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(03/05/92 10:00am)
According to Fire and Occupational Safety Director James Miller, the fire caused "little or no" physical damage, but occured in a "critical area" of the hotel. The fire, which occurred at approximately 4:45 p.m., put the hotel and offices out of service until power was restored on Sunday night at 10 p.m. Jim Atkinson, Director of Security at the Penn Tower Hotel, said the fire was a result of electrical difficulties occurring at 49th and Woodland streets. Atkinson said the Philadelphia Electric Company informed hotel officials that because of difficulties in this area, the hotel would have to switch from its primary to its auxilary power system. But when the power transfer was made, Atkinson said there was "an electrical explosion." Atkinson said the hotel guests were transferred immediately to locations such as the University Museum and the Civic Center, so that the fire could be looked after. The medical practices housed on lower floors were simply moved to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Atkinson also added that a decision was made three hours after the incident to move the aproximately 150 guests to the University City Sheraton. Although PECO did not restore primary power to the hotel until Sunday night, the company brought in a large portable generator to power the hotel. As a result of the fire, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia had to switch to emergency power because it is hooked up to the same primary powerline that fed the fire, Miller said. Atkinson said there was a conference on blacks and higher education at the hotel that had to be postponed as a result of the fire. Miller said that the Penn Tower had "resumed business" on Monday.
(03/05/92 10:00am)
When PARIS opens for fall-term course registration on Monday, March 30, many University students may not be able to register through PARIS. · Most College juniors and seniors who have not declared majors. · Second-semester College freshmen and first-semester College sophomores who have not met with an advisor. · Psychology majors who have not met with a departmental advisor. · All Engineering and Nursing students who have not met with an advisor. It is uncertain how many students would be affected by this block. "The benefit is for the students," said Kent Peterman, executive assistant to CAS Associate Dean Norman Adler. "The major program is one of the key ingredients in the undergraduate curriculum . . . If [students] put off [declaring their majors] until the last minute, they've compromised that part of their education." Peterman said the rule requiring College students to declare their majors by the end of their sophomore year is not new. "[The rule] has been on the books. The only difference is, we've decided to enforce it," Peterman said. Psychology Chairperson John Sabini said the Psychology department has ordered the block on registration "because the Psychology Department thinks that it's important that our majors profit from the advice of an advisor." "We think it's a good thing for students to think about their programs . . . take a four-year perspective and for them to have the opportunity to talk to faculty about it," he added. Exemptions to the PARIS block may apply to juniors on the Communication majors' waiting list. These blocks on the registration system were implemented for the first time last semester. Staff writer Emily Culbertson contributed to this story.
(03/02/92 10:00am)
University Police arrested suspects for two separate robberies that occured at 41st and Pine streets Friday morning and Saturday night, Sergeant Thomas Rambo said yesterday. In the first incident, two men approached a male University student on the 4100 block of Pine Street at 2:38 a.m. Friday. Police said the robbers hit the student with golf clubs and demanded he give them money. The student, who incurred no serious injuries, gave his assailants three dollars in cash. Members of the UPPD Crime Abatement Team, a volunteer police unit, arrested the two suspects nearby shortly afterwards. University Police took the suspects to the West Detectives Division of the Philadelphia Police Department after an initial investigation at UPPD headquarters. In the second incident, a man armed with a knife robbed a University student at 41st and Pine streets at 8:10 p.m. Saturday. The man took three dollars in cash from the student, who was not injured during the robbery. Again, members of the UPPD Crime Abatemant Team arrested the suspect near the scene of the crime shortly afterwards. University Police questioned the suspect and transferred him to West Detectives. In an unrelated incident, University Police arrested a man carrying a gun on the second floor of the Mellon Bank building at 133 South 36th Street at 5:52 p.m. Friday. Police charged the man, who is not affiliated with the University, with a weapons offense for carrying a .38 caliber handgun. In another unrelated incident, police reported a theft at The Gap at 3423 Walnut Street on Friday at 11:16 a.m. Police said between 10 and 20 juveniles fled the store with stacks of unpaid-for jeans. Police arrested two of the juvenile thieves, but the store owner declined to press charges. All of the other thieves remain at large. Police found the man unconscious behind the wheel of a car which had hit a tree on the unit block of South 42nd Street. The man refused hospital treatment for his injuries, which Rambo said were minor. After checking the man's record, police discovered that he is wanted by the Commonwealth. Police also reported the theft of a 1977 model white Toyota automobile from the 200 block of South 36th Street at 3:19 a.m. Friday. In an unrelated incident, University Police officers pursued and arrested one of two boys who robbed a woman at 46th and Market streets at 2:53 p.m. Friday. Rambo said the two boys approached the woman and grabbed the two gold necklaces she was wearing. Rambo said police are uncertain if the woman is affiliated with the University. The boys fled the scene on separate bicycles. University Police spotted one of the boys at 42nd and Spruce streets shortly afterwards and chased him to 47th and Spruce, where they arrested him. The 16-year-old boy was holding a .38 caliber handgun. The second robber is still at large.
(02/26/92 10:00am)
A three-day program organized by University students to celebrate multiculturalism and sensitivity will begin today, and will include speakers, discussion groups and entertainment. COLORS, or Campus Organized Lectures on Racial Sensitivity, is a program of events designed to make students more aware of diversity at the University and of respect for differences as a whole. The program was founded in the fall of 1988 by Alpha Phi Alpha brother Franklin Ferguson and Sigma Chi brother Marc McMorris in response to racial tensions on campus. While the program was originally created to increase dialogue between the Black InterGreek Council and the InterFraternity Council, it eventually transformed into a program open to all members of the University community. "We realized that if the program was intended to reflect true diversity, it shouldn't be a strictly Greek program," COLORS co-chairperson and Alpha Phi Alpha brother Sean Gumbs said. And according to Gumbs, the program is currently being reviewed by Alpha Phi Alpha's national division to make it a mandatory program for chapters across the country. Gumbs is chairing the program with Sigma Chi brother Saad Khairi. The program will begin today at noon with Hands Across Locust Walk, in which a human chain will form from the 38th Street Bridge to the button in front of Van Pelt Library in a symbolic gesture of unity. COLORS will continue this evening with Skit Seminar Night in Vance Hall Basement at 7:30 p.m. Participating groups will perform three short skits dealing with racial topics and student leaders will facilitate discussion. And on Friday, COLORS will host the COLORS Variety Show, which will feature various University performing arts groups in a show of "the true diversity of students at Penn," according to Gumbs. The show, which will be held at Harrison Auditorium at 8 p.m., will be followed by a party at Boccie Pizzeria. While Friday night's party will cost $5 and the Variety Show will have an admission fee of $4 for singles and $7 for pairs, all other events of COLORS are free and are open to the public. "We encourage all students to attend," Gumbs said. "The program is only as effective as the amount of students that come out and voice their opinions."
