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(09/09/91 9:00am)
High Rise North residents are complaining that what came down must now go back up. A stencil marking one of the lobby's elevators an "express elevator" disappeared over the summer, confusing new residents who did not realize the lift was designated for those living on the 15th floor and above. Residents of the higher floors said last week they feared the express elevator designation had been abandoned, and several said they considered express elevators a necessity to avoid long waits when entering the building. But Tim Monaco, head resident of High Rise North, said Friday that a painter would mark the elevator later this week. West Campus officials also said temporary signs could be put in place to mark the express elevator. Monaco added that with or without the signs, residents of the lower floors generally learn to avoid the special elevator. "People follow it," Monaco said. "I've seen people who live on upper floors, when people on the lower floors get on, they give them a hard time and they don't ride it anymore." Several residents of lower floors said last week that they rarely use the northeast elevator because of ingrained experience in other high rises. Still, several residents of higher floors said not everyone is yet aware of the elevator's special status. "It creates a problem when you live on the higher floors and on the way up it stops at all the lower floors," Nursing sophomore Elisa Katz said. "Especially, people who live in High Rise North for the first time don't realize the elevator is supposed to be an express elevator and they get off at the first or second floors." Katz, who lives on the 20th floor, said long elevator delays discourage her from stopping by her room between classes to drop off books. Some residents said that when the sign is repainted, it should look like the red, white and blue murals painted on elevators in High Rise East and High Rise South. The old sign was a small black painted stencil that many residents complain was ineffective. College senior Robert Hernandez said he and his roommates had lived in the same 23rd-floor room for three years because of the high-altitude view of the city, and told friends that the express elevators made the tradeoff of long elevator waits livable. He said he and his roommates would prefer to have the signs replaced. "It's not going to make my life a living hell or anything, but it certainly would be nice to have it reinstated," he said. "I mean, it's a nice service."
(09/09/91 9:00am)
Community service is no picnic. That's the lesson approximately 150 Community House residents learned Saturday as they visited 22 local community service agencies as part of "Into the Streets," a nationwide program the house participated in instead of their annual first week picnic trip. Teams of students from the Quadrangle dormitory learned about the operation of the agencies they visited, and also pitched in to do work for the groups wherever possible. Students chose the organization they wanted to work with. Both students and organizers said the day was a worthwhile, albeit tiring, experience. "Everyone was really exhausted, which I see as a positive thing," project coordinator Aletha Todd Daniel said. Daniel helped lead a group which visited LULAC, a group working within a Latino community in North Philadelphia. The team toured a community arts center and helped students at a bilingual school write essays on how they would improve their neighborhood. Daniel said members of her group were impressed by the maturity of the children's essay responses, and also by community efforts to improve the neighborhood through gardens and painted murals. Wharton freshman Sanjay Kacholuya, who also visited LULAC, called the day "a big success," saying it gave him chance to try out his Spanish knowledge and also learn about Philadelphia. "I found the contrast in areas between West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia to be extreme," Kacholuya said. "It was quite an eye-opening experience from that point of view." "I hope to continue along with the volunteer program," he added. "It was a really great experience." Daniel said Saturday's "Into the Streets" program was a success for educating students about Philadelphia, but said she was also encouraged by several students who said they wanted to continue their community involvement. "That to me was my goal, but not necessarily the goal of 'Into the Streets,' " she said. Faculty Master Peter Conn and a Community House team helped out at a Habitat for Humanity site in West Philadelphia. The group renovates blocks of abandoned houses. "My impression is . . . that we will try this again next year as a super way to begin the year and set the tone for the year," the English professor said. Participants also agreed that "Into the Streets" was an improvement over Community House's traditional picnic trip. "I thought this was actually a much better idea, because this is actually going and helping the community," College sophomore Michael Capell said. Capell helped lead a group which went door-to-door in South Philadelphia for the Eastern Service Workers Association, which helps people not supported by labor laws, such as farmers, domestic workers and temporary workers. Students informed residents about the agency and signed up those who were interested. A group of pro-choice students who visited the Center City offices of the National Abortion Rights Action League made phone calls asking NARAL members to call a state senator and voice their opposition to the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas. Not all groups were able to help out at the agencies they visited, but all learned about the workings of their organization. Visitors to the AIDS Task Force learned about the agency's anonymous counseling services, free test site and food bank. A group which visited two West Philadelphia police mini-stations to learn about criminal justice and race relations also learned about the techniques of con artists, the interplay of different cultures in the area, and even what it is like to be locked up in a police paddywagon. "It's airconditioned," said surprised College junior Jasper Reynolds, also a team leader. Reynolds also said it was important that students become aware of community service opportunities at the start of the year. "Unless you start at the beginning of the year, you can't start at all," Reynolds explained. "If you install it at the beginning of the year, they think right away 'Oh, community service.' " "Picnics you can have anytime," Reynolds added.
(09/09/91 9:00am)
With the fall of Soviet Communism, can the fall of the Quadrangle's "Commie House" be far behind? On campus, the Quad's Community House dormitory has long been referred to by the nickname "Commie House." But the collapse of the Soviet Union's government has led Community House residents to quip they are "the last vestige of Communism." Officials, however, say turmoil in the Soviet Union does not necessarily mean the house's nickname must become a part of history as well. Like a half dozen republics and a handful of Baltic states, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone declared last week that Community House is quite independent from the Soviet Union. "Certainly Commie House has never had close ties -- or any ties -- to the Communist party, so I'm not sure they should change their name," Simeone said. This has never stopped residents from implying an association. In the past, residents have entitled the house newsletter the "Commie House Manifesto," dubbed the dorm council the "Politburo," and designed T-shirts with the likeness of Lenin and the Soviet Union's hammer-and-sickle emblem. Although Faculty Master Peter Conn claims no particular allegiance to the nickname "Commie House," the English professor said last week the name has never made him see red. "It's a student-run set of decisions," Conn said. Others were equally ambivalent over the moniker. "I guess that people have wondered, 'Geez, well, what happens to Commie House now?' " Assistant Dean Cheryl Groce said. "I don't know -- it's always been kind of a fun thing anyway, so I guess we'll roll with the punches and see what happens."
