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(10/04/90 9:00am)
Because of controversy over the open expression procedures at former President Ronald Reagan's address last May, President Sheldon Hackney has suggested reworking the Open Expression Guidelines so that they are more effective during events involving controversial non-University figures. The proposal was part of a letter that Hackney sent to two students who were ejected from the speech for displaying protest placards during Reagan's speech. In September 28 letter, Hackney says the guidelines were inadequate to handle the situation and suggests that the Open Expression Committee and the University's general counsel explore ways to make them more effective for similar events in the future. "Your unfortunate experience points to an area of the open expression guidelines that needs further thought and refinement," the letter states. "The limitations of our current policy were painfully evident on May 17, 1990." Hackney also says in the letter that he has asked the Secret Service and the Philadelphia Police Dignitary Protection unit to provide specific information about the students' ouster. One of the students removed from Reagan's speech said last night that despite Hackney's offer to rework the guidelines, he is dissatisfied with the president's response. Graduate student Jeff Abrahamson said last night that the letter "avoids most of the major issues," including whether the Open Expression Policy was suspended during the address or what Hackney will do after law enforcement officials tell their version of what happened. Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson said last month that the open expression guidelines were in effect during the speech, but that Open Expression monitors, including Senior Vice President Marna Whittington and Assistant VPUL George Koval, had no jurisdiction over federal and city law enforcement agents. And Assistant to the President William Epstein said last night that "I reject any effort to paint the University administration as uncaring for open expression at this event." Epstein added that he could not predict what the president will do when he receives law enforcement agents' response. Engineering senior Sheryl Rose, the other person to whom Hackney wrote the letter, said she had not seen the letter and could not comment on it. The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly passed a resolution last month calling for a full investigation of the May incident and a formal apology from the administration. The resolution states that students were informed that the open expression guidelines were suspended during the address. GAPSA Vice Chairperson Michael Goldstein said last night that GAPSA considers the incident "one of the most important issues of this semester," and criticized the administration for not planning ahead. "It's not like they didn't have enough time to figure out what to do," the doctoral candidate said, adding that the suppression of the student's free expression goes against what the University has deemed "the most holy of holy" values. "People got in trouble when they tried to express their thoughts," Goldstein said. "Within the University system of rules, negating the Open Expression Guidelines is the equivalent of negating the 10 commandments in the Bible." But Hackney says in the letter that the administration had planned ahead by holding a strategy session before the event, but adds that the University could not overcome the "practical realities." "My goal was to make certain that we were fully prepared to apply the procedures of the guidelines on open expression at the Reagan address," the letter states. "The Secret Service could intervene at any time, no matter what the University wished, when in their judgement the safety and security of the former President was at risk." GAPSA will discuss the issue at its meeting today and has placed the resolution calling for investigation of the incident on next Wednesday's University Council's agenda. Hackney states in the letter that once the Open Expression Committee has made its recommendations on how to change the guidelines, the proposals will be published for University comment.
