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(09/28/94 9:00am)
According to Classical Studies Professor James O'Donnell, gaining a perspective on the past is impossible without using the technology of the present -- and future. For O'Donnell, this means conducting courses about the worlds of late antiquity and the Middle Ages on-line, utilizing the University's e-mail system for class discussion and disseminating information to students from Hong Kong to Istanbul via the worldwide Internet. "What we do in universities and specifically in humanities departments has a lot to do with communication -- with getting information together, packaging it, transmitting it, using it," he said in an interview this week. "My interest is not in the gadget part of [this technology], it's in the social and intellectual application of it," he added. Beginning with an upper level Classics seminar last spring, O'Donnell -- who is also coordinator of the School of Arts and Sciences Center for the Computer Analysis of Texts -- has incorporated an electronic component into all of his classes at the University. Whether students download their papers onto the University's computer network for critique by classmates or interact with him in a "textually-based, virtual space" rather than a traditional classroom, O'Donnell characterizes his decision to get on the information superhighway as "the very best idea I have ever had in my lifetime." "It's a way of adding connectivity and interactivity that you wouldn't have otherwise," he added. "I cannot imagine myself ever going through a semester again without this." O'Donnell likened the advent of the information superhighway to the development of the printing press in the 15th century, explaining that just as some people are afraid of the new technology now, there were objections raised against the press when it was introduced. But, he said, these fears are counterproductive and will prevent academics and universities from keeping their mission of education in tune with the times. "If we don't do an aggressive job of taking advantage of what the technology can help us do, we will be marginalizing ourselves and making ourselves irrelevant to society in very short order," O'Donnell said. To avoid becoming obsolete due to the boundless potential for interaction that exists on the Internet, universities need to define the reason behind bringing together students and instructors on one campus, he said. "What I can do in person is more on the order of mentor, tutor, tour guide for the network," O'Donnell said. "I probably can and should be doing less lecturing and information down-loading over time." Currently, O'Donnell is teaching a College of General Studies class on Boethius entirely on the Internet, to an audience of University students, interested people from around the globe and "tuition-paying customers" from other institutions of higher education. He admits, though, that the unorthodox learning environment of the electronic classroom will probably not replace the traditional, face-to-face student-teacher relationship anytime soon. Georgia State University graduate student Cindy Smith, who is working toward her teacher certification in English and Latin, is enrolled in the Boethius seminar this semester. "I've enjoyed the mailing list discussions very much, and they have given me tremendous insight," she said. "What is unique about a mailing list class is that students can talk freely and at length without taking up too much class time." Marguerite Joseph, a post-baccalaureate Classics student at the University, is taking one of O'Donnell's larger lectures in person, but also participating in the required electronic forums. "The actual discussions about the content are held via the Internet with the other 146 people taking the class," she said. "I think this is a great way to have the class because we can read the entire text in the original Latin and discuss it with our class and all the other people. "If the Internet were not a part of the class, we would not have time to do both in one semester," Joseph added. O'Donnell praised the time-saving capabilities of the Internet, as well as the impetus it provides for faculty members to try new teaching techniques. But, he said, professors at the University -- especially in his department -- still do not have adequate time to do everything they want to do. "The budgetary woes of SAS mean that a lot of departments are running on staffing levels 20 percent below what you would regard as efficient," O'Donnell said. "All parts of the system are under strain."
(09/27/94 9:00am)
Former University President Martin Meyerson appraised the University's academic and fiscal situation in January 1972, two years after taking office -- and concluded that its condition was critical. Philadelphia's leading bank had just revoked the University's line of credit and the disaffection endemic to higher education during the turbulent '60s was only beginning to abate. "This much is certain," said Meyerson, who is now a professor emeritus at the University, at the time. "We simply cannot continue as before." To alter the University's state of affairs and in hopes of averting future difficulties, Meyerson proposed three options: making the University a state-related institution, cutting University activities, salaries and expenses or embarking on an unprecedented capital campaign. Although he "strongly favored" the third option, Meyerson stressed the fact that only in conjunction with improved undergraduate and graduate education could a capital campaign insure the University's continued viability. Meyerson charged the University Development Commission -- an investigative body composed of students and faculty members from disciplines throughout the University -- with the task of choosing from the three options. The commission issued its report, entitled Pennsylvania: One University, a year later. The report made recommendations that cut across departments and schools, aiming instead at unifying the University into a cohesive, interconnected whole. "The concept of One University is based on the conclusion that our greatest potential strength and uniqueness lies both in our historic linkage of professional education with the liberal arts and sciences, and in our contemporary advantage of the close physical proximity of our schools on one campus," the report states. Current University President Judith Rodin said even now, more than 20 years later, she agrees with the commission's conclusions. "This is an institution that really has the opportunity to be one University because of the geographical proximity of all of the schools," she said. "This isn't true of our peer Ivy League institutions -- some have as many schools as we do, but none has them all on one campus. "It's an amazing strength, one that we really have to take advantage of for the benefit of our instruction and research," Rodin added. But implementation of the One University concept has not been met with complete praise. Present administrators and faculty members say the guidelines of the University's fiscal management strategy, called responsibility-centered budgeting, have made it difficult to achieve the report's goals. Responsibility-centered budgeting was instituted to increase the University's educational quality, provide a strong base for new fund-raising and insure long-term survival. "It's kind of ironic that a report that identified these strengths also set up mechanism that diminished them," said Mathematics Professor Gerald Porter, past chairperson of the Faculty Senate. A type of cost-centered accounting, responsibility-centered budgeting sets spending "targets" for money-making departments or programs and limits the expenditures of their counterparts without balanced budgets, according to Vice President of Finance Stephen Golding. "Basically, [responsibility-centered budgeting] is the recognition that the schools and centers [at the University] are individual operating units, with responsibility for generating sufficient revenues to meet their programmatic requirements and to cover their on-going, day-to-day expenditures," Golding said. "It has evolved over time into a management philosophy where the schools raise their own endowment, and generate revenues through their own programmatic enhancements," he added. Porter said the budgeting system is a double-edged sword. "In many ways, responsibility-centered budgeting is a very good thing, because it puts financial control at the level of the school," Porter said. "On the other hand, it's become a management system that provides incentives for schools to act independently of the