Joke Issue: Editorial | Republican primary endorsements
(03/29/16 6:00am)
The DP Opinion board is proud to state that we are endorsing Jeb Bush for the Republican Primary.
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PrognostiQuakers
(10/24/03 9:00am)
Saturday, we PrognostiQuakers were driving down the New Jersey Turnpike on our way home from a win at Columbia last weekend. We felt a bump. A bump in the world's greatest road? Mighty suspicious, we thought. It must be Jimmy Hoffa. So the legend goes that the former head of the Teamsters is buried under the New Jersey Turnpike, under Tony Soprano's garage or possibly beneath the west end zone of the Meadowlands. Our tenuous connection to organized labor could not have come at a better time with the still-undefeated Quakers set to face off against the always collective bargaining-challenged Yale. It seems that the Elis, when not "educating" presidents or eating porn and watching chicken (we don't really know the details) are having a problem with everyone at their school going on striking quatra-annually. And you thought GET-UP was annoying. Well, you're right, they are. But Yale's problems are worse. We called up a total of seven Hoffas. However, most likely since they feared mob reprisal, they refused to talk to us. Promising Mr. L anonymity of both name and location, he agreed to speak to us and predict the game. "I could ask my uncle Jimmy," Mr. L helpfully suggested as a solution to Yale's problems. Unfortunately, Hoffas never learn. In the worst case of rigged voting since Jimmy's election to the head of the Teamsters from jail, Mr. L picked Yale. Mr L. Hoffa of Prospect, Conn. Hope you like Jersey, buddy. Penn 271, Yale 266 Week Six Picks Name Yale at Penn Brown at Cornell Col. at Dartmouth P'ton at Harvard Daniel "D-Mac" McQuade (28-4) Penn 198-3 Corn. 23-13 Col. 13-3 Harv. 80-8 Steve "Big smooth" Brauntuch (27-5) Penn 35-21 Corn. 7-3 Col. 14-10 Harv. 31-7 Lewis "Gotta have" Hart (27-5) Penn 31-24 Corn. 35-14 Dart. 21-17 Harv. 56-7 Jeff "Par for the course" Shafer (25-7) Penn 525-16 Brown 6-2 Col. 20-16 Harv. 84-0 Mary "Mike Lupoli" Kinosian (24-8) Penn 33-31 Brown 27-17 Col. 17-10 Harv. 42-10 Amy "Steve Bilsky" Potter (24-8) Penn 55-3 Brown 17-14 Dart. 19-7 Harv. 45-9 Marla "By three we're" Dunn (23-9) Penn 60-35 Corn. 41-8 Dart. 25-20 Harv. 7-0 James "Kyle Bender II" Freeman (22-10) Penn 55-21 Corn. 17-14 Col. 31-28 Harv. 45-13 Josh "Free Kobe" Pollick (22-10) Penn 56-0 Corn. 7-6 Dart. 21-20 Harv. 35-3 Zachary "Bound volumes" Silver (22-10) Penn 40-4 Brown 23-0 Col. 22-0 Harv. 52-3 Maddy "MadDogg" Read (21-11) Penn 21-6 Corn. 10-9 Dart. 31-7 Harv. 21-11 Helen "Queen Swami" Sessoms (21-11) Penn 40-10 Corn. 30-8 Dart. 20-8 Harv. 28-5 Andrew "Drugs" DeLaney (19-13) Penn 17-3 Brown 10-0 Dart. 35-3 Harv. 35-7 Greg "Wire Master" Muller (19-13) Penn 40.8-3 Brown 7-3 Dart. 16-3 Harv. 17-10
GUEST COLUMNIST: Digital music files could have you signing the blues
(04/17/00 9:00am)
These files allow the user to play music through a computer's speakers or even with hand-held players, like the familiar Sony Walkman. Many such files are transmitted over the Internet, but they raise problems: (1) sharing copies of copyrighted music (and all commercially available music is protected by copyright) is illegal and (2) the size of the files and the popularity of the format has caused serious problems at many institutions, where network bandwidth has not been sufficient to support the traffic. Much discussion has focused on software called Napster, but there are already numerous look-alike programs with different names but similar functions. At Penn, we are monitoring the impact on network traffic closely and working with campus organizations to promote awareness of safe and legal computing strategies. The following considerations should be kept in mind. · Napster and similar services work by making your machine a network server for other people's benefit. This certainly reduces the network bandwidth available to you to use, most likely slows down the performance of your computer and opens a potentially disastrous security hole in your machine. Once you let people from all over the world have access to some of your files, they are then in a position to have damaging access to the whole of your machine. In general, you should exercise caution installing new, untested software on your computer that might open up security vulnerabilities without your knowledge. If you plan to use Napster for legal purposes, be sure to use the latest version that allows you to prevent your files from being served on the network. Earlier versions do not give you that option. · If you copy and share or receive copies of commercial music files, you are very likely breaking the law by violating the U.S. Copyright Act. Law enforcement authorities and the recording industry are very aware of this and pursue violators aggressively. If you are taken to court, you have placed yourself in a very vulnerable position and it will be up to you and your attorneys to defend your actions. · Some colleges and universities have blocked access to certain services because traffic in audio files was seriously constricting and even blocking network service for the whole community. We have not yet seen impact of that sort at Penn, but we will continue to monitor the network closely to make sure it doesn't happen. As always, Penn reserves the right to take appropriate steps to assure the integrity and functionality of the network in support of Penn's academic mission. If we determine that use of the network for MP3 file transfers compromises other people's ability to use the network effectively, individual users may be asked to discontinue use of these services. For details of Penn's regulations and procedures, see the Acceptable Use Policy (http://www.upenn.edu/computing/policy/aup.html) and the PennNet Computer Disconnect Policy (http://www.upenn.edu/computing/policy/disconnect.html).