(10/02/90 9:00am)
In a proposed revision of the racial harassment policy to be published today, President Sheldon Hackney narrowed the definition of what constitutes racial harassment, following a nation-wide trend on college campuses towards removing limits on speech. The proposed change, the latest move in years of highly charged debate over the University's code, comes in the wake of a 1989 Michigan Supreme Court ruling that the University of Michigan's racial harassment code was unconstitutionally vague and in violation of the First Amendment. The University's current policy is almost identical to the Michigan code that was struck down by the high court. Hackney said last night that the narrower definition, to be published in today's Almanac, maintains a clear stance against racism while ensuring free expression. "[The proposal] provides the benefits of a policy that states that the University wants a civil environment, but also allows for the widest possible field of ideas to be expressed," the president said. Hackney acknowledged that the proposed narrowing may provide a forum for "even abhorrent ideas," but said that in an academic setting, open expression must take precedent. He also said the policy "was put together with a great deal of counsel with people with a great diversity of political viewpoints." It is not clear when the proposed guidelines, if adopted, will be put into effect. In the past, many faculty members and students have criticized Hackney's support for the pre-eminence of open expression, and some leaders said yesterday that they fear the proposal indicates a move towards toleration of racism. "I would love to have the harassment policy more broad," graduate student activist Elizabeth Hunt said last night. Hackney said that he realized that "there will be people who disagree with this," but noted that opponents and advocates of the changes will have a chance to debate the proposal at next week's University Council meeting. But Hunt said that the proposal itself already sets the tenor of the debate. "When you start with something like this, [it represents] a model of what they want," she said. But others voiced support for Hackney's proposal, saying it is a step in the right direction. "If I were writing it, I would do more," said Physics Professor Michael Cohen, one of the more vocal critics of the current code. "I think this is at least something I could live with." Vocal faculty members on both sides of the issues said last night that they could not comment on the changes because they had not seen the proposal. The proposal prohibits racial harassment, which it defines as behavior that "villifies and intimidates" a person or group on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin. It states that speech or behavior is considered villifying and intimidating only if it violates three standards. It must be intended to "demean, insult or stigmatize" a person on the basis of race; be addressed to the person or group whom it demeans; and make use of "fighting words" -- intended to incite violence -- or their non-verbal equivalents. The proposed policy also notes that "not every act that might be offensive . . . will necessarily be considered harassment." In deciding whether an act is racial harassment, the revised policy states, the incident's context must be taken into consideration "and due consideration must be given to the protection of individual rights, freedom of speech, academic freedom, and advocacy." The current policy prohibits behavior that involves a stated or implicit threat to a person's academic or employment status; interferes with an individual's academic or work performance; or creates an intimidating or offensive academic, living or work environment. University Council in April overwhelmingly supported a resolution asking Hackney to reasses the code.
(10/01/90 9:00am)
A New York Supreme Court judge ruled Friday that a 14-ounce bag of powdered cocaine cannot be used as evidence against accused drug dealer Christopher Clemente. But the bag, which was found by police in a coat sleeve hanging in a closet, is the only one of six disputed items of evidence against the Wharton sophomore that was ruled inadmissible. New York District Attorney's Office spokesperson Gerald McKelvey said Friday that the suppression of the bag of cocaine will not change any of nine felony charges against Clemente, adding that the state is prepared to go to trial without further action. The Wharton sophomore's attorneys called the ruling "sloppy and wrong" and vowed yesterday to take the "extraordinary step" of asking the judge for a reconsideration of the ruling. One of Clemente's lawyers said yesterday that Judge Richard Lowe's decision was filled with numerous factual inaccuracies -- including incorrectly locating rooms in the apartment where Clemente was arrested -- and maintained that a reconsideration is mandatory. "This is somewhat typical of Judge Lowe," said Ronald Kuby, who is defending Clemente along with civil liberties lawyer William Kunstler. "He failed to show he grasps the undisputed facts. It shows how much attention he was paying during the hearings." Kunstler said Friday that Lowe set a target trial date for November 16, but added that if the judge decides to reconsider the legality of the evidence, the date could be pushed back. Kuby said that the suppression of the bag of cocaine -- the largest single quantity seized inside the Harlem apartment in which Clemente was arrested -- was a "partial victory," but said that the rest of the ruling was "totally wrong." He said that some of the undisputed facts Lowe misinterpreted were essential to the defense's case. Kuby said that Lowe's ruling states that two officers entered into one of the apartment's rooms simultaneously even though police officers, prosecuting attorneys and defense lawyers have stated that one officer entered the room after another one. Kuby said that this fact is key to the defense's argument that evidence seized in the room -- including a bag with 200 vials of crack cocaine, a "drug ledger" with Clemente's name on it and $11,000 cash -- is inadmissible. The defense has maintained that the second officer who entered the room and seized the evidence had no right to be in the room. Since the police were originally responding to a report of a shooting, the emergency conditions under which they searched the apartment only allowed officers to conduct a "quick sweep" of the apartment which would ensure that no gunman or shooting victim was in the room. The defense argues that the first officer had already ascertained that no one was in the room before the second officer entered. Hearings on the legality of the police search and seizure of the evidence were held this summer. Clemente, who returned to campus this semester after spending most of last semester in New York City jails, faces nine felony drug and weapons charges -- three of which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment -- stemming from his January 9 arrest in a Harlem apartment. Other than the 14 ounces of powdered cocaine, police say they confiscated over 200 vials of crack cocaine, a loaded M-11 gun and a drug ledger. An additional 2000 vials of crack and a loaded semi-automatic machine pistol were thrown out of an apartment window just after officers surrounded the building, police said.
