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(09/21/95 9:00am)
Criticism of the proposed University judicial charter dominated discussion at yesterday's University Council meeting, the first of the year. Provost Stanley Chodorow did not explicitly defend the draft against its critics, saying that a heated debate at Council would do little to resolve the concerns members of the community have expressed about the charter. Instead, Chodorow clarified some vague parts of the charter, and called for responses to the proposal from across the University. "I welcome all the feedback I can get," he said. "And I would be happy to entertain new comments based on a complete reading of the actual document." The body also discussed the reports of the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education and several Council committees yesterday. And before the meeting started, Council moderator and Political Science Professor Will Harris announced that the Council's Steering Committee had decided to allow UTV13 to televise meetings for at least the duration of the fall semester. But most of the meeting focused specifically on responses to the charter proposal, which was released for comment by the University community on Tuesday. Chodorow said his office will take suggestions for improving the charter from across campus until October 6. He said he felt the charter met the goal of producing a "fair, open system." But members of Council reiterated concerns that the proposal places too much control in the hands of the provost, with student rights and faculty involvement being lost. "It comes a long way, and it's a generally workable document," said College senior Wilton Levine, chairperson of a student committee that advised Chodorow on the draft last spring. "But [in some areas] it's not really a fair system." But Chodorow said he is ultimately responsible for protecting both the integrity of the system and the mission of the University. He said he felt this justifies the provost's powerful role in the proposed charter. But he also said that part of the University's mission is to ensure fairness for its students. Other Council members echoed Levine's sentiments. Associate Radiology Professor David Hackney said he found many aspects of the charter bizarre and troubling. "The document does not say that once someone is found not responsible by the hearing panel, the case is over," Hackney told Chodorow. Chodorow said he felt some basic rights not mentioned in the document -- such as a student respondent's right to consult an attorney before entering a hearing -- were implicit in the charter, and therefore did not merit specific mention. He said he plans to clear up problems of vague language, and he hoped that will settle some people's concerns about the draft. But Chodorow added that some points in the document are simply a matter of differing opinion, and that he would have the final say on those points. "I can't guarantee I will change my mind," he said. "It's a matter of assessing where the responsibility for the mission of the institution is."
(09/20/95 9:00am)
Issues important to many students will dominate the agenda at today's University Council meeting, the first of the school year. According to Associate Secretary of the University Constance Goodman, Council will discuss the recently released draft of a new judicial charter, as well as the report of the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education. "I expect that the items on PCUE and the charter will be substantive," Goodman said, adding though that the discussion will not necessarily be controversial. Provost Stanley Chodorow is expected to present his draft to Council during the meeting. University President Judith Rodin will also report to Council today. The judicial charter draft was published in yesterday's edition of Almanac. For the next two to three weeks, members of the community can comment on the draft by contacting the Office of the Provost. Today's Council meeting represents the first organized response to the proposed charter. But Goodman said Council does not have any official say over the final disciplinary charter. "Council is an advisory group to the president and the provost," she said. "Although there may be votes taken on certain issues, they are indicative only of the feeling of Council. The president and provost can act on their opinion as well as that of others." The PCUE report was released in May. It detailed plans for improving the undergraduate experience at the University early next century. Council will discuss the recommendations in the report. Also on the agenda for today's meeting are committee reports on The Book Store, the library system, and research and study abroad opportunities at the University. Council meets today in McClelland Hall in the Quadrangle from 4 to 6 p.m.
(09/20/95 9:00am)
Associate College Dean Harriet Joseph will leave the College of Arts and Sciences office October 6 to become director of the Alumni Council on Admissions, she announced yesterday. Joseph will replace former Alumni Council Director Audrey Bedford, who retired earlier this year. Joseph has been a part-time advisor to students in the College for six years, serving primarily as the athletic eligibility advisor. "I love working in the advising office," she said. "I've kept a lot of athletes in school. But I'm ready for something more challenging." As director of the Alumni Council on Admissions, Joseph will be responsible for guiding relatives of University alumni through the admissions process, according to Jennifer Wollman, assistant director of the Council. "We review all the applications of alumni children and grandchildren -- last year we read 820," Wollman said. "We also interview over half of those students." Joseph will sit in on meetings of the Admissions Office's selection committee and advocate accepting alumni children to the University, Wollman added. "Basically, we're supposed to make the process a little bit more personal," Wollman said. "With 15,000 people applying to Penn, it can get overwhelming. We can set up meetings on campus, overnights and tours." Joseph said she is excited to begin her new job. She will take command of the Council on October 9. But she admitted that she does understand everything she would like to know about the position. "It feels very good," she said. "It's kind of a validation of my abilities. But I'm not sure of how the whole thing works." She added that she applied for the job with Bedford's encouragement. "Audrey Bedford is a friend of mine, and she suggested that I submit my resume," Joseph said. Bedford had directed the Council for 10 years, and worked in Development for 15 years prior to that. Wollman said Bedford felt it was time to retire. Bedford was unavailable for comment.