University." Nursing professor Barbara Lowery, chairperson of the Faculty Senate this year, agreed with Porter. "Although many will say it doesn't happen, schools may not allow students into other programs because they'll lose tuition money," Lowery said. "The budget system needs honing." An integral component of responsibility-centered budgeting, according to Golding, is the "central university subvention pool" -- funds set aside and allocated by the provost to provide departments with equal access to general University services, regardless of their individual financial positions. But Provost Stanley Chodorow said responsibility-centered budgeting "tends to create independent units, corresponding to the budget centers, and to limit the ability of the provost to move resources from place to place in accord with a set of University-wide priorities." And according to Porter, the introduction of responsibility-centered budgeting decreased the strength of the University's central administration. "You've created a new financial federalism, taken power away from the provost," he said. "The schools act autonomously in many ways, except when they run into financial problems and they come running to the provost." Responsibility-centered budgeting is causing renewed concern on campus now because of cutbacks in funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a decline in the University's unrestricted revenues, and the prevailing economic downturn, Golding said. "Responsibility-centered budgeting does pit schools and centers against each other in competition for scarce resources, and in that environment you end up making decisions on financial grounds, rather than programmatic grounds," he added. Despite its flaws, Meyerson said he believes the One University report had a tangible impact on the University. "There was a fair amount of opposition to the Development Commission at the start," Meyerson said last week. "By and large, though, faculty, staff and students were pleased [with its work]." Legacies of commission proposals affect almost every area of university life, from the official school calendar to the technological and audio-visual needs of the library system. They include: ·Integrated academic programs such as Management and Technology and International Studies, which permit students to draw simultaneously on the resources of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Engineering School and the Wharton School. ·The division of the Quadrangle into four first-year houses -- Upper Quad, Spruce Street, Butcher-Speakman-Class of '28 and Community House -- and the establishment of Ware and Modern Languages College Houses, which have added a learning component to living on campus. Meyerson said the University modeled its houses on the residential colleges of Yale University and the college house system in use at Harvard University. ·The Freshman Seminar program and research-oriented University Scholars program, which provide undergraduates with increased access to faculty members. In addition, Meyerson urged the commission to raise money for 100 endowed professorships, since the 91 chairs that existed in 1972 were "underendowed and?unfilled too long," according to the report. ·The creation of the Office of International Programs, which has encouraged growing numbers of students to study abroad, while bringing numerous international students and scholars to the University. "I had worked very closely with the commission on all of these matters," Meyerson said. "My whole career had been an effort to cross disciplines, and I was determined that we would do that at Penn. "One of the suggestions of the rubric of One University is the crossing of disciplinary and professional lines," he added, explaining that he has taught in fields ranging from public policy and university history to city planning during his career. Porter, agreeing with Meyerson, emphasized the importance of the University's ability to create intelligent connections between separate schools and programs. "We want to attract the best students to the University, so we have to find our own niche," he said. "Our niche is the combination of professional and liberal arts education, and that's the only way we're going to succeed." Lowery said the University needs to build on its established strengths in the area of undergraduate education. "We have a lot of wonderful links, which undergraduates experience in their dual-degrees and research," she said. "We do pretty well, but we could do better." Responsibility-centered budgeting has changed a lot since its inception, Golding said. He added that today's version, based on "one-year smoothing" -- where one-year old financial data is used in calculations -- is more effective than the original set of cost algorithms used in the early 1970s. "Responsibility-centered budgeting has shown its ability to adapt to the changing environment," Golding said. But responsibility-centered budgeting is not perfect, according to Rodin. "We're involved in a consultation about our management structures," she said. "Everything is on the table." Meyerson said he looks forward to the new ideas Rodin and Chodorow will infuse into the University. "It may be that we've gotten too large in some parts of the University and some parts of our undergraduate education," he said. "Undergraduate education constantly requires a new lens, and I think this is about to happen."
(09/26/94 9:00am)
As a state-aided institution of higher education, the University annually receives more than $28 million in funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Currently, the state imposes no guidelines on how that money should be spent, except to specify amounts that will be distributed by the General Assembly to certain University divisions or departments. But state Auditor General Barbara Hafer believes Pennsylvanians have a right to know exactly how their tax dollars are appropriated to institutions of higher education across the state. On Tuesday, she brought her case to the state House of Representatives, offering recommendations on the implementation of allocation guidelines to the newly-created Task Force on Higher Education Funding. "It is no longer sufficient for state-funded entities to simply indicate where our tax dollars are spent," she told the task force. "Now they must answer the question why, and verify that those funds were used to the benefit of our citizens as defined by explicit goals, objectives, and guidelines established by the General Assembly." Hafer emphasized the need for accountability in her testimony before the task force. "The answer to providing accountability for the investment of state dollars in higher education is the establishment of spending guidelines," she said. "These guidelines should delineate allowable expenditures, limitations and penalties for non-compliance." Community college spending in the state is regulated by the State System of Higher Education and governed by directives from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and the state Department of Education. But no similar regulations exist for state-related universities -- such as the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh -- and state-aided institutions, like Temple and the University. These establishments only need to prove they can spend state money in order to receive it, Hafer said. "The message is finally becoming clear to these schools: They can't have it both ways -- private when they want to avoid public examination of their spending practices, and public when they want taxpayer money," she said, recommending a complete overhaul of the present allocation system. According to Steve Schell, Hafer's press secretary, higher education has always been a priority for the auditor general. "Beginning with audits three and four years ago, we noted an absence of guidelines," he said. "The new approach is offering a recommendation to the General Assembly about a revised allocations process. "When you set guidelines, you can have accountability," Schell added. "Without guidelines, there is no accountability." State Representative Ronald Cowell, who is chairperson of the task force, said he agrees with Hafer's suggestions. "Currently, the General Assembly distributes more than $1.5 billion for higher education across the state without being clear about what we expect in return for that investment," he said. "We need to be more specific and clear in terms of why we're giving appropriations to institutions." Cowell added that he does not expect the imposition of guidelines to change the amount of money appropriated to colleges in the Commonwealth by the General Assembly.
