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(02/07/95 10:00am)
A South Street symbol has fallen. The two-story Tower Records sign broke off from the building and fell to the street at about 5 p.m. Saturday because of the weight of the snow, Tower Record's employee Kathleine Diange said. As a result, Tower, one of the largest record stores in Philadelphia, was closed for the rest of Saturday and did not reopen until 9 a.m. Sunday. Diange said that in addition, some of the sign fell onto the roof of Tower's neighbor, Foot Locker. When a crane was brought in to fully dismantle the sign, police blocked off the 600 block of South Street for over five hours. No one was hurt by the incident, Diange said, adding that a lot of spectators came to witness the fallen symbol. "I had a bad day until the sign fell off," she said. "Usually all the good things happened when I'm on shift. Diange added that she predicted the sign would come down one day because of the stress put on it through seven Philly winters. And she now has a memento of Tower history, thanks to a small piece of the sign she acquired after the collapse. She joked that she was annoyed, however, because her shift ended at 5 p.m., and the employees on the late shift were paid even though they did not have to work. Tower Sales Manager Joe Pile said he was shocked when he received a phone call telling him the about the fallen sign. "It was horror, shock and surprise," Pile side. "I'm really glad nobody got hurt and there was no property damage to speak of." Pile added that he was not sure when the company would get a new sign because Tower's parent company is headquartered in California.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
The Undergraduate Assembly approved 21 of the 25 proposals in Project 2000 at its meeting last night. Three recommendations in the five-year plan for improving the University were referred back to their authors, and one of the proposals was voted down. Throughout the meeting, there was consistent opposition to many of the proposals. Ten of the 25 proposals were voted against by at least one-fifth of the members present. UA Chairperson and Wharton junior Dan Debicella said last night's approval of most of the plan marked a significant success for the UA. "This is the most substantial thing the UA has done this decade," he said. "It is the capstone of our success on this UA." But some members of the UA said the plan was unimportant, and voiced objections to some of the recommendations during debate. Many recommendations passed with little resistance, with most UA representatives saying they agree that the plans will improve University life. But some proposals met stiff opposition. A recommendation that students vote on a tuition increase to pay for a new campus center did not pass. UA members said in debate that they disagreed with the basic principle behind the proposal. "I know my constituents didn't send me here to raise their tuition," College senior Dan Schorr said. Three other proposals were sent back to their authors for clarification or reworking. These included a plan to reform academic advising in the College and Wharton, a recommendation to convince University faculty to live in West Philadelphia, and a proposal on building the new campus center. Debicella said he thought a vote on the campus center proposal was postponed because of the administration's recent decision to build the Perelman Quadrangle instead of the Revlon Center, and not because of UA opposition to the recommendation. After the meeting, some UA members said they were not as pleased by the project's approval as Debicella. "Some of the proposals gave new meaning to the words 'mental masturbation'," UA representative and College junior Lance Rogers said. "I think we need to focus more on students' immediate needs and things that will affect their daily lives now." UA Vice Chairperson Tamara Dubowitz, a College junior, said some of the resistance to the plan resulted from an "opposing force" in the body that has consistently caused tension throughout this year. Dubowitz added that although Debicella has received most of the criticism for Project 2000, it is not a reflection on him alone, but rather on the whole body. Debicella said Project 2000 has the potential to greatly improve student life at the University. But he added that the UA must continue to lobby the administration for the plan's passage. "If the UA just forgets about Project 2000 now, then obviously it's going to be meaningless," he said. "We have to push for the ideas in Project 2000." But some UA members said they doubt that Project 2000 will have any importance no matter what the administration decides to do with the recommendations. "I think it's mostly irrelevant," Schorr said. "But I hope it succeeds and improves the University."
(02/06/95 10:00am)
Snow flakes floated into West Philadelphia last Friday night, bringing the first significant accumulation of the winter. As the magical blanket coated the Quadrangle, students filled the lower courtyard with football games, snowballs, joyful screams and silliness. "It was an outside party," College freshman Christopher Riley said. "I was in a very big snowball fight on Friday night," he added. "For an hour and a half there was a bunch of people throwing snowballs at each other." While other students said they were content just to walk around in the snow, some students were more ambitious. The array of artistic snow-sculptures decorating the Quad by Saturday afternoon showed their talents. The largest statue was a big mound of beer-spattered snow with empty beer cans. The statue's three creators dubbed the mound, "A Tribute to Bad Beer." An anatomically-correct snow man seated in front of McClelland Hall offered to teach new students anything they did not already know about -- well -- anatomy. But the sculptures were not confined to the Quad. Snowballs and statues inundated campus. "Whenever I was walking, I'd fall into a snow ball fight," College freshman Elliot Diamond said. In front of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house on Locust Walk, a snow sphinx greeted those who ventured out for a walk in the wintry weather. College freshman Randy Hicks and Wharton freshman Will Simmons built also built a snow figure in front of their fraternity house. From the front, the statue looks like a man. He is stout like Paul Bunyan, and wears a top hat with two beer caps as his eyes.The statue grips a Yuengling Porter beer in his right hand, a plunger in his left. His rear view, however, reveals a dinosaur-like tail. "Originally we were going to build a big dinosaur, but it turned into a Lincolnosaur," Simmons said. "That's what somebody said." Hicks gave a more detailed description of the statue, which he said was nearly 8 feet tall. "It's like a mix of a dinosaur, a bunny rabbit with huge feet and Abe Lincoln," he said.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
University President Judith Rodin will be back at work in her College Hall office today, following meetings with elected officials in both Harrisburg and Washington last week. Rodin traveled to Harrisburg on Thursday to meet with Governor Tom Ridge and other members of the Keystone Committee, an advisory body composed of civic leaders from across the state. Ridge created the Keystone Committee before he took office. Its task is to examine policy reforms that have been successfully implemented in other states. The Committee will conduct study missions to these states with the intention of using their innovative ideas to solve Pennsylvania's problems. The experts serving on the Committee were drawn from business, policy and academic circles across Pennsylvania. They represent professions ranging from banking to law and hold positions in private corporations and the public sector. At Thursday's meeting, each Committee member selected the states and policy areas he or she will focus on during the body's term. According to Vice President for Government and Community Relations Carol Scheman, Rodin will work with two Keystone subcommittees -- one dealing with economic development and education in South Carolina, and the other studying economic development, education and health care in Massachusetts. Rodin said she picked South Carolina and Massachusetts because both states have been heavily impacted by changes in education and health care policy that have the potential to affect Pennsylvania and the University as well. "I chose the states [and] areas where I feel I have the greatest expertise and the most to offer the Committee," she said. On Friday, Rodin was in Washington, where she had planned to meet with members of Pennsylvania's Senatorial delegation. But the threat of this winter's first big snowstorm led many public officials to clear out of the capital early, forcing many cancellations, Rodin said. "It's very frustrating," she said. "I'm going to reschedule -- we got a few things accomplished but not as much as I would've liked." Rodin said she plans to make up the missed meetings as soon as possible.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
