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(11/07/95 10:00am)
English Professor Gregg Camfield and his supporters are still waiting. The English Department tenured faculty met yesterday to discuss reopening Camfield's tenure case. But after an hour of deliberation, they decided to put off a decision on Camfield's case until next Monday, when they will hold another meeting. "People need to have time to develop their thinking further," English Department Chairperson Wendy Steiner explained. She said the faculty need to examine new material and information that has been coming in to the English Department. "We'll certainly come to a decision soon," Steiner added. Camfield was denied tenure last spring despite strong support from faculty and students. After students protested through petitions and letters, the English Department decided to consider reopening the case. By doing so, the faculty would be sending the case back to the School of Arts and Sciences Personnel Committee, the organization responsible for originally denying Camfield's tenure. Yesterday's tenured faculty meeting was closed and confidential, so Steiner said she could not relate what had been discussed. But Steiner did say that the main issue revolves around whether enough new information exists to give the SAS Personnel Committee reason to grant tenure. "It just is a question as to whether it seems like a good idea to put him up again," she said. The faculty also discussed the student feedback they had received. "I know many students are worried about whether their views are being taken into consideration," Steiner said. "They should know that the faculty is well aware of their position." The English Undergraduate Advisory Board and the Undergraduate Assembly have released statements to the tenured faculty advocating the resubmission of Camfield's case. The UA has argued that the administration's denial of Camfield's tenure sheds light on a more general problem. "Denying him tenure brings into question how serious the administration is about their claim that they are committed to excellent teaching," the UA statement said. "It also raises some serious doubt as to how the tenure process currently considers the opinions of the students." But Steiner said the English Department faculty will take student opinion into account in its decision. "We know that Gregg is a wonderful teacher and that does count for us," she said. The English Department voted in favor of recommending that Camfield receive tenure last semester. About 20 faculty members make up the tenured faculty committee.
(11/03/95 10:00am)
Zeta Phi Beta President Sheree Thompson was in the midst of celebrating her sorority's newest pledges Wednesday night when she heard loud noises and saw something falling from a High Rise North window. Although the College senior could not identify what had fallen, she realized that students were throwing items such as bottles and water balloons at the sorority sisters. And in a related incident, two residents of the 13th floor of HRN said a group of black men barged into their rooms, looking for signs that the residents were responsible for the thrown bottles. University Police Capt. John Richardson said he could only confirm that one bottle was thrown, and could not connect it to the sorority event. But Thompson said there was no doubt in her mind that the items were thrown at those celebrating. "They were throwing it directly at us," Thompson said. "We didn't want anyone to get hurt by anything coming out of the windows so it ended our celebration." University Police was aware that the event, slated to last about half an hour, was scheduled to take place in Superblock, according to Richardson. Sorority sisters and others who participated in the celebration denounced the high rise residents' actions, saying that the incident marked another example of campus racial problems. "I felt like I was in the 1960s trying to sit at a lunch counter," College sophomore Shelise Williams said. "A lot of people say black people are segregating themselves by living in DuBois, but we can hold cultural events at DuBois and not worry about anybody throwing anything at us." And Engineering junior Jerome Hairston, who attended the celebration, said the University community is "showing itself to be intolerant once again." College sophomore Alex Birnbaum, who lives on the 13th floor of HRN, said she heard a pounding on her door at around 11 p.m. Tuesday. When she opened the door, she found a group of black men standing outside her room. "This guy came into my room and went to the double and was looking around in the back," she said. "I stepped into the hall and saw 10 people at least -- they said there were people throwing glass and they were just checking it out to see what happened." Birnbaum's neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, was also approached by the group of men. She said she had just come home and saw the group of students coming into HRN. According to the HRN resident, they approached the front desk and were allowed through without signing into the building. But Richardson said the men must have been University students since they could not have entered to the building without a PennCard. Birnbaum said after finishing the search of her room, one student knocked on and then opened Birnbaum's neighbor's unlocked door and searched her double room as well. "The guy sticks his head in, looking around, suspecting that one of us threw something out the window," the HRN resident said. Wharton junior Arthur James, who attended the celebration, said the reaction to the event was typical. "Stuff like this happens all the time whenever there's a small celebration and it happens to be a black organization," James said. "I was surprised that someone threw a bottle but I wasn't surprised people reacted." Daily Pennsylvanian reporter Julayne Austin contributed to this article.
(11/02/95 10:00am)
The College Republicans Group of Colorado claims that its message represents college Republican groups throughout the country. But according to Penn College Republicans President Dan Debicella, that may not be the case. The Colorado group is filing a lawsuit against three colleges because they will not recognize student groups that discriminate against gays and lesbians. The lawsuit claims that the entire ideology of the College Republicans would change if the group followed those colleges' policies. But Debicella disagreed, noting that the Penn College Republicans constitution "says nothing" about homosexuals. In fact, its recently adopted platform contains a statement opposing "all discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation, including quota laws." Debicella said this clause shows the difference between the University's chapter and the Colorado group. "I think this clearly shows that Penn College Republicans is against discrimination in any form," he added. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Alliance Co-Chairperson Rob Faunce said he was impressed by the Penn College Republican's policy. "I'm really proud that our own College Republicans on this campus does not support this stance," the College junior said. But despite the University chapter's constitutional position, Debicella said Penn College Republicans will not officially respond to or denounce the Colorado group's statements. And Faunce, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said he was disappointed in that decision. "I would like to see other College Republican groups, especially one as enlightened as ours seems to be, to boldly state that their compatriots in Colorado are ill-founded," Faunce said. Currently, administrations of the three Colorado schools -- Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado and the Metropolitan State College of Denver -- refuse to recognize the Colorado College Republicans as an official student organization since it will not pledge to follow non-discrimination policies. The Colorado chapter claims that its First Amendment rights are being infringed upon because it is being forced to accept homosexuals into its membership. Debicella said he thinks the Colorado College Republicans' stance is wrong. "I don't think government belongs in the bedroom," he said. "While I do not support gay marriages, I do not think that anyone has the right to tell anyone else what to do with their sex life." The lawsuit, which is being filed in U.S. District Court, is requesting an injunction that will require the schools to give Colorado's College Republicans full recognition, including office space in campus buildings. The Rocky Mountain News contributed to this story.