GUEST COLUMNISTS: Queer Student Alliance is here
(03/27/00 10:00am)
A banner on Locust Walk and scores of flyers have been announcing it. The arrival of Bisexual Gay Lesbian Transgender Awareness Days has been helping to celebrate it. And a recent front page article in the DP discussed an egregious attack against it. A few months ago, the LGBA dedicated one of its meetings to discussing how to improve the organization and better serve the gay community at Penn. From that one meeting came a flurry of activity and a level of excitement LGBA members hadn't witnessed in years. Through intense discussion, we began reshaping the organization, from the layout of its meetings to the structure of the organization itself to the scope of its goals and purposes. We were, in essence, reinventing the organization and aiming to make it more successful than it had ever been. We quickly agreed that the "new" organization, renamed the Queer Student Alliance, must retain the LGBA's dedication to providing support, comfort and friendship for all LGBT students. As a matter of fact, we want to meet these needs with a degree of success the LGBA never attained. The QSA offers a place where queer students can meet new friends (and let's face it, new more-than-friends) and find social outlets otherwise lacking on campus. Perhaps most importantly, students questioning their sexuality or struggling with coming-out issues can find safety and comfort within the QSA. Members of the straight community interested in or even wrestling with queer issues can come to us as well. But unlike the LGBA, the QSA will also act as a forum for student activists interested in making changes at Penn and calling attention to national LGBT issues. Actually, until the QSA, there hadn't really been a place for queer students who wanted to work together to promote visibility, educate the Penn community about LGBT issues and champion gay rights. But that is exactly what we want to offer now. Considering how thoroughly we redefined the LGBA, it only seemed appropriate to adopt a new name for the organization. But it wasn't just a matter of addressing all of the changes we had made; we wanted a name that would be more inclusive of all people who don't consider themselves heterosexual, one that wouldn't force us to define ourselves rigidly under the labels of "bisexual," "lesbian," "gay" or "transgender." Some people have suggested that the word "queer" carries too many negative connotations, but being aware of how language changes, and the need to reclaim words intended to be offensive, we thought our choice would be positive. A few others have suggested that by choosing "queer," we have postured ourselves as radical and in-your-face. But all we truly wanted was to find the least provincial and restrictive name possible. Certainly arriving at "queer" wasn't a simple process; we debated arduously and considered what other college organizations were doing with their own names. It turns out that among others, Harvard, Swarthmore, NYU, Brown and Columbia have all embraced "queer" as well. But infinitely more important than what we choose to call ourselves are the fundamental changes we have brought to the campus organization for queer and questioning students. Mixing a support network and a comfort zone with a forum for passionate activists is daring and new but necessary and important. Incidents such as the hate e-mail the QSA recently received prove how crucial our presence on campus is, as well as the need to educate the Penn community about who we are. The QSA is still in its formative stages, but it is exciting and dynamic, and we invite everyone to come to our meetings and become involved. And for the people who wish to stand on the sidelines, all we ask is that you give us as much support as you can. As idealistic as it may sound, we want to make Penn a better place for everyone, and we need your help to be successful.
COLUMN: An end to the protest drama
(02/17/00 10:00am)
I've witnessed grand theater these last couple of days, drama on a campus-wide scale, actors playing roles for all the usual reasons -- passion, a need to identify, a lack of anything better to do. I've seen a set constructed piece by piece, and taken down nine days later, piece by piece. And on that set, I've seen actors recite their lines, conflicts develop and resolutions surely and inevitably follow. There were tangential plot lines and a cast of hundreds of walk-ons and bit actors, to be sure. But at its core, the production featured 13 protagonists pitted against bureaucracy personified by one woman -- University President Judith Rodin. There was no doubt as to who was stronger and who was weaker. There was no doubt as to who was in charge and who was begging for action from the powers that be. And there was no doubt that the underdog's cause would be taken up by the audience; no doubt that the sheer specter of 13 hunger-striking students would elicit public sympathy. But then again, what was in doubt about this whole process? Know this: A cause capable of generating this measure of commitment from this many students is an eminently winnable one. Certainly, there is much to be written about the problems with such a reality. At a minimum, it leaves us to cross our fingers and hope that the activists have indeed taken the right side. But in this particular case, I cross my fingers without much conviction that there is a right and a wrong side to this debate. After two weeks of information overload regarding the relative merits of the Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium, I remain certain only that there are profound and valid reservations about each. And I have a sneaking suspicion that no monitoring organization will ever succeed in securing the reality that the student activists want. Put simply, the problem of poorly treated Third World workers has nothing to do with who is watching whom. It has everything to do with the fact that Third World economies have repeatedly proven incapable of footing the bill to ensure First World-style human rights for their citizens. That, of course, doesn't mean it's not worth trying. Doing what you can is sound policy even when you can't do everything you want. But even if Penn ends up employing the activist-backed WRC to monitor the production of its logo apparel -- even, that is, if the protesters emerge victorious on the central point of their agenda -- it won't be their most important victory. Their greatest achievement is this: The word sweatshop is now a part of virtually every Penn student's vocabulary. The protesters have won a place in the average student's mind, right in among thoughts of school, shopping and Saturday night plans. Sure, some of them think that sweatshops are places where sweatshirts, and sweatshirts only, are made. But most of them also carry with them an increased awareness of one central fact: that elsewhere in this fine world of ours, people's lives are not as good as they are here. That may sound like small potatoes compared to the Penn Students Against Sweatshops activists' ostensible goal of ensuring that individuals involved in the production of Penn-logo apparel are not mistreated. It is. But then again, who ever said that 13 kids could change the world? Most of the time, the best we get a chance to do is influence the minds of those around us. And most of the time, we don't use that opportunity in constructive ways. The sweatshop protesters did. They added a new dimension to our understanding of the world, a new category of awareness. I remember talking to one of the protesters about his boots days before the sit-in started. They aren't made by Nike, he said. That was what was important to him. But don't you worry that these boots, too, were made by someone who is being mistreated? Sure, he said. But I can't know everything. I do what I can. I know that what Nike does is wrong, and therefore it matters to me that I don't wear the clothes and shoes they make. At the time, I remember thinking that Nike would never have the slightest idea that this student refused to wear their shoes. Now, nine days later, they may just have heard.
LETTERS: Wednesday, February 16, 2000
(02/16/00 10:00am)
More questions than answers More questions than answersTo the Editor: Is the overall goal, though, to help people in the sweatshops or is it to ease the conscience of the Penn students? Intuitively, it is difficult to see how higher standards could hurt the foreign workers. Nevertheless, as the unemployment caused by raising the minimum wage illustrates, good intentions without rigorous analysis can lead to detrimental consequences. Why are companies building factories in Third World countries? Corruption, political volatility and crime present major obstacles to business. One reason is the countries enjoy a comparative advantage in the form of cheap labor. The people are willing to work for the low wage that American firms provide because their alternatives are even worse. If companies were forced to pay higher wages and have better conditions, why would they locate in countries with high risks, poor infrastructure and little education? In the forum on sweatshops last year, a graduate student studying Bangladeshi textile workers said they wished that conditions were better, but at the same time they valued their jobs. They were afraid of movements to raise wages because they thought the companies would leave. If the regulations proceed as planned, it seems to me that we would be taking away jobs from the people who need them most. Should we stand by and let these violations of human rights and basic decency go unfettered? Sadly, there may be little we can do right now. Hopefully, with good economic policies and the exploitation of comparative advantage, these countries can follow in the steps of the Asian tigers and raise their standard of living. I certainly do not have the answers. I am saying that I have not heard convincing economic analysis that demonstrates that what we are doing will really ameliorate the situation for the workers. I think that many protesters from Seattle to Penn's campus would find that it is often wiser to draw supply and demand curves before slogans and posters. Joe Mazor College/Wharton '02 To the Editor: A rape allegation is an extremely serious one to make, and it appalled me that the article on Delta Tau Delta's current lawsuit ("Delta Tau Delta fraternity faces serious allegations," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 2/14/00), chose to treat it with such little respect. This information, however, was buried on the second page of the article that many students probably did not read. Such sensational storytelling was completely out of line. The current brothers of Delta Tau Delta are respectable people who do not need to have their fraternity's name unjustly slung through the mud so that your headlines can be interesting. Placing the rape allegation right below your headline is just the sort of tabloid journalism that your newspaper should be above. Sujata Gosalia College/Wharton '00
