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(01/17/95 10:00am)
More than two months after it was originally scheduled for completion, the administrative restructuring report prepared for the University by the professional service firm of Coopers & Lybrand is finally finished. The 32-page document, a preliminary version of which was issued last month, will be released to the University community today. It appears in today's Almanac, and copies of the report are also available for examination in libraries and offices across campus. The report assesses the University's current administrative organization, and offers recommendations for reengineering various tasks. Additionally, it discusses benefits that such changes could provide. The report also aims to assist the University by demonstrating ways in which it can reallocate and more efficiently use increasingly-scarce resources. In a letter sent to University faculty and staff yesterday, University President Judith Rodin said "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." Interim Executive Vice President Jack Freeman characterized the report as a "piece of a much bigger exercise," since its suggestions are designed to aid in improving services and reducing costs throughout the University -- although they focus on responsibilities that fall under the EVP Center. Among these responsibilities are human resources, public safety, information systems and computing, facilities management, finance and business services. Overall, the report also advocates "a change in the philosophy and programs for providing compensation and benefits to Penn's employees, with a greater emphasis on rewards based on performance." Freeman said the report represents the University's response to sharply rising administrative costs. He estimated that through restructuring over the next five years, these costs can be cut by 20 percent, ultimately resulting in savings of $25 million per year. "It's not just about cost savings, though," Freeman said. "It's about reallocation as well." Much of the expected savings will come from streamlining and improving existing administrative structures and processes, or from alterations in the University's traditional fiscal management approach that reflect current economic realities and technological advancements. But, he said, the University remains committed to the philosophy of responsibility-center management, which encourages individual schools and budgetary centers to be financially-accountable for their programs. "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. As the amount of available work decreases, the University will need fewer personnel, he added. Positions will be eliminated through attrition and intra-University transfers whenever possible. But, layoffs are also expected to occur. Freeman said the report explains the importance of restructuring and "lays out a plan for virtually all administrative processes?in a coherent and systematic way." It refines, but does not fundamentally change, the University's existing system. The plan will be implemented University-wide in stages over the next two to three years, he added. The next immediate step is to hold meetings with the supervisors, administrative staff and faculty members of each school -- all of whom will be affected by administrative restructuring -- in order to "build an understanding of why we are doing this and what it will mean for the University," Freeman said. Following these informational meetings, the development of specific implementation plans will begin in earnest, with an assessment of responsibility and assemblage of a project team looking to coordinate and consolidate administrative services wherever possible. Coopers & Lybrand was originally retained by former Interim University President Claire Fagin. Rodin expanded the firm's role last fall, when she initiated the administrative restructuring project.
(12/15/94 10:00am)
On July 1, 1995, University President Judith Rodin will mark the end of her first year as a leader in the Ivy League. But the transition period will be just the beginning for current University of Iowa President Hunter Rawlings, who is slated to assume the top job at Cornell University on that date. Rawlings, a classics professor who has also taught and served in various administrative capacities at the University of Colorado at Boulder, was appointed Cornell's 10th president at a special meeting of the school's Board of Trustees last weekend. Rawlings will replace Frank Rhodes, who has been president of Cornell since 1977. According to a statement provided by Cornell, Rhodes is "the longest-serving president of an Ivy League institution." Rhodes described Rawlings, who attended Haverford College and received his doctorate from Princeton University, as "the perfect match for Cornell." Rodin, who said she has gotten to know Rawlings "only briefly," characterized him as "a wonderful appointment." She advised Rawlings to take advantage of the transition period by continually asking hard questions, getting "below the surface" and consulting widely with faculty, staff and students before arriving on campus. "There are so many things to learn, and unless you probe deeply it's hard to find them out before you come," she said. "Be ready to work very, very hard." The University of Iowa is the country's oldest public institution of higher learning. As its president, Rawlings initiated a comprehensive strategic planning process, made undergraduate education a priority, boosted externally funded research grants to record levels and worked to improve the physical appearance of the campus. While some of these goals and activities seem to mesh especially well with Rodin's plans for the University, she said it would be premature to speculate on the possibility of increased cooperation between the University and Cornell.
(12/15/94 10:00am)
The winds of change were blowing hard during the month of March at the University, and all aspects of student life were caught in the maelstrom. Soon-to-be-seniors chose a new class board, the United Minorities Council selected its next chairperson and vice-chairperson, and the Undergraduate Assembly named its chairperson in hotly-contested races. McGinn Security Services guards were found sleeping on the job in campus residences for the second time in as many years, leading to a re-evaluation of the security responsibilities allocated to the Department of Residential Living. Over the summer, the University replaced McGinn guards with Allied Security guards. The University Board of Trustees approved a tuition and fees increase of 5.7 percent for the current academic year. Administration officials explained the hike as needed to cover the University's growing operating expenses. But former Interim President Claire Fagin pledged to continue need-blind admissions. Sigma Delta Tau sorority sisters said they were happy to see work on their chapter's new Walnut Street house begin, while the University denied provisional recognition to the Psi Upsilon fraternity, better known as the Castle. Although much of the controversy that marked March was contained to campus, the University was also making news on the national and international fronts in March. University alumnus Luis Donaldo Colosio, who was favored by many to become the next president of Mexico, was assassinated at a campaign stop in Tiajuana. Former College of Arts and Sciences Dean Matthew Santirocco announced plans to leave the University to become dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at New York University, provoking an outpouring of praise for his commitment to undergraduate education from faculty members and administrators. "PENNdemonium" reigned when the Quakers pulled off a first-round upset of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. But the University of Florida Gators snapped the Red and Blue winning streak in the second round of the Big Dance.
