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(04/23/91 9:00am)
Dorothy Mereness, a former dean of the Nursing School and a leader in the field of psychiatric nursing, died Saturday at the age of 80 after a brief illness. Mereness was forced to retire as head of Nursing in 1976 and was immediately succeeded by now-outgoing Dean Claire Fagin as the school's top administrator. Born in Kearney, Missouri, Mereness was first an elementary school teacher before becoming a nurse, and therefore got a late start in the field, Associate Nursing Professor Neville Strumpf said last night. "This year would have been the fiftieth anniversary of her graduation from nursing school," Strumpf said, remembering that Mereness always "wished that she had [had] more years to give to the profession." Mereness, in addition to her roles at the University, worked at some of the nation's top nursing schools including the University of Pittsburgh, Boston University and New York University. Mereness was a "magnificent writer," Fagin said last night, and published 45 articles and books, including a textbook used in most undergraduate programs that made her name "a household word in nursing." Mereness worked diligently towards several causes until about a year and a half ago, friends said, when she decided to retire from all her pursuits. In 1976, while the University was searching for her replacement, Mereness said she felt the University did not treat the Nursing School as a priority and that competition for funding was difficult. "Every dean has to fight very hard for the integrity of her school," she told The Daily Pennsylvanian at the time. "A faint-hearted dean wouldn't survive." Mereness' colleagues praised her contributions to nursing and agreed that she will be missed by all who knew her. "We are very sad," Fagin said. "She was really an outstanding person . . . She kept the school of nursing alive." "I think Dr. Mereness was a true original in nursing," Strumpf added. A memorial service to take place at the University is currently being planned for the end of May at which Mereness' friends from the University community will speak. The Philadelphia Inquirer contributed to this story.
(04/22/91 9:00am)
A search committee is still looking for a replacement for Nursing School Dean Claire Fagin, who is scheduled to step down from her post in August. But as Fagin's August 31 resignation date comes closer, Associate Dean for Nursing Research Barbara Lowery, who is chairing the search committee, said she had no progress to announce in the search. Fagin, who plans to stay on through the school's August graduation, declined to comment on how long she would actually be willing to remain dean of the school should a replacement not be found by then, saying only that her answer might be "harmful" to the search. While Fagin will assume the presidency of the National League of Nursing when she steps down as dean, she has no plans to leave the University or go on sabbatical. Instead, Fagin said in January that she will remain as a professor at the school and may return to being a clinician. Provost Michael Aiken said that the search was going "well," but he could neither offer a timetable for when a new dean would be chosen or say how long Fagin would remain as dean. He said that in trying to "attract an outstanding woman" to the position, the University is looking at some "very good candidates." Aiken praised Fagin for her accomplishments as dean of the Nursing School for the last 14 years, expressing regret that she decided to leave. "[She has had] good relationships with faculty . . . with students . . . and the rest of the University," he said Friday. "I would love to have her stay on." Fagin announced her intention to step down as dean last May.
(04/18/91 9:00am)
Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Leszek Balcerowicz will be the speaker at the Wharton Graduate School commencement address on May 21 at the Civic Center. The 44-year old economist has been recognized by several experts as a key player in Poland's transition to a free-market economy. Students and administrators said they are excited about Balcerowicz' visit, adding that he is a proven leader in the reconstruction of Poland's economy. "[His visit] is especially exciting for me as part of a small group of Wharton MBAs who will be working in Poland over the next few years on Poland's privatization efforts," said Ann Kalin, a second-year Wharton graduate student who will begin work in Poland in September. "We are honored to have a leading international economic figure like Leszek Balcerowicz as our commencement speaker," Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity said in a statement. "His vision and commitment to economic progress will serve as a memorable inspiration to our graduating MBA students." Wharton contacted Balcerowicz through Associate Finance Professor Bulent Gultekin, who currently serves as chief economic advisor to Poland's Ministry of Privatization. Gultekin is currently working overseas and could not be reached for comment yesterday. Balcerowicz graduated from the Central School of Planning and Statistics in Warsaw in 1970. He received his MBA from St. John's University in New York and his PhD in economics from SGPIS in 1975. He has been awarded numerous times for his work on international economic relations and the problems of economic systems. Balcerowicz was named Politician of the Year by Polish Television and Man of the Year by The Voice of Warsaw.