(09/28/90 9:00am)
A pre-school child has joined the list of people who have tested negative for infection after possible exposure to a cancer-causing virus at the University's New Bolton Center in May, Provost Michael Aiken said last week. The University announced in August that 30 Veterinary School faculty, students and staff members who may have been exposed to the Human T-cell Lymphotropic Type 1 virus also tested negative. The students, faculty and staff members at the Chester County facility handled a flock of about 150 sheep, which included 14 lambs inoculated in April with the HTLV-1 virus, which can cause leukemia. About 100 preschool children and 30 chaperones who took field trips to the center were also in contact with the sheep. The University offered testing to all the preschoolers and chaperones, but the examination has only been requested for the one child. Aiken said last week that the University's offer to test any member of the group still stands. Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman said this week that although the negative results are a "very good sign and meaningful," the findings are not definitive. Cooperman said that because of the incubation period of the virus, all the tests will be repeated in six months to a year for final results. Experts from around the country and University officials said this summer that the risk of infection for the students, staff and faculty was very low. They added that the risk for the pre-schoolers was almost non-existent. The students and staff were not aware that any of the sheep had been inoculated with the virus when they performed routine operations on the flock, such as castration and tail-bobbing. Although University and federal regulations stipulate that inoculated animals be separated from the rest of the flock, the inoculated lambs were not isolated. The lambs were being used in a research project conducted by Microbiology Professor Jorge Ferrer. The Veterinary School announced in July that it would conduct an investigation into Ferrer's actions, and Cooperman has said that "appropriate action" would be taken depending on the probe's findings. A Vet School spokesperson said this week that the panel investigating the incident was is still studying the violation and would not comment on the probe. The investigation is due to be completed by October.
(09/28/90 9:00am)
If a newly formed international programs committee has its way, the path to the world touted in the International Programs brochure will open into a four-lane superhighway. The Provost's Council on International Programs, established by Provost Michael Aiken last spring, has been charged with finding ways to strengthen and expand academic ties to foreign countries. According to Aiken, the council, made up of representatives of each of the 12 schools, will be looking to increase the number of programs abroad for both students and faculty members. Members will oversee programs run by individual schools as well as those conducted by the Office of International Programs. Aiken said this week that the need to coordinate foreign programming was pointed out by a working group studying international links for the soon-to-be-released five-year planning report. International Programs Director Joyce Randolph said the new council is working to establish more programs for undergraduates to study abroad during their junior and senior years. Randolph added that the council will also look to find peer universities in other countries with which the University can conduct a wide range of faculty, student and information exchanges. She also said that the provost would like to establish ties with institutions in areas outside the traditional European countries, including Latin America, Eastern Europe and East Asia. Randolph said that the council will also help the faculty, espcially younger members, to develop contacts abroad. She said that many older professors have developed intricate networks with foreign researchers over the years, but said that these exchanges often occur only on an individual basis. Current international programming suffers from a lack of overall coordination, Aiken said, adding that many schools have international programs that other schools could take advantage of but they are not aware of them. The provost said the council will coordinate programs conducted in different schools. The umbrella group will allow officials from one school to approach another school's officials and ask "can we work through your people," he said. Randolph said that the committee also will recommend ways to "enhance innternational content in the curriculum," but noted that the provost has emphasized that the council will not usurp the faculty's role in formulating policy.