(12/15/94 10:00am)
Can we talk? Law Professor Lani Guinier thinks so, and to further this goal on a national level with respect to the issue of race, she has created a new non-profit center called Commonplace. One of Commonplace's first projects will be a "National Conversation on Race" to be held on campus in October 1995, Guinier said. Funding for this symposium -- which will bring together "media decision-makers, civil rights advocates and public policy experts" -- will be provided in part by an Annenberg Public Policy Grant. Additional resources may be contributed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, headed by former University President Sheldon Hackney. Guinier said she welcomes topic suggestions for the National Conversation. "It's going to be experiential and experimental," she said."We are struggling to find out what makes a successful conversation." Guinier, who was nominated by President Clinton to serve as assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights in 1993, was removed from consideration after questions surfaced about her position on minority voting rights and affirmative action. She said the idea of Commonplace grew out of her experience both as a litigator for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and during the period of her nomination in Washington. "The experience as a litigator basically suggested to me that much of the conversation about civil rights and racial justice -- which had been taking place in the context of legal cases -- was either too technical, too abstract or too complicated for most people to understand," Guinier said. She added that because political discourse has become more polarized in recent years, American voters are now "angry and alienated," making the creation of an alternative space for learning about and engaging in conversations a necessity. "[Commonplace] is an effort to bring academics and journalists together so that academics can learn how to be more clear, and journalists can learn to appreciate the nuance in complex arguments?to learn how to paraphrase accurately what someone else is saying rather than just parody it," Guinier said. English graduate student Cheryl Butler said she will be working on the video component of the National Conversation, entitled "Different Voices, Common Talk." This segment of the project will involve a multi-racial group of community members brought together to talk about a salient race issue, she added. "All of us, no matter what racial or cultural groups we belong to, are always internalizing the dominant belief system," Butler said, adding that this process is ultimately harmful and needs to be addressed. Psychology graduate student Esteban Cardemil said the National Conversation should be a "first step" in changing the way Americans approach the subject of race and race issues. Andrew ShattZ, also a Psychology graduate student, agreed. "Basically, what the conference is about is to try and look at new ways to talk about racial issues, because it is clear that the old ways have not worked so well," he said."It's very possible that members of different races have different ways of explaining the same event, [and these] different histories are a stumbling block to successful communication."
(12/12/94 10:00am)
Annenberg School for Communication Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson likened them to Wylie Coyote and the Road Runner. But instead of employing oversized slingshots and rocket-propelled roller-skates, husband-and-wife political strategists Mary Matalin and James Carville amused a full house with their rhetorical antics Friday night in Harrison Auditorium. In 1992, Matalin -- who currently co-hosts CNBC's Equal Time -- served as deputy campaign manager for former President George Bush, while Carville, now a partner in the consulting firm of Carville & Begala, engineered Bill Clinton's electoral triumph. The pair, who were married shortly after the campaign concluded, were brought to campus by Connaissance. Wearing a leopard-print dress, with suede platform shoes adding a few inches to her petite frame, Matalin established the evening's raucous tone as soon as she took the podium. She launched into a critique of the prevailing American political climate with a discussion of how she and Carville "cemented" their relationship during Harris Wofford's 1992 Pennsylvania Senate race. "We're still in the goo-goo stage," she said. But her affection for her husband did not stop Matalin from hurling criticisms of every type at Carville, winning hearty laughter from the audience. "I didn't know what he would wear, but I knew it would be at least six inches too short," she said, characterizing Carville's staid khaki pants as "clamdiggers." Citing Jamieson's books and scholarship repeatedly, Matalin said that the connection between political coverage by the press and public cynicism has been strengthened in recent years by changes in the media's role. "The media is presumed in a democracy to be an unbiased source," she said. "The way the media gives us information is widely responsible for giving us cynicism. "The media today is serving as a political institution -- elections revolve around it," Matalin added. "[But] what makes a good story and good copy is antithetical to what makes democracy and good government." Matalin also said she thinks the "mainstream press" will be obsolete in 1996 if it does not correct trends such as a "bad-news" bias and a tendency to focus on strategy rather than substantive issues. "The nature of politics, the very nature of democracy, is about conflict," she said. "The press today is focusing on the clash and not the ideas." Carville spoke from a separate podium, sending the approximately 800 students in attendance into hysterics again with descriptions of his hometown. "The place I came from was so far in the sticks we had to pipe sunshine in," he said in a characteristic Louisiana drawl, instructing the crowd on how to identify "country bumpkins" like himself. Carville also lampooned United States Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders, who resigned her post last week after her position on teaching masturbation in schools became controversial. "That's one subject I could've gotten an A in," he said, alluding to the fact that he received 56 hours of F's as an undergraduate at Louisiana State University. Following their prepared remarks, Matalin and Carville entertained questions from audience members. Connaissance Chairperson Jesus Guerrero, a College senior, said he "couldn't have been happier" about the turnout for and reaction to Matalin and Carville, despite their $26,500 price tag. "We just felt we needed some more time with them, but otherwise it was great," he said.
(12/08/94 10:00am)
Accusations of scientific misconduct have reached the highest levels of the University. And no one is talking except for the alleged victims. In 1990, researchers Sang Joo Kim and L. Craig Wagerle were working together in a laboratory at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, conducting experiments to determine the effects of cocaine on blood flow in the brain. But two years later, both men were without jobs. Kim was fired for insubordination in September 1991, when he refused to answer questions about his job performance and qualifications from then-Associate General Counsel for the University Neil Hamburg. According to a statement released yesterday by the University's Medical Center, Wagerle's position expired in July 1992 "due to a lack of continued research funding." And in May 1993, a paper was published by some of Wagerle and Kim's former co-workers that the pair charge uses their data and lists their conclusions without proper attribution. Since leaving their posts, former research specialist Kim and former associate professor of physiology Wagerle have lodged numerous scientific misconduct allegations with federal and state agencies, relating to the circumstances surrounding their departure and the subsequent submissions their former colleagues made to scientific journals. But most of these claims -- including one that was filed with the U.S. Department of Labor and investigated here in Philadelphia -- have been decided in favor of the University. University sources say that Wagerle, who had also served as director of basic research in the division of neonatal and perinatal medicine at HUP, and Kim are essentially disgruntled former employees, attempting to make a career out of leveling complaints against the University for personal gain. "The University believes that this is a continuing pattern of meritless complaints -- we're at a disadvantage because of our own policies regarding confidentiality," said one official who requested anonymity. "We take very seriously allegations of scientific misconduct, no matter what the source." The continuing saga of Wagerle and Kim began in July 1990, when both became whistleblowers ostensibly protected by law. Wagerle's supervisor -- and the director of the laboratory where he carried out his work -- was Professor of Physiology and Pediatrics Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos, who had a clinical appointment at HUP in addition to her academic position at the Medical School. Medical Center Spokesperson Lori Doyle said Delivoria-Papadopoulos has since been relieved of her administrative duties for unrelated reasons. Because she was simultaneously expected to see patients and conduct research, Research Assistant Professor O. P. Mishra was employed as