Weather keeps GAC away Fraternities that adhered to the InterFraternity Council's new "Bring Your Own Beer" policy this weekend were disappointed when alumni monitors did not attend events Saturday -- presumably due to the inclement weather. And while sources said last night that at least one chapter violated the rules by purchasing alcohol for a large event, no violations were officially recorded. "Our party [Saturday] night was strictly BYOB," Sigma Alpha Epsilon President and College junior Joe Ayoob said last night. "We were a little disappointed that monitors didn't show up?[because] it's kind of hard to prove it when there aren't monitors." A second house holding a BYOB party Saturday reported problems after alcohol ran short. "We did everything by the book, because it's not worth getting in trouble," said Phi Gamma Delta pledge Randall Braunfeld, a College freshman. But the Fiji event Saturday was affected by both the cold weather and a shortage of drinks, according to pledges. "Around 1 o'clock, there [were] a lot of people," Braunfeld said. "But all the sudden, the beer ran out and people left." IFC officers said last month that the success of BYOB depended on the participation of those attending events as well as the chapters. Part of that participation, they said, included bringing enough beer. "A lot of people don't want to get [beer] themselves," said Fiji pledge Steve Gross, an Engineering freshman. Gross worked the door at Fiji Saturday and also saw no monitors that night. "People didn't bring enough beer, it's not our fault, it's not their fault, the system sucks," Braunfeld said. Fiji President Michael Pratt, a Wharton junior, would not comment last night on the event. IFC President David Treat said chapters are still working together to make BYOB happen with both the houses and their partygoers. Last month, the College junior said officers were expecting a transition period before BYOB would begin to run smoothly. "We had some good, long discussions about it," Treat said last night. "More and more houses are really buying into it and saying it will make everything easier?there's been a lot of good effort across the board." Despite negative wind chills and one unofficial report of a BYOB violation Saturday, Ayoob's chapter reported a successful BYOB event with a good turnout -- including Joe Murphy, owner of Murphy's Tavern. Ayoob said SAE's social chair and pledges invited Murphy to the party. "I was there for about an hour?it was nice," Murphy said. He added that about 200 students attended the event, although he would not comment on whether BYOB was enforced. Ayoob added that students attending his event did in fact cooperate with the new rules by bringing alcohol to the party. BYOB was first adopted by the IFC in 1991, in response to increasing liability insurance costs and insurance company mandates. On January 17, the IFC ratified a more clearly defined policy, developed in part with the Greek Alumni Council, and announced a dedication to enforcement of BYOB at the University. "We're all trying to make this system work, we're enforcing it," Ayoob said.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
Complex and veiled in secrecy, sorority rush requires a lot of hard work and planning in order to be successful Andrea Dobin's roommate was an art student, which made rushing sororities a great deal easier for her. The roommate made the costumes, Dobin wore them. She had it easy. In years past, rushees at Dobin's alma mater, Cornell University, had to wear a different costume to each of the 14 houses there -- every night. Dobin, though, needed only one costume each night. And, while now the rushees were permitted to change inside the houses, before "they were changing in the bushes," she said. "It's January, it's ten degrees, and there are ten inches of snow on the ground." Archaic, she said. A lot has changed since undergraduate days at Cornell for Dobin, an Alpha Phi alumnus who now directs the Greek Alumni Council here at the University. Cornell sororities' rushees now dress in ordinary clothes, and interestingly, follow a rush process very similar to the one that the University's Panhellenic Council runs, according to Mary Alice Lee, a Cornell senior and president of Alpha Phi there. In fact, sororities at many Ivy League Universities and most other colleges around the country follow the National Panhellenic rush -- each with their own traditions. "The Panhel rush system is determined on the national level," Dobin said. But for students outside the Greek system, and for many of the 386 freshman and sophomore women new to Panhel this year, one thing has not changed. Rush is as much a mystery to outsiders now as it always has been. For two weeks every year, groups of female students are seen walking around campus in packs. On some days, their dress is informal. Other times, it looks like a business convention. Each year, The Daily Pennsylvanian reports the number of women who rush and the number of women who receive bids. "Did they make quota?" is a common question. For the participants, there are equally as many unknowns. Panhel's sorority rush is distinct from fraternity rush -- partly because there is a great deal of centralized, behind-the-scenes organization. "I don't think [even] the rushees quite understand how it works," Dobin said. And while most outsiders and many pledges only see the results -- the rho chis, the presentations, the skits, and the invites and bids -- Panhel rush is actually a massive, complicated effort. "It's like a double-sided process, because you have what's going on the surface and behind the scenes," said Liz Shain, Panhel vice president of rush and a College senior. Through the entire two week process, Panhel board members and alumni work on "tons of administrative things" -- all leading to the final day, when rushees open a single envelop that will determine both the woman's future and that of her house. And this 12-day event is orchestrated every year by dedicated undergraduates and alumni -- not only at the University, but at hundreds of Panhel schools around the country. Cornell's Lee said in the Northeast, many campuses share similar rush traditions. "But in the South, its pretty different," she said. Very different. "Our system at UT is very notorious ?very malicious and impersonal," said Leith Ann Stock, a University of Texas senior and president of the Alpha Phi chapter there. Students here at the University who complained last week that the first events of rush were, literally, too "rushed" may not have heard about UT. Freshmen and sophomores at the Austin, Texas campus of 32,000 have quite a few people to visit in one night. And it is the tough selection process -- not the sheer numbers -- that makes UT famous. University of Texas sororities participate in two rushes each year, a formal system in the fall and a more easy-going second round in January. "If you don't get your full pledge class in the fall, you [hold rush] in the spring," she said. Like Texas, Panhel rush at Princeton University is in the fall -- for good reason. "We have exams in January," said Kappa Alpha Theta President and Princeton senior Megan Wellford. "It gets really chaotic." Princeton rush, though, is a great deal less stressful than those at larger schools. Parties on the first night last as long as 45 minutes, according to Wellford, who added that Princeton only has three sororities. "We obviously don't have ten houses to go to," she said. Amidst complaints over the years that rush is too stressful, Panhellenic organizations at some schools have moved to make rush easier for their first and second year students -- many of whom compare rush to the first week of college all over again. "At some campuses its a big production?our Panhel at Cornell has tried to make it a more paired-down, kind of no-frills rush," Lee said. Despite efforts to make rush more palatable for new students, one of the most stressful aspects of the process -- choosing one or two houses after only a short exposure to each -- is universal. It was early last Sunday morning when a group of alumni gathered in High Rise North to perform the enormous task of matching women with houses. It is called "bid matching," and it is a process veiled in secrecy. Undergraduates are forbidden from participating in the process -- instead, it takes a team of experienced alumni. "You gotta get pros," Dobin said. In fact, the details of how each pledge gets matched with a house is understood only by the few alumni that take part year after year. And the computer. Imagine trying to please 400 women on the verge of a new part of life, and at the same time thousands of women representing eight organizations each with their own preferences. No pressure, really. Dobin said even the computer does not produce perfect results -- the alumni take the computer's work and work with it even more. But somehow, the system is a success every year. "Its amazing...the percentage of sorority rushees that get their first house because their first house wants them," Dobin said. "It's designed that way." The "system" began this year as it does