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(01/14/99 10:00am)
My wife and I live on a beautiful little side street called Farragut Terrace. Narrow and tree lined, it is tucked just north of Spruce between 46th and 47th. It's a street of row houses, much like most of the others in West Philadelphia. While less than 18 feet wide each, Farragut's homes are large, spanning five floors from basement to attic. It was the attic that made our house famous. During the early part of this century, a woman named Ruth Plumly Thompson sat way up there, looking out a small window. In her mind, she saw not the street below, but the magical land of Oz. In 1920, Thompson had been approached by William Lee, vice-president of the Chicago publishing firm of Reilly & Lee. One of the company's most successful writers, L. Frank Baum, had died the year before after writing 14 best-selling volumes in his Wizard of Oz saga. The publisher, having made quite a bundle from the sales of these books, was not at all pleased by Baum's demise. Lee had known of Ruth for some time. He had seen many of the children's stories the young woman had been writing for the then-popular newspaper, The Philadelphia Ledger. A graduate of William Penn High School, Ruth was the daughter of George Thompson, night editor of The New York Times. George died of heart failure in 1895, when Ruth was only 4. His death left the family destitute. But the writing genes apparently had been passed from father to daughter. In her teen years she started submitting children's stories to the Ledger, which ultimately named her editor of its children's page. Chicago publisher Lee convinced Thompson she was the perfect choice to continue the tradition Baum had begun. She started writing and didn't stop until 19 additional Oz books had been added to the series -- five more than originator Baum had written. First came Kabumko in Oz, published in 1922. Her series ended 17 years later with Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz. Many fans say that Thompson came closer to the original Baum style of writing than the handful of other writers who subsequently tried recreating Oz. When I moved into the Farragut Street house, my then-new wife had already lived there for six years. She was the one who told me about Ruth Plumly Thompson and her connection to the house. But there was more. My wife showed me a box that contained all the fan mail that had come to the house over the years. The letters mostly were from children, kids who had found old copies of the Thompson books -- perhaps in their grandparents' attics. They all had read one or more of the dusty volumes and had noticed, in the preface to each, a lovely message from the author to her young audience. Here, for example, are a few lines from the note in Thompson's 1934 The Wishing Horse of Oz: "Your letters all year have been grand and if I had the magic necklace mentioned in this story I would wish you three hundred and sixty-five days of happiness. "So, happy year to you, dears. And next year? Ah, well, who knows what will happen next year? Another Oz book maybe, if you still want one. Write me if you do, and best of everything to you all, always." She signed each note RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON and included -- so the readers could write to her -- her address. Our address! Can you imagine an author printing his or her real address in a book today? I looked at the box of letters. It was filled with darling bits of fan mail sent to our address by young readers who didn't know Ruth had died in 1976. Some of the letters included suggestions for future Oz characters and adventures. One was shipped with a tiny box in which we found a toy pearl necklace, likely in answer to Thompson's wish for a magical necklace. I joked to my wife back then that in 1966 the University of Pennsylvania had given me a certificate confirming that I had a brain, just like the diploma the Scarecrow received in Baum's first Oz book. I had no idea that seven years later I would move on to another step in the Oz saga. On the night of June 27, 1997, I was in our house -- Ruth's house -- when I started feeling chest pains. Indigestion? No. Added to the pain were shortness of breath and other symptoms that convinced me I was having a heart attack. A call to 911 brought an ambulance that rushed me to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 12 blocks away. What the doctors in the emergency room found was a 52-year-old patient with a critically failing heart. Somehow, the crack medical staff at the hospital kept me alive for nine weeks. Then, on the night of September 9, I found myself on an operating table at HUP. I knew what was about to happen. To say it as succinctly as possible: a cardiac team would anesthetize me, saw open my rib cage, cut out my failing heart and replace it with a strong, much younger one. Yes, a heart transplant. I woke up early on the morning of Sept. 10, 1997, with a new heart, compliments of an unknowing donor and the University of Pennsylvania transplant team. So, in 1966, Penn had given me a brain. 31 years later, just as the Wizard granted to the Tin Woodman, Penn gave me a heart. I am not anticipating the event that might occur to prove I have Lion-like courage, but if it arrives I hope -- in the spirit of L. Frank Baum and his successor, Ruth Plumly Thompson -- that I'll be equal to the task. As Thompson wrote in that preface, "Who knows what will happen next year?"