Delivoria-Papdopoulos's "major research instrument," according to Kim. "Mishra obtained radioactive isotope P[hosphorus]-32 because he wanted to use P-32 for a certain experiment," Kim said recently. "Our laboratory was not equipped and prepared to possess and use that particular isotope." Since he knew that having radioactive P-32 in the lab was a violation of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules and regulations, Kim immediately told Wagerle that Mishra had obtained the isotope. Wagerle stopped Mishra from using the P-32, brought the incident to the attention of the University's radiation safety officer, and thought the case was closed. But Wagerle said the incident resurfaced in September 1990, when he approached Delivoria-Papadopoulos to ask for a raise for Kim. "When I brought the matter of his report [of the P-32] to my boss [Delivoria-Papadopoulos], she called him a bastard," Wagerle said this week, adding that Delivoria-Papadopoulos also started rumors that Kim's past was shady and his references questionable. Wagerle said Delivoria-Papadopoulos directed him to terminate Kim in December 1990. Wagerle refused, saying that she could not provide any "good reason" for such a decision. Wagerle, who has since met two people who wrote letters of recommendation for Kim, said he was never able to substantiate any of the assertions Delivoria-Papadopoulos advanced against Kim. "It is inconceivable to me that they could have written poor letters on his behalf," he said, adding that he was told the letters in question had disappeared from Kim's file when he asked for them in February 1991. Shortly thereafter, Kim said he and Wagerle began to experience adverse personnel actions. He claimed that locks on their laboratory space were changed, a refrigerator that held specimens and reagents was ransacked, and Wagerle's name was removed from the Physiology Department faculty roster. Wagerle said his pay structure was also changed, forcing him to rely on grants to support both his research and salary -- and requiring him to get more than "rubber-stamp" approval from Delivoria-Papadopoulos before sending out grant requests, which she would not give. He said he believes these actions were retaliatory in nature, stemming from his refusal to fire Kim. Delivoria-Papadopoulos declined to comment on any aspect of her interaction with Wagerle and Kim, citing a lawsuit filed against her and another HUP physician by Wagerle in August 1994. And because Wagerle and Kim contend their data was published without their knowledge or names by former colleagues in May 1993, both the University and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) have been attempting to resolve the issue of rightful authorship. Although the case is federally-docketed with the DHHS Office of Research Integrity, Special Agent Bertrand Zanck said he could neither confirm nor deny whether an investigation is ongoing. "I'm prohibited against commenting, as a standard law enforcement [practice]," he said. Assistant Professor of Anesthesia, Pediatrics and Physiology C. Dean Kurth said he "enjoyed a very fruitful collaboration" with Wagerle throughout the 1980s, but never worked with Kim. The collaboration between Kurth and Wagerle ceased in 1990, when Kurth's laboratory moved from HUP to the Medical School. Kurth is listed as first author on the paper in question, entitled "Cocaine and its Metabolites Constrict Cerebral Arterioles in Newborn Pigs," which appeared in the May 1993 issue of The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. But Wagerle said that a similar manuscript had been accepted -- although not published -- by the American Journal of Physiology in 1991, because he would not sign a copyright release that excluded Kim from authorship, as a University committee had recommended following investigation. "They required me to send a letter concurring with [their] opinion or lose my own right to authorship," Wagerle said. "I [could] not ethically agree to the deletion of his name." Wagerle also charged that Kurth had the same manuscript under consideration at two different journals simultaneously, which is not permitted by standard scientific protocol. Kurth, however, said that the research reported in the JPET article was completed "well after" he stopped working with Wagerle. Comparison of Kim and Wagerle's abstracts and the Kurth paper reveals that while they relate to the same subject area, each used animals of different ages in attempting to understand a specific research problem. "We followed those [University authorship] guidelines to the letter," Kurth said. But Wagerle said he still has not been permitted to access and examine the raw data involved, and as a result, cannot account for the $300,000 grant from the National Institute for Drug Abuse and National Institutes of Health that funded his research. He claims that because he is not cited in Kurth's paper, he cannot prove he carried out similar research. Both Kim and Wagerle have filed formal complaints with the University in hopes of resolving the authorship dispute. In accordance with the University's Procedures Regarding Misconduct in Research, a preliminary inquiry committee of two individuals who are "unbiased and have appropriate backgrounds to judge the issues being raised" was appointed by Medical School Vice Dean for Research and Research Training Neal Nathanson in September of this year. University regulations state that such preliminary inquiry committees are to complete their investigative process within 60 days of formation, but committee member and Professor Emeritus of Research Medicine Robert Austrian said that because two separate but related complaints have been received from Kim and Wagerle, the time frame has been extended. "[The committee] will be finished within the next month," he said. "These matters are confidential according to the University's regulations as I understand them. They are proceeding as they are supposed to." Yet Kim claims there have been irregularities even in this stage of investigation, because Medical School Dean William Kelley identified him as the complainant in a letter about the case carbon-copied to Kurth -- an action that contradicts official policy. "The University is just dragging its feet because it's a very difficult issue," Kim said, adding that he anticipates filing a lawsuit in this matter. Although he is currently working at Temple University, Wagerle said he does not know if he will be able to obtain grant funding there. "This whole thing is a continuum, the [journal article] is just the last event," Wagerle said. "It mushroomed and split into parts -- we just want the truth out."
(12/01/94 10:00am)
Greek life was plunged into darkness last night as houses on Spruce Street, between 39th and 40th streets, lost power when a transformer blew. The blackout apparently stretched from the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house at 307 South 39th Street to the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house at 3934 Spruce Street. The Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house, located at 3940 Spruce Street, retained power. According to College senior and Pi Beta Phi sister Valerie Cashour, power went out in the chapter's house at 3916 Spruce Street around 9:30 p.m. "We have no idea what caused it, but we were the first house to call PECO," she said at about 12:45 a.m. today. "They told us if it was not that serious, we'd have electricity by 1 a.m. -- if it was something more complicated or more serious we wouldn't have power until [later today]." College junior Wendy Moore, another Pi Phi sister, was working on a paper for History 421, European Diplomatic History, when the outage struck. "We have a five-page paper due [Thursday]," she said. "I had about half of it done, and I came back from my night class and decided that I wasn't going to sit down and do it right away. I felt kind of guilty, but about a minute and a half later, as I was about to sit down at my computer, all the lights went out." Cashour said the sisters, surrounded by 16 candles, were making the best of a bad situation. "We're foodless," she said, referring to the fact that the house's refrigerator was not functioning because of the lack of electricity. "But we're bonding over enough candles to make food if we need to -- we're going to make s'mores." College senior Vaughn Spencer, a Beta Theta Pi brother living in the chapter house at 3900 Spruce Street, said another Beta brother with a paper due today was forced to pack up his computer and take it to the high rises so he could finish the assignment. "We're basically sitting here in our front room under emergency floodlights," Spencer said. Beta President Bill Cooper, also a College senior, said DeKE brothers had visited the Beta house earlier in the evening "because their power is out also." "I have the LSATs on Saturday," Cooper said. "I wouldn't be studying anyway, but this basically sucks." At 1:13 a.m., a PECO Energy call-taker said the company had dispatched a crew to the scene about a half-hour before. "They're trying to locate the problem," she said. "I think it's a transformer problem in the area." By 1:58 a.m., PECO Energy spokesperson David Hackney said the crew would be working through the night to restore service. "In that area, the transformers are underground," he said, explaining the difficulties the crew was encountering during its repair effort. "It's probably going to be about eight in the morning before they get power restored."