(04/16/91 9:00am)
The stacks are overcrowded. The space is narrow. The equipment is outdated. These are just a few of the reasons why Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington struck a deal with Vice Provost for Libraries Paul Mosher to finance the restructuring and refurbishing of the Moore and Towne libraries of the Engineering School. The deal, which Farrington has dubbed "the Goody deal" because it was agreed upon in front of the Sam Goody music store on 34th Street, provides for the completion of some temporary renovations. The actual work is scheduled to begin in mid-May, he said. "If I found some money to put into the library, [Mosher said] he would find some money to put into the library," Farrington said earlier this month. Though Farrington is "not exactly sure" how much the entire project will cost, he estimates that it will be "somewhere in the range of $100,000." And even though the University is in the midst of a budget crisis, Farrington said he will try to find the money from various sources. A plan for a new library, which will occupy space in Hayden Hall, is also in the works, he added, but the room will not become available for up to a decade. Before the new Hayden Hall library can be constructed, the bioengineering labs and other facilities that currently occupy the space are expected to be moved into the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology when its completed, Farrington said. Farrington stressed the importance of the temporary undertaking, saying that before the new library will be built "four to six to eight [graduating] classes will go through this school." He added that currently "the library is not in the condition we would want for our students." "Why should we wait [until the Hayden Hall library can be built]?," Mosher said last week, adding that Farrington's idea is "wonderful." The money put up by Farrington and the Engineering School, in an effort to make the library "more pleasant to use," is expected to go towards improving the infrastructure of the building, including new paint, new lighting and a new checkout area. These improvements will benefit the school after the library moves out, he said, making the project a viable investment. The money provided by Vice Provost Mosher is expected to finance investments in such portable equipment as new stacks, new furniture and possibly a few computers. This equipment can ultimately be transferred and utilized in the new library. Another joint project in the works centers on the purchase of new books that will help in classroom education, as opposed to research purposes, Farrington said. "[We are] working with the library to improve the collection," he said, adding that he has raised approximately $35,000 of his $50,000 goal "from all sorts of sources within the school."
(04/12/91 9:00am)
Wharton students gave a special "thank you" to 10 of their most deserving professors this week. The professors, whose names were announced by the Wharton School this week, are recipients of the 1990 Wharton Undergraduate Teaching Awards. The awards are given to those Wharton professors who received the highest overall ratings on the teaching evaluation forms filled out by students at the end of each semester. Standing faculty who taught an undergraduate course or courses with a total of at least 20 students in 1990 were eligible for the awards. In the concentration of management, Management and Technology Professor William Hamilton, Management Assistant Professor Stewart Friedman and Social Architecture and Management Professor Howard Perlmutter received awards. Legal Studies Assistant Professors William Laufer and G. Richard Shell were also recognized for their teaching talents. Accounting and Finance Professor Robert Holthausen, Statistics and Operations Research Professor Abba Krieger, Finance and Economics Professor Franklin Allen, Marketing Assistant Professor Peter Fader and Finance and Real Estate Associate Professor Susan Wachter were also recipients of this year's awards. Consensus among the professors was that it is "gratifying" to be recognized by the students in this manner. "It is very gratifying to have teaching awards to reflect the effort [professors] put into courses," said Wachter. "It helps bring attention to why we are all here, which is to teach, as well as, do research." "I've won other teaching awards," said Krieger. "But it is still very nice." The Wharton Undergraduate Graduation Committee, who made the final decisions after the evaluation ratings were tabulated, had a difficult time in choosing this year's recipients. "Because there are a large number of faculty mambers who meet these conditions, being in the top ten indicates how highly regarded those selected are," said Wharton sophomore Kara Hewett in a statement. The recipients will be recognized at the Wharton undergraduate commencement ceremony in May. The photographs of each recipient will then be placed on the wall in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall.
(04/10/91 9:00am)
The Nursing School ranked first among nursing schools across the nation in research dollars received from the National Institute of Health, totalling approximately $4 million in grants, administrators announced yesterday. Nursing officials said the ranking shows that the Nursing School has built a prestigious reputation as a research institution. Nursing Dean Claire Fagin said yesterday that the increased funding in recent years has expedited the Nursing School's objective of developing into a premiere research institution. School officials said they knew nursing faculty's research proposals were being accepted at a high rate, but added that they had been unaware of the new number-one ranking until Associate Dean for Nursing Research Barbara Lowery was notified by mail on Monday. "We didn't know where we ranked relative to our colleague institutions," Fagin said yesterday. Lowery attributed the number-one ranking to the hard work of the Nursing faculty. "Our faculty are more successful in competing for research dollars [from NIH] than any other nursing faculty in the country," she said. The Nursing School became number one in funding this year, moving up one notch to surpass the University of Washington, a school which Fagin pointed out "was twice our size, and still is." The grants make up a "substantial enough" proportion of the school's budget. The NIH grants, which are awarded after being peer-reviewed, support a wide variety of individual nursing faculty research. Fagin said that she is very happy about the ranking. "I do think it is a culmination of major efforts in this area and of our dreams," she said. "It's a fabulous thing," Lowery said. "It's so wonderful."