(10/31/95 10:00am)
Quadrangle residents will have to walk a few steps farther to retrieve their packages now -- but Residential Living officials are promising that students will benefit from the change. In response to mail security concerns, the department has set up a 28-foot-long storage trailer outside the 37th Street entrance to the Quad. The trailer, which has acted as a partial distribution site since last Monday, will begin full package room service later this week, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said. "The mail room is not large enough for package sorting in addition to mail functions," Simeone added. "It can now be handled in a space that's adequate." The new trailer, which is parked near the walkway leading to Stouffer College House, will cost the University $8,000 per year, with an added one-time outlay of $12,000 for electricity, Simeone said. There have been at least three reported instances of unattended packages in the Quad this semester. Simeone attributed one of them to the large number of packages that overflowed the mail room office. Residential Living officials have also said that the post office has occasionally delivered mail and packages after normal business hours, when no one is present to take care of them. And once, an employee left mail and packages in an open room for a few minutes while sorting mail elsewhere. Residential Services Manager Rodney Robinson said the new trailer should put a stop to these situations, since it will lessen the number of services the mail room provides. Simeone added that she hopes the trailer is a permanent solution to the problems brought on by the size of the Quad mail room. "It depends on what happens in the University as a whole," Simeone added, noting that if the University ever switched to a central mail system, the trailer would not be necessary. And Robinson said he would be interested in finding "some area within the building that's more permanent than just the trailer." College freshman Matt Huebner said he has never had a problem with package delivery in the mail room. "I think the system was fine in the mail room," Huebner said. "I could get everything done in one place that way." According to Robinson, two extra employees will staff the trailer. Residential Living ruled out the possibility of renovating the existing mail room or building a new one because it could have cost the University as much as $250,000. Mail continues to arrive at the University in damaged condition, Robinson confirmed, noting that since Saturday, approximately 10 damaged pieces of mail have arrived in University residences.
(10/31/95 10:00am)
English Department considers student input English Professor Gregg Camfield's fate at the University may be determined next week at an English department senior faculty meeting. According to English Department Undergraduate Chairperson Al Filreis, the department's tenured faculty will meet November 6 to discuss a variety of personnel matters. At that meeting, the group will decide whether to reopen Camfield's tenure case. Camfield, who is highly regarded by both his students and colleagues, was denied tenure last March by the School of Arts and Sciences Personnel Committee. By doing so, the committee rejected the English Department's recommendation and infuriated many students. Groups and individuals protested the decision through petitions and letter-writing campaigns. In May, the tenured departmental faculty authorized a committee to prepare a case for Camfield's renomination. According to English Professor Robert Lucid, that group spent the summer gathering additional materials -- including input from a variety of constituencies. Lucid said the tenured faculty will take student input very seriously, noting that the English Undergraduate Advisory Board was very vocal in its opposition to the decision last semester. But representatives of the UAB said last night that they were disappointed with the amount of input they have had and information they have received. College junior and UAB member Alex Edelman said he first learned of the tenured faculty meeting from The Daily Pennsylvanian. "That really shocks and disappoints me," he said. "I would think the UAB would be one of the first to be contacted." Edelman also said that Camfield was the first recipient of the UAB's teaching award two years ago. And College junior Christy Goralnik said that in light of the award, the University made a "strong statement about how [it] views teaching and the opinions of its students" when Camfield was denied tenure. She noted that the entire tenure process generally lacks student input. "The administration does not want students involved in the tenure process," she said. The UAB will probably write a formal statement advocating a reopening of the case and a reconsideration of the decision, Goralnik said. Despite student reservations, Lucid called student input "one of the very real sources of material" on which the faculty will base its decision. He said he could not predict how next week's meeting would turn out. Lucid said, though, that the committee must have sufficient grounds to begin the process again. "The SAS Personnel Committee last year rejected a departmental recommendation to promote, after hearing our best arguments and reviewing our most persuasive materials," Lucid said. "Can we come up with a sufficiently stronger and better case than the one we have already submitted and had rejected? That is the question that we must consider and answer," he added. Although the meeting is closed and confidential, the decision on Camfield's case will most likely be made public, Lucid said. "I suppose it will be impossible to keep it anything but public," he added. Camfield was unavailable for comment last night.