COLUMN: Good tidings come from Bethlehem
(02/09/00 10:00am)
Sitting in the Franklin Field press box on Saturdays last fall, my fellow reporters and I always listened intently as the scores from other Ivy League football games came rolling in. But whenever an Ivy team was scheduled to play a non-conference game against Lehigh, we really didn't need to hear the score coming from the press box speakers. We knew what to expect -- a blowout. It was as if the Ivy teams did not have a chance against the Engineers. Dartmouth, Princeton and Columbia all went down without putting up much of a fight. Although Lehigh is a non-scholarship school just like the Ivies, the Engineers were playing on another level. This was especially true on offense, where they were nearly unstoppable in games against most other non-scholarship programs. It wasn't always like that. As recently as two years ago, games with Lehigh were actually winnable for Ivy League teams. But in the past two seasons, Lehigh has taken off, earning a spot among the Division I-AA powerhouses and leaving most Patriot and Ivy League teams in the dust. And next fall, one of the men most responsible for creating this offensive machine in Bethlehem, Pa., will have a home on the sidelines at Franklin Field. On January 27, Andy Coen was introduced as the Quakers' new offensive coordinator. Coen had been the offensive coordinator at Lehigh since 1996. He replaces Chuck Priore, who had been with the Quakers since 1990 before leaving to take the top job at Trinity College in December. For a preview of what you may be seeing on Saturdays during the next few falls, just take a look at what happened 80 miles up the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Lehigh qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in each of the past two years and in 1998 became the first non-scholarship program to ever win a playoff game. The main reason for this was the offense that Coen helped to create. In Lehigh history, there have been eight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Under Coen, there were five consecutive years. Most recently, Lehigh started All-Everything running back Ron Jean, who set Engineers single-season records for most rushing touchdowns (23), most total touchdowns (26) and most points (156). Lehigh also featured quarterback and NFL prospect Phil Stambaugh, who recently completed 12-of-17 passes for 82 yards in the annual Blue-Gray Game. It is not out of the realm of possibility for something similar to happen at Penn. But fans should not expect the Quakers to shoot into the national rankings just yet. Lehigh is a very fine school, but the Engineers can recruit athletes who may not be able to meet the academic standards for admission to an Ivy League institution. That does not, however, mean Penn cannot get some very talented players. Coen is originally from southern New Jersey and while at Lehigh, he spent a considerable amount of time recruiting athletes around Philadelphia and in other areas targeted by the Quakers. In fact, Coen and the other members of the Lehigh coaching staff heavily recruited current Penn running backs Kris Ryan and Matt Thomas when they were in high school. Teams from the Patriot and Ivy Leagues always compete for recruits, and hiring someone already familiar with that recruiting scene will help the Quakers in the next few seasons. But while the next few years may be very promising, next year could be just as good. In Ryan and quarterback Gavin Hoffman, the Red and Blue feature the most dangerous one-two punch of any Ivy League offense. Last season, Ryan rushed for 1,197 yards and earned a spot on the All-Ivy first team. All Hoffman did in his first season as a Quaker was pass for more yards in a single season (2,150) than any other quarterback in Penn history. And now that Brown's James Perry and Yale's Joe Walland will be lost to graduation, Hoffman can assume the role of the premier signal-caller in the conference. The receivers aren't exactly slouches either. Next season, Rob Milanese and Colin Smith will lead an experienced group of pass-catching Quakers. So it is obvious Coen and head coach Al Bagnoli will have quite a considerable amount of talent to work with in next year's offense. Although the offensive line may be a bit depleted due to graduation, Penn should still be the league's dominant offense. Since arriving at his office in Weightman Hall, Coen has been looking at films and figuring out ways to improve the Penn offense. He has also been traveling with other members of the coaching staff on recruiting trips. Coen plans to strike a 50/50 balance between running and passing plays next season, but also plans to allow Hoffman to make more decisions at the line of scrimmage. You might be seeing a few more passing plays on first down as well. None of this will automatically make the Quakers a better team. It will not be a revolution. Andy Coen is not a savior, and there really isn't all that much that needs saving anyway. Priore had success with this offense in the past few years, and you can't ask for much more than some of the performances of recent seasons. But you may be seeing a difference when the Quakers have the ball this season, and maybe, just maybe, you'll see a bit of a transformation resembling the one that took place in Bethlehem over the last few years. Coen wants to be a head coach somewhere someday, and he feels that having success at a school with a winning tradition like Penn's will help that cause. And if he does have that success, reporters in the Franklin Field press box might not have to wait for the Lehigh score to be announced. They might be seeing some stellar offensive performances happening right before their own eyes.
GUEST COLUMNIST: UA: At work for you
(12/14/99 10:00am)
This has been a busy semester for the Undergraduate Assembly. Does that surprise you? As the semester comes to a close, it is an opportune time to reflect on what we have accomplished this semester, as well as appraise you of what you can expect from us in the spring. This is not intended to be a strict catalogue of our achievements, but rather a starting point for dialogue between UA members and the student body. At the beginning of our term, we specifically identified recreational space, financial aid, collaboration with minority groups and campus safety as our key areas of focus. We have made tremendous strides in all four of these areas. The UA recently proposed building outdoor basketball courts on the rooftop of the parking garage at 38th and Spruce streets. Our case was bolstered when more than 1,200 students signed a petition in support of this project. We are extremely optimistic that the these courts will be constructed by the fall. As for financial aid, the UA has been working tirelessly to address an issue on the minds of countless students. We distributed a survey in early December to more than 500 students, which has been used to suggest revisions to the University's financial-aid policies. The UA will unveil a proposal in mid-January that incorporates all of this work. We have added the United Minorities Council to our Steering Committee and designated a UA liaison to the UMC. And we have pledged our support for the Asian Pacific Student Coalition in acquiring an Asian-American resource center. Regarding campus safety, we worked with Spectaguard to implement a new program whereby walking escorts will accompany students home from Van Pelt Library every half-hour between midnight and 3 a.m. (and until 5 a.m. during exam period). We also conducted a joint safety survey with the Division of Public Safety. Many of these policy initiatives will come to fruition next semester. Yet we need your input now more than ever. What big issues should we tackle next semester? Are we focusing on the right things? How can we confront the stereotype that student government cannot effect meaningful change? Another approach is to increase outreach efforts. Next semester, look for our televised meetings on UTV13; "Feedback" dinners at 1920 Commons where you can chat with UA members; our UA on the Walk table, featuring petitions and UA Today newsletters; and a student satisfaction survey where you can express your vision for Penn's future. Through this general student survey, we hope to develop a set of general principles that every future UA can use as a blueprint. Some of these principles could include bettering relations between students and the administration; improving the level of services the University delivers to students; and advocating for the best housing, recreation and study facilities. As student leaders, it's easy to get bogged down in mundane policy details and obligations, and sometimes it's hard for us to sense what students really are passionate about. Through these efforts at outreach and articulation of principles, we hope to truly connect with all of you better than any UA has in recent memory. We're not just aiming to make temporary changes. We work closely with the provost and the president on the large-scale issues that profoundly impact the student body. Those of us on the UA have been extremely pleased with what we've accomplished to date. But we can never get complacent -- and neither can you. Apathy is the only thing that can prevent us from manifesting the full potential of student government. So get involved! Join one of our committees. E-mail us your concerns at ua@dolphin.upenn.edu. Stop by our UA on the Walk table. Your presence can only help us better achieve our goals because, in the end, we are your UA -- your elected representatives. Never forget that.