(02/25/92 10:00am)
A Residential Maintenance official said yesterday his office has received only nine student complaints about mice in Kings Court this year, which he said does not constitute a problem. Residential Maintenance Assistant Director Phil Genther said his office placed traps in the basement of the building to avoid a problem in Kings Court for this school year because of the renovation of English House and the demolition of the Law Dorms nearby. The nine student complaints were filed during the months of August, September, January and February. Genther said only two of these complaints were from fourth floor resident Connie Fang, who said Sunday she and her roommate have placed several complaints. Fang said the two students have caught six mice over the course of the year with glue traps they received from the Kings Court desk after filing the complaints. Fang said someone from Genther's office called her yesterday to inquire about the problem, offering to send a carpenter to to board up the hole in her roommate's closet, the place where she believes mice enter the room. "They never did anything more than give us the traps before," Fang said. "Now, they're so concerned about their image -- sending carpenters to my room and asking me if I know of anyone else with a big mouse problem." Genther said if a certain room has a chronic problem, someone from his office will go to the room to survey it, looking for a nest or a hole, which will then be removed or boarded up. Genther said exterminators went through Kings Court today for their quarter-yearly roach extermination. Exterminators reported mouse problems in Fang's room, the room directly below hers and another room on the third floor -- the same rooms Fang named when Residential Maintenance asked if she knew of any other existing problems. Genther said students sighting a mouse in their room can file a complaint at the front desk. The report goes through his office and the exterminators, who are in every second day, take glue traps to the residence. Once a mouse is caught, the students in the room can either dispose of the rodent themselves or call Residential Maintenance to have it removed. If the students choose to dispose of it themselves, they can flush it down the toilet or throw it in the trash. Genther said the glue traps are used now because of previous problems with poison. "The mice would eat the poison and crawl away to die," Genther said. "But, they would die in the walls and the students would complain, rightfully so, of the smell." "If students are opposed to the traps because they don't want to come into their room to find a live mouse stuck to the trap, they still have the option of the poison," Genther added. "But, then they run the risk of the smell." He added that the glue traps, which catch the mouse alive, are just as effective in getting rid of the mice in the end. Genther said he believes the problem may at times seem worse than it is because several students will see the same mouse and suddenly believe the building is infested. He also said he has only received one complaint of a rat in six years and that it is very rare for a rat to enter a student's room.
(01/22/92 10:00am)
Today, January 22, marks the 19th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed women the fundamental right to safe, legal and accessible abortion. The Supreme Court's legalization of abortion in 1973 affirmed reproductive rights and reproductive freedom for all women. But in 1992, this fundamental right is in jeopardy, for there is little chance that Roe v. Wade will survive the current make-up of the Rehnquist court. The restrictions the court will review -- a mandatory 24-hour delay, mandated state-scripted propaganda, and subjecting a woman's decision to the will of her huspband, are clearly an undue burden on women. If the Supreme Court upholds these restrictions it will weaken -- if not eliminate for all practical purposes -- the reproductive rights put forth in Roe v. Wade. Before 1973, an estimated 1,000,000 American women risked their health and lives resorting to illegal abortions each year. In 1969, approximately 5,000 American women died from illegal abortions. It is clear that women will continue to have abortions, whether legal or not; the real question is one of abortion being medically safe. Safe, accessible, legal abortion in the United States has saved thousands of women from back-alley butchers, infection, mutilation and death. In fact, a medically performed abortion is safer and has a lower health risk rate than pregnancy and childbirth. The current dangers of illegal abortion to women are clearly evident: an estimated 200,000 women worldwide die annually from illegal, botched abortions -- one woman every three minutes. Women have a natural right to control their own bodies. Moreover, they are entitled to make any personal decision concerning abortion without government interference. The choice to have an abortion is one that must be made by the woman; it is not a choice that should be made by government officials, who neither have to carry a fetus to full term nor assume responsibility once it is born. Supporting a woman's right to choose is just that -- supporting a choice. Being pro-choice does not mean one advocates or mandates abortion; it simply means women are able to exercise their reproductive freedom. Indeed, there are other issues of reproductive rights that need to be addressed, both in the United States and around the world. Among these are better methods of birth control and more contraceptive research, greater access to family planning programs and better day care service. These also include increased sexual health education in schools, since over half of the United States' school systems do not have classes in basic reproduction and contraception facts. We must all act together -- young and old, gay and straight, women and men of all colors -- to insure the right to safe, legal and accessible abortion. A national March for Women's Lives will take place on April 5 in Washington D.C. to let our government finally see and hear the pro-choice majority. In this presidential election year, your vote can make a difference, so vote pro-choice in November. And today, to demonstrate support for reproductive rights, wear a purple ribbon. Don't let this be the last Roe v. Wade anniversary. Raji Jagadeesan is a junior American History major from Massillon, Ohio. Cynthia Brown is a first-year graduate student in the School of Social Work from Norway, Michigan.