(04/09/91 9:00am)
High tech for students in the Engineering School is nothing new. But now the school is trying to bring that same technology to prospective students. Students accepted to the Engineering School will get a sneak preview of what life is like on campus -- at least from the point of view of a 14-minute video being sent to them. The video, commissioned by Engineering officials to show "Engineering students doing Engineering things" is a move designed to encourage accepted students to matriculate at the school, Engineering's Associate Undergraduate Dean John Keenan said this week. The video, which was produced by an outside company, highlights the Engineering School and its role at the University. A tour of the facilities, a visit to a classroom and the words of faculty and students comprise much of the video. Although the video is costing the school approximately $40,000, Keenan called it a good investment. He said that he was shocked by the fact that many students make their college decisions based upon limited information about each school. He said that only about 150-200 perspective students visited the Towne building for tours this year -- far fewer than the number who apply. Keenan added that the main purpose of the videotape is to combat complacency among the accepted students. "We ought to go visit them," he said. "This video is designed to meet that need." This aggressive recruiting strategy was adopted partly in response to this year's decreased freshman enrollment, Keenan said. He explained that since the country is in a recession and has a smaller pool of 18-year-olds applying to college, applications are down and the school would like to see a greater number of accepted students enrolling. "We would not like [the low enrollment] to be a trend," he said. Students involved with the video were very excited about the project. Engineering and Wharton senior Bob Sheker said that he believes the video will help improve the school. "I think it is effective for what it does," he said. "It's meant to be a selling tool." The Engineering School is not the first undergraduate school at the University to produce a video. The Wharton School distributed copies of their video to those accepted for the class of 1994.
(04/09/91 9:00am)
Art Buchwald, whose syndicated newspaper column has been making people laugh for over 40 years, will visit the University today to deliver the Nursing School's tenth annual Dean's Distinguished Lecture. Buchwald's columns appear in newspapers around the world and he has become one of the most popular columnists of his time. The lecture series, created in part because the Nursing School has "suffered from a lack of visibility" in the past, is "intended to have a mental health focus," though that intention has traditionally been interpreted in a very broad manner, according to Nursing Dean Claire Fagin. Though some lecturers in the past have included specialists in the mental health fields, Fagin said yesterday that she thinks Buchwald is an appropriate choice because he helps people "to laugh at both ourselves and others." Fagin said she feels the lecture will be entertaining for both Nursing students and the University community as a whole. "I'm very excited," she said. "I think everyone's going to love it. It should be great." Buchwald, whose speech is entitled "Nursing is No Laughing Matter," began his career in journalism in the mid-1940s at the University of Southern California as the managing editor of the campus humor magazine. While at USC, he also wrote a column for the college newspaper, the Daily Trojan, and wrote a variety show called, "No Love Atoll." In 1948, after leaving USC without a degree, Buchwald worked as a correspondent for Variety magazine in Paris. He took a trial column for The New York Daily Tribune and his career as a columnist blossomed. His speech will begin at 4 p.m. at Harrison Auditorium in the University Museum and is open to the public.
(04/03/91 10:00am)
The Nursing School will be hit hard by planned budget cuts made in response to Governor Robert Casey's proposed $18.6 million cut in appropriations to the University for the 1992 fiscal year, outgoing Nursing Dean Claire Fagin said yesterday. The dean added the school is currently "analyzing the situation" to evaluate the most effective means of cutting their budget. The school will be subjected both to the cuts of the Provost's Subvention Pool and a proportion of the $2.36 million that must be cut from the University's schools. Among those cuts in the Provost's Subvention Pool that will affect the Nursing School are a freeze on the level of graduate fellowships, the suspension of new financial commitments to the Trustee Professorship Fund, the suspension of the Undergraduate Initiatives Fund -- a fund that had "counted on doing some very exciting programs" for undergraduates, and the suspension of the Provost's salary reserve, which awards professors on the basis of merit. Fagin declined to put an exact dollar figure on the loss that will be suffered by the school, but added that since these programs will be severely affected, the value will be even greater than the actual money taken out of the budget. Describing the budget cuts as "quite serious," Fagin said that the Nursing School is "going to be in a very tight situation in a number of ways. She added, however, that the school will "manage in the best way we can." Nursing Professor Joyce Thompson, director of the masters' program in nursing midwifery, agreed that though the cuts -- namely the University-wide four percent cap on salary increases -- will not cause problems in the near future, the long-term impact will be "negative." "It's going to take its toll eventually," Thompson said, citing that there will be many unfilled positions and that the already overworked faculty will have to take on even greater responsibilities. Thompson added that her program, which has been funded by a federal grant for the past eleven years, is "in severe jeopardy." Should the masters' program lose the funding, which has been approved but not yet allocated, it "runs the risk of losing eight faculty members" whose salaries are paid by this grant, she said. With just two faculty members possibly remaining after the cuts, Thompson said running the program would be "a near impossibility." Fagin, however, described the University's distribution of cuts as "fair." "Our administration is very fair," she said. "Fairness is their hallmark."