GUEST COLUMNIST: How to measure an alcohol policy
(10/22/99 9:00am)
However, there is another story unfolding, as well. The recent activities on the part of the student, faculty and administrative members of the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse have brought to the forefront a proactive, responsible and comprehensive set of initiatives to reduce alcohol abuse at Penn. How can we, as a community, gauge our effectiveness in reaching these goals? Clearly, a long-term, multi-faceted approach is needed to capture all of the changes that occur as a result of such comprehensive programming. These initiatives stem from two direct goals to support the healthy behaviors of the majority of Penn students and to work collaboratively to reduce the harm associated with the high-risk drinking behaviors of a small percentage of students. On behalf of University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi, I am convening a group of students, faculty and staff to develop a set of assessments and measurements designed to help us take an in-depth look at our efforts to curb alcohol abuse at Penn. This group is comprised of representatives from the Undergraduate Assembly, InterFraternity Council, PanHellenic Council, Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, Office of Student Conduct, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, faculty, College Houses, graduate students, etc. and will be working collaboratively with the Student Affairs Committee. Each of these members has intimate knowledge of the steps Penn has taken to address the issue of alcohol abuse. The specific tools we will use to gauge the effectiveness of our new alcohol policy and initiatives will include: · Administering yearly a national instrument, the CORE, which will provide a comprehensive picture of student behaviors related to alcohol and other drug use. This survey allows an institution to compare itself to similar schools. · A complimentary institutional survey will be used to determine the perceptions and attitudes of administrators, faculty and staff regarding alcohol issues. · Focus groups will help us understand how students feel about the commitment Penn has made to ensure a healthy culture. · Finally, we will be gathering anonymous data involving episodes of alcohol abuse and misuse from sources including police reports, incident reports in the College Houses and those received by the Office of Student Conduct. One single piece of data, such as visits to the emergency room, cannot accurately portray the campus drinking culture or the extent to which we are successful in creating a low-risk environment. The small percentage of students who engage in high-risk drinking certainly should, and will, be provided with resources to help change their behaviors. While it is important to track this data to detect trends, these incidents must be viewed in a larger context and interpreted along with the other survey data we will accumulate. The efforts of the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse should be applauded. Their work demonstrates how the entire community is trying to ensure that Penn students enjoy a healthy, safe environment that places less emphasis on heavy drinking and more on personal responsibility and moderation. In the end, it is important to evaluate the successes of these endeavors on a long-term basis. Shocking headlines of hospital visits do not tell the whole story of the emerging culture change at Penn.
Athletes sue for being videotaped in locker rooms
(07/29/99 9:00am)
Penn athletes are among those who are filing a lawsuit after locker room videotapes surfaced on the Internet. The Associated Press CHICAGO -- Athletes at eight universities say they were secretly videotaped in locker rooms and the tapes were sold through Internet sites advertising ''hot younger dudes.'' Louis Goldstein, one of the attorneys representing the athletes in a lawsuit, said he has eight tapes and believes the practice of secretly taping athletes in locker rooms is widespread. ''There's a whole industry,'' he said Tuesday. ''They send people all over the country to do videotaping.'' The tapes, with names such as ''Straight Off the Mat'' and ''Voyeur Time,'' came to light in April, when The Chicago Tribune reported that hidden-camera tapes -- including footage taken during a 1995 wrestling tournament at Northwestern University -- were being marketed online and by mail. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges invasion of privacy, unlawful use of the plaintiffs' images for monetary gain, and mail and wire fraud under federal law. The plaintiffs, who have been granted anonymity by the court, are described in the lawsuit as 28 ''John Does'' and ''unknown Illinois State University football players.'' The lawsuit says they are past or present athletes at Northwestern, Illinois, Illinois State, Eastern Illinois, Indiana, Penn, Iowa State and Michigan State. It names several companies, people and Internet service providers as defendants. The Internet is full of sites offering secretly made videos, many purportedly shot in women's rest rooms or health club locker rooms.
COLUMN: The best man in center?
(07/08/99 9:00am)
Doug Glanville. He's the best centerfielder in the National League. No, I'm not joking. And, no, I'm not crazy. The centerfield position in the National League, unlike in the American League, isn't exactly shoulder-deep in talent. There are no Ken Griffeys or Kenny Loftons in center. In fact, the best centerfielder in the Senior Circuit may just be the one patrolling the turf at Veterans Stadium. Don't agree? Well, then, who's better than the Phillies' leadoff hitter among National League centerfielders? Not the Padres' Ruben Rivera -- owner of a .228 career batting average through Monday. Not the Expos' Manny Martinez or Cardinals' journeyman Darren Bragg. The Mets' Brian McRae? The Cubs' Lance Johnson? The Dodgers' Devon White? All are past their prime; none are hitting over .260 this year. What about Darryl Hamilton? He's hitting .308. But he plays for the Rockies in the ultra-thin air of Coors Field. And Glanville still has a higher average and twice as many home runs. Marvin Benard? He's steady -- a career .279 hitter -- but Glanville has more pop, more speed, and a higher average. Preston Wilson? Mike Cameron? The two youngsters have potential, but they have not yet produced enough. Wilson has slugged 16 homers but has also fanned 72 times in 233 at bats. Cameron, meanwhile, owns just a .239 lifetime average. What about Marquis Grissom? The Brewers' centerfielder has a reputation from his days in Montreal of being a high-average speedster. But he has a combined .270 batting average in the last three years and only half as many steals -- nine -- as Glanville this year. So who does that leave? The Astros' Carl Everett, the Diamondbacks' Steve Finley, the Pirates' Brian Giles and the Braves' Andruw Jones. Two solid players and two potential stars. But none better than Glanville. Everett has become a good player in Houston, but he's still only a career .269 hitter. He has more homers and RBIs than Glanville this year, but the Astros' centerfielder still trails in nearly every other hitting category. Finley has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts this year in Arizona with 15 homers and 58 RBIs. But although his power numbers eclipse those of the Phillies' centerfielder, Glanville has a higher average, more steals, more runs, more walks, less strikeouts and a higher on-base percentage. Giles also has more power than Glanville, but, as the Pirates' No. 3 hitter, only has five more RBIs than the Phillies' leadoff hitter. Both Glanville and Giles are in the early parts of their careers, but Glanville has proven himself as a starter for nearly three years, while Giles is in just his first year of full-time duty. Giving Glanville the nod in center over Jones is a tougher choice, however. The Braves' centerfielder hit 31 homers and stole 27 bases while winning a Gold Glove last year. Undoubtedly, Jones can become a better player, but Glanville is the better centerfielder now. Glanville has more stolen bases, a higher average and a better on-base percentage. And, if that isn't enough, as a leadoff hitter, Glanville (48) has more RBIs than Jones (45). Halfway through the season, Glanville is on pace for a 208-hit, 12-homer, 36-stolen base season. And with 47 runs and 48 RBIs, the Philadelphia centerfielder could top the century mark in both of those categories. With a .320 batting average -- .394 with runners in scoring position -- it's hard to deny Glanville a spot among the top centerfielders in the game. "Is he one of the best centerfielders in the game today? Yes." Phillies pitcher Paul Byrd said. "He does a lot of things well. He runs well, he hits well, he can hit for power." Is he the best centerfielder in the game today? No, Griffey is. But is Glanville the best centerfielder in the National League? Even without an All-Star appearance on his resume, the answer is yes.