(10/27/95 9:00am)
More than 100 colleges and universities throughout the United States will soon receive government exemptions and opportunities to improve the delivery of their student financial aid. But the University is not among them, according to information released by the Department of Education. Associate Vice President of Finance Frank Claus said the University investigated the program last July and decided not to apply. The Department of Education is allowing higher education institutions to exempt students from regulations including loan counseling, required authorizations, multiple or delayed disbursement and mandatory loan proration for graduating students. Schools that applied were selected based on their student financial aid track record, according to Department of Education spokesperson Jane Glickman. "This isn't a typical grant application," Glickman said. "It's an opportunity to experiment in?financial aid and how we give [schools] money and how they deal with the students." When the University looked into the program, officials learned that many of the schools participating in the program were "consortia" schools -- those acting jointly to address the same problems. The University is currently reviewing other opportunities within the program, Claus said. "It is our intention to seek regulatory relief in areas where Penn is known not to have meaningful deviations from policy," Claus said. "Eliminating the required procedure could improve our processes or reduce inconvenience to students." Since the project is open and ongoing, the University can still apply for future programs within it, Glickman said. She added that the Department of Education will be very flexible with this initiative, since its main goal is to "cut red tape." "We're hoping it will benefit their schools and students while cutting down on the paperwork and burdens," Glickman said. Assistant Vice President for Policy Planning David Morse noted that if the University did apply, its request would probably be accepted. "We do have a pretty good track record in terms of an extremely low default rate on student loans," he said. According to Morse, many of the schools on the Department of Education's list are in a direct lending program, in which the federal government provides funds directly to the colleges and universities. "We have a favorable set of relations with the state agency in Pennsylvania that guarantees loans so it's not in our interest to do that," Morse added. And Vice President for Finance Stephen Golding said the University is different from many other institutions in its operation of student aid. The regulations from which the selected schools are exempt may not apply to the University since it manages much of its own financial profile, he explained.
(10/25/95 9:00am)
When Edward Hoffman co-founded Sign Spec Inc., he never expected the small New Jersey company to grow so quickly. And he definitely did not expect to receive a first-place ranking in the Wharton Small Business Development Center's "Philadelphia 100" only three years after his company's inception. According to the Philadelphia 100 rankings, which were released Monday, Hoffman's business has experienced the highest revenue growth of any small business in the greater Philadelphia area this year. Sign Spec, which produces various types of unusual signs, including those for casinos and Automated Teller Machines, now has approximately $2.5 million in revenue, representing a two-year growth of 1,354 percent, Hoffman noted. "We've had phenomenal growth, but we didn't know how we compared to other companies," he said. This marks the seventh year of the Development Center's Philadelphia 100 report, according to Center Director Clark Callahan. The list represents the best of privately held small businesses, whose revenue ranges from $75,000 to $25 million, said Stephanie McAlaine, assistant director of the Development Center. "This is a really unique research project," Callahan said. "The whole project highlights a group of companies that would not otherwise be recognized as a really important part of our economy." Callahan also said this year's research showed many developing trends, including the growth of technology-oriented companies. "There is also some indication that small manufacturers are coming back, and there are high growth retailers which we didn't have before," he added. Wharton students, administrators and staff aided in the research and compilation of data, according to McAlaine. Many found obtaining nominations and information difficult because private businesses' revenue is not public record. "There are some companies we know ought to be on the list that aren't [because they would not disclose their revenues]," Callahan said. And since the companies must nominate themselves, the Development Center had to publicize the project extensively. Even with the publicity, Hoffman said he did not even know about the list until the rankings were released, despite the fact that Sign Spec has been ranked in the list's top 10 since its inception in 1992. Callahan said the entire program costs approximately $60,000 to run.
(10/24/95 9:00am)
Administrators and faculty members paid tribute last night to Psychology Professor Emeritus Richard Solomon, who passed away October 12. Solomon, who came to the University in 1960 and retired in 1984, served as a mentor for many current University professors, including College Dean Robert Rescorla and Psychology Professor Martin Seligman. "He was probably the outstanding nurturer and teacher of people who went on to become major figures in American psychology," Seligman said. Solomon was a key researcher in the field of experimental psychology with a concentration in animal learning. Seligman recalled that Solomon, who served as Seligman's doctoral program mentor, was slow to criticize his students. Instead, he would consistently give positive reinforcement. "In my third year, after telling me that everything I did was great and wonderful, he finally told me something I had done was [just] good," Seligman said. "Only when things got very serious and he really respected you did he give you serious criticism." Rescorla, who also did his graduate work under Solomon, remembered similar incidents, noting that he and fellow students joked about Solomon's constant positive attitude. "I came in with an idea once and he laughed at me and I was crushed," Rescorla said. Solomon was one of several faculty members who "turned the department around," according to Psychology Department Chairperson John Sabini. "He was one of the early generation that created the department as we now know it," Sabini added. Before coming to the University, Solomon was a professor at Harvard University, where he taught Ivar Berg, who is currently a sociology professor at the University. Berg said Solomon was "rewarding, stimulating and role modeling." Solomon, who was the University's first James M. Skinner Professor of Science, received many accolades throughout his career for his research and mentoring ability. Sabini noted that Rescorla and Seligman -- who were both mentored by Solomon -- were nationally recognized on a list of the "top 10 prominent psychologists." As a result, Solomon was the only mentor who had two students on the list. Solomon also went out of his way to interact and talk with younger, newer faculty members, Sabini said. And he was very popular with undergraduates, including a young Judith Rodin -- now President of the University -- who worked in his laboratory as an undergraduate. But Solomon's influence went beyond psychology. In serving as the first Faculty Master of Van Pelt College House, which opened in 1971, Solomon was one of the first to support the concept of combining academics and the residences. According to History Professor Alan Kors, who co-founded Van Pelt, Solomon exhibited "enormous warmth, energy and commitment" in his work at the college house. "He infused the house with a passionate love of ideas and debate on the one hand and the?belief that one could break down the enormous barriers that existed between eminent full professors and students on the other," Kors said. Kors recalled that when Solomon first moved into Van Pelt, he went against Residential Living policy by bringing his poodle, Pierre, with him. "He defied the residential offices to do anything about it," Kors said, adding that Solomon always attempted to make Van Pelt as autonomous as possible. Seligman said the characteristic he will most remember about Solomon is "the peace and graciousness that pervaded the intellectual atmosphere of his life."