every year -- with over 500 girls who virtually have no idea what the next two weeks will bring them. After a two-day whirlwind of "open parties" events begin to take shape. Houses begin to organize "theme" events; rushees spend more time at each house. "Then after that, on Sunday the rushees were allowed to rank out of the houses that they saw?their first four preferences," Shain said of this year's rush. Yet the stress is sometimes not limited to the rushees. Rush is a crucial time for every sorority -- their strategy is important because cutting too many rushees can be dangerous, but cutting too few can cause trouble also. And just as women waiting for invites face the prospect of rejection, sororities -- already over a week into the process when they receive the results of rushees' preferences -- face the possibility of low turnout. "Last year Kappa was new and a lot of people wanted not to go back to Kappa," Princeton's Wellford said. But she said this year the sorority worked with their Panhellenic Council and came through with a large turnout. At the University last semester, Kappa Delta was forced to declare dormancy and place its members on alumni status after years of difficulty recruiting new members. For alumni like Dobin, rush is a time to come back to the house and help out -- and an opportunity to see what has changed. "The girls laugh at me when they hear what I went through," she said.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
Students in the College of Arts and Sciences will not have to go any further than the nearest computer the next time they need academic advising. According to College Dean Robert Rescorla, there is a new electronic mail account set up specifically to answer students' questions. This account can be accessed directly by sending questions to "advising@mail.sas" or through the new College Web, a set of pages on the World Wide Web that provides information about the University. Rescorla added that the College has set up the direct address to make it easier for the average student. "A lot more students know how to e-mail than use the Web," he said. College Information Management Specialist Susan Quant said students can post questions in specific pages on the Web. "Questions of a general nature get automatically directed towards this account," she said. Diane Frey, director of advising services for the College, said the feature has been operating since last Wednesday. "We haven't gotten any messages yet," she said. But Quant said she is not pessimistic about the lack of initial response. "It is a work in progress and it is growing everyday," she said. Rescorla said he hopes the new advising system will be a time-saver for students. "Our goal is to be able to give students rapid response to questions," he said. "If the question they pose is simple, they get a rapid response -- if it is more complex, they will get a note saying to come in." Some of the questions may be answered by information posted on the College Web, Rescorla said. He added that the advisors will be encouraging students to venture into the Web. Under this system, the account will be monitored twice a day by one of the department's 10 advisors, Frey said. "We each take a shift to make sure we can answer [all of the questions] within 24 hours," she said. Rescorla said they will increase the number of times the account is monitored if they get a lot of queries. He added that this is not supposed to be a substitute for face-to-face meetings with advisors. "This is only intended to clear up minor confusions or answer small questions for students," he said. Quant reiterated this point. "I think it is really important for people to come in and see advisors in person," she said. "But if you have a quick question or you just need to be pointed in the the right direction, this is a feature off the College Web that will hopefully be useful to people." Frey said her department attempted to set up an advising system through e-mail last summer for incoming freshman. "We got a grand total of four messages," she said. "But we are more likely to get questions from Penn students [already enrolled]." Frey said the advisors are excited about using this new feature. "We are all waiting for the messages to come," she said.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
Wilbur "Bud" Pittinger's sudden departure from the University's Medical Center has caused a flurry of rumors to spread throughout the University. Pittinger, former executive director of the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania and senior vice president for Health Services, left the University after five years of service last month. Medical Center spokesperson Rebecca Harmon said Pittinger left because he could not agree on a new contract. "The parties involved were not able to come to terms," Harmon said in January. "Bud's going to pursue some other professional interests." But others say this is not the case. One source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed that Pittinger's quick departure is connected to an embezzlement scandal. Both Pittinger and medical officials deny this accusation, and Pittinger has responded to the rumors which have spread amongst medical students and throughout the administration. Pittinger said rumors of "misappropriation, embezzlement, malfeasance," are completely untrue. He added that he is very proud of his accomplishments while at HUP because HUP is one of the national success stories in the "turnaround" of teaching hospitals. "It's important to get the facts correct and they stand for themselves," Pittinger said Friday. "There has been no wrongdoing on my part. I'm glad to have been able to serve the University." When Pittinger came to the University in 1989, HUP had lost $28 million, but in the last fiscal year HUP had $96 million in its operating budget, according to Pittinger. Pittinger said he is proud of his record of employee recruitment and employee morale. He added, though, that he is uncertain of his future professional plans. Medical Center spokesperson Lori Doyle said Pittinger was escorted out of his office by security guards. But she added that this is a common security practice. Harmon said she "assumes" Pittinger was able to take his personal possessions with him upon his departure. Pittinger would not respond to inquires into why rumors have been spreading concerning his departure. HUP Deputy Director Donald Snell was appointed as interim director of HUP, Medical Center Chief Executive Officer and Medical School Dean William Kelley announced last week. Harmon said the Medical Center will be recruiting a new senior vice president for Health Systems. She added that Pittinger's job will be split into two separate offices. Harmon also said the University made a strong effort to explain Pittinger's sudden leave through a Medical Center statement and a presentation given by Kelley to top Medical Center officials last month. Prior to joining the University, Pittinger spent ten years at the University of Michigan Medical Center as chief operating officer of the department of internal medicine.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
An overwhelmingly low percentage of children under the age of two in the United States receive proper immunizations. To address this national problem, the American Medical Student Association's pre-med chapter at the University has adopted a national awareness project. About 25 students attended a meeting about childhood immunizations sponsored by AMSA and held on-campus last week. A panel of three experts gave presentations on the subject. "Our national project is a way to collectively address an issue such as childhood immunization," said Anu Sharma, president of the University's AMSA pre-med chapter and a College of General Studies student. "It becomes a real problem -- especially with so many children entering day care programs." Due to the easy accessibility of medical care today, people have begun to take preventative measures for granted, according to Barbara Watson, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and director of vaccine trials at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "We need a strong government to kill a disease," said Watson, who spoke at the panel. "Cooperation is spelled in two letters: 'WE.'" She added that part of this problem stems from the fact that only 47 percent of all medical schools in the country teach immunization properly. According to Judith Thalheimer, who also spoke at the panel, pre-school children are most at risk. "Ninety to 100 percent of school-age children get the necessary immunizations," said Thalheimer, coordinator of the Immunization Action Plan for the Division of Disease Control at the Philadelphia Department of Health. "The problem is that many kids are not getting the immunizations they need at the times they need them," she said. Communications Professor Robert Hornik, director of the Annenberg School for Communication's Center for International Health and Development Communications, also spoke on the international repercussions of childhood immunization problems.