(01/21/92 10:00am)
The participants considered the questions, "What's going on between the races?" and "Why isn't Martin Luther King's dream of racial equality being fulfilled in America?" Gloria Gay, associate director of the Women's Center and Marcine Pickron--Davis, assistant director of the Program for Student--Community Involvement, led the discussion. Gay began by breaking students into smaller groups of five or six to determine problems that exist among different races at the University. A representative from each group commented on its conclusions. Lack of communication, apathy, and ignorance were cited as major sources of tension among the races. The ideas brought up by the small groups led to an open discussion, where participants shared their own ideas with other students. Those who spoke commented on the need to educate themselves about other ethnic groups, to recognize and respect differences and to eliminate stereotypes. Many students also expressed a desire for the University to recognize formally the day as a holiday. Gay concluded the discussion with her own remarks. She stated that Americans have inherited a racist society. "If you're having a conversation about race in America, it's not going to feel good," she said. But she indicated that holding these conversations is the only way to resolve racial tensions. "Martin Luther King didn't just do what he did for black people," she added. "He did it for all people." Students in attendance said they enjoyed the program and agreed that it was worthwhile. "I'm pleased to see a really diverse group here," College senior Lauren Hochberg said. "I think the discussion was honest and open . . . everyone here got something out of it," said Khalil Muhammad, a College junior. The discussion was sponsored by the Black Student League as part of yesterday's celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
(12/09/91 10:00am)
The ad offered a Valentine's Day special for the Polo Bay nightclub which stated in fine print that the special was open to couples who "must be of the opposite sex." A group of students and faculty calling itself the Valentine's Day Coalition protested the ad and filed complaints with the Philadelphia Human Relations Coalition against both the DP and the nightclub. The group has since agreed to drop the complaints against the DP, which editors of the paper have maintained are groundless. The apology stated that the DP did not realize that the offensive statement had been included in the ad. "If the fine print at issue had been seen prior to publication, the ad would not have been published containing that language, because it appears to constitute unlawful discrimination based on sexual orientation," the statement read. "The DP regrets that the incident occurred." The statement was part of an agreement made between the DP and the coalition, which states that, among other things, the paper will inform all advertisers that unlawfully discriminatory ads will not be printed and that members of the DP staff will meet with the coalition in the future to continue discussions. Executive Editor Helen Jung said that she is glad the matter is resolved. "It was important to us that we resolve this matter between the coalition and ourselves," Jung said. "We did not want a governmental agency interfering with and limiting our freedom of the press." Coalition member Marc Stein said he was satisfied with the statement. "For the most part I'm really pleased," Stein said. "Once the DP and the Valentine's Day Coalition sat down and talked, we were able to make a great deal of progress. It's really too bad it had to take 10 months." Stein said that the agreement was a positive move. "In terms of the eight-part agreement, the DP apology is really only the first step, and we look forward to the DP fulfilling all of its other promises," Stein said. "I hope that the DP's positive action will lead to greater student awareness of the problems of day-to-day heterosexism at Penn."
(11/27/91 10:00am)
Head football coach Gary Steele announced his resignation Tuesday at an afternoon press conference in Weightman Hall, just three days after the final game of the 1991 season. Steele compiled a 9-21 record in three seasons as head coach, including a 2-8 campaign this fall -- the Quakers' worst in a decade. Having just completed the final season of his three-year contract, Steele ended rampant speculation about his future with the announcement Tuesday. "The reasons are myriad and personal and I hope you will all understand my decision not to delve into them," he added. Steele inherited a program synonymous with Ivy League success in March 1989, but produced just nine victories in the past three years. The team's record during his tenure led to concern among alumni and fans as to where the program is headed. "I'd like to make it clear that I do not feel that the Pennsylvania football program is in a state of disarray," Athletic Director Paul Rubincam said. "I believe that we can contend for the Ivy title almost immediately." Rubincam said a committee would be formed immediately to coordinate a "national search" for Steele's replacement. The athletic director said he hoped to have a new coach within six weeks. "We want to hire a new coach as soon as possible," Rubincam said. "But we also want to be sure we are getting the right person. We will give the new head coach a great deal of latitude in hiring a new staff." Steele's eight assistant coaches have been retained for the time being and linebacker coach Ray Priore has been placed in charge of recruiting. "Some of the present staff may remain with us, but on the other hand, maybe all will go," Rubincam said. "I would like to think there will be some familiar faces on the next staff." Steele made his final decision in the wake of the team's 14-13 victory over Cornell last Saturday. He told his staff of his intention to resign after informing Rubincam Monday. Rubincam said he and Steele never discussed any possible contract extension because Steele snuffed the possibility with his decision to resign. Steele said he regretted not having an opportunity to address the team as a whole before the press conference. "I regret the timing of the decision coming on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday," Steele said. "But I do plan to address them as a team on Monday when they arrive back on campus." Three players -- sophomore linebacker Andy Berlin, junior running back Sundiata Rush and junior fullback Bill Knapp -- were present at the press conference. "I'm sorry it happened the way it did," Berlin said. "He gave all he could to the program. But it's obviously time for a change. Hopefully, the new coach will bring in new optimism -- something this program sorely needs." "I'm going to miss him," said Knapp, who met with Steele prior to the announcement. "He's a players' coach. He's one of the few coaches I've had that could get you fired up each week. We've been through so much adversity this year. He's taking this with a lot of class and dignity and I think he'll bounce back." Steele admitted his future at Penn became murkier during the year, as his team suffered heartbreak after heartbreak, losing five games by less than eight points. By season's end, he knew it was time to confront the issue. "Any time that you're not being as successful as you want, those thoughts enter your mind," he said. "At different times through the year, with the frustrations that we've had, you start scratching your head and wondering. I tried not to really look at that stuff and think about it too much until once we got through the season. "During the season, you're too preoccupied with everything to really entertain a lot of things. There was a process I started doing Sunday morning." A nine-year veteran of the Penn staff, the 40-year-old Steele was Penn's defensive coordinator from 1986 to 1988 when the Quakers won two Ivy League championships. He was the team's 20th head coach, replacing Ed Zubrow, who resigned after three seasons to accept a position in the Philadelphia public school system. At the beginning of his three-year tenure, Steele seemed prepared to duplicate the success of his predecessors, who had notched six of the last seven League titles. In October 1989, his Quakers were sporting a 4-1 mid-season mark and were in contention when they ventured to Yale. But after dropping a 23-22 heartbreaker on a last-second Yale field goal, the team went into a tailspin. It lost its last five games of the season to end at 4-6. Since that defeat at the Yale Bowl, Penn lost 15 of its next 20 games. After Penn's all-time leading passer, Malcolm Glover, finished his career with the Quakers in 1989, Steele and the team became embroiled in a continuing quarterback controversy. Last season, Steele employed a chaotic three-signal caller rotation en route to a lackluster 3-7 season. This year, the Penn coach again never committed himself to either of two quarterbacks -- junior Fitz McKinnon and sophomore Jim McGeehan. Instead, he opted to make a weekly evaluation at the position. It didn't work. The Quakers were humiliated by lowly Columbia in October. They blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter against Lehigh. Saturday after Saturday, Penn seemed unable to win the close games. And now, the Quakers seem far removed from the glories of the '80s. "If anybody looks where we're at and looks how close we've been the last two years," Steele claimed, "it's not like we're down at the bottom or we've got to start over and rebuild. I don't think the foundation is any worse off than it was three years ago. I'm not going to say it's any better but I certainly don't think it's any worse off. The opportunity for success is certainly here."