(12/15/98 10:00am)
The fall semester has been a very productive one for the Undergraduate Assembly. From student safety to off-campus living, we have strived to tackle the issues that are important to you. As part of our continuing outreach program, the UA has decided to publish a mid-year report to inform the students about what we have accomplished and what issues we will work on next semester. One way we seek to represent students is through the use of surveys. Surveys are an important first step of every project so that we can see what aspects of each issue we should concentrate on. We did surveys on student preferences for future retailers in Sansom Common and the 40th Street area so we can better advocate for retail in these places. Among other things, these surveys have helped us learn that students would like to see a store like Abercrombie & Fitch in Sansom Common and an Italian restaurant in the 40th Street area. We also did a different type of outreach with the landlord survey, where students were asked to rate their off-campus housing. The results will be distributed in January, so that students will be able to make more informed housing decisions for next year. The UA also conducted student safety survey in conjunction with the Division of Public Safety to gather information on where further security efforts should be concentrated. We have also tried to take positive steps in the area of community relations. We co-sponsored "Communiversity Days" with Civic House -- we took 15 middle-schoolers from the area with us around Penn and to our classes for a day. The UA and the Center for Community Partnerships have also planned a symposium for January 13. Students, administrators and community leaders will get together to discuss local concerns. The UA has also done a significant amount of work examining computing facilities at Penn. Our preliminary suggestions to the administration in September earned us the first student seat on the Information Technology Steering Committee, which examines computing facilities across the University. In addition, the UA has done a student survey and looked at the quality of computer labs across campus. At some point next semester, we will release a detailed report of our findings. We also hope to create a guide about computing that will include the attributes of each lab and a rating of all the labs to be distributed next fall. In addition, we are working to address many other student concerns, including: · Several students complained about the fee for use of the Katz Fitness Center in the Gimbel Gymnasium and the need to pay that fee in cash or by check. We worked closely with the Department of Recreation to allow students to place the charge on their bursar bill beginning next fall. · The UA co-sponsored -- along with Civic House and the United Minorites Council -- a symposium for a group of student leaders to discuss minority recruitment issues. · We are working with SEPTA to get more token machines on campus, more service in the University area and better publicized route and timetable information. · In conjunction with Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, we are in the process of creating a poster that contains alcohol awareness information and information about what to do if someone is overly intoxicated. The poster are intended for display in college and greek houses. · Many students complained that they have had a hard time publicizing events, while others complained that too much stuff is taped to the ground on Locust Walk. To combat these problems, the UA worked to get the bulletin board kiosks back on Locust Walk. · Upperclassmen have said that some freshman are losing out on the "freshman experience" by living in the high rises. We will be testing this hypothesis by doing a survey examining how satisfied the average freshman is with their residential experience in the high rises versus their residential experience in the Quadrangle. In addition, we will be further developing our outreach efforts in the spring by having a UA table out on the walk for several hours each week, so come see us and tell us your hopes, dreams, worries and concerns or e-mail us at ua@dolphin.upenn.edu.