(04/02/91 10:00am)
Stipends for Engineering School graduate deans' fellows will increase an average of $1416 next year, an increase described as "extraordinary" by Wayne Worrell, Engineering's associate dean for graduate education. Allocations to deans' fellows, a combination of teaching assistants and research fellows that exist in most Engineering departments, will increase from a minimum of $600 to a maximum of $2400, varying by department, Worrell said. However, much of the increases can be attributed to many departments' decision to pay the $1410 in graduate student fees. "I think [stipends increased] because the graduate students really lobbied in an effective way to get the fees paid," Worrell said. "They convinced the faculty that paying these fees was really something that should be done." The large increases are also due in part to the many research contracts and grants -- from such groups as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Energy -- secured by the Engineering faculty that serve as a supplement to the Engineering School funds. The Bioengineering Department's stipends will increase by the largest amount to $14,400, from $12,000 this year. Materials Science and Engineering fellows will receive an extra $2200 according to the new figures, up to $15,400. The smallest increases will be given to the Systems Engineering fellows. The department, which is one of only two departments that has yet to institute the deans' fellows and still utilizes teaching assistants, will pay only an extra $700, an increase that fails to cover the graduate student fees. A survey done by the Materials Science and Engineering department indicated that some of the University's peer schools, such as Cornell University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were paying higher stipends. Worrell said that the University hopes that the increased stipends will attract better students. "We hope this will result in a lot of good, bright graduate students entering [the Engineering School] this fall," he added. Graduate Student Engineering Group Chairperson Sara Mooers said that she was pleased with the figures. "We're always happy to get an increase because the cost of living does keep rising," the third-year chemical engineering doctoral candidate said. "Even though there is a broad spread between those on the high and low ends [of the increase scale], even those at the low end are doing OK." But she added that the Engineering graduate students empathize with students from other schools. "[With the Engineering stipends], you can survive," Mooers said. "You won't profit by it but it's not as low as the ridiculously low stipends that students in other schools get."
(04/02/91 10:00am)
Wharton Vice Dean Janice Bellace outlined the new curriculum for Wharton undergraduates entering in the fall for a group of 30 students yesterday in the annual Undergraduate Deans' Advisory Board forum. Bellace said the new curriculum, which includes the new foreign language requirement, is more focused and directed than the current one. "[The new curriculum] is not a huge smorgasbord without direction," she said. The new core, which was announced last year, will be in place for the Class of 1995. The undergraduate curriculum will be separated into three basic categories: general education requirements, business fundamentals and the environment of business. The environment of business is a hybrid category which integrates business and arts and sciences in a manner similar to the International Relations major currently offered by the College. The seven-course-unit General Education Requirement will be similar to the current requirements with a few minor changes. Decision Science 101, not formerly required, will now be an integral part of the Wharton undergraduate's education. Bellace called this addition "the big change" in the curriculum. Math 140 will not be counted as one of the seven required general education course units. Math 141, for which Math 140 is a prerequisite, however, is a required course. Since, Bellace said, "at least half [of the students] come in with knowledge of the subject matter of Math 140" through Advanced Placement credit, the curriculum will not include the course. Math 140 will have to be taken as a free elective, she said. The business fundamentals will include six units -- Accounting 101 and 102, Finance 101 and 102, Management 101 and Marketing 101. These courses, though not previously required, were taken by most students, Bellace explained. A business depth section, which will be a four-course concentration, and the business breadth section, which will be three diverse business courses, will also be part of the new curriculum. The general education distributional will be similar to the Arts and Sciences distribution in that seven courses must be chosen from categories entitled Social Structures, Language, Arts and Culture, and Science and Analysis. After the free electives, the non-business electives and the new foreign language requirement, the curriculum is rounded out by the new "Environment of Business" category, which includes the "global environment," the "societal environment" and the "organizational environment." The "global environment" courses are those courses that comprise the International Relations major. The "societal environment" course choices include Legal Studies 101 and 210 and Policy and Public Management 203. The "organizational environment," which will be chosen "from an approved list that has not been approved yet," will most likely be a category made up of such classes as Insurance and a course in modern technology. "There may be many more requirements but there is still a great deal of choice," said Bellace. "With early planning it shouldn't be too difficult [to work out a schedule]."