(09/06/91 9:00am)
Outwardly, Aletha Todd Daniel seemed confident. But a faint waiver in her voice belied a certain nervousness underneath. "I think Saturday will be pretty successful," Daniel said. "I hope Saturday will be pretty successful . . . " Daniel, a graduate assistant for the University's Program for Student-Community Involvement and a student in the Graduate School of Education, is helping to organize Community House's first annual "Into the Streets" program for this weekend. Approximately 200 residents of the lower Quadrangle dormitory will fan out over Philadelphia tomorrow to observe and help at 22 community service agencies throughout the city. Organizers say the effort is intended to make Community House's freshman residents aware of neighborhood problems and what they can do to help. It is also serving as a pilot program which could be expanded to other dormitories next year. The program is the result of efforts by last year's Community House residents to come up with an event more in keeping with the spirit of the college house than their annual picnic trip. Residents approached Senior Faculty Resident Peter Conn with their idea for a community service program last April. "This was an idea that came from the students, it didn't come from anyone else," Conn said. "Actually, my initial reaction was sort of skeptical because of the amount of organization that was involved." "In my view, it's a really remarkable undertaking," the English professor added. "I think it has a chance to make a real difference." Daniel and others planned the event over the summer, arranging for the agencies to show students what they do, and for the students, still at home, to choose agencies. Working down to the wire this week, they were putting the finishing touches on Saturday's bagel brunch and a hoagie dinner, and obtaining everything from tee-shirts to subway tokens. Nursing junior Sarah Horne said Wednesday she was somewhat surprised to find herself on the opposite side of the room from her fellow R.A.s. "It made me stop and think, because there's got to be some point to the other side or they wouldn't be standing over there," Horne said. Horne's group of about 10 students will help out at the Greater Philadelphia Food Bank. A local food company has donated bins of macaroni weighing about 1,000 pounds to the food bank and the food bank needs help bagging the pasta for distribution. The agencies said they are looking forward to the chance to meet the students. "I'm very pleased that Penn is making this emphasis for freshmen to get out and see what's around them in West Philadelphia," Habitat for Humanity volunteer Ellen Lindsey said. Students who visit Habitat for Humanity will help rebuild a block of West Philadelphia homes. "If the students can have open eyes and see the realities of what is here, it can lead to good things," she added. "Into the Streets" started in New York City in 1989. It has also been tried in Los Angeles and New Orleans, and will be attempted on campuses nationally in November. Program for Student-Community Involvement Director Todd Waller said "Into the Streets" has been known to change lives in the past. "Some people have . . . profound reactions, where they've changed their major or made career decisions," Waller said.
(09/06/91 9:00am)
Including Gov. Robert Casey, 243 elected officials voted this summer to grant the University $37.6 million for the 1991 fiscal year. There were, however, three who disagreed. But despite the fact they voted together, these three members of the state House of Representatives seem to agree on little else. One believed state spending should be kept to an absolute minimum on all issues. Another felt the University was not using state funding to keep tuition down, as he felt the money was intended. And the third felt the $19 million Gov. Casey proposed in February was closer to what the University deserved. The state Senate and House of Representatives passed a $36.7 million funding plan for the University in August. The measure, House Bill 1555, restored the University's state allocation to the last year's level, without including any increase to compensate for inflation. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate, 50-0, but in the House, Gaynor Cawley (D-Lackawanna), James Gallen (R-Berks) and Kenneth Kruszewski (D-Erie) all dissented from the 192-member majority. Gallen said his "nay" was a simple matter of trying to limit state spending. "As far as I'm concerned I would have gone with a scorched earth budget," Gallen said this summer. Gallen said his vote was consistent with a personal policy of voting against so-called "non-preferred" spending bills, except for those supporting cancer research. Non-preferred spending is contained in a series of 40 bills outside the state's general fund budget, and helps fund state universities, museums, hospitals and research institutes. Rep. Cawley insisted that his vote against the University's funding bill was not a vote against higher education in general. "I think that education is probably our best investment in spite of what I did on the vote," Cawley said Wednesday. But Cawley said he agreed with the governor's original budget proposal and was displeased with the spending increases other lawmakers added to the proposal and the tax increases enacted to pay for them. Cawley said he also disagreed with most non-preferred spending, although he voted for the bills much more often than Gallen. His major exception: Pennsylvania State University's funding, because he had spent time at the school's research and medical facilities and was impressed with them. But he still questioned whether the state should be responsible for funding non-preferred institutions. "I think that it ought to be looked at because of the other services that this state is mandated to provide," Cawley said. "We should go back to when they were put in and why." First-year Rep. Kruszewski said he saw state aid for schools such as the University, to some extent, as a form of assistance to slow tuition increases. He reasoned that since many aided schools continue to increase both their state aid requests and their tuition each year, the end result of budget negotiations -- no increase or decrease in funding for the University -- might serve as a just punishment. "They should operate for one year at their past appropriation because every time we appropriate the money their tuition goes up," Kruszewski said. "But I still ended up and voted for the budget and tax appropriation," Kruszewski added. "I had the courage to do that." All three representatives insisted their cuts came as an attempt to solve the budget dilemma. For Cawley, that meant voting against both spending and tax increases. For both Gallen and Kruszewski, it meant voting against many spending bills but placing the crucial votes for a tax increase. "I was not part of the problem," Gallen said. "I did not vote for the spending -- but I did vote to pay for it."