(12/01/94 10:00am)
and Tammy Polonsky Almost two years of work by the University's HIV/AIDS Task Force will come to fruition today, when a conference called "AIDS and the Penn Family" is held on campus in honor of the World Health Organization's World AIDS Day. An annual event started in 1988, World AIDS Day aims to raise public awareness of the illness and spur response to it. According to World Health Organization literature, the current rate of infection is approximately 5,000 cases a day. Formed in 1992, the University's HIV/AIDS Task Force released recommendations in March that were based on its work during the 1992-93 academic year. The Task Force was comprised of three committees that examined education, services and policy regarding students, faculty and staff -- or their family members --who have HIV and AIDS in the University community. Recommendations included using a multi-media approach to education, expanding campus-wide communication about HIV and AIDS and ensuring that all information regarding a person's test results remains confidential. Today's conference is the culmination of the committee's work and represents the University's efforts to accommodate and actively respond to those affected by HIV and AIDS. Going beyond the medical issues related to the illness, the conference includes several workshops that address living with HIV, teaching and learning about it, and helping employees deal with AIDS in the workplace. Nursing sophomore Chris Friese, who served on the conference committee, said everyone can learn something from the event. "I think that people are knowledgeable about AIDS isolated in itself," Friese said. "But there are issues other than transmission that the conference has highlighted." Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta said because consciousness of AIDS on campus has been raised in recent years, discussion about the disease has been temporarily tabled. "In a lot of areas, where HIV and AIDS used to be the focus, they're not [anymore]," he said. "It's not because it's not an issue anymore, it's because there's a sense of 'what more can we say about this?' "The conference is to remind people that we will be affected by HIV for a long time," Moneta added. Kurt Conklin, a University health educator and advisor for the student group Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health, said he has also noticed a change in the popular perception of AIDS and its victims. "More people are asking now where they can get tested and how much it costs," said Conklin. "Before, they would ask things like 'am I in danger through kissing?'" Robert Schoenberg, coordinator of the Program for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn and chairperson of the Task Force's Policy Committee, said a survey conducted by the Task Force last spring revealed a lack of sympathy within the University's working environment for employees affected by HIV and AIDS. Changes since then have been mainly related to personal attitudes, rather than official policy, he added. As department heads are becoming more aware of what living with HIV or caring for someone with AIDS involves, for example, they are more willing to give affected individuals flexible schedules or time off. The University also allocated space at the Dental School last year for a free and anonymous AIDS testing site. Linda Grier, who administers the tests and counsels recipients before and after results are available, said approximately 15 people -- nearly 90 percent of them students -- utilize the site each week. However, tests are offered only one day per week. Grier said most of the people she counsels are heterosexual couples.
(11/30/94 10:00am)
Provost Stanley Chodorow and French Ambassador Jacques Andreant signed an agreement yesterday naming the University's French Institute of Culture and Technology one of six Centers of Excellence for the study of France in the United States. Other schools so designated were the Universities of Chicago and California at Berkeley, and Harvard, Princeton and Johns Hopkins Universities, said Institute Director Barry Cooperman. The University will receive a $55,000 grant from the French government for the coming year to increase academic contact between the two countries, he added. Chodorow said the University will match that money and engage in fund-raising efforts on behalf of the Institute as well. "We're trying to finalize plans to sponsor students at Penn [who want to spend] three months at French companies this summer [as interns]," Cooperman said, referring to the type of programming that may be funded by the new appropriation. Eventually, the Institute might also serve as a repository for Internet communications, including live broadcasts from French radio. Chodorow said that as a Center of Excellence, people affiliated with the Institute will have "entree" in France, making it easier for faculty and students to develop relationships and cultivate research opportunities with colleagues overseas. The Institute, started with the assistance of the French government, has existed for more than two years, Cooperman said. "[The] reason for going into it was [that] it was a very tangible manifestation of our desire to internationalize the experience for faculty and students," he added. According to Chodorow, the Institute performs many functions on campus such as facilitating student and faculty exchanges, hosting conferences, promoting teaching and research on France and the French language, and creating connections to France throughout the Delaware Valley. The Institute is unique because it emphasizes science and technology in addition to the traditional history, literature and culture. "Nearly half of the faculty at Penn express an interest in France or have some contact with French institutions," Chodorow said. "France, probably among all foreign countries, has the greatest interest among our students and faculty," Cooperman said. "If you're thinking in terms of a University which is looking outward, to expand its international contacts, clearly France is the country of choice." In January, the Institute will be the first site outside of France to participate in a worldwide conference honoring the centennial of the Pasteur Institute, he added. Joint U.S.-French meetings covering topics like gene therapy and health care are also on the Institute's agenda for the coming year. "It's very interesting to see how societies combat these different problems," he said.
(11/29/94 10:00am)
Two times a year, students waiting for grade reports become well acquainted with persistent feelings of anxiety. For professors, though, recognition of extraordinary classroom performance comes only once a year -- with the announcement of recipients of the Lindback and Provost's Awards for Distinguished Teaching in April. Distinguished teaching is "teaching that is intellectually demanding, unusually coherent, and permanent in its effect," according to Criteria and Guidelines for the Lindback Awards in the Non-Health Areas. "The distinguished teacher is fair, free from prejudice, and single-minded in the pursuit of truth," the Guidelines said. Full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty are eligible for the Lindback Award, while the Provost's Award honors part-time teachers, including administrators responsible for one or two courses per year, she added. Nominations for both awards from across the University are requested each fall. This year, letters are due by next Friday, Dec. 9. "After that, we solicit more information from [the nominee's] department," said Terry Conn, executive assistant to the Vice Provost for University Life and coordinator of the awards process. This material could include a curriculum vitae and letters of support, which are then complied into a dossier. Eight Lindback Awards are given out each year, evenly split between the Veterinary, Medical, Dental and Nursing Schools, and non-medical areas of the University. The committee, which includes former winners and several students, usually meets in early February to evaluate the dossiers -- typically 15 to 20 for the Lindback Award and four or five for the Provost's Award. "We do try to keep [nominations] confidential, but it's hard to control that," Conn said, adding that students who have written letters of support sometimes tell their professors they have done so. After the committee has made its selections, they are forwarded to Provost Stanley Chodorow for confirmation. Chodorow will present the Lindback and Provost's Awards to selected individuals at a reception in April. "I think the Lindback Awards are the preeminent teaching awards on campus, a recognition that the University values good teaching," Conn said. "Realizing that we have such outstanding and dedicated teachers on our campus -- it's always very positive." Both awards also carry stipends, she added. While the Lindback Award is funded by a local foundation that also recognizes outstanding faculty members at other area schools, the Provost's Award is endowed by the University. Although individuals cannot be considered for Lindback recognition and tenure simultaneously, the list of Lindback Award winners --stretching back to 1961 -- reads like a compilation of Who's Who at the University early in their careers. For example, current Geology Department Chairperson Hermann Pfefferkorn received the prize as an associate professor in 1981, as did then-Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Ann Matter, now chairperson of that department. Law Professor Elizabeth Warren, who received a Lindback Award last spring, said she thought the recognition was "wonderful." She attributed her selection to her belief in the "Socratic method of teaching, which is a fabulous way to teach and learn." The Socratic method incorporates intensive student-teacher interaction, Warren said. It requires enormous student effort and engagement in the learning process. Warren said she feels letters of support from students describing her classroom's challenging but fun environment made the difference in her selection as a Lindback winner. "Learning is exhilarating -- it's something that really turns people on," she said. "It's new and exciting, and I think that's what teaching is all about." Warren is currently on sabbatical, working on a "huge empirical study of business bankruptcies" supported in part by her Lindback stipend. "[The stipend] is an indication that Penn is both a wonderful place to teach and a wonderful place to do research," she said.
