "PAN" appeared underneath the ethnic slur. The phrases in question were erased by 11 p.m. last night. Alexander added that she has seen this type of graffiti in the HRS elevators since winter break, but only recently learned the meaning of "PAN" -- Penn Against Niggers -- from desk workers and security guards in the building. "It's frustrating that this is supposed to be a learning educational environment, and it's not safe at all," she said. "How are we supposed to learn where we get in an elevator and see racial slurs?" Alexander also said she plans to speak with Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone and Acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum about the graffiti this week. Second-year Social Work student Keri Raymond, who, like Alexander, is an African-American RA in High Rise South, said she is disturbed by the latest occurrence of elevator graffiti in the building and feels the community has been violated by whomever did the writing. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich confirmed that University Police officers responded to a complaint about graffiti in an HRS elevator this weekend, adding that the incident could potentially be investigated as ethnic intimidation. To be considered ethnic intimidation, though, a base crime such as criminal mischief must have both verbal assault based on race, color, religion or national origin and a physical threat of some type, according to Victim Support and Special Services Director Maureen Rush. Cases of ethnic intimidation are investigated by the District Attorney's office, and a conflict resolution unit is brought in to work with the affected community, according to Kuprevich. Black Student League President Kendrick Cox, a Wharton junior, said last night he was away from campus this weekend, and as a result had not heard about the graffiti. But Cox added that he is confident the University will investigate this case and punish the perpetrator or perpetrators appropriately. "It's a sad case," he said. "I just wish that we could all live together?but things like this will happen." Daily Pennsylvanian staff writers Keith Huebsch and Jamie Phares contributed to this article.