(11/25/91 10:00am)
Several students who say Van Pelt College House officials allowed them to live in coed suites, despite violating Residential Living guidelines, will be asked to move after a fact-finding investigation is completed, a University official said yesterday. Christopher Dennis, the director of the college house program, said last night that although officials are still gathering facts in the case, Residential Living will ask the students to move "if it is determined that they are not in compliance with their occupancy agreements." In addition, Engineering senior Aaron Fuegi and College senior Sharon Jackson are listed as living in Van Pelt's Room 114. Residential Living guidelines specifically prohibit people of the opposite sex from living together in dormitories, unless they are married. Dennis said last night it is too early to tell whether any employees who knew of the situation hid the violations, and said he could not predict if Residential Living officials would be disciplined or fired. He added that the "early indication" is that some college house workers, including Van Pelt Administrative Fellow Catherine Johnson, might not have initially realized the arrangement broke the rules. But he added, "it is not crystal clear when people knew that." Dennis said Residential Living officials only became aware of the situation after the DP reported on the incident on Friday. It is not clear whether all of the students, or just either the males or females, would be asked to move. It is also unclear how much time the students would be given to move out. Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone refused comment yesterday, saying only that an investigation is underway. She would not speculate how long the investigation might take or what the results might be. But Dennis said the current arrangement will not be allowed to stand despite the students' allegation that Van Pelt workers told them they were living together as part of a pilot program evaluating coed dormitory living. None of the students, who are friends and are not involved romantically, would comment on the situation yesterday. In interviews conducted last week, however, the students maintained that they did not realize they were violating University policy and thought that the rules had been changed for the pilot program. College senior Gerst said she discussed the proposed coed apartment last year with then-Van Pelt Administrative Fellow Andrew Miller. "Van Pelt really didn't have a problem with it," Gerst said, but she added she and her suitemates "had to do a little bit of finagling." "This was proposed to us as an experimental living situation," she said. College junior Davidson said he and his three suitemates thought that "the rules had been changed," adding, "We were not aware that this was unofficial and we weren't given any cautionary advice."
(11/21/91 10:00am)
Brian Bora, UA Safety and Security Committee chairperson, said assembly members will try to recruit people through a "two-point plan" of speaking at floor meetings in the residences and at the meetings of other student groups. Bora, a Penn Watch coordinator, said the new plan should be in place by next semester. This fall, the two-year-old Penn Watch program, which was started by campus Greek organizations and joined by the UA, has had trouble finding volunteers, who patrol the immediate off-campus area in groups from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. every night. Only about 200 students are participating in the program this year, compared to about 400 last fall. And UA members, who are responsible for a patrol every Wednesday, have not produced enough Penn Watch volunteers this semester to fill their slot. Instead, Alpha Phi Omega, a campus service fraternity, has volunteered to do the routes. Through their new plan, assembly members said they should be able to gain support for the program. "[The presentations] will act as a way of teaching people about the process and get them more involved," UA Treasurer Jeff Lichtman said last night. "We anticipate or hope that we'll get a few volunteers every time we do this." Lichtman said he thinks one reason people have not joined the program is that "they don't know what Penn Watch does" and added that after UA members explain it to students, he "hopes it will sell itself." While UA efforts may bring some new participants to Penn Watch, Alpha Phi Omega volunteers said last night the assembly should reassess the way it runs the program itself. Riz Shavelle, the fraternity's president, said her service group volunteered to fill in for the UA on Wednesday nights because the student government was unable to fill the routes. But Shavelle said the UA and Penn Watch coordinators have not done their part, saying "there's been no communication between the groups and the Penn Watch coordinators." "They just assume people will show up," Shavelle said. "The UA has volunteers they're not utilizing well . . . All the initiative's put on the volunteers, rather than on the UA or the coordinators." Shavelle said that on some occasions, Penn Watch coordinators have failed to show up at the University Police station to hand out equipment and to deal with the police officers on duty. She said that without the coordinator, volunteers can not go out on their routes, adding that one week, her fraternity members had to turn around and come straight home. Shavelle said she thinks the UA should devise a better system for communicating with volunteers and with the police. UA Vice Chairperson Ethan Youderian said he thinks the program's communication problem is that Penn Watch is not organized well and said the UA is currently devising a plan to restructure it. "We're trying to figure out now who should be in charge of this thing," Youderian said. "There should be a definite set form of leadership so Penn Watch runs smoothly all year."
