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(06/05/97 9:00am)
Statistics provide positive publicity for law schools where grads pass the bar exam at high rates, prove embarrassing for institutions with low pass rates. There are a multitude of guide books rating the nation's law schools on a wide range of criteria, but perhaps the most important piece of information has remained secret -- the percentage of graduates who pass the bar exam on their first try. But the American Bar Association published its first guide -- entitled American Bar Association Approved Law Schools -- which is intended to be an alternative to the popular U.S. News and World Report law school ranking. The book is packed with statistics on average scores on the Law School Admission Test and financial aid to information on library holdings and career placement. But the data showing how well graduates fare at passing the bar is the most controversial. The ABA guide has provided positive publicity and boosted the reputations of the few law schools where over 95 percent of the students passed the bar on their first try. While some of these schools are already well-known, less prestigious programs -- such as the Campbell University School of Law -- stand to benefit from the new guide. At Campbell -- a small school affiliated with the Southern Baptist Church -- 97 percent of the students passed the North Carolina bar exam. Other lesser-known law programs with high bar exam pass rates included the University of Nebraska -- where 99 percent of graduates pass the pass the Nebraska bar exam -- and the University of South Dakota -- whose graduates posted a 96 percent pass rate on the South Dakota bar exam. But at schools where the pass rate is low -- such as the University of the District of Columbia, Howard University, Southern University, Texas Wesleyan University and the Thomas Jefferson School of Law -- administrators have been forced to explain why students cannot meet the requirements to practice law even after three years of study. Administrators at District of Columbia -- where the ABA guide reported a 16 percent pass rate -- have written a letter of protest, claiming the statistic is misleading because it represents only the 25 students who took the Maryland bar exam. In its calculations, the ABA only considered the results of bar exams taken in states where at least 30 percent of graduates planned to practice law. Only Maryland exams counted in the District of Columbia statistics. "The overall pass rate for that summer was 32 percent, which is not great, but its certainly better than 16 percent," associate dean Russell Cort said. "It really does a disservice to the school and the students not to take those factors into consideration." Other schools with low pass rates are planning to make improvements. For example, Howard's interim dean Alice Bullock said the university's law school is already reviewing its curriculum to better prepare students for the bar and considering ways to help students with test-taking skills. Graduates of the University's law school had a 91 percent pass rate on the New York bar exam. Among the schools with the most students passing the bar are the Universities of Chicago, Notre Dame and Minnesota -- where 97 percent of graduates passed the Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota bar exams, respectively -- and Harvard, Yale and Cornell Universities -- where 96 percent of students passed the New York bar exam.
(06/05/97 9:00am)
Discovery may lead to antioxidant treatment to prevent complications during heart surgery Scientists at the University's Medical Center have demonstrated that antioxidant vitamins may help prevent complications in heart surgery patients. Recent research has shown that antioxidant vitamins -- such as vitamin E -- may protect against health problems associated with aging, including cardiovascular problems. Antioxidants curb the activity of volatile molecules called free radicals, limiting the injury they inflict on tissues of the body. University scientists have shown that free radical molecules also cause damage following heart bypass surgery or heart attack treatment during the critical period called reprofusion when blood flow is restored to the heart muscle. The fact that serious complications often occur during reprofusion despite the renewed blood supply has baffled heart surgeons. Using a new test, University researchers documented a sharp rise in free radical activity following reprofusion, suggesting that oxidant stress may cause heart failure during reprofusion. Such a link has been suspected for a long time, but has not been conclusively proven until now. Garret FitzGerald -- Chairperson of the pharmacology department and senior author of the study -- said the test could lead to developing antioxidant treatments. "Using this approach, we can rationally evaluate precise doses of antioxidant vitamins or drugs with the aim of suppressing the free-radical mechanism during reprofusion and then seeing whether there are benefits for patients," FitzGerald said. He added, "Once we've defined the appropriate doses, we will be able to assess whether giving these compounds before surgery leads to improved outcomes." FitzGerald and his colleagues developed a test that uses gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to measure urinary levels of a biochemical called 8-epi PGF2-alpha -- a fatty acid found in cell membranes throughout the body which is the result of free radical molecule attacks on arachidonic acid. "What we found is that, in clinical settings of reprofusion, specifically in people undergoing bypass surgery and in people given thromylitic drugs to treat myocardial infarction, we see a pronounced elevation of this biochemical marker of oxidant stress," FitzGerald said. Funding for the study was provided by the Wellcome Fund, the Health Research Board of Ireland, the Irish Heart Foundation and the National Institute of Health. In 1996, the University's Medical Center received $149 in grants from the National Institute of Health -- the nation's primary source for biomedical research funding. The University's Medical Center ranked fifth in NIH funding last year and posted a 9.1 percent growth rate in funding -- the highest among the nation's top ten academic medical centers.