(04/01/91 10:00am)
And they're off . . . Sigma Chi's annual Derby Days sprints out of the starting gate today with the banner competition, the first in a week-long schedule of competitions among the University's eight sororities, the Tabard Society, the women's crew team, the women's soccer team and the women's gymnastic team. Beginning at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1930s, Derby Days has become a tradition among Sigma Chi chapters nationally. Derby Days raised thousands of dollars last year and hopes are high that this year will be even more successful. "We raised approximately $4500 and this year we plan to raise in excess of that," said College senior and Sigma Chi brother Jason Weisstein, the organizer of the event, who is traditionally known as "Derby Daddy." "I'm hoping it will be the preeminent philanthropy event this year," he added. All money raised in this week's competition will benefit the Children's Crisis Treatment Center, a center for emotionally disturbed and physically disabled children in Center City. Weisstein said the money raised by each team is donated to the center in that team's name. "Dubious Deeds," where team members play practical jokes on Sigma Chi brothers and pledges for points, will take place all week, as will the Derby Days raffle. On Tuesday, two representatives from each team will visit the crisis center. Each team's creativity will be spotlighted on Wednesday. Teams are asked to dress up a Sigma Chi brother or a pledge as whatever they want. Last year, one team created the "Safe Sex Fairy," who sprinkled condoms rather than fairy dust. Skits will also be performed on Wednesday night. A scavenger hunt and party at the Barley and Hops restaurant will take place Thursday, and casino night is scheduled for Friday night. Saturday's finale will be the field events. Teams will compete in a volleyball tournament, a mummifying contest -- a race involving wrapping up a team member in toilet paper -- and an egg-drop competition. Points are awarded for each of the individual events and the team with the most points at the end of the week will be awarded the Derby Days trophy, which has been captured by Alpha Phi for the last five years. "It's a good cause." said Wharton senior Kristin Collodi, captain of the Kappa Delta sorority team. "It's a lot of fun. It's good to get involved with other Greek organizations to help them out." "It's a great way to raise money for a really good charity," said Wharton sophomore Lainie Reisman, captain of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority team.
(03/28/91 10:00am)
Turkish President Turgut Ozal asked that Turkey be recognized as the economic "model" for the nations of the Middle East and Eastern Europe to follow, as he delivered the Wharton School's annual Julius Steinberg Memorial Lecture on campus yesterday afternoon. Introduced by Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity as "a fearless innovator and champion of economic reform," Ozal spoke about his vision of Turkey as a new economic power to the over 500 people in attendance. "Turkey is the only country today with Western orientation and Islamic identity," he said. President Sheldon Hackney also praised Ozal as he conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree on him. "You are deserving of admiration for your courage, your faith in humanity, and your international perspective -- as well as for your indisputable courage and 'cool,' " said Hackney in his citation. Ozal focused a portion of his hour-long lecture and 30-minute question and answer period on the role of Turkey in the current events of the region. "War has shown the differences among the Arabs themselves," said the Turkish president. "If they had been united, this occupation of Kuwait may have never happened." He added that the war has boosted both the credibility of the United States throughout the world, as well as that of Israel. He also said that should a much-discussed Arab-Israeli peace conference take place, Turkey is "ready and willing to host it." Ozal spoke about his recent meeting with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his belief that "communism has collapsed," his program for the advancement of the economy in the Black Sea region and his role as the "education president" of his nation. In 1987, when Ozal was Prime Minister, the government decided it would give special attention to "the areas of education, youth and sports, [and] health and science." "The future of the world depends upon the highly educated people of the world," he said. Following his lecture, for which he received a standing ovation, Ozal expertly fielded questions from members of the audience, primarily from representatives of the protesting organizations. On the issue of Northern Cyprus, which Turkey has occupied for several years, Ozal said, "I hope we will find a way to solve it." On the issue of the Armenian Genocide, he said, "I am very sorry about it . . .Let's forget about what happened 75 to 76 years ago and leave it to the historians to answer it." Students in attendance said the Turkish President gave an "excellent" lecture. "He presented his views, and as the dean said, 'his vision,' very well," said Wharton junior Cenk Uygur, a student from Turkey. "He is the right choice as President. He represents us [the Turkish people] excellently." "I think he proved to be a very experienced man," said second year government administration graduate student Christina Alvarez. "That was reflected in the way he answered the questions. I think he expected the questions that were asked."