(09/06/91 9:00am)
Now, legislators are beginning to wonder exactly where this money is going. Tough fiscal times and recent spending scandals at major universities are increasing interest in enacting a Pennsylvania "Higher Education Right to Know" law, a measure which could require state-funded schools to make accounting information public. The state already has so-called "Sunshine Laws" for its cities and towns, which requires them to open their records and meetings to the public. But colleges in the state -- including the University -- are not officially "state actors" and are often allowed to keep their financial records under wraps. Schools and some of their friends in the legislature generally oppose the move to open the accounting books, arguing that open records would put them at a disadvantage in recruiting faculty and administrators. The most recent form of the law, House Bill 1075, drafted by House Education Chairperson Ronald Cowell (D--Allegheny), now sits in the Senate Education Committee awaiting consideration when lawmakers return to Harrisburg next month. It would apply to all schools currently receiving state funding, including the University. The bill would not force the University to open its meetings to the public. Cowell disagrees with the schools targeted by the bill, saying that right-to-know legislation could actually help them financially. "I pride myself on being an advocate for more adequate funding [for higher education]," Cowell said Wednesday. "It's easier to advocate more funding if there is confidence in how our state funding is being used, so I look to right-to-know language as a way to increase public confidence for us and increase public support for more adequate funding." The University currently has said thanks, but no thanks. "We'd prefer not to be in it in the present form," Assistant Vice President for Commonwealth Relations James Shada said this summer. Shada annually serves as the University's lobbyist in the state budget process. "It's early at this point since the education committee has not met on the bill, and we hear second- or third-hand that there will be changes on the bill," he said. While the House of Representatives passed funding bills for state-funded schools in early August, Cowell proposed a right-to-know amendment to the funding bills for Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, and Lincoln University similar to his bill in committee. The amendments passed by overwhelming five-to-one margins in the House, but were quickly stripped from the bills when they reached the Senate. Senate leaders said the amendments would stir debate and needlessly delay a solution to the state budget crisis, then a month overdue. House members did not attempt to tack the amendment onto spending bills for non-state related schools, like the University. Many, however, expressed interest in considering the separate bill that includes all state-aided schools when they return to Harrisburg. "My primary interest is with Pitt, Penn State, Temple, and Lincoln," Cowell said Wednesday. He added, however, that he does not oppose the inclusion of other schools, such as the University. Senator Chaka Fattah (D-Philadelphia), minority chairperson of the Senate Education Committee where the bill now sits, said in July he expects the bill to be amended to exclude all but the four state-related schools. The bill could alternatively be written to exclude schools, like the University, which receive less than five percent of their budget from the state. "I think it puts universities at a competitive disadvantage," said Fattah, whose congressional district includes the University campus. He added the proposal could be a "disincentive" in many university procedures, including negotiating salaries with employees. Under the broad language of the proposed law, salaries would become public knowledge, making competitive bargaining with potential recruits difficult. Although he said the same argument can be made for keeping state budget information private for state related schools, the larger state funding appropriations these schools receive may, in the eyes of lawmakers, justify making the information available to state taxpayers. But Cowell disagreed, pointing to schools functioning under similar laws in other states. "They seem to continue to operate very effectively," he said. In Pennsylvania, interest in a right-to-know law was heightened late this spring by disclosure of a multi-million dollar retirement package and $700,000 in low-interest mortgage loans offered to former Pitt President Wesley Posvar by the school's trustees. The scandal touched off a round of state investigations by Auditor General Barbara Hafer. In an early July session of the state Senate, for example, Senator Patrick Stapleton (D-Indiana) focused on the incident at Pitt in a speech calling for more rapid consideration of the right-to-know law. Cowell said his interest in passing the legislation has gone beyond this recent event. "I had introduced a bill before there was any coverage about the problems at Pitt, but the incidents at Pitt have given emphasis to the question," Cowell said. Federal investigations of the use of so-called "indirect research funding" at the University and other large research schools across the country has also generated concern. (CUT LINE) Please see BILL, page 4 BILL, from page 1
(09/06/91 9:00am)
A mailing mix-up has delayed progress on veterinary oncologist Ann Jeglum's year-and-a-half old tenure grievance against the University. According to University policy, Jeglum should have received a response from the provost's office to her complaints in mid-August. But she said this week the response has not come, even though the provost's office maintains it sent it a month ago. "The provost has written her and offered her something and she has not yet replied," Deputy Provost Richard Clelland said Tuesday. Clelland has just returned from vacation and said the response was sent "a month ago." But Jeglum said Tuesday that she has received any notification. "If they are communicating by lawyers, it hasn't happened there either," Jeglum added, saying she met with her lawyer Monday. Jeglum left her office in the Clinical Studies division of the University Veterinary Hospital last February. She now works in a West Chester veterinary clinic and lab. She was denied tenure in 1987 and 1989 and filed her grievance shortly after. Neither Jeglum or Clelland will specify the grounds for her grievance. The faculty grievance committee heard the case last year and forwarded its confidential recommendations to Provost Michael Aiken. Aiken reviewed these recommendations and made his own ruling, which is outlined in the letter sent to Jeglum. Clelland would not describe the provost's ruling. Aiken said he became aware of the communications mix-up yesterday. He declined to discuss his response.