(06/01/97 9:00am)
Of the 4,793 students accepted to the class of 2001, slightly less than half will enroll in September. Studio City, Ca. The Admissions Office sent letters of acceptance to 31 percent of the applicants for the class of 2001 this year. The 2,333 students who accepted the University's offer of admission represent 49 percent of the total number of admitted applicants -- the same yield as last year. Stetson said that the high matriculation rate again means that few students be admitted off of the wait list. Penn had accepted 4,793 of its 15,459 applicants this year. Applications to the University's class of 2001 dropped 2.7 percent from last year's high of 15,771, when 30 percent of the applicants were admitted. Every Ivy League school except for Columbia University saw a similar decline in applications, and most Ivy universities accepted slightly higher percentages of applicants than in recent years. Admissions officials across the Ivies suggested that applications to many top schools declined this year because students are being more realistic in evaluating their chances of acceptance. And Stetson maintained that he was not worried about the decrease in Penn's applications, stressing that he was "encouraged" by the small size of the decrease since applications tend to fall substantially when institutions are plagued by the type of crime problems that the University experienced last semester. The matriculating students include 1,487 in the College of Arts and Sciences and 354 in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Stetson said these schools may admit some students off the wait list to meet their goals of enrolling 1,500 and 370 freshmen, respectively. Both the Wharton School of Business and the Nursing School enrolled more students than had been anticipated. Wharton had a goal of enrolling 390 new students, but 417 have already matriculated, while Nursing had a goal of 70 matriculants and 75 enrolled. The dual degree programs remained popular, with 38 students enrolling in the International Studies in Business program between Wharton and the College and 46 choosing the Management and Technology program between Engineering and Wharton. Five freshmen also enrolled in the new Nursing and Health Care Management program. Members of the class of 2001 will come to the University from 48 of the 50 states. Idaho and Wyoming are the only states not currently represented. But while there were no applicants from Wyoming this year, Stetson said that he hopes to enroll a student from Idaho as soon as financial aid issues are resolved. Additionally, 209 international students will make up almost 10 percent of the class. And Stetson said the number of minorities in the incoming class increased from 769 to 802, including 535 Asians, 141 African Americans, 118 Latinos and eight Native Americans. A record-high 189 matriculants are from California. Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Minnesota and Utah are also represented in unprecedented numbers. Students from the traditionally well-represented states of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey comprise 45 percent of the class, a slight decrease from the 49 percent who matriculated into the class of 2000. Stetson attributed the decline to a decrease in applicants from these states. The matriculants into the class of 2001 had an average Scholastic Assessment Test score of 1363, six points higher than the 1356 average for the class of 2000. The average SAT II score was 675, up from 667 last year.
(05/29/97 9:00am)
Commencement speakers and honorary degree practices vary among Ivies As some of the oldest universities in the country, each of the Ivy League schools has it's own Commencement traditions. Penn is one of only three Ivies that invites an outside speaker to give the principal Commencement address. Harvard University lured Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to speak at its 346th Commencement on June 5. Penn's speaker selection committee also invited Albright -- who is the first female Secretary of State and the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. government -- to speak at Commencement, but she had to decline due to scheduling conflicts. Harvard officials noted that her address will mark the 50th anniversary of former Secretary of State George Marshall's 1947 Commencement address at Harvard, in which he announced the Marshall Plan. Harvard does not announce honorary degree recipients before the commencement ceremony. Finnish Prime Minister and 1964 Dartmouth graduate Paavo Lipponen will be the speaker at Dartmouth's 227th Commencement. Lipponen will also receive an honorary degree at the ceremony -- scheduled for June 8. Other honorary degree-winners include Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, distinguished writer Sir V.S. Naipaul, Princeton historian Nell Painter, former New Hampshire Governor Walter Peterson, Smith College President Ruth Simmons, National Institutes of Health Director and Nobel laureate Harold Varmus and Harvard sociologist William Wilson. While outside speakers do not customarily give the Commencement address at the other Ivies, they often speak at other events. Brown University held its 229th Commencement on Monday. In keeping with school tradition, two students delivered the main speeches at the actual Commencement ceremony. But author and broadcast journalist Bill Moyers spoke at Brown's Baccalaureate on Sunday. Moyers was among the 10 honorary degree recipients this year. Other honorary degrees went to historian Joyce Oldham Appleby of the University of California, Los Angeles, 1973 physics Nobel prize recipient Leo Esaki, IBM chief executive officer Louis Gerstner Jr., former assistant secretary of state Richard Holbrooke, author and illustrator David Macaulay, educator Lorraine Monroe, Brown trustee Augustus White III and Taco Inc. Chief executive officer John Hazen White. Columbia University also did not have an outside speaker at its May 15 Commencement. In accordance with tradition, Columbia President George Rupp was the principle speaker at the university's 242nd Commencement. But Columbia did award seven honorary degrees. Recipients included U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield, former Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev, dental expert Irwin Mendel, composer and musician Wynton Marsalis, United Nations refugees commissioner Sadako Ogata, Yale Near Eastern languages professor Franz Rosenthal and mathematical physicist Edward Witten. The university's Medal for Excellence went to 1976 Barnard College graduate Helene Gayle, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cornell University President Hunter Rowlings III was the principle speaker at the school's 129th Commencement on Sunday. However, television personality Beatrice Berry -- host of the nationally-syndicated "Beatrice Berry Show" talk show -- addressed members of the Cornell class of 1997 at Saturday's Senior Convocation. Yale University also held its Commencement exercises on Monday. Because Yale President Richard Levin gives the Commencement and Baccalaureate addresses, visiting dignitaries traditionally speak at Class Day. According to Yale senior and class secretary Shane Macelhiney, the class of 1997 wanted the Class Day speaker to be a former Yale undergraduate who is not an actor or a politician. The class council invited 1955 Yale graduate David McCullogh to speak during Sunday's Class Day festivities. McCullogh is the best-selling biographer of Harry Truman, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, president of the Society of American Historians and narrator of the acclaimed Ken Burns Civil War documentary. Yale's honorary degree recipients included actress Jodie Foster, President Mary Robinson of Ireland, molecular pharmacologist Alfred Gilman, peace champion Carlos Belo, coach and teacher Eddie Robinson, dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison, chemist and environmental advocate Mario Molina, author and illustrator Maurice Sandak, business and civic leader Roberto Goizueta. The president of Princeton University customarily gives the Commencement address. Princeton officials explained that the school broke with tradition last year, inviting President Bill Clinton to speak as part its 250th anniversary celebration. But this year, Princeton President Harold Shapiro will once again give the Commencement address at his school's June 5 ceremony. Princeton also does not release the names of honorary degree recipients until Commencement.
