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(03/02/00 10:00am)
After 1-12 season, penn starts from scratch A mere 12 months ago, the world of Penn women's lacrosse was in utter disarray. The members of the team petitioned for the removal of longtime coach Anne Sage, saying they would no longer play for her. Leading scorer Brooke Jenkins tore her ACL. And even though she came back to play through the pain, the Quakers skidded to a 1-12 record, the worst in team history. As the Quakers enter the 2000 season, it is almost as if the past never even happened. Karin Brower took over the reins of the Red and Blue over the summer, and a corps of 12 freshman -- who outnumber Penn's returning players -- arrived on campus in the fall. And among the returning players, many -- like senior tri-captain Lee Ann Sechovicz -- are finding new roles on the field. Sechovicz, who played midfield last year, has dropped back to defense. "We're pretty much starting from scratch at midfield, defense and attack," Brower said. "Everywhere." Penn will have talent on the field, but the Quakers do lack experience. And injuries have already taken their toll with the experienced players they do have. Jenkins, who is recovering from another ACL injury incurred during the field hockey season, will be pretty much a stay-home attacker, staying away from midfield duties. Her fellow senior tri-captain, Bethany Stafford, has decided not to play this season due to knee problems. Knee problems have also taken their toll on Jenny Hartman, an eight-goal scorer in her freshman season last year. Hartman will miss the season's first two to four weeks, starting with this weekend's scrimmages at William and Mary. Penn did not scrimmage last year, and this year it will play 14 games in addition to this weekend's scrimmages and an additional scrimmage on March 11 with Lehigh. The Quakers' opener is on March 14 at American, and their Ivy opener is four days later at Yale. A year ago, Penn's first Ivy game was also against Yale. But that was also the Quakers' season opener, while the Elis had already played two games. As its offense was already clicking, Yale outshot the Quakers 40-12 and won the game 11-5. This year, opening at American will almost certainly be helpful to the skilled-but-inexperienced Quakers. "I don't think that we have a weak link at all," Brower said. "It's just that we lack experience. That's going to be the biggest factor for us this year." But playing an extra game at the beginning of the year probably won't turn the Quakers into instant worldbeaters, nor will Brower's different coaching style. The situation at Franklin Field is not like the ones that greeted Andy Nelson or Kelly Greenberg when they walked into the Penn women's soccer and basketball teams, respectively, in their first seasons this year. Those teams simply needed a push in the right direction. Brower's team has lacked depth and still does -- the Quakers do not have enough players to scrimmage against themselves. Their goal is not necessarily to contend for a league title immediately, but to be competitive from beginning to end. "My expectations for the team are a winning season, I hope," freshman Kate Murray said. That will be hard enough, at least as far as the Ivy League is concerned. Dartmouth returns all three of its first team All-Ivy players from last year's league championship team. Princeton is always a force to be reckoned with, while Yale -- which finished third in the Ivies in 1999 -- will feature last season's top Ivy freshman, attacker Amanda Walton. This season, Penn can expect to see quite a bit from its newcomers. "We're going to have a lot of freshmen start, and they'll play a lot of time," Brower said. "They're a great group -- working very hard." One thing that is striking with Penn's freshmen is their explosive speed, something that was definitely lacking from last season's squad. "I'd say we have upperclassmen that have some speed but more of an endurance speed," Brower said. "The freshmen have more of a strength speed right off the step. Whitney [Horton], Jayme [Munnelly] and Kate [Murray] are extremely fast. Christy [Bennett] is quick." The Quakers may have been lucky to get such a crop of newcomers. All of the freshmen agreed to come to Penn before the coaching situation was resolved -- an uncertain prospect to say the least. "I had a good trip here, and I tried to leave some of the lacrosse stuff out of [the decision]," Horton said. "I knew when I decided that the old coach was gone. Actually, it really did [concern me]. I took a lot of uncertainty until a little while into the fall." Now, though, the Quakers are confident and ready for the season. It is hard to say just how they will do, but one thing is for sure -- there is nowhere to go but up.
(03/02/00 10:00am)
For Brooke Jenkins, tri-captain of the Penn women's lacrosse team, leadership and strength go hand in hand. One of three seniors on a young Quakers squad and probably the only athlete in Penn history to successfully return from three -- count 'em, three -- torn ACLs, Jenkins leads by example. A second team All-Ivy selection last spring who mentors her younger teammates on Franklin Field, Jenkins also works time into her busy schedule to teach young girls at a local school off the field. "We definitely need Brooke's leadership out there," Quakers lacrosse coach Karin Brower said. "She has the most experience on our team, and I think the kids look to her in a lot of ways. She's definitely one person we need to get out on the field fully as soon as we can." The Alexandria, Va., native became involved in athletics at a young age and never looked back. The captain of her field hockey, lacrosse and basketball teams in high school, Jenkins has moved on to captain both the field hockey and lacrosse squads at Penn. "Brooke's really fun, and she's talented, too -- I don't know how to explain it," Penn tri-captain Lee Ann Sechovicz said. "She's a great player, fun to play with and always cracking jokes. She's great in that sense -- she makes practice fun. "She's determined and such an incredible player that I feel like we'd be lost without her." Too often in the past three years, Penn teams have indeed been without Jenkins. After tallying 19 goals in her freshman campaign with Penn lacrosse, the future looked bright for Jenkins and the Quakers program. But in the season opener of her sophomore year, Jenkins went down with a torn right ACL. With their pivotal midfielder on the sidelines for the remainder of the year, the Quakers struggled to a 4-7 record. Jenkins underwent extensive rehab, though, and made a triumphant return to Franklin Field the following fall -- earning the field hockey team's Most Improved Player award. Then it happened again. Last spring, Jenkins was off to a fast start, netting six goals in the first two games. Jenkins' on-field success did not matter to her right ACL, though, as it blew out for a second time. But after an MRI turned up inconclusive, the feisty blonde midfielder was hesitantly cleared to play and returned to the field with a bulging knee brace in tow. Not even the brace hindered Jenkins -- the determined two-sport star led Penn with 16 goals on only one good leg. "It's amazing -- last year she played in half the games, and she's our leading scorer," Sechovicz said. "That shows something in itself, that she can come back after three ACLs. It's incredible." Bad things are said to come in threes -- and the third ACL tear that Sechovicz refers to happened just months after the second. Last October 15, Jenkins' field hockey career at Penn came to an abrupt halt, this time because of a faulty left knee. Offseason surgery and months of rehab could have convinced many an athlete to call it quits. But not Jenkins. Described by field hockey teammates as an "inspiration," Jenkins cannot contemplate life without her sports. "I just really enjoy playing sports, and with all that free time, I don't know what I'd do with it," Jenkins said. "For me, everyone was kind of like, 'Why do you play both? -- since you've hurt your knee so many times.' "[But] I just like to be out playing. I love team sports and being with the team and everything about it." Having been through it before, Jenkins put her recovery in perspective. "It's actually not been as tough as I thought it would be this time," Jenkins said. Though she did add, "I'm still not back to playing 100 percent." Brower, in her first year coaching at Penn, realizes the importance Jenkins has to this team. Yet Brower is taking steps to ensure the Quakers can both utilize Jenkins and keep her healthy. "Brooke's had a hard time -- I can't believe three knee surgeries," Brower said. "She's playing a lot of attack in practice right now, and we're keeping her out of defense because you kind of have to react a lot, whereas attack you kind of determine what you're doing." This is a bit of a change for Jenkins, who had played more of a midfield position than an attacking role in her first three years at Penn. But the senior has learned to take everything in stride. Jenkins realizes that more will be expected of her than simply putting the ball in the net. Imparting her on-field knowledge and experience to her new teammates is just as important. "Definitely I think coach Brower is expecting me to step up," Jenkins said. "Lead the attack, be more vocal and help the freshmen out, because it's going to be new for them, a different game from high school to college." Jenkins is no stranger to helping younger girls out, though. Though playing both field hockey and lacrosse at Penn prevented her from completing the student teaching element needed for an Education major, the Psychology major still goes out of her way to teach. "I like to work with children, that's one of my real passions," Jenkins said. "I tutor and I'm taking this class called "Girl Talk," and I go to Edison High School and teach a classroom of girls." For the next two months, however, her sole pursuit is a successful senior season with the Penn lacrosse team. "I'm optimistic," Jenkins said. "I think it'll go well."