(11/20/91 10:00am)
An autopsy performed on the employee later Monday revealed that he died of a gunshot wound to the chest despite efforts by HUP doctors to revive him for nearly 30 minutes, officials said. And a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner's office said yesterday that 33-year old Greg Mumford was still alive when he was wheeled into HUP's emergency room at 3:37 a.m. Monday. Mumford, a HUP employee of 15 years, was shot by one of three male attackers who were robbing his car and wallet early Monday morning near the corner of 45th and Baltimore streets. Police responded to a report of a man screaming in Clark Park on 43rd and Baltimore streets and found Mumford standing in the middle of Baltimore Street. Police took Mumford to his house on the 800 block of S. 49th Street to get registration papers for his car when he collapsed on his porch. The spokesperson for the Medical Examiner's office would not speculate if Mumford's life could have been saved if he had been taken directly to the hospital. "I can't do that," the spokesperson said. "I can't sit here and play God." A Philadelphia Police spokesperson also said yesterday that a preliminary investigation of the incident by the department has revealed that Mumford never told police officers that he had been injured. "The officers were not informed [that Mumford had been shot]," the spokesperson said. Police said if Mumford was shot with a small caliber pistol, he might not have realized he was injured. Police also said that while such incidents are not common, victims occasionally do not realize they have been shot even minutes after the incident. "I've seen cases as a policeman where [victims don't realize they have been shot]," the police spokesman said, adding that the victim might have been so excited by the incident, that he never felt the pain. "With a small caliber gun, a man can be shot an easily not know it," he added. The medical examiner's spokesman agreed, stating that "it's not outside the realm of possibilities" for Mumford to unknowingly have been shot. Mumford was taken to the emergency room, but was pronounced dead in the operating room at 4:06 a.m. Monday, the spokesperson said.
(11/13/91 10:00am)
Donald Barlett and Bobby Jean McLaughlin talked for several hours in Charlestown, West Virginia last year. McLaughlin told Barlett about losing her job, losing her pension and losing her faith in America. And when Don Barlett had finished listening to her, he wrote it all down and brought it home. And he and his partner James Steele did the same thing over and over again with hundreds of people just like McLaughlin from around the country. "It was really sad, really depressing," Barlett said last week. "A sense of bewilderment ran through these people. They didn't really understand what happened." Eventually, McLaughlin's story made its way into the pages of The Philadelphia Inquirer, joining reams of stories and statistics about a "lost middle class," to create one of the biggest series the Inquirer has ever printed -- "America: What went wrong?" · Sitting in their cluttered-to-the-point-of-utter-chaos office in the Inquirer building on Broad Street and Spring Garden Avenue, Barlett and Steele seem unaffected by their repeated journalistic success. They are calm, soft-spoken men who, without their prize-winning words on newspaper pages around the country, would blend into the ranks of other reporters at Philadelphia's newspaper of record. Steele is a tall, young-ish 48 year old, with a sure voice and a friendly, welcoming manner. He initiates the conversation, while Barlett, a stocky, balding 55 year old is more reserved, content to be in the background until he has something significant to say. Both men avoid talking about their personal lives, becoming silent when talk turns to their non-professional world. And they are uncomfortable when the spotlight is focused on them -- a fact the pair has to live with in these days immediately following the release of the high-profile series. "It's backwards," Barlett said. "We prefer to be on the other side of all this." Barlett and Steele are well-respected by both editors -- who come to them for input on business-related editorials -- and other reporters -- who go to them as the definitive sources on many money matters. "Ask Barlett and Steele," one business reporter jokingly suggested to a struggling comrade in the news room. "Oh no, forget it. They take two years to research a story." And Barlett and Steele maintain that they are just like other Inquirer journalists, a part of the reporters' team in the Spartan newsroom. They talk about "chatting about stories" with other reporters, sharing ideas and giving pointers to those who need it. · In their nine-part series, "America: What went wrong?", Barlett and Steele uncovered deeply buried stories and statistics about "the decline of the American middle class" throughout the last decade. They examined the intricate wheelings and dealings of the corporate world, explaining them in the context of a failing economy, a growing unemployment rate and a rash of overpaid, hot-headed executives. Barlett and Steele's unconventional use of the second person -- addressing "you" -- made readers feel as if the stories were their own life histories. For example, in the installment about tax breaks for big business, they describe a large-scale tax deduction as a "wand . . . available only to a select few" -- "You, for example, can't have one. What's more, you pay for the wands that do get passed around." · Barlett and Steele compose their prize-winning pieces from a small fourth-floor office in the Inquirer building, surrounded by bushels of paper, overflowing boxes and sagging bookshelves -- material they have collected over the past 10 years and which they will never throw away. Barlett, in fact, gasps in horror at the mere suggestion that the team discard research from 1971 to clear space for future endeavors. The walls, at least the ones not filled by bookshelves, are bare, giving away nothing about the two reporters, showing no traces of the various awards -- not even the two Pulitzer Prizes -- they have garnered over the years, leaving no sign even of their wives and children. And the two reporters share more than just an office and a byline. According to Barlett, their writing styles are almost identical, "very straight forward, no flashy writing," making it impossible to distinguish which reporter wrote which piece of the latest series. And Barlett and Steele share an insatiable curiosity that carries them along through years of intense research and often overwhelming data. "One thing that's important to remember is that as journalists, we're inherently curious," Barlett said. "We get paid to be curious, and you can't beat that." Barlett and Steele have been partners for 20 years, and as any two people who have spent up to 18 hours a day together for weeks at a time, the reporting team thinks alike. They act alike. They even speak alike. Inquirer Assistant Managing Editor Lois Wark thinks they "think with one brain." But when their stories are finished, Barlett and Steele each go their separate ways. They have a strictly professional relationship and never socialize outside of work. "It was never any conscious decision," Steele said. "It's just a very fortunate thing, only because we see so much of each other as it is." The writers' family