(05/29/97 9:00am)
Vendors, students and community members voice concerns, express frustration during forum and Stephanie Cooperman After an emotionally charged town meeting Tuesday night, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell decided to introduce a modified version of a controversial vending ordinance at yesterday's City Council meeting. City Council members must still approve the ordinance for it to become law. Blackwell -- along with University Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman and Scott Goldstein of the University City Vendors Alliance -- addressed community concerns about the ordinance in the auditorium of Lea Elementary School at 47th and Spruce streets. After brief presentations by Goldstein and Scheman on the proposed changes to the ordinance -- which would limit and reorganize street and sidewalk vending around campus -- students and community members expressed frustration with the University's alleged unwillingness to consider their input. Goldstein explained that the new version of the ordinance -- which he called a "win-win situation" -- will consolidate vending in three primary areas on campus -- along 34th Street between Hill field and Chestnut, across from the food court at 3401 Walnut Street, where there is currently a wall, and in the northern section of the triangular parking lot at 34th and Spruce Streets. The vending areas would be presented as what Goldstein called "a year-round food festival," complete with seating, tables, lights and available space for all the displaced vendors. Three weeks ago, University officials called a meeting to inform local vendors of the ordinance -- which they wanted Blackwell to present at the City Council meeting the following morning. But protest from local vendors, students and community members delayed action on the legislation. Scheman emphasized that University administrators want to do away with vendors on Walnut Street between 34th and 38th before construction begins on the new Sansom Commons upscale retail district. She added that the ordinance -- the first measure taken by the University to control vending in the area -- will provide easier access to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's entrance, increased security and a reliable business environment for vendors. But many students and community members said their opinions were not considered and asked Blackwell to postpone introducing the legislation until the fall, when more student opinion could be gathered. Undergraduate Assembly chairperson and College junior Noah Bilenker said he could have told Scheman and the vendors "what the students wanted right away." "I'd like to think the University has a partnership with the undergraduates," he said. "We tell them what the undergraduates want and they, in turn, will listen to us and act with the students' interest in mind." And College junior Jared Danziger, the undergraduate representative to the University committee on vending, said he was "appalled by the way the University violated its own procedures in developing these plans." He added that he "can't be sympathetic with the vendors who have now been essentially bought off by the University." But Scheman said she held numerous meetings for elected student representatives, and added that it was their responsibility to relay information to their constituents. Other students were concerned about the motives behind the University's "quick action." "There is no reason to ban vendors from 35th to 38th except that the people who will pay rent in the Sansom Commons don't want to look at them," graduate student Matt Rubin said. Some vendors worried that the proposed ordinance would limit competition and reduce a business based largely on location and convenience, but Scheman said these fears were unfounded. "If the University was serious about these kiosks, they would have built them in the 18 months they were talking about [the ordinance]," pretzel stand owner and former state senator Milton Streets said. "If you think the University is going to follow through with all this, then you are pursuing a course contrary to knowledge."
(05/29/97 9:00am)
Two classes broke contribution records with their reunion gifts to the University over Alumni Weekend, according to Penn Fund Director Jerry Condon. Condon said he counts on the the reunion classes to lead the annual giving campaign, which he hopes will reach $7.4 million this year. The class of 1947 raised a record high $2,954,000 for its 50th reunion gift. The University will use part of the money to renovate a room in Houston Hall while another part is a restricted gift in support of the University Museum. The rest will go into an endowed scholarship fund. The class of 1962 donated the largest 35th reunion gift in the University's history. Part of the $2,195,000 that the class raised will enhance the class of 1962 walkway -- which runs between the main entrance to the Quadrangle and Locust Walk -- and the rest will go into an endowed scholarship fund. For it's 25th reunion gift, the class of 1972 raised $1,302,000 to renovate Benjamin Franklin room in Houston Hall and fund endowed scholarships. Condon said he appreciated the class of 1972 gift because he counts on the 25th reunion class to raise a million dollars, but the past few classes have fallen short of this goal. The class of 1932 presented the University with a check for $54,000 in unrestricted funds as its 65th reunion gift to the University. The 60th reunion class of 1937 raised $389,000 for additional construction on the class of 1937 study center on the fifth floor of the Van Pelt Library and an endowed scholarship in the name of their classmate Walter Gallagher. The class of 1942 -- which celebrated its 55th reunion over Alumni Weekend -- gave the University $754,500 in endowed scholarship funds, which will generate income on an annual basis. For its 45th reunion gift to the University, the class of 1952 raised $1,901,000. Condon said that the University will use part of the money to construct a class of 1952 study lounge in Van Pelt while the remainder will be put in a scholarship fund. The 40th reunion class of 1957 raised just over $1 million to fund a restoration project on the second floor of Houston Hall, while the class of 1997 -- the University's newest alumni -- raised $8,600 for a class of 1997 lounge in Houston Hall. The class of 1967 came up with an $876,000 30th reunion gift to the University. Some of the money will go toward the class of 1967 lounge and the Marian Anderson music study center in Van Pelt, while the rest will be added to the class of 1967 endowed scholarship fund. The classes of 1977, 1982, 1987 and 1992 -- celebrating their 20th, 15th, 10th and 5th reunions -- presented the University with checks for $557,000, $325,000, $162,000 and $27,000 in unrestricted funds, respectively.