(09/19/94 9:00am)
Former President Jimmy Carter, Senator Sam Nunn (D - Ga.) and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell seemed to do the impossible last night, securing a peaceful end to the illegal rule of the military government now controlling Haiti. As the negotiations about Haiti's political future stretched late into yesterday evening, University professors were hesitant to predict the United States' course of action with respect to the troubled Caribbean nation. They were, however, willing to comment on America's relationship with Haiti, and how previous American activities have affected both the probability of democracy's return to Haiti and the future of the Clinton administration. "There's nothing good that can be said about the current Haitian government -- if there ever were bad guys, they're bad guys," History professor Bruce Kuklick said, referring to the junta of Raoul Cedras, Philippe Biamby and Joseph Michel Francois. Under the terms of the agreement worked out last night, the three will remain in power until the Haitian parliament passes an amnesty act. "[President] Clinton has boxed himself into a corner where, for better or for worse in American foreign policy, he is perceived as weak, inconsistent, not very strong," Kuklick added. While Haiti represents only a minor foreign policy crisis for Clinton, if an agreement had not been reached, Clinton's credibility as a foreign policy leader would have been completely "shattered," Kuklick said. "This entanglement is disconcerting, disheartening and disappointing, if one is concerned about the stability of the American presidential system, the credibility of our national political leadership, and about the faith people have in the good will of American leaders," Kuklick said. Yet according to Assistant History Professor Ann Farnsworth-Alvear, Haitians probably do not harbor much good will toward American leaders. "The legacy of American intervention in Haiti, and the United States occupation from 1915 to 1934, left a legacy of anti-American feelings," she said. "The army was built up [by the United States] to repress the locals, and designed to support a dictatorial regime. "From a historian's perspective, none of the rhetoric of democracy rings true," she added, stating that Cedras was on the Central Intelligence Agency's payroll before he took control of Haiti in the September 1991 coup. "The only thing I think I can comfortably say is our history of occupation of Haiti is a very sad one," History Professor Nancy Farriss said. Farriss was certain that American troops would enter Haiti -- whether as an invading force, or as an escort for exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. But because of "deep structural problems" in the country, she is not sure what effect intervention will have. "I don't think there is anything an outside power can do to resolve [the structural problems]," she said. "There is virtually no middle class, a shattered economy, and no real tradition of democratic government. "Haiti has been plundered by a small elite for a long period of time," Farriss added. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(09/16/94 9:00am)
Staples of the freshman existence are spartan: extra-long sheets, ramen noodles, mass quantities of highlighters and, of course, the class facebook. But for members of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Class of 1998, the annual freshman facebook was a little late this year. According to The Tech, MIT's student newspaper, concern about possible racist interpretations of the MIT Freshman Picture Book's cover illustration -- a cartoon of a monkey in a lab coat, asking "What does 'intuitively obvious' mean?" -- led MIT President Charles Vest to delay its release. MIT junior Risa Wechsler said although she took the original picture from a book of fairy tales "that was read to us as kids," she did not create the final drawing. "We modified it to make it more relevant to MIT," she said, by adding a pocket protector and calculator. "I was very surprised by the reaction -- I didn't anticipate anything like it." Wechsler said the phrase "intuitively obvious" is a standard expression used by professors when students do not understand a concept. "It's become a total joke students make fun of," she said. In fact, the phrase is so commonly employed at MIT that it serves as the title of a series of videos about campus life produced by and for African-American, Asian and Hispanic students. For Vest, the connection between the videos and the quote on the facebook cover was racially insensitive. He suggested two courses of action for the book's publishers, Technology Community Association -- sell them without covers or do not sell them at all. Vest made the suggestions before the book went on sale and before he had received any complaints about the cover. "The Freshman Picture Book, which is considered to represent the Institute to our new students, unfortunately and unintentionally was published with a cover that easily could be misinterpreted as racially derogatory," Vest said in a written statement. "Experiences on many campuses, including ours, clearly indicate such events have caused substantial anguish within the student body and community, despite the fact that no ill will was intended," he added. Trying to avert a monetary loss, TCA, a group similar to Penn Student Agencies, worked out a compromise with Vest to sell the Picture Book -- with a simple white cover featuring a black oval -- to new students during Residence and Orientation Week in August. "I took responsibility for the decision to replace the cover before its distribution and offered to pay the costs of printing and binding the new cover," Vest stated. At the University, the freshman facebook is published by the yearbook, Poor Richard's Record. Freshmen submit their pictures and pre-order books through a summer mailer. Books are not sold during New Student Orientation. "We use our own pictures [for the cover], and the decision comes from the editor-in-chief," said Engineering senior Derek Wong, photography editor of the Record. "We try to have something representative of Penn's campus, and if we have photos, we would tend to use those [and not graphic art]." Black Student League President Robyn Kent, a College senior, said she approved of Vest's actions. "There's no place in society for anything that's racially derogatory," she added. "It shouldn't be tolerated against my race, or anyone's race, but it happens all too often."
(09/14/94 9:00am)
For Criminology and Law Professor Marvin Wolfgang, the recent outbreak of violent crimes committed by juveniles is an unfortunate confirmation of his empirical research. "The public polls show that crime is one of the most serious problems people are concerned about, even more than health reform," Wolfgang said in an interview this week. "Crime in general has gone down, but what has gone up is juvenile crime, and juvenile violence with assault weapons," he added. Wolfgang, called "the most influential criminologist in the English-speaking world" by the British Journal of Criminology last spring, has been teaching at the University for 42 years. During his tenure, the Criminology Department has grown from "a series of courses in the Sociology Department" to an important subsection of the Wharton School's Legal Studies Department. Currently, Wolfgang is director of the University's Sellin Center for Studies in Criminology and Criminal Law, named for his mentor and predecessor Thorsten Sellin. He teaches undergraduate courses in introductory criminology and white-collar crime, as well as advanced seminars in criminology research and theory. And he holds a joint appointment at the Law School, where his seminars tackle the topic of criminal justice. Wolfgang's work at the University centers around the Sellin Center's longitudinal studies of segments of the population born in specific years, called "birth cohorts." Two such studies have been conducted in Philadelphia, tracing the development of males born in 1945 and males and females born in 1958, to determine overall rates of juvenile delinquency in society. "China is now using our work as a basis for longitudinal study of children born in 1973," he said. "We're following them up -- they're now 21 -- to see how many of them have a juvenile record, how many of them have criminal careers. "To me, it's one of the most exciting things I could do, to have a delinquency study in the most populous country in the world," he added. Wolfgang also collects and analyzes data about the incidence of crime on campus and in the world at-large. His research reveals that violent crime has become more "random" in recent years, as homicides between "intimates and family members" give way to car-jackings and drive-by shootings. "I think the major factors associated with the increase in violent crime among young people between 15 and 24 are two things: the availability of guns and drugs," Wolfgang said. "The only thing we can do is be more protective and more conscious of what's going on." He said the University is not alone in its susceptibility to criminal activity -- crime rates are high at Yale, Columbia and Michigan State Universities, and the Universities of Michigan and Chicago. But, Wolfgang said new federal sentencing guidelines -- including mandatory sentencing laws and the crime bill's "Three strikes and you're out" provision -- are not the panacea for the crime problem. "Most violent crimes are committed by persons between 15 and 24, so if we put three-time offenders away for life, we're going to have a geriatric prison population," he said. College senior Mark LoSasso, who took Wolfgang's introductory course last spring, said that while he thinks the class was interesting, some of Wolfgang's ideas seem "dated" and "a little old-fashioned." "It was obvious that he knew his material," LoSasso said. "I just question the way he teaches it." For Wolfgang, however, an approach that is rooted in the past continues to be the best way to solve the problems of crime. "If I were the Mustafa Mond of the brave new world, I would put more and more money into a Head Start program," Wolfgang said. Such a program -- pioneered by the Johnson administration in the 1960s -- reduces delinquency by 25 percent and increases high school graduation and college matriculation rates, he said. "You have to start early with high-risk kids," Wolfgang added.