(10/20/95 9:00am)
Some Columbia University students are seething over a controversial column printed last week in the campus newspaper. The Columbia Daily Spectator has been inundated with letters to the editor since it printed the column, which refers to Jews as "leeches sucking the blood from the black community" and criticizes whites as a whole. And board members from Columbia's Jewish Student Union are considering filing a grievance with the university, according to Jewish Student Union Vice President Noah Leibowitz, a senior. Columbia senior Sharod Baker, who authored the column, said last night that he stands by his words. "The article was anti-evil," Baker said, in response to charges that the piece was anti-Semitic or anti-white. "There are a lot of black people who needed for me to write that column," Baker added. "They wanted to say the same things but didn't have the courage to do it." Leibowitz said Jewish Student Union leaders are organizing a petition denouncing the column. They are also considering sending copies of the column to the Spectator's advertisers. Leibowitz added that he plans to request an apology from the Spectator today. But Spectator Editorial Page Editor and Columbia senior Scott MacKenzie said he will not apologize for printing the October 12 column. "For me, the question was not why print it, but why not," MacKenzie said last night. "I just have a problem with not printing something because it is going to be sensitive to a certain group on campus." Baker's column accuses Jews of oppressing blacks and trying to stop the Million Man March in Washington earlier this week. "This is a symbol to all black people that these tricksters are not our friends," Baker wrote. "I single Jews out because their oppression of blacks cannot go unnoticed while they disguise their evilness under the skirts and costumes of the rabbi. "Lift up the yarmulke and what you will find is the blood of billions of Africans weighing on their heads," added Baker, who is president of Columbia's Black Student Organization and a regular Spectator columnist. In the piece, he called Israel "a hoax" and criticized the "general white population." He also said Columbus Day is "racial harassment" because Christopher Columbus "wiped out entire cultures." Baker ended his column asking blacks to "decide whether we want to give in to these little white tricks or treat ourselves to unity." In the days following the publication of the column -- which was entitled "Struggling blacks don't need dirty tricks" -- the Spectator received more than 25 angry and critical letters, MacKenzie said. "I expected the type of reaction we're getting now," MacKenzie said. "I wasn't surprised." Some Columbia students last night said responding to the article only lends credibility to it. "You shouldn't give respect to people like that," Columbia senior Ariel Friedman said. "Taking it seriously is the worst thing you could do." Friedman wrote a column in the Spectator the day after Baker's article appeared that focused on other people's reactions to Baker's piece, rather than attempting "to reason with him." Leibowitz said the Spectator could have created "an atmosphere of tolerance" by refusing to print Baker's latest column. But Friedman said he believed in Baker's right to freedom of speech, adding that he felt there should not be an official Jewish Student Union or Columbia University response to the column.
(10/19/95 9:00am)
After a one-hour discussion yesterday, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee has yet to take an official position on the latest draft of the student judicial charter. Although no new issues came to light, SEC spent the greater part of its meeting discussing the draft, coming to the conclusion that "several major points [in the charter] need addressing," Senate Chairperson-Elect Peter Kuriloff said. To that end, SEC established a small committee to make recommendations on changes to the charter. The committee will bring its suggestions back to SEC during its November 8 meeting. At that time, SEC could amend the suggestions and approve concrete proposals, then pass them on to Provost Stanley Chodorow for consideration. According to Associate Radiology Professor David Hackney, senate secretary-elect, SEC discussed many of the same issues that were brought up at recent University Council and Undergraduate Assembly meetings. "I don't think anyone raised anything new," Hackney said. And Senate Past Chairperson David Hildebrand, a statistics professor, said the meeting was somewhat frustrating since the process of reviewing the charter has become lengthy. Hildebrand added that he hoped the November 8 meeting will complete SEC's involvement in the discussion. "I hope to God that we get it done then," he added. But Senate Chairperson William Kissick, a Medical School professor, said SEC's delay will not slow down the general process of reviewing the judicial charter. And since most SEC members had not discussed the charter in detail before, yesterday's meeting served primarily as a forum to debate issues of faculty concern, Hackney said. And according to Kissick, the vast majority of SEC members participated in the judicial charter discussion, which was "wide open and candid." "I haven't seen for a while such a serious discussion of issues that affect all of us," Hildebrand said. According to Kuriloff, a Graduate School of Education professor, some faculty members became very vocal on the issue of fair representation in a hearing. Kuriloff noted that "how you strike a balance with a fair playing field" remains undetermined. The senate members felt "fairly strongly" that attorneys should not be involved in the hearings at all. But when discussing whether students should speak for themselves or have an advisor speak for them, faculty members remained divided, Hackney said. "My sense was that there was significant disagreement about that issue," he added. SEC also discussed whether hearings should be open and how far the provost's power should extend. According to Kuriloff, SEC also had "quite a bit" of discussion on the judicial charter's relationship to the Code of Academic Integrity. "There's a concern that the two could get muddled but they are related," Kuriloff added. "I don't know how it's going to play out." Chodorow arrived toward the end of SEC's discussion and briefly addressed the body. He agreed to wait to complete his final draft until after SEC's next meeting. After Chodorow prepares his final version of the charter, he will send it to the four undergraduate schools for approval by their deans and faculty.