(08/08/91 9:00am)
HARRISBURG -- What's a state lawmaker to do when faced with an all-nighter of budget proposals and negotiations? Order out for pizza, of course. Pizza delivery cars circled past the entrance to the state capitol's rotunda late Saturday evening, passing off pizzas to senators, representatives and their legislative staffs facing an all-night budget session Saturday. What was different this year was that legislators would soon be voting to tax the pizza delivery they were enjoying, as part of a new tax plan to raise $2.9 billion in additional revenues in the 1991-92 fiscal year. The controversial measures included a one percent increase in the personal income tax to 3.1 percent, and an 18 cent increase in the cigarette tax. In addition, Pennsylvania's 6 percent sales tax on "nonessentials" now applies to a number of new items, including premium cable television channels, long distance phone calls, household paper products, magazines and delivered baked goods -- including pizza. "We're going to be rivaling Tax-achusetts here," local Domino's manager Dave McGarvey complained this week. Although many area pizza places must already charge sales tax because they are eat-in restaurants, Domino's Pizza -- which can classify itself as a bakery since it lacks an eat-in area -- must now add sales tax to its prices. Off-campus subscribers to Wade CableVision may also feel the tax pinch if they choose to order channels beyond the basic cable subscription. Assistant General Manager Janine Stewart said the tax would be even harder on low-income families in the area. "We do feel it's not fair to our subscribers who depend on cable as their main source of entertainment," Stewart said. But according to Purchasing Department Director Robert Michel, the University itself should be largely unaffected since it is classified as a non-profit institution, and therefore exempt from sales tax in most cases. The University may even become a tax haven for students who enjoy making long distance calls. Since the University is generally not charged sales tax, on-campus users of the University's Penntrex phone system may find that their long distance service is sales tax free.
(08/08/91 9:00am)
HARRISBURG -- Governor Robert Casey signed into law Monday a bill which provides the University with another year of state funding at the last fiscal year's levels. Since there is no funding cut in the new budget, the bill drastically reduces the need for last spring's contingency plan developed in response to Governor Casey's proposed $18.6 million reduction in the University's appropriation last February. The bill virtually eliminates the need for a $6 million dollar deficit approved by the trustees this spring, and reduces the pressure to cut 300 faculty and staff positions or halt campus building projects. In the short term, it should also relieve some of the strain on financial aid programs. "These funds help insure our ability to support need-blind admissions for hundreds of Pennsylvanian students, making sure that every admitted student with financial need receives the necessary scholarship aid to enroll," President Sheldon Hackney said in a statement Tuesday. However, the appropriations -- which lack any increase to compensate for inflation -- are unlikely to reverse this year's 6.7 percent tuition increase, which broke a five-year trend of annually decreasing the rate of tuition increase. Passage of the $37.6 million spending bill was one of several nonpreferred appropriations measures approved by the governor as part of a $13.9 billion general fund spending plan for the 1991-92 fiscal year. Along with a proposal calling for $2.9 billion in new taxes -- the largest increase in Commonwealth history -- the legislation brought an end to the 34-day state budget deadlock. The University's proposal, House Bill 1555, passed in a unanimous 50-0 vote during Saturday's Senate session, an all-night marathon that stretched into Sunday afternoon. Last Thursday, the bill passed in the state House of Representatives on a 192-3 vote, with 3 abstentions. Those representatives opposing the University's appropriations bill were Gaynor Cawley (D-Lackawanna Co.), James Gallen (R-Berks) and Kenneth Kruszewski (D-Erie). Several administrators said this week they were extremely pleased by the University's funding success in what many called the worst state budget process in eighteen years. They added that the support the University received from trustees, alumni, parents and students while lobbying for funding was also extremely gratifying. "That was a wonderful part of this torturous process -- to have people come out and support Penn as they never did before," John Gould, executive director of the President's office, said Tuesday. James Shada, assistant vice president of Commonwealth relations, also credited the University's friends in Pennsylvania for hundreds of letters and dozens of personal visits to state lawmakers. "They really went out and did what we asked them to do," Shada said. "That's the most important kind of support we can get." Shada and his associate Paul Cribbins, director of city and Commonwealth relations, can now take a break from their summer vigil in Harrisburg -- but they must also complete the University's funding request for next year, due in September, and write "thank-you letters by the score." "It means we return to our families and we return to a normal style," Shada said. "Which is certainly welcomed by our families and ourselves as individuals."
(08/08/91 9:00am)
You can mix business with pleasure. That's one of the messages sixty four high school students from all corners of Pennsylvania received at this year's Pennsylvania Governor's School for Business. The students, entering their high school senior years, spent five weeks at the Wharton School enjoying some hands-on business education, with all expenses paid by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The participants came from all corners of Pennsylvania. In the past, up to a third of the students in the program have gone on to attend the University. This year, the Governor's School received both a new director, Wharton Undergraduate Associate Director Elizabeth Bennett, and a programatic overhaul. "[In a] curricular sense, it's been much different than it has been in the past," Bennett said this week. Under the new curriculum, the program revolves around a simulation game on modern business decision making. In order to compete successfully in the game, students have taken short courses on a variety of business subjects, including Marketing, Finanace, Accounting, Management Science, Marketing, Communication, Business Law, and Business Ethics. Field trips have also played an important part in the high schoolers' crash course in commerce. On Tuesday, for example, students visited KYW television and radio, the Goldman Sachs and Co. investment house, Veteran's Stadium and The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News. And to avoid all work and no play, the group has attended a Phillies game, travelled to Hersheypark and visited the New Jersey shore. Students also held a talent show and invited their favorite educators to campus for a "Teacher Appreciation Night." "The people are great, most of the teachers have been really good," said Cory Firestone, a particpant from Yardley, Pennsylvania. "From coming here I know I'm definitely interested in business." Despite the hectic schedules, Bennett said students have kept up and remained enthusiastic throughout the five weeks, and she will be sad to see them go. "[I'm] sad but tired," Bennett said. "I've really gotten very close to the students." "I've also looked exhausted seven days a week," she added.