(09/09/94 9:00am)
As classes commenced at the University yesterday, those familiar first-day-of-school jitters surfaced for freshman students and faculty members alike. The nervousness and excitement that accompanies new challenges and responsibilities lingers for both groups of freshmen, although they are at opposite ends of the lecture hall. History and Sociology of Science lecturer Myles Jackson described his first class yesterday as a "wild and crazy" graduate seminar. "It was pretty much what I expected," he said. "There were seven people, which is a good turnout for a graduate class." Jackson likened his first day of classes to the "opening day of football season." "You have a lot of butterflies, but you're not allowed to hit anyone," he said. "You have a lot of energy to use up in the classroom." Before starting classes, College freshman Johanna Matloff said she was worried about a lack of classroom attention from University faculty members. Yesterday morning her fears were alleviated in History Professor Bruce Kucklick's "Recent American History" class. The only freshman enrolled in the course, or the only one brave enough to raise her hand when asked, Matloff's first-year status provided Kuklick with an avenue for reminiscing about his first year at the University, when male freshmen were still required to wear "dinks," or beanie-style hats. Matloff said she was slightly unnerved by the unorthodox way her first college class began, but being the focus of fellow students' interest did not dampen her enthusiasm for History 164. "I really like history and I wanted to take this class," she said. "I was kind of shocked when he asked [if there were freshmen in the room]. I was hoping maybe there would be some other freshmen in here, that's why I raised my hand. "I could follow everything [Kuklick] was saying," Matloff added. "I probably took too many notes, but I'm really interested in the class." She admitted, however, that she is uneasy about being the only freshman in the lecture. Assistant History Professor Frederick Dickinson characterized his first day on the job as "a marvelous experience." Dickinson said he taught "a little bit here and there" before coming to the University, but never structured a whole class himself. Aside from anxiety about procuring books and bulkpacks, and organizing a syllabus, Dickinson said he is eagerly anticipating teaching an East Asian diplomacy course and a freshman seminar this semester. "[The East Asian diplomacy course] was a fun class and the students seem responsive," he said. "We'll see how many show up for the second session." Assistant Psychology Professor David Knill, who arrived at the University about a month ago, said teaching his graduate seminar is not the overwhelming part of his new job. "I came back from a long weekend and was a little bit swamped with all of the work from my department," he said. "This is different from being a peer researcher. "I know my first undergraduate class is going to be nerve-wracking, but that's not 'til next term," Knill added with a laugh. College freshman Eva Dohanics said her calculus and German classes provided some surprises. "I expected a lot of people, and there were a lot of people," she said. "But I expected the professor to be a little bit more professional -- he was wearing a pink t-shirt!" Apparently, the flexibility of a college schedule -- the opportunity to start studying at noon or take two hours for lunch with friends -- also agrees with this year's freshmen. "I had a great day -- it was what I expected," said College freshman Carin Kaplan. "I was nervous until I got to the first class. "[College] is just like high school, but you're walking outside," she added. "It was fun -- I don't know why I thought it would be -- but it was."
(09/08/94 9:00am)
Marketing Professor Scott Ward, who was arrested last fall for alleged prostitution and pedophiliac activities, will probably not go to trial until October, according to Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Tom Egan. "The case is still on hold," Egan said in a phone interview yesterday. "Time constraints are not as pressing because Professor Ward is not in jail awaiting trial." Ward faces 11 counts in all, including criminal attempts to commit corruption of a minor, prostitution, and involuntary deviant sexual intercourse. "We are currently completing litigation regarding materials [the defense] is trying to get from the Commonwealth -- police reports, witness statements, police notes, physical evidence," Egan said. In the meantime, Ward is back in the classroom, and "will continue his academic responsibilities during the legal process," according to a statement released by the Wharton School's Public Affairs Office. This fall, he is scheduled to teach three sections of Marketing 621, an MBA course entitled "Marketing Management: Program Design." Ward did not teach during the spring 1994 semester. "I'm very much looking forward to returning to the classroom," he said last night. Ward's arrest on October 1, 1993 followed a six-week sting operation, during which Ward allegedly offered money for sex to Sean McMahon, an undercover state trooper posing as a teenage boy. The resulting four charges were dropped in November, when District Judge Caroline Stine determined that a microphone used to record Ward's conversation with McMahon had malfunctioned. In February, the charges were reinstated by Conshohocken Judge John Sachaczensky after a petition by Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Chris Maloney. Six other counts were filed at that time by a 17-year-old victim, who claims he had sexual contact with the professor between 50 and 100 times, beginning when the victim was 13-years-old. Involuntary deviant sexual intercourse is the most serious charge Ward faces, since it carries a 10-to-20 year prison sentence with conviction. Also, because the crimes involve minors, state mandatory sentencing guidelines enforce a minimum five-year sentence. Ward's attorney, Jean Green, was on vacation and could not be reached for comment about the case. But Ward, who has maintained his innocence since October, said he anticipates the trial with confidence. "I'll be found innocent when the facts finally come out," he said. "All there's been so far is innuendo."
(06/30/94 9:00am)
Fox Chapel Area High School '93 Pittsburgh, Pa. With a revised constitution and a new executive board, the United Minorities Council is looking ahead to another year as the voice of minority students on campus. The UMC represents many campus cultural groups, including the Chinese Students Association, El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, South Asia Society and Black Student League. Other UMC organizations are the Vietnamese Students Association, Japan Cultural Society, Asociacion Cultural de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, Hong Kong Club and Caribbean American Students Association. Six Directions, the University's Native American student group, was added to the UMC this spring, bringing to 10 the total number of constituent groups. "It's wonderful that they have joined [the UMC]," said College senior and former UMC Chairperson Jun Bang. "I think they can contribute things other groups do not have, namely the Native American culture." There has never been a cap on the number of groups allowed to join the UMC, but Bang said she expected the executive board elected last semester to debate the question. The executive board will serve during the upcoming academic year. It was elected under a new procedure developed during the semester-long revision of the UMC's constitution which occurred this spring. In addition, the UMC executive board decided to change the qualifications for membership because its description of minority groups at the University rested on an "ethnic and cultural, not racial" basis, she said. Bang added that the clarification should result in "more focus and cohesiveness" among the UMC's member groups. The constitution also provides for election of the UMC chairperson and vice chairperson about one month before the remainder of the executive board each spring, to insure that new leaders have adequate time to learn from their predecessors, Bang said. Current UMC Chairperson Liz Melendez, a College junior, is the first chairperson chosen under the new system. She said it made her transition much easier. And Wharton senior Jenny Ho, vice chairperson of the UMC, said she is happy with the constitutional changes. "I'm really ecstatic that we were able to put [them] into place before the new year began," she said. "It gives us a really strong base from which to work." The new constitution also creates the non-voting position of member-at-large for "minority" students who want to be involved in the UMC without joining one of its constituent groups, the document states. Finally, the constitution calls for the formation of standing committees which will handle admissions, the celebration of cultures and programs. This year's celebration, co-sponsored by the Greenfield Intercultural Center and the Social Planning and Events Committee, was the largest of the five which have happened on campus, Bang said. This spring, the UMC's Admissions Committee also worked to coordinate Minority Scholars Invitational Weekend. Other UMC members helped to plan a resource fair for students of color, which included dinner, speakers and information from various University departments, and the opportunity to interact informally with administrators.