COLUMN: An Obstructed View
(06/01/99 9:00am)
Big 5 resurrection is cause for celebration To hear Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell speak at April 23's Palestra press conference announcing the sudden return of the full round robin to the legendary but disjointed Big Five, one could not help but wax nostalgic. But most Penn students have not gone through the aging process. On November 23, 1954, Penn President Gaylord Harnwell met with the presidents of La Salle, St. Joseph's, Temple and Villanova at Houston Hall to announce the official formation of the Big Five. Members of Penn's Class of 2002, however, know Harnwell only as a college house dorm and have never set foot inside the currently under-renovation Houston Hall. More importantly, the current crop of students has never seen a true Big Five champion crowned. Thousands of Penn students cheered the Quakers' march to the Ivy title and the NCAAs this past season. Those same fans scratched their heads while trying to figure out how the Red and Blue managed to defeat Temple, St. Joe's and La Salle yet still finish a second-place 1-1 in the puzzling Big Five standings. It's been eight years since a class graduated from Penn knowing what it means to see a complete slate of games played in the Big Five. For over 30 years, the Palestra served as the exclusive home of the Big Five as sell-out crowds routinely packed the most storied gymnasium in college basketball for Big Five doubleheaders and City Series matchups. In June 1986, the Big Five presidents signed a 10-year pact to continue the traditional full round robin format but with games played at each school's respective gymnasium. In May of 1991, Villanova, citing an increased Big East commitment, put an abrupt end to the 10-year deal by requesting a schedule reduction to just two City Series games each year. In April, the five schools revealed the surprising news that the full round robin schedule would be revived starting next season. Thanks to the Big East's reducing its number of conference games from 18 to 16 and the NCAA's raising the number of allowed regular-season games to 28, Villanova has leapt back into the fold and a real Philadelphia champ will once again be crowned. "I never expected that they would arrive at this -- it's a remarkable thing," Temple coach John Chaney said. "It's pretty darn good that we finally found some reconcilable differences to reach this level, because I think it's good for the city." On Friday, Big Five Executive Director and former Penn Athletic Director Paul Rubincam could hardly contain his enthusiasm. "It's exciting -- I woke up at three o'clock this morning and couldn't get back to sleep while thinking about the excitement for Philadelphia basketball," he said. Even Villanova, for eight years the source of the Big Five fans' anguish, got into the act. "I'm very proud to be a part of it," Villanova AD Tim Hofferth said. "It's a great day for college basketball." For eight years, the Big Five existed in name only. The champion crowned each year was just a paper champion, as fans at the four "city" schools cursed the suburban Wildcats, the two-game series and now-departed 'Nova coach Rollie Massimino, seen as the villain behind the Big Five's breakup. But while the true Big Five -- the reason why Rendell called Philadelphia "without question the capital of college basketball" -- lay dormant, a glimmer of what the Big Five had meant during its 30-plus-year heyday could be seen every time two of the member schools met on the hardwood. Any disbeliever need look no further than November 23, 1998, when the Quakers beat then-No. 6 Temple and thousands of screaming Penn students stormed the court in a basketball-induced fervor. These fans might not cringe at the mention of "90-47" and might not have heard of the legendary Ken Durett, but when they held their fingers in the air and screamed "We're No. 1!" they learned a little something about the meaning of the Big Five and bragging rights. Perhaps an even better example that the Big Five magic did not evaporate despite the City Series' loss of meaning is the Penn-St. Joe's contest of January 24, 1998. On a chilly Saturday night in West Philadelphia, a standing-room-only crowd packed the Palestra. Red-wigged Hawks fans screamed themselves hoarse. And when Paul Romanczuk went to the line with two seconds left and the Quakers down two, an entire section of Penn fans held its collective breath. Close to 9,000 spectators saw the Hawks steal a back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire battle that night. But this was not the Penn-Temple game of November 23, with the Owls holding a top-10 national ranking and the Quakers the co-favorite for the Ivy title and a possible-return to the top 25. This was a non-conference battle between two sub-.500 squads, each with an outside chance at best of reaching the NCAAs. And it was a sellout. While the Hawks-Quakers game that night might not have sent ESPN scurrying to rearrange its broadcast schedule, in terms of Philadelphia basketball it truly meant something. The beauty of the Big Five is that when two Philly teams take the court, rankings and won-loss records get tossed out the windows of the 71-year-old Palestra. The confusion of the muddled half-round-robin standings aside, Big Five games taken in isolation have remained exciting and intense. Just ask Penn AD Steve Bilsky. "I would come to the Big Five games, whether Penn was involved or not, and I didn't see any change in the way the players played the game, the competitive spirit, the coaches' intensity," he said. "The essence of the Big Five [was] still alive.? The players, the spirit and the competition has never left." And now, for the first time since 1991, those games have real meaning beyond the scope of their action-packed 20-minute halves -- a real Philadelphia champion will once again be crowned. It would be easy for a Penn fan to complain. At best, the Palestra will host six Big Five games; at worst, it will see just Penn's two home contests. And the fabled doubleheader at the Palestra, practically a religious event in the "capital of college basketball" for over 30 years, will remain a thing of the past. But to take a negative stance would mean being blinded by nostalgia. "In a totally ideal sense, to have all the games at the Palestra would be wonderful but -- especially in Temple's case of having a new facility -- it might not be totally fair across the board to have that be an edict," Bilsky said. "But I think enough of it is captured in the competition, in the fact that's there four games so there's going to be a championship. And I think that's the essence of it and that'll make it just as good as it's been." As a Penn student who has never seen a Big Five doubleheader, who has never seen a Villanova home game played at the Palestra, I could complain about missing out on the way things used to be, on a period in Philadelphia college basketball I can only imagine. But the essence of the Big Five lies in the games themselves. Even when there was no real title at stake, the excitement was still there. So when Temple AD Dave O'Brien says, "We know that the Palestra will be rocking again but we know that the other facilities in the city will be rocking as well. I guarantee you that the Apollo is going to be rocking too," my heart skips a beat. So next year, whether it's the Palestra or the Apollo, Tom Gola or the Pavilion, I'll be there. Because the important thing is that the Big Five is back. There will be a true champion once more. And it will be a great day for college basketball, Philadelphia and tradition.