(09/28/90 9:00am)
A third-year doctoral student died early yesterday morning from injuries he sustained after a car hit him near 30th Street Station Tuesday. Wharton Public Policy and Management doctoral candidate Scott Singer was struck by a car while he was standing on the sidewalk at the intersection of Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, according to Philadelphia Police. The accident official said yesterday that police could not comment on any specifics of the incident since police are still investigating. Wharton Transportation Program Director Bruce Allen, who supervised Singer for the last three years, called him a "superb student and a superb individual." Allen added that Singer had many friends among faculty and students in the PPM department. "If you were in our offices today, you would have seen a lot of long faces," he said. "It's a tragedy of immense proportions. I'm devastated." The spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous, said yesterday afternoon that the exact cause of death had not been determined because Singer's body had not yet been examined. Allen said a memorial service for Singer will be held today at the Our Lady of the Assumption Church, located at 35 Old Eagle School Road in Strafford, Pennsyvania. Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Babara Cassel said yesterday that the Chaplain's Office is organizing an on-campus memorial service but has not yet fixed a date.
(09/25/90 9:00am)
The University's five-year planning report, due out for final comment at the beginning of next month, will be the most detailed analysis of the University's long-term goals in recent memory, Provost Michael Aiken said yesterday. Aiken said that unlike earlier reports which articulated ambiguous philosophies and aims, this five-year plan will set specific "benchmarks" for the implementation of policies. "Some [previous reports] would be nothing more than a set of general goals," Aiken said. "The approach here is to identify exactly what we want to accomplish over the next five years." "It really is a guide to action," he added. The upcoming report was compiled from the work of 10 groups examining topics from graduate and undergraduate education to financial aid. The groups delivered their preliminary recommendations last year, which have been synthesized into seven general topics. Aiken said that although the final version will not include every specific working group recommendation, the suggestions in the original 10 reports will continue to be used by academic and administrative leaders to set policies. Aiken did not specify which of the groups' recommendations will be included in the final five-year plan. The provost added that the final version has come out of a series of in-depth discussions on the 10 original reports, which has pulled out "goals of the highest priority" for inclusion in the final report. The 30 to 40 page report is expected to be published in the October 9 edition of The Almanac for comment by the entire University community. Aiken said that he will allow six to eight weeks for debate on the report, after which time a final version will be compiled. The final report should be complete by winter break, he added. Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons said yesterday that the report will also be mailed to members of the Faculty Senate and formally presented to the Trustees' committee on academic policy in early October. "Everyone will get a chance to say, 'What is this? You forgot this,' or, 'This is dumb,' " Koons said. The 10 original working groups -- undergraduate education, financial aid, admissions, advising and retention, doctoral and professional education, international dimensions, faculty development and academic information environment -- made recommendations ranging from reducing the size the freshman class to putting time limits on dissertations. Koons said the final version of the report will be divided into seven sections -- research capacity, undergraduate education, doctoral education, professional education, libraries and computing, internationalizing the University, and the quality of the campus community.
(09/24/90 9:00am)
The University Trustees Executive Committee gave the administration the go-ahead Friday to purchase the 40th Street retail plaza that houses Smokey Joe's Tavern, Marty's Dollars Worth and University City Nautilus. The proposal to purchase the complex, presented by Trustees Budget Committee Acting Chairperson Susan Catherwood, estimated the maximum bill for the property, including purchase price and closing costs, at about $10.5 million. Senior Vice President Marna Whittington said Friday after the meeting that the University is in the process of closing the deal with the current owners of the complex. Although the resolution, which was passed unanimously, provides for an additional outlay of $300,000 for renovations, Whittington said that there will be no major changes to the plaza in the near future. She said that the property will continue to house retail shops, adding that the University will use the renovation funds to "fix it up" and improve maintenance. Real Estate Director Chris van de Velde said Friday that the plaza will be a good acquisition for the University, since it is close to campus. "We certainly can fix it up a bit since it's a property right on our doorstep," van de Velde said. He added that the University will use some of the unused space on the second floor for office space. Although the administration currently has no other plans for the property, van de Velde said that the area will be an important part of the University's future planning. In other business, Whittington announced that the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania finished fiscal year 1990 over $12.6 million in the black. HUP had been one of the biggest financial difficulties for the University in recent years, posting the largest loss among Delaware Valley hospitals for fiscal 1989. Trustees on the Executive Committee praised hospital employees and managers for the turnaround. Whittington also announced that all University schools and centers finished the year with either a surplus or break-even performance. She pointed out that this included the Veterinary School, which has been another financial sore spot in recent years. The Executive Committee also formally approved the name of the recently completed Lauder-Fischer Hall. President Sheldon Hackney presented the resolution for the formal naming, thanking the Lauder family and Arthur Fischer for their donations towards the completion of the facility.