lives are separate as well. In fact, Shirley Barlett, Don Barlett's wife of 34 years, has never even met Jim or Nancy Steele. She said the families just never got around to getting together, noting that time apart is probably good for the workaholic men. · Barlett and Steele, who joined The Philadelphia Inquirer on the same day in 1970, formed their prize-winning team in 1971 to investigate abuses by the Federal Housing Administration in Philadelphia. The story turned into an expose on the corruptness of the city's judicial system that changed the way Philadelphia's criminal courts do business. The reporters' impromptu union worked, and Barlett and Steele went on to expose abuses in the American oil industry, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Congress. Besides winning various awards, Barlett and Steele have been a force in the political forum of the last decade, and their conclusions have often been cited during heated debates about the state of this nation's economy. The latest series, which may garner the team another Pulitzer, has caused a nationwide uproar about the way America works. Literally hundreds of letters, phone calls and reprint requests arrive at the newspaper office daily, the largest response rate of any Inquirer series to date. Parts of the lengthy series have also been reprinted in newspapers around the country, including most of the 35 Knight-Ridder newspapers -- the company that owns the Inquirer -- such as ITALICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The Miami Herald, The Detroit Free Press and the San Jose Mercury News. · In the past, these kinds of long, in-depth series have been the source of The Inquirer's many Pulitzer Prizes, and in turn, the source of much of the paper's prestige. This fact, coupled with the high profile of both the series and its authors, has led some critics to fault The Inquirer for aiming the series not just at the readers, but also at the Pulitzer Prize board. Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious honors for journalists in this country. They are awarded once a year in 14 different categories, including national reporting, explanatory writing and public service writing. A 19-person committee at Columbia University chooses the winners, often deciding among over 1000 entries. Inquirer reporters have received the awards about 20 times in as many years. But Inquirer reporters and editors, as well as others in the field, disregard this criticism, insisting that it is unfounded and they do not work that way. "That's muddleheaded and doomed," said Inquirer Executive Editor Jim Naughton. "If somebody writes a story to win a Pulitzer, it's almost invariably doomed because they're not writing for the right people." Bill Dedman, a former ITALICS!!!!!!!!Washington Post staff writer and a Pulitzer Prize juror said he thinks the series could very well win the award, but insisted that "no one would spend two years on such a tedious project . . . if their motivation was to win an award." "I believe this series could win a Pulitzer, but I have a firmer belief that you just can't predict [award winners]," Dedman said. "And I have an even firmer belief that they did not write the series for that purpose." Barlett and Steele themselves rarely mention their two previous Pulitzers, and Barlett said that their best series ever, one about nuclear waste, only garnered the pair one minor award, "the least number of prizes of any stories" the team has written. Instead, the reporters tend to judge stories by what changes they bring about. "The series wasn't written for a prize," Steele said. "What we really like to see is the response. People say we've answered a lot of questions they had about what went on in the '80s . . . and that's what's really important, not what awards we win."
(11/12/91 10:00am)
Smokey Joe's Tavern owner Paul Ryan, a popular businessman known for remembering anyone who frequented the bar, died Sunday night at the age of 66 after a long battle with cancer. Ryan, who has owned and operated Smoke's since 1952, died at his home in Overbrook after being sick for several months. "He was a down-to-earth . . . kind man, remarkable in the scope of his relationships," said Joseph Ryan, the late bar owner's great-nephew and a worker at the tavern. "He was friends with many different people, from seniors at Penn to the dean of the Wharton School . . . to Princess Grace, who always came around when she was in town," he added. "And he would have just as much fun with all of them . . . and they with him." Paul Ryan bought Smoke's when the tavern was located at 36th and Locust streets, moving it twice before settling into its current 40th Street location. He also owned the surrounding mall on 40th Street for several years, only recently selling the property to the University. Ryan had eight children, including one University alum, Sean Ryan, who graduated last May. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren. West Philadelphia business man Frank Turner, a long time friend of the tavern owner who was at the bar last night, said he "owes everything" to Ryan. Turner said Ryan helped make him into a businessman by partly financing a bar at 37th Street and Fairmount Avenue. Turner said he already misses Ryan. "He was just like a father to me," Turner said. "He was a very decent and kind person . . . the whole neighborhood liked him." Turner remembers Ryan as a "funny but serious man," who loved to joke around but who could be explicitly trusted. "If he told you something, you can bet he really meant it," he said. Wharton senior and Smoke's bartender Chance Van Sciver agreed, saying when he met Ryan last year, the bar owner remembered Van Sciver's father, who graduated from the University in 1952. The bartender said Ryan recognized him and remembered what his father had studied, where he worked and where he lived. "He was a remarkable person," Van Sciver said. Smoke's as well as its sister bar on the Main Line will continue to be run by Ryan's sons -- Paul Jr. and Patrick. Ryan's funeral will be held on Thursday at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on 63rd Street and Lancaster Avenue at 10:30 a.m. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Motherhouse of the Sisters of The Blessed Sacrament, 1663 Bristol Pike, Bensalem, 19020 or to The Convent of Divine Love, 2212 Green Street, Philadelphia, 19130.
(11/08/91 10:00am)
"Bob the Tiger" is back. But this time, he's ready. Two years ago, during the Homecoming football game against Princeton, a group of 30 rabid Quaker fans rushed onto Franklin Field at halftime and pummeled the Princeton Tiger mascot, stealing his fuzzy head, cutting his face and brusing several ribs. While the Tiger from two years ago retired after the beating, his replacement is ready for anything and is accepting the many risks and responsibilities of his uniform. "You always have to be on your guard when you're in the suit. You can't see at all," said Princeton Sophomore Rob Dyer. "The little kids are the the nastiest." He said that although a lot of people have asked him questions about the matchup, given the sordid reputation of Quaker fans at home against their arch-rival, he dismissed it as "hype." "My roommate has a gun, but I'll let him keep it," Dyer said. "I've got claws, but they don't do much good." Dyer said that "the only violence on the field will the Quakers getting crushed."