Quad residents can view rooms on-line
(06/01/99 9:00am)
Patchogue-Medford High School '98 Patchogue, N.Y. Wondering if there will be room for a big-screen television set in your room in the Quad? The answer is probably not, but a new World Wide Web site developed by the Office of Residential Living will allow incoming students to find out the exact space and layout of each room with only a few clicks of the mouse. A virtual visit to http://www.upenn.edu/resliv/roomcharacteristics.html will provide students moving into the Quadrangle with approximate measurements of their rooms. Additional information about whether the space has a view of the courtyard, carpeting, window screens, sinks, fireplaces and closets will be available along with a computer-generated blueprint of the room. Officials in the Office of Residential Living said they hope the plans will provide students with a valuable source of information about their new living accommodations. "What we're trying to do is just give people a better picture of what they're going to be moving into," Marketing Coordinator for Housing Services Lynn Rotoli said. She added that it should prove helpful to students to have "a one-stop presence to familiarize themselves with their rooms prior to move-in." But while each page contains a disclaimer stating that sizes are approximate and drawings are not to scale, some of the blueprints could still be misleading. For example, the Quad contains several three-bedroom triples which are not represented as such in the blueprints. Instead, the floor space is given as if there were no walls dividing the space. Also, the fireplaces included in the drawings have long been filled in with bricks and painted over, providing little more than decorative value. And although all information was current as of last summer, some minor characteristics may have changed by now, such as the possibility of carpeting having been pulled up or window screens installed. Still, current students said they thought the new Web site would be a huge help to incoming freshmen. Although blueprints of the rooms have always been available by mail through the Department of Housing Services, Seroska said having the information available on-line will be much more convenient. "Having it on-line is the simplest way -- you can find out exactly what the room you'll be living in looks like at the same time you're doing all of the other things you'll need to be doing on-line to get ready to come to Penn," she said. Information about each of the 1,117 rooms in the Quad was gathered last summer by a group of students from a local high school and turned into blueprints using a specialized computer program. The rooms in the other residences will be catalogued similarly in the future as time and funding permit, Rotoli said.
GUEST COLUMNIST: Learning life's lessons at Penn
(05/27/99 9:00am)
Graduation weekend was a time of celebration and joy for many graduating seniors. Bright futures lie ahead and vivid memories will be left behind. The Baccalaureate Service -- which took place the Sunday before Commencement -- traditionally separates itself from the normal graduation weekend ceremonies as a celebration aimed at the entire Penn community. While many of the other Commencement events glorify the academic and extracurricular achievements of the seniors, Baccalaureate tries to celebrate the diversity of culture and religion that exists at Penn. With performances by two a capella groups, speeches by University administrators and readings of varied religious texts, the service offered a taste of the cultural diversity that can be said to define institutions like Penn. But you have to wonder: For how many seniors was this the first taste of that diversity? All too often, students wander through four years of school without exploring the cultural diversity that our school offers. And it may be the single greatest resource a student can choose to ignore. It is possible to go back later and read the historical or scientific lessons that we may have neglected in our college careers. But the unique setting that college provides will never again be available. It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to find the same sheer diversity in a small accessible area like the Penn campus. University President Judith Rodin said these "life lessons" are often as important as scholarly pursuits of classroom and laboratories. But we have to try and utilize the experiences available at Penn. For example, how many of the 1000 people in attendance at the service, who were not Muslim, had ever heard a reading from the Koran? Gerald Wolpe, who was the event's featured speaker and the senior rabbi of Har Zion Congregation in Philadelphia since 1969, relayed the importance of open-minded thinking to his audience. He told the crowd that he sees the quest for "self-identification" occupying society's thoughts. He believes this causes people to undervalue their heritage and ancestry, focusing solely on themselves. More importantly, Wolpe added, there is a failure to consider the heritage and history of others. It is equally important to understand different cultures because they have affected the development of all groups occupying this globe. The ability to interact with and tolerate all types of groups may be the best lesson we can learn at such a diverse university. The Glee Club and Counterparts represent a valuable contingency of the performing arts sector of the University -- a large part of the cultural experience at Penn. However, performing arts groups are certainly more visible in the Penn community than many other culturally diverse activities. Students need to expand their horizons and venture into other religious and cultural experiences. This is not to say that religious communities have a lack of participation -- but more importantly a lack of cross-participation. Why can't someone who isn't religious take the time to visit Chaplain William Gibson and learn about his faith and beliefs? Or, why shouldn't a devout Catholic speak with Rabbi Levine and try to comprehend the differences between Catholicism and Judaism? Regardless of how you mold your beliefs, your interaction with others will inevitably change after experiencing the cultural diversity that Penn has to offer. These may be the most important lessons people teach themselves at Penn and it would be a shame if you didn't open the text book until the weekend before you leave.
LETTERS/YOUR VIEW: Setting the record straight
(04/21/99 9:00am)
To the Editor: The UPPD is continuing an in-depth investigation into this incident. In the interim, the police and security patrols have been increased in the area. Maureen Rush Chief of Police Stratis Skoufalos Director of Security Services A good major To the Editor: As a senior Communications major myself, I can't disagree more with Emily Lieff and her proclamation that "Senior Comm majors... have no skills at all" ("Four years spent learning nothing," DP, 4/15/99). I don't know what she has been doing these last four years. However, I do know that while she has been filling in the crossword puzzle, I have been building up a skill set of knowledge through my communications courses. This knowledge will allow me to analyze and to deconstruct all types of communication that I encounter. If the communications courses were as uninteresting to students as she claims, how does Lieff explain the fact that the Communications major is so popular that students actually have to be denied admission? Clearly the major is meeting students' needs. I feel sorry for Lieff and the time she has wasted as a Comm major "learning nothing." If she still doesn't know how to turn on a camera, I advise her to read the instruction manual. You don't need an Ivy League education to show you how. Joshua Rosenberg College '99 Truly touching To the Editor: It is the element of truth which underlies so much of comedy and lends a touch of tragedy to humor. Appelbaum has apparently missed this crucial point in his assessment of Life is Beautiful ("Life, a rarely beautiful trip," DP, 4/15/99). This is most assuredly not just another flick about the "endless retelling" of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity or an escape into fantasy and illusion in the shadows of death. The power, beauty and force of this film lies in the subtle yet devastating suggestion that, even half a century later, the flames of the Holocaust and the innocent deaths of millions of human beings escape understanding. Like the bright sun at the end, one cannot peer directly into the tragedy that underlies, inches thick, Benigni's veil of humor. It is in the way the Jew amusingly walks to his death, the "game" a father conceives to explain the horrors of the death camp to his son and the literal horseplay at the beginning that the grossly tragic nature of the reality is apparent. Perhaps most telling, the image of the mound of dead bodies is cast in a hazy, dream-like setting, indicative of the impossibility of the reality that was. The film touched me more than any other Holocaust movie because in place of the death and suffering, one is left, or rather forced, to stretch one's capacity to understand that which is not obvious and cannot be taken at face value. Love, death, goodness and evil are all present in this film and yet, through the subtle powers of the unique human capacity to laugh and cry, one is forced to look beyond the surface, peer beyond the numbers, into the very flames of the