(09/21/90 9:00am)
A New York Supreme Court judge is expected to rule today on whether evidence against Wharton sophomore Christopher Clemente was illegally seized the night of his arrest on drug and weapons charges. Clemente, who returned to campus this semester after spending most of last semester in New York City jails, faces nine felony drug and weapons charges -- three of which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment -- stemming from his January 9 arrest in a Harlem apartment. This summer, hearings were held on the legality of the search, in which police testified on the events leading up to Clemente's arrest. After the hearings, state prosecutors and Clemente's defense attorneys filed briefs debating the legality of the police search of the apartment and lending new insight into events of the Wharton sophomore's arrest. Both sides agree that on the night of the arrest, seven New York police officers responded to a report of a shooting in apartment 49 of 109 W. 112th St. Although there no one responded to knocks at apartment 49, Clemente answered from inside apartment 48. Police testified that after identifying themselves, they heard running footsteps inside the room, glass breaking and metal or wood being torn apart. An officer outside the building reported seeing a bag with over 2000 vials of crack cocaine and a loaded 9-millimeter handgun being dropped out of an apartment window. Officer Sean McDermott, the first policeman to enter the apartment, testified that as police were securing the entrance corridor, he saw Clemente's hands bleeding. After police secured the corridor, McDermott entered a darkened room in the apartment. It is here where the disputes begin. Clemente's attorneys, civil liberties lawyers Ronald Kuby and William Kunstler, maintain that since the officers were responding to a possible shooting next door, they only had the right to make an emergency search of the apartment to "secure" the room, making sure no shooting victims or perpatrators were present. The attorneys also maintain that police only had a right to confiscate objects "in plain view" that have immediate incriminating nature. They claim specifically that six pieces of evidence, many of which are key to the prosecution's case, are inadmissable. They are: · A loaded M-11 pistol, found behind a radiator. Kunstler and Kuby maintain that legally the officer should not have searched the room after seeing no people and no objects in plain sight. Assistant District Attorney Max Wiley contends that since the officer entered no enclosed areas, opened no containers and touched nothing before seeing the gun, it was legally seized. · $11,000 cash, found in a drawer. Clemente's attorneys state that although the money was in plain view, it was not clear that the money was incriminating and should not have been seized. Wiley states that the money was not seized until officers had reason to believe drug dealing had taken place in the apartment. · A "drug ledger" notebook with Clemente's name in it, found on a table. The defense contends that police had already secured the room twice when the notebook was found. They also say officers had no right to look in the notebook, because it could not have been deemed incriminating. Wiley states that since there was "overwhelming evidence of narcotics trafficking having taken place in the apartment," it was immediately apparent that the book had evidentiary value. · A bag with over 200 vials of crack cocaine, found in the same room on the floor. Kuby and Kunstler again state that room had already been secured twice before the bag was found and was therefore seized illegally. The prosecution claims that since it was in plain view, it was legally confiscated. · A bag with 14 ounces of powder cocaine, found in a closet. Clemente's attorneys state that the whole apartment was secured before officers looked in the closet, adding that the bag, which fell only after shaking a jacket, was also not in plain view. The assistant DA maintains that it would have been too dangerous and taken too long to get a warrant, therefore the emergency situation allowed them to seize the bag. · A shoulder holster, found in a closet. Kuby and Kunstler contend that by the time the officer found the holster, he had already determined no people were present in the room. Wiley states the other evidence of drug activity allowed police to seize the holster. A spokesperson for the New York district attorney's office said that if any of the evidence is ruled inadmissable, the charges against Clemente could change. Clemente's attorneys predicted that they would be successful in having at least some of the evidence suppressed.