(03/02/00 10:00am)
Internet browsers and operating systems, Netscape and Microsoft, Java and QuickTime were the focus of a heated debate Monday night between two key witnesses in the government's suit against Microsoft. Sponsored by Wharton's Gruss Public Management Program, the debate, entitled, "U.S. v. Microsoft: Evaluating the Economic Arguments," drew more than 200 students and professors into a packed room inside Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. Daniel Rubinfeld, a Law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, faced off against Richard Schmalensee, the dean of the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The two economic and technology experts debated several key issues of the trial's most recent findings. While he blasted Microsoft last week, U.S. District Court Judge Penfield Jackson has yet to release a final decision in the case. At issue was whether Microsoft violated the federal Sherman Antitrust Act in tying its Internet Explorer web browser to its Windows 95 and, later, Windows 98 operating systems. The government, Rubinfeld explained, maintains that Microsoft took anti-competitive actions in the distribution of its web browser in order to maintain its monopoly over the operating system market. "This debate is not only significant in terms of policy, but in the legal proceedings as well," said Rubinfeld, who was in charge of the government's economic case against Microsoft. Rubinfeld, who was also the deputy assistant attorney general for antitrust from July 1997 to December 1998, identified three basic harms caused by Microsoft's actions. Specifically, Rubinfeld argued that Microsoft's virtual domination of the market has led to "fewer choices for consumers," a lag in innovation and "unjustifiably distorted competition." Schmalensee, who followed Rubinfeld in his presentation, contended that while "Microsoft is not a cuddly company," it certainly did not violate any laws in attempting to ensure its survival in the market. "Is it illegal to improve a product to maintain a monopoly?" he asked. "I think that is where the government is going, and I think that that is bad policy." Schmalensee, who was Microsoft's lead economic witness, concluded that, "Windows' 'monopoly' is far from obvious," and argued that, "consumers benefitted substantially" from Microsoft's offering of Internet Explorer. In their rebuttals, each commented on the role that the government plays in today's expanding technology market. "Don't underestimate the benefit to competition by having someone to watch over the market," Rubinfeld said. This debate will continue long after the speakers have returned home. Once Jackson releases his rule in 30 to 60 days, the losing side will likely appeal, meaning that there won't be a final decision for several years, Rubinfeld said. Wharton sophomore Chris Burton said he sided with Schmalensee's presentation on behalf of Microsoft. "He seemed pretty successful in trying to portray the media in taking a role that swayed public opinion in the case," Burton said. And Betsy Bailey, chairwoman of Wharton's Public Policy and Management Department, who introduced the speakers, said she thought that the debate brought forward a "highly relevant topic."
(03/02/00 10:00am)
Each time Sara Evans opens her locker before practice, a quote pasted on the door reminds her that Penn's new lacrosse coach Karin Brower expects her to take risks on the field. The quote is one of many that hangs in the Quakers' locker room -- each one chosen by Brower to reach a different team member. "The quotes are personalized. They remind her of one of us, or of what we should be working on or thinking about," Evans said. "Mine happens to be about taking risks and such because I'm a defender and I know I need to do that." According to Evans, the quotes are just one way that Brower, a former Princeton assistant coach, shows a commitment to helping each of her new players. Evans said this personal attention is a welcomed change from the coaching system that Anne Sage piloted from the start of Penn's lacrosse program until last season when her players successfully petitioned to have her removed. "She's individualized the coaching more than has been done in the past. She's made an effort to show that she's trying to get to know us, and help us, and make us better lacrosse players," Evans said. But that is not the only thing Brower has changed. When asked what else she brought to the Penn women's lacrosse program, Evans chuckled and said, "She brought a program." The Quakers had been without a head coach since the start of the 1999 season, and problems with Sage's system date back years before then. In fact, junior goalkeeper Christian Stover said Sage's own assistant Alanna Wren -- who served as an interim coach last season -- knew her mentor's shortcomings all too well. "[Wren] played under Sage through college, and she found the same problems when she was there that we went through," Stover said. "I think she supported [the petition], even though she never really said so. I think she was proud of us that we did step up and do something because it had been a problem for a while." Hopefully, Brower has brought a program that resembles the one she left behind in Princeton. The Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament in all three years that Brower was there. Penn's coach assisted in Old Nassau from 1996-98. "In the beginning, we kind of made jokes about the fact that Princeton is our rival, but it doesn't affect us much," Stover said. "It's definitely good that she comes from such a high-caliber program." But Brower's coaching career began well before her Princeton days. Prior to joining the Tigers, the 1992 William and Mary graduate served as Villanova's assistant lacrosse coach, William and Mary's assistant field hockey coach and Division III Drew's head lacrosse coach. Brower won two conference titles in two years at Drew and then moved on to Princeton. Following a year-long respite, she will now try to help the Quakers rebuild from their 1-12 mark last season. "[Brower] basically brought the things that you normally take for granted as a team member -- the intensity, the challenge, the goals, the positive attitude," Evans said. "Especially for the older players, she's helped to remind us of all the simple things. She's brought back the fundamental ideals of the team." In addition to improving her current squad, Brower also seems better than Sage at finding new talent for the future. Brower said that with the increasing number of scholarship programs around the nation, today's Ivy League lacrosse coaches must put more effort into the recruiting process. "I think sports has changed and I think that some of the older coaches' philosophies haven't changed. They didn't actively recruit. That wasn't why they started coaching. They coached because they loved to coach -- not to recruit -- and it's definitely a huge part of the job and you have to love to do that," Brower said. "I don't think [Sage] went out and recruited a lot because that's not how it was when she first started." Sage's laid-back recruiting style seemed to correlate with her attitude toward college athletics as a whole. "Sage's style of recruiting was far less intense because her opinion was that you come to school to go to school and playing lacrosse is whatever," Evans said. "In a sense that's a somewhat good attitude, but that doesn't create a winning team." Stover feels Brower's practices are better recipes for success. "Practices are structured to the minute," Stover said. "And she changes it up everyday, so we're never really doing the same thing twice. We might be working on the same things, but in a different style so it keeps us excited and it and it doesn't get monotonous." Something that certainly got monotonous last season was Penn's losing ways. The Quakers' only victory came against Columbia midway through the season -- embedded in 12 disheartening losses. While Brower's addition obviously cannot erase the past, she might be the key to turning things around for the future.