(05/29/97 9:00am)
The consulting firm hired by the university determined the cause was a corroded iron rod. Last Sunday's graduation festivities at the University of Virginia were marred by tragedy as a balcony collapsed just minutes before the Commencement ceremony was scheduled to begin, killing one person and injuring 18 others. A corroded section of an iron rod support gave way at 9:50 a.m. and caused a nine by 16 foot section of the balcony to fall, injuring people watching the ceremony from the balcony and the brick walkway below. The victims -- most of whom were guests of UVA Senior Vice President Don Detmer, who lives in the pavilion with his family-- were rushed to the UVA Hospital emergency room. May Jo Brashear of El Paso, Texas died on the operating table. Most of the other victims -- who ranged in age from nine to 79 -- sustained broken bones. Some were treated and released, while others were admitted to the hospital and later discharged. Only two of the victims remain in the hospital, and officials reported that both are listed in good condition. Meanwhile, UVA officials decided to continue with Commencement on the opposite side of the historic Lawn from the accident site. UVA President John Casteen conferred degrees on over 4,300 graduates -- most of whom were unaware that a balcony had collapsed at the other end of the Lawn. The balcony was created in the 1820s as part of one of the ten pavilions that comprised Thomas Jefferson's "Academical Village" -- which he intended to be an ideal community for faculty and students -- and has been in continuous use ever since. UVA officials explained that there have never been any structural failure in the pavilions before, and noted that a recent physical assessment of the building did not indicate any problems. UVA officials reacted by immediately hiring a consulting firm to determine the cause of the accident and asses the condition of the remaining pavilion balcony support systems. The university also erected scaffolding to brace the five remaining pavilion balconies which have similar suspension systems until they can be inspected. "Families gather at graduation to celebrate the achievements of their children and their grandchildren," Casteen said in a written release. "That this is usually such a joyous occasion makes today's tragedy even more devastating." He added that the university has "begun a vigorous investigation to prevent further accidents of this kind." "But for now, our major concern is that we comfort the victims and their families," he said.
(05/29/97 9:00am)
Cornyn Fasano Group's preliminary suggestions include centralized coordination of vending After conducting extensive research on University food services, the Cornyn Fasano Group has reached preliminary conclusions that the University should coordinate campus food service and create other convenient facilities to complement the food trucks. Marie Witt, Director of Support Services for Business Services, emphasized that the findings are very preliminary and will not be complete until the fall. During the first phase of the report this spring, the group conducted market research based on telephone, intercept and web surveys, making direct or indirect contact was with at least 1,500 students, faculty and staff. The project is currently in its second phase, which Witt says involves analyzing the data and integrating it with the results of the Biddison-Hier and Brownlee reports on residential living as well as retail, recreation, and health system studies. Preliminary analysis of the data yielded several findings which lead CFG to propose a number of possible changes to the University's food service program. The study revealed that food service has never been centrally managed and several University departments have overlapping responsibilities in this area. Based on this observation, CFG suggested that food services on and around campus should be centrally coordinated. The group specifically suggested that the University "continue its proactive effort to control the trucks in terms of number, location and minimum sanitation standards." Recent University actions to this end have included proposing an ordinance to limit and reorganize street and sidewalk vending around campus. "Food service is perceived as having slow service, too expensive, inconvenient, and limited in scope," a CFG memo said. "At present, the trucks partially meet this need." CFG pointed to the need for cheap, convenient and appealing alternatives to the trucks, particularly in the new Perelman Quad student center. The study also analyzed Dining Services, and found that the program is well-managed but has "failed to remain contemporary in terms of facilities, equipment, service levels and hours of operation." For example, CFG noted that all campus dining facilities were designed to support all-you-can-eat meal service and only one has been renovated in the past 20 years. CFG found that Dining Services is economically self-sustaining because labor costs are minimized by limited hours, students pay for all they can eat no matter how much food they actually consume, and students cannot redeem missed meals. In the memo, CFG made a preliminary recommendation that Dining Services consider extending its hours and offering a la carte service to better meet the needs of the University community, despite the fact that such changes would probably make Dining Services less profitable. The memo notes that "there may be certain programs, such as Residential Life and Perelman Quad, which will result in Penn sacrificing financial return in exchange for student satisfaction." The study also revealed that there are fewer than 4,00 seats available during meal and break times to serve the University's food service market of approximately 50,000 people. The memo noted that the problem is particularly pronounced at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Medical School, where there is only a cafeteria with 260 seats to serve an estimated 10,000 doctors, staff, outpatients and visitors. As a result, CFG observed that medical personnel often purchase food from trucks on Spruce Street or Houston Hall and eat in the Hall of Flags. In their memo, CFG suggested that the University "consider a plan which will limit or exclude hospital and medical staff from using this facility during peak student and faculty/staff demand times." The study also suggested that "part of Penn's truck/cart strategy needs to address the convenient location of on campus food concepts with an ample supply of seats." The modified version of the proposed ordinance to regulate local vendors would create vending areas -- complete with seating, tables and lights -- on 34th Street between Hill Field and Chestnut Street, across from the food court at 3401 Walnut Street, and in the northern portion of the triangular parking lot at 34th and Spruce Streets.