(06/30/94 9:00am)
Fox Chapel Area High School '93 Pittsburgh, PA African American residents of W.E.B. DuBois College House and Jewish students living in Cleeman, a dormitory in the Community House section of the Quadrangle, found common ground in the experience of harassment this year. Students were the target of harassing phone calls and bomb threats in DuBois, and students found swastikas taped to a fire door in Cleeman. On the University's campus, where the issues of student self-segregation, free speech and civility arouse strong feelings, such demonstrations of hatred and intolerance indicate the existence of racial tensions, but not pervasive racism, according to visiting Sociology Professor Paul Root Wolpe. "There is an enormous focus on identities which divide us, rather than commonalities which unite us," the University alumnus said. "You're always going to have people who exploit that climate to express their own biases." In a series of events which outraged the University community last October, anonymous bomb threats and racially-motivated harassing phone calls were received at DuBois, forcing an evacuation of the building. "We consider this extremely serious, and we've taken steps to increase the structural and personal safety of the people in the dorm," University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said at the time. These steps included a "short-term" ban on non-residents in the building, unless signed in by a resident, a policy instituted by DuBois House staff. However, this procedure remained in effect through the fall and spring semesters. College senior Nicole Brittingham, former editor-in-chief of the African American campus newspaper The Vision, characterized the calls as "scary," saying they made campus feel "very threatening." After the first threats were phoned into DuBois, students living in Stouffer College House, Van Pelt College House, Graduate Tower A and an off-campus house at 40th and Locust streets also received harassing calls. Call recipients urged students, regardless of race, to stand together in opposition to the incidents. The perpetrators, however, were not caught. In late March, two DuBois residents were again victims of anonymous calls threatening that "the niggers are going to die tonight." At about the same time, signs saying "The Jewish God Eats Human Shit" and paper swastikas appeared repeatedly, taped to a fire door in Cleeman in the Quad. Community House residents were nauseated and disturbed by the discoveries, which were followed by bomb threats to both Hillel and Lubavitch House. "It makes students more insecure because they have no idea where the threats are coming from," said Nursing freshman Bonnie Sherman. "You should be able to feel safe where you live," agreed Wharton senior Dave Schlosser, the resident advisor on duty during the incidents. Black Student League President Robyn Kent, a College junior, characterized the appearance of swastikas in the Quad as "disheartening and tragic." "It's as if nothing was learned from October," she said. "I see the two incidents as being related. It just goes to show that Penn isn't immune to what goes on in the larger society." Rabbi Howard Alpert, executive director of Penn Hillel, said the harassment did not affect the daily lives of Jewish students on campus. Nevertheless, Interim Director of Victim Support Barbara Cassel urged the University community to respond in a unified manner. Wolpe dismissed the idea that mandatory racial sensitivity classes would prevent future harassing behavior. "Racial tolerance grows through daily interaction and honest dialogue," he said. Acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum encouraged this type of dialogue about the episodes which affected the campus this year, despite its paradoxical effect. "It both builds and breaks the ties between people," she said. "That's the sad thing."
(05/13/94 9:00am)
Lingering questions on the present and future status of the University's Reserve Officers' Training Corps program -- which have frustrated faculty, staff, students and administrators for the past four years -- should be answered within two weeks. At that time, the Committee to Review the Status of ROTC at Penn will submit its preliminary report to Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson. Lazerson announced the committee's "preliminary decisions" at the May 4 University Council meeting. The committee examined options ranging from maintaining the status quo to changing the University's non-discrimination policy to terminating the University's involvement with ROTC, he said. It concluded that the current relationship between the University and ROTC should not be continued, Lazerson added. Instead, the committee recommended an "arm's length" arrangement, with no degree credit given for ROTC classes and no University funding for ROTC support staff, according to Lazerson. This arrangement is much like the one in place at Princeton, where ROTC is not given free on-campus meeting space or allowed to commission cadets on campus. Also, cadets do not receive special recognition at Commencement. However, the committee voted to give the ROTC program an "opportunity for return to full status if Department of Defense policy is revised," Lazerson said. "It was unanimous that this is an evolving national possibility that is going to change," said Captain Michael Tollefson, a committee member. "The courts may surpass the schools." Lazerson added that the committee engaged in an "extraordinary process," examining the impact of all proposed solutions on the economic, regional and gender balance of ROTC cadets, before coming to a consensus on a course of action. Regardless of the committee's recommendation, though, Lazerson said, "no student in ROTC will be adversely affected, and new students will be admitted [to the program]." "Breaking all ties with ROTC is no longer on the table," agreed Education Professor and committee member Kenneth George. "We came up with what we thought was the best option," he added. "[But], the Army and the Department of Defense may pull out in negotiations [of a new contract incorporating the changes], so that may be a moot point." Although the report will be published after most students have left campus for the summer, it is intended for "full comment" from the University community, Lazerson said at the recent Council meeting. Third-year Law student Cheryl Patterson, a Council representative who completed the ROTC program at Princeton University, raised concerns about the timing of the report's publication, because of its potential impact on undergraduates. But Lazerson assured her that "no action will be taken by the University administration until students return in the fall." At that time, a new administration, led by President-elect Judith Rodin and Provost-elect Stanley Chodorow will be in place. The University's ROTC program has been under scrutiny because of the U.S. Defense Department's policy toward homosexuals. Many have said that the policy, which does not permit homosexuals to serve in the military, conflicts with the University's non-discrimination policy. In 1990, Council passed a resolution recommending the removal of ROTC from campus by June 1993 if Defense Department policy had not changed. A similar resolution was passed in April 1991 by the Faculty Senate Committee on Conduct -- and again approved by Council -- but the June 1993 deadline passed without action from the University. Lazerson formed the Committee last fall to address the University's relationship with the Defense Department and to examine alternatives to the current ROTC arrangement. Communications Professor Larry Gross, who introduced the original Council resolution, characterized the Committee's recommendations as a "half-hearted solution." "It is an arm's length compromise on what should be a clear-cut issue and on which this body spoke unanimously a few years ago," he said. "[Reaching a solution] has taken too long."