(09/20/95 9:00am)
Say new system would be unfair The student committee responsible for drafting a new disciplinary charter will not support the version published in yesterday's edition of Almanac, according to committee chairperson and College senior Wilton Levine. Other student leaders and faculty members also reacted strongly to the proposed charter, which will be discussed in depth at today's University Council meeting. Calling the proposed system unfair to students, Levine said there are serious problems with the charter as written. "There are a few issues which stand out as inconsistent with our goals for the system, and because of that, we cannot support it," he said. "If our recommendations are taken into account and written into the system, we will support it." The three student members of the committee submitted their suggestions for the charter to Provost Stanley Chodorow in April. But since then, they have not met with him, Levine said. Yesterday's publication of the charter revealed for the first time that the administration used few of the committee's recommendations in drafting the plan, he added. Chodorow could not be reached for comment last night. Levine said the system as proposed is "very prosecutorial," adding that his committee had intended a non-adversarial hearing procedure. Under the new proposal, a faculty member -- probably an attorney -- would present the University's case in hearings. But students would argue their own cases, while their advisors would not be allowed to speak, Levine said. "That's definitely not a fair system" he added. "That's putting someone trained against someone who's never done this before." History Professor Alan Kors, who advised College senior Eden Jacobowitz in his 1993 hearing in the "water buffalo" case, sharply criticized the proposal. The "water buffalo" case saw Jacobowitz charged with racial harassment for calling several black students "water buffalo". It brought national attention to the University's speech code and its judicial system. Kors said students should not consider their rights protected at all by the proposed charter. "If you're charged under this, get a lawyer," he said. "If I were a student, I would be terrified to find myself caught up in this system." Kors added that because administrators who are obligated to the University control too much of the proposed system, it would end up protecting only the legal interests of the University. Students' rights could be sacrificed, he said. He listed several other problems he found with the charter, and then added, "I have only scratched the surface of catastrophes." University student leaders said they were also troubled by many aspects of the proposed charter. "It's definitely an improvement over the last draft," said College senior Eric Tienou, president of the First Amendment Task Force. "But there's some areas of concern as to the Provost's role in the whole situation." Tienou said the Task Force is considering writing a set of recommended changes to the charter and delivering them to Chodorow. If the group chooses this option, Tienou said its version would be released by early next week. He also expressed hope that dialogue with Chodorow in the next few weeks would yield a fair charter accepted by most of the University community. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Lance Rogers, a College senior, said he also has some reservations about the charter, but that he has not thought about it very much yet. He added that the UA is interested in getting reaction to the proposal from students across campus. "I'd encourage everyone to read the charter," Rogers said. "The UA welcomes their comments and suggestions." Kors, Levine and Tienou all said the general lack of student and faculty control over the system was a major flaw with the document. "The Provost is responsible for appointing essentially all the players within the system, and he is also able to remove -- at his discretion -- all the players except students," Levine said. He added that there are several key faculty posts within the proposed system. "We would like to see the Faculty Senate appoint these members," he said. "The Provost would still have the ultimate authority to run the system but it would diffuse his day-to-day power."
(09/18/95 9:00am)
Students claim they lack input The University has released a draft of a new student disciplinary charter for comment by members of the University community. But student members of a committee charged with drafting the proposal said crucial student input was ignored, and the draft does not allow for enough student involvement in the judicial process. "The document was written over the summer by people in the Provost's office and in the President's office," said College senior Wilton Levine, who chaired the committee. "We did not write it." The proposal includes a complete revision of the procedures governing the disciplinary system, as well as a new Code of Academic Conduct to deal with issues of academic integrity. Provost Stanley Chodorow gave the committee a draft of the proposal last week, according to College senior Ashley Magids, another student member of the group. Since then, the committee met frequently to recommend changes to the draft to Chodorow, Magids said. Levine said last night that he has not seen the final proposal. But he said he may not support it when it is officially released Tuesday. "I see several problems with the charter as written, primarily the lack of student involvement in the overall process," he said. "To us that says that the administration doesn't believe that students can handle being involved in the system. In a way, it's sort of insulting." Chodorow is out of town and was unavailable for comment last night. The proposed charter will be published in full in Tuesday's Almanac. It is now available on the Almanac's World Wide Web site at "http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/". University Council will discuss it at a meeting on Wednesday. Under the new proposal, the Office of Student Conduct would run all functions of the disciplinary system. The OSC would report to the University Conduct Council, a student body which would oversee the OSC and also educate students about the Code of Conduct. The UCC's counterpoint for violations of the Code of Academic Integrity would be the Honor Council, which would educate students about academic honesty. When a complaint is filed against a student, the OSC would investigate the incident to see if it is appropriate to bring formal charges against the student. After charges are filed, the case would be turned over to a hearing board. In hearings, students would have the right to call and question witnesses in their defense. But students' faculty advisors would not be allowed to speak at hearings. A faculty member appointed by the Provost would serve as a disciplinary hearing officer and chairperson of the hearing board. The board would also consist of five students and faculty members. For hearings dealing with violations of the Code of Conduct, three students and two faculty members would sit on the board. In academic integrity hearings, two students and three faculty members would preside. Levine said the system should involve students in many more places than the draft proposes. According to the draft, the hearing board would not decide the outcome of cases, but only make a recommendation to the Provost. Levine said he thinks the hearing board should have the power to make the decision. "The people who really make up this community are the students and faculty," he said. "They should have ownership of the system. The draft should allow them to make a decision and judge their peers." And Magids said she had hoped for a separate system to deal with academic integrity issues. But the draft would create one system to cover all student violations of University policy. "By putting it all in one document there is some kind of need to make everything very parallel," she said. "But the Honor Council is not of the same nature as the University Conduct Council." The charter will be available for comment for the next two or three weeks, Levine said. After more revisions by Chodorow and the committee, each individual school must ratify the proposal before it will take effect.