(11/22/94 10:00am)
Nearly 50 years after University scientists created ENIAC, the world's first computer, researchers on campus are again on the cutting edge of information technology. Physics Professor Robert Hollebeek is in the process of linking the University's computer network with those in use at the Universities of Maryland and Illinois at Chicago to create a "virtual supercomputer," as part of the National Scalable Cluster Project. Hollebeek, Maryland Physics Assistant Professor Andrew Baden and Illinois Professor of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Robert Grossman are co-directors of the project. Advances in telecommunications technology have allowed the project's unprecedented kind of long-distance electronic link, Hollebeek said. Funded in part by the federal government, the new machine will be able to simultaneously draw on the power of computers at all three institutions when it is fully operational next year. While ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, filled a whole room, the core of the new machine is only about eight feet tall and six feet long, Hollebeek said. But because of its increased power and speed, the new computer will be able to solve mathematical and scientific problems more quickly than conventional supercomputers, according to Baden. "There's no substitute for creativity and brains, but the computer is a very useful tool," he said. "You can learn a lot in a much shorter time." Hollebeek agreed, explaining that once the new system is’ in place at the University, computers tapping into the network from Chicago will be closer to his desktop machine than computers on other floors of his department's building. Researchers at Maryland will use the new machine to simulate black hole collisions, make calculations related to superconductivity, and perform experiments in nuclear and condensed matter physics, Baden said. Grossman said the new machine will also be used in endeavors other than academic research -- including high-performance data management. Its capabilities will be more extensive than those currently available on the Internet, as the "virtual supercomputer" will have close to 1,000 gigabytes of file space -- the equivalent of approximately 10,000 average personal computers. The space will be used to store medical images and digital libraries for later retrieval. "Eventually, we envision that the next generation of the Internet would be something that allows computers to share what they do best -- compute, share and fetch data," Hollebeek said. Perhaps the most unique characteristic of the new machine is its utilization of existing hardware and "clever networking and clever software" that increases cost-effectiveness, Grossman said. "We're putting a lot of work into the network, [which] allows us to use less powerful hardware," he said. Baden said the new system "opens up the potential for areas where the computer can be useful" because of its seemingly limitless resources. For Hollebeek, the "virtual supercomputer" constitutes the successor to the Internet. "All of the ingredients are there, but there's a lot of work to do to get all of this put together," he said.
(11/22/94 10:00am)
Last time University archaeologists travelled to Central America to excavate a tomb, the scene appeared more like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom than a scholarly dig. An international research consortium led by Anthropology Professor Robert Sharer had to halt its work at Cop
(11/18/94 10:00am)
When George Thomas hears University students discussing plans to study at "Fur-NESS," he cringes involuntarily. The correct pronunciation of the building that houses the Fisher Fine Arts Library -- and the name of the man who designed it -- is "furnace," according to Thomas, an adjunct professor of historic preservation and urban studies who has spent much of his career researching and refurbishing architect Frank Furness's work. Although it is not easy to buck a trend begun by a slip of the tongue at a ceremony decades ago, Thomas simply wants Furness, one of his favorite Philadelphians, to get some respect. "Furness probably did 800 buildings in the course of his career," Thomas said recently, describing the architect's prolific accomplishments. "That's a building every other week for 40 years, across the entire region." Furness was also artistically unique because he wanted his buildings to represent "the who of what we are" -- which is also the goal of Thomas's undergraduate Urban Studies seminar, called "Architecture, Location and Class." "[The library] doesn't want to be a Gothic cathedral, it wants it to be a building that is a library and tells us about its multiple uses by the way it looks," he said. A quick glance at Furness's building will convince even the most casual observer that it is no ordinary academic structure. Its true genius lies in the fact that it is not finite, and was built to accommodate the future growth of the University's book collection, he added. The architect's popularity is the result of Furness's skillful adaptation of ideas to "the real world," Thomas said, along with his ability to capture the mechanical, problem-solving essence of Philadelphia's citizens. But Thomas is more than a connoisseur of century-old urban architecture. His historic preservation consulting firm has completed projects around the East Coast, including the rehabilitation of the Benedum Center, an opera house in Pittsburgh, and a brownstone house that belonged to former Provost Charles Krauth at 40th and Pine streets. But Thomas said his favorite project is still the restoration of the Furness building, because it offered him the chance to work with colleagues from the architectural firm of Venturi, Scott, Brown and provided challenges related to making a 19th Century library work for the 21st Century. "To participate in the rebuilding of this campus into one of the [country's] great urban spaces was a great experience," he said. When he arrived at the University as a graduate student in 1966, the area that is now College Green was nothing more than a muddy plot. "I have a lot of fun using buildings as a way to get people to focus on the big historical questions of who we are and what we've accomplished," Thomas added. "Architecture seems to be a great way to walk back a century-and-a-half, arrive at an understanding, and apply it to our time and place," he said. This semester, to gain such an understanding, Thomas' seminar is addressing the question of how Philadelphians of years past -- specifically merchants and industrialists -- represented who they were by where they chose to live and who they selected to build their homes. Thomas said he finds the course both amusing and fun, because he reinvents it every year, placing emphasis on another aspect of city life. "Teaching is always such a release for me, a chance to plug back in with kids," he said, adding that he is helped in this endeavor by the University's diverse student body. "I always enjoy the new things they are doing, it reinvigorates me." College senior Jase Feinstein said that as a psychology major, he enrolled in Thomas's class because "the title sounded neat." He has not been disappointed. "[Thomas's] enthusiasm comes through, it's infectious," Feinstein said. "He tears down the walls of formality between faculty and students?little bits of his everyday life come through, and that makes him seem more human -- he's the best." Feinstein added that Thomas's extensive knowledge of the University and its history is a key component of the course. "Every time I give a tour?I find his words coming out of my mouth," he joked. Thomas summed up his educational philosophy succinctly, in a way which would no doubt have pleased founder Benjamin Franklin. "[The University] is a college about the here and now, not the there and then," he said.