(04/27/94 9:00am)
In an effort to equalize representation of undergraduate and graduate students, the University Council's Steering Committee has recommended that the Undergraduate Assembly receive five more Council seats next year. According to UA Chairperson Dan Debicella, a Wharton sophomore, the Steering Committee's recommendation will be presented to the entire Council for a vote next month, as part of ongoing Council bylaw revisions. If approved, the additional seats will not be awarded to the UA until October. However, Debicella said he does not think there will be any problems getting final approval for the additional seats. "I think the faculty wants to hear more student input," he said. The UA allocated its new seats Sunday night: one for the UA vice chairperson, one for the UA treasurer, one for an additional at-large UA representative, one for the UA's Ivy Council representative and one for the United Minorities Council. "The University Council is a forum for discussion -- an advisory body to the president and provost," Debicella said. "No matter who got the five seats, I am so happy to increase representation by 50 percent because that just means we have that much louder of a voice on campus." The UA chairperson has given the UMC a Council seat in previous years, incoming UMC vice chairperson Jenny Ho said. But Debicella said this practice was discovered to be in violation of the Council's constitution this year. "It's good that this year we were finally able to officially give them [a seat]," Debicella said. Ho agreed. "It's very comforting to know that we finally have a permanent spot on the University Council," the Wharton junior said."The permanent seat is important because the Council and the UA are recognizing the importance of the minority community, and their role within the mainstream." Incoming UMC Chairperson Liz Melendez, a College junior, voiced similar sentiments. "The precedent has been set that for the past four years, the UMC had a seat on the University Council," she said. "As unofficial as it may have been, the UA still felt there was a need for that person to be on [University] Council. "I'm very relieved that it's official. I went in there arguing for the UMC seat, and I'm not going to take away anyone else's right to a seat," Melendez added. "I'm confident the UA made the right decision." But UA representative Dan Schorr characterized the decision as "absolutely undemocratic," likening it to giving minority groups automatic congressional seats. "The whole point of representative government is that candidates run on issues and students choose who they want to represent them," the College junior and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist said. "You shouldn't give out seats based on who you want to be represented, because that undermines the whole concept of representation," he added. "Basic democracy should be what the UA advocates -- there's no view that's so important that they should be guaranteed a spot on an elected body every year." Schorr said the 14 votes needed to approve apportionment of the new seats were finally received on the "sixth or seventh ballot" at Sunday night's meeting. College sophomore and UA representative Lance Rogers, who also serves as vice president of Ivy Council -- a group of Ivy League student government representatives -- voted for the proposed allocation. "I don't see any reason why the UMC shouldn't have a seat," he said. "There's a lot of controversy that the UMC doesn't represent everybody, but they represent a lot of the people. "It's important that they have a voice within the University," Rogers added. "True, they don't represent everybody, but in talking with their [incoming] chair, I realized they are willing to represent more than they are now -- they are open to new ideas." Rogers also said he is pleased with the decision to extend a Council seat to Ivy Council, a move he sees as "legitimizing [Ivy] Council and bringing it promise." Melendez will serve as the UMC's University Council representative. "I just want to keep insuring that the voice of students of color, in particular, is heard and that concerns that may arise within the minority community will be addressed by the University Council," she said. "In light of the issues of race relations that are prevalent at the moment, I think that it's crucial that the [UMC] chair be on [University] Council, in order to advise the president and provost on how to remedy some of these problems, " Melendez added. She said the recruitment and retention of faculty members of color will be one of her top priorities as the UMC's University Council representative this fall. Outgoing UMC Chairperson Jun Bang, a College senior, could not be reached for comment Sunday night. In the past, Bang attended Council meetings and "helped enlighten the Council as to how their decisions would affect the minority community," Ho said. "Jun did a lot to influence this," she added. "It was one of the last things she wanted to accomplish before her term was over."
(04/27/94 9:00am)
Now that reading days have arrived -- during the deceptive calm between the cessation of classes and the start of final exams -- Navneet Khera can finally slow down. Program Coordinator for the Greenfield Intercultural Center and a fourth-year Ph.D candidate in the University's Education, Culture and Society Program, Khera has been keeping a frantic PACE all semester. He is behind the development and implementation of Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education, a peer education program dedicated to "reopening difficult but necessary cross-cultural dialogues" at the University. "I designed PACE because of my own experiences with difference, both inside and outside of the University," Khera said last week. "Peer education programs have always fascinated me -- they are the most effective way to reach students on campus and educate them," he added. "There is a greater level of receptivity to discussion of [cultural awareness] when it is facilitated by students." As part of his dissertation research, Khera formulated the PACE curriculum -- readings, "segment" seminars with independent consultants, and internship and externship opportunities under the motto "Difference is not deficiency" -- for 20 students selected as PACE peer facilitators in the fall. According to a pamphlet Khera is currently preparing, the facilitators represent a range of racial backgrounds and age groups. They are enrolled in three of the University's undergraduate schools -- the College of Arts and Sciences, the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science -- as well as in graduate-level programs in the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Education. "We didn't set out to do this," Khera said. "It's a microcosm of the campus itself, which I think is wonderful. "They bring the richness of diverse perspectives to the brainstorming of solutions and design of workshops, which eventually reflect a wide spectrum of ideas," he added. "PACE is not about particular ideologies -- it's about providing safe forums for the discussion of all ideas." Wharton junior Samuel Rivera, chairperson of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztl
(04/27/94 9:00am)
The Trustees' Council of Penn Women, a standing committee of the University's Board of Trustees, hosted its annual faculty tea honoring women professors and senior administrators last week. The Council, a seven-year-old group of about 120 members, all of whom are University alumnae, used the occasion to send off current chairperson Pamela Reis, who served a two-year term. "Our mission is to expand the role of women in the University," said Elsie Sterling Howard, a founding Council member and public relations consultant who was installed as the Council's fourth chairperson. "The Council provides Penn women with a national and international network," she said. "Men have always had this, but women never traditionally had the opportunity." Howard is currently co-chairperson of the Council's Communications Committee, and has been a member of its Steering Committee. She was nominated for the position of chairperson by several people on the Council, and her nomination received final approval from the Steering Committee. "I'm delighted to have this opportunity to serve," Howard said. "This organization has created a trampoline for Penn women to break the glass ceiling, in addition to being a net. "Our committment is very strong," she added. Howard said she hopes to increase on-campus knowledge of the Council and its activities, which include career panels, a mentoring program and financial aid for term chairs and research grants. In addition she said she hopes to focus attention on student life issues, like safety. "I also want to do more in the way of regional outreach when Penn women are at home," she said. "And I want to expand our basis with institutional advancement, assisting women faculty members in achieving the preeminence they deserve. "Our ability to interact with the administration can serve as a great conduit for undergraduates," she added. Former Council Chairperson Judy Berkowitz said she was exposed to "some of the most exciting women on campus -- students, faculty and administrators, and women on the Council" when she led the group. Berkowitz advised Howard to "be aware of all her varied constituencies and work to improve initiatives" which the Council has implemented, such as the PennQuest pre-freshman orientation camping trip.
(04/21/94 9:00am)
The United Minorities Council has revised its constitution to encourage increased student involvement and dispel the myth that it consists of "elite Penn groups," outgoing Chairperson Jun Bang said this week. According to Bang, a College senior, the UMC's executive board decided to change the group's constitution because its description of minority groups at the University rested on an "ethnic and cultural, not racial" basis. College junior Liz Melendez, incoming UMC chairperson, said there will be six categories for minority students in the UMC under the revised constitution -- Asian Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, Latinos/Chicanos, Native Americans, Caribbean Americans and African Americans. "[These were] changes that definitely needed to be made," Melendez said. "The way it stood, the constitution was ambiguous. Now, it will allow for the campus to be more clear on what minorities we're referring to when we say United Minorities Council." Bang expects the clarification to result in "more focus and cohesiveness" among the UMC's member groups, while continuing to insure that any campus racial minority group has the chance to join the UMC if it so desires. Another change in the UMC constitution is the creation of the non-voting position of member-at-large. "[Now] anyone who is not a member of a racial minority organization could join the UMC," Bang said, provided he or she follows the admissions procedure delineated in the constitution. The admissions process includes attendance at three consecutive UMC meetings and a presentation about how the prospective member-at-large's goals mesh with those of the UMC to the group's executive board. If at least 10 members-at-large join the UMC, they will be permitted to elect a voting at-large representative, the constitution states. "The UMC is often seen as the voice of minority groups on campus," Bang said. "This is a very generalized view, and the [member-at-large] proviso was made to encourage participation." The third major change in the UMC's constitution is its inclusion of standing committees to handle Admissions, the Celebration of Cultures and Programs as official parts of the UMC. "Fifteen years ago, when the UMC was founded, there was no need for these committees," Bang said. But, the UMC's growth has created a need for increased delegation of responsibilities, especially opportunities for cooperative programming. The revised constitution also alters the timetable for election of the group's chairperson and vice chairperson. Instead of being chosen after spring break, the chairperson and vice chairperson will now be selected in February, so they have adequate time to learn from their predecessors. Melendez is the first chairperson elected under this new system. Wharton junior Jenny Ho, incoming UMC vice chairperson, said she is happy the changes were enacted. "I'm really ecstatic that we were able to put into place before the new year began," she said. "It gives us a really strong base from which to work." The conclusion of the revision process also marks the end of Bang's term as UMC chairperson. Over the past year, the UMC tackled issues as diverse as the racial harassment policy, assigned housing and the Commission on Strengthening the Community's report. Bang said she has achieved her personal goals, which included making the UMC's name more public and increasing the visibility of the UMC's executive board on campus. She said she has been particularly pleased to see more enthusiasm and interaction among the UMC's constituent groups. "The UMC is very vital as a voice for racial minorities on campus," Bang said. "My personal interaction with administrators and other student groups has helped to alleviate the stereotype that the UMC is a militant group and that all they do is complain."