(09/13/95 9:00am)
Many of the administrative transitions haveMany of the administrative transitions havebeen in the Office of the Provost In the three years since former University President Sheldon Hackney left office, the administration has undergone an almost complete transformation. Former Vice Provost Kim Morrisson's departure from the Office of the Provost last week leaves very few top-ranking administrators who were at the University during Hackney's tenure. Most of the changes have been concentrated in the Office of the Provost -- especially within the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life -- and the Office of the President. But this rapid transformation is not necessarily out of the ordinary. "It's not anything to remark about," Hackney said last night. "There's a natural tendency for people who have served under one regime to think it might be time for them to seek other chances." Hackney, who now chairs the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., said that when his administration took over in 1980, many officials from the previous administration left their posts. "But it's not that I was chasing people out," he added. "They just drifted away and left." Provost Stanley Chodorow said this administration's situation is no different. "Neither the president nor I decided or sought to replace the people who served the Hackney administration," he said. "In every case I can think of, the people who have left either felt that it was a good time to move on or were in positions that were changed significantly." University President Judith Rodin admitted that many administrators with long experience at the University have left office. But she said there are two ways to look at the transitions. "People can be viewed as experienced or as tired," she said. "Many of the new people have brought fresh perspectives and fresh ideas. I don't think there's a downside to that." Rodin called the transition between administrations a natural time for long-term officials to leave their posts. But she and Chodorow took advantage of the natural turnover to search for "outstanding candidates" and fill vacancies with the best people possible, she said. Within the Office of the President, several vice presidents, as well as members of the staff, have been replaced since Rodin's inauguration. The new executive vice president is John Fry, who headed the Coopers and Lybrand team that evaluated the University's administrative structure last year and recommended changes to reduce costs. He replaced former Executive Vice President Janet Hale, who resigned during the interim period between the Hackney and Rodin administrations. Clint Davidson has been named to replace former Vice President for Human Resources William Holland, but until the Board of Trustees approves his nomination, he will not officially take office. Rodin's chief of staff is Stephen Schutt, replacing Linda Hyatt, who served as executive director of the president's office under Hackney. And next week, former Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Thomas Seamon will become managing director of the Department of Public Safety, replacing University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich as head of the University's law enforcement services. Chodorow's office has also undergone changes in major positions. Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum's appointment as permanent VPUL ended a vacancy left over from the Hackney administration, when Morrisson resigned as VPUL. Within the department of University Life, former Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Tricia Phaup left her post over the summer, as did former Judicial Inquiry Officer Steven Blum. Law and Economics Professor Michael Wachter replaced Walter Wales as deputy provost, who resumed his teaching duties in the Physics department. And searches are now underway for a new vice provost for research and a new chaplain. Rodin said she did not know whether the remaining veterans of the Hackney administration would remain at the University. "I don't have a crystal ball," she said. "But I think we've filled the major positions. Nobody has shared with me their plans to leave so at this point I expect the team to be around for some time."
(09/12/95 9:00am)
Group hopes to revise Honor Code Revisions to the University's code of academic integrity are nearing completion after nearly two years of work. With the creation of the University Honor Council, progress on a new code of academic honesty took a major step forward, according to College senior Ashley Magids, who chairs the new body. The Honor Council represents the first implementation of any new form of honor code at the University, Magids said. It was established in order to educate students about the current code of academic honesty. The Council is an offshoot of a committee formed two years ago by then-Interim Provost Martin Lazerson to revise both the disciplinary charter and the guidelines for academic integrity. The committee split its work to deal with the judicial charter and the code of academic honesty separately, Magids said. According to Provost Stanley Chodorow, a draft of a new judicial charter has been submitted to the committee for comment. Chodorow said he hopes the draft will be made public later this month. Currently, the code of academic integrity contains not only definitions of what constitutes dishonesty -- plagiarism, cheating and falsifying data, for example -- but also the procedures for disciplining violators. Magids said the committee, which consists of only three students and Chodorow, is now attempting to write a code that only details academic dishonesty and how to prevent it. The proposed code would not deal with violations at all, she said. The 13 undergraduates who serve on the Honor Council will be responsible for raising awareness across the University community of what constitutes academic dishonesty. Chodorow said he is committed to the Honor Council's educational mission. "The best approach to academic integrity is embodied by the Honor Council's dedication to education of the students," he said. "The approach needs to be a positive one, backed up by an enforcement system that is straightforward, fair and efficient." At its first meeting on Sunday, the Council planned an agenda of educational programs designed to make students and faculty think about honesty in their academic endeavors, according to Magids. "We're trying to target a number of diverse groups," she said. "Obviously we can't reach everybody, but we're trying to develop a trickle-down effect." The Council will make an especially concerted effort to reach freshmen with its message, Magids said. Members plan to visit freshman dormitories to speak about honesty and academic integrity. After fall break, the Council will attempt to garner faculty support for its work. "In order for the honor system to succeed, it is of utmost importance that we have faculty support," Magids said. "One of our focuses for faculty is to increase their awareness of the problems that exist at Penn." Eventually, Magids said, under a future code of academic integrity the Honor Council would be responsible for dealing with violators of the code. But until the Council of Undergraduate Deans approves a new honor code, the Honor Council will serve in a purely educational capacity.