(02/06/95 10:00am)
The first college-run South Asian television show ever created, Entertainment India, will debut on the University's UTV13 today at 6 p.m. The hour-long program-- which is unaffiliated with the South Asia Society-- will feature community and world South Asian news, a cooking segment and one half-hour of modern South Asian music videos, according to Wharton sophomore Toral Mehta, the show's creator. Although the show is produced by and for the South Asian community, other students may benefit as well. "The show is targeted towards South Asian students and students who are interested in learning about their culture," said Heather Dorf, a College junior and vice president of production and programming. Dorf said she chose the show from a group of submitted proposals because of its originality and UTV13's drive towards diversity in programming. Although the show is entitled Entertainment India, Mehta said the show is targeted toward South Asian audiences -- which she defines as India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Students from other South Asian countries said they may not watch the show because of its Indian emphasis. "I'm not Indian," said Wharton junior Shoma Haque, who was born in Bangladesh. "We have a different language and a slightly different culture -- I'd probably be more atuned to something called South Asian [Entertainment]." Mehta said she created the show in an effort to unite the University's South Asian community. "This show is a good way to get South Asians involved in the mass media," she said. "The show is the culminated efforts of 45 people. Many people have united to make the show a reality." Although UTV13 has no formal rating system besides knocking on doors, Mehta said viewership of the show is expected to be very large. Engineering graduate student Sanjay Udani said he would watch the show for its music videos and news. "You don't get that type of stuff on regular cable these days," he said. Other students, however said they will probably not watch the show. "I might watch it if I were flipping channels," College junior Priti Bhansali said. "I wouldn't deliberately turn it on. I'm just not interested." College junior Rakhi Parekh also said she would not make Entertainment India part of her weekly television-watching schedule. "[I would watch] once in a blue moon," she said. "Maybe if I knew somebody that was going to be on it."
(02/03/95 10:00am)
Philadelphia's hippest street will get a $10 million overhaul of its streetscape if the South Street/Headhouse District has its way. The SSHD, a privately run special services organization, wants to improve the public environment by reconstructing sidewalks, increasing street lighting and adding greenery and public art displays. The SSHD, which lies between Front and 11th streets, Bainbridge and Lombard streets, and along Second Street south to Pine Street, hired the Delta Group to draw up a proposal for the improvements. While the design is only in the planning state, SSHD Executive Director Peter Whitehouse hopes construction will begin by next year. He added that the planned renovations are contingent on grants from the city and charitable foundations. According to Herb Vederman, deputy mayor for economic development, the SSHD would have to rely primarily on private sources for funding. Vederman said that although the city is willing to provide bolstered services to the SSHD, it is unlikely the city will be able to provide funding for the capital project. In the mean time, however, improvements have already been made on the street. Earlier this year, Vederman made arrangements with the Philadelphia Electric Company to install Victorian style street lamps on South Street between Front and Eight streets. "The South Street/Headhouse District has markedly improved in the past few years because of the increased maintenance and security," Whitehouse said. "The perception of crime on South Street is largely due to public misconceptions." Whitehouse added that South Street provides an extremely safe environment, due in part to the South Street Police mini-station, and increased police presence. He added that the SSHD is continuing to provide regular street sweeping and "power washing" of the sidewalks. In addition, parking restrictions have recently been added on the street to ease traffic flow during weekend evenings. After 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, the left two lanes are reserved for moving traffic while the right lane is a "valet" lane, in which cars can pull over for up to 15 minutes. There are also valet stations along the street for people who do not want to search for their own parking.
(02/03/95 10:00am)
Amidst the bustling crowds in the corridors of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, more than 100 Wharton undergraduates decided to step out of the fast lane. The first-ever undergraduate happy hour was kicked off in the student lounge yesterday with pizza and soda for all. Wharton School Vice Dean Bruce Allen is attempting to establish a bi-monthly happy hour with the help of his advisory board's steering committee. Together, they hope to provide a relaxed atmosphere for both students and faculty -- a place where they can go to "meet and greet the Wharton elite," according to Wharton junior Rachel Bluth, a member of the advisory board. "The Wharton atmosphere is very competitive and oftentimes, it is difficult to meet with faculty and friends in a relaxed atmosphere," she added. "I'm excited about this -- it should be fun." One of the board's goals is to improve student interaction with faculty and peers. They are trying to break Wharton's "stringent" reputation and show that Steinberg-Dietrich is not just a place to study, according to Wharton sophomore Randy Figatner, another board member. Wharton and Engineering junior Mukund Krishnaswami, who is also on the board, said that one of the board's goals is to improve not just the curriculum but also the social atmosphere of the school. Yesterday's first happy hour was a success, Allen said. He she said he did not know what to expect at first, but was pleased with the results. "I was a little disappointed initially with the faculty turnout, but it got better later," he said, adding that only five or six faculty members attended the event. Allen also mentioned the board's future plans to improve Wharton's image within the University community. Possibilities include those modeled after the Wharton MBA's Wharton Olympics and Wharton Follies. "I bet we have a tremendous amount of talent," Allen said. Overall, students seemed to react positively to the event. "I couldn't get enough of this free pizza," Wharton sophomore Robert Brown said. "But none of my professors are here. I'm kind of disappointed." Michael London, director of the Wharton 101 program, was one of the few faculty members who did attend. He said he enjoyed getting to talk to his students and teaching assistants in a less formal setting.