(03/28/91 10:00am)
Turkish President Turgut Ozal's visit to campus yesterday as the Wharton School's annual Julius Steinberg Memorial lecturer was marred by incidents of protesting and alleged racial discrimination. Lining the walkway into the Medical School, where Ozal was scheduled to speak to a group of over 500 people in that building's Dunlop Auditorium, were over 50 protesters representing the Armenian, Cypriot and Greek groups opposing Ozal's day-long visit. As protesters held their ground outside, inside the auditorium, President Sheldon Hackney was conferring an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree upon Ozal. Signs demanding "Turkish Troops Out Of Cyprus," as well as chants of "Turkey's Ozal: Saddam of Cyprus," dominated the scene as students, faculty and other guests of the Wharton School filed inside. "We want to show the people going into this speech the reality of the genocide that unfortunately isn't taught in American schools," said College senior Raffi Balian, an Armenian protester. "It has always been a concern of all Armenians that the Armenian genocide [of 1915] be recognized by the Turkish government," said College junior Greta Doumanian, another protester. "I want to do whatever I can to have the truth be told." The alleged incident of racial discrimination occured early yesterday morning at the press briefing given by Ozal at the Steinberg Conference Center. A reporter from the Boston-based Armenian Weekly, Joseph Frounjian, was told that there was an overflow of reporters exceeding the number of seats in the briefing room, even though he had originally been given permission to attend, according to a statement. Reporters leaving the press conference said that there would have been room for the reporter to attend. "This is just another example of the continued discrimination against Armenian-Americans by the Turkish government and, through their pressure and influence, American institutions," said Frounjian in a statement. Wharton spokesperson Jean Brown said last night that she was not aware of the incident. Frounjian speculated that the reason he was barred from attending was the fear that he would embarrass Ozal and Wharton by questioning the Turkish President about "the continued denial of the 1915 Armenian Genocide." Frounjian was accompanied by Wharton senior Razmig Arzoumanian, the photographer assigned to the story by the Armenian Weekly. Arzoumanian said that he is even more upset at the discrimination because he is a student at this University. "As a member of the University, I shouldn't have been treated that way," he said. Protesters left Ozal alone for most of the day including the morning press briefing and his afternoon visit to Hackney's residence before organizing outside the afternoon lecture.
(03/27/91 10:00am)
Turkish President Turgut Ozal will speak today at Dunlop Auditorium as part of the Wharton School's annual lecture series. But members of two student groups -- the Greek Club and the Armenian Club -- have pledged to hold separate protests at his campus appearances. Ozal, who has been Turkey's President since 1989, has a full itinerary that includes meetings with members of both the U.S. and Turkish press, a discussion with Wharton faculty members and a dinner with administrators, faculty and other invited guests. Ozal met with President Bush at Camp David this weekend, where the two leaders discussed the post-war Middle East and U.S. Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, helped the U.S. coalition during the Persian Gulf War by enforcing United Nations sanctions, sending troops to its border with Iraq, and allowing U.S. planes to use one of its air bases. President Sheldon Hackney will confer an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University to Ozal prior to his delivery of Wharton's annual Julius Steinberg Memorial Lecture on economic and social issues. Students opposed to his visit said they have varying reasons to protest his appearance on campus. Greek students said yesterday they will protest Turkey's occupation of Northern Cyprus and will call for Ozal to pull troops out of the island nation. They also criticized the University, saying that by honoring Ozal, the University is rewarding him for Turkey's occupation. "Freeing the territory Turkey occupies. . . is a test to see if Turkey is ready to join the community of civilized nations," said Engineering sophomore Alex Haidas, president of the Greek Club. Armenian students said they will demonstrate against Turkey's refusal "to recognize the planned genocide [of Armenians in 1915]." Wharton senior Ramzig Arzoumanian, a spokesperson for the Armenian Club, said last night that his group will be handing out flyers in front of the Nursing Education Building during the lecture. He added that he is upset at Wharton's "hypocrisy" in honoring the Turkish leader. Turkish students, however, said they are not surprised that there will be protests but said that they are not justified. "I am glad that he is coming, so that everyone can meet him," said one Turkish graduate student. "Maybe [the groups] will be able to see what Turkey's stance is regarding these issues." Ozal, who graduated from the Istanbul Technical University with a master's degree in electrical engineering, was once Deputy Director General of Turkey's State Electrical Authority. From 1967 to 1971, he was under-secretary of the State Planning Organization. In that position he helped to develop the Turkish economy. In the early 70s, he worked as an advisor to the World Bank. In 1983, after founding the Motherland Party and winning a majority in that year's general elections, Ozal became Turkey's prime minister until his election to the presidency.
(03/25/91 10:00am)
The University finally made it back to the NCAA basketball tournament. Thursday night at the Palestra, site of the NCAA women's basketball East Regional, the Penn Band played and cheered the Clemson Tigers to a 57-55 victory over James Madison University. The Penn Band was hired by Clemson University, and its musical mercenaries became the Clemson Band for both Thursday night's victory and Saturday night's loss to the Connecticut Huskies, according to Penn Band Secretary Howard Berkenblit. "Early in the week, Clemson University contacted our band and said it was too expensive for them to send their band [to the games]," the College junior said. "We worked together with the cheerleaders to cheer for Clemson, so to speak, with music and cheers," Berkenblit said. "Everyone got really into it and we were cheering for the Clemson Tigers . . . which is strange since we're not used to cheering for the Tigers [Princeton University's mascot]." The band was armed with "neat Clemson stuff," such as Clemson T-shirts, megaphones, pom-poms -- the Clemson version of Quaker Shakers -- and giant tiger claws. In fact, the band looked so authentic that most people at the games believed that they were the real Clemson thing. "Most people in the stadium didn't know we were the Penn Band," said Wharton senior Brian Stifel. "The other bands certainly [did not know]." Aside from minor problems coordinating with the cheerleaders, one small mistake may have given away the band's little charade, he said. "We played a song that ended up being their rival team's fight song," said Stifel. "That was very funny. We didn't know any better." Now seasoned veterans of the NCAA tournament, the Penn Band is ready and willing to make a return appearance. If only the team's colors could be red and blue . . .