(05/22/97 9:00am)
Alumnus William Shore called for innovation in philanthropy. William Shore was on his way to a successful political career before abruptly changing course and becoming an anti-hunger activist. The 1977 College graduate served as advisor to both former Democratic Presidential candidate Gary Hart and U.S. Sen. Bob Kerry (D-Neb.) but left the realm of politics in 1984 to found the anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength. In his address to the College of Arts and Sciences class of 1997 at Franklin Field Sunday night, Shore spoke of the need for innovative ways to deal with hunger and other social problems. "I challenge you to create new wealth to serve the public interest," he said. "Not personal or corporate wealth but community wealth." Shore explained that his organization -- which has given over $30 million in grants to more than 800 anti-hunger groups -- encourages restaurants to donate food and writers to contribute stories which can be sold to raise money rather than relying on traditional fundraising methods. He called SOS a "testament to what can be accomplished when generosity and compassion cooperate with ingenuity to make the world a better place." College Dean Robert Rescorla also addressed the audience, noting that the graduates were accepted to the University by one president and provost and spent their freshman year under another pair before a third took the helm. He added that they were guinea pigs for the language requirement, MAPLE calculus program and Penn Reading Project, and have endured numerous changes to the general requirement. Rescorla thanked the graduates for adapting to these changes and helping to shape the University. Student speaker Kara Blond -- a College senior and former Managing Editor of the Daily Pennsylvanian -- reflected on the sentiments of the graduates. "I can't put into words the immensity of this feeling," she said. "Even four years as an English major have left me without the language to convey this assault of emotion. All I can offer is an imprecise, incomplete collage of conflicting feelings." She said that the graduates are accustomed to the comfort of knowing what the next step would be as they checked off items on a to-do list, but now it is time to decide which items are most important and pursue them with passion. After the speeches, faculty members called degree candidates from each department in the College to the podium individually to receive their diplomas.
(05/22/97 9:00am)
Solemnity and reflection replaced excitement and celebration as graduates and their guests entered Irvine Auditorium for the traditional Baccalaureate service on Sunday afternoon. The event began with a Baccalaureate concert by the University Brass and Organ Ensemble as guests arrived for the interfaith service of thanksgiving. The program included prayers, readings and hymns representing various religions. The Glee Club moved the audience with renditions of spirituals -- including "Amazing Grace" and "Let us break bread together" -- as well as such contemporary pieces as Carly Simon's "Let the River Run." French diplomat Simone Vail -- who received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Commencement on Monday -- gave the Baccalaureate address. Provost Stanley Chodorow introduced the former French Minster of Health and State, who was elected the first president of the European Parliament in 1979. He credited Veil with awakening France to the problems of drug addiction and AIDS and praised her for her commitment to protecting human rights. A Holocaust survivor, she shared her vision of a unified Europe in which all people could live together in peace. She said the purpose of education is to "share knowledge with all men, regardless of race, class or gender." Veil also discussed the responsibility that accompanies an education. "Don't forget that you are the privileged ones," she said. "You are in the limelight and everyone keeps their eyes on you, but you have the power to make our dreams a reality." University President Judith Rodin addressed the graduates and their families and friends who gathered in Irvine for the service. "We need not look for individuals whose lives give us inspiration and cause," she said. "People whose blend sense with sensitivity." Rodin emphasized the importance of "hope, faith and love," and told the graduates, "you have a responsibility to use your intellect to help you work from the heart." She said she hoped they would "understand what is important in life and make it a priority."
(05/22/97 9:00am)
Eight seniors chosen by classmates received top awards, Class of 1997 Ivy Stone to be placed outside College Hall. The traditional Ivy Day ceremony honoring outstanding members of the class of 1997 took place in Irvine Auditorium amidst the flurry of alumni weekend festivities on Saturday afternoon. The event included the presentation of awards and the unveiling of the class of 1997 Ivy Stone. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum announced that the class selected the new entrance to College Hall as the location for its Ivy Stone. Class president and Engineering senior Neil Sheth presided over the ceremony and came away with The Spoon, one of eight awards presented by the 25th reunion class of 1972. College senior and former Daily Pennsylvanian columnist Jamil Smith received The Bowl. The Cane went to former BiCultural InterGreek Council president and Wharton senior George Holt. Josh Gottheimer -- a College senior and former InterFraternity Council president -- was awarded The Spade. College senior and former Daily Pennsylvanian Managing Editor Kara Blond received the Brownlee Award and Wharton senior and former Kite and Key President Katinka Domotorffy came away with the Harnwell Award. The Hottel and Goddard Awards went to College senior Abby Close and Engineering senior Rachel Sheinbein, respectively. Members of the class of 1997 selected the four male and four female recipients of these awards -- which are among the university's oldest and most prestigious -- from a pool of 15 men and 15 women generated by a committee of students, faculty and staff earlier in the semester. University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow also presented several leadership awards. Other students honored on Ivy Day included College seniors Jason Balesta, Lela Jacobsohn, Justin Shellaway, Dawn Landua and Angie Jimenez, Engineering seniors Sulynn Amrhein and Raj Iyer, Wharton seniors Clinton Matter and Richard Archer, Nursing senior Virginia Biddle, and Engineering junior Chris Hyzer. And the ceremony honored the planning committee of the recent Urban Agenda Conference, including College senior Alex Berkett, Wharton senior Ben Nelson, College juniors Tal Golomb, Eugene Huang, Jason Marbutt, Laura Schulman and Ari Silverman, College sophomores Hillary Aisenstein, Natalie Dowshen, Rachel Goldfarb and Mark Sagat, Wharton freshman Aaron Fidler, and College freshman Joshua Fink. In keeping with tradition, the event concluded with the planting of a sprig of ivy in honor of the class of 1997.