(09/20/90 9:00am)
After over two decades on campus, University Secretary Mary Ann Meyers announced yesterday that she will leave the University in December to become president of the Annenberg Foundation. Meyers, who has served as secretary since 1980, said yesterday that while she will miss working at the University, she is looking forward to working for the philanthropic organization set up by Trustees Walter and Leonore Annenberg. "I'm very excited," Meyers said yesterday. "These have been stimulating and rewarding years [at the University], but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to work with Ambassador and Mrs. Annenberg." Walter Annenberg said yesterday that he has worked with Meyers for many years and praised her for her work at the University. "I have great respect for this woman," Annenberg said. "I think she'll do an outstanding job as our administrative executive." The former ambassador to England added that he offered Meyers the position even though Meyers was not looking to leave the University. "A great many people at the end of ten years [in one position] have taken to the idea that they want to take on a new area, a new challenge," he said. The primary responsibility of the University secretary is to serve as the liaison between the administration and the Board of Trustees. Trustee Board Chairperson Alvin Shoemaker said yesterday that he was sorry to see the University lose Meyers, but thinks she will be happy in her new position. "She served this University very well," Shoemaker added. John Gould, the President's Office executive director, said that a search committee to fill Meyers' post has not been set up yet, adding that he is unsure as to the process of selecting a new secretary. "We haven't searched for a new secretary in a while," Gould said. Formerly at Haverford College as director of college relations and editor of the alumni magazine, Meyers has taught classes in American religious history both at Haverford and the University. In the mid-1970s, she served as an assistant to then-University President Martin Meyerson before assuming the position of secretary. Meyers graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Syracuse University, and received her doctorate in American Civilization from the University in 1976.
(09/18/90 9:00am)
Several student leaders are distancing themselves from a preliminary version of the Undergraduate Assembly's five-year plan for undergraduate life, saying the document ignores the concerns of women and minorities. The rough draft of the report, The 1995 Paper: An Evaluation of Progress, was released Wednesday after almost a year of research. Critics of the paper found particular fault with a section on Greek life, calling it "slanted" toward fraternities and sororities. UA Chairperson Duchess Harris emphasized last night that the report was a "rough draft" and the UA body must decide if it should be revised. She said more than 80 percent of the report was researched under former UA Chairperson Benjy Karsch, adding that it does not necesarily represent the views of her administration. The document's Greek life section calls for an expansion of the Greek system and increased self-governance for the Interfraternity, Panhellenic and Black Inter-Greek Councils. It also urges the University to find houses for existing and future sororities and fraternities. President Sheldon Hackney's call to diversify the fraternity-dominated Locust Walk, which has been at the center of campus debate during the last two semesters, is not mentioned. "I find it very frightening," Womens Alliance board member Carla Hutton said last night. "It's the sort of thing I'd expect Pan Hel, the IFC and the BIG-C to hand out." United Minorities Council Chairperson Nalini Samuel said last night that the document "didn't address any minority issues at all." Student Activities Coucil Chairperson Susan Moss said last night that the fact that former IFC President Garrett Reisman and former Pan Hel President Shari Senzon helped author the report unfairly biased the section. Connaissance Chairperson Emily Nichols, who leaders said was one of the more vocal critics of the report, also declined to comment last night. UA Chairperson Harris said that although the rough draft is "not beautiful," she wanted to release the preliminary report to the UA body so it could have something to work with at its first meeting. Wharton senior Varsha Rao, who chaired the committee which prepared the report, said last night that the preliminary report was intended only for student leaders to comment on and was not supposed to be released to the public. UA member Dan Singer said that because "some other student leaders have had some concerns" about the report, he would like to see the revision process go slowly and deliberately. "The revisions could go from changing one word to rewriting the whole paper," Singer said last night. "We can't say it's done until everybody is happy with it." In addition to the controversial Greek life section, the report also recommends changes in Dining Services, Residential Living, social life, campus safety, facilities and planning, and computer resources. Details on the other sections could not be learned because The Daily Pennsylvanian's copy of the preliminary document was reclaimed before this story was complete.