(08/01/91 9:00am)
Top city Republican officials announced Tuesday they would recommend city council at-large candidate Joseph Egan as the party nominee for the Philadelphia mayor's race. Republican leader William Meehan, Republican City Committee Chairperson D. Donald Jameison and Republican City Committee Executive Director Joseph Duda released a press statement calling for Egan's selection to the slot previously held by the late Frank Rizzo, who died last month of a massive heart attack. "Joe Egan has clearly demonstrated that he's deeply concerned about the economic viability of the city of Philadelphia," Jameison said in the statement. "He also takes a strong stand on law and order, an issue that deeply affects Philadelphians." The decision of the GOP leaders must first be confirmed today by a vote of Republican ward leaders, but the group has never voted against Meehan's decisions during his 30 years as party boss. Egan will then compete against Democratic nominee Edward Rendell, selected in the May primary, and independent candidate Dennis Wesley, a conservative who dropped out of the Republican primary race last spring. A relative unknown next to Rendell, Egan must raise money quickly and attract publicity if he hopes to raise a serious challenge to the former district attorney in the November general election. Republican leaders appear to realize this. "Joe is relatively unknown at this point in time," Jameison said in the statement. "But by election day, everyone, Republicans and Democrats, will be extremely impressed with his knowledge of the city, the people and the issues affecting their lives." Over the past week, many of Egan's rivals for the Republican nomination bowed out of the nomination race and pledged their support to him. Former fire commissioner Joseph Rizzo, brother to Frank Rizzo, said last week that he would accept the GOP nomination if it were offered to him, but later announced he was battling prostate cancer. Several city newspapers continued to lobby for the nomination of municipal finance consultant Sam Katz. But by early this week, Katz, after talks with Republican leaders, said this was not his year and he would instead support Egan just as he had supported Rizzo. Egan's competitors in his current campaign for the city council at-large seat, incumbents Thatcher Longstreth and Joan Specter, had also been mentioned as possible contenders for the nomination. But Longstreth said this week that he thought someone more confident of their abilities to win the mayor's race should receive the nomination. And Specter had always been a dark horse candidate, since Egan had received more votes than Specter in the City Council primary race. Meehan is expected to select Frank Rizzo's son, Frank Jr., to take Egan's place in the race for the at-large seat. The Associated Press contributed to this article.
(08/01/91 9:00am)
State budget negotiators, who have been meeting behind closed doors in their attempts to pound out a budget for over five weeks, met this week with Governor Robert Casey. The negotiators presented Casey with their tentative spending proposal for the current fiscal year last week, and also began discussing the rudiments of their tax plan with the governor. Last week, several negotiators said they hoped for final action on the spending proposal by this week. However, things did not progress as quickly as legislators hoped. Casey asked for extra time Friday to peruse the spending proposal, and called for separate meetings with Republicans and Democrats at the beginning of this week to debate the plans. Casey did make some initial judgments on the lawmakers' proposals, though. Last week, he expressed concern over the $14 billion spending proposal's size, which is somewhat larger than the one Casey initially proposed in February. As part of Casey's original plan, the University's state appropriation would have been slashed by $18.6 million. State lawmakers revised this proposal in June, recommending the University only lose $5 million. But this week Casey indicated he was willing to budge somewhat on tax issues in order to fund the proposal. Legislators said Casey would not oppose a tax increase even larger than the $2.8 billion plan lawmakers put forth, if it would help avoid a deficit and further tax increases next year. Since next year is an election year, many state politicians hope to put this year's budget mess behind them and keep it behind them through their 1992 campaigns. Many state employees and state aid recipients, meanwhile, have vowed that the lawmakers will never forget this year's impasse. Numerous groups continue to stage noisy noontime rallies throughout the Harrisburg capitol complex on a daily basis. Today marks the 32nd day and the beginning of the second month of the state budget stalemate. The Commonwealth lost its authority to spend money on July 1, and some state employees have now gone without pay for a month. Budget negotiators are again stressing that a budget solution is just around the corner, and some said this week that they hope for a spending plan vote on the House and Senate floors within the several days. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(07/25/91 9:00am)
It is hard to imagine a Philadelphia mayor's race without Frank Rizzo, but that is just what city Republicans are now being forced to do. The Republican City Committee must soon come up with a candidate to replace Rizzo, who won the party's May primary, in the city's November mayoral election. Rizzo died suddenly of a heart attack last Tuesday. The perfect Republican nominee would be able to make up for Democratic nominee Edward Rendell's two month lead in the race by quickly uniting the party, raising campaign funds and becoming a household name. Each is a formidable task. Central to the nomination debate is city Republican boss William Meehan, who is leading the selection process and will have a significant influence over the final choice. Last week, Meehan seemed to be leaning toward former District Attorney Ron Castille, his original choice in the May primary. Castille lost to Rizzo in a narrow three-way contest where municipal finance consultant Sam Katz also received a large portion of the vote. But after many Rizzo supporters indicated they would not back -- and might even fight -- Castille's choice, Castille told The Inquirer Saturday that he likes his current job practicing law but would be willing to drop out of the nomination race "to perserve party unity." Castille instead suggested Richard Glanton for the nomination, a partner at Castille's law firm who served as a top aide to former Pennsylvanian Governor Richard Thornburgh. Also mentioned for the nomination is Katz, who picked up the endorsement of several Philadelphia newspapers during the primary. However, many analysts think Meehan still resents Katz for taking away votes that may have helped Castille beat Rizzo last May. Frank Rizzo's brother Joseph Rizzo, a former city fire commissioner, announced Tuesday that he would accept the Republican mayoral nomination if it were offered to him. Frank Rizzo's press secretary Joseph Cascerceri said Joseph is currently the Rizzo campaign's first choice, but that the campaign would consider endorsing whichever candidate the party nominates. Initially, many in the Rizzo camp had suggested Rizzo's campaign manager and longtime friend Martin Weinberg. Weinberg, however, told The Inquirer Monday that he is a "private person" and would not seek the nomination. Republican party officials met Sunday night at the Torresdale-Frankford Country Club and again Tuesday evening at Palumbo's restaurant to discuss the nomination. GOP officials have said they may decide on a nominee by the end of the month. Another name which came up in the Sunday meeting was City Council Republican at-large candidate Joseph Egan, a former city development official respected in the local business community. He is competing with incumbents Thatcher Longstreth and Joan Specter -- who have both been mentioned for the nomination as well -- for one of two GOP at-large council seats. Choosing any one of the three as the party nominee would eliminate competition for the at-large seats. However, Republican party bosses may not get the final choice. John Trinsey, who went to court and successfully blocked party attempts to choose a successor to Senator John Heinz without holding a primary, has written party officials indicating that he feels the same laws apply in the mayoral nomination. If courts again agreed with Trinsey, Republicans might be forced to hold a special primary to select their nominee. The Associated Press contributed to this article.