(03/02/00 10:00am)
This summer, 25 Penn students will set up Internet connections and computer labs in Mali. With rapid technological growth threatening to leave developing nations behind, a group of Penn students and faculty hope to use the Internet this summer to bring even the world's poorest nations up to date. Twenty-five University students will travel to Bamako, Mali, to help set up a computer network in the French-speaking country that ranks as the fourth poorest in the world. "They might be the fourth poorest country in the world, but the enthusiasm that they have matches that of any country," said Engineering Professor Sohrab Rabii said, the project's faculty instructor "[The students] will have the opportunity to experience and learn about Mali and West Africa and the issues of technology and its role in improving the quality of life for people in the developing world," Sun said. Following a meeting last winter with Mali's government, the Engineering School agreed to set up Internet connections and computer labs at an elementary school and another undecided location. The Penn students will spend a month in the country. The Internet connections will be made possible via a wireless network to Afribone, an Internet Service Provider, and the team will also train students from the University of Mali to maintain and repair the facilities after the team leaves. Engineering School Director for Academic Affairs Joe Sun, who is part of Penn's delegation to Mali, recollected how even though computers had already been donated to a center there, the boxes had remained unopened because of the lack of technological savviness in that country. "My hope is that this will enable teachers to have access to information that will aid them in teaching students," Sun said. "They have nothing right now." The 25 participating students will receive course credit while in Mali. As part of the program, they will attend a class this spring about the country's culture and its relationship to technology while receiving training in computer software. About 70 students from all four undergraduate schools applied for the program, Student Coordinator and Engineering submatriculant Brian Sullivan said. The students were chosen by project leaders based on their French skills, computer abilities and class standing, he said. According to Rabii, an understanding of the culture will be integral to ensuring that once the Penn team leaves, Malians will continue to maintain the computer centers. "One of the problems we expect to run into apart from the language barrier is the cultural barrier," Sullivan said. Sun noted that the country's infrastructure -- with a lack of steady electricity, poor roads and a limited telecommunication network -- means that students might have to work under difficult conditions. They may not have the electricity they need to make the computers run and it may be hard to acquire parts for maintenance. And Rabii pointed out that for many Penn students, the experience would be an eye-opener, requiring students to be in an alien culture while leading a real-world enterprise. "I don't know too much about Mali, but it's a place where we expect to make a difference," said Engineering freshman Jonathan Wanderer. Added Rabii, "Rather than going to France and ordering food, [students] will be communicating with people and culture?. It would be on a lot deeper level than sight seeing."
(03/02/00 10:00am)
Every day, Phillipe De Montebello makes financial decisions that affect the most well-known museum in America. And he does so without having ever gone to business school. "I have no formal training in administration, business administration or otherwise," the director of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art told a group of about 75 students Tuesday in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. De Montebello, who came to Penn as part of the Musser-Shoemaker Leadership Lecture series, discussed his ascent from an Art History major at Harvard to director of the nation's most prestigious museum. De Montebello attended Harvard as an undergraduate and then continued his study of art history at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. Today, De Montebello directs a museum with a budget of $125 million that houses around 2 million works of art and brings in about 5.5 million visitors a year. "We are not a market-driven institution. We are a mission-driven institution," De Montebello said. What enabled De Montebello to succeed without formal training, he said, was his passion, common sense and good judgment. "I know what I want. I make decisions not hastily, but quickly," De Montebello said. "I think that's one of my strengths." Although De Montebello said he is "not a team builder," he still likes to consult regularly with the key members of his staff in order to get a good sense of what they are thinking. De Montebello was also willing to recognize his museum as "elitist." "I embrace joyfully that we are an elitist institution. Elitism is having a sense of excellence and betterment," he said. But, for De Montebello, the path to becoming the director of the Met had many stops along the way. While pursuing his doctoral degree at NYU, De Montebello was approached by the Met and offered a management job. In 1969, a museum in Houston asked De Montebello to be its acting director, a job for which he felt he was unsuited. "I have never figured out why they went after me," De Montebello said of the job offer from the Houston museum. Then, in 1974, De Montebello was called back to become the chief curator at the Met. Four years later, he was named director of the museum. "The happiest moment of my life was booking a one-way ticket out of Houston," he said, calling himself a "city boy." After around 20 minutes of De Montebello speaking, he opened the room to a question-and-answer session. During the session, De Montebello fielded questions about topics ranging from a recent profile of him in The New York Times to a recent controversy about avant-garde art at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Several of the students who attended the lecture said they were intrigued by De Montebello's honesty in discussing his approach to leadership and his conviction that his museum is "elitist." "I think it is potentially interesting to hear about the relationship between the business and the art world," College sophomore Elizabeth Goodman said.
(03/02/00 10:00am)
Penn has taken the Ivy Council's community service day and turned it into a month-long volunteer effort. They'll be painting, planting, hammering and running -- all in the name of community service. For the first time ever, the Ivy Council -- a group of 40 representatives from all eight Ivy League universities -- has officially proclaimed April 8 as "Ivy Corps," when students will devote their energy and resources to help their surrounding communities. But for Penn's Undergraduate Assembly, one day of community service isn't enough, according to Dana Becker, co-chair of the UA's West Philadelphia Committee. So the Penn "Quaker Corps" branch has scheduled projects for three additional dates. "We're hoping for this to be the first year of something that Penn continues," said Becker, a Wharton sophomore. "We hope to make more of commitment to community service, to see that it is fun and rewarding." The students have teamed up with UC Green -- a Penn initiative aimed at beautifying University City through planting and gardening -- to bring an expected 700 students and dozens of area residents out into West Philadelphia neighborhoods over the next month to work on five different projects, which include tree planting and neighborhood cleanup. UC Green Director Esaul Sanchez said he expects hundreds of fraternity brothers will join in the effort by cleaning the area surrounding their houses. "We in the community feel that fraternities must take responsibility for their property," he said. Kicking off Quaker Corps on March 25, the UA and the United Minorities Council will combine forces with community groups to plant over 50 trees in neighborhoods throughout University City. The following weekend, Penn students will participate in a massive cleanup and greening project at a playground at 45th and Sansom streets. On April 8 -- the official Ivy Corps day -- the InterFraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council and the Bi-Cultural InterGreek Council will volunteer in conjunction with Greek Week to help clean up the area, IFC Executive Vice President John Buchanan said. Buchanan, a member of Phi Kappa Psi, said the Greeks will focus on the 3800 and 4000 blocks of Walnut Street and the 3900 block of Spruce Street. "It's a good way for fraternity and sorority members to get out and help the greater University City community," the College junior said. Also on April 8, students, with the help of some teachers who have some carpentry know-how, will build a pavilion between the Lea School and West Philadelphia High School, both located on 47th Street. Finally, Becker said that the UA is trying to arrange a 5-K run on April 9 through the "Greenbelt"of West Philadelphia -- the area UC Green has focused its energy on during the past year and a half -- and will donate the proceeds to a yet-to-be-determined local school. The UA has been working with Civic House and a variety of student groups to recruit volunteers for Quaker Corps. Becker admitted that organizing a project this massive is difficult, but both she and Sanchez said they certainly expect it to have its payoffs. "To define success, we would have every single volunteer go there and do a meaningful job," Sanchez said. "You are going to say, 'Something good happened here.'"
(03/02/00 10:00am)
Penn Deputy Provost Peter Conn spoke along with his son, an Ohio State professor. To prove his point that American suburbs have failed to provide meaningful existences for their residents, Steven Conn pointed to this year's hit film American Beauty. The Academy Award-nominated movie, Conn said, perfectly illustrates the "crushing banality of existence in the suburbs." Joined by his father Peter, Penn's deputy provost and an English professor, Ohio State University History Professor Steven Conn last night addressed a crowd of about 50 students and professors on the advantages that cities today possess over suburbs. The talk, which was held in the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall, was entitled "City and Community." The lecture was sponsored by Community College House, where the elder Conn serves as faculty master. "The idea is that the speaker talks briefly, introduces the subject and sees where it goes -- induces dialogue," Peter Conn said about the "10 Minute Talks" series, of which this lecture was a part. Starting off the lecture, Peter Conn asked the students, "Do we need cities?" Differing from the pastoral debate of the past -- which pitted the city against the countryside -- the new debate, Peter Conn said, is of the suburbs' encroachment upon the city. "We have become suburban," Steven Conn maintained. "More of us live in suburbs -- cities cease to be where most of the population live." Peter Conn, following on his son's message, then cautioned the audience on the dangers of the trend of suburbanization. He argued that artistic creativity and spontaneity is more often stilted than stirred in the suburbs. "No epic poem, no symphony, no ballet, not one of the objects that we treasure comes from a suburb," he said. "There will never be a great work of art coming from Paramus, New Jersey," Steven Conn added. An additional disadvantage of the prototypical suburb, Steven Conn continued, is the fragmentation among different races and societal classes. "If we have any aspirations for culture -- they need to happen in the friction -- the bumping together of people," the younger Conn said, explaining the benefits of the city. In the suburbs, he explained, "We create a rigid class structure -- we don't see people of different classes, different ages." A person would have a much better chance of meeting "different people" by walking down Philadelphia's Walnut Street or through New York City's Central Park than by exploring suburbia, Steven Conn said. "I would argue that the Great American experiment has failed," he added. Not every audience member agreed with that logic, however. "I don't buy that," said College junior Erin Millender, a Community House resident advisor. "You might say it's not racially heterogeneous now, but it will be," she added. Past speakers in the series include English Professor Lorene Carey, who founded the Art Sanctuary in Philadelphia, and Political Science Professor John DiIulio. University President Judith Rodin will be the next featured speaker.