(05/22/97 9:00am)
The members of the Wharton School class of 1997 graduated from what Dean Thomas Gerrity called the "oldest, most demanding, most highly regarded" business program in the country. When they received their diplomas at Franklin Field on Sunday morning, the new graduates joined a network of over 70,000 fellow alumni who Gerrity described as "leaders in every imaginable field of business, management and public service." Wharton senior Alison Chen addressed the audience. She said that even after the graduates leave Wharton, "these college years have built memories and knowledge that we will take with us for the rest of our lives." Gerrity presented teaching awards to Legal Studies Professor William Laufer and Finance Professor Suleyman Basak. The ceremony also honored several outstanding students. Wharton graduate student and Accounting 101 teaching assistant Dean D'Angelo received the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Deans Awards of Excellence went to Wharton seniors David Bianco, Matthew Levine and Gaurav Grover. The ceremony culminated with Gerrity and Wharton Vice Dean Richard Herring awarding diplomas to the individual graduates, who were seated according to area of concentration within Wharton. --Shannon Burke
(05/22/97 9:00am)
Guests assembled in the Annenberg School Auditorium on Monday afternoon for an intimate ceremony to honor graduates of the University's smallest school -- the Annenberg School for Communication. While only 31 candidates received graduate degrees from Annenberg this year, Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson pointing to the students' high rate of thesis publication as evidence of their potential for success. University Trustee and 1967 College for Women graduate Andrea Mitchell -- NBC Chief Foreign Correspondent -- spoke on the role of the media in covering politics. Mitchell said the media's negative focus "helps to fan the flames of cynicism even while condemning them." "Washington is overrun with suspicion and cynicism," she said. "But you will be uniquely equipped with the best possible tools to refocus and redesign political discourse." The media tends to focus more on the entertainment value than the informational content of news and often relies on graphics and gimmicks rather than substantive reporting, according to Mitchell. She said the media should "educate the public about important events and uncover hidden truths" and noted that "democracy can only be upheld if we keep it in check." Graduating students selected three members of the class to address the audience. One of the students, Molly Johnson, began by impersonating the way various Annenberg faculty members would give a graduation speech. The ceremony concluded with Annenberg Registrar Pam Robinson -- affectionately known as the "Annenberg Mom" -- calling each graduate to the stage, where degrees were conferred. -- Shannon Burke
(05/22/97 9:00am)
Annual ceremony recognized black graduates for scholarship and service The traditional Ivy Day ceremony honoring outstanding members of the class of 1997 took place in Irvine Auditorium amidst the flurry of alumni weekend festivities on Saturday afternoon. The event included the presentation of awards and the unveiling of the class of 1997 Ivy Stone. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum announced that the class selected the new entrance to College Hall as the location for its Ivy Stone. Class president and Engineering senior Neil Sheth presided over the ceremony and came away with The Spoon, one of eight awards presented by the 25th reunion class of 1972. College senior and former Daily Pennsylvanian columnist Jamil Smith received The Bowl. The Cane went to former BiCultural InterGreek Council president and Wharton senior George Holt. Josh Gottheimer -- a College senior and former InterFraternity Council president -- was awarded The Spade. College senior and former Daily Pennsylvanian Managing Editor Kara Blond received the Brownlee Award and Wharton senior and former Kite and Key President Katinka Domotorffy came away with the Harnwell Award. The Hottel and Goddard Awards went to College senior Abby Close and Engineering senior Rachel Sheinbein, respectively. Members of the class of 1997 selected the four male and four female recipients of these awards -- which are among the university's oldest and most prestigious -- from a pool of 15 men and 15 women generated by a committee of students, faculty and staff earlier in the semester. University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow also presented several leadership awards. Other students honored on Ivy Day included College seniors Jason Balesta, Lela Jacobsohn, Justin Shellaway, Dawn Landua and Angie Jimenez, Engineering seniors Sulynn Amrhein and Raj Iyer, Wharton seniors Clinton Matter and Richard Archer, Nursing senior Virginia Biddle, and Engineering junior Chris Hyzer. And the ceremony honored the planning committee of the recent Urban Agenda Conference, including College senior Alex Berkett, Wharton senior Ben Nelson, College juniors Tal Golomb, Eugene Huang, Jason Marbutt, Laura Schulman and Ari Silverman, College sophomores Hillary Aisenstein, Natalie Dowshen, Rachel Goldfarb and Mark Sagat, Wharton freshman Aaron Fidler, and College freshman Joshua Fink. In keeping with tradition, the event concluded with the planting of a sprig of ivy in honor of the class of 1997.
(05/16/97 9:00am)
Slightly less than half of the students admitted will enroll in the fall. Just under half of the of the 4,793 students admitted to the University's class of 2001 have agreed to matriculate at Penn in the fall, according to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson. The 2,333 students who accepted the University's offer of admission represent 49 percent of the total number of admitted applicants -- the same yield as last year. Stetson said that the high matriculation rate again means that few students be admitted off of the wait list. The matriculating students include 1,487 in the College of Arts and Sciences and 354 in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Stetson said these schools may admit some students off the wait list to meet their goals of enrolling 1,500 and 370 freshmen, respectively. Both the Wharton School of Business and the Nursing School enrolled more students than had been anticipated. Wharton had a goal of enrolling 390 new students, but 417 have already matriculated, while Nursing had a goal of 70 matriculants and 75 enrolled. The dual degree programs remained popular, with 38 students enrolling in the International Studies in Business program between Wharton and the College and 46 choosing the Management and Technology program between SEAS and Wharton. Five freshmen also enrolled in the new Nursing and Health Care Management program. Members of the class of 2001 will come to the University from 48 of the 50 states. Idaho and Wyoming are the only states not currently represented. But while there were no applicants from Wyoming this year, Stetson said that he hopes to enroll a student from Idaho as soon as financial aid issues are resolved. Last year's incoming class, the class of 2000, included students from every state. Additionally, 209 international students will make up almost 10 percent of the class. And Stetson said the number of minorities in the incoming class increased from 769 to 802, including 535 Asians, 141 African Americans, 118 Latinos and eight Native Americans. A record-high 189 matriculants are from California. Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Minnesota and Utah are also represented in unprecedented numbers. Students from the traditionally well-represented states of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey comprise 45 percent of the class, a slight decrease from the 49 percent who matriculated into the class of 2000. Stetson attributed the decline to a decrease in applicants from these states. The matriculants into the class of 2001 had an average Scholastic Assessment Test score of 1363, six points higher than the 1356 average for the class of 2000. The average SAT II score was 675, up from 667 last year.