(10/13/95 9:00am)
Investigation continues Contrary to University President Judith Rodin's announcement at the University Council meeting Wednesday, postal investigators have not made an arrest in connection with Penn's mail problems, according to University officials. Vice President of Business Services Steven Murray attributed the mistake to a miscommunication within the post office. According to Murray, Philadelphia Postmaster Jim Gallagher had told Penn Mail Service Manager Jim Bean that a postal worker had been arrested for various crimes, and was thought to be responsible for the University's problems. Bean passed the information on to Murray, who told Rodin on Wednesday. During her monthly report at Council, Rodin said a postal worker had been apprehended last weekend for his alleged involvement in the University's situation. But according to Charles McManus, the leader of the internal investigation team for Philadelphia's Postal Inspection Service, no such arrest had been made. "We have narrowed [the investigation] down a bit, but I don't know of any arrests this service has made over the weekend," McManus said. The miscommunication occurred between the postmaster's office and the inspection service, Murray said. The confusion surrounded a postal worker who had been charged with stealing $4,500 worth of home shopping merchandise two weeks ago. "In a conversation we had with the postmaster [Wednesday], the inference had been drawn that there may have been a direct connection between the Quad situation and this arrest," Murray said. "This does not necessarily appear to be the case." Besides mail tampering, students living in dormitories have had their mail service compromised in a number of ways -- ranging from unattended packages to mail not arriving at all. Van Pelt College House and Modern Language College House have experienced days when mail was never delivered, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said. Simeone and Bean met with post office officials yesterday. John Harrison, a postal official responsible for mail delivery, reassured them that the problems would be addressed and corrected. "I think it was a good meeting," Simeone said. "He was very responsive and very sympathetic." Inconsistent Saturday mail delivery, which has been a problem in the past, was also discussed, Simeone added.
(10/13/95 9:00am)
and Mike Madden As the only Ivy League school with a woman at the helm, the University is leading an expanding national trend, according to an American Council on Education study released last week. The Council's Office of Women in Higher Education found that the number of female presidents of colleges and universities has more than tripled since 1975, when 148 women held the position. Now, 453 women -- 16 percent of all college and university presidents in the country -- serve in the chief executive officer role, the study found. But despite the significant increase, only 7 percent of woman presidents serve institutions with an enrollment greater than 10,000 students. University President Judith Rodin, who fits into that category, noted that the ACE report shows that women have made "major strides." "There is clear recognition that women are capable of leading universities," Rodin said this week. "It also shows more women have been in the pipeline and have demonstrated more leadership." Although the ACE report does not look at the caliber of universities in considering the number of women presidents, Rodin noted that very few institutions accredited with the Association of American Universities can boast female presidents. According to Rodin's description, the AAU includes all "top research institutions" in the United States. Until recently, three AAU-accredited schools had female presidents but the University of Colorado's leader recently resigned, leaving only Penn and Duke University with women at the helm, Rodin said. And Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman was quick to point out that Rodin is a leader amongst the University's peer institutions. "Whereas there are more and more women in academic leadership, not many are heads of large research universities," Scheman said. "I think it is changing, but from Penn's point of view, Penn is really the pioneer and [Rodin] is a pioneer." Rodin voiced similar sentiments, noting that there are too few women even in the pipeline for top positions at large, high-caliber research institutions. "I am inevitably a trendsetter," she said. "It's my hope that what is now noteworthy will become commonplace so there will be enough women that people won't need to comment on it." According to the study, 16 percent of female presidents are racial or ethnic minorities. The ACE report also noted that three out of five female leaders preside over four-year institutions and that 52 percent of all female presidents are at independent colleges and universities as opposed to public ones. According to the ACE, this represents a dramatic change since 1975, when over 80 percent of all female CEOs led private institutions.