(10/30/91 10:00am)
The call comes in. A 25-year-old man is on his way in to the HUP emergency room. He is the victim of a drug-related gunfight with a bullet wound in his chest. The ambulance radios in his vital signs: slow heart beat, unconscious, barely detectable pulse. Doctors are harried in the chaotic emergency room, and need to figure out quickly how to treat their patient. Ten years ago, doctors would have discussed their alternatives. But through a program called TraumAID, doctors need only input a patient's condition into the computer, and instantly the treatment is written out for the doctors on the screen. "[TraumAID] recommends appropriate procedures to be carried out [in trauma centers]," according to an article written by its creators to appear in the Artificial Inteligence in Medicine journal next April. The original program was created eight years ago by a University professor, graduate student and a Medical College of Pennsylvania student and was updated to incorporate the advances in computer techonology. The new version allows the user to input more than one injury for a comprehensive diagnosis -- an important feature since many trauma victims have multiple wounds that need immediate treatment. "Version two was created because there was a need for flexibility," said MCP's John Clarke, one of its creators. "[The system] must be able to coordinate plans for multiple injuries." The group also programmed TraumAID to handle uncommon injuries that doctors at smaller trauma centers may not be familiar with. "[Certain] injuries might only be dealt with occasionally," Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science Bonnie Webber said. The system is able to diagnose 220 theoretical cases, but the program will soon include approximately 300 cases after the diagnoses are tested for accuracy according to experts standards. "We are doing a retrospective review," Clarke said. "[We must] validate the quality and usability of the advice." Penetrating injuries to the abdomen and chest are cases which are currently on-line. The expanded version of TraumAID will include additional areas of the torso. The program's creators stress, however, that the program is only to be used as an advisor and is not intended to replace doctors' intuition and knowledge. The system is continually being developed on two different computer systems. Students at the University and at Drexel University are involved with different aspects of the interface between the two systems.
(10/30/91 10:00am)
Frank Chen was one of the lucky ones. The College and Wharton junior brought a bicycle to campus for the first time this year and took all the reasonable precautions, including buying a Kryptonite lock. But that almost wasn't enough. One Sunday afternoon while his bicycle was secured in front of the Medical School, would-be thieves sawed the lock nearly in half. Fortunately for Chen, the lock held. But others have not fared as well. University Police Detective Larry Singer, who has been with the force since 1979, said he has "never seen anything like this year" in terms of bicycle theft. Since September 1 until earlier this month, 95 bicycles have been reported stolen from students, more than double the 42 stolen during the same period last year, and over three times more than the 28 taken over the same span in 1988. Overall, 320 bicycles were reported stolen during the 1990-91 academic year -- twice as many as in 1988-89. And these numbers do not include the theft of bike parts. Singer said bike theft is a University-wide problem, though the High Rises, Williams Hall and the David Rittenhouse Laboratories seem to be hardest hit. In particular, High Rise North is a favorite target for bicycle theives. Singer surmised that perhaps the perpetrators are just too lazy to walk any further onto campus. He and Detectives Supervisor Michael Carroll said in the past, the vast majority of thefts had been of bicycles that were either unlocked or locked with a simple cable. The U-type Kryptonite locks were considered safe. However, Carroll said thieves have become more creative. Using the leverage of a metal pipe, thieves have been able to bend the tube and pop the steel U open. Carroll said some have gone as far as "unbolting railings and sliding the bikes off, Kryptonite locks and all." College freshman Ben Kaplan said he has already knows the trials and tribulations that can accompany owning a bicycle at the University. On Sunday, September 15th, Kaplan's red Peugeot was chained to a bike rack in the Quad. "I figured it was safe inside the Quad," Kaplan explained, "so I didn't lock it up like I would've if I had been off campus. I was wrong." "I do things a bit differently now," said Kaplan, "The back wheel comes off, and a Kryptonite U-Lock secures the frame and both wheels. I need this bike, and I'm not going to let anyone get another crack at it." Anti-theft practices vary greatly throughout the University. Some merely chain the bike to the rack, a post, or just about any object considered immovable. This is not advisable, according to Carroll, as all it takes is one good squeeze with a pair of hedge clippers or wire cutters and it's Gone With the Schwinn. On the other end of the spectrum is the well-locked bike. If the tires are quick-release, both are locked to the rack and the frame. If the seat is quick-release, then it can be taken off and taken with the owner. The lock recomended by University Police is the Kryptonite Mini-Rock LS, which has a wider shaft so that thieves shouldn't be able to place a pipe on the lock. The lock should always face down. For those with older Kryptonite models, Carroll suggested buying a cuff that fits around the shaft. The lock can be purchased for under $60, while the cuff costs approximately $3. Police also recommended registering your bike with them, but Singer estimated that "maybe a quarter" of bikes on campus are registered. One of the biggest problems for police is that even if they recover a bicycle, it is often impossible to find the owner. Earlier this semester, University Police held their annual bike auction, at which they sold 38 bicycles and 11 bike parts, with proceeds going to the University. All of these bicycles were ones they recovered but could not return to the owner. Because of the difficulty in locating owners, police are considering a mandatory registration of all bicycles on campus. Registered bikes, which would be engraved and stickered, would allow the police to locate owners. In addition, registration would be a deterrent to thieves because the stickers would remove paint when peeled off. When placed on a standard spot on every bike, the police would quickly recognize a stolen bicycle. Carroll explained that students need to realize that bicycles are "relatively easy to steal . . . and to sell." He then explained that police need student cooperation to curtail theft. The police are working hard on the problem, Carroll said, but they "haven't gotten a hold on it yet."
(10/28/91 10:00am)
A University Escort Service van carrying two Escort staff members was involved in an accident early Friday morning -- the third accident this month -- according to University Police Lieutenant Susan Holmes. The Escort van was struck from behind by another car, according to Assistant Director of Transportation Stephen Carey. According to Carey, no one in the van was injured and there was minor damage to the van, which "is already back on the road." In a separate incident, a University employee was struck by a car driven by a graduate student outside the 37th Street gate of the Quadrangle at 2:00 p.m. Friday. The woman was distracted when a truck struck a SEPTA bus, and was hit by a car while crossing Spruce Street. The graduate student was unable to stop his car, and hit the woman, giving her minor injuries. The woman was transported to the HUP emergency room and treated for scrapes to her knee and injuries to her ankle, according to University Police Sergeant Michael Fink. University Police also responded to several other incidents over the weekend, including some men trying to buy food with counterfit money at Roy Rogers and a person getting assaulted in a Locust Walk restaurant: · Several males tried to pass counterfit bills at the Roy Rogers Restaurant at 39th and Walnut streets around 6:00 p.m. Thursday. Police said no one was arrested in the incident. · A person was reportedly struck under the eye around 2:00 a.m. Saturday in the Gold Standard restaurant at 3601 Locust. The person, who was not affiliated with the University, suffered a deep laceration to his face. · A local resident was stabbed in the chest at Locust Street and St. Mark's Square. The victim was taken to HUP, treated for minor injuries, and released. · Two people, who were not affiliated to the University, reported they were mugged on the 200 block of St. Mark's Square at 7:15 p.m. Thursday. The suspects, who also were not affiliated with the University, did not have a weapon. · A male intruder attempted to take a refigerator from a house on 45th Street between Spruce and Pine streets at 7:07 p.m. Friday. The suspect fled the area when he was spotted. · A beer keg was confiscated from the Quadrangle by University Police at 4:59 p.m. Friday. The incident has been referred to the Judicial Inquiry Office. · A burglar attempted to pry open the front door of Delta Upsilon house at 4035 Walnut Street at 7:27 p.m. Friday. The unsuccessful suspect fled the scene when he was spotted. · A 6-foot wire spool rolled down Locust Walk towards the Furness Building building early Saturday morning and could not be stopped by a University Police officer. The spool eventually hit a bench and a light pole. No one was injured. · A 1983 Oldsmobile Cutless was stolen from a University parking lot on the 3600 block of Walnut Street at 5:37 p.m. Saturday. · A fire extinguisher was discharged on the third floor of the Alpha Tau Omega house early yesterday morning.