(03/01/00 10:00am)
Sigma Alpha Mu cannot return to campus until the spring of 2001. After violating dry rush policies last month by serving alcohol at an event, the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity has lost its charter and has been suspended by the University for at least a year, officials announced yesterday. SAM's suspension comes as a punishment for serving alcohol at a January 21 rush event, disobeying InterFraternity Council rush rules and breaking the conditions of the fraternity's current social probation. The fraternity was on probation for violating dry rush and anti-hazing policies a year ago. The suspension will take effect April 9 and will last until the end of the calendar year, but the brothers will be allowed to continue to live in their house -- located at 3817 Walnut Street -- under the supervision of a live-in monitor. The 22 current pledges will be initiated on April 9. "The Chapter is prohibited from holding meetings or participating in, hosting, or sponsoring campus functions, using the name of Sigma Alpha Mu, the Greek letters, nicknames or other insignia, or otherwise functioning as a chapter," said a statement released yesterday by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. The fraternity may be allowed to recolonize in the spring of 2001 if the brothers meet the stringent conditions of their agreement with the University -- which include becoming permanently dry, completing a series of alcohol and risk management classes and doing community service. SAM National Executive Director Aaron Girson did not return repeated phone calls, nor did SAM President Jared Hendricks. Also as part of their punishment, the brothers agreed to place an advertisement in today's Daily Pennsylvanian acknowledging their violations and vowing to improve their conduct in the future. "The current membership of SAM is determined to prove that January's violation was an aberration and that the strides we have made for positive change in the Chapter and on campus will now continue uninterrupted," the brothers wrote in the ad. If the fraternity does recolonize a year from now, it will have to petition its national organization to regain its charter. And the brothers will never again be allowed to bring alcohol into their house, according to OFSA's statement. "The Chapter has agreed to become alcohol-free on a permanent basis, effective immediately," the statement said. If SAM is permitted to recolonize, the brothers will also be required to work on anti-alcohol abuse initiatives, according to OFSA's statement. "Working closely with the IFC, they will assume a leadership role in forming a task force to explore alternatives to alcohol at rush events." The suspension comes about a year after the brothers were disciplined for previous alcohol-related violations. The fraternity was placed on a one-year social probation and a two-year probation after two incidents last spring, the first being a rush event at a New Jersey bowling alley where the brothers brought five kegs and stole or damaged hundreds of bowling balls, pins and shoes. SAM was forced to reorganize in the fall and placed the 40 junior and senior brothers on alumni status, leaving just 21 active members. An IFC statement said the organization is happy with the way the situation was resolved. "We are glad that the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and the University were able to work out an agreement that is acceptable to both parties," the statement said. "We look forward to having SAM play an active role in the Greek system in the future."
(03/01/00 10:00am)
Chief Operating Officer Robert Martin resigned after only nine months. The reshuffling of University of Pennsylvania Health System executives continued this week with the surprise resignation of Chief Operating Officer Robert Martin on Monday. Martin's resignation comes just 13 days after former Chief Executive Officer and Medical School Dean William Kelley was asked to step down from his position by University President Judith Rodin. "He had done a terrific job," said Health System spokeswoman Lori Doyle, adding that Martin felt that stepping down was the best thing for him. Martin was not available for comment last night. Health System officials announced that I. William Ferniany, who most recently served as the Health System's senior vice president for administrative services, will serve as the interim COO while a national search for a permanent replacement is conducted. Although Martin's reason for leaving was not immediately clear, Interim CEO Peter Traber said in an e-mail sent to Health System administrators that it was Martin's own decision to resign from the position he held for nine months. Some have speculated, however, that his departure was related to the role the Hunter Group -- the Florida-based consulting firm that was brought to campus in July to help administrators slash costs -- is expected to play in UPHS as it attempts to put its financial turmoil behind it. With the announcement of Traber's appointment almost two weeks ago, Rodin said the firm would continue to advise Health System officials on their task of bringing the financially troubled system back to its feet. University officials have contracted the Hunter Group for a three-month consulting engagement, Ferniany explained, though that contract could be lengthened if needed. Alan Zuckerman, a consultant with Health Strategies and Solutions in Philadelphia, said the recent departures of Martin and Kelley could portend more UPHS changes. "It may be suggestive of a broader role that the Hunter Group is going to play," Zuckerman said. He explained that in the past, when executives of Hunter Group clients resigned, it was usually because the firm was asserting a greater degree of administrative control. But Health System and University officials have continually stressed that the Hunter Group executives are not going to assume administrative control of UPHS. "They're not here to slash and burn and they're not here to run the place," insisted Ferniany, who has worked at the Health System for seven years. Other experts in the field saw the recent departures as standard. "I don't think the Hunter Group is behind this at all," explained Joshua Nemzoff, the head of Nemzoff and Co., a New Hope healthcare consulting firm. "There is a rather clear, linear correlation between institutions losing significant amounts of money and management turnover." In addition to Martin and Kelley, the Health System has lost several other administrators over the past year. In October, former Chief Medical Officer David Shulkin stepped down to take a position with DoctorQuality.com. Former Chief Financial Officer John Wynne resigned in April for health reasons. And former Senior Vice President for Hospital Operations Thomas Beeman left in September. As interim COO, Ferniany said he will implement whatever strategies Traber, Rodin and the University Trustees agree upon. Ferniany added he is confident UPHS will meet the goal administrators set in May, which is to run a deficit of no more than $10 million in the current fiscal year. "We will probably make our budget this year," he said. "We will come awful damn close, that's for sure."
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A voter registration drive is being held all week long on Locust Walk. It's not unusual to find Locust Walk littered with brightly colored quarter sheets of paper, remnants of student groups trying to attract their peers to their cause. But this week, the quarter-sheets aren't about a party on Friday night or an a cappella performance. Instead, they're about politics. With the deadline for registering to vote in the April 5 Pennsylvania presidential primary fast approaching, political groups this week are supporting each of the four major candidates as part of Voter Awareness Week. "Our impetus for doing this was that students at Penn are extremely intelligent, extremely involved," Voter Awareness Week co-chair Beth Harkavy said. "But there seems to be a lack of political involvement. Students can have a big impact on the issues if they get out and vote." So throughout the week, Penn for Bush, Penn for Gore, Penn for McCain and Penn for Bradley will join forces with the College Democrats and the College Republicans to register voters from Penn's student body. Six tables with voter registration forms greet students and faculty as they rush down Locust Walk to class, to meetings and to the library. According to Harkavy, the goal of voter awareness week is to help get Penn students registered to vote in the state primaries. "This is a week where we're focusing on education and awareness on campus," the College junior said. And the Penn groups supporting different presidential candidates see this as a perfect opportunity to get the word out on the candidate of their choice. Consequently, the groups decided to hold "Issue Days" on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, with each group issuing quarter-sheets on the stance of their candidate of choice on a particular issue. Yesterday, students learned about the views of Bill Bradley, John McCain, Al Gore and George W. Bush on education. Today, each candidate's opinion on the state of the American economy will be discussed. And tomorrow has been dubbed "health day," giving the four groups a chance to advertise the candidates' take on health care, Medicare and Medicaid. "Those three issues really highlight the candidates' differences," said College sophomore Matthew Oresman, the co-chair of the Penn for Bradley group. But Friday, known as "free issue day," gives the four organizations a chance to highlight their candidate's platform on a subject of their choosing. As part of the effort, the College Democrats also hosted several senatorial candidates vying for the Democratic bid in an informal discussion and the College Republicans invited any politically inclined Penn students to a relaxed movie and dinner discussion last night. According to Penn for Bush co-chair Patrick Ruffini, what is unique about this week is the non-partisan foundation that is underlying the different groups' efforts. "People may not realize that if you want to vote in the primary, the deadline is fast approaching," the College senior said. "That's the whole point of what we're doing." Oresman echoed his sentiment, adding that a lot of students are "really looking for a candidate" before they cast their ballot. But overall, Ruffini thought Voter Awareness Week was living up to its goals -- getting Penn students involved in politics. "Some people come up and argue with us, some people come over and help," Ruffini explained last night. "It's achieved its goal, bit by bit, every day on the Walk. It's given everyone a chance to gradually build up their membership base."