(09/08/95 9:00am)
Vice Provost Kim Morrisson confirmed yesterday that she is leaving the Office of the Provost, effective immediately, a decision she made in August. University officials reacted to the announcement with surprise. Many administrators said they did not hear of Morrisson's planned departure until yesterday. Morrisson will continue to teach courses in the English Department, and will serve as a consultant to the University on restructuring the undergraduate experience. She said she will not soon forget her tenure at the University. "There is much that is rewarding at Penn," Morrisson said yesterday. "It is a wonderful institution and that is why I have stayed here for as long as I have. It's an institution that is going somewhere." Morrisson first came to the University as a graduate student in 1968. She began working in the Office of the Provost in 1972. From 1978 until November 1993, Morrisson served as vice provost for university life. She stepped down from that position to become vice provost in the Office of the Provost. Her replacement as VPUL, Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, said last night she had not been informed of Morrisson's departure. Since President Judith Rodin took office last year, Morrisson has served as co-executive director of the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education with English Professor Robert Lucid. Provost Stanley Chodorow formed PCUE to develop and implement improvements to the University as a part of the more recent 21st Century Undergraduate Education initiative, which was announced by Chodorow and Rodin last October. PCUE released a report last spring that detailed plans for the University's future, including ways to unify the undergraduate experience by combining academic issues with extracurricular life. Some of these plans called for organizing undergraduates into collegiate systems. Morrisson will now work with Lucid and the Council of Undergraduate Deans to continue PCUE's work, Chodorow said last night. Her new duties will focus on implementing a collegiate system, but not necessarily organized around residences. Morrisson said once PCUE released its report, her role as vice provost came to an end. "The work I could do is really finished," she said. "The planning roles I was involved in are being absorbed by the deputy provost. This is the right thing for me to do at this moment." Chodorow said he was pleased with the work Morrisson did on the PCUE report, and is excited that she will still work with the administration. "I have the highest opinion of Dr. Morrisson, and I wanted to keep her involved, at least until she finds a position suitable to her experience and ability," he said. Morrisson said she expects to find another position, but that at this point, "it's too premature" to say where she will go. English Department Undergraduate Chairperson Al Filreis said Morrisson will teach a course with Lucid this fall, and a graduate course with Lucid in the spring. He added that the department would welcome Morrisson if she wanted to pursue additional teaching duties. "She's a very talented person and a good teacher," he said.
(09/06/95 9:00am)
Two employees of University Trustee and alumnus Ronald Perelman were charged last week with attempting to extort $500,000 from him. The employees -- a security chief and the head of maintenance at Perelman's East Hampton, NY, estate -- threatened to tell the East Hampton Star and the New York State Bar Association about listening equipment installed in Perelman's mansion unless Perelman paid each man $250,000. Attorneys for the accused men told Newsday that they believed the listening devices were installed in order to eavesdrop on guests at a political fund raiser for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) held at Perelman's estate. Perelman spokesperson Howard Rubenstein denied that charge to Newsday, calling it "absolutely false" and "laughable." He added that the devices were only installed in order to monitor Perelman's young daughter. Perelman, who has pledged $20 million to the University to build a new student center which will bear his name, was involved in another legal dispute with employees over the summer when a former executive in Perelman's investment corporation sued him for unlawful dismissal. That case was settled out of court in July. University spokesperson Barbara Beck said the University administration is not worried that Perelman's recent court cases will in any way jeopardize his donation for the Perelman Quadrangle. According to Newsday, East Hampton police and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigations observed the two men receiving a payment of $500,000 from Richard Halperin, the executive vice president of Perelman's investment company on August 28, and arrested them later that night. Beck said the University has no official response to the case.
(07/06/95 9:00am)
WASHINGTON -- Moving to Washington, D.C. for the summer does not have to mean leaving school behind. In fact, more than 100 students participating in the Career Planning and Placement Service's "Penn in Washington" program have been able to keep in touch with other members of the University community while living and working in the nation's capital. The program, run by College junior Paula Feldman, provides "social, educational and cultural events for Penn students in the Washington area." Any University student living in the area can attend Penn in Washington events. The program has already sponsored happy hours at Washington bars, softball games against other schools, and a series of talks by Washington politicians and journalists. "The basic focus is to provide students with an insiders' view of policy-making in Washington to supplement their internship experience," Feldman said. "Also, [Penn in Washington seeks] to provide a social network with which to meet other students." Speakers have included NBC News White House correspondent and University alumna Andrea Mitchell, ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson and government officials from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Departments of the Treasury and Education. Feldman said most speakers have been very willing to talk candidly with the program's participants about Washington power politics. "There's been an incredible response from people in Washington," she said. "I've had far more acceptances to speak than I could put on the calendar." But Feldman added that she has been disappointed by a lack of student attendance at some events. Out of 130 students on the program's mailing list, only 30 have consistently attended Penn in Washington programs. "The problem is that students both don't have the time to take out of their work and don't have the interest for speakers who aren't big names," she said. Feldman added that she has begun to telephone students on the mailing list who she has not seen at events to make sure they know about the program. In addition to the series of speakers, Penn in Washington provide participants with many opportunities to meet students from other schools who are also in Washington for the summer. Feldman said she has been in constant communication with coordinators of similar programs from Yale University, Princeton University, University of California at Berkeley and other schools in order to schedule group events. Each school with a program in the area has hosted a happy hour for college students at a local bar, and there is a softball league of summer interns from different colleges. For the fireworks display at the Washington Monument on the Fourth of July, all the programs roped off a space on the Mall just for students. Feldman said the program's events have been marked by a "great spirit," adding that she has received only positive feedback.