(10/25/91 9:00am)
They're ba-ack. These style-conscious masses will be buying up vast quantities of University-logoed paraphernalia, taking endless pictures of the Ben Franklin statue, and making local restaurants forget that the recession ever occurred. Yes, it's that special Parents Weekend time again. And as usual, the University community has gone all out to make sure that the folks feel they are getting their money's worth. From today until Sunday, the University will be abuzz with receptions, wine and cheese affairs, and cocktail parties, providing ample opportunity for the masses of mothers to show off what little University trivia they remember from the campus tour they took years ago, and for the flocks of fathers to munch on mounds of hors d'oeuvres. Engineering junior Ken MacFarlane's plans will be typically packed with many activities. MacFarlane said that he and his parents plan to attend Performing Arts Night, a reception with Engineering School Dean Gregory Farrington, a brunch for Band members and their parents, see the football game, and go out to dinner. For many, the highlight of the weekend will be the football game tomorrow afternoon. Hundreds of excited Mommies and Daddies will meet up with their groggy-eyed progeny to see the winless Quakers play the winless Brown University Bears. And much to the joy of local eateries, the "Proud Penn Parents" have brought their credit cards. Wayne Right, manager of Center City favorite Astral Plane, said that "our reservations are almost booked for the weekend," and seafood restaurant Bookbinder's 15th Street Seafood House owner Richard Bookbinder said Parents Weekend is "usually big for us." But while some fear the annual onslaught of the middle-aged, many students said they were looking forward to the occasion, or at least to the free meals. College freshman Becky Anderko said she is excited for her parents' impending arrival Saturday from Bethlehem. "We plan to go to the game and go out to dinner," Anderko said. "I guess I'm looking forward to it, but I just saw them over break." Anderko said she wasn't worried about her parents' embarrassing her, because "everybody else's parents will be there too, so it won't be a big deal." Some students, however, felt that Parents Weekend arrived too close to Fall Break. Wharton freshman Todd Hazelkorn said he is "kinda indifferent" to his parents' Long Island trek, adding "a lot of people just went home, [there's] no thrill in seeing your parents again . . . I had gone home for fall break." But Hazelkorn's disappointment was lessened by the prospect of free food. "It's good for a free meal, maybe two," Hazelkorn said. MacFarlane said he feels Parents Weekend is a good idea. "It gives parents a chance to see what they are paying for," MacFarlane said. High Rise North Desk Receptionist Stephanie Robinson said that she has already given out 12 weekend guest passes to parents, and that she expects to pass out "dozens more." "The students are excited and so are the parents," Robinson said.
(10/23/91 9:00am)
Officials said that they have been eyeing the Civic Center for the last six months as a potential expansion site for the hospital's currently cramped quarters. The new Pennsylvania Convention Center, which is currently under construction adjacent to the Reading Terminal on 12th and Arch streets, will, when completed, make the current facility obsolete. The Civic Center would then likely be available for purchase, according to Gordon Williams, vice president of the Medical Center. Construction on the new center is scheduled to be completed by 1994. Williams said that HUP and the outpatient services would be moved to the new location, across the street from their current site, while the Medical School and the research facilities would remain where they are now. At last month's University Council meeting, University planning head Robert Zemsky said that the current HUP facility is "constipated" and prevents staff from performing its best work. Williams said the relocation is part of the Medical Center's master facility plan for the next 50 years. He added that Medical Center officials have considered six or seven sites for relocation, but that the Civic Center is their top choice. "The Civic Center site has a lot of positive things about it," Williams said. "The location is very close and it's a large enough site." The proposal has been presented to the Medical Center Trustees as well as to the University Trustees, but no vote or resolution has been passed by either body concerning the purchase. In addition, since the property officially is not up for sale yet, no bid has been made, Williams said. "We're still very preliminary at this time," Williams said. "We're not buying [the Civic Center] yet and I'm not sure that we ever will." Williams said there is no timetable for the proposed purchase either. The Medical Center is still working out the details of a purchase, but ultimately the decision will be based on the price and availability of the property. Any purchase would be handled by the University administration rather than only by the Medical Center. "We have received the go ahead to continue planning," Williams said. Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs Mark Kelley said that the move would be welcome because the Medical Center is running out of space. "What we have now is a hodge-podge of old and new buildings which are sort of built up by grafting buildings on to each other," said Kelley. "We can't sit with a pat hand because we desperately need more ambulatory space." Kelley said that it is important for the University to decide on how it plans to expand its facilities. "The best way to go is to think 10 to 20 years from now," he said. Kelley said that the proposal will continue to move forward with "deliberate speed." "The University leadership has been very supportive," he said. HUP Vice President and Executive Director William Pittinger said that he believes the most likely scenario would be for the Medical Center to use most of the site for the hospital and the rest for parking, roadwork and ambulatory care. "It's all dependent on when the site becomes available," Pittinger said. "It makes sense for the University to acquire the property."