(07/25/91 9:00am)
He lived big, and he died big. Thousands turned out last week for the public viewing and funeral services of Philadelphia legend Frank Rizzo, who died suddenly last Tuesday of a massive heart attack. Thursday, 14,000 mourners lined the Benjamin Franklin parkway near Logan Circle outside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for Rizzo's viewing. For nine hours they filed past his casket, each catching a glimpse of the former mayor dressed in a gray suit and red striped tie. For several hours, Rizzo's wife Carmella and several family members stood nearby. Friday, approximately 3,000 attended the Mass of Christian Burial at the cathedral. Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and Rizzo family friend Rev. Richard Skelly, a pastor from Delaware County, presided over the mass. "On this day we thank God for giving Frank Rizzo his earthly life in Philadelphia," Bevilacqua said. "And on this day we thank God for giving Frank Rizzo his eternal life in heaven." Hundreds more gathered outside with dozens of police officers and representatives of the media. Campaign workers handed out leftover signs from Rizzo's most recent bid for the mayor's office. Among the dignitaries in attendance: Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey, U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, U.S. Senator Arlen Spector and Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode. After the mass, pallbearers lowered Rizzo's casket into the hearse as officers froze in salute and a bagpiper played Amazing Grace. Friends of Rizzo lingered outside the church and reminisced about his seventy years in the city. Then, a procession miles long and consisting of over two hundred cars, trucks and motorcycles escorted the former mayor from the church, proceeding on a course which brought the former mayor around City Hall one final time before heading up Broad Street. Thousands more lined the route extending from Center City through North Philadelphia. The motorcade's final destination, and Rizzo's final resting place, was the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham Township. As the casket was interred, officers fired a 21-gun salute and a bugler played taps.
(07/25/91 9:00am)
The provost's office returned a grievance ruling to the Faculty Senate for further investigation last week, effectively delaying a final ruling in the case until fall. The ruling on sanctions against Veternary Microbiology Professor Jorge Ferrer was forwarded back to the Senate committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility because Provost Michael Aiken felt further investigation of the ruling was necessary, Deputy Provost Richard Clelland said Tuesday. Veterinary School Dean Edwin Andrews imposed sanctions on Ferrer last February, stemming from a 1990 incident in which approximately 130 people were exposed to sheep carrying a leukemia-causing virus. The sanctions prevent him from conducting animal research and from conducting or supervising studies of the virus. A faculty committee found last February that although Ferrer was principally responsible for the mistake which led to the incident, he was not guilty of misconduct or of any violations. According to Ferrer, the grievance report sent to the provost found that the dean's sanctions were therefore inappropriate and should be lifted. Ferrer expressed disappointment Tuesday with the provost's decision to return the report. "I understand the committee has done a thorough investigation which includes the report from the two University committees that were charged with the investigation of the matter," Ferrer said. "Therefore, I am not clear on what basis the provost has decided that more investigation is necessary, particularly since there is no new evidence." Provost Aiken, who is on vacation in Wyoming, said last February that although Ferrer was not found guilty of misconduct, the charges against him were not "unfounded" and sanctions could be imposed. The provost's office forwarded the report to the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibilty through Senate chairperson Louise Shoemaker. Shoemaker, however, is out of the country and is not expected to return until the start of the fall term. The committee is also not scheduled to meet until September. At that time, committee members must first choose a new chairperson before they can reconsider their report's recommendations. "The report states that the sanctions imposed by Dean Andrews in his letter of February 1, 1991, are inappropriate and must be rescinded," Ferrer said this week. "The report also rules that the University should take immediate positive steps to restore my reputation and the University must provide me with assistance as necessary to keep my laboratory operational." "In addition, the report stated that it is not legitimate to discipline me by depriving me of opportunities to do research, and that in doing so this violates my academic freedom," he added. Ferrer was also barred from research using animals during the initial investigation which began last June and ended in February, and ran over the seven months permitted by University Policy. Ferrer has said the sanctions might mean the loss of federal and private research funds. "Because of their nature, these punitive sanctions will most likely destroy a research program which, as judged by leading scientists in the field, has made fundamental contributions to leukemia and retro-virus research for more than 25 years," Ferrer said in a statement last February. Ferrer was found responsible for an April 1990 incident in which 14 lambs infected with HTLV-1, a leukemia-causing virus related to the AIDS virus, were permitted to rejoin a healthy flock at the Vet School's New Bolton Center research facility in Chester County. Approximately 30 New Bolton Center staff members and 100 preschoolers later came in contact with the infected sheep. The faculty committee found no violations, however, and reported that those exposed to the lambs were in no danger of contracting the disease, which is transmitted through sexual contact, blood transfusions, breast milk, or infected needles. Of those exposed, 31 have since been tested for the virus; all of the tests were negative.