(09/14/90 9:00am)
Administrators yesterday refuted student claims that the University's Open Expression guidelines were suspended during former President Ronald Reagan's speech in May, saying that they were simply unable to enforce the policies. College senior Sloan Wiesen claimed at Tuesday's UA meeting that when he was ejected by an unidentified security guard for carrying a placard during the speech, Open Expression Committee Vice Chairperson Sol Goodgal told students that the guidelines were not in effect. And the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly unanimously passed a resolution yesterday calling for a formal apology for the suspension, after graduate student Jeff Abrahamson, who was involved in the same incident, raised the issue. But Microbiology Professor Goodgal, who was acting as Open Expression Chairperson in the absence of Regional Planning Professor William Grigsby, denied last night that he had ever said the guidelines had been lifted for the Peak Week. "I simply said that since there was no request for [Open Expression] monitors, it was not our responsibility," he said. "We don't serve a police function." And Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson said last night that the guidelines were in effect during the speech, but Open Expression monitors who included Senior Vice President Marna Whittington and Assiatant VPUL George Koval had no jurisdiction over federal and city law enforcement agents. "[The law enforcement officials'] vision of open expression and their vision of their police duties are not always the same," Morrisson said. Several students who protested at Reagan's speech reported being evicted from the Philadelphia Civic Center by Secret Service agents, the Philadelphia Police's Dignitary Protection unit and Spectaguard security guards. Assistant to the President William Epstein said that Open Expression monitors at the speech attempted to get many of the students who had been evicted from the event back in to hear the address. Another student, 1990 College graduate Daniel Zigmond, was forced to plead guilty in August to charges of obstructing Civic Center Boulevard during the speech. Zigmond claimed that he was not involved in the protest, but was forced to plead guilty because he was leaving for Thailand the next week. Ed Miller contributed to this story.
(09/11/90 9:00am)
Four top University officials released a statement this month condemning sexual violence on campus as part of a new campaign to combat acquaintance rape at the University. Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson - who signed the statement with President Sheldon Hackney, Provost Michael Aiken and Senior Vice President Marna Whittington - said this week that one of the reasons that date and acquaintance rape are a continuing problem on college campuses is that students are unaware of the problem. "It is intended in part to get the word out and in part [to show] as leaders of this institution that we're aware that it is an issue that students must understand and one we want to deal with and want to confront," she said. According to statistics released by the Penn Women's Center and the Office of Victim Support Services, the number of reported acquaintance rapes on campus jumped from seven in academic year 1987-88 to 12 in 1988-89 to at least 20 last year. In April, leaders of Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape met with Hackney after chiding the administration for its lack of leadership in combatting sexual violence. Hackney could not be reached for comment Sunday, but Assistant to the President William Epstein said this week that although the administration has continually tried to combat the problem, the statement is part of a new effort to be instituted this year. He said that STAAR has played an important role in formulating and implementing the new effort, which includes information pamphlets and key chains with phone numbers and a new logo for the programs, an old-fashioned key. The old-fashioned key "represents the unlocking of the issue of acquaintance rape," the statement reads. STAAR Executive Board member April O'Malley said last night that she felt the statement and the other new efforts are "a step in the right direction." O'Malley added that since her group met with Hackney, officials have been much more responsive to the issue of sexual violence. "We are looking forward to working with the administration," the College junior said. "They are much more aware now of the problem and I think they are looking to help us out." O'Malley said that STAAR plans to meet with Whittington and Hackney in the near future to coordinate other projects. National studies have shown that one in six college women reported being a victim of rape or attempted rape in the past year and one in 15 male students admitted committing or attempting rape, according to the statement.