(12/03/98 10:00am)
It was hardly the most memorable aspect of last spring's thank-God-no-one-was-rendered-impotent Palestra shooting, but a man was killed. He was young and fearless and so enamored of the thug life that a brazen bust of Tupac Shakur spanned his shoulderblades. In fact, if you were from North Philly and you weren't his mother, you called him "Tupac." Anthony Davis himself was relatively insignificant. Forgettable. But I knew there was something familiar about the name when I saw it on the front page of Monday's Washington Post: Anthony Davis, a young drug-pushing inner-city victim of black-on-black homicide. This Anthony Davis, however, went by the alias "Ant" and hailed from a neighborhood in Northeast D.C. they called Little Vietnam. He also died in Little Vietnam, a few years ago. This Davis's death didn't make the papers. When he first died, at least. But almost randomly, the Post in one of those perennial explorations of urban violence, had picked up the death of Anthony Davis and chronicled the complex chain of events that led up to his slaying. They looked up the crime records for the neighborhood and talked to his killer in jail, and talked to his mother and traced their family histories. Anthony Davis, in two cities, was ghetto Everyman. They are predictable stories: single unwed mothers who'd shacked up with abusive, alcoholic boyfriends who when crack hit in the mid-'80s became a crack addicts. And just when they were realizing that all of their dreams of moving out had pretty much dried up like a raisin in the sun, they was going to the police station to pick up their sons. Every ghetto, every city. · We, at Penn, border on a ghetto. The administration and the revisionists have been known to suffer bouts with denial over this, but these days we're in a stage of acceptance. They even sent my parents literature about the urban blight that surrounds campus. When it suits them, students use it as small talk, as a perpetual joke. Say you live in "West Philadelphia" (forgetting we live in the most densely policed slice of Philly) and it's instant street cred to the high-school posse back home. Drink Olde English on the weekends, do 3 a.m. stints at Billybob's and shop at "Theftway" and -- nevermind the Diesel jeans and Polo sweater Dad's credit card furnished for you to do it all in -- you're eminently "down." But there is, doubtless, a point of diminishing marginal utility to the inner-city cache. When a gangfight spills into our campus. When a tough kid out on bail sneaks into Steiny-D with a knife. When your frat brother gets shot on the way home from Smoke's. What is this, Lebanon? Where are the Penn Police, shutting down parties or something? Where is our $30,000? Warnell Owens was young and drinking 40s -- and Jagermeister and margaritas and other things -- the night late last fall when the Penn Police decided to bust him. He was loud and unruly and a little imposing. But when a Penn cop decided to arrest him on a summary disorderly conduct charge, the Harvard-educated Owens apparently thought he had license to just retire back into the FIJI house where he'd been chilling with a friend from Penn. That, unfortunately for Owens, is not the way it works when you're being arrested. To resist arrest is a crime in itself; to merely strike a cop is considered aggravated assault -- a very serious crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail. But when the cops pursued Owens, he beat two of them unconscious. He reached for one cop's gun. Another two cops ended up in the hospital from his beatings. It was so audacious, so surreal that 60 cops showed up. The police were restrained; they never drew their guns. Less than a year later, Owens got a plea bargain: no agg assault on the record, no jail time. Nothing that could jeopardize his future, hurt his employment. Just a charge of simple assault and a lot of community service. No need to wreck such a promising future. Never mind the severe facial injuries he inflicted, the collective months off the police beat, the weeks the Division of Public Safety spent trying to determine whether the police had been too surly toward Owens' host at Penn, who also fled inside the FIJI house. Give him community service, he was drunk. Earlier in the year, the Tabard Society was congregating with Zeta Beta Tau to dispense alcohol and entertainment to the masses on a night when Theta happened to be doing the same the same thing. In a classic solution to a classic turf war, Tabard allegedly alerted the state's Liquor Control Enforcement agency to the Theta party. The party was busted. The LCE handed out citations for underage drinking to the tune of a few hundred bucks. Fortunately for Theta, none of the members were depending on liquor revenue the way drug dealers rely on their earnings. Not one sister risked going to jail for her activities. None of them, to my knowledge, were carrying semiautomatic weapons. The stakes just weren't that high. Look, the criminal justice system is here to protect you. Of course, there's a lot more to lose when you're an Ivy League student. And the cops, the courts -- they'll take that into consideration if you screw up.