(03/22/91 10:00am)
You can find them by following the music. Most of the time they're wearing spandex, t-shirts, sneakers and sweats. Five days a week, they congregate in each of the high rises and in the Quadrangle. Five times a day three days a week they flock to Hutchinson Gym. And three times a day three days a week they are bouncing, stretching and sweating at Gimbell. They are aerobicists, part of the hippest of all exercise activities on campus. "[Aerobics] is very trendy," Associate Director of Recreation Teresa Gwiazdowski said this week. "Racquetball was a very, very, very trendy sport to take up [for a while] and it died down. Aerobics hasn't. It has gotten better." Aerobics is an all-over-body workout, which concentrates primarily on the cardiovascular system and the lower body. Some students who participate to improve their physical fitness, but most said they also just like doing it. "It makes me feel good about myself," said College freshman Colleen Joyce, who works out regularly in Ashurst Lounge in the Lower Quad. "It gives me a healthier outlook on life," added Nursing freshman Myrna Buiser. Many students find aerobics far more exciting than other popular ways to exercise, like running and swimming. "To go running here, you have to run around a track and that's boring," said Ann Cappalonga, a second year chemistry graduate student. "It's not easy to run around the campus at the times I feel like running. It's not the safest thing to do." "When it's cold outside, I don't like to run, and I can't really swim that well," said Wharton senior Tracie Eng. "And it's more exciting than lifting weights." Aerobics may be a lot of fun, but many students do it in search of more immediate and tangible results. "I want to be able to wear a bikini this summer," Buiser said. College sophomore Kate McGeever admitted that her goal in taking aerobics is "to fit into my formal dress." Trimming down motivates many students to do aerobics regularly. "When I was in high school and people came back from college, I always looked at them and said 'she got fat,' " said Nursing freshman Tracey Trombetta, who took her first aerobics class this week. "I'm going to be able to walk into my high school come May 9 and people will say, 'she looks good, she didn't pork out.' " "Anyway, I'd go insane if I didn't do some sort of exercise," she added. Aerobics classes have also become a popular place to socialize. With exercise classes scheduled daily, or every other day in some locations, many students find the schedule motivates them to attend. Third year Dental student Ivy Simms said she likens her aerobics classes to "making plans with a friend." "If you're left to your own devices you might not do it," Simms said. "It's easy to make excuses otherwise." Gwiazdowski agreed, describing aerobics as a "socialization." "It's an exercise they [the students] don't have to do by themselves," she said. "A lot of people need a lot of help, a push, a partner . . . all they have to do is show up." "It's convenient because it's right downstairs," said College freshman Jennifer Gold, who attends aerobics classes in the Quad. "If I didn't do it, I'd have no excuse." Classes are relatively inexpensive, costing about a dollar per session in most cases. "I think it [the cost] is reasonable to be healthy," Gwiazdowski said. "There is no physical education here so the opportunity to offer it [aerobics] is wonderful, but it has to be a paid activity." And classes are usually filled, according to Gwiazdowski, especially those in the afternoon and evening. "If we could have more space, we could easily have another 5:30 class," she added.
(03/01/91 10:00am)
Folklore and Folklife Professor Dan Ben-Amos spoke Monday evening about Jewish folklore, saying that the stories of Jewish tradition are "one step short of mythology." Ben-Amos's 75-minute lecture, held at the Philomathean Society's library, addressed the question of whether there is a Jewish mythology. Ben-Amos said it is important to distinguish different types of mythologies -- such as Roman, Greek and Jewish -- from one another because each has its distinct characters and settings. "I am referring to the Jewish culture or cultures as they unfold during the biblical era and through many exiles," Ben-Amos said. Ben-Amos warned that it is not valid to compare figures in Jewish narratives to Greek mythological figures. But he admitted there are similarities between mythologies. "Can I find anything that is unique [in Jewish mythological narratives] that we do not find in the mythology of Greece, of Africa or of any other culture?" Ben-Amos asked. "Basically, I don't know." Ben-Amos also speculated about the origins of the relationship between mythology and ritual in the Jewish religion. "Has mythology given rise to ritual?" he asked. "Or, the reverse -- has ritual given rise to mythology?" The rituals, Ben-Amos explained, are found in the words of the songs and prayers within Judaism. Ben-Amos acknowledged that most Jewish mythology is gender-biased, because it "develops in the creative imaginations of males in Jewish society." "Jewish mythology is the mythology of Jewish males," he said. Members of the audience, which numbered about 35, said they found the lecture "enlightening." "I think it was very interesting," said Monica Lawton, a first-year Folklore graduate student. "His presentation was very good in terms of making it accessible to people who do not have prior exposure to the material." "I especially liked the discussion afterward," said College sophomore Ethan Torrey, a member of the Philomathean Society and one of the organizers of the lecture series. The lecture was the first of five lectures on mythology and legendry organized by the Philomathean Society.