(09/07/90 9:00am)
in the minds of students Two months ago, it was a subject reserved for history classes. But today, the very mention of it can fill a young man's head with visions of the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. Or the Canadian border. Although only military volunteers have been deployed to Saudi Arabia, the crisis in the Persian Gulf has left college-age men worrying about the possibility of a draft. "Since the [Iraqi] invasion, you hear a lot of guys joking about getting drafted," Wharton junior Adam Elkins said last night. "But you can tell that, in the back of their minds, they're a little bit worried about having to go half way around the world to fight in some war." And anxiety is building as the situation in the Gulf intensifies. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said yesterday that although 100,000 troops have already been deployed in Saudi Arabia for "Operation Desert Shield," the flow of troops into the region will continue. But according to government officials and political analysts, the chance of a draft, even if a shooting war breaks out in the Middle East, is very slim. "In my opinion, only a global conflict, a World War II-type conflict, would require a draft," Defense Department spokesperson Harold Heilsnis said this week. The last Selective Service draft, which lasted from 1948 until 1973, exempted college students from service. The exemption was widely criticized during the Vietnam War, and officials and analysts said this week that it is unclear whether a similar exemption would be part of a new draft law. "A lot of people felt that [the exemption] was a way for rich kids to avoid war and to get the poor kids to fight it for them," said American Civilization Chairperson Murray Murphey, who teaches a seminar on the 1960s. Defense Department spokesperson Heilsnis said that if the number of draftees needed could be covered by men out of school, congress would likely exempt college students. He added, however, that it is "primarily a political decision" to be handled by congress and the president. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on any aspect of a draft, but Heilsnis and analysts emphasized that the chance of a draft is remote. "There's not going to be a draft," History Professor Bruce Kuklick, a scholar of recent American history, said this week. "I really don't think Bush would do that. He's in enough trouble already." Heilsnis said that the recent call up of the reserves may have led people to believe that a draft is imminent, but emphasized that the military calls specialists in the reserves even before all active military personnel have been deployed. Selective Service spokesperson Barbi Richardson said this week that if Congress passes legislation calling for a draft, a lottery drawing would be conducted to determine the order in which men would be called. Richardson said the first priority group would consist of men in the calendar year of their 20th birthday. Each succeeding year men drop into a lower priority group until they reach their 26th birthday, at which time they are over draft age, she said. The next priority group would be men who are 19-years-old and lastly 18-year-olds, Richardson added. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(09/06/90 9:00am)
Wharton sophomore Christopher Clemente returned to campus yesterday, almost eight months to the day after his arrest in a Harlem apartment on drug and weapons charges. Clemente could not be reached for comment yesterday, but his mother, Barbara Jenkins, said in a telephone interview from her Bronx home that he is excited to be returning to the University and is looking forward to resuming his studies. Clemente's lawyers and the University administration agreed in March on Clemente's return. The pact allowed Clemente to take a voluntary leave of absence last semester, but also gives the University the right to press internal charges against him at any time. One of Clemente's attorneys, famed civil liberties lawyer William Kunstler, said yesterday that Clemente's legal wranglings are on hold until a ruling is handed down on whether evidence against the Wharton student was illegally seized. New York Supreme Court Judge Richard Lowe is expected to decide on the legality of the police search on September 24. Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman did not return a phone call last night, but she said this summer that no decisions have been made on whether to persue internal charges against Clemente. Kunstler said yesterday that he has not heard from the University since Clemente announced his intention to return in July. Jenkins said that Barbara Cassel, the executive assistant to the vice provost for university life, called Clemente this week and suggested he see an advisor once he gets to the University to help him make the transition. Clemente's lawyers said this summer that they were concerned about what kind of reception Clemente would get from the University community, but asserted his legal right to return. Jenkins said that her son does not have a room at the University yet, but said that his friends will help him find a place to live when he arrives. Jenkins said that Clemente was the victim of a hit-and-run automobile accident two weeks ago, but added that he sustained only minor injuries to his leg. She said her son was getting out of a taxi in the Bronx when he was struck. "He didn't know what hit him," she said.