(05/16/97 9:00am)
Friends and families of University Police officers gathered in Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge Monday for the Division of Public Safety's first commendation ceremony for exemplary police work. Managing Director of Public Safety Tom Seamon said he hoped the event would allow for the "tremendous efforts, professionalism, and good work of the police force to be recognized in a public forum." He explained that while police officers at other universities often deal primarily with illegal parking or drunk students, Penn's police force have the same difficult responsibilities as members of any other urban police force. During the event, University Police Officers William Dailey and Christopher Kennedy were recognized for "exhibiting heroism under emotionally stressful and physically dangerous circumstances." Dailey was honored for his role in trying to save the life of local peace activist Kathy Change, though he was not successful. When Change set herself on fire October 22 in front of the peace sign on College Green, Dailey saw the fire and ran towards it. As he got closer, Dailey realized that a person was burning and covered Change in his patrol jacket, rolling her on the ground to smother the flames. Kennedy was recognized for his actions during an August 11 incident in which he entered a burning building at 3938 Pine Street and risked his life to help evacuate residents. The ceremony also recognized the department's Special Response Unit, which was established September 30 in response to an increase in the amount of campus crime. University Police Capt. John Richardson credited the members of the unit with 63 arrests over the following seven months and praised their ability to work together as a team. Richardson also praised the department's Investigative Unit for working together to redefine and improve the University Police case management methodology. And Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush honored outgoing PennWatch President Jon Brightbill, a Wharton senior, and incoming President Shane Lipson, an Engineering senior. She called them the "eyes and ears of the police department" and thanked them for their "dedication and devotion to the University and surrounding neighborhood." Approximately 20 individual officers and teams of officers received Commendations of Merit, often for tracking down and apprehending suspects in shootings and robberies. Letters of commendation were also given to several officers, many of whom had assisted community members who then wrote the department to express their appreciation. Executive Vice President John Fry stopped by the ceremony to thank the officers for their hard work -- especially during the recent Spring Fling and Penn Relays festivities. "Your job is difficult," he said to the officers. "It requires you to balance the roles of University official and law enforcement professional." And Seamon thanked the officers' families, whom he said "support our officers," adding that the families suffer "when [University Police officers] can't be home for a holiday and worry about [the officers'] safety on a daily basis."
(04/30/97 9:00am)
Speakers are the protest expressed their discontent with the way the University treats the black community. Waving signs reading "What happened to the number of black students at Penn?" and "Where are the tenured black faculty?" a crowd of about 100 black students, faculty, administrators and community members demonstrated Monday afternoon on College Green. The group gathered at the W.E.B. DuBois College House for a noon march through Superblock, across the 38th Street Bridge and down Locust Walk. Some of the demonstrators beat on drums and bells, while others shouted "We're fired up, we're not gonna take it anymore" and "No justice, no peace." The energized crowd assembled behind a podium near the peace sign in front of Van Pelt Library to hear speakers charge the University with mistreating the black community. African American Association Tri-Chairperson Jim Gray said the demonstration -- which was in the discussion stages for over a year -- was intended to "empower the African American community at Penn and in surrounding communities, and express our overall discontent regarding the way African Americans are treated at the University." Former Black Student League President and College senior Obinna Adibe greeted the crowd with a brief history of the relationship between University administrators and the black community. He said former University President Sheldon Hackney led a campaign to raise $35 million between 1988 and 1994 to increase black presence on campus. But Adibe explained that last April, University President Judith Rodin -- who was in the audience along with Provost Stanley Chodorow -- told the BSL that she didn't know what happened to the money. Hearing this, demonstrators chanted, "Show me the money." Former BSL Vice President and College senior Sean Coleman then presented several demands on the "Black Student Initiative." He called for the University to invest $100 million over 15 years to improve health, housing and education services in the surrounding community and offer scholarships to local students. And he said the African American Studies Program must be given departmental status by 2000 in order to increase its credibility. Additionally, he demanded that the University contract to provide more financial aid for black students and increase the number of blacks it accepts and retains each year. Coleman also called for the creation of an advisory board to monitor allocations for minority programs and an endowment for the DuBois House. Medicine Professor Jerry Johnson said the University works at keeping the number of black faculty members up, but many only stay for a few years because "the environment is not conducive, productive or supportive intellectually, mentally or spiritually." He added that there is a lack of interest in the research most important to the black community and that black faculty members often spend countless hours working on committees and with students, which doesn't count in the tenure process. Black Graduate and Professional Student Association President Vincena Allen, a graduate student in the School of Social Work, addressed the lack of black graduate students and the need for these graduate students to mentor black undergraduates. She said she was shocked that there are only two black graduate students in the Annenberg School of Communication. "Do not tolerate us," she said. "Want us and respect us." Daily Pennsylvanian reporter Lindsay Faber contributed to this article.