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Richard Montgomery High School '94 Rockville, Md. Bogged down by internal squabbling, the University's student government was not able to bring about much significant progress this year. Those who claimed to be striving for change were most often met with apathy -- and in some cases personal attacks -- from other student leaders. But at the year's end, members of the newly elected Undergraduate Assembly, which will serve until April 1996, said they were optimistic this term's problems have been left behind. In the fall, the UA researched and prepared Project 2000, a five-year plan for improving undergraduate life at the University. The plan was published in January. But the new UA has given little indication that it will try to meet the goals contained in Project 2000, and much of the report may never be implemented. Spurred by recurring concerns over representation and integration between the five component bodies of student government, several students submitted drafts of new constitutions in January and February. College senior Dan Schorr, a member of this year's UA, and College junior Mike Nadel were the first to release their reform plan, which would have combined all the functions of student government into a new body dubbed the "Undergraduate Senate." In promoting the proposal, Nadel and Schorr said it would increase student government accountability by putting all power into the hands of elected representatives. But the UA chairperson at the time, Wharton junior Dan Debicella, actively campaigned against the Nadel/Schorr plan. Shortly after the their plan's release, Debicella put forth several plans of his own, all modeled very closely on the current system. Most of the modifications Debicella called for dealt with the way representatives are elected to the body. After months of negotiations, Debicella was unable to reach a consensus with Nadel and Schorr. And unable to put a combined plan on April's election ballot, Debicella submitted an amendment to the current constitution, which would have created geographic districts from which UA members would be elected. And in March, only two weeks before the referenda for constitutional reform would be voted on by undergraduates, another proposal was submitted by anonymous authors. The proposal would have created a new umbrella organization to supervise student government. Debate among the people involved in the reform effort grew heated towards the end of the campaign. Nadel and Schorr alleged malicious campaigning by opponents of their proposal. But when the time came for students to vote on the reform proposals, none of them passed. In order for a referenda to be adopted, 20 percent of undergraduates must vote in the election, which is normally held over the course of two days, and the proposal must win a majority of the votes. Only 13 percent of students voted, and no proposal garnered more than 30 percent of the vote. On the same days that the reform efforts failed, students elected most of the 1995-96 UA. Twenty-five of the body's 33 representatives were chosen in April. The remaining eight will be elected by incoming freshmen in October. College junior Lance Rogers, a four-term UA member, was elected to chair next year's body. Wharton junior Gil Beverly will be the vice-chairperson. College freshman Steve Schorr was elected treasurer, Nursing sophomore Lisa Aspinwall will serve as secretary, and the UA's representative to the University Council Steering Committee will be College freshman Tal Golomb. "I'd like to encourage all students to keep their minds open with the next UA," Rogers said on the night of his election. "They're going to see a lot of changes." The first change was implemented at the new UA's first meeting. The weekly meetings have been held in Houston Hall for years. But Rogers and the new Assembly decided to move them to Chats, the University's new coffee house and late-night gathering place, in order to appear more open to student input. Golomb will supervise a UA task force this summer to keep the body updated on administration actions.
(06/30/95 9:00am)
Richard Montgomery High School '94 Rockville, Md. Political correctness on campus was in the news again this year, as the Ivy League's oldest student magazine was denied any funding from the University. The result of the controversy was a total revision of the guidelines for financially supporting University student groups. The Student Activities Council voted three times this year to reject funding requests from The Red and Blue, which over the past few years has developed a reputation on campus for being extremely conservative. Some students were particularly offended by a controversial article published in the magazine's fall issue. The article, written by College junior Jeremy Hildreth, allegedly disparaged the culture and the people of Haiti. At the January SAC meeting, The Red and Blue applied for and did not receive money for publishing a spring issue. SAC, a student-run council that controls funding and official recognition of student groups on campus, distributes money collected by the University from every student's tuition. At the time, the body's guidelines prohibited it from funding groups designed to promote a particular political ideology or party. The magazine applied for funding again at the next SAC meeting, held February 27. At that meeting, the body revoked the group's eligibility for funds, with many SAC representatives saying that the magazine had a political bias and therefore should not receive University money. But SAC members opposed to not recognizing The Red and Blue said there were many SAC-funded groups that are just as politically-oriented as the magazine. And after the meeting, then-Red and Blue Editor-in-Chief Christopher Robbins, a College junior, said he was considering a lawsuit against the University to reverse what he felt was an unfair decision. Campus reaction to the body's decision was heated, with University President Judith Rodin issuing a statement criticizing SAC. Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow called for a review of SAC's guidelines to prevent future incidents. Rodin said the University's position on the controversy was that "funding decisions cannot be based purely upon the content of a student group's speech." Student government leaders began to revise the SAC funding guidelines shortly after Rodin spoke out against the policy. In late March, the new guidelines were approved by the SAC body at their monthly meeting. The body then voted to restore The Red and Blue's eligibility to receive funding. But when the time came to decide whether to fund the magazine, an overwhelming majority of the body was still opposed to giving the publication any money. After a month, The Red and Blue's newly selected editor-in-chief, College junior Thor Halvorssen, brought another budget request to SAC's final meeting of the year. The purpose of the meeting was to approve next year's budgets for all member groups. By then, the body was unwilling to consider any new requests for funding for last year, and voted not to hear the magazine's case. The controversy brought some national attention to the University, as Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern both devoted time on their nationally syndicated radio shows to developments in the situation.