(04/21/94 9:00am)
In a show of solidarity against sexual violence, especially on college campuses, women's advocacy groups from across the University will come together this evening on College Green to Take Back the Night. According to Mary Jane Lee, president of the University's National Organization for Women chapter, tonight's program will begin at 8 p.m. with a keynote speech by Penn Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi. The march, which is set to begin after DiLapi's speech, will follow a course along the perimeter of campus, going from Hill House to the Quadrangle to Superblock, then returning to College Green by way of Locust Walk. The march will be conducted by candlelight, symbolically making dark areas of campus -- specifically those surrounding residence halls -- safer for women. The remainder of the evening's events are centered around a speakout for survivors of sexual assault and their friends, Lee said. Staff members from University Counseling Service will be available to students during this segment of the program, and Pennsylvania NOW President Barbara DiTuillio is scheduled to attend, she added. College junior Debra Pickett, an executive member of the Women's Alliance leadership team, was instrumental in organizing the speakout. "Our goal is not to just have people spontaneously running up and telling horrible stories," she said. "The point of the speakout is for the women. It's to impress upon women that if they experience sexual violence, they are not victims, they are survivors, and they are not alone." Take Back the Night marks the end of Countdown Week, during which members of the University's NOW chapter handed out purple ribbons on the Walk to raise awareness about sexual violence against women. A chicken-wire sculpture in the shape of a female symbol was also on the Walk all week. Students were encouraged to tie a white ribbon to the sculpture to symbolize each incident of sexual assault which has affected them or their friends. "The tying of the ribbons was really an effective way for people to become aware of the amount of sexual violence on our campus and among our peers," said second-year Social Work student Shannon Parker, a co-facilitator with the group White Women Against Racism. "I also thought the distribution of the purple ribbons was a great way to spread the word," she added. Parker said she thinks the march will be a "unifying and empowering" event for women on campus. "I hope it increases awareness of sexual violence on campus and the need for services," she said. "Historically, that's been the purpose of the march."
(04/18/94 9:00am)
T-minus-3, and counting. Today is the first day of Countdown Week, an effort by women's advocacy groups from around the University -- under the auspices of the Penn Women's Center -- aimed at increasing awareness of sexual violence, especially on college campuses. Countdown Week will conclude Thursday evening with a Take Back the Night march and speakout, directed toward women who have been victims of sexual assault and their friends. The march will follow the perimeter of campus, going from Hill House to the Quadrangle and then from Superblock down Locust Walk to College Green. It will be conducted by candlelight, symbolically making dark areas of campus safer for women. Beginning today, members of campus advocacy groups, such as the National Organization for Women, the Women's Alliance, the Panhellenic Council and the Feminist Collective, will be handing out purple ribbons on Locust Walk to draw attention to their cause. According to University NOW President Mary Jane Lee, the ribbons are designed to promote knowledge of violence against women and encourage actions to prevent it. "On different levels, we feel [the march] is important this year," the College sophomore said, referring to the use of rape as a weapon in Bosnia and the rash of sexual assaults on campus last fall. "The basic premise [behind the march] is very simple: women don't feel safe walking along the streets at night by themselves," she added. In addition to the ribbons, there will be a chicken-wire sculpture in the shape of a female symbol on the Walk all this week, Lee said. White ribbons will be available for students to tie onto the sculpture, with each symbolizing a sexual assault that has affected a student or someone he or she knows. Take Back the Night marches happen on campuses around the country, and have been notably strong at Columbia University, said University NOW Vice President Negin Noorchashm, a College sophomore. Although a march was tried at the University in 1989, it did not become an annual event due to a lack of student interest and unified support from women's groups. Planning for this year's march began last semester, Lee said. "Crucial work" has been done in the past two months, with most of the campus women's group's becoming involved over the last month. "We feel this is something that should be done collectively," she added. College sophomore Bett Schumacher, an Alpha Chi Omega sister and chairperson of the Panhellenic Council's Women's Issues Committee, agreed. "Panhel is the biggest campus women's organization in terms of numbers," she said. "Every chapter I hope is going to participate [in the march] -- it's for every woman, and not just for different, specialized groups." Noorchashm added that the march is essential to promoting their cause. "[A march] is necessary at a campus in a big city like Penn, to increase awareness of the sexual violence that goes on around here," Noorchashm said. "I think it's a big problem and we hear less than what actually happens." While the University's NOW chapter is not SAC-funded because it is a political organization, Noorchashm said members hope to make Countdown Week and the Take Back the Night march annual events. The Offices of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Health Education and Student Life, Activities and Facilities are helping to underwrite the costs of the activities this year, Lee said. "I really hope that [the march] raises awareness on campus and shows everyone that the people on this campus are concerned about these issues and are doing something about them," Noorchashm said. "I don't think people realize how much sexual violence goes on," she added. "Hopefully, this will open everyone's eyes."