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While Penn men's basketball freshman forward Ugonna Onyekwe is busy slamming home perfectly placed alley-oop passes from fellow newcomer David Klatsky that send the Palestra crowd into a frenzy, five other members of the Class of 2003 are wreaking havoc on their opponents away from the spotlight -- right next door at Hutchinson Gymnasium. Foilists Lauren Staudinger and Stacey Wertlieb, epeeists Kim Linton and Julia Blank and sabre Christina Verigan have developed this year and blossomed into their roles, leading the Penn women's fencing team in just their first year of collegiate athletics. And they are far from finished. With four fencers, including captain Heba Abdulla, graduating after this season and with only two sophomores and no juniors on the team, the freshmen will be expected to carry the Red and Blue and lead them for the next three seasons. "I have to help them to improve so that they become a dominant group and put us over the top to win an Ivy championship," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "If they become dominant fencers, while we bring in high-quality new people, we can have a heck of a team." And Micahnik has good reason to be optimistic for the future. While the women's fencing team suffered through a mediocre and somewhat disappointing season, finishing with an 8-8 record (2-3 Ivy League), the freshmen proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. The newcomers combined to win 63 percent of their total bouts. Leading the way was Staudinger, who finished the season with a 37-8 record, while winning 11 of her 15 Ivy League bouts. In just her first year, Staudinger has emerged as Penn's No. 1 foilist and will probably maintain that position for the next three years. Wertlieb, the other freshman foilist, also had a successful freshman campaign, winning 65 percent of her total bouts. Next year, when senior foilists Margo Katz and Amy Hozer will no longer be with the team, these two will be looked upon to carry the foil squad. The Quakers' epee squad has also been led by a rookie. Linton, who was an excellent high school fencer, has excelled this season, winning two-thirds of her bouts both overall and in Ivy League play. Blank, the other freshman epeeist, has also clearly helped the squad. In her limited role as a reserve, she has picked up eight victories for the Quakers, but she hopes to continue to develop and learn skills to make her a better fencer. While Blank is learning new techniques, fellow freshman Verigan is doing a different kind of learning -- she's learning how to fence a whole new weapon. A foilist throughout high school, Verigan decided to switch to sabre in the first year it would be allowed for women in collegiate competition. And Verigan, who has finished the season 26-21 overall with an 8-7 Ivy League record, is happy with her decision. "It's such an experience to be on the inaugural women's sabre team," she said. "I'm glad I made the change because, although it's challenging and at times very frustrating, I enjoy it more." Without a doubt, these five young ladies have created a nucleus and a great foundation for years to come. But while slashing away at the opposition is crucial to the freshmen's success, the most important aspect of their athletic life at Penn is the camaraderie and friendship that exists among the squad. "The fencing team is one big family," Linton said. "We are all so supportive of each other in everything, and we really enjoy each other's company." The young Quakers have grown very close indeed. "After seeing each other every weekend, smelling each other's funk and partying together after meets, I already feel close to the team after such a short amount of time," Blank said. With this strong solidarity, it seems that the Penn women's fencing team will be near the top of the league for years to come. "I think because of our friendships, we will have a successful future," Staudinger said. These five freshman will only get better and with one another at each other's side, there's no telling how far they'll go.
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Penn lost its top defenders, but its attack may b e the Ivy League's best While the Penn men's lacrosse team is long on athleticism and talent, some parts of it are short on experience. But coach Marc Van Arsdale, who is going into his fourth year at Franklin Field, doesn't really seem to mind. "I'd much rather have this squad than slow guys with years of experience," he said. Although many of the Quakers' key players from the attack and midfield return, Penn lost some top defenders and their goalie -- four-year starter Matt Schroeder -- to graduation. "Matt is clearly the biggest replacement we have to make," Van Arsdale said. "He not only was a great goalie, but he ran the defense and cleared the ball well." While Schroeder will be sorely missed, Van Arsdale and the Quakers are confident that either sophomore John Carroll or freshman Ryan Kelly will be a more than suitable replacement. Both contenders for the position have different talents and both played a half each in the Quakers two preseason scrimmages -- wins over Towson and Hobart. The defense is another area where the Quakers were hurt by graduation, as both Ziggy Majumdar and Brett Bodner were seniors last year. Majumdar was a second team All-Ivy selection for the 1999 season, while Bodner competed in the North-South Senior All-Star game. Despite the loss of these stars, Van Arsdale maintains that this year's defense -- anchored by senior Bill Fowler -- will be just as strong. Fowler has missed almost all of the preseason with a hamstring injury, but with his return, the defense will look to gel. "I think we're going to be more aggressive defensively," Van Arsdale said. "Team defense was the strength of last year's team. In terms of cohesion, though, because of Fowler's injury, it may take a little longer for the team to group together." As far as the attack and midfield are concerned, the Quakers have become even stronger after last year's impressive showing on the offensive side of the ball. The team's leading scorer, Pete Janney, has improved on the attack every year and looks to make this year, his senior season, his best. Janney was first team All-Ivy last year and led the Quakers with 37 goals and 53 points. "Pete came into a good situation his freshman year playing next to two veterans," Van Arsdale said. "He immediately brought the ability to score goals, but each successive year he has been able to make his game more complete." Playing next to Janney will be junior Todd Minerley. Minerley led the team in assists last year and is basically the quarterback of the attack , starting most of the plays. In this season's scrimmages, Minerley has had five goals and seven assists, and Van Arsdale is looking for him to make a splash this year. "Todd is really playing with a good understanding right now and with more confidence," he said. "And he's really going to benefit from the defense focusing on Pete [Janney]." Sophomore Peter Scott is another key to the Quakers' attack. Scott made real contributions as a freshman last year, scoring 11 goals and this year he will have an increased role. Sophomore Scott Solow adds depth to the talented attack. Solow played in the midfield last season, but played attack in high school and is more comfortable at that position. The midfield is certainly the most crowded position on the team. The Quakers return nine players, along with one transfer and an exciting freshman. The key newcomers are Adam Solow, Scott's brother, who arrives at Penn after playing with Dartmouth for two years. Alex Kopicki is Penn's freshman with the most potential. The key returning midfielders are impressive as well. Senior Billy Reidy sat out all of 1999 with a knee injury and hopes to make a big return this season after being the Quakers' top face-off specialist in 1998. Junior Bill Sofield, however, had a breakthrough year in 1999 after stepping in for Reidy. Right now, Sofield will take the majority of face-offs, of which he won more than 60 percent last year. The Quakers open the regular season this Saturday against Notre Dame, hoping to improve on their 1999 overall record of 6-8 and 2-4 in the Ivies. Last year, Penn got off to a fast start, winning five of its first six games. The Red and Blue cooled off quickly, however, losing seven of their last eight, including losses in their final four contests. While two wins in the Ivy League is certainly not acceptable by the team's standards, their defeats to Princeton, Cornell and Harvard were by only one goal each. This year, Van Arsdale predicts that Princeton will once again lead the pack in the Ancient Eight. "Princeton has more than anybody in the league still, but the gap has closed," he said. "After Princeton, it's a crapshoot, which will make for a very competitive league season."