(02/03/95 10:00am)
Hagan was an Internet pioneer Data Communications and Computing Services operations manager John Hagan, known at the University as the "Father of PennNet," resigned last Friday to pursue a job in private industry. "It's like Captain Kirk leaving the Enterprise," DCCS senior networking consultant Tony Olejnik said. Hagan, a member of the Engineering Class of 1985, has maintained and updated the network architecture of PennNet. He has also coordinated with various Internet service providers to improve the University's network connection to the Internet. Considered a data communications expert, Hagan was offered three jobs from private computer companies, according to DCCS Executive Director Daniel Updegrove. Updegrove would not comment, however, on where Hagan will be working when he leaves the University. A replacement has yet to be determined, he added. "John has played a key role in architecting, deploying -- and debugging -- each generation of PennNet, from the original AT&T; ISN through our current switched Ethernets in DRL," an email message from Updegrove to DCCS staff stated. Hagan was the first engineer hired by the University to design and build PennNet, Updegrove said. During the initial stages of PennNet, Hagan worked closely with AT&T; in the development of the technology that was originally used in the campus network, he added. Since bringing the University into the Information Age, Hagan has been instrumental in promoting the University's relations with prominent companies such as Cisco, Digital Equipment Corporation and Bell Atlantic. "Even though John is leaving, some of his thinking and ideas will be living on in the programs that we've been working on in the past year," said Ira Winston, School of Engineering and Applied Science computing director. Currently, Hagan is part of the Network Architecture Task Force that is exploring ways to redesign and update PennNet as new software and technology is created. "John has tentatively agreed to come back once a month for that one activity," Winston said. Hagan also worked with Olejnik on IPX routing -- one feature of a network package developed by Novell which has not yet been implemented on a large scale at the University. IPX routing would, for example, allow students in Resnet dormitories to easily share their hard disk space with each other even if their computers are located in different buildings. Hagan also co-authored an Internet "Request for Comments" -- a technical document used to define guidelines for the global network. A formal notification of Hagan's departure was posted by Updegrove last night on newsgroups upenn.talk and upenn.super-users, where students and faculty will be able to respond and send comments to Hagan. "It can be a network testimonial to the man that helped build the network," Updegrove said. A farewell party is being held for Hagan on Friday, February 10. Members of the Internet community, including University of Pittsburgh's director of network engineering, are expected to attend. "He was the heart and soul of the Penn network," Olejnik said.
(02/03/95 10:00am)
College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Rescorla could not be happier about the Perelman Quadrangle proposal. "It think it's a terrific proposal," he said. "It's just what is needed to put undergraduate education at the center." According to a document obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian last week, the Revlon Center concept has been replaced by the Perelman Quad idea. The proposal suggests using College, Logan and Houston Halls and Irvine Auditorium to create a full student center with meeting space and offices for both students and faculty. Rescorla said he is happy about the combination of academic and non-academic services that the Perelman Quad will provide. Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Rosemary Stevens agreed that the Perelman Quad could be beneficial to the University community. "I think the mix of student services and academic departments will work very well," she said. "It sends a strong message about learning and being part of a community." She added that she is happy with the location that was chosen. "It's nice to see Penn celebrating its old buildings and therefore its history," Stevens said. Rescorla said he was never pleased with the proposed location of the Revlon Center, which was slated to be built on the parking lot at 36th and Walnut streets. "All along I was skeptical about the Revlon plan," he said. "I didn't like the idea of separating off student functions from the rest of the campus." He added that "it didn't make sense to build a new building when we have so many wonderful existing buildings we could exploit." The central location of the Perelman Quad will increase the number of encounters between students and faculty members, Rescorla said. He added that the faculty would probably not have ventured over to the Revlon Center. Rescorla said he is confident that the area will be aesthetically pleasing. "This is going to be done in such a way that we will be proud and pleased by the physical creation," he said. Stevens said she "hopes it will be a very electric type of space." Rescorla also said he is excited by the proposed move of the College Office -- which is temporarily located in the Mellon Bank, back into Logan Hall. "Having the College Office right there on the first floor of Logan Hall will make it easier for students to come see us," he said, adding that having the office in the center of campus is "symbolic." He said he thinks it is likely that Logan Hall renovations will be one of the first phases in the construction of the Perelman Quad. "I expect to move two years from now, but it's hard to know," he said. "It might be sooner." Stevens said she thinks Logan Hall is "a very good choice" for the College Office. Several of the humanity departments will also be moving into Logan Hall, she said. "It will be very nice to get our philosophy department back closer to faculty and students," she added. Stevens said Irvine Auditorium is a "fabulous building" and that she is looking forward to its transformation. "I think anyone in Penn who has ever been in Irvine has a very special feeling for it and it will be wonderful for it to be revived and redressed," she said. She added that she wants Houston Hall to remain a student center, for nostalgic purposes. "Many of our alumni remember Houston Hall with affection as a student center," she said. "It's a wonderful building."
(02/03/95 10:00am)
Fritz Gramkowski takes kites to the extreme Just after the sun began to disappear behind the bare trees, and K-Mart's lights fluttered across the highway from the New Jersey field, it happened. Fritz slanted his gaze up through his wire rimmed glasses, scratched one of his fuzzy sideburns and glowed. Although it wasn't dark yet, the sun had set enough to remove the serendipitous January warmth from last Friday's afternoon. Only the crisp coldness of the winter remained. But you could tell it wasn't the sting in the air was that was exhilarating Engineering junior Fritz Gramkowski -- it was the 10 square meters of kite that he was about to bring to life. "This is the big one," he said. Seconds later and 100 feet above the ground, wind filled the green, blue and yellow banana-shaped kite --"the big one." In the center of the field, Fritz, in his black biker helmet and windbreaker, was turning around and around to untwist the angel-hair-like kite lines. Holding two handles connected by a rope behind his back, Fritz used his whole body to control the kite -- pulling hard with the right side of his upper body to move the kite right and with his left side to move it left. His efforts could have appeared to be part of a battle, but when he quickly harnessed the wind's power, it was obvious that if this was a battle, it would be a slaughter. Then Fritz slid into his oversized, tricycle-like buggy and the kite powered him across the field at about 15 miles per hour. Francis "Fritz" Gramkowski is a material science major and a brother in Pi Lamda Phi fraternity. And he has also been internationally recognized in Buggy Newz, The Official Organ of The Buggy Pilots as one of the "hottest buggy pilots" in the United States. According to Corey Jensen, the creator, author and distributor of the