(11/25/98 10:00am)
Although the Admissions Office tries to obfuscate admissions information, the numbers are easily deduced from numerous articles printed in The Daily Pennsylvanian. Of all categories of students accepted to Penn, the group which accepted Penn's offer of admission at the highest rate were those who did not self-identify as a member of a minority. Such students -- the vast majority of whom are assumed to be white --matriculated at a rate of 53 percent. By comparison, the groups that complain the most about underrepresentation actually have lower matriculation rates: Only 39 percent of African Americans decided to matriculate at Penn. For Hispanics, the rate was also 39 percent. And for Asians, the rate was 44 percent. Also, the minority groups who say that Penn "doesn't care about" them and "isn't interested in representing" them are being accepted at a higher percentage even as a lower percentage of accepted applicants matriculate. After examining the data published in the DP, I have found that African American applicants were accepted at a rate of 36 percent to the class of 2002. This number is 20 percent higher than the average acceptance rate of 30 percent for students self-identifying as white or "other." Hispanics were accepted at a rate of 38 percent, almost 27 percent higher than the average acceptance rate for whites and "others." In fact, assuming accepted African American applicants continued to matriculate at a rate of 39 percent, for Penn to have a class with the same 12 percent share of African American students as society as a whole, it would have to accept a whopping 74 percent of those that decided to apply. That sounds a bit far from "fair." Similarly, for Hispanics, Penn would have to accept 88 percent of those that applied to achieve a representation proportional to their numbers in society. Asians represent another facet of the underrepresentation issue -- namely, overrepresentation. Asian applicants were accepted to the University at a 25 percent rate. And while 44 percent of Asians matriculated -- nine points below the rate for whites and "others" -- they remain overrepresented at the University as a whole. For example, assuming a constant yield, Penn would only have to accept 3.4 percent of those that applied to get a level of representation equal to their 2 to 3 percent share of the population. But it's not just whites who are underrepresented at Penn -- it is white Christians. Penn's student body is widely estimated to be between 30 and 40 percent Jewish, and about 63 percent white or "other." Therefore, since the vast majority of non-Jewish whites are Christians, at most about 30 percent of Penn's incoming class are white Christians -- while they make up approximately 75 percent of society. Quite a stark disparity, yet there is no outcry. Jews, who make up about 30 percent of Penn's Class of 2002, are only 2 to 3 percent of the American population. Therefore, Jews are 10 times more represented at Penn than in society. Asians make up a dramatic 25 percent of the class, around eight times more than their share of the population. However, white Christians are the most underrepresented group in proportion to their numbers in society, roughly 40 percent of their share of the general population. That share is even less than Blacks, who are represented at Penn in about half their numbers in society at large. I think it is quite obvious that some numbers have been conveniently ignored for far too long. This information brings me back to my original point. It seems that the demand of certain minority groups is as follows: Admit more of us even though we already have a disproportionately high acceptance rate. Then, since we usually refuse Penn, the school needs to admit even more of us so it can look bad and have a low yield. With these statistics in hand, it is time to do battle with the proponents of politically correct diversity. Their brand of diversity is not about making Penn look like America. It is about favoring certain groups at the expense of others, the motivations for which range from career opportunism to blatant racism, both of which are dead wrong. Next time someone tells you certain groups are underrepresented, ask them who we should get rid of. Slots at this school are a zero sum game, so if I get in, someone else necessarily doesn't. It is time to stop pretending that this is not the case. Penn is a great school and is certainly scholarly enough to examine statistics before lavishly funding minority retention for groups that already receive a great deal of consideration and assistance from the University.