(10/12/95 9:00am)
If Wharton junior Steven Bisbee does poorly on his psychology midterm today, he may blame it on a boisterous party that took place in Superblock last night. Bisbee, who lives on the 16th floor of High Rise South, was one of many Superblock residents who voiced concern over the noise created by a Superblock celebration of Sukkot, a Jewish harvest holiday dating back to Biblical times. The party ran from 8:30 p.m. until 10 p.m., with live music running from 9:15 p.m. until the end. The Steinhardt Jewish Heritage Program sponsored the event and the program's advisor, Rabbi Ephraim Levin, noted that Physical Plant Facility and Conference Coordinator Flo Freeman gave permission for the event to take place. "[Sukkot is] a harvest festival so it is a joyful time to celebrate," Levin said. But students who were studying or writing papers were not rejoicing with those who attended the party. "I've been getting lots of complaints about it and I personally have midterms and a paper due tomorrow," said Wharton senior Gil Beverly, the Resident Advisor on duty for High Rise North last night. "It's just ridiculous -- regardless of what the celebration is -- that they would use amplified instruments to celebrate in midterm season," added Beverly, who is also the Undergraduate Assembly vice chairperson. But College sophomore Jennifer Kaufman, who attended the party, said people who wanted to study could have gone to the libraries. And Levin added that the party ended at 10 p.m. so students' sleep would not be disturbed and they could study once the event was over. According to Beverly, more people study on weeknights than on Saturday afternoons when parties, step shows and other events have been held in the past. He added that many do that studying in their rooms. The celebration was held under the Superblock sukkah -- one of the four built throughout campus for Sukkot. A sukkah is a booth made of wood and partially covered with foliage so that those inside can see the sky. Observers of the week-long Sukkot holiday eat their meals in a sukkah. The party included music performed by the Baal Shem Tov band, along with a variety of refreshments. The band, which performed a variety of Jewish music, was contributing to the celebration involved in the Sukkot holiday, band leader Rabbi Menachem Schmidt said. "I think it's great that they had this much noise because I wouldn't have known about it and I wouldn't have celebrated," Wharton junior Cheston Mizel said at the party. "It gives the opportunity for anyone to come see what it's all about." But College sophomore Whitney Namm said she did not want to join the party because she had a paper to write last night. "It's very distracting and a lot of people are affected because a lot of people live here," Namm said. Namm, who lives on the 19th floor of High Rise North, said she considers the hours of the party prime study time. But those who attended the celebration disagreed, noting that 10 p.m. is still early to most college students. "When it goes past 12 [a.m.], it's a problem but it's okay ending at 10," College junior Mick Lewis said. And some did not hear the noise at all. College sophomore Nansubuga Nubirumsoke, who lives on the second floor of W.E.B. DuBois College House and faces Superblock, said she was studying last night and "heard absolutely nothing."
(10/12/95 9:00am)
Will consider UA amendments to draft Despite previous comments to the contrary, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee will discuss the most recent draft of the Student Judicial Charter at its meeting next Wednesday, Chairperson-elect Peter Kuriloff said yesterday. "It's very appropriate for us to talk about this," said Kuriloff, a professor in the Graduate School of Education. "If you believe that the undergraduate education experience is vastly more than what happens in class then we have an obligation to [oversee other aspects of student life]." Despite Senate Chairperson William Kissick's previously stated opinion that putting the issue on the SEC agenda might not be necessary, it "now seems like an appropriate time to discuss it," the Medical School professor said. SEC will hear from Radiology Professor David Hackney, the senate secretary-elect who served on the original oversight committee for judicial reform. In addition, SEC will consider amendments and suggestions proposed by the Undergraduate Assembly and the First Amendment Task Force, according to Senate Past Chairperson David Hildebrand, a statistics professor. Hildebrand added that it was not necessary to develop an official collective recommendation at next week's meeting. "On something like this, the important thing is to get good ideas," he said. "We just want to take a thoughtful look at it." But Kissick noted that the senate still might decide to bring a "statement of the collective voice" to Provost Stanley Chodorow. The official comment period on the most recent draft of the judicial charter ended October 6. But Chodorow previously indicated that he would be willing to consider any comments made by the senate before sending the revised document to the schools for approval. Kuriloff said the issues that might be discussed include who should speak for students at hearings, who should make the various appointments necessary and whether hearings should be private or public. "How this works and how [the Code of Academic Integrity] fits into it is central stuff," Kuriloff added.
(10/12/95 9:00am)
College freshman Susan Peters thought yesterday's fire alarm in the Community House section of the Quadrangle was simply another drill. But Peters found out four hours later that the alarm sounded due to a fire in her first-floor Warwick room. According to Residential Maintenance Associate Director Al Zuino, the fire began in the room's trash can at about 1:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. Assistant Dean in Residence Diana Koros said she was in the area and smelled smoke. A maintenance employee was in the hallway as well and both began to investigate the situation. When the smell of smoke became worse, they pulled the fire alarm, called the Philadelphia Fire Department and evacuated the building. Koros praised the fire department for coming to the scene quickly and preventing more damage from occurring. "It could have been much, much worse," she said. When firefighters arrived, they saw flames peeking out from the bottom of the door. They then knocked the door down and found the fire in the trashcan, which was right next to the door, Resident Advisor and Wharton senior Jon Brightbill said. "You could see it was smoldering and working its way up the wall," Brightbill added, noting that if the response time had been longer, the fire could have gotten "out of control" or the sprinklers could have gone off, causing major water damage. The Quad is not equipped with smoke detectors in the halls or rooms. Zuino said the dormitory's full sprinkler system fills the need for detectors. The sprinklers were not activated yesterday because the heat from the fire was not intense enough, Zuino said. Brightbill said this incident demonstrates that the dorm "absolutely" needs smoke detectors, adding that the sprinklers would have done more harm than good. Although the fire fighters put the fire out quickly , smoke damaged furniture, floor boards and some personal property, Zuino said. He said a match in the trash can may have caused the fire. But both Peters and her roommate, College freshman Alina Umansky, denied putting a match in the trashcan. Neither could recall doing anything that might have caused the fire. At the time, Peters was in the Ashhurst lounge, studying for a math exam. She reluctantly left the building as the fire alarm rang, believing that it was "just another drill." Koros noted that this is an example of the need to leave the building upon hearing an alarm. "I don't think everybody left," she said. "It's an inconvenience, but people need to get out." Umansky was in an economics class when the fire erupted. Upon returning to her room after class, she was told about the fire -- and did not believe her hallmates until she saw the damage. After checking the electronic equipment in the room and finding no damage, Umansky was told that she and her roommate could not stay in their room until everything was painted and repaired. Peters did not find out what happened until more than four hours later. She added that she had been having one of the "worst weeks of my whole life" when she learned of the fire. Officials offered them an empty room in Goldberg House, but they turned it down. Each are staying with a friend until fall break, when they will be leaving campus. Their possessions being stored in Community House. Residential Maintenance has offered to have their clothes dry cleaned. Zuino said the students should be able to move into their room "sometime next week." Umansky said a new door had already been installed last night.