(04/27/95 9:00am)
For the third consecutive month, the Student Activities Council voted last night not to discuss funding The Red and Blue for this academic year at its annual allocations meeting. SAC approved next year's budgets for several other member organizations at the meeting. In order for The Red and Blue to receive finances this year, the body would have had to allocate money from the 1994-95 contingency fund to the magazine, according to SAC Steering Committee Chairperson and College junior Graham Robinson. But allocating money for the current academic year requires overturning the SAC constitution and reopening the 1994-95 contingency fund. This action requires a two-thirds majority vote, Robinson said. Although a motion was introduced early in the meeting to overturn the constitution and reexamine funding for The Red and Blue, it failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority by a wide margin. Later in the meeting, two-thirds of the body did vote to overturn the constitution in order to use the 1995-96 contingency fund to cover allocations necessary for budget appeals. Under the SAC constitution, student groups submit a budget to the Finance Committee requesting money for their activities for the year. The Finance Committee then grants funding based on SAC guidelines and how much money is available. After the budgets are released, groups may appeal the Finance Committee's decision. Finance Committee Chairperson David Shapiro, a College and Wharton sophomore, said only $515 -- less than usual -- was available for appeals because the Undergraduate Assembly cut SAC's overall funding by 11 percent for next year. The Red and Blue Editor-in-Chief Thor Halvorssen, a College junior, said he was frustrated by SAC's decision, but added that his magazine will publish an issue next week. "It's ongoing proof of an inconceivable double standard," he said. "Judge us on the next issue. Don't censor us because you do not like what we write." Halvorssen said the money to print next week's issue of The Red and Blue came from "lovers of liberty." He added that SAC's decision to overturn the constitution for their own budget appeals showed bias against the magazine. But Robinson denied the accusation, calling it a "very, very incorrect piece of analysis." Robinson said the body has traditionally been reluctant to take money from an upcoming year's budget to fund emergency requests by any group. He added that using contingency monies to fund budget appeals has become "standard procedure for SAC." And he said he thinks The Red and Blue will receive SAC funding next year. "The Red and Blue, like any other organization, will be almost certain to get contingency money in September and be a very viable organization next year," Robinson said. Eight SAC groups appealed the Finance Committee's budget decisions. But only the Symphony Orchestra and the Engineering Student Activities Council received the full amount requested in their appeals. African Rhythms and the International Affairs Association both received less funding than originally requested on appeal. And the American Medical Students Association and Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape were denied any additional funding. The SAC body voted to approve all other groups' budgets automatically, skipping the budget challenge portion of the meeting, in which each group's budget would have been scrutinized and challenged by other groups. Shapiro also announced at the meeting that the SAC Finance seat previously held by UA Treasurer and College freshman Steve Schorr would go to Wharton junior David Harrison. As UA treasurer, Schorr, a Daily Pennsylvanian sports writer, has an automatic seat on SAC Finance.
(04/21/95 9:00am)
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Enforcement officers issued a total of 32 citations to underage drinkers during raids of area bars early Wednesday morning, according to Sergeant John Lyle, district office commander of the LCE for Philadelphia. At the Palladium Restaurant and Bar, located at 36th Street and Locust Walk, 14 minors were issued citations for drinking, Lyle said yesterday. Fourteen citations were also issued by LCE officers at the Blarney Stone, at 39th and Sansom streets. At Cavanaugh's Restaurant, located at 39th and Sansom streets, two citations were issued. And one underage drinking citation was issued at Walsh's Tavern, at 43rd and Walnut streets, in addition to one citation for possessing false identification. Those who were issued citations may receive a fine of up to $300, based on a sliding scale applied by the Pennsylvania court system, Lyle said, adding that he has no way of knowing how much each person will eventually be fined. The raided establishments may also be fined, Lyle said. He said the process by which bars are charged is handled by the Office of the Administrative Law Judge of the Liquor Control Board. But Lyle said that to the best of his knowledge, the LCB charges establishments without regard to the number of citations issued during a raid. The LCB's Office of the Administrative Law Judge could not be reached for comment last night. Owners of the bars raided Wednesday morning said they did not know what the consequences of the LCE operation would be. "They don't really tell you what's going to happen," Cavanaugh's owner Bill Pawliczeck said. "You have to wait for a letter in the mail." Pawliczeck added that he thought no Cavanaugh's patrons were underage at the time the LCE arrived. "I know [the LCE] checked the cards of the people here, but I don't know how many were underage -- if any," he said. "To the best of our knowledge, there wasn't anyone here who wasn't 21." Palladium co-owner Roger Harman said he also did not know if any charges would be levied against his establishment. But he said the LCE officers had indicated to the Palladium's night manager Wednesday morning that the bar was not to blame for the citations. "[The night manager] spoke to the LCE and they said their main concern was not so much us as it was the IDs that students were carrying," Harman said. "They verified that we were very thorough in checking IDs and that we had a blacklight and that we keep a file of problem IDs." Wednesday morning's raids were the second major operation the LCE has conducted on and around campus since the year began. On January 28, LCE officers raided Murphy's Tavern at 43rd and Spruce streets, issuing citations to 63 underage drinkers. The LCB brought charges against Murphy's for serving alcohol to minors. The final outcome of the case has yet to be determined.
(04/20/95 9:00am)
The Undergraduate Assembly discussed plans for next year and elected its Budget Committee and Ivy Council representatives at Tuesday night's meeting. Also, the Nominations and Elections Committee announced its newly elected executive board, to be chaired by Wharton junior Ning Chi Hsu. In addition, the UA approved several changes to the NEC's internal structure. UA Chairperson and College junior Lance Rogers said the meeting's purpose was to get feedback from students about what the Assembly should focus on during its term. But few members of the public showed up to the meeting, held in Chats, and the body brainstormed issues by itself. A major theme of the discussion was improving the body's image and increasing communications between the UA and its constituents. UA representative and College junior Christian Hensley proposed a "Dinner with the UA" program to promote more interaction with students. "I want us to be out there as a group," he said. "I want us to be visible, and I want us to eat." Other members said they were also concerned that many students never know what the Assembly is working on -- which results in apathy. UA representative and Wharton sophomore Tom Foldesi suggested creating "UA advisory boards," with each UA member meeting regularly with four or five students to discuss Assembly business and student concerns. Other issues raised during the brainstorming session included the quality of service provided by Residential Living and Dining Services, the implementation of several goals from Project 2000 and some short-term projects left over by the last UA. The body also held elections for its Budget Committee and its representatives to the Ivy Council. Foldesi and Wharton freshman Hester Wong will serve on the Budget Committee, along with UA Treasurer and College freshman Steve Schorr, a Daily Pennsylvanian sports writer. Hensley, Schorr, Engineering freshman Roman Krislav and College freshman Jessica Wilson were elected to the Ivy Council. The UA's representative to the Ivy Council's Steering Committee will be elected by the Ivy Council in a meeting this Sunday. Hsu announced the new NEC executive board, with some small changes in the board's structure. College junior Christina Glise will be vice chairperson for nominations, College freshman Diane Casteel will be vice chairperson for feedback and Engineering freshman Ben Goldberger will be vice chairperson for elections. Wharton freshman Daisy Tung will serve as secretary, and College junior Azusa Tice will serve as public relations officer. Previously, the NEC had a chairperson, a chairperson for elections, a chairperson for nominations, a chairperson for feedback and a vice chairperson, as well as a secretary and a public relations officer. The new structure went into effect immediately following the UA's vote Tuesday night.