(11/20/98 10:00am)
I find this explanation difficult to believe since I was part of the group of 14 Latino student leaders that walked to her office on April 21, 1998, accompanied by reporters from two television stations and five local newspapers, to deliver the complaint. The following day the DP reported that spokespeople from the president's and Interim Provost Michael Wachter's offices acknowledged that the report had been received. Were these spokespeople telling the truth when they admitted to having received the complaint, or was Rodin misquoted when she said that she did not receive it? Regardless, after six months, neither the president nor the interim provost has responded to a document researched and written by a group of 14 Latino graduate and undergraduate organizations. Is the educated and civil approach that we took toward solving a problem dealing with race inequities on this campus effective? I would still like to believe that it is; however, I am starting to lose ground with those who have been waiting patiently with me. According to the University of Pennsylvania's Affirmative Action Policy Statement: "Men and women of different races, religions, nationalities and backgrounds are necessary to achieve the University's ultimate purpose: the improvement of the human condition through the pursuit of learning. Diversity is prized at Penn because it helps to create the educational environment that best prepares students to contribute to an increasingly diverse and rapidly shrinking world. We have a clear commitment to affirmative action. We must continue, therefore, to seek talented faculty, students and staff who will help constitute a community at Penn that is diverse in race, ethnicity, interests and perspectives." And in 1996, Rodin was quoted in Almanac as having said that, "If Penn intends to educate leaders, as we frequently proclaim, then we must recognize and accommodate the diversity of the society we expect our graduates to lead." Latinos are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the United States. In 1996, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that Latinos make up 10 percent of the U.S. population, and it projected that by the year 2000 we will make up 12 percent. By 2010 we will be the largest minority group. Our population is currently undereducated and underserved. It is imperative that world-class institutions such as Penn take the lead in providing our community with a new generation of leaders. This "clear commitment" to affirmative action has resulted in only token Latino access to the University at all levels. In the same Almanac article on minority recruitment and retention, Rodin admitted that the numbers of Latino students and faculty at the University "are still not what they should be." Out of the 1,800 standing faculty, we have counted only 35 Latinos, or 1.94 percent. More dramatically, at present there are only three tenured Latino faculty members. As for the number of students, we have managed to count a total of 323 Latino undergraduates who make up 3.23 percent. Finally, out of the 53 members on the Board of Trustees, there is only one Latino. In the same article, Rodin also stated, "If Penn's mission is genuinely tripartite, teaching, research and service, then our service to a tremendously complex and ever-changing society demands that we educate future leaders who come from and participate in that complexity and change." Unfortunately, only a tiny fraction of those future leaders that Penn educates are Latinos. What will happen if the University continues to serve our "tremendously complex and ever-changing society" without educating a fair and proportionate number of Latino leaders? Despite all of the messages from the president admitting that there is a problem, since at least September 1996, the percentage of Latinos at this University has remained essentially unchanged. In fact, it has gone down. The Latino Alumni Society, the Latino Faculty and Staff Association and the Latino Coalition have decided to work together to address the complaints that we submitted last April and come up with solutions. These solutions were transformed into a proposal that was delivered to the president's and interim provost's offices on October 30 of this year. This time we called the secretaries who received the complaints to ensure that they were actually delivered to the president and to the interim provost. It is our hope that Rodin and Wachter will read the proposal and meet with our respective organizations to finally make the president's inspiring words a reality.
(11/18/98 10:00am)
Are Asian Americans a minority group? It all depends who you ask. Perhaps by now you've heard about the Minority Recruitment and Retention Plan, which seeks to address the lack of African American and Latino students at our University and to improve the retention rates of those groups. The plan also attempts to address the need for increased numbers of and increased services to Native American students, of which there is significant need. Have you notice, though, that Asian Americans are excluded from the plan? Maybe you've heard of the United Minorities Council, which represents the concerns of undergraduate students of color at the University and includes a majority of the Asian American groups on campus. Or, more likely, you've discussed race relations in your classes. Frequently, though, race is discussed as a black-white issue, with Latinos thrown in every so often. So, are Asian Pacific Americans a minority group? If you aren't sure, though, don't feel too bad. You certainly aren't the only one. This confusion exists throughout the nation. Even our own University does not seem to know how to categorize APAs. Unfortunately, this confusion has allowed institutions, including our own University, to point with pride to Asian Americans when emphasizing cultural and racial diversity while only making token acknowledgement to APA concerns. The recent release of Penn President Judith Rodin's Asian Pacific American Student Affairs Committee Report serves as a prime example. The report acknowledges that while most groups of APA students are not underrepresented at this