(10/09/95 9:00am)
Technically, every professor is a member of the Faculty Senate. But only 10 percent of faculty members participate in the body, according to Senate Past-Chairperson David Hildebrand, a statistics professor. In light of the recent debate over whether the senate should respond to the latest draft of the judicial charter, many senate members have attempted to define the body's role within the University. The senate includes a three-chairperson system and an executive committee that contains both constituency representatives and at-large members. Since the senate does not determine University policy or make other decisions, its discussions and actions are limited, and therefore vary in significance. "Most of the time, the Faculty Senate is important for being, but it's not doing terribly important things," Hildebrand said. Those "important things" occur in the laboratories, libraries and classrooms, he added. The senate's primary purpose is to represent the "collective voice" of the faculty. Unlike the University Council, however, that voice cannot be heard publicly. All senate meetings are closed, although the chairperson does report on the senate's activities at council meetings, which are open to the public. "People are more comfortable in reflecting on some issues and discussing things with candor," Senate Chairperson William Kissick said, explaining why the meetings are closed. "It's difficult to change your mind in public and it's easier to change your mind in private." Kissick said that although the body does not actually make policy, it is very involved with the administration and its decisions. "[The senate] advises policy and it's definitely related to policy," he said. "The Faculty Senate here is mainly a vehicle for communication, cooperation and collaboration." Although the senate's role in the University is not exactly defined, Kissick -- the George Seckel Pepper professor of public health and preventative medicine -- said "strength in ambiguity" works to the body's advantage. The senate molds its discussion and action depending on the issues at hand. Senate Chairperson-Elect Peter Kuriloff, an Education professor, noted that the Senate Executive Board represents every single faculty member since the senate itself includes every professor. But whether the senate truly speaks for the entire faculty is questionable because, as Hildebrand noted, the senate's major weakness is in participation. "We can call on maybe 10 percent of the faculty for sustained participation," he said. "That's not enough." Hildebrand added that those who are active within the senate care about the University. He said they also tend to have a wide range of interests that go beyond their own fields.
(10/06/95 9:00am)
In the latest in an ongoing saga, packages and mail were left unattended in the Quadrangle mail room twice last week, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said last night. But Simeone said she is confident the problems will not occur again. In addition to the package situation, approximately 25 letters were delivered to the mail room opened last weekend, Simeone added. And according to Residential Services Manager Rodney Robinson, 10 more pieces of damaged mail were turned over to U.S. postal inspectors yesterday. In an incident particularly worrisome to Residential Living officials, a large shipment of packages came to the mail room while the staff was logging them into the system, Simeone said. But because of the number of packages in the shipment and the small size of the Quad package office, some packages spilled outside the office and into an area the employees could not see. "It is true that there is a theoretical risk that someone could have grabbed something and run," Simeone said. "But the staff says they were there the entire time." Residential Living officials are now considering using a permanent storage trailer that would be parked outside the Quad. The trailer would serve as the Quad's package room. Simeone said she does not yet know the details of how this would work and how much it would cost. But she noted that the trailer would have to be heated during the winter months. Residential Living considered renovating the entire mail room, but ruled out the idea because it would have cost the University at least $250,000. In the second incident of packages being left unattended, an employee left some mail and packages in an open room for a few minutes while sorting mail elsewhere. Simeone noted that in that case, the sorting room where the mail was left should have been closed and locked. "I do not foresee any further problems with someone keeping a door open just for a moment," Simeone said. Robinson noted that the University's problems with mail delivery extend throughout all of the residences. "Complaints are coming from all over campus," he said. "All the mail problems go beyond the Quad." A meeting between University officials and U.S. postal officials had originally been scheduled for Monday but was postponed because of a personnel change within the Philadelphia post office, Simeone said. She hopes to reschedule as soon as possible. Despite Residential Living's efforts to improve the mail situation on campus, students are still complaining about missing and damaged mail. Wharton freshman J.D. Slosburg said his mother sent him a greeting card with $20 in it that he has not yet received. "It hasn't made it here yet and I don't think it ever will," Slosburg said. Postal inspectors and Residential Living officials said last week that post office employees who may be tampering with the mail are looking specifically for greeting cards that might contain money.
(10/06/95 9:00am)
After another elevator shutdown Wednesday morning, Residential Maintenance officials think they may have found the source of the recurring failures in the newly renovated High Rise South elevators. During Wednesday's incident, mechanics determined that a deficiency in the elevator's power pack was responsible for the failure, Residential Maintenance Associate Director Al Zuino said yesterday. And Residential Maintenance officials now believe that the power pack -- which supplies energy to each elevator car -- is the cause of last weekend's trio of elevator shut-downs in High Rise South as well. The power pack may have received or sent a "fake signal" that led to the elevator stoppage, Zuino said. "We now have to observe operation of the elevator to see if that was it," he added. Mechanics installed a new power pack yesterday, hoping that would solve the problem. Residential Maintenance did not spend any money on the repair because it was covered by warranty. Two students were trapped for an hour and a half on the 18th floor in one of the renovated elevators Saturday. Two other students were stuck on the seventh floor for 10 minutes the same day. And Friday night, one of the two renovated elevators got stuck because of a problem the computer diagnostic system called a "door lock." Mechanics responding to all three incidents found nothing wrong with the elevators upon their arrival and could not determine the reasons for the failures. Zuino said he hopes to know within a week whether the power pack change solved the elevator problems. Students, however, have complained of other difficulties with the elevators that go beyond elevator failures. College sophomore Laura Protzmann recalled one incident in which she was going down to the lobby from her room on the 21st floor. At the 18th floor, the elevator stopped and the doors only opened "slightly." "A couple of minutes later they opened all the way and I got out really quickly," Protzmann said. Zuino said this type of problem is more common and "routine," adding that the mechanics usually take care of it without having to notify him.