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Temple had a chance to tie as the clock ran out, but St. Joseph's pulled off an enormous Big 5 upset. Jubilant basketball fans stormed the Palestra floor last night after the home team won its biggest game of the year. No, the Penn Quakers did not clinch the Ivy League title. It was the St. Joseph's Hawks who defeated No. 5 Temple, 62-59. The victory was the Hawks' (12-14, 1-3 Big 5) first in four attempts in Big 5 play this season and St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli's first win in his 10 attempts against legendary Owls coach John Chaney. "I love Philadelphia fans," Martelli began his press conference after being mobbed on the court. "What we wanted to try to do was give the players a special moment. I told them that if we played like the way we talked about the other day, they'd be the lead story on SportsCenter, and now they will be. "And it's not about me -- I wanted it for my team." St. Joe's converted 35 percent of its shots from behind the three-point arc to defeat Temple's (22-5, 3-1) vaunted matchup zone from the outside. The biggest shot of the game came off the hands of Hawks senior Tim Brown with 2:03 remaining, putting the home team up, 60-57. Temple's Mark Karcher hit a jumper 26 seconds later to bring the score to 60-59, but that was as close as the Owls would get. "It was a tough game," said Karcher, who had 16 points. "We struggled the whole game, and they outplayed us. It was a wake-up call -- we knew it was coming." Karcher missed a jumper with 40 seconds left, and Hawks guard Na'im Crenshaw made two free throws with 16.7 seconds on the clock to provide the final margin. With St. Joe's fans standing in anticipation of victory, Karcher attempted an off-balance trey just seconds before the buzzer -- but it went long, and the crowd erupted. "It seemed like it was in slow motion -- that last shot," said Martelli, who will give his team off from practice today. "Yeah, it was the shot we wanted," Chaney said. "It was probably the only pattern that we had that worked, and they worked it well. We got jammed up on one side with Quincy [Wadley] being doubled, but he finally got it back to Pepe [Sanchez], who hit Mark in the corner who sat down on it. "Of course, he didn't make it, but there are games we're going to have like that where when you depend so much on your shooting. But Martelli's team played extremely well." The victory snapped a four-game skid for St. Joe's and ended the Owls' 13-game winning streak. It also touched off quite a loud celebration. "Aw man, it's something to have the crowd rush you like that," said Hawks guard Marvin O'Connor, who led all scorers with 20 points. Early on, it was apparent that the Owls were not playing like the team that had defeated No. 1 Cincinnati just a week ago. Temple point guard Pepe Sanchez committed an uncharacteristic three turnovers in the first half. And despite outshooting the Hawks 44 percent to 35 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, the Owls found themselves down 35-30 at the break. "We didn't play the game the way I'd like to see it," Chaney said. "I think Pepe must have had three or four turnovers, and trying to do the wrong thing with the ball. That was bad, and that is uncharacteristic of him. "Bad judgment. But he's so good that he sees guys and he says, 'Well, I'm going to look at them until they get open.' That's bullshit. You can't look at a guy [defender] and say, 'Shazam' -- disappear." St. Joe's extended its lead to 47-34 with 13:51 remaining following a three-pointer by Bill Phillips, and the Owls appeared to be on the verge of folding. But Temple modified its defense to a full-court press and forced four turnovers in the next five minutes. With the Owls fans on their feet, Temple center Lamont Barnes hit a jumper from the left baseline with 8:25 remaining to knot the score at 49. Martelli recounted the ensuing play that gave St. Joe's the lead for good, 51-49. "What happened then was a dribble drive by Marvin [O'Connor]. That helped us out a lot. We took the biggest punch they could give us and came back," he said. Damian Reid and Crenshaw had ten points apiece for the Hawks, who were 11-of-32 from three-point range. The Owls were led by Karcher's 16 and 11 more from Lynn Greer. As a team, however, they hit only 5-for-18 from behind the arc. Temple, much to Chaney's chagrin, also failed to exploit the fact that St. Joe's was in the double-bonus with nine minutes left. The Owls shot just two free throws the rest of the way. "For every foul, we're shooting two, and we should have been at the line every time down the floor. And we weren't," Chaney said. "That to me is the most annoying thing in all of basketball, when I see people who play with their ass and not with their head." St. Joe's hosted this Atlantic 10 meeting at the Palestra -- its fourth "home" game of the season in Penn's fabled arena. The Hawks had previously defeated South Carolina at the Palestra, while falling to Rutgers and La Salle. The excitement of the game vastly overshadowed the memorable halftime ceremony, in which seven players were inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. The honorees included Villanova star and NBA Hall of Famer Paul Arizin, La Salle great Tom Gola -- who is also in the Basketball Hall of Fame and for whom the Explorers' arena was recently named -- and Penn's own Ernie Beck. Beck, the Quakers' all-time leading scorer, notched 1,827 points over three seasons at Penn and led the Red and Blue to a 62-21 record in his time in West Philadelphia. Though he later went on to play for the Philadelphia Warriors, he maintains a special place in his heart for Penn basketball and the Palestra. "I don't know how many of the young people here remember us, but it's nice to be back in the Palestra," Beck said. "It's the same roof and the same place. I love the Palestra -- great place to play basketball."
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Over the course of the roller-coaster 1999-2000 campaign, Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy has experimented with a variety of lineups and offensive sets. At different points this winter, 12 Quakers have seen significant playing time, but in Hanover, N.H., and in Boston this past weekend, Dunphy shortened his bench and went with a seven-man rotation. One of the beneficiaries of this move was freshman guard David Klatsky, who averaged 26 minutes per game on this road trip. "Klatsky has been in there -- you saw him a lot tonight," Dunphy said following Penn's 62-61 win at Harvard. "He's a good player, David is. We need him in there to run our offense like we need it to run." On the season, Klatsky has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8-to-1 -- a better rate than seniors Michael Jordan or Matt Langel. · Late in Saturday's game at Harvard, Penn men's basketball forward Ugonna Onyekwe went down to the floor in pain after taking an inadvertent blow to the face from Harvard star Dan Clemente. The freshman kneeled on the floor for several minutes before heading to the bench to get his bearings. "Clemente was wearing goggles, and he dipped down and when he was coming up, it caught me right between my eyes," said Onyekwe, who is averaging 11.2 points per game. "It took me out for a little bit, but then I shook it off and I was OK. "I had to go back in anyways." But Penn fans need not have worried -- the 6'8" power forward returned just 41 seconds later and notched a dunk and a layup in the final minutes of play. · Penn is on course to clinch its second consecutive Ivy League title and NCAA berth this Saturday at home against Yale. While the Princeton game Tuesday at the Palestra will be packed, tickets are still available for what could be a pair of equally raucous celebrations this weekend. And the Quakers need all the fan support they can get. "I think it will give us a real good advantage and help us to push through these last few games if the fans are really vocal and intimidating the opposition," Onyekwe said. "We really want to focus and finish off strong these last few games. "So definitely that will be a big advantage to us if the fans are loud and come out in great large numbers to support us." Langel, who watched St. Joe's fans storm the Palestra floor after the Hawks defeated Temple last night, reflected on the response of Penn fans in big games of the recent past. "When we beat Temple last year, they stormed the court," Langel said. "And last year the fans celebrated on the floor after the Cornell game at home. As players, we didn't really feel like that was a time for us to celebrate, so we didn't celebrate -- but the fans do what the fans want to do." · Last night at a special halftime ceremony at the Palestra, seven former basketball players had their numbers inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. The honorees included Penn's all-time leading scorer, Ernie Beck. And while Beck has been out of Penn basketball for almost five decades, he still keeps up on some aspects of Quakers hoops. "I know Fran [Dunphy] very well, and I'm pushing hard for them," Beck said. "They had a great weekend -- I know we had a close one last week -- but they're sitting on top. The only thing is now they have to win the last three. And Princeton will never be easy." Beck however, was unaware of the challenge to his scoring throne being posed by Quakers junior women's basketball player Diana Caramanico, who is closing in on several of Beck's records. She now has 1,741 points in her three years and seems a very safe bet to surpass Beck's career record of 1,827 points. "No, I don't really get a chance to follow the women, but I always said my records were made to be broken," Beck said. "It is unbelievable that my record has lasted [48 years]. It feels good to know that you're still remembered because of them, but hopefully in time somebody will break them, and that's the way it should be." · Penn is currently one of only three teams that has a chance to go undefeated in conference play. Cincinnati (26-2, 14-0 Conference USA) and Utah State (23-5, 14-0 Big West) are the others. And the Quakers 13-game winning streak ranks second in the nation -- trailing only the 14-game spell currently enjoyed by Utah State. · Today is 6'11" Penn center Geoff Owens' 22nd birthday. "You know, we really haven't discussed any plans for the big fella," Langel said. "But I'm sure he would be the first one to say that winning an Ivy League championship and going back to the tournament would be a great birthday gift for him."