(04/19/95 9:00am)
Freshmen and sophomores elected their Class Boards for next year Monday and yesterday. Engineering sophomore Neil Sheth was re-elected president of the Class of 1997, according to senior class vice president and College junior Justin Feil, who coordinated the elections. Engineering sophomore Alex McClennan will be next year's vice president. Of eligible sophomores, 20 percent voted, according to Feil. Sixteen percent of freshmen cast ballots. Engineering sophomore John Boyle was re-elected secretary, College sophomore Rebecca Waranch will serve as treasurer and College sophomore Jason Brenner was re-elected vice president for corporate sponsorship. College sophomore Hayley Lattman will be the College representative for the Class of 1997. Engineering sophomore Shilpi Kansal was elected Engineering representative. Nursing sophomore Shari Glubo will be the Nursing representative, and Wharton sophomore Jason Sturman will be the Wharton representative. The Class of 1998 re-elected Engineering freshman Brett Lasher president for next year, Feil said. College freshman Elliot Geller, a College representative to the freshman board this year, will be vice president next year. College freshman Devra Jaffe will be the class secretary, Wharton freshman Craig Meyers will be the treasurer and Wharton freshman Ryan Anderson was re-elected vice president for corporate sponsorship. College freshmen Jill Cooper and incumbent Adam Eisner, a Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer, will be the College representatives on next year's board. Engineering freshman Nicole Miller was re-elected Engineering representative, Nursing sophomore Anjana Ali, an incumbent, will be the Nursing representative and Wharton freshman Jeff Gold will represent Wharton. Feil said the elections ran very smoothly. "There were no controversies," he said, adding that this was primarily because there were "fewer itsy-bitsy rules to follow, no violations and no complaints." Geller said next year's Sophomore Class Board is looking forward to a fun term of office. "We want to make sure that this is the most enjoyable time of our lives," he said. "If freshman year wasn't the best year of your life, next year will be. We guarantee it." Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Randi Feigenbaum contributed to this article.
(04/17/95 9:00am)
As the newly installed Undergraduate Assembly begins its term, members are focusing closely on avoiding the mistakes of last year's body. One of the most frequently repeated lines at the UA transition meeting on April 6 -- when the body elected its officers for the year -- was the claim that this UA will degenerate into the political infighting and personal quarrels that plagued the Assembly last year. From the beginning of last year's term, problems between members of the UA presented stumbling blocks to the body. At last year's transition meeting -- at which Wharton junior Dan Debicella ran against College senior Dan Schorr and Engineering sophomore Manny Calero for UA chairperson -- supporters of Debicella and Schorr hurled insults at each other before Debicella eventually prevailed. The aftermath of the bitter election put a personal slant on many of the issues the UA tackled. In October of last year, several UA members -- including Schorr and newly elected UA Chairperson Lance Rogers, a College junior -- attempted to bring articles of impeachment against Debicella. The members involved in the impeachment attempt said Debicella had lied to the body on several occasions. The impeachment did not come to a vote, because not enough members of the Assembly were willing to support the action. At the time, several UA members said the issue of impeachment did not die with the end of the meeting. "[Impeaching Debicella] is always an option but at this point it's not being pushed forward," Schorr said last October. And Rogers said at the time that he did not trust Debicella. "It was definitely more than one time [that Debicella lied to the body]," he said. "I don't trust him now. I hope one day I can." With the movement to reform the UA constitution early this semester, student government leaders raised more personal issues. Schorr, along with College junior Mike Nadel, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist and former member of the Student Activities Council's Finance Committee, wrote a proposal for constitutional reform in direct competition with a draft by Debicella. And, as each proposal became more refined, Debicella, Schorr and Nadel began to snipe at each other. When quorum broke down at the UA meeting on February 12 because former UA member and Engineering junior Sundeep Goel left the meeting early, Debicella blamed Goel's roommate -- Nadel. "It's obvious that Mike Nadel is trying to reform student government to his own advantage," Debicella said then. He added that a "conspiracy" of UA members was devoted to bringing down the Assembly. Debicella then campaigned heavily for students not to vote on constitutional reform in last month's elections, in an effort to prevent the Schorr/Nadel plan from being adopted. And when Rogers was elected chairperson at this year's transition meeting, Debicella refused to participate in a traditional ceremony in which the outgoing chairperson tosses his gavel to his successor -- whom he referred to as "Forrest Gump" that night. This year's UA members have said the key to their success is to avoid such personal fights. "A lot of the infighting last year was a function of personal rivalries and hostilities that existed in and outside of the UA," Wharton junior Gil Beverly, the new UA vice-chairperson, said last night. "Last year was ridiculous. I'll be personally embarrassed if the UA self-destructs like last year."