newsletter, kite buggying is not yet officially a sport so it doesn't have a specific ranking system. "Right now it's only recreation," he said. "But [Fritz] is widely acknowledged by other pilots." Fritz and his buggies have appeared briefly on SportsChannel and in publications such as Eastern League News. Last year at a kite festival in Wildwood, New Jersey -- near Fritz's hometown of Haddonfield -- the Associated Press took his picture and newspapers across the world printed it. Receiving these clips from friends in Philadelphia, California and Ontario, Canada didn't shock Fritz. After all, he will appear on the Discovery Channel's Beyond 2000 in March. "I kind of realized I was better than the other guys," he said. "But when you see it in print, I realized I better go out and go buggying." But when the captions beneath his photo promoted more than kites, Fritz just had to laugh. Although his name was not beneath this buggying image, in Japan the picture was used as a sushi advertisement. According to the second edition of Peter Lynn's Buggies Boats and Peels, State-of-the-Art Kite Traction and Owner's Manual, Englishman George Pocock's 19th century carriage-pulling kites were the first example of kite-powered transportation. Throughout the past 200 years, ambitious kite flyers have undoubtedly tinkered with the idea of kite power. A kite entrepreneur and manufacturer, Lynn describes in his manual an early example of kite-powered transportation utilizing a bicycle on a playground. Lynn then sailed into the 1990 Thai International Kite Festival with his model of a kite buggy. Fran Gramkowski, Fritz's father and the owner of High Fly Kites, bought the prototype. And for Fritz, that is where it all began. Fritz grew up flying kites with his family. His father organized some of the first big stunt competitions, so Fritz started flying kites at four or five years old. But until his father brought home the kite buggy, Fritz chose to surf rather than fly kites, he said. "I started to loose interest and then my dad got me a kite buggy," he said. "You could do more than just pull it around. It's real low so it seems like your butt's only three inches from the ground. It's like sailing but you go a lot faster." Soon after he became involved buggying, Fritz's skill impressed Lynn. Since then, Lynn has provided him with the expensive kite buggying equipment, and Fritz has reciprocated by offering feedback on prototypes, ideas for equipment and promoting the sport. The three-wheeled buggy, which costs about $450, is a completely detachable stainless steel cart weighing about eight kilograms. The massive kites look like parachutes, but are made of rip-stop polyester fiber. The fiber is similar to sail material, but differs in its air-tight coating. "The fabric is expensive because the kites have to be sewn by hand," Fritz said. "The lines have to be within a quarter of an inch or the angle or the kite is not right." Kite lines, which are made of a high density polyethylene fiber called Spectra, can be anywhere from 75 to 250 feet long. Spectra, a type of plastic, has a low melting point. So if the line caught someone's arm, the contact heat would break the line, preventing serious burns. But don't assume that means the lines are weak. Although they look fragile, they can support up to 300 pounds of strain. Buggying has lured Fritz to Florida, Hawaii, Thailand, New Zealand, England and France -- just to name a few locales. His said his favorite moments, though, are more a result of the beauty and companionship than the miles travelled. "It was July in a dry lake in California and 10 of us just found each other," he said. "The desert is really beautiful because you have all the mountains and stuff. We were buggying around and we watched the sun set." Although the strong winds will let a buggy pilot cruise in a dry lake at up to 50 miles per hour, it's not the power of the wind that challenges his skill, but the friendly competition, Fritz said. "When you fly with someone else, you try to one-up them," he said. "You try to fly a bigger kite, go faster -- that's how you figure out new tricks. "Someone does something to you and you have to figure out something to do back," he added. "It's more fun to buggy with other guys." Fran Gramkowski, however, told another story about Fritz's buggying companions. "He brought a girl from Penn down to the shore," he said. "And he can put two buggy's together and can take one buggy to the end of the ocean. He whipped the girl into the ocean, he stayed dry the whole time and she would get all wet. "The little kids idolize him at the beach," Fritz's father added. "He takes them all for rides." While he is in Philadelphia, Fritz said he just buggies and studies. "It's pretty much what I do now," he said. "It's the most important thing to me now. "I don't know if I'm going to be an engineer or a kite flyer," he said. "Not just flying though, I'd have to start making them or selling them out of a store." Fritz's mother, Mary Gramkowski, who is a nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said if flying kites makes Fritz content, she will be happy to say her son was a kite buggier. "I think it would be great," she said. "I want my kids to he happy. If that's what he wants to do then that's great. He and his father, they'll get on the phone and talk about graphite spars. He has a good time. He'll talk your ear off about it, but he has a good time." After a some prodding, Fritz admitted that he does do something besides buggying. "I play Doom," he said, describing the interactive computer game. "Actually, I have most of the grad students and a few material science guys playing. Their productivity is about to go down. We hang around the lounge and that's what we're doing most of the time. [Professors] don't really like that. "I apologized to them after I showed them how to play," he added. But when it comes to kite flying, Fritz makes no apologies. Is "the big one" hard to control ? "No," he said, as the 10 meter kite forced him to leap over his buggy, like he was running in the air.
(02/03/95 10:00am)
The Institute of Contemporary Art is challenging the traditional for the second time this year. Beginning next week, it will feature the works of Judith Schaechter and Rachel Whiteread, two female artists known for their non-conventional approach, according to Judith Tannenbaum, one of the museum's curators. Earlier this year, ICA exhibited the works of Andres Serrano, a highly controversial artist whose works included a photograph of a crucifix immersed in urine. Schaechter's exhibit, "Heart Attacks," has a quality that "draws in and repels" at the same time, Tannenbaum said. She explained that the beauty of Schaechter's work attracts the viewer's attention while the graphic violence depicted in it creates the reverse effect. With the exception of one painting, all of Schaechter's pieces are etched in stained glass. With titles such as Rape Serenade, A Little Torcher, and Cupid's Juvenile Delinquency Tendency Exposed, most of her pieces use bright and vivid colors in depicting tortured and bleeding women, Tannenbaum said. But she added that their visual beauty makes them attractive despite their gory themes. Rachel Whiteread's exhibit "Sculptures," on the other hand, hardly uses color at all. She creates her sculptures from negative space. Some of her untitled works are cast in the space underneath an amber bed, in the inside of a closet and in the interior of a bedroom. Whiteread's most acclaimed work is titled House, according to Patrick Murphy, another museum curator. She, along with Arch Angel Trust Co. in London, cast an entire old English home in the middle of a park out of liquid cement. For this feat, she was awarded the prestigious Turner Prize in 1993, becoming its youngest recipient, Murphy said. He added that her work represents "an idea of absence, of death." Murphy described the mood of her work as "like the quiet when you're at home in the middle of the afternoon and no one's there -- that domestic quiet." Like Schaechter, Whiteread also uses mediums that stray from artistic norms, Murphy said. In her sculpture titled Slab, she used rubber to cast the space underneath an autopsy table. According to Murphy, Whiteread's concept of negative space forces us to recognize "the space that helps us to move."