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Records may fall as Janney leads attack for Penn A modest 6'1", 185 pounds, clad in a gray Penn Lacrosse shirt and blue shorts, Pete Janney doesn't stand out among his teammates the way he does in the Penn record books. The senior captain and 1998 honorable mention All-American is fifth all-time in goals scored and seventh in career points. While he is a lock to finish the year in the top five in each category, the top spots in each are well within reach. "I hadn't even thought about [the records] until this year," Janney said. "It's been brought to my attention a lot lately. It's something I'd like to do, you know, to leave your mark. To be able to look back and say I set that record." Janney has scored 93 goals and 134 points during his three-year Penn career. The records are 129 and 195, respectively, which means that he needs to match or better his career highs of 37 goals and 53 points in a season to become the all-time Quakers scoring leader. Improvement is nothing new to this Inside Lacrosse pre-season All-American, though. "I don't think many people in the recruiting envisioned that Peter would become the type of athlete he's become here," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "He's gotten better every year." The numbers bear out Van Arsdale's assertion. Janney has only bettered his numbers in points and goals scored every year since he became the first Quaker to earn the Ivy League Rookie of the Year Award in 1997. "It's gone by too fast," Janney said of his time in the Red and Blue. "To come here and be the first Ivy League Rookie of the Year from Penn, it was unbelievable. I think that's compelled me to keep setting goals and keep trying to improve." Janney has improved more than just his number and his position in the record books, though. He has improved in every facet of the game. "What he brought us, initially, was the ability to score goals," Van Arsdale said. "But he's become a much more complete player as he's matured." In Janney's own opinion though, he is still a scorer. "I'll try and go by people with my speed, and I have the ability to finish. That's what I've been banking on my whole career, and it's been good to me," Janney said. "[Janney] can dodge, he can score, he can feed, he can cut, he can play in the crease," sophomore Scott Solow said. "Whatever coach asks him to do, he can do it." This year, as a co-captain, Janney will be asked to provide the team with more than his scoring ability and all-around talent -- he has been asked to lead. "Rather than being the vocal guy that a lot of teams need, he does it by example, by his ability to take over a game at will," sophomore Peter Scott said. "And I think that's 10 times better than the guy who does it just by talking. Just watching him in practice has helped my game get better everyday." The consensus from teammates is that Janney leads by example with his stellar play, but in his last year, Janney is concentrating on becoming a vocal leader as well. "Being a captain, it kind of puts you in a position to [talk more]," Janney said. "And I've been dealing with that and trying to become more of a vocal leader." "Sometimes he's very vocal when we're close in a game or down," junior Todd Minerley said. "He'll speak up and get the team motivated." Janney finds his own motivation in the drive for the as-yet-elusive Ivy title. "I've been here four years and haven't had one yet," Janney said. "I'd like to have that ring."
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The six first-year MBA students are studying Philadelphia Women's Basketball 2000. When the nets are cut down, the trophies are handed out and the fans head for the exits, will there be anything left from the Women's Final Four in Philadelphia other than fond memories? That is the question six first-year Wharton MBA students are working to answer. Unlike past years, the 2000 Women's Final Four is being organized by a committee independent of the host universities -- Penn and St. Joseph's. That committee, Philadelphia Women's Basketball 2000, hopes to outlive March Madness and continue as a community organization working to promote women's athletics in Philadelphia. The six students chose to work with PWB as their Field Application Project -- a semester-long required course designed to introduce first-year MBAs to unstructured real-life business problems. Most project teams select companies and projects pre-screened by Wharton. The companies each pay $2,500 to Wharton in exchange for the consulting services of an MBA team. Team member Leah Buhl chose instead to use her connections to the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to arrange a project with PWB, which had its $2,500 fee waived due to its non-profit status. "When we first went in, we said, 'Let's do something with the Final Four,'" group member Preston McGowan said. "What really came out was, 'What's going on after the Final Four?' and we thought that was a much bigger need for PWB." While making it clear that their work is not a comprehensive study, they hope to provide PWB Executive Director Cathy Andruzzi with a plan for how PWB can define and market itself if it lives on after the Final Four is over. As part of the course requirements, the group has met with its faculty advisor and prepared progress reports throughout the semester. The team's final report will not be in its final form until March 27 -- right in the heart of Championship Week. Andruzzi hopes that the team will suggest strategies for continuing PWB's transformation from host committee and corporate logo to a grass-roots oriented community organization. When PWB was formed in 1998, its logo and brand name were a way to sidestep NCAA regulations prohibiting the use of the NCAA logo by anyone other than its national sponsors. In order to increase local corporate support of the Final Four, PWB created its own logo and brand, which can be used by sponsors in their advertising. "We wanted to give the local community a brand to have ownership of," Andruzzi said. PWB's mission, however, goes beyond serving as a corporate logo. It has become active in the community through youth clinics and a women in sports speaker series. Its goals will culminate in a number of community-wide events during Championship Week at the end of March. "Our mission statement is much broader than Championship Week," Andruzzi said. "Our vision is to not just run a great week, but to help grow women's sports? to give young girls an opportunity on a grass-roots level to gain both physical and mental skills." What sort of structure will best serve those goals once the Final Four is over is one of the driving questions behind the Wharton students' project. Although their final report won't be finished until the end of March, the group has some hunches as to what it will recommend. One important decision will be the scope of the future PWB. The group thinks it is best if the organization sticks to promoting basketball, instead of expanding to support multiple sports. "Basketball is really a unifying game," Buhl said. "It goes across a wide range of socio-economic levels. In its efforts, [PWB] still draws attention to women's sports." The group has recently been paring down its focus even further due to the limited time of the semester. With little formal data available about the number of youth basketball leagues in the area, the students have had to use individual interviews with a variety of business and community leaders to gauge the interest in PWB and brainstorm on the ways PWB can organize itself. If PWB can live on past the Final Four, it will be a first for an organizing committee of its type. In previous years, the organizing committees for the Final Four have been more closely linked to the host universities and were designed strictly to support Championship Week. Even though PWB is without precedent, Andruzzi believes that now is a great time to build an organization like PWB. She noted that women's college basketball made a huge leap in popularity when the media-heavy Northeast devoted major news coverage to the University of Connecticut's 1995 undefeated season. As the Women's Final Four has never been held in the Northeast before, Andruzzi hopes to see a similar explosion of attention surrounding this year's final.