Holocaust, to find them. Perhaps the author should have been more sensitive to the "crying and raving" of his friends after having seen the film. For it is often under the casual laughter of comedy that one finds the tears of genuine tragedy. Shapir Rosenberg College '99 Children, children To the Editor: While I agree that this is true, I don't think that the University is necessarily wrong in its decision. The majority of the undergraduate population is under the legal drinking age and I see no compelling reason for the University to spend a lot of money to ensure proper enforcement, as well as unnecessary liability exposure. Perhaps many of your readers do not recall the unfortunate incident at Princeton a few years ago. Essentially, an underage student became extremely intoxicated at a dining club event, went down to the local New Jersey Transit train stop, climbed over a fence and onto the top of the train, where he was electrocuted and permanently paralyzed. As a result of his civil lawsuit, the dining club, Princeton University and New Jersey Transit had to pay a legal settlement amounting to millions of dollars since they were in some part "responsible" for the results of his actions. Students protesting Penn's stricter alcohol policies state that this policy is unfair and treats them like children rather than adults. I would argue that it does exactly the opposite. In the "adult" world, actions have consequences, and personal responsibility is a reality, not just a catchy phrase. While the hospitalization of several undergraduates over Spring Fling is unfortunate, it is merely a result of lack of good judgment on their part. The University has boasted repeatedly about the increased selectivity of their admission process but it still doesn't change the bottom line. Stupid people do stupid things. John Pui Instructor School of Medicine Eco-extremism To the Editor: Michelle Weinberg's scatterbrained defense of Earth Day ("Show respect for the environment," DP, 4/19/99) focuses on the point that the environment has an "intrinsic value" and implies that any action that changes the environment is immoral.EThis clearly implicates all forms of industry that "get rich" off the destruction of land. But Weinberg neglects the inconvenient fact that the selfsame corporations immeasurably improve the lives of the people on the land, whether it be in Nigeria or New Jersey, by offering employment and spending money. As anyone who lives in a city knows, it may be more worthwhile to tolerate some soot for the benefits of plentiful employment and consumer goods. But, blinded by their zeal for the "intrinsic value" of the environment, environmentalists are forced to attack anything in the way of their radical program. Weinberg asserts "without clean water, protection from the ozone layer or medicines provided by exotic plants, human life as we know it would not exist."EIn fact, not until the rise of research and industry, so harmful to the "intrinsic value" of the environment, was man's tangible lot actually bettered: diseases were cured, food became increasingly abundant and life expectancies increased dramatically.EI am sure a caveman would risk his precious wetlands for the blessing of penicillin. Aaron Yunis College '02
EDITORIAL & OPINION: An unjustified, unfair policy
(04/19/99 9:00am)
In restricting the amount of alcohol students could bring into their dorms, Penn acted capriciously and parochially. We cannot imagine any legal justification for this offensively parochial policy, and find both the process of its formulation and the method of its implementation to be sources of serious concern. Every student who lives in a University dormitory signs a housing agreement, and that agreement is very clear on the question at hand: Kegs are the only type of alcohol containers that students are prohibited from bringing into the dorms. Furthermore, while Penn reserves the right to amend the housing agreement, students were not notified of the change in policy until Saturday morning, well over 36 hours after the first alcohol-carrying students were denied entrance to the dormitories. We have said repeatedly in this space that the University must respect the right of students who are of age to consume alcohol. We would add three specific areas of concern: · Whatever the impact of previous University policies on the consumption of alcohol in public settings by students who are of age, the weekend's policies cross into uncharted territory. We are gravely concerned by the University's perception that it is acceptable to infringe on the right of students who are of age to enter their own place of residence with alcohol. · We are shocked and disturbed that Penn would implement such a policy at least one day before choosing to notify students. · We are dumbfounded that the administration would choose to formulate and enact such a policy unilaterally, without consulting the provost-appointed task force on alcohol policy. But perhaps the most troubling aspect of the weekend's capricious policy is the potentially chilling effect on the relationship between students and administrators. Penn continues to ask students to engage in a good faith dialogue on the problems associated with alcohol abuse on campus. Our concern in this matter cannot be overstated -- through its arbitrary and heavy-handed measures, the University has sent a clear message to students: We do not value your rights as individuals; we do not respect your ability to act responsibly; we do not believe you to be adults. But the reality is this: students are adults, and while administrators may find shades of gray to justify the actions of this weekend, it is they who acted as children.
JOKE ISSUE:COLUMN: Look at me, mommy, look at me
(04/07/99 9:00am)
As I look back on my 365 days as the chairperson of the Undergraduate Assembly, I can not help but be impressed with what we have accomplished. We have created tangible change in many areas of student interest. And we have proved once and for all that a body with no real power can be an important force on campus. Many of our accomplishments stemmed from the stunning diversity of our body. Granted nine of our? oh? I can't remember how many people we have. They don't show up for meetings anyway. As I was saying, even though nine of our members are Zeta Beta Tau brothers, we have people representing all different fraternities. Phi Kappa Psi, Alpha Chi Rho and Sigma Alpha Mu are all well represented. We realize that Greek members have a wide range of interests and we made sure that all of those interests got their say. We heard your cries for holiday decorations for your houses, and by golly, we made those happen! Our crowning achievements can be summed up as the "SS" campaign. The first aspect of it was surveys. This year we perfected the art of conducting surveys about subjects over which we had absolutely no influence. That was sort of their genius. I mean, if you can't actually do anything about subjects students care about, you might as well ask them questions. This year we conducted 3,678 surveys. For each survey we contacted 350 students. Four responded. The same four each time. One was my roommate. The other was my girlfriend (who can resist a man with this much power? Certainly not her.) They all had very important things to say. For instance, they said they wanted an Abercrombie in Sansom Common. Too bad the University had already picked all the stores they wanted in the complex. We don't let such things deter us. The other prong of the SS campaign was the "target" stickers. We are often very impressed with our own ideas but this one took the cake. Who could resist the red and white concentric circles on those pretty little stickers? I know that it set off the black pants of our sorority brethren on the UA. And it brought out my gorgeous eyes. Besides, we know they're after us. It's because we're white and they're not. As you can tell from our sticker campaign, we here on the UA are deeply concerned about West Philadelphia issues. I care about minorities. After all, my housekeeper at home is black and we get along great. As a way of making things better for the members of the community, we fought for and won extended hours at Eat at Joe's. What could possibly improve the lives of community members more than more time to eat at an overpriced diner? Nothing. We not only reached out to community members this year, we reached out to students. One of our most important initiatives was the creation of the UA Outreach Table. Twice a week, two members of the UA just sit at a table on the Walk and listen to your concerns. It was the perfect venue for you to meet your UA representatives. If you happen to see Jeremy Katz at the table, please let me know. I haven't seen him since we were in high school together. But our top priority this semester was securing funding for the renovation of Rosengarten. Under the inspiring leadership of Michael Bassik and Jonathan Glick, the ever-powerful UA brought Judy to her knees, just like Robert Redford did, and forced Penn to solicit alumni donations for the library. You know the UA's motto: If you mess with the library, you mess with us. As you can see, this has been nothing short of an amazing year for the UA. So when you walk by Sansom Common and there is no Abercrombie, when you realize that College students still have nowhere to use computers and when you still have to pay fees to use the gym, please think of us. The UA -- what would you do without us?