(04/15/94 9:00am)
In a lecture focused on scholarship and sex and their influence on American society, Professor of Humanities and "radical libertarian" Camille Paglia educated and entertained a crowd of close to 500 with her controversial views last night. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Matthew Santirocco described Paglia as "one of the most exciting and provocative cultural critics writing and speaking in America today." She came to campus to give the Philomathean Society's annual oration, co-sponsored this year by the College Lecture Series and Connaissance. Paglia began by explaining that University students, not faculty members, had invited her to give the oration. "That speaks volumes for American intellectual life," she said. "Your faculty would not invite me -- they are not interested in ideas, debate and dissent." Paglia attacked American faculty members in general as "inert, passive and completely out of touch with reality -- twerps whose knowledge would fill a thimble." "I want the students to have a greater critical sense about the faculty," she added, stating that she feels faculty members have given the power of governing on campus to a "master class of administrators." She went on to blast the "insularity and cliquiness" of humanities departments around the country, explaining that she has "great hope for this generation if they can free themselves from leftist dogma." Paglia next tackled the subject of free speech, calling herself a "militant" advocate of the idea. "Words must never be policed, as they are at Penn," Paglia said, drawing an enthusiastic reaction from the audience. "I believe in offensiveness for its own sake," she added later, further characterizing speech codes as "ridiculous." Paglia urged students to "be loyal to the scholars of the past" by exploring the resources available in University museums and libraries, to compensate for the "corruption of academic life" in America. Women's issues were also on Paglia's agenda. She criticized the funneling of women into fast-track careers, emphasizing instead the importance of "values of the spirit, expressed in religion and art." Paglia then delineated her "prescription for academic reform," which incorporates the deconstruction of academic departments, changes in the tenure system and a core curriculum requiring all students to study art, history and traditions of world religions. "Multiculturalism has got to be put into effect on a scholarly basis," she said. "Above all, we must defend free thought, free speech and scholarly standards." Paglia added that words are no longer sufficient to transmit information to students who are accustomed to the staples of popular culture -- television, cinema and rock music. "Students are in a malaise because what they get in the classroom bears no resemblance to the culture they see outside of it," Paglia said. Finally, she discussed the importance of individuality, encouraging students to follow their own instincts, in imitation of the 1960s "cult of individuality" ideal. "The purpose of education should be to open paths to students, to provide intellectual guidance," she said. Following this statement, Paglia opened the floor to questions. Paglia addressed the conflict between classicism and romanticism, the "far too high" legal age for sexual consent, the decline of the American nuclear family due to "seething incestuous feelings" and the question of God's existence. The situation in Meyerson Hall B-1 became tense when Paglia began bashing gay rights activists as "isolated," but it calmed when she silenced a student contesting her view with a bitterly sarcastic comment. Students said Paglia's remarks were enlightening, if irreverent. "People dismiss her for her radical ideas, and in doing so fail to recognize the depth of her studies and the insight that gives her into what she talks about," said College freshman Steve Caputo. "Her contradictions were inevitable," College sophomore Katie O'Connor said, agreeing with Caputo. "That doesn't invalidate her ideas."
(04/11/94 9:00am)
Still passing up those Sweet Street desserts at Stouffer because of concern about the infamous "Freshman Fifteen?" Eating a salad at Commons sans dressing after stepping on the scale this morning? Is the imminence of summer increasing your early swimsuit-season anxiety? If so, members of the student health education group Guidance for Understanding Image, Dieting and Eating have a message for you this week -- You're Worth More Than Your Weight. According to College senior Vanessa Lacoss, a member of GUIDE's executive board, the purpose of the group's awareness week is increasing campus consciousness of issues related to eating and body image. "We're trying to focus on getting all people -- especially women -- to not equate body image with self image," she said. "Our goal is to raise awareness, to make people aware of the effects of body image in their daily lives." Programming aimed at accomplishing this goal begins today, with a display in The BookStore window of books on body image by University President-elect Judith Rodin and other women authors, Lacoss said. Events are also scheduled through the remainder of the week. On Tuesday at 7 p.m., "The Famine Within" -- a film about body image and the pressures placed on contemporary women to be smaller than what is healthy -- will be shown in the sixth floor lounge of High Rise North. An open nutrition workshop will take place on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Student Health Education Office, located in room 310 of Houston Hall. On Thursday, a film focusing on students' attitudes about body image, eating and workout habits -- produced by former GUIDE coordinators and University alumnae Deb Enegess and Angela Ferrari -- will be shown at 7 p.m. in the HRN sixth floor lounge. Lacoss said GUIDE has been working on this first-ever body image awareness week -- which takes the place of the Peer Health Education Week -- for about a month. "[Body image] is such a prevalent issue, the more people that could be made aware, the better it could be," said College senior Arinn Sunshine, who also serves on GUIDE's executive board. "Sometimes, [GUIDE] gets lost in the other student health groups, so we wanted to make our own stand," she added.
(04/08/94 9:00am)
Carefully guarding their candles from the biting wind, close to 200 students with yellow felt Stars of David proudly pinned to their coats assembled in Superblock last night for a walk to College Green in memory of Holocaust victims. As darkness fell, the group proceeded silently down Locust Walk, stopping the conversations of passing students in mid-sentence with a solemn start to the University's observance of Yom Ha'Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Engineering junior Marc Johnson, chairperson of the Hillel governing body, the Va'ad, began the evening's program when the group reached the Peace Symbol near Van Pelt Library. After reciting a poem entitled The Hangman, Johnson spoke about the Holocaust, calling it "an unthinkable event" and speculating on the causes of German hate for Jews, gypsies and other minorities during the era of Hitler's Third Reich. "We are supposedly living in a golden age?man has conquered so much in recent years," he said, referring to recent gains in science and technology. "But how much progress has been made in increasing communication between people? "It is our responsibility to be aware of what is occurring in society," he added. Father Tom McGann, director of the Newman Center, related his personal experience with the Holocaust, brought home by photographs of bombed-out cities, battlefields and concentration camps, taken by his mother, an army nurse. College sophomore Deborah Chasan offered a unique perspective on the Holocaust, gained through her participation in a March of the Living to Poland and Israel in 1992. "I was so horrified and shocked by what I had seen [at the camps] that I could not even shed any more tears," she said, adding that her faith was restored when she met Wanda, a Polish woman who, as a righteous gentile, hid Jews during the war at great personal peril. Wharton sophomore Sam Chandan represented the gay, lesbian and bisexual community, reminding the assembled students that discrimination against members of sexual minorities is ongoing. "The Holocaust recognizes that the ritual persecution of gay and lesbian people is the norm," he said. Also representing the gay, lesbian and bisexual community was College freshman Melissa Krakowski. College freshman Abigail Lindenbaum was the last student to speak. Focusing on the social, intellectual and political changes which swept through Europe during the Holocaust years, she discussed how Jews transformed the yellow star mandated by the Nazis from a mark of shame into a badge of honor. "Only those who can face realities can hold their own in this world," Lindenbaum said, describing a formula for survival in the wartime climate of fear and hatred. "The affirmation of our Jewishness is the significance of this day," she added. Students reacted strongly to the speakers and positively to the program in general. "I thought it was really moving," said College freshman Renee Fishman. She added that since her knowledge of the Holocaust comes strictly from the Jewish point of view, Chandan's remarks about how the Holocaust affected homosexuals had the greatest impact on her. "I have mixed feelings," said College sophomore Alon Gitig. "As a practicing Jew, this is very important to me -- but while the Holocaust is such a central Jewish event, it is also a time to reach out to everyone. "Altogether, it makes for general human awareness, what you need on a university campus like this, especially in light of race relations [here]," he added. College freshman Rachel Fried agreed with Gitig. "It's very important to make [observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day] public," she said. "That it's outside, and not in some auditorium, lets people know what's going on." Lindenbaum, who said she was "very pleasantly surprised" by the turnout, added that she hopes the high attendance trend will continue at today's events. Commemoration of Yom Ha'Shoah -- including the reading of 20,000 Holocaust victims' names and a Roots Jewish learning marathon -- continues throughout the day, with a concluding ceremony scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Peace Symbol.