(04/30/97 9:00am)
As part of a national trend toward dry fraternities, five schools are taking the lead in testing the National InterFraternity Council Select 2000 project, which is designed to refocus fraternities on the academic and service aspects of Greek life by banning alcohol from their houses. Southern Illinois University is the farthest along in implementing the code. Alcohol will be banned from all parties held in fraternity houses on the Carbondale, Ill., campus as of next fall, but students will be allowed to have alcohol in their rooms for personal consumption as long as they are at least 21 years old. A complete ban on alcohol in chapter houses will go into effect the following fall, according to SIU Assistant Director of Student Development Katie Sermersheim. The other schools participating in the Select 2000 project are Rochester Institute of Technology and Villanova, Northern Colorado and Florida Southern universities, which are still developing timetables for implementing the code, according to NIFC Executive Director Jonathan Brant. He added that the NIFC organized the Select 2000 project along with representatives of the five schools at its annual meeting earlier this month in Chicago. "Alcohol use has become a pitfall within fraternities," he said. "We felt there was really a need to change the culture of some of our chapters, especially where they were emphasizing alcohol use." Sermersheim said she thinks the Select 2000 project will help the SIU fraternities rediscover the original ideals of the Greek system and lower their insurance rates. "The main goals of the Greek system are scholarship, leadership, service and brotherhood," Sermersheim said. "This will help our Greek system excel and will help our students get back to principles and recognize their fullest potential." She added that the alcohol ban will make the fraternity houses at SIU better places to live. "Brothers will be able to live and learn and use their chapter houses as homes and not just party nests," she said. "This is a program that I firmly believe will help a good Greek system become great." SIU senior Doug Burkott -- the school's IFC president -- noted that the plan is about more than just banning alcohol. "I always tell people to look at the whole thing rather than just the substance-free part," he said. "It is a great initiative and should have been done a long time ago." Sermersheim said the new policy should not be difficult for fraternity members to accept. "They are told what dues to pay on a monthly basis and told what GPA they have to get," she noted. "This is just one more standard." But Burkott said he anticipates that it will take time for fraternities to adjust to the alcohol ban.
(04/24/97 9:00am)
A small group of students who took over an administration building at Mount Holyoke College -- a women's school located in South Hadley, Mass. -- gave up their protest Tuesday without achieving their main goals after the school took disciplinary action against them. The students had occupied Mary Lyons Hall for two days to highlight their demands that the school increase its cultural diversity and maintain the current need-blind admissions policy. But on Tuesday they walked out of the building when they were informed the school had suspended them. The protest was the second in less than a week at the oldest women's college in the country, and leaders of the demonstration claim it will not be the last. Fabiola Tafolla -- a Mount Holyoke senior who helped organize the demonstration -- said another major protest is already being planned for early May when the school's trustees will be on campus. The protesting students have several demands, but Tafolla said they are most concerned about proposed cuts in financial aid, which they believe will reduce the number of underprivileged and minority students at the college. Mount Holyoke junior Sungwon Park said the primary objective of the protest is to demand that the admissions process remain need-blind. If financial need becomes a factor in deciding who to admit, Park explained that fewer underprivileged and minority students who require financial aid will be accepted to the college. Park added that the demonstrators want to increase the presence of Asian Americans at the college by establishing an Asian American Studies Program and hiring at least one tenure-track Asian professor by next fall. Other demands focus on making the college more diverse. Tafolla said the protesters are calling for Mount Holyoke to hire four permanent chaplains of different faiths and to create a lesbian and bisexual center on campus by the end of the semester. Tafolla noted that the students decided to take over the building only after the administration responded to their initial demands with either negative or ambiguous responses. "We love Mount Holyoke and we are doing this to make it a better place," Tafolla said. "We will not let the traditions of Mount Holyoke die down. We are angry and we think that these things are important." But other students said they thought the protesters were acting too radically. "I agree with the demands that we've presented," Student Government President and Mount Holyoke junior Avery Oullette said. "I just wish there had been more negotiating between the administration and the student negotiating team before any extreme action was taken."
(04/22/97 9:00am)
The Court's move validates the previous decision that Brown discriminated against women in funding its athletic program. The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will not review the decision in Cohen vs. Brown University, which found the school in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for discriminating against women in its intercollegiate athletic program. The latest development in the controversial case comes after Brown and a wide range of universities, athletic associations and politicians had asked the Supreme Court to review the case and overturn the finding against Brown. The lawsuit charges Brown with violating Title IX -- the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination at educational institutions which receive federal funding -- by terminating funding for its women's gymnastics and volleyball teams. "This is a huge victory for women throughout the nation and everyone who believes in equal rights," said Lynette Labenger, lead counsel for Trial Lawyers for Public Justice -- the public interest law firm which sponsored the case. "It has been 25 years since Title IX was passed and now it's time for the celebration to begin," TLPJ Executive Director Arthur Bryant said. "The message from the courts is clear. There will be no more excuses. Discrimination against women in athletics has got to stop." The lawsuit was filed in April 1992 and TLPJ won a preliminary injunction requiring Brown to reinstate its women's gymnastics and volleyball teams. Following a three-month trial, the U.S. District Court Judge Raymond Pettine found Brown in violation of Title IX and ordered the university to submit a proposal outlining how it planned to meet the requirements of the amendment. That July, Judge Pettine reviewed the university's proposal and found it unacceptable. He ordered Brown to upgrade its women's gymnastics, fencing, water polo and skiing teams to fully funded varsity status. In November 1996, the First Circuit Court upheld Pettine's decision finding Brown in violation of Title IX but agreed to let the university develop its own plan for compliance. Brown then asked the Supreme Court to review the case. But because proceedings have also been continuing in the lower courts, the new proposal was also due yesterday. The university submitted a plan to adjust the ratio of women to men among its varsity athletes in order to mirror as closely as possible the overall gender ratio of the undergraduate student body. "Brown hopes to meet the District Court's requirements for gender proportionality without adding any University-funded teams or eliminating any men's teams," Brown spokesperson Mark Nickel said. He added that Brown has already established an equestrian team --which is nominally coed but consists mostly of women -- and plans to add a lightweight women's crew team to the existing crew program. The university will also upgrade the women's water polo club to varsity status.