COLUMN: A show of unity, sisterhood
(04/06/99 9:00am)
From Dina Bass', "No Loss for Words," Fall '99 From Dina Bass', "No Loss for Words," Fall '99Few events have suffered from the as a high a level of bad publicity as Take Back the Night, designed for a cause everyone professes to believe in: rape awareness. Student misconceptions about the event abound, from men who think they will be greeted by a representatives of the Women's Center looking to chop off their testicles to women who believe the event is merely for militant feminists. The bad publicity is not entirely undeserved. Over the years, the program has provoked some controversy. In 1996, a male student used the open-mic "Survivor Speak-Out" to express his remorse for having committed a rape, horrifying survivors attending the event. The following year, SAS graduate student Litty Paxton rose to explain a new policy baring men from speaking -- and succeeded in offending most of the audience. While correct in substance, Paxton's remarks were phrased in the most undiplomatic fashion possible. Last year, however, the program's planners -- the National Organization for Women and Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape -- went out of their way to assure that the program avoided such problems by clearly stating what role they expected male attendees to take and by including male rape survivors in a smaller survivors-only session after the main program. This year, men will not march but will participate in the Speak-Out. As a Take Back the Night attendee for the last two years, I strongly encourage Penn students to attend this year's program. The support you lend to the cause of rape awareness and to Penn's rape survivors is immense and the lessons in strength and courage you can learn from the women who speak are immeasurable. It is a mistake for women to assume that the event is only for militant feminists, lesbians or active members of the Women's Center. If the Justice Department tells us that one in five women is the victim of rape or attempted rape, as women we must continue to speak out against rape and its causes. More importantly, we need to show solidarity for rape victims. For the women who speak at the Survivor Speak-Out, recounting their experiences is both painful and therapeutic, a moment to cry and to show strength. It helps a lot to have a crowd full of women who show sympathy and provide encouragement, even if it is something as simple and silly as clapping and yelling "you go, girl." Take Back the Night is not anti-men. It is anti-rape and anti-rapist, which means that unless you are the type of guy who sees himself as a potential rapist, the event shouldn't threaten you. The other bone of contention with some male students is the fact that event organizers often ask men not to participate either in the Speak-Out or the march. Each year the participation of men in the various parts of the event is re-evaluated, often with different results. Last year men marched but were asked not to speak, this year the men will not march but will be allowed to share their stories as survivors. The exclusion of men from either part of the program asks men to respect the fact that Take Back the Night is an evening celebrating women's voices and the ability to combat rape and support survivors through sisterhood. The same reasoning applies to the decision to ask men to stay behind during the march. The march around campus symbolizes women helping each other conquer dark and threatening areas; having men along reminds women of the unfortunate need for male escorts on the way home. Rape awareness should be an important issue for the men of Penn and not just because your girlfriend wants you to attend. Sadly many men already know this: female rape is not just a female problem. The approximately 300,000 women raped every year in the U.S. have brothers, fathers, husbands, boyfriends and friends. During my first Take Back the Night, a sister from one of several sororities that made pledges attend answered a pledge who asked why they were required to attend. "This is what sisterhood is all about," was the answer. Take Back the Night isn't about politics or gender wars. It's about sisterhood in the face of the appalling reality of rape in America and it's about brotherhood supporting that same cause.
EDITORIAL & OPINION: Turning out to take back the night
(04/06/99 9:00am)
Students have a chance to show support for victims of sexual violence at Penn. And only by turning out, only by listening to speeches until the consequences of rape are imprinted on the communal consciousness, can we hope to eradicate the social disease of sexual violence. There should be no doubt that the problem warrants such a description. We live in a country where one in five college women are the victims of rape or attempted rape and where 84 percent of victims know their attackers. Too often, individuals involved in relationships do not demonstrate sufficient respect for the rights of their partner. Too often, the word "no" has not received the respect it ought to command. It is in this context that we are particularly disturbed by the decision of organizers to bar men from the march around campus. Rape is not a female issue; it is a human issue. No statistics can justify either the victimization of women or the criminalization of men. Simply put, men are part of the solution and any "solution" created in a vacuum where men are absent is a solution that does not converse with reality. By excluding men from the march rather than encouraging them to participate -- men are, however, encouraged to attend the speak-out -- organizers will only precipitate yet another adversarial dialogue, detracting once again from an evening that should be about unity and appropriate intergender relationships. No concerns with the organizers or rules for the evening, however, should stand as an acceptable excuse for absence tomorrow night. The overriding message, and the support each student's presence will lend, are both too important to justify such a response. We hope to see you there.
GUEST COLUMNIST: Giving Film Studies proper respect
(02/03/99 10:00am)
In 1973, Wesleyan University honored Elia Kazan, director of such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, with a two-week retrospective of his films. At the end of the festival, the acclaimed director summed up the impact of the retrospective: "Together we may have finally begun to move this university and, by influence, those like it, towards a serious and devoted study of films as the art of this day.? It was about time our institutions of learning became involved in film as the subject of formal courses of study both for themselves as pieces of art and for what they say as witnesses to their day." Thirty-six years later, a large, renowned, research university in Philadelphia finally is beginning to follow Kazan's advice. Hitherto, anyone interested in studying film had a tough road to follow. And that may be an understatement. There have always been several film-related courses at the University, but they were hidden in the depths of several different departments from AMES to English to Fine Arts. Typically, film lovers had two choices. They could be Communications majors and study everything from mass media to advertising or they could be English majors concentrating in film studies. The downfall of the latter path, of course, was that you were forced to study literature that you didn't want to be studying. Don't get me wrong; I'm an English major with film aspirations, and I value having a literary background. But for those who wanted to concentrate specifically on film, there was no major or minor available. Until now, the College has shown little regard for film as an important social, cultural or artistic form of contemporary expression. At last, a Film Studies Department is emerging under the leadership of John Katz and Penny Marcus may become a full-fledged department offering its own major, but will that be enough? For now, the answer is yes. But as we look to the future, Penn will need a place not just for film studies, but for film makers, actors, writers and technicians. In short, Penn needs a school devoted to what Kazan calls "the art of the day." Before you dismiss this idea as lunacy, it is important to realize that this is the perfect time for the University to take steps in this direction. The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, which is run through International House, gives Penn a direct line into the Philadelphia film community. Moreover, the building of the Sundance Cinemas on 40th Street marks a new relationship with actor-director-producer Robert Redford, whose Sundance Film Festival is the most important event for independent film makers in the country. Add to this the enthusiasm of University students participating in clubs such as UTV13, Penn Film and Talking Film at the Writer's House, and one quickly realizes that we are sitting in a hotbed of cinematic potential. But it is important to realize that the fate of Film Studies lies with the students. Nothing is going to happen unless we take control of the situation and demand more from the University. We cannot simply wait around for some alumnus to make it big in Hollywood and then lure him to donate his millions to create a film school. And this would be the greatest tragedy, because there really isn't any reason for the lack of a film school or at least a film center at Penn. Almost every other major university has one, and with the advent of high quality, easily managed digital video, programs are sprouting up across the country. But first things first. For now, we must help to make the new Film Studies minor survive. It may not be much, but for the moment, it's all we have.