(10/04/95 9:00am)
and Amy Lipman While national pundits continue to debate the acquittal of former football star O.J. Simpson, University experts are also discussing the verdict, the trial and the messages left by both. Simpson was found "not guilty" yesterday of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Many at the University note that even though the trial is over, its long-term implications are far reaching. Law School Senior Fellow David Rudovsky said he hoped the trial showed the faults of the Los Angeles Police Department -- and therefore other police departments as well. "I would hope that the message is that police departments that tolerate the sloppiness and poor laboratory work and racist conducts of police officers are going to have trouble getting convictions," he said. "If for no other reason, they ought to be making sure that those things don't happen." Legal Studies Professor Bill Laufer also mentioned the need for reform in the LAPD, adding that the problems with the evidence may have contributed to the final verdict. "We have to think about ways we can improve the criminal justice system to make sure the investigations of subsequent murder cases are handled in a more professional manner," Laufer said. "Based on prior cases, there was probably enough to convict the average defendant. "In this case it just wasn't enough," he added. Laufer said he thought the evidence of Simpson's guilt was strong, but was not surprised by the verdict. He added that the jury's short deliberations gave him confidence that they really believed there was reasonable doubt of Simpson's guilt. "It must have been that they came in very much convinced that the state had failed in its burden and that makes me feel much more comfortable with [the verdict]," he said. Criminology Professor Marvin Wolfgang said he thought the jurors had made up their minds before deliberations even began. "They may have deliberated for three hours but they were sitting as a jury for a year and they had plenty of time to think about it," said Wolfgang, who also serves as the director of the Sellin Center for Studies in Criminology. Rudovsky also said that despite admonitions by Judge Lance Ito, the jurors might have been talking with one another before deliberations officially began. Laufer agreed, saying that jurors probably discussed the trial amongst themselves last weekend in particular. Laufer added that the jury probably went into deliberations mostly agreeing to acquit Simpson with one or two "hold outs." Therefore, the piece of evidence which the jury asked to re-hear -- the testimony of limousine driver Allan Park -- convinced the remaining jurors of the reasonable doubt involved. Communications Professor Joseph Turow said he saw the trial as a very important cultural event. "It tapped into something in American culture that people cared about," he said. Turow was concerned that the trial created an image of "an incredibly racially divided America." "But if the stark divisions of a culture are in fact the realities of the circumstance, it should be faced head on, and we ought to do something about it, not just spout it." he said.
(09/28/95 9:00am)
The Faculty Senate may not officially respond to the latest draft of the Student Judicial Charter, Faculty Senate Chairperson William Kissick said last night. The official deadline for comment on the document is October 6. But the next Senate Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for October 18. And senate Past Chairperson David Hildebrand, a statistics professor, said the SEC will not call a meeting before the comment deadline to discuss the judicial charter, since it "feels like a problem, not a crisis." Although Provost Stanley Chodorow said he would consider any comments made by the Senate before sending the revised document to the schools for approval, SEC members were uncertain if the issue required a collective response. And the senate may not even put the issue on the October 18 agenda, according to Kissick, who is also the George Seckel Pepper professor of public health and preventative medicine. Students and faculty members have complained that the most recent revision of the judicial charter places too much power in the hands of the provost. Some have complained of a lack of student and faculty input in the drafting of the new document. Associate Radiology Professor David Hackney, senate secretary-elect, said he thought it would be a good idea for the Faculty Senate to at least discuss the judicial charter and the controversial issues that surround it. Hackney added that while a senate vote might not be necessary, discussion with Chodorow could bring out a "substance of ideas." Kissick said if the current comment period produces a document that satisfies faculty concerns, there would be no need for more discussion. But he did not rule out the possibility of adding the judicial charter to the agenda of SEC's next meeting. Kissick said he thought many individual faculty members with opinions on the charter would comment directly to the Chodorow. But when considering issues as complex as those in the judicial charter, Hildebrand added, people should be "knowledgeable, thoughtful and say something that adds to the conversation as opposed to just the noise level." Although the judicial charter may never make the senate's agenda, individual SEC members have raised several controversial questions about the current draft. And some of those questions -- such as who would be responsible for appointing the Disciplinary Hearing Officer -- are directly related to the Faculty Senate. Hackney has been a strong proponent of allowing the Faculty Senate to appoint the Disciplinary Hearing Officer. The current draft proposes that the provost make this selection. But Hildebrand voiced objections to giving the senate that full responsibility. "I clearly would not want the senate to be solely responsible for that," Hildebrand said. "We don't have, perhaps, as many resources as the provost does to find the right people." Hildebrand suggested developing a consultation process between Chodorow and the senate as a solution to this disagreement.