(11/17/94 10:00am)
Last week's decision by administrators at Carnegie-Mellon University to restrict student access to some sexually-explicit Internet newsgroups has renewed the debate over free speech and obscenity on campuses across the country. According to Carnegie-Mellon spokesperson Don Hale, three newsgroups have now been eliminated from the selection available at CMU: alt.binaries.pictures.erotica, alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.* and alt.binaries.pictures.tasteless. Hale said the administration's decision was reached after considering three major factors. These include whether Carnegie-Mellon should use its resources to provide access to sexually-explicit material, what the legal ramifications of such a censure would be and how the content of the newsgroups in question fits within a general value system. "We're not the only institution in the country that denies access to this type of material," he added. Although the new policy went into effect last week, debate about what is and is not appropriate for a school to offer on the Internet continues. "I think it's a focus of attention on campus," Hale said. "This is the type of issue that gets people with various points of view interested." The banned bulletin boards provide primarily graphic sexual images, Carnegie-Mellon Vice Provost for Education Erwin Steinberg said during a speech last week. In the original proposal, advanced by CMU's Vice Provost for Computing Services William Arms, who is responsible for the school's entire network, alt.sex newsgroups were also slated to be removed from the school's system. Because these groups are primarily discussion-oriented, access to them will be maintained for the time being, Steinberg said. "Let me assure you that any decisions made during this entire matter have been made with the best interests of this great institution in mind," he told students who had assembled to protest the policy change. "We must adhere to the law, respect the standards of our community and insure that reasonable, open communication is maintained," Steinberg said. In a speech given the same day at Carnegie-Mellon, Electronic Frontier Foundation lawyer Mike Godwin characterized the school's action as contributing to "the imminent death of academic freedom." Godwin added that because of the Internet's incredible communication and democratization potential, free access to it is vital. Daniel Updegrove, associate vice provost for information systems and computing and executive director of Data Communications and Computing Services at the University, was not available for comment last night. DCCS is the department that determines what newsgroups are available to University students. And John Yates, director of workstation services for the School of Arts and Sciences and senior director of information systems and operations for SAS Computing, said he is not sure how the decisions made at CMU will affect the selection of newsgroups at the University. "There's a fine line to walk between censorship and free speech, and it's a really difficult line to walk," he said. "All kinds of legal issues are involved. I'm taking a watch and wait attitude." Carnegie-Mellon has convened a committee of faculty, students, staff and administrators to examine the material in question and ultimately make a recommendation to the school's president for consideration in formulating future policy.
(11/14/94 10:00am)
It was not yet 7 a.m. Friday, but it certainly looked like it would be a good morning. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and about 100 students were already streaming down Locust Walk, wearing red and blue Penn sweatshirts along with sleepy smiles as they anticipated 15 seconds of nationally-televised fame. Outside the Sweeten Alumni Center, Good Morning America weatherman Spencer Christian couldn't stand still -- and his excitement was contagious. Hopping, skipping and jumping around the Walk in hopes of warding off the early-morning chill, even clicking his heels at one point, Christian repeatedly rehearsed the opening sequence for his segment of the show, reciting tidbits of the University's history to a closed camera lens. "There's nothing like planned spontaneity," he quipped five minutes before airtime, provoking knowing laughter from those who had gathered for the live broadcast and had been strategically positioned by Audience Coordinator Liz Marino. Christian welcomed the nationwide viewing audience with a shot of students milling around in front of the Castle, and then proceeded to the steps of the Fisher Fine Arts Library, where he interviewed University President Judith Rodin. The crowd cheered enthusiastically when Christian introduced Rodin as the Ivy League's first female president, and became even more boisterous when Christian asked how the University compares to Harvard, Yale and Princeton Universities, schools often regarded as "the best of the best." "Nobody told us," Rodin said, referring to Christian's assessment. "Penn is one of the greatest, and we'll hold our own with anyone." Christian then walked to College Green, where, flanked by a statue of Benjamin Franklin, he talked with History Professor Michael Zuckerman about the University's founder. Zuckerman told Christian that Franklin was a Renaissance man and classical liberal who would have been "wiped out" in last Tuesday's elections. Most Philadelphia residents, however, did not see Zuckerman's interview, because he was featured at 7:25 a.m. -- when local ABC affiliate WPVI-Channel 6 normally breaks away from the show for news and weather. Zuckerman said his preemption "revealed the place of history in the pecking order of things," but added that he had a good time on the show and would not hesitate to appear on television again. Christian's second weather segment originated inside the Fine Arts Library. Network personnel and students then traveled to the "Ben on a Bench" statue at 37th Street and Locust Walk, where Christian interviewed Quaker football co-captain Michael "Pup" Turner and Harvard Crimson football captain Ed Kinney. Following Christian's third weather segment, shot in front of the Kappa Sigma fraternity house, students approached him for autographs and information about breaking into the television business. He said he was most surprised by the "casual attitude" that seemed to prevail on campus. College sophomore Paige Greene, who had been traipsing around campus with Christian since the start of the show, said she was having a great time, despite the windy weather. "We're learning a lot about behind the scenes, what goes on," added College sophomore Jennifer Rubinacci. Christian then balanced on a student's bicycle in the middle of the Walk, poised to violate the University's bike ban as he waited for his next cue. Before the weather map came up, students crowded around him, waving to the folks at home. As he passed in front of the camera, Sam Rivera -- a Wharton senior and president of El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztl
(11/10/94 10:00am)
The suicide of a former Cornell University student and accidental death of a Villanova freshman last week have raised questions about the techniques college students employ to cope with stressful schedules. Both students had apparently been drinking alcohol before they died. Dustin Klingbergs jumped into the Cascadilla Creek Gorge -- part of which runs through Cornell's campus -- shortly before 4 a.m. on Nov. 4, according to information provided by the Ithaca, N.Y. Police Department. Klingbergs was walking home with a friend, the police report states, when he suddenly became despondent. A brief struggle ensued as Klingbergs's friend attempted unsuccessfully to stop him from jumping into the gorge. Klingbergs was "barely alive" when authorities found him, according to Cornell spokesperson Larry Bernard. Efforts to revive him failed. On the same day, Villanova freshman James McGarry had been at an off-campus party, evidently consuming alcohol, said the school's spokesperson, Barbara Clement. He had been back on campus -- where alcohol is not permitted -- for about an hour on Saturday, Nov. 5 before he fell while attempting to slide down a banister in a nearby train station. McGarry died on Sunday. A memorial service for him has already been held at Villanova. Cornell spokesperson Larry Bernard said the school has no more suicides per year than any other similarly-sized institution, but when students kill themselves by jumping into the gorges their deaths are more widely-publicized. "So far in 1994, there's