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Recruits and a transfer fill out the roster Rebuilding is the wrong word. It's more like a few small repairs. The Penn men's lacrosse team lost its fair share of talent to graduation last year. The Quakers had to say goodbye to a total of nine letterwinners and six starters last June, but coach Marc Van Arsdale's squad is not suffering from any diminished expectations as Saturday's season opener with Notre Dame approaches. "Last year at this point, we were a little more settled as to what we were going to do," Van Arsdale said. "This year, I think we're a team that can get much better as the year goes on." If the Quakers are to improve on their 6-8 overall record (2-4 Ivy League) from last season, they will need to rely on the services of a slew of newcomers who will need to produce results from Saturday's regular season start onward. For the past four seasons, the Penn defense has had a reliable and gifted leader in goalie Matt Schroeder. The 1999 second team All-Ivy selection finished his career with 755 saves and started in an astounding 50 of 53 games he played over four years. Schroeder's absence in between the pipes is no reason for panic, however. Sophomore keeper John Carroll and freshman Ryan Kelly have split time in net in the Quakers' two victorious preseason scrimmages against Towson and Hobart. "I think it's awful wishful thinking that we can replace Matt," Van Arsdale said. "But I think we'll be in good shape with the both of them." Kelly, a Deer Park, N.Y., native, captained his high school team his junior and senior years and was named team MVP last season. Kelly is unquestionably talented, but he is not yet ready to monopolize playing time for Penn. "We have a different system here in terms of techniques of stopping the ball," Kelly said. "Right now, John and I are the same. I'm probably a little bit better at communicating with the rest of the defense, but he's better at stopping the ball." As Penn assistant coach and goalie specialist Tom McClelland continues to work with Kelly on his mechanics in the crease, he may develop into an everyday starter. But for now, it look as if it will be a freshman-sophomore platoon at goal. The Quakers hit the jackpot when it comes to welcoming new talent at the midfielder positions. The crown jewel of the incoming class is Alex Kopicki, who was one of the finest high school talents coming out of the Baltimore-area lacrosse hotbed last season. Kopicki, who stands 6'2" and weighs 185 pounds, was first-team All-Metro for St. Paul's, one of the most highly regarded high school programs in the country. "We got Alex Kopicki. As a freshman, he's ready to play a lot of minutes right away," Van Arsdale said. Another Baltimore product, Jake Martin, should provide added depth in the middle of the field for Penn. Junior Adam Solow comes by way of Hanover, N.H. The middie, who is originally from nearby Wynnewood, Pa., transferred to Penn after two standout seasons at Dartmouth. He led the Big Green in both goals and total points as a freshman. Solow joins his brother, sophomore Scott Solow, on the Red and Blue. "I think I came to Penn for three reasons. One, my brother's here and I like playing with him," Solow said. "Two, I'm from Philadelphia, and I got a little homesick. Three, I really like playing for coach Van Arsdale." Adam's father, Steve Solow, was a lacrosse captain for Penn in his senior year, 1973. The elder Solow is naturally pleased with his son's transfer. "My dad really wanted me to go to Penn," Adam said. "He's glad I'm here, and I'm glad. I had a miserable time on and off the field [at Dartmouth]."
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Sigma Alpha Mu cannot return to campus until the spring of 2001 After violating dry rush policies last month by serving alcohol at an event, the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity has lost its charter and has been suspended by the University for at least a year, officials announced yesterday. SAM's suspension comes as a punishment for serving alcohol at a January 21 rush event, disobeying InterFraternity Council rush rules and breaking the conditions of the fraternity's current social probation. The fraternity was on probation for violating dry rush and anti-hazing policies a year ago. The suspension will take effect April 9 and last until the end of the calendar year, but the brothers will be allowed to continue to live in their house -- located at 3817 Walnut Street -- under the supervision of a live-in monitor. The 22 current pledges will be initiated on April 9. "The Chapter is prohibited from holding meetings or participating in, hosting, or sponsoring campus functions, using the name of Sigma Alpha Mu, the Greek letters, nicknames or other insignia, or otherwise functioning as a chapter," said a statement released yesterday by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. The fraternity may be allowed to recolonize in the spring of 2001 if the brothers meet the stringent conditions of their agreement with the University -- which include becoming permanently dry, completing a series of alcohol and risk management classes and doing community service. SAM National Executive Director Aaron Girson did not return repeated phone calls, nor did SAM President Jared Hendricks. Also as part of their punishment, the brothers agreed to place an advertisement in today's Daily Pennsylvanian acknowledging their violations and vowing to improve their conduct in the future. "The current membership of SAM is determined to prove that January's violation was an aberration and that the strides we have made for positive change in the Chapter and on campus will now continue uninterrupted," the brothers wrote in the ad. If the fraternity does recolonize a year from now, it will have to petition its national organization to regain its charter. And the brothers will never again be allowed to bring alcohol into their house, according to OFSA's statement. "The Chapter has agreed to become alcohol-free on a permanent basis, effective immediately," the statement said. If SAM is permitted to recolonize, the brothers will also be required to work on anti-alcohol abuse initiatives, according to OFSA's statement. "Working closely with the IFC, they will assume a leadership role in forming a task force to explore alternatives to alcohol at rush events." The suspension comes about a year after the brothers were disciplined for previous alcohol-related violations. The fraternity was placed on a one-year social probation and a two-year probation after two incidents last spring, the first being a rush event at a New Jersey bowling alley where the brothers brought five kegs and stole or damaged hundreds of bowling balls, pins and shoes. SAM was forced to reorganize in the fall and placed the 40 junior and senior brothers on alumni status, leaving just 21 active members. An IFC statement said the organization is happy with the way the situation was resolved. "We are glad that the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and the University were able to work out an agreement that is acceptable to both parties," the statement said. "We look forward to having SAM play an active role in the Greek system in the future."
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Chief Operating Officer Robert martin resigned after only nine months. The reshuffling of University of Pennsylvania Health System executives continued this week with the surprise resignation of Chief Operating Officer Robert Martin on Monday. Martin's resignation comes just 13 days after former Chief Executive Officer and Medical School Dean William Kelley was asked to step down from his position by University President Judith Rodin. "He had done a terrific job," said Health System spokeswoman Lori Doyle, adding that Martin felt that stepping down was the best thing for him. Martin was not available for comment last night. Health System officials announced that I. William Ferniany, who most recently served as the Health System's senior vice president for administrative services, will serve as the interim COO while a national search for a permanent replacement is conducted. Although Martin's reason for leaving was not immediately clear, Interim CEO Peter Traber said in an e-mail sent to Health System administrators that it was Martin's own decision to resign from the position he held for nine months. Some have speculated, however, that his departure was related to the role the Hunter Group -- the Florida-based consulting firm that was brought to campus in July to help administrators slash costs -- is expected to play in UPHS as it attempts to put its financial turmoil behind it. With the announcement of Traber's appointment almost two weeks ago, Rodin said the firm would continue to advise Health System officials on their task of bringing the financially troubled system back to its feet. University officials have contracted the Hunter Group for a three-month consulting engagement, Ferniany explained, though that contract could be lengthened if needed. Alan Zuckerman, a consultant with Health Strategies and Solutions in Philadelphia, said the recent departures of Martin and Kelley could portend more UPHS changes. "It may be suggestive of a broader role that the Hunter Group is going to play," Zuckerman said. He explained that in the past, when executives of Hunter Group clients resigned, it was usually because the firm was asserting a greater degree of administrative control. But Health System and University officials have continually stressed that the Hunter Group executives are not going to assume administrative control of UPHS. "They're not here to slash and burn and they're not here to run the place," insisted Ferniany, who has worked for the Health System for seven years. Other experts in the field saw the recent departures as standard. "I don't think the Hunter Group is behind this at all," explained Joshua Nemzoff, the head of Nemzoff and Co., a New Hope healthcare consulting firm. "There is a rather clear, linear correlation between institutions losing significant amounts of money and management turnover." In addition to Martin and Kelley, the Health System has lost several other administrators over the past year. In October, former Chief Medical Officer David Shulkin stepped down to take a position with DoctorQuality.com. Former Chief Financial Officer John Wynne resigned in April for health reasons. And former Senior Vice President for Hospital Operations Thomas Beeman left in September. As interim COO, Ferniany said he will implement whatever strategies Traber, Rodin and the University Trustees agree upon. Ferniany added he is confident UPHS will meet the goal administrators set in May, which is to run a deficit of no more than $10 million in the current fiscal year. "We will probably make our budget this year," he said. "We will come awful damn close, that's for sure."