(02/03/95 10:00am)
Maybe they're just used to playing together. Or playing off of each other. But even in separate interviews, Monica Koskey and Jim Frangione, the two actors in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet's controversial play, Oleanna, sounded like something out of he said, she said. Frangione plays John, a male college professor. Koskey portrays Carol, his female student. When they meet to discuss her grades and academic performance, the dialogue gets steamy and the actions ambiguous. A question arises as to whether the professor's actions violate a behavioral code, or whether he is protected by "academic freedom." As part of a national tour, the play will run at the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theater through February 5. About an hour before a matinee performance, Koskey and Frangione each took 15 minutes to discuss the preparation they put into their characters. Koskey said she uses a combination of research and internal feeling to "become" a student who feels she is sexually harassed by her professor. "I read a lot of books about the psychology of a young woman,women abused and campus politics to get me in the headset of what its like to be a female in college in these years and what is appropriate with a professor and what kind of language is appropriate," she said. "It's much more about studying in the moment and being with Jim, staying in the moment. "I will have been with him and reacting to what he gives me and being there and doing the play with him -- that brings me to that place," Koskey added. The actress added that she pulled parts of her character from aspects of real people. "It's really a matter of looking around at young women and seeing her in others." she said. "Looking for her in women -- and mostly of course, looking for her in myself." Koskey also said she drew from her own experiences. "She's someone I feel I am," she said. "I didn't grow up with much money or that great of an education. By the force of my will, I got myself to college and to New York City and had a lot of trouble." Koskey's counterpart in the drama, however, said he didn't do a lot of research preparation and thought differently about his character's role. "Well, I'll tell you I don't necessary feel that he does overtly sexually harass her," he said. "I think he's guilty of a few things, the least of which is sexual harassment. "The way I attack this role is I look at it and I try to give the character of the Professor as much integrity as I can and I try to play him as honestly as I can." While Koskey said she saw Carol as a small-town girl lost in a big university world and being manipulated by her professor, Frangione said he believed if Carol was a victim of anything, she was a victim of miscommunication.
(02/02/95 10:00am)
When performing arts groups travel, no amount of rehearsing can prepare them for what awaits Cloaked in the guise of weekend drives down the coast, many performing arts groups take their shows off home-base and spread a taste of University spirit to other locations. While these mini-tours provide for, above all else, a showcasing of musical talent, they often offer such added incentives as group unity and events that are anything but the same old song and dance. For the a cappella group The Inspiration, "taking the show on the road" came to acquire a whole new meaning after a trip to Duke University two years ago. On the last leg of their return drive from North Carolina to Philadelphia, the group's minivan got into a three-vehicle accident. The performers were found to be at fault and, while they sustained only minor injuries, the van suffered a different fate, according to Inspiration member Nayre Greene. "It was a rent-a-van, so we got in big trouble," the Nursing junior said. "We totalled it." Despite the legend-like quality that the story has achieved, members recount that, at the time, the incident was anything but humorous. However, they maintain a "something good from everything bad" philosophy, and said the accident helped to foster a kind of closeness that recast their sprains and bruises in a relatively insignificant light. "It got us all closer together because we were all worried about each other," College senior Jeanette Melendez said. Greene agreed, saying "the bonds that resulted from that trip have never been broken." She went on to point out that a road-trip itself is usually enough to cultivate group cohesiveness, with or without traffic violations. "It's definitely the best bonding one can ever imagine," she said. "You really get to know how people are when they're away from their environment." This absence of a familiar environment also means the loss of friends, relatives, and other loyal audience members whose diehard cheers can be counted on to deliver a hearty boost to group morale. Melendez said fresh audiences provide the performers with honest assessments of their work, and that, because strangers may be more difficult to impress, their accolades are taken as signs of certain achievement. "At Penn, we're used to people saying 'Oh, you're so good,'" Melendez said. "When we go to other campuses, we wonder if they're going to think we're just the norm. But so far, we've gotten a really good response. "When you get there and get all that applause and appreciation, you feel like we're not just a group that's successful at Penn," she added. The world truly is a stage for the all-male a cappella group Chord on Blues, which has sung impromptu gigs at such locales as Disney World and their group president's backyard. Although their longest trip together -- to Florida -- was intended only for pleasure, the group couldn't help but let a little business slip into their routine. Chord on Blues President Derek Robinson, a Wharton senior, described a vacation that had the group giving instant shows wherever space and one or more spectators were available. "We sang on the beach," he said. "We sang for my mom, out on [my] deck. "We sang at Disney World, on this patch of beach there," Robinson added. "It [was] nighttime, and people [were] sitting out by campfires, and we'd just start singing." Like The Inspiration, members of Chord on Blues also tell a legendary tour-related tale. Theirs too includes an encounter with law enforcement officials, although fraught with slightly more criminal implications. Their account dates from a trip to Italy during spring break in 1992. "After a night of drinking, two of the guys [in the group] were in one of the plazas, and they were relieving themselves on one of the statues," Robinson said. Sensing a presence behind them, the two men did an about-face, expecting to see a fellow group member. To their surprise, however, they found themselves face to face with an Italian police officer. Both perpetrators were, in the end, let go with only a warning. Robinson said such overseas travels are the exception rather than the rule. Usually, touring means weekend getaways to other colleges and universities, which make contact based on either word-of-mouth or prior joint performances. "We travel a few times a semester to different schools," he said. "It's usually over a weekend, and we'll come home the next morning [after we perform]." Chord on Blues Music Director Alan Modlinger said that while these trips can take their toll on academic work habits, the group tries to avoid this predicament through long-term planning. "We only choose those weekends when we're [all] free," the College junior said. "It can be problematic, but usually we know far enough in advance [so] that it's not a problem." Modlinger said that under extreme circumstances -- such as multiple finals -- a group member will be excused from a particular road-trip. In general, though, everyone is expected to attend. "We like 100 percent attendance, if we can get it," he said. "That's part of being in a group. But we have a good time, so it's worthwhile." While spreading their sound around the globe may be viewed as an effort towards cultural exchange, Counterparts President Graham Robinson said language barriers can be particularly troublesome during numbers where the words are essential to maximum enjoyment. This became an issue last March, when the group flew to Club Med in Nassau. Although the week-long holiday included few singing engagements, the humor in some of the songs the group performed was lost on an almost completely non-English speaking audience. "The entire clientele was almost entirely French, and so they continued to introduce us incorrectly, as 'Counterpoints,'" Robinson said. "We made the mistake of singing 'Spiderman,' where the words are fairly important to understanding the song. "We had very stony faces after that," he added. The group is presently readying itself for this year's trip to Hawaii, where they will be singing in Honolulu and Waikiki. In contrast to Nassau, Hawaii will include nightly engagements, in addition to daily daytime performances at area schools. "Everyday we have a show at one school or another, which hopefully will allow us to help out the Penn admissions committee in some way," Robinson said. Not all accommodations are as cushy as those found in luxury, beachfront hotels, however. During an engagement at Georgetown University, Robinson said the group was given a less-than-welcoming dinner, a firsthand look at hazing, and nonexistent sleeping arrangements. "The dinner end of what we got was two pieces of cold pizza," he said. At the post-performance party, Robinson said their hosts "sat around and hazed their members and broke glass bottles all over the floor." Later, the group was told to "get the hell out of my room," as they were looking for a place to spend the night. That was followed by an offer of floor space covered with the broken glass from earlier in the evening. "We ended up finding a freshman who set us up with some futons in a study lounge," Robinson said. As revenge, the group made long distance phone calls from the home, at the expense of their 'hosts.' "They were completely screwing us over," he said. Under normal circumstances, the group is met with a more cordial response -- which typically comes in the form of dinner, a place to stay, and a party, Robinson said. For Counterparts, road-trips vary from two to four per semester. Past destinations have included Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Georgetown, and Princeton Universities.