been one suicide attempt by a Cornell student, and it was unsuccessful," Bernard said, excluding Klingbergs since he was not registered for classes at the time of his death. In the wake of the tragedy, Cornell has intensified discussions with City of Ithaca officials to place barriers under the bridges that cross gorges on campus. "The problem we see with this is that the barriers would have to run the entire length of the gorge," Bernard said. Cornell's Student Health Service continues to offer programs on stress management and relief, he added, with an on-line computer counseling service called "Dear Uncle Ezra" and a telephone hotline in place as well. And a receptionist in the psychological services division said the office had been swamped with calls and walk-ins yesterday. Ilene Rosenstein, director of University Counseling Service here on campus, said she cannot remember when a suicide last occurred at the University. Last semester, though, 1993 University graduate Ryan Taylor killed himself in his home state of California. In the event of such a death, Rosenstein said UCS would and did conduct intervention programs for anyone with connections to the victim, whether through residences, academic departments or extracurricular activities. UCS is also heavily involved in preventative services, according to Rosenstein, providing individual counseling for walk-ins and by appointment, and offering various support groups and workshops. "Pressure is definitely an issue, and I think Penn students put a lot of pressure on themselves to be the best," Rosenstein said. "We have to make sure they have the coping strategies to deal with that. "We need to learn how to live balanced lives," she added. "That's very hard when you are trying to be the best." But Rosenstein said the host of factors that can lead someone to suicide are "really very complicated." Loss, pressure and depression may combine to create a sense of hopelessness or helplessness, causing the person to believe that killing himself represents the only way out of a difficult situation. Rosenstein cited a doubling in the amount of "walk-in emergencies" seen by UCS staff last year to prove that students are not only feeling a greater urgency to get help in solving their problems, but also becoming less reluctant to seek necessary assistance. "Have high goals for yourself, but when you don't achieve those goals, accept that and keep on persevering, don't take it so personally," she said, when asked for advice on how to mitigate scholastic pressure. "Part of succeeding is failure."
(11/09/94 10:00am)
HERSHEY, PA. -- For supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Singel, the chocolate capital of the world was a bittersweet place to be last night, as Singel and his runningmate Tom Foley were narrowly defeated by Republican Congressman Tom Ridge and Mark Schwieker. In the cavernous ballroom that served as Singel headquarters at the Hershey Convention Center, a mood of careful, cautious optimism prevailed among Singel volunteers. Hoping to celebrate victories for Democrats across the state and the country, they gathered around a large-screen broadcast of CNN programming and computerized returns. Yet they remained conspicuously quiet throughout the evening. Sporting a T-shirt that read "Every SINGEL vote counts," Foley spokesperson Rose Wuenschel said early in the evening that she hoped the beautiful election day weather had helped the Democratic party to get out the vote. "I did hear that polling places were seeing a high percentage [of registered voters]," she said, anticipating a long night. "This is the poll that really counts." As Singel and Ridge endured a roller-coaster ride of results, running neck-and-neck at some points and separated by more than four percentage points at others, Singel spokesperson Beth Shipp was reluctant to speculate on the outcome of the race. "We won't know until the very end," she said repeatedly. "Until we have every vote in, we're not calling it." But pollster Terry Madonna, professor of political science at Millersville University, said Singel would lose because he had been caught trying to "outcrime" Ridge after his opponent aired an advertisement about Reginald McFadden, a convicted criminal whose sentence Singel voted to commute. The emphasis on crime took Singel's energies away from key issues such as his experience and efforts to create jobs in Pennsylvania, Madonna said. "Up to that point, the election was dead even," he added. "The whole thing started to fall apart with McFadden and with the subsequent negative commercials." Madonna said he did not believe the candidacy of Independent Peg Luksik had significantly impacted on Singel's support base, instead blaming the lieutenant governor's loss on a lack of decisive moves for support from women. Despite Madonna's pessimism, Singel/Foley interns Stacie Clark and Lisa Cunningham remained hopeful. "I think there's still 18 percentage points to go, and I think he's got a chance," Clark said. And Pennsylvania State Educators Association Treasurer Patsy Tallarico, who said his organization opposed Ridge because he favors school choice vouchers that could take state funds from public schools, said if Ridge's election bid was successful, the PSEA would "do the best we can to move forward in education and jobs." "We'll listen if he will," Tallarico said. While the Associated Press called the Pennsylvania governor's race shortly after 10 p.m., Singel did not deliver his concession speech until nearly 11:30 p.m. "You are wonderful friends, you are terrific supporters, and you are like family to me," he told the crowd of more than 300. "We have fought the good fight, we have run the good race." "We must all join together now to make this state as great as we know that it can be, and there is a strong foundation on which to build," Singel added. Linda Rhodes, chairperson of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, reflected on the campaign. "The race was very close," she said. "We did everything we could. "We'll have our day again for the '96 race," Rhodes said confidently. "It means we work, we work hard -- I'll start tomorrow."
(11/08/94 10:00am)
In the spirit of international cooperation and environmental preservation, 28 Russian scientists joined their American academic colleagues for a traditional pot-luck dinner last week in Hayden Hall. The dinner offered both groups the opportunity to interact in an informal, social atmosphere, according to Geology Business Administrator Karen Taylor, who planned the event in conjunction with the Institute for Environmental Studies. Geology Professor and Department Chairperson Hermann Pfefferkorn welcomed the capacity crowd by explaining the philosophy behind a pot-luck dinner. "You take the luck of the pots the participants brought," he said, adding that the guests would also be enjoying a whole roasted pig -- prepared authentically by a South Philadelphia family -- as part of their meal. Less than one month ago, IES submitted a grant application to the United States Agency for International Development to fund the geographical information systems conference that brought the Russians -- who live in the Tyumen region of western Siberia -- to campus. Taylor said she was pleased with the turnout at the dinner, which she estimated at approximately 70 people. The group included graduate and undergraduate Geology students, faculty members and Russian speakers affiliated with the University or living in the Philadelphia area. Russian geologist Valentina Gontchazova said through an interpreter that while at the University, she has learned a great deal from lectures on computerized images, geographical measurement theory and mapping techniques. "We will use this material that we get from lecture in our work in Russia," said Gontchazova, who deals primarily with the research and development of petroleum deposits. "We get a very new approach here." She added that although this is her first trip to the United States, she has found Americans to be very friendly. "Almost everybody can realize his own scientific potential or social potential in this country," Gontchazova said. "Life values here differ -- individuals have priority. In Russia, priority was and stays for [the] group." Second-year Geology graduate student Jackie Frizano, who took some of the visiting scholars to shop at Caldor one last week, said most of the scientists just want to absorb more American culture. "They were very interested in electronics," she said. "All of them wanted to drive the [University] van."