University, there is a severe need for increased numbers of Asian American faculty and staff. The report further recognizes that the University needs to improve alumni relations/development efforts amongst Asian American alumni. Increased support by this group would allow for the growth of Asian American Studies at Penn, for which there is no major. It would also serve as a foundation for needed hiring increases and increased programming of interest to APAs and other students. Considering the large numbers of Asian American alumni, and lack of Asian American participation in development, these efforts would also serve to boost Penn's relatively low endowment. While the report clearly identifies these issues, the University's focus is on the fulfillment of previous commitments to the APA student body. While the APASAC report was to identify and create new solutions to resolve concerns of APAs at the University, the University instead emphasizes the filling of positions at Counseling and Psychological Services and at the Greenfield Intercultural Center. Meanswhile, the report fails to mention that these hires should have occurred before the report had been completed. Given the purpose of the report, there appears to be wavering on the commitment to address Asian American concerns at our University. It is this same uncertainty which permits institutions to de-emphasize or otherwise ignore the concerns of Asian Americans with regard to issues such as the APASAC report. It is this sort of uncertainty that allows 34th Street magazine to pay homage to a nonexistent "Asian Student Association" (34th Street, 11/12/98). These problems have continued despite the concerns expressed by numerous Asian Americans and APA student leaders. This uncertainty exists because most of us cannot or will not recognize that Asian Americans are a minority group. Because there are so many Asian Americans at our University, we tend not to notice that Asian Americans make up only about 4 percent of the U.S. population. Since there are so many Asian Americans in schools on the Northeast coast and at the University of California system, we don't realize that Asian Americans represent only 3.8 percent of the total enrollment in higher education. Since there are so many APA professionals, we don't think that a "glass ceiling" also exists for Asian Americans. However, when educational attainment is taken into consideration, Asian Americans earn less than whites. Finally, we almost never remember that Asians were not permitted to immigrate into this country until 1965. Thus, Asian Americans have only recently been allowed to participate in American society. Now ask yourself whether you, the Asian American community at Penn or anyone else should tolerate "token" commitments to reform. This week is Unity Week. I sincerely hope that everyone has a chance to participate by attending the various performances and forums, including this tonight's session on minority recruitment and retention at McClelland Hall at 6:30 p.m. Please keep in mind however, that while we should come together for the events, it does not mean that we should be color blind. The focus of Unity Week is not to emphasize that we are same; rather, this week symbolizes the need to be conscious of the distinct qualities and concerns of the diverse cultures that compose our school. Similarly, as part of the racial dialogue, it is also essential that we include Asian Americans. Students should thus voice these concerns through different mediums, including tonight's forum and through the DP, so that the University can better address the needs of our diverse student body.
(11/11/98 10:00am)
The Daily Princetonian (U-WIRE) -- The eight-month saga that began with a firecracker exploding in a sold-out Palestra has come to an unexpected end after Philadelphia prosecutors decided not to seek extradition for 1998 Princeton University graduate David Meehan. Despite the fact that Meehan confessed to the crime during testimony at the trial of his friend and classmate Jason Brasno, Assistant District Attorney Jan McDermott said that her office had decided not to pursue any further legal action against Meehan. "I wasn't certain that we could say that [Meehan] was the doer when we said all along it was Brasno," McDermott said. "Some people in this office are of the opinion that you can't do that." After Common Pleas Judge A.J. DeFino acquitted Brasno of all charges in October, it had looked as though Meehan would be booked for the same crime. After the verdict was read, McDermott had said Meehan would be extradited "if I have anything to do with it." On Monday, Brasno's attorney Richard Brown released a statement after learning of McDermott's decision from The Daily Princetonian: "Mrs. McDermott's comments are puzzling. David Meehan came forward on March 9, just six days after the incident, and made a full concession to three deans at Princeton. He later made full restitution to every person known to have suffered property damage. His degree was withheld. He waived his privilege against self-incrimination. Finally, he exposed himself to a perjury prosecution if his testimony was untruthful. "No one would do all this merely to save a friend. There is no reason to doubt Mr. Meehan's repeated confessions; he is the one responsible for the firecracker, not Mr. Brasno," he said in his written statement. "The assistant district attorney's unwillingness to accept the court's decision undermines the system she works for," he added. McDermott said Monday she was disappointed with the decision of her office not to take action against Meehan, even though she said she continues to believe that Brasno was the true culprit. "I think the whole thing is unfortunate, but we have to live with it," McDermott said. "I had a theory, and I have to live with that." Meehan could not be reached for comment Monday.
(10/08/98 9:00am)
A new law makes it possible to release data on violent offenders and students cited for drinking. Made sick by the idea of facing your assailant on campus every day, you seek justice through Penn's internal judiciary system. And let's say that the offender is punished for the crime -- suspended or expelled even. