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(09/24/91 9:00am)
A handful of union members picketed outside the University Museum yesterday after a non-union plastering company began refurbishing one of the galleries last week. The protestors from Plasterer's Union Local Eight said that they had done work at the University before and were nervous that employing a non-union firm for this job would set a precedent against hiring unions. But University officials said they had hired a unionized contractor, Sean Conlon, and that later, Conlon, not the University, had decided to subcontract a non-union company to do the plastering. "We try to go with union people," University Museum Superintendent Don Fitzgerald said yesterday. "We have union employees here and we want to keep positive working relationships." Conlon was hired and began to rehabilitate the Mesopotamian Gallery earlier this month after the University considered the bids from two other firms. "We went out and got the bids the way the University requires," Fitzgerald said. "We got three bids -- lowest bid gets the job." Fitzgerald said that all three companies, including Conlon, are unionized. But picketers, who wore placards alleging Conlon was destroying wages and standards of the industry, said that the job was large and should be reserved for unionized workers. "It's a big ceiling," Local Eight Business Manager Eugene Curry said. "They had seven workers on it." Fitzgerald said he could not disclose how much money the total renovation project cost, but said that it was in the five digit range, and Conlon said only two workers were employed to plaster. "We can't let this snowball," picketer Tom McFadden said. "[Conlon] didn't give us a fair shot -- just pick a union company." Conlon said last night that he is currently negotiating with the union to see if they can find a middle ground. "At the moment, I've been discussing the matter," Conlon said. "We were discussing today what their interests are." Fitzgerald added that the University is stuck in the middle of the debate between the union and the contractor, and said he was hopeful that the two could come to an agreement.
(09/20/91 9:00am)
One year ago, five youths watched Robert Viktora as he burned a cross on the front lawn of the only black family in a St. Paul, Minn. neighborhood. Now, the University and its peers are watching Viktora and the case he is bringing to the Supreme Court. And while the connection is still unfolding, some lawyers say the cross-burning case now before the Court could have several implications for university speech codes. The case, R.A.V. v. St. Paul, revolves around the charge that Viktora violated a St. Paul "hate-crime" city ordinance that prohibits placing any object on public or private land that is likely to cause "anger, alarm or resentment in others on the basis of race, color, creed, religion or gender." But Deborah Gilman, legal counsel for Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, said yesterday that the ordinance is in violation of the First Amendment. She added that the statute is similar to racial harrassment and speech policies which several colleges have begun to implement in an effort to protect minorities on campus. Viktora's lawyer Mark Anfinson said that if the Supreme Court rules the St. Paul statute unconstitutional, public colleges all across the nation may have to revamp their harassment policies. At the University, President Sheldon Hackney is currently considering implementing a racial harrassment policy that has been the source of heated debate in the University Council and campus for over a year. Law School Professor Seth Kreimer said that the impact of this case would be blunted since the University is a private institution and not legally required to match the Supreme Court's standards. But MCLU legal counsel Gilman said yesterday that although the University is private, just the weight of the Supreme Court's decision may influence private universities to rethink their policies. And there is precedent for the University to reconsider its code when a court ruling of this kind had been handed down. The current revisions being considered, for example, were largely spurred by a Michigan federal court ruling two years ago, which stated that the University of Michigan's harrassment policy -- which is almost identical to the University's current code -- was unconstitutional. "Michigan's policy was narrower and had a more limited scope than the St. Paul ordinance," Anfinson said. "But, they are of the same genus." Some University professors said yesterday that they are happy that the court is considering the case, since it will give the University direction regardless of its legal ramifications. "I'm glad that the case reached the Supreme Court," said City Planning Professor Anthony Tomazinis, who has been one of the more vocal free-speech advocates during the campus debate on the policy. "We need some guidance in deciding the limits of free speech and constraints." Finance Professor Morris Mendelson agreed, saying he was disgruntled with the current racial harassment code. "The policy is telling people there are things you can't say," he said yesterday. "We're a university. We are supposed to have free speech. That's how learning occurs." Supreme Court spokesperson Brenda Williams said yesterday that the case was not on the calendar to be heard in either October or November. But Anfinson said that he expected the case to be heard in early December and the decision to be announced between March and June. "In my opinion this [restricting speech] is one of the most dominant opinions in several years at universities," Anfinson said yesterday. "It is promoted by traditionally liberal groups, who one usually looks to supporting their freedoms."
(09/18/91 9:00am)
Every session someone comes forward. Each time Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape peer educators conduct seminars, a student tells a STAAR facilitator that they have a friend who is a victim. "It generally works out that at least one person reports at each workshop," STAAR adviser Susan Villari said earlier this month. Often distraught and in tears, victims come up to the student who conduct the workshop. They are usually scared and fearful of not being believed, STAAR coordinators said. It usually takes a while to compose themselves while the peer educator lends them support. With nearly fifty sessions last year and nearly fifty victims aided in the same period, STAAR has distinguished itself as maybe the most trodden path to report a rape by an acquaintance. "Our system works by word of mouth," Villari said. "You often reach people who are friends of friends of friends." Each promises the same service -- confidential help that allows the victim to remain in the driver's seat -- but many say STAAR and the Women's Center have been the most successful in reaching victims while the Police have been the least. In a Daily Pennsylvanian survey last week, 68 percent of students polled said services at the University for rape and sexual assault victims are adequate, while less than 17 percent disagreed. But of all three groups, University Police were singled out for harsh criticism. Over the past few years, rape victims have shunned reporting the incidents to police, turning to STAAR and the Women's Center. Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi said during the 1989-90 school year, 20 women reported being victims of sexual assault to her organization. And while STAAR continues to have students come forward, University Police took only one report of rape between 1987 and 1990. For years, conventional wisdom held that police would not be sensitive enough for victims and may not believe them. A Daily Pennsylvanian survey last week showed that the police have not shed this reputation. Of the 134 students who said they had been raped or sexually assaulted, 96.3 percent said they did not report it to the police, while only 55 percent said they never reported it at all. About 64 percent of women who had not been a victim of sexual assault or rape said they were likely to go to University Police if they were victimized. Freshmen women were most likely to report, at 69 percent. About 58 percent of sophomores, 66 percent of the and 61 percent of seniors would tell police. A female junior noted that she would not tell the police if she were the victim of acquaintance rape because she was unhappy with how police handled a string of obscene phone calls she received. "[I've had] bad experiences with University Police before," she said. "They were very inefficient, very uncaring and did not believe I really had a problem situation." Others, even those who mentioned no previous contact with police, said they would be uncomfortable going there. "With all the stories about how unsympathetic and callous the University is with victims of sexual assault or rape, I don't think they would lend a supportive ear," one senior said. "I have heard doctors and police officers say that they don't believe a victim or treat her like crud. The system is not set up to foster support or guidance to rape victims." Police officers said the public's lack of trust in the force is not exclusive to the University, but is an attitude that has prevailed throughout society. "You get a certain amount of callousness from people for just wearing that blue uniform," said University Police Officer John Wylie, who works with the police's Victim and Security Support Services department. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said earlier this month that recent changes in his department will make it more sensitive to victim's individual needs. "I think that those officers' [who are supportive] need to be the standard for the officers that we hire," Kuprevich said. "I want a force who works on the street and understands victim support." Kuprevich, who took control of the force last fall, has introduced a new program that rotates officers into Victim Support for a couple of years. Victim Support Services is an arm of the department with its own director and which is separate from normal police functions. Although Victim Support often works with other officers, it is often independent and focuses on helping victims rather than solving and prosecuting crimes. Kuprevich said he hopes to train his core of street officers with skills that will make them more successful in dealing with acquaintance rape survivors. One student said she would feel more comfortable reporting it to the police if she knew that a female officer would be designated to handle the case. Victim and Security Support Services Director Ruth Wells said it is the University's general policy that a female police officer will respond to a female complainant. "If you want a woman officer, we'll get you a woman officer; a black officer, we'll get you a black officer, Asian, or male, we'll get it for you," Victim Support Police Officer Patrick Chad said. "That is just part of being sensitive." STAAR coordinators also said police are more sensitive than their reputation would suggest, and that Kuprevich is working hard to improve his department. "I think that there has been some insensitivity in the past," Villari said. "But, I know they are working very hard to educate their staff." Some respondents also said they could not trust the department to maintain the promised confidentiality. One junior female said if she reported to the police "Everyone would know/talk" and that there "would be a loss of privacy." "[The police] are very demeaning and uncomfortable," a female freshman wrote. "I would tell someone that I trusted." Wells said she guarantees that students who come to her office will be treated appropriately and always in complete confidence. "I promise that we will believe her," Wells said. "We've found that less than one percent of people make false reports of this nature." Wells also promised that her department will allow the victim to have complete control over whether or not she will prosecute and that the victim can always change her mind. With a new central reporting system, University Police also hope to be able to keep more accurate statistics on campus rapes than in the past, when they were never informed of rapes reported elsewhere. Now, when a student tells STAAR, the Women's Center or University Police that they have been the victim of a sexual assault, it is recorded in Victim Support's "system," Kuprevich said. The victim can request that their name not be entered into the "system" and the file will only show that there was an another acquaintance rape at the University. Kuprevich said that this is designed so that the University can fine-tune its efforts directed at acquaintance rape. "[Victim Support] will have access to the files, and only victim support," Kuprevich said. "Victim Support will then make sure that all of the resources of the University are made available to the [victim]." Coordinators for STAAR said they approved of the new centralized system for handling all of the reports, as long as confidentiality is maintained. STAAR Executive Board member Tristan Svare said that one of the difficulties with educating students about acquaintance rape has been the lack of statistics that are specific to the University. He said that the results of a recent STAAR survey and the new system together will help portray a more accurate and useful understanding of acquaintance rape at the University. "In itself it won't steer the public," Svare said. "But it will be much easier to work with the problem if we can see the trends over time." Many of the students who added comments to the DP poll said they would not report to the police, but that they would tell STAAR or the Women's Center. "The difference is we're recognizable, it's easier to go up to a student rather than an authority figure," Villari said. "And we can help people." STAAR and the Women's Center coordinators also said victims may see them as a more favorable method to report since they stress the necessity of a comfortable environment to report their problems and get help. But only five students of the 74 who said they told someone other than the police said they reported it to either STAAR, the Women's Center or Women Organized Against Rape. The 1265 students who responded to the poll were divided on whether or not services for victims of rape or sexual assault were well publicized. 54 percent of the undergraduates polled said that the services were well publicized, while 41 percent said that they were not. STAAR Executive Board member Derek Goodman said STAAR is not designed as a counseling service for victims, but rather as a peer education group. "STAAR students are not trained counseling professionals," Goodman said. "We advise them to get into some type of counseling, after helping their immediate needs." According to STAAR coordinators, the organization was created three years ago by two students who saw their friends victimized by acquaintance rape and were unsure of how to deal with sex crimes. The Women's Center, which was created in 1973 as a rape crisis center, also received approval from polled students. Surveyed students said that they trusted the Center and that it provided important role that the University Police could not match. A female student said she would definitely report a rape, but it would be the Women's Center because they offer a more comfortable environment. "[Police] would not be sensitive enough and I would be embarassed," she wrote. "If I told anyone it would be the Women's Center or a support group." DiLappi said she did not believe the number of students who are victims has increased in the past few years, just the percentage of those that report it. "I think what is on the rise is reporting," DiLappi said. "The administration has provided the safety and confidence -- a system which encourages support." But this sense of support may not be coming from student's families, since of the 134 students who said that they had been either raped or sexually assaulted, over 75 percent said that did not tell their parents. But one freshman who had been sexually assaulted said she would never report the incident at all because she believes that it is not appropriate. "You don't want to be the pin-up Barbie," she said. "It happens and that's life. Make a deal and you will be the whore of Babylon. Men need their pride."
(09/18/91 9:00am)
As of today, 999 University students are in a high risk category of becoming a victim of acquaintance rape. Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape coordinators and University Police officials say these first semester freshmen women are one of the most vulnerable populations at the University. "The first semester is the high risk time," STAAR advisor Susan Villari said earlier this month. "We call it the 'red zone.' " University Police Officer Patrick Chad, who works with Victim Support Services, said there are several explanations for the high risk period. He said many freshmen want to make friends, are not suspicious of others, drink alcohol excessively at parties, and often feel isolated. Villari said freshmen women go to many parties, and coupled with a lack of knowledge about acquaintance rape, they may unknowingly put themselves in a position of vulnerability. One College sophomore who asked not to be identified said she felt some of her peers during her freshman year were more vulnerable "just because they don't really have a clue [about acquaintance rape]." In addition to the innocence of many freshmen women, STAAR coordinators and Anthropology Professor Peggy Sanday, author of Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Brotherhood and Privilege on Campus, say some men capitalize on females' openness and desire to make friends. "[Fraternity men] lie in wait for incoming women students, who are the targets" of sexual attention, Sanday said last week. STAAR Executive Board Member Beth Kaplan said she believes that when freshmen arrive on campus they are trusting and unaware of previous incidents of rape and therefore do not consider that it can happen to them. "I believe that some men target freshman women as a group to pursue," Kaplan said. "There is definitely evidence of that." Villari agreed that some upperclass men "prey on women." But she said she was hopeful this attitude could be overcome through continuing peer education. A College freshman, who asked not to be identified, said she agreed her class was at risk and said, "We are more trusting and unaware of what to expect."
(09/17/91 9:00am)
A Wharton student filed suit against the University yesterday alleging that the Judicial Inquiry Office "loaded" his hearing panel against him when he was found guilty of cheating in 1989. Mark Wallace, who filed the suit in federal court, is seeking over $50,000 in punitive and compensatory damages. He was suspended for one semester in the spring of 1991 after more than a year of hearings. In the suit, Wallace alleges the JIO "handpicked a loaded panel in number and composition" to hear the case against him. He said in the complaint he took a Statistics 101 exam for Statistics Professor Edward Lusk in November 1989. During the test, students were "permitted to consult, share and pass notes, notebooks and texts," the suit claims. Lusk said yesterday the exam is optional for his students, but that it had to be completed independently. "Yes, the course is open book and open note," Lusk said yesterday. "But consultation with other students is absurd and the passing of notes was never approved." Wallace and three other students were accused of cheating by a classmate, who is referred to in the suit only as "Christine." The four students were the only black students in the class, according to the complaint. Wallace does not, however, accuse Lusk or the University of racial discrimination. According to Wallace's complaint, formal JIO complaints were brought only against the two male students and Lusk decided to "ignore" the accusations against the two females. Lusk said he looked at the exams of the two male students and that they had "similar answers," but after reviewing the exams of the female students he did not find evidence of cheating. "I also had the Statistics Department chair independently check it and he came to the same conclusion," Lusk said. The complaint said the University Hearing Board found Wallace guilty of cheating and recommended suspension for a semester and notation on his transcript. The suspension was imposed by the University Executive Committee," the complaint said. Wallace said the University "loaded" the hearing panel against him by failing to have three undergraduate members and an undergraduate chairperson. But according to the charter of the University's judicial system, only one undergraduate is supposed to sit on the panel. Wallace is asking for "out-of-pocket" losses including rent, loss of financial aid and extra class credits for a total of $10,870. Wallace charged that the University chose to "abandon" its own policies and therefore did not give him "due process." Associate General Counsel Neil Hamburg declined yesterday to comment on the case but said precedent shows that universities have leeway in this area. Hamburg said a recent precedent is from the University's case with the Psi Upsilon fraternity. "The Psi Upsilon case is the case law for what constitutes a fair hearing," Hamburg said yesterday. "The case law requires that a person be given notice and an opportunity to give their point of view." Former Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman declined to comment on the matter.
(09/13/91 9:00am)
It can do basically everything but leap buildings in a single bound. A proposed $1 billion supercomputer network will allow University students and professors to attend lectures at Stanford University, transmit volumes of encyclopedias coast to coast in a second, and make it easier for professors at distant colleges to cooperate in research. The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to spend $1 billion over five years to create the supercomputer network linking universities, research facilities and corporations. Supporters of the High Performance Computing and Communications Bill promised that the network will transform the nation's infrastructure like the interstate highway system did decades ago. "Scientific computing is undergoing a revolution," Peter Patton, Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing, said last night. "Instead of moving goods and people, on this data highway we will move animated images." The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Albert Gore (D-Tenn.) divides the money between building the network and the research and development of the supercomputers and software. Under the current system, called Internet, students and professors can transmit text and files at a rate of 1.4 million bits per second. According to Computer Information Science Professor David Farber, this rate will soon be improved to 45 million bits per second. The new supercomputer system could make transmission an additional 40 times faster. "The new network will change the way we communicate, the way we talk and see and trade information," said Farber, who directs a University lab dedicated to network research. The new system will no longer restrict professors to text files, allowing them to transmit video, animation and sound. This ability to transmit multimedia images is one of the most important advances in science, according to CIS Professor Ruzena Bajcsy. Professors said although the system will benefit all schools, the University will be in a better position than most to take advantage of it because it is one of the forerunners in network research and implementation. "We are the first university to be fully networked with fiber optics, of which we have hardly begun to reap the benefits," Patton said. "And we are one of the leading experts." Farber also said the network will create industry for the nation and maintain U.S. leadership in the network field which otherwise "would have passed to nations across the Pacific." But he cautioned that research funding is always uncertain and that no one should ever count on funding that may never be delivered due to budget cuts. The Bush Administration has publicly endorsed the general policy, according to Farber, but the president has yet to sign the bill and may not approve the full $1 billion. The House has already passed similar legislation. "But we have to put our mind to the network and a lot of sweat," Farber said. "This is certainly looked at as the most basic longterm change in the way that the nation does business."
(09/12/91 9:00am)
A May federal court ruling is preventing many students from starting their classes with assigned bulkpacks and is driving up bulkpack prices by as much as 50 cents a page. The ruling requires copy centers to secure written permission from publishers before compiling individual copyrighted works into bulkpacks. Professors and students have both complained the new system is inefficient and costly, and many are still waiting for the readers to be completed since flooded publishers can take weeks to respond and often charge royalties. Prior to the ruling on Basic Books vs. Kinko's Graphics Corporation, many of the works were printed in bulkpacks without publisher consent because photocopy centers felt they fell under the "fair use" clause of 1976 copyright laws. According to Adrianna Foss, a spokesperson for Kinko's national organization, local stores used to review all copyrighted materials to be included in a bulkpack and determine which documents required permission. "Since the lawsuit decision, copy centers, like Kinko's, can not make any decisions on fair use," Foss said last night. "We have to get permission for everything." She added that publisher demands for royalties on the copyrighted materials have driven prices even higher, and there is no limit to prices publishers can demand. "The prices vary greatly," Mark Drake, Campus Copy Center Permissions Manager said yesterday. "The least is no charge -- but hold on to your seat -- some are as high as 50 cents a page." And The Chronicle of Higher Education reported this week that royalties can run up to one dollar a page. On campus, the ruling has forced many professors to go without bulkpacks since the beginning of the semester. Associate Linguistics Professor Anthony Kroch said yesterday the copy centers are now asking professors to bring in bulkpack materials earlier so they can send out permission requests. "It's a mess," Kroch said. "This would mean that it would need to be done six or eight weeks ahead of time and that is a long time [in advance] to have a course plan done." Kroch added that he personally photocopied the readings for the first class. Since he does not have the budget to continue this practice, he is placing the materials on reserve in Rosengarten. But some professors said that getting rid of bulkpacks and simply putting all the readings on reserve would not solve the problem, because there are not an adequate number of editions to meet the would-be demand. "I have always had the books on reserve for students who did not want to buy [the bulkpack]," Political Science Professor Oliver Williams said this week. "But, this could cause me difficulty, since I have always relied on a split in the class." Williams said delay has not hurt his classes since the bulkpacks are not part of the syllabus until several weeks into the semester. "[My bulkpack] doesn't kick in until two or three weeks," Williams said. "But, other classes, I think, are in real trouble." Some students said this week they are disappointed they will have to go to Rosengarten when they are used to the convenience of reading a bulkpack at home. "In my communications class it may mean we have to go to Rosengarten all of the time," College Sophomore Mark Lenker said earlier this week. Class size is also a new element in the price efficiency of using a bulkpack, according to Associate Anthropology Professor Alan Mann. Mann said since his copy center charges for each permission request, the price per bulkpack is higher when there are smaller classes. "When it is divided evenly among the students of my larger class, the additional price is low," Mann said. "But, for my class that has six or seven students, that is too expensive." Foss said Kinko's charges $15 per request, and that fee plus royalty charges are divided equally among the packets. Stan Shapiro, the owner of the two local Campus Copy Centers, said yesterday his photocopy center files permission requests free of charge and that only the royalty charges are divided equally among the bulkpacks. Some students said they are also upset that the courses may lose some of the best readings because of the bulkpack crackdown. "From what it sounds like, we may not get to do some of the readings which seemed pretty interesting," College junior Jennifer Hermann said earlier this week. Both copy centers have developed elaborate systems to cope with the newly-enforced regulations, that involve hi-tech computer networking and faxes. Foss said Kinko's has established "blanket agreements" for 800 book titles and over 1000 journals, which allow them to bypass permission requests for those documents. Professors that request documents that have not established agreements with Kinko's often have their request funnelled to Kinko's national headquarters in Ventura, Calif., which works to secure the rights. Campus Copy Center has developed a computer system that relays permission requests via fax and modem to publishers across the country. "Our program automatically generates letters for the publishers," Drake, who graduated from the College in 1979, said. "It the most extensive [permission request] system this side of the river." Both companies said the newly enforced regulations have been keeping them "very busy." South Asian Regional Studies Professor Peter Gaeffke said the industry is in a transition stage and that bugs will either have to be worked out or a new system should be developed. "We have to explore what the law allows us to do or help to develop a new system," Gaeffke said earlier this week. "It is a legal problem that has ramifications for everyone, but is too large for a single university to explore." Gaeffke added that in Germany there is a central system which collects the money and transmits it to the appropriate writers.
(09/06/91 9:00am)
Even though the Massachussetts Institute of Technology is currently fighting the U.S. Justice Department alone, its victory could be a win for the entire Ivy League. The Justice Department filed suit against all eight Ivy League schools and MIT in May, charging that they conspired to fix financial aid packages. As part of a consent decree settling the case, the Ivy schools agreed not to meet together in annual Ivy Overlap Group meetings. But MIT, which was a ninth member of the Overlap Group, refused to sign the decree, leaving it to fight the battle alone. Even though the University and the other seven Ivies settled the suit, they may still receive a windfall if MIT wins. If MIT wins its lawsuit -- which would clear the Ivy Overlap Group of anti-trust charges -- the Ivies may be able to convince a court to modify the consent decree to match MIT's winnings, attorneys from several Ivy League universities said this week. "If MIT wins their suit, the University could go to the court and ask to have the consent modified," University General Counsel Shelly Green said Wednesday. Columbia University attorney Stanley Robinson also said yesterday a modification is possible. "In all cases of consent decree, you can always apply [for a modification]," Robinson said. Asked if MIT was fighting for all of the other schools, MIT spokesperson Robert DiIorio said, "I could not say that, but one could draw that conclusion." Green said the University was not compensating MIT for pursuing the case. "Its hard to predict what is going to happen, but we believe the process we were following was best for us," Green added. But the Ivy colleges are not guaranteed a better settlement even if MIT wins the battle with the Justice Department, according to the University's outside attorney Arthur Makadon. "None of these things is an everyday event," Makadon said yesterday. "You really couldn't predict based on past experience." Cornell University attorney Thomas Leary said yesterday that a court would have to examine the weight, jurisdiction and reasoning of the judgement in favor of MIT. "This is one of chances you take when you sign a decree -- someone else may get a better settlement," Leary said. But Leary said he is unsure if the schools would return to the Overlap meetings even if MIT won. "Decree or no decree, it may be that Overlap is dead," Leary added. "And, if there is no one to overlap with, what are we fighting for?" John Jacobs, a lawyer for the Justice Department, said there will be no automatic result for the Ivies whether or not MIT wins the suit. During the annual Overlap meetings, financial aid officers from the eight Ivy League schools and MIT openly discussed and agreed on the financial need of students admitted by two or more of the colleges. Since all Ivy schools award only need-based financial aid, these need determinations served as the base for aid packages. After a two-year Justice Department investigation costing the University over $400,000, the Justice Department filed suit against the nine schools, accusing them of illegally conspiring to restrain price competition on financial aid for prospective undergraduates. The universities agreed to the settlement without admitting guilt, saying it was becoming too costly to fight the Justice Department.
(09/05/91 9:00am)
University Police officers will receive a 10-percent pay raise spread over the next two years as part of a new contract ratified last week. The new two-year contract, which calls for the pay hike for police officers, corporals and detectives, was negotiated by their new union, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 115. The FOP officially began representing the police on August 2. According Director of Human Resources Rogers Davis, the contract talks went smoothly, which is markedly different than the last time the University tried to negotiate a contract with its police force. In 1988, contract negotiaions between the University and the previous union -- United Plant Guard Workers Local 506 -- broke down and resulted in a 45-day walkout, forcing department supervisors and office staff to assume 12-hour shifts six days per week to patrol campus. "It was very productive and healthy, honest negotiations," Davis said. "There was a very good relationship across the table." Although the former three-year contract expired August 1, Labor Relations manager Jack Heuer said last month delays were expected because of the union change. The union completed negotiations with the University on Thursday and its members ratified it Friday. The union represents approximately 87 employees, Davis added. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said yesterday that the pay raise would not come out of his budget and therefore was unsure how much it would cost. "[The union members] seem to be pleased with the negotiations that have occurred," Kuprevich said yesterday. "Those in the union are very professional." "Everybody seems to be happy with the new contract," head of detectives Michael Carrol said yesterday. "The detectives seem to be enthused to be members of the FOP." Lodge 115 President Nick Viola could not be reached for comment. The contract does not change the amount of time off for the officers, Davis said.
(08/08/91 9:00am)
Two major University union contracts expired last Thursday and, according to University officials, one was resolved. The University re-negotiated a new contract for the University housekeepers last week, Labor Relations Manager Jack Heuer said. The housekeepers, who are represented by Teamsters Union Local 115, agreed to a new three-year contract that increased pay and benefits for the employees. "The primary issue was wages -- and they were increased," Heuer said earlier this week. "We believe that it is a contract that both the union and the University can continue to operate." Head of Local 115 John Morris said that the hourly wages will increase 40 cents this year, 40 cents next year and 41 cents the year after. "We think the contract is good," Morris said. "The union members voted 100 percent for it -- not a single 'nay' vote." Although the University Police contract also expired August 1, no contract has been finalized yet. Heuer said, however, that this is not unexpected since the detectives, officers and corporals just elected to change unions. The new union, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 115, just took over August 1. "They are operating under the working conditions of the previous contract," Heuer said. "We expect to enter official negotiations in the near future." American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 590, which represents the library support staff, completed their contract negotiations with the University earlier this summer.
(08/01/91 9:00am)
Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman announced this week that she will step down from her post as JIO in September to assume the position of associate secretary for the University. Goodman added that the ZBT investigation had been completed, but declined to comment on her findings. Goodman, who has served as the JIO since 1986, said Tuesday that she is "excited, but very comfortable" about her move. All of her pending cases will be assumed by an acting JIO on September 1. The JIO is the coordinator of investigations and is responsible for resolving reported violations of the codes of conduct and academic integrity at the University. "The acting JIO may be in for possibly a year," Goodman said. "While University Life conducts a search for the new person." Goodman encouraged the University to choose someone who is already active in the University community. "If I could offer one piece of advice to the new JIO, I would tell them to maintain a balance between the position and his or her personal life." Goodman said that her family is happy that she is changing jobs. She has one son who is entering his senior year at the University and one who is an entering freshman. "My younger son will have a completely diffferent experience ]than my older son[ in that his mother will not be the [University's] assistant principle," Goodman added. Goodman received her Master's degree in the Dynamics of Organization from the University in 1985 and served as dean of women at Drexel University from 1970-1972. She later served as director of the Office for Women in Medicine at Yale University and then assistant to the Vice Provost for University Life at the University from 1981-1986, when she was appointed JIO. "There is never complete satisfaction on both sides," Goodman said. "I guess that's how I got my reputation of being fair, but tough." Goodman's new position is part of a restructuring of the entire Secretary's office, officials said. She will serve as the secretary's coordinator for the Trustees and University Council. Goodman will also staff the Boards of Overseers of the School of Law, the School of Social Work, the University Libraries and the University Museum. "I am absolutely delighted that she will be joining us," said Secretary of the University Barbara Stevens. "We are looking forward to her arrival." Goodman complemented the University for being supportive throughout her JIO years. "I was never pressured into making any particular decision," Goodman said. "And that was important to me."
(08/01/91 9:00am)
Some students and administrators may single out the University community as the best that Philadelphia has to offer -- and Philadelphia Magazine agrees on four counts. This week's issue of the magazine features the "Best of Philly," an annual alphabetical review of the finest "people, places and pizzas" in the City of Brotherly Love. The University's newly renovated Furness Building was named the best architectual landmark in the city. The building, which houses the Fine Arts Library and the Arthur Ross Gallery, celebrates its centennial this year, but the magazine particularly appreciates its sentimental value, noting "it's where world-class Philadelphia architects Venturi and Scott Brown met, 30 years ago." But one Fine Arts librarian said that she is wary of the praise. "If you're here to look at it, it's wonderful," librarian assistant Heidi Rivel said. "If you want to work in it, it has its handicaps." WXPN's disc jockey David Dye won noteriety as the "real FM DJ." WXPN is one of two University-owned radio stations. But, according to Philadelphia Magazine Dye is not just the best, he is also the only Philadelphia "mixmaster with a daily show who's still picking all his own records and putting them together with style." The owner of local eatery the White Dog Cafe, Judy Wicks, said she is proud that her restaurant was named the best with a political agenda this year. "Our [award] wasn't just one you can concoct," Wicks said.. "We have this long-standing program for the community." The White Dog sponsors monthly political breakfast chats featuring guest lecturers on issues of political concern. Philadelphia Magazine also noted that the White Dog serves "wholesome, classy meals." "I'm glad they wrote that -- I didn't want it to seem like our food is not good," Wicks said. "If they do oddball things, the food isn't generally good." Nearby Mexican restaurant Zocalo, located on the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue, was noted as having the best Mexican food in Philadelphia. Zocalo, however, is not a standard Mexican restaurant -- specializing in a contemporary foods and reknowned for its dish "Shrimp from Hell." "We strive for good cuisine," said Zocalo Manager Marc Cooperstein. "Both creative and traditional." "It just doesn't get any better," the magazine said. "At least not this far north of the border." Wharton alum and Wharton Hall of Fame member Donald Trump faced stiff competition for the best "Atlantic City not-so-big deal." The New York financier tied for first place with his own casino Trump Taj-Mahal, according to the magazine. Spokespersons from the Trump Organization declined to comment this week.
(07/25/91 9:00am)
Stanford University will attempt to regain the faith of the federal government by adopting accounting proceedures similar to those used by defense contractors, the school announced Monday. The California university recently come under fire for mischarging the government nearly $200 million in indirect research costs -- including the costs of parties and the refurbishing of a yacht over the past decade. "Stanford recognizes that there have been errors and there have been inappropriate admissions that have led to significant concerns regarding financial controls of the institution," said Peter Van Etten the university's new Chief Financial Officer. "Stanford intends to correct those in a fundamental way" In recent months, the University has also come under scrutiny for improperly-billing research sponsors -- including the federal government -- over $400,000. But, University Comptroller Alfred Beers has called the findings relatively minor, as the amount equals only one-half of one percent of the indirect research allocations the University received in 1987. Van Etten explained that Stanford plans to implement a 35-point overhaul of the university's accounting procedures consisting of three categories: making a commitment to better financial controls, developing manuals on allowable expenses and adopting more stringent accounting procedures. As an example of how the reforms will work, Van Etten said that if alcohol is served at a research oriented reception, the caterer will submit one bill for alcohol and another for other costs. Indirect costs will be calculated from the second bill. Audited universities' spokespersons, including Van Etten, have maintained that the current guidelines are vague making it difficult to judge what is considered allowable research expenditures. Research universities receive federal reimbursement for indirect costs including buildings, utilities and administration that are necessary for government-sponsored research but cannot be attributed directly to an individual project. Stanford's reforms were outlined in a $1 million study by Arthur Anderson & Co. accounting firm and endorsed by an independent panel of "respected outsiders who are not accountants," Van Etten said. The panel expressed reservations, however, that the new accounting procedures may prove cumbersome. Van Etten added that Stanford would cover the cost of the Arthur Anderson study. But it has not been determined whether the cost of implementing the new accounting system, which has yet to be calculated, will be passed along to taxpayers. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(07/25/91 9:00am)
Advocates of a new Massachusetts state campus security law said they think the legislation will prevent university police from getting away with murder -- by failing to report it. The legislation, which was signed into law earlier this month, requires campus police departments in Massachusetts to disclose all reported crimes to the general public -- including student newspapers -- on a daily basis. The law requires the police to document all reported crimes, the response, any arrested persons and their addresses in layman's language and to make this log available to the public on a daily basis -- in particular student journalists and students applying to the university. "There has been a crime cover-up across the country by university administrators, especially rape," said Security on Campus spokesperson John Doherty. "This legislation serves to correct that in Massachussetts." Security on Campus is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of campus crime. The legislation was authored by former senior editor of The Harvard Crimson Josh Gerstein after discovering that Harvard Police did not report numerous crimes. "The legislation attacks an obvious double standard," Gerstein said. "It doesn't make sense that someone could get attacked in Harvard Square and have it reported to Cambridge Police -- available to the public -- and about 100 yards away if you're attacked in [Harvard] Yard the campus police would have no public record of it." Doherty said that the system is faulted by administrators who are overly concerned with public relations and therefore create "a sanctuary for crime" by covering up reports. "If the university police act like city police, well then if a duck acts like a duck -- it's a duck -- they should both disclose [crime information]," Doherty said. The University has relied on various federal and state laws including the Buckley ammendment to monitor what crime information is made available to the general public. Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said this week that the University was reviewing the Massachusetts law, but both the SOC spokesperson and the commissioner doubted that any similar legislation is pending in the state of Pennsylvania. "We feel an obligation to inform the public," Kuprevich said. "But, we must remember to protect individuality -- especially the victim."
(07/25/91 9:00am)
Penn Student Agencies announced last week that they will assume on-campus newspaper distribution this fall, taking over for the failed, privately-owned Penn News, which was dealt another financial blow this month. Associate Director of Student Life Facilities Tom Hauber said Tuesday that PSA had already sent fliers to all of the undergraduate students soliciting suscriptions to the The Philadelphia Inquirer and The New York Times. PSA will deliver the newspapers to drop boxes located in on-campus housing, abandoning the original door-to-door delivery system that contriubuted to Penn News' demise. Hauber said that he hoped PSA would also soon offer The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Further details on the PSA offer will be explained in a flier that will be sent to all undergraduate students in August. But, Penn News, last year's student-owned newspaper delivery service, was pursued by lawyers this month for not paying up a $790 bill for renting a personal computer. In documents obtained by The Summer Pennsylvanian, a compancy called 800 PC-Rental had employed New York attorney Jack Tillem to pursue Penn News owner Mike Monk to pay his $790 bill. But, a letter dated June 17 from the attorney's office explains that Monk did not return "numerous" phone messages that the attorney had placed. Mike Monk could not be reached for comment. It is unknown whether Monk has repaid the $34,000 that he owes to newspaper companies and former subscribers. Paralegal for Tillem Bruce Chadwick said Tuesday that he spoke with Monk last week and that the bill for the computers "has been straightened up." Paralegal Rick Williams said that the law office is no longer pursuing Monk since the newspaper entrepreneur is in the process of repaying his debt. One student who spearheaded the movement to secure refunds for students from Penn News last year said this week that little had come from her complaint filed with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. "I have not received any refund -- Mike Monk said he was going to return the money," Wharton graduate Alyssa Rokito said. "But that never happened and we didn't think that it would." In April Monk had reported in The Daily Pennsylvanian that he was prepared to repay unhappy customers. Many University students complained that Monk's service had taken their checks, but never delivered the newspapers.
(07/18/91 9:00am)
University officials announced last week that 13 organizations -- including seven United Way satellite groups -- will participate in the 1991-92 Penn's Way campaign. The controversial campaign has sparked a two-year-long debate at the University which culminated last April when President Sheldon Hackney announced the University would abide by a faculty advisory referendum that voted in favor of a fully combined campaign in which all charities have equal status. Earlier this month, the United Way was questioned by combined campaign members for creating 11 dependent satellite organizations, seven of which were applied to the Penn's Way campaign to be entered individually on the pledge card. United Way administrators said the organizations were formed to deal with the "combined campaign environment." Combined Campaign advocates this month said they wondered why the United Way was dividing since the United Way had argued for two years that a single United Way-only campaign is the most efficient system. "I think that the United Way in abandoning the position it so forcefully made last year . . . [and] is attempting to manupulate the combined campaign," David Rudovsky, a senior law fellow and member of the Committee for a Combined Campaign at Penn said Tuesday. The satellites have not completely fulfilled all of the pre-requisites to be included in the campaign, which include obtaining 501(c)(3) status, a tax classification for charitable federations. "We expect everything to be in place by the deadlines," United Way Spokesperson Joe Divis said Tuesday.
(07/18/91 9:00am)
and MATTHEW SELMAN The battle over the lucrative patent rights to the skin drug Retin-A will take place in a jury trial, despite extensive legal efforts by a pharmaceuticals company to block the University's claim for the drug, according to a U.S. District Court order released this week. Judge Jay Waldman ordered Monday that the the court dispute over wrinkle drug Retin-A between the University and Johnson and Johnson Baby Products Company enter the trial pool in November. A case entered into the trial pool in November could lead to a trial date within "several months," according to University attorneys. The University filed suit against Dermatology Emeritus Professor Albert Kligman and Johnson and Johnson in January 1990, asserting control of the "miracle" acne and wrinkle drug's patent and a share of its royalties. The judge's order, filed last Friday in the federal court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, also requires discovery -- or collection of evidence -- to be completed by September 20 so that the case can enter the trial pool by November 4. It may take several months for a judge to begin a case placed in his trial pool. Attorneys for both the University and Kligman and Johnson and Johnson delcined to comment on the implications of Waldman's order, saying that they have not yet fully considered the statement. Associate General Counsel for the University Neil Hamburg said Tuesday that "the University is studying the judge's order." In a decision handed down last April, Waldman ruled that he would not throw out the University's case for Retin-A, denying a motion by Kligman and Johnson and Johnson to dismiss the suit. "The point of [Kligman and Johnson and Johnson's] motion was to take the case away from the jury," said Hamburg last April. "We are looking forward to a trial by a jury." The legal battle over the rights to Retin-A has been complex and drawn out, as the controller of the drug's rights could garner profits of untold millions of dollars. The University has argued in the past that "miracle" acne drug Retin-A, which was developed at the University in 1967 by Kligman, falls under the University's Patent Policy of 1966 as property of the University. The University alleges that Kligman violated this policy in 1986 when he sold the patents to the Vitamin A acid to Ortho Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a division of Johnson and Johnson. Attorneys for Kligman and Johnson and Johnson have contended they have control of the patent rights because Kligman never signed the University patent policy, thus allowing him to sell the rights. It is unknown exactly how much money Johnson and Johnson has made from the sale of Retin-A, but a 60 Minutes report which aired last year reported that Johnson and Johnson earned over $100 million before February 1990.
(07/18/91 9:00am)
Micheal Milken is hoping for a reversal of fortune after hiring famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz this week to reduce his ten-year sentence and defend him against a flood of pending civil suits. Milken, the 1979 Wharton graduate who plead guilty to six felony charges including conspiracy and tax violations is seeking to reduce his ten-year prison term that has highlighted the government's well-publicized campaign against securities fraud. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor who is an agressive appeals specialist, said earlier this week that he will be working with two other attorneys to reduce Milken's sentence and help defend him against a rash of pending civil suits. Dershowitz is best known for gaining an aquittal for accused killer Claus von Bulow and helping to win a dismissal of some tax evasion charges against Leona Helmsley. Milken, who helped build the now-collapsing Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. investment bank, began serving a ten-year sentence for six securities-related felonies earlier this year. Dershowitz will also defend Milken against billions of dollars worth of civil suits seeking redress for financial problems allegedly brought on by the failure of junk-bond investments. The former "junk bond king's" attorneys have urged in the past that courts consider the financier's more than $360 million charitable contributions. Milken has donated millions to the University since his graduation, including a $2 million grant to help West Philadelphia community service programs. Milken, who received his M.B.A. from Wharton, has also been sentenced to three years probation during which he must work 1800 hours a year in community service. "We're leaving no stone unturned," said Dershowitz, who will be joined in the case by Susan Estrich, the campaign manager for former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, and a third attorney, Harvey Silvergate. "I was asked to come into the case and really do an individual assessment of the civil-liberty issue not only in civil but in all cases," the famed lawyer added. Dershowitz added he will try to win a reduced sentence at an upcoming hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood, who sentenced Milken last year. The hearing is expected to be set for this fall. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
(07/11/91 9:00am)
University administrators, staff and students celebrated the past July 4 and honored America's revolutinary forefathers' struggle for freedom, showing that America's revolting nature has not changed in over 200 years. Several top administrators demonstrated their preference for the Red, White and Blue over the Red and Blue this week as they were still on vacation for last Thursday's Independence Day. Those, however, that had returned said that they had enjoyed the holiday. Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington said he attended the "world's greatest" parade in Swarthmore featuring the Silver Dollar Band which "occcassionally played on tune." "The highlight of the day was when the Swarthmore All-Volunteer Fire Department set and put out a fire," Farrington said. "For a while it was a cliffhanger, but they put it out and our faith was restored." Farrington added that the parade was spiced with "mercifully short" patriotic speeches and two verses of America the Beautiful. He said his family concluded the day by making homemade vanilla ice cream. University Police Officer Leonard Harrison said that he went to a pool party hosted by his mother for the holiday, but that he did not partake in the traditional fireworks celebration. "I was a marine in Lebanon and people were shooting at me -- I don't like fireworks," Harrison said. "I'm just happy that the nation is at peace." Cati Logan, who graduated from the College last spring, also missed the fireworks during the Independence Day festivities, as she chose against attending the popular parades throughout the Delaware Valley. "I went to see Terminator 2 instead," Logan said. "[My friends and I] didn't wan't to hear a bunch of patriotism and be annoyed." The festival was designed to be an alternative celebration focusing on independence without militarism. "I agree with the Fourth," Chris Burgin of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, who attended the festival said. "But, I wanted to celebrate independence without military might." 1986 College graduate Jay Yeager also welcomed the event as a special opportunity to celebrate the holiday. "I am a little put off when popular culture picks up on the war-nationalism-thing," Yeager said. "[This festival] is a nice alternative to that." The festival featured an American flag that was repeatedly "washed of its sins" throughout the day. The flag was dipped in soap and water, scrubbed and hung out to dry. "We love our country, but we also have to realize the problems that we have to try and change," Event Coordinator Beth Williams said. "Washing the flag is symbolic of trying to start anew." High school junior Abid Aziz, who is attending the Pre-College program at the University said he was dazzled by the celebration at Penn's Landing. Aziz is from Pakistan and has never seen an Independence Day celebration before. "It was very exciting and so extravagant," Aziz said Tuesday. Aziz added that although there are similar celebrations in his home country, fireworks have never been part of the festivities in Pakistan. However, Pre-College student Lia Porcella from the Dominican Republic said that she did not think the Penn's Landing fireworks were as exciting as those she has seen in previous years elsewhere throughout the country. "It wasn't as good as what I've seen in the past," Porcella said. "But, I enjoyed the evening because of the people I was with."
(07/11/91 9:00am)
A University Medical School professor emerged as the new pacemaker of the American Heart Association last week, and will take over the top position in July, 1992. Edward Cooper was unanimously elected President-Elect of the national AHA at the organization's recent assembly -- Cooper will be the first black to serve as President of the group. After serving for one year as President-Elect of the organization, Cooper will then be the official top officer for the following year. As president of the AHA, Cooper will be a spokesperson for the volunteer organization and will lobby for legislation supporting tobacco restrictions and increased funding for healthcare and medical research. The AHA is the nation's largest voluntary health organization and is dedicated to the reduction of disability and death from heart and blood vessel diseases. Spokespersons for the AHA said that Cooper will stress preventive medicine among minorities and encourage more minorities to enter the medical professions. "He comes to leadership in an interestng period," AHA Spokesperson Tim Elsner said Tuesday, "A time to get our health messages out to all audiences -- in particular African-Americans and minorites." Cooper also serves as Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode's physician, according to University Medical Center spokesperson Martha Lubell. "We are thrilled that Dr. Cooper has received this honor," Lubell said Tuesday. "He is a fine physician and deserves this kind of recognition." Elsner added that Cooper will not leave his post at the University and will travel frequently as a representative of the AHA. Cooper has served as a volunteer with the AHA for nearly 25 years, both locally and nationally, and in 1990 received the prestigious Heart of Philadelphia award from the Southeastern Pennsylvania affiliate of the AHA. "The AHA is lucky to have Dr. Cooper as their leader," Lubell added.