(04/11/95 9:00am)
The 1995 Christian and Mary Lindback Awards for Distinguished Teaching will be presented to eight University professors at a celebration Thursday afternoon. The Lindback Foundation, an independent organization, honors eight tenured University professors with the awards every spring. The award recognizes exceptional teaching. Each winner receives a $1,000 prize. Two non-tenured professors are also chosen by the provost to receive a prize. The 10 awards are divided between five professors from the Veterinary, Medical, Dental or Nursing schools and five professors from other areas of the University. In the health care schools, Associate Nursing Professor Janet Deatrick, Assistant Medicine Professor Harold Feldman, Associate Psychiatry Professor Anthony Rostain and Assistant Veterinary Medicine Professor Robert Washabau will receive Lindback awards on Thursday. Nursing Research Coordinator Elizabeth Capezuti will receive a Provost's Award. This year's non-medicine related Lindback recipients are Mathematics Professor David Harbater, Geology Professor Ian Harker, Associate Political Science Professor Will Harris and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Professor Jeffrey Tigay. George Thomas, a lecturer in Historical Preservation and Urban Studies, will receive a Provost's Award. Eight University teachers have won the Lindback each year since 1961. The Lindback Foundation, located in Philadelphia, also recognizes outstanding teachers from other area universities, according to Terry Conn, executive assistant to the Vice Provost for University Life, who coordinates the awards process. To be considered for an award, teachers must meet rigorous standards outlined in the Criteria Guidelines for the Lindback Awards. "The distinguished teacher is fair, free from prejudice and single-minded in the pursuit of truth," the Guidelines state. Lindback recipients are chosen by a committee of students and former winners. Usually, between 15 and 20 professors are nominated by students for the Lindback Award and either four or five for the Provost's Award, according to Conn. Award recipients said they were excited and honored to win the prestigious prizes. "When you've got great students and an interesting topic, good teaching is fun," Thomas said. Deatrick, the director of the Nursing School's master's degree program in pediatric nursing, said the award was a great honor. "I'm thrilled, and it's really a highest honor for me," she said. "I really value the teaching component of the academic role." The awards ceremony will be held in the Rare Books Room of Van Pelt Library from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
(04/10/95 9:00am)
The Undergraduate Assembly decided last night to hold all of its meetings in Chats, instead of Houston Hall, in order to appear more open to students interested in the UA. This and an effort to improve attendance were the focal points of the body's first meeting last night, held -- kicking off the new tradition -- in Chats. In response to problems with attendance by members of the body this semester, UA Chairperson and College junior Lance Rogers asked members for comments and ideas on how to ensure that UA representatives go to meetings. "In the past we've had some attendance problems," Rogers said. "That's certainly not going to be the [hallmark] of this UA." UA representative and College junior Christian Hensley called for a "three strikes and you're out" system, under which any member who misses three meetings would be kicked off the body and replaced by a student who ran for UA last week -- and lost. "Our attendance is absolutely critical," he said. "We have a job to do and if you can't do it, we have to find somebody who can." But College sophomore Laurie Moldawer modified the proposal to include excused absences and unexcused absences. Anyone who gave notice of an impending absence to Rogers or UA Secretary Lisa Aspinwall, a Nursing sophomore, would not be penalized, Moldawer added. Rogers said the Steering Committee will work on developing a new attendance policy for approval at a future meeting. "It sounds to me as though you guys really favor a strict policy," he added. Rogers also proposed a liaison system, whereby each member of the UA Steering Committee would meet regularly with four UA members to keep lines of communication open between the committee and the body. "This is the first time the UA has tried this," he said. At the beginning of the meeting, representatives from the other branches of student government explained their branches' functions to the UA. Members of the body also voted to make an excursion to the Great Adventure amusement park on May 1 in order to get to know each other better.
(04/03/95 9:00am)
Newcomer battles two veterans At least three members of next year's Undergraduate Assembly will vie for the position of UA chairperson on Thursday at the annual transition meeting. College juniors Lance Rogers and Eric Tienou and Wharton junior Gil Beverly announced on Sunday night that they will seek the UA's top post. Rogers, who had the most votes of all College candidates in last week's UA elections, said his goals for the position would be threefold. A member of the UA since his freshman year, Rogers said he would focus first on improving the UA's internal workings and eliminating the political infighting that has at times crippled the body this year. "We will create a more cohesive body that is able to work together and accomplish things in a timely manner," he said. The second part of Rogers' platform would deal with communications between the UA and its constituents, he said. "We want to reach out to the students, explain to them what the UA is, what it does, and how it can help them," Rogers said. Finally, Rogers said he would push the body to take a more active stance on issues than in the past. "The third part of the program is to go ahead and take care of students' concerns after we receive feedback from the students," he said. Rogers said he has also been working on a system where each UA representative would serve as a liaison to a University department, and a way of disciplining UA members who do not participate actively in the body's affairs. Tienou, who also served on this year's UA, said he would continue to pursue the same goal next year that he has this year -- simply, to try to solve whatever problems face students at the University. "If we have any problems that affect undergraduates on this campus, then we really should go after them," he said. "The number one mission of the UA is to be a kind of liaison between undergraduates and the administration." Tienou, like Rogers, said communication between the UA and other campus groups is essential to a successful term. "I'm really interested in taking care of communication within the body and communication between the body and activities on campus," he said. While most of the newly elected body is excited about next year, Tienou said it would hurt them in the long run if the new UA does not proceed methodically from the outset. "Take it slow for the first month," he said. "That month is crucial in determining what we're going to do next year. Don't go out and try to do as many things as possible [in the first month]." Although Beverly has not served on the UA before this year, he said that would not make a difference in his campaign for chairperson. "I don't think that anyone holds the UA in such high esteem at this point that not having been on it will really hurt that much," he said. Beverly said he would prefer to reveal the details of his platform at the transition meeting, which will be held Thursday at 8 p.m. in the UTV-13 studio. But he added that he had spoken to Wharton junior Dan Debicella, this year's UA chairperson, for ideas on the position. Debicella said he endorsed Tienou for the job, calling him the "best UA member this year." He added that Beverly would also be an excellent chairperson. But he said Rogers was unfit for any UA office.