(11/08/94 10:00am)
Satisfaction guaranteed -- or you can try again -- is the newly espoused educational philosophy of two community colleges on opposite sides of Pennsylvania. An academic guarantee policy is currently in place at the Community College of Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh. And Lehigh Carbon Community College, located in the Philadelphia suburb of Schnecksville, plans to implement such a policy this summer. At both schools, the policies have two components, applying to job-seeking graduates and to employers looking to hire competent workers. Allegheny Community College spokesperson David Egan said the guarantee allows graduates of the school's career or technical programs who cannot find jobs within six months of graduation to enroll in up to 15 more credits of major-related coursework without cost. In addition, all students are encouraged to use Allegheny's Career Planning and Placement Service , before and after graduation, to develop a resume, receive interviewing tips and uncover the "hidden job market," he said. The second part of Allegheny Community College's guarantee aims to please employers, providing graduates with up to 15 credits of skill training if they are judged to have insufficient job preparation, according to Egan. Although the guarantee has been in existence for just over one year, only about five students have taken advantage of its provisions, while employers have not utilized the policy at all, he added. "The bottom line is that students come to college because a college education will make them more employable," Egan said. "This program demonstrates that [Allegheny] is on the cutting edge, and that students do not have trouble finding employment after graduation. "I'm sure that year after year, we'll get people taking us up on it, though," he added. "This backs up our teaching and learning process." Lehigh Community College spokesperson Laura Eppler characterized the school's academic guarantee policy, which differs slightly from Allegheny's, as a "new, significant educational development." Under the guarantee's terms, students receiving associate's degrees in the arts or sciences from Lehigh Community College after July 1, 1995 will be permitted to enroll in up to 16 hours of additional coursework if their "skills or competencies do not meet stated expectations of employers or transfer baccalaureate institutions." And students who obtain associate's degrees in applied science will be permitted to take up to 16 credit hours of "retraining courses" for free if their skills do not meet employer-established proficiency levels. The Lehigh Community College guarantee covers tuition only. Students or their employers must pay for books, supplies, transportation or other incidental expenses. Without diminishing the importance of Lehigh Community College's new guarantee, Eppler said she is confident that no more than "a few, if any" individuals will take advantage of it. But the guarantee of graduate preparedness may also make four-year and competitive colleges more willing to accept community college credit. "We see it as enhancing the transferability of our courses," Eppler said. Egan agreed, adding that the Allegheny Community College program shows promise for the future. "Short of unemployment going up 10 percent, I don't foresee a big problem with this program," he said.
(11/07/94 10:00am)
A University student's admission on national television that he unlawfully raised his score on the verbal portion of Scholastic Aptitude Test has placed the charged issue of cheating on campus in the spotlight once again. Although the student's identity was concealed during an interview broadcast last week on ABC's PrimeTime Live, he said he thinks his admission to the University was secured by the 100-point boost he received from using a dictionary during the test. Admissions Dean Lee Stetson, who did not see that segment of the show, said since there are so many elements in a student's record, the SAT score alone is not significant. "I think it's a matter of his judgment, whether he would have been admitted or not," Stetson said. "I'm just disappointed that students would be so blatant to consider cheating at all, let alone in that manner." According to Stetson, large score increases -- greater than 200 points between tests -- often tip Admissions officials off to the possibility of fraudulent test results. He added that the Admissions Office never knows if students who have applications pending at the University have been accused of falsely completing standardized tests -- any suspicious test results are simply invalidated by the Educational Testing Service. But the inclination of students to cheat is not unique to the University, Stetson said. "I think we are typical of most highly competitive institutions," he said. "The pressure to achieve may lead students to stoop to levels that are just not appropriate." Wharton and Engineering senior Matthew Kratter, chairperson of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, said SCUE is very concerned about the issue of academic integrity on campus. The group produced a guide to help teachers catch cheaters in the late 1980s, and is currently working with the Provost's Task Force on Academic Integrity to develop a academic code of conduct, he added. "I think it's a shame that there is someone at Penn who cheated on their SATs and was admitted," Kratter said. "[But] only with positive proof could the University take action." University Provost Stanley Chodorow said he has heard about cheating as a problem on campus from faculty and students alike. Most of the rumors, however, are supported by anecdotal, rather than statistical, evidence. Because Chodorow considers academic integrity a "central value" of the University, he said he is working with students on the Judicial Oversight Committee to develop an honor code applicable to the entire institution. Under such a code, penalties for academic dishonesty would be severe, regardless of whether the infraction occurred before or after matriculation. "If we identified a Penn student who had cheated on the SAT and could prove it, we would take the matter very seriously and might move to bring a charge of false representation against him or her," he said. Anyone who engages in that sort of conduct, Chodorow added, does not deserve to be enrolled at the University -- although no system designed to detect deception is foolproof. History Professor Bruce Kuklick said an incident in his History 451 class five years ago, where 10 students swapped take-home exam answers and were caught by teaching assistants who noticed similarities between their papers, has caused him to take the position that students are not trustworthy. "I do all sorts of things to make sure that cheating does not occur [in my classes]," he said. "I don't like doing this -- I don't think it's an appropriate faculty role." While the awareness of cheating as a "common, but not rampant" problem on campus has increased in recent years, Kuklick said the realization that the problem of academic dishonesty is widespread will not necessarily solve it. "I think [Chodorow] is right in wanting to inculcate on campus a set of attitudes in cheating is just not acceptable," he said. But Kuklick contends that faculty members "ought to have presumptive rights" in cases of cheating, and should be able to act summarily on their suspicions, even though injustice would result if professors' presumptions are incorrect. This position may be difficult to reconcile with Chodorow's plan to involve students, like those serving on the Task Force on Academic Integrity, in the creation of a University honor code, but Kuklick is not concerned. "Chodorow's basic idea is a very good one," he said. "[It is] a real difficult problem that [he] is trying to deal with."