(07/25/91 9:00am)
It was hot. It was really hot . . . Just how hot was it? It was so hot, Mayor Wilson Goode announced the city was nearing a water emergency as Philadelphia residents opened thousands of fire hydrants to help beat the heat. It was so hot, the Philadelphia Electric Company set record highs for peak usage as tempertures climbed into the upper nineties for four straight days, stopping just shy of the century mark. And it was so hot, University admissions officers broke out the lemonade for prospective freshmen. As the blazing sun baked the city, students and workers across campus devised numerous measures to deal with oppressive heat and humidity which finally began to let up yesterday. In Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge, admissions officers poured lemonade for prospective students and their parents who made it through the roasting heat of a campus tour. College sophomore Debbie Algazy, an admissions tour guide, said the tours have actually become longer in the heat because guides must slow down to help people deal with the sultry temperatures. "Some of them wear jackets, ties and long sleeved shirts, and I feel really sorry for them," Algazy said. In College Hall, Deputy Provost Richard Clelland said administrators are "huddling" around air conditioners, although he said the building kept out the heat in the summer better than it kept heat in during the winter. Workers renovating the Castle building for the incoming Community Service Living-Learning Program have opened up windows throughout the house in an attempt to catch rare breezes coming down Locust Walk. "We've had some really bad days where it really has an effect on your body," carpenter Peter DiGiuscppe said. So what's a worker to do when the steamy, sweaty day is done? "Sit down and have a beer," foreman Carl Cole said. "You got it -- a couple of beers," DiGiuscppe added. Other outdoor workers said they make similar plans. "All I'm good for is a shower and bed," Parking Enforcement Officer Bernadette Smith said. "Sometimes not even dinner." Working against their dark blue uniforms, Smith said parking officials try to drink plenty of liquids to make it through each sultry day. At Gimbel Gym, hoopsters contemplating a pick-up game of basketball shyed away from the scorching pavement outside. Inside, most traffic was confined to those hoping for a cooling dip in the pool, since the building does not have air conditioning. "But then again, you figure most of the students are gone," Wharton sophomore Alex Morua said. "It's only three months out of the year." Morua added that the second floor weight room has also remained fairly empty as the mercury climbed. "Heat rises," he explained. Despite the searing temperatures, local merchants said there has not been any rush for items thought to help beat the heat. Minh Hoanj, a fruit stand worker at the corner of 36th and Walnut Streets, said that although he has been working in the heat for ten to twelve hours each day, business has actually declined. And Baskin Robbins owner Vincent Forgione also said that people probably prefer to stay at home in air conditioned comfort rather than venture out for ice cream. Forecasters predict weekend temperatures will remain in the hot-but-comfortable eighty degree range.
(07/25/91 9:00am)
After engaging in a war of words for months, warring Pennsylvania lawmakers began to throw punches this week in the ongoing state budget battle. As the state budget crisis enters day 25, state legislators continue to wrestle with sticky tax and spending issues. Since the Commonwealth lost the authority to spend money on July 1 in the absence of new budget, thousands of state workers and welfare recipients have gone without paychecks. But, the process moved forward slightly last Friday as the House of Representatives finally considered a $2.8 million tax increase measure on the House floor. The bill was defeated, 116-85. "I think a tax increase is inevitable if we're going to be repsonsible about our oblgation," House Education Committee Chairperson Representative Ronald Cowell (D-Allegheny) said earlier this month. All 85 votes in favor of the tax package came from House Democrats -- not a single Republican voted for the proposal. Following the vote, a Republican staffer took a photograph of the House's electronic vote board -- an action strictly prohibited by House rules -- and was promptly besieged by several Democrats attempting to recover the potentially incriminating film. In the onslaught, Representative Herman Mihalich (D-Westmoreland Co.) was nearly knocked to the floor. As he recovered, he came up swinging, and allegedly socked Representive Dennis Leh (R-Berks). "That certainly was a classic case of how patience wears thin," University lobbyist James Shada said Tuesday. Shada, assistant vice president for commonwealth relations, said he is still patiently waiting out the crisis and has not been tempted to use his fists as he continues to lobby on behalf on the University with state lawmakers. "I like most legislators," Shada said. "I have some other people I'd like to punch . . . " While Shada's temper may be under control, some at the University might target Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey. Casey originally proposed the $18.6 million cut in the University's state appropriation last February that sent administrators scrambling to Harrisburg to reverse the proposal. A successful House spending plan was later passed that bettered Casey's proposal by $13 million, removing roughly 75% of the proposed cuts while leaving a suggested cut of $5 million. Shada said that figure has since remained fairly constant. "We certainly have heard some encouraging words from time to time, but I haven't seen anything in writing," Shada said. While still hammering out tax and spending plans behind closed doors, senior state lawmakers said this week that an end to the budget crisis is near, and many said several said they expect a solution in the next week.
(07/18/91 9:00am)
The immediate supervisor of a former Veterinary School professor involved in a grievance against the University has resigned, officials at the Vet School said this week. Radiology Professor Darryl Biery asked to resign from his post as chair of Clinical Studies late last month, and his resignation has been accepted by Vet School Dean Edwin Andrews. Biery was the immediate supervisor of Vet School professor and former Chief of Oncology Ann Jeglum, who is currently protesting two tenure denials in 1987 and 1989 through the University grievance process. As her supervisor, Biery mat have been involved in the professor's confidential grievance proceedings in some way. Dean Andrews said Tuesday that the resignation is completely unrelated to the Jeglum case. He added that Biery will remain chair of Clinical Studies for six months until a replacement is found. Biery could not be reached for comment. Last week, the Faculty Senate Grievance Commission committee handling the reevaluation of Jeglum's case reported its recommendations on the matter to Provost Michael Aiken. Because of the report's confidentiality, it is not known whether the recommendation sides with Jeglum or the University. The provost must now decide how to resolve the case. Officials in the provost's office said Tuesday that he is still on vacation and that a decision is still several weeks away, but should come soon. However, Deputy Provost Richard Clelland added that the provost's office will be returning its report on the appeal of Vet School professor Jorge Ferrer to the Faculty Senate within the next week. Ferrer, a microbiology professor, accidently exposed staff and students to lambs carrying a leukemia-causing virus at the Vet School's New Bolton Center last summer. Dean Andrews imposed stiff sanctions on Ferrer after he was found principally responsible for the incident, although a committee found no policy violations and determined that no one was at risk of contracting the virus. Provost Aiken has stated previously that the charges were not unfounded and sanctions could be imposed.