(02/02/95 10:00am)
When Nathan McCall used to pick up a newspaper, his name was in the headline. Now it is in the byline. The Black Student League presented a lecture by McCall, a Washington Post reporter and author of the autobiographical best-seller Makes Me Want to Holler, Tuesday night in the auditorium of the Annenberg School for Communication. The once gang-banging urban youth who robbed stores, held up people and gang-raped women described his turnaround and recovery -- the subject of his best-seller which debuted last February. McCall, who grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia, described how he did not have a supportive family life and looked to the "boys on the corner" for role models rather than his hard-working stepfather. He said he soon fell into the common inner-city trap of crime and shot a man -- who survived the bullet wounds. McCall served a short prison term for the shooting and was next caught robbing a McDonald's. After having served three of his 12-year prison sentence, he turned his life around as a result of stumbling onto Richard Wright's Native Son -- in which the main character is sentenced to death by the electric chair. "It struck a chord with me," he said. "I decided to try to live on the other side of the fence." Upon getting out of prison, McCall attended Norfolk State University and received a bachelor's degree in journalism. He went on to work for several different newspapers before being hired by The Washington Post. After briefly describing parts of his book and reading an excerpt dealing with his experiences upon returning to his hometown, McCall answered questions from the audience. McCall said he does not believe in a "three strikes you're out," crime policy because learning from experience, everyone needs a second chance. "Shouldn't we try to save some of these lives rather than write them off so quickly?" he asked. McCall's main focus of the evening was racism and its prevalence in America. "People always ask me if I'm obsessed with race," he said. "And I always tell them the same thing -- yes, I am. I'm obsessed with race and it's had a profound impact in my life and the life of every American in this country." He said he feels the violence in American cities is a "blue collar" version of the ruthlessness found in corporate America. McCall said one way to fight the racism in America is to target the "things we do to promote viciousness and selfishness," in our everyday lives and not be surprised when they exist on the street as well. He also said society needs to increase discourse on the topic of racism -- which is one reason why he said he chose to speak at the University. "We need to stand up and exchange ideas," he said. "That's what college is about." The audience was extremely receptive to McCall, and some members became hostile in response to a pointed question from Law student Latif Doman that referred to McCall's book as "dangerous." "I think it was a dangerous book because it says racism is the only explanation for the problem," Doman said. "Too many excuses, not enough explanations." Other audience members, however, found the book and presentation inspirational and especially appropriate for young readers. "It shows young people that they can't just act in the here and now," said Wanda Grooms, a member of the Philadelphia chapter of Go On Girl!, a reading group which named McCall its "Author of the Year." "They have to think of the consequences," she said.
(02/02/95 10:00am)
Starting this semester, Wharton School students are allowed to have minors in the College of Arts and Sciences. And officials are currently working to allow College students to hold Wharton minors as well. According to Student Committee on Undergraduate Education member Brian Toll, this idea came from the SCUE White Paper on University Minors and Minor Programs -- which was released last spring. The paper states that "increased academic options promote a well-rounded in-depth education." Toll said SCUE decided that College minors provide Wharton students with the opportunity to get a more well-rounded education. "SCUE feels that Wharton students desire the improved written communication and analytical thinking skills associated with a liberal arts education," he said. He added that access to College minors is "in line with Wharton's commitment to internationalization by encouraging Wharton students to pursue language minors through study abroad." The SCUE proposal was presented to the Wharton Undergraduate Curriculum Committee -- which decided that Wharton students will be allowed to have minors in the College. Toll stressed that this new option is "a very good indication that Wharton takes the One University concept seriously and is moving in the right direction." According to a statement released by Wharton, students wishing to pursue a minor should consult with a Wharton advisor. The Undergraduate Chair of the College department must approve the minor. College Dean Robert Rescorla said whatever rules the College has for its students would apply to the Wharton students. "As far as we would be concerned, they would be treated just like College students," he said. The University's financial system is structured so that whenever a student takes a course in another undergraduate division, the division that gives the course gets the money, Rescorla said. But he added that it is not a financial issue. "The issue is educational," he said. "We have always felt that students of any school who complete the requirement for a College minor should get that acknowledgement." Rescorla said he does not believe this new system will increase the number of Wharton students taking College courses. "It is my understanding that [the Wharton administration] was simply allowing Wharton students who satisfied the requirements for minors to have it show on their transcripts," he said. But according to a SCUE survey of Wharton students, an overwhelming number would be very interested in pursuing College minors, Toll said. Now that this new policy is in effect, the next question is whether College students will be able to obtain a minor through Wharton. Vice Dean and Director of the Wharton Undergraduate Division Bruce Allen said that while this could happen, it is not a clear-cut option. "At this point the problem is that we don't have a major," he said. "What we really have is a Wharton major and we would have to create something that is analogous to a history minor." Toll said SCUE supports the idea of having such a minor for College students. "Generally, SCUE is a strong proponent of the One University concept that there should be a minor created for every corresponding major, and that does include the Wharton School," he said. He added that although it was part of their White Paper, he does not know where the administration stands on the issue at this point. Rescorla said he is very positive about the SCUE proposals, adding that the possibility of creating a special minor for College students is something he has been discussing with Wharton for a long time. "So far that has not come to fruition, but it is certainly something the College would love to see," he said. Allen said he and Rescorla are "still in the feeling out stages of all of this." "We have to look at where this all fits in to the concept of the president and the provost in the concept of their undergraduate initiatives," he said. "Anything we would do would have to fit into a grand scheme."