(02/21/91 10:00am)
Criticizing the ways in which the mainstream media and fine arts photographers depict people with AIDS, art critic and AIDS activist Douglas Crimp called for fair representation of all people infected with the virus in a 90 minute speech at the Institute of Contemporary Art last night. Crimp showed slides of black and white photographs of AIDS patients, along with slides from television documentaries dealing with victims of the disease, to the audience of over 75 people. Crimp blamed the media and the art community for perpetuating negative images of AIDS victims. "These representations play an enormous role in the impossible task of fighting the AIDS epidemic," Crimp said. Crimp also showed photographs from an exhibit by Nicholas Nixon that appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and a series of photographs of AIDS patients by Rosalind Solomon. Crimp said that while these representations attempt to "give AIDS a face," they only include the "typical portraits" of gay men, prostitutes and drug users and not all people afflicted with AIDS. When AIDS-infected heterosexuals are portrayed, he added, they are shown as "ashamed, dying" men. Crimp also criticized the media for their choices of subjects for pieces on AIDS patients. Citing a 1983 segment of the ABC News show 20/20by Geraldo Rivera, Crimp told of Rivera's search for an "articulate" AIDS victim to appear on the show. Crimp said that when a prominent AIDS victim and vocal activist was suggested, Rivera replied, "We can't use him, he doesn't look sick." A victim whose face was bloated and whose skin was covered with lesions was chosen instead, Crimp said. Crimp also chastized the government for providing "meager funding" for AIDS organizations. "Our government is so much more interested in murdering people[in the Persian Gulf war] than keeping people alive," he said. Members of the audience said that were very impressed by Crimp's assessment of the AIDS situation. "It's a really important problem," said third-year Fine Arts graduate student Daniel Heyman. "It's really hard to get it across to people that wouldn't come to something like this." "It is important in the context of the University pulling out its support of AIDS Awareness Week," said Arts and Sciences graduate student Marc Stein. The lecture was part of a series sponsored by The Lesbian and Gay Academic Union of Philadelphia.
(02/18/91 10:00am)
Students just can't seem to get enough of the newly reopened Furness Building. The building's Fine Arts Library is such a popular study space that many days it is hard to find a place to sit. The library's reading room, with an atrium that extends almost five stories to the leaded-glass skylight, has "instantaneously" become a favorite place for students. "In the evenings, it looks as if this whole place is filled," said Alan Morrison, the Fine Arts librarian. And many students said that they come to Furness not only because it is a good place to study, but because of its beauty. Second-year graduate student Aliya Khan said she enjoys the natural lighting. "It's really nice to sit there [under the skylight] when the sun is setting and you can see the twilight," she said. But today's favorite study space for many students and faculty was nearly demolished in the 1950s. A University plan from the '50s called for the construction of a boulevard that would have gone directly through Furness. Fortunately, architect Frank Lloyd Wright visited campus at the time and praised the building, causing the University to revise its plans. The $16.5 million restoration of Furness, completed last month, began in 1986 under the guidance of Lee Copeland, dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts. Until Van Pelt Library opened in 1962, Furness was the main University library, storing over a million books. But because it was unable to accommodate the unexpected growth of the library and the University, the building was neglected for many years. The building's exterior, shrouded in scaffolding for much of the last four years, stands out on College Green, with an exterior of clean, vibrant shades of red and brown. The interior is marked by an ornate staircase that ascends almost to the top of the tower. The main reading room, with its arches and rotunda, allows natural light to flood onto the spacious reading tables. In addition to the Fine Arts Library, the building, which was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1975, houses the Arthur Ross Gallery, the architectural archives of the GSFA and some classrooms and studios. "[Furness] is not only important to the University and Philadelphia but to American architecture," Copeland said last week. The restoration process just completed was intended to "take the building back as close as possible to its original design," David Marohn, an architect involved in the restoration, said last week. "We were lucky to have so many chronological records and photo evidence," he added. Restoring the library's old bookstacks was difficult, Copeland said, because they were structurally unstable and needed to be entirely redone. "We think it was very successful," Marohn said. "The way the building has been renovated, the collection can expand in the future. That's an important feature of the restoration." And according to those who work in the restored Furness, the library is now particularly comfortable to work in. "We're looking forward to a cool summer in here," said Morrison, who just recently, along with his staff and books, was permitted to move back into Furness from their temporary home in Van Pelt.