(07/18/91 9:00am)
In what turned out to be Frank Rizzo's last public appearance with his mayoral opponents, candidates gathered at the Bank Street Comedy Club last Thursday to square off in a contest to determine the funniest mayoral candidate. Red, white and blue confetti covered the floor, and smoke filled the air, as each candidate took the stage to present his own stand-up comedy routine. Rizzo, the first candidate to arrive at the club for the standing room only charity event, received an enthusiastic standing ovation from those in already in attendence. Rizzo was soon joined by fellow candidates Dennis Wesley, a Republican who dropped out of this year's primary to run for mayor as an independent, and Democratic nominee Edward Rendell, who arrived late and spent the rest of the evening living down the shame of his tardiness. It was the final time Rizzo would appear with his fellow candidates. Rizzo died Tuesday afternoon, the victim of a sudden heart attack. The event was organized by Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky, who has staged a ficticious bid for the mayor's office in his column, under the aegis of the "Birthday Party." He also competed in the comedy contest. However, of the four, it was Rendell who received the first opportunity to skewer his opponents. "My first thought was to bring the text of the last city council meeting and read it to you," Rendell began. The joke had audience members laughing from the outset -- including City Councilmen Thatcher Longstreth and Angel Ortiz. But Rendell saved his best material for Rizzo. "You are a very, very important part of this city's past, and that's the way we're going to keep it," Rendell told the former mayor. Stu Bykofsky was up next. The columnist began by describing his well-thought out campaign for the coveted title of mayor of Philadelphia. If he won the November election, he said, he would demand a recount. If he was still declared the winner, he would move to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and fight extradition. Rizzo followed Bykofsky. He, of course, relished the opportunity to turn the tables and poke fun at Rendell. "Only good thing I know about him, he married an I-talian," Rizzo said in his characteristically blunt style. But it was a limerick about University alums Rendell and George Burrell, a mayoral candidate Rendell defeated in the May primary, that won Rizzo the most approval. There once was a man named Rendell, Whose ambition no one could quell. He's got such a yen, He's enrolled now at Penn, Taking Campaign 101 with Burrell. Dennis Wesley, the self-proclaimed "stealth candidate," used some of his time to get back at Bykofsky. Earlier in the evening, Bykofsky claimed Wesley was under the mistaken impression that "Taco Bell" was the Mexican phone company, "Gatorade" was a form of welfare, "Sherlock Holmes" was a West Philadelphia housing project, and "judo" was what bagels were made out of. But Wesley instead took issue with a column Bykofsky had written, critcizing him for shorting his name from Morrison-Wesley (the joint name he and his spouse had chosen when they were married.) Wesley asked Bykofsky if his first name, Stu, was short for "Stu-pid." Still, event organizers knew Bykofsky was no dummy. During the evening, the event he helped create raised over $4,000 for the Variety Club, a charity which aids handicapped children. And in the end, Bykovsky also emerged victorious as event promoters declared him the funniest mayoral candidate. "I know this seems like it's rigged," he said.
(07/11/91 9:00am)
A Veterinary School researcher's year-long grievance proceeding against the University neared its conclusion last week as the Faculty Senate Grievance Commission forwarded its recommendation on the case to Provost Michael Aiken. The report, which is confidential, reflects a three-person faculty panel's judgement on the tenure grievance of former Vet School oncologist Ann Jeglem, arrived at after extensive court-style hearings conducted over the past year. The opinion could side with either the University or Jeglem, and could recommend restitution in the event the University is found at fault. Jeglem received word of the recommendation a week ago while on vacation. She declined to comment Tuesday night on the recommendation or her grievance proceedings, citing the confidential nature of the information. Jeglem was first denied tenure in the summer of 1989, but did not leave the University until February 15 of this year. Grievance Committee Chairperson Kenneth George said yesterday that he expects a decision from the provost on the panel's decision within the next week, but stressed that the panel's report to the provost is only a recommendation. He declined to comment further on the report but added that the year-long case, which began in April 1990, was finally coming to a close. According to Faculty Policies and Procedures, the provost has some latitude in how soon he considers the commission's recommendation and to what extent he acts on it. "While the panel's report is to be accorded great weight, it is advisory to and not binding upon the provost," the policies state. "The provost's decision shall be made and communicated in writing within six weeks." However, Deputy Provost Richard Clelland said yesterday that the policies grant additional time during the summer although the recommendation has reached the provost's office and is being considered. "In the summer, things stretch out longer than they do during the year," Clelland said. "But I dare say that it will get a response fairly soon." Vet School Dean Edwin Andrews said yesterday that the school is awaiting the provost's decision and will abide by it. Although he had seen the report to the provost, he would not comment on the recommendation itself. While at the University, Jeglem acted as chief of Oncology in the Vet School, worked at the school's Small Animal Hospital and spent more than five years researching new treatments for certain forms of canine cancer, under funding from the American Kennel Club. Faculty Senate chairperson Louise Shoemaker is in Africa and could not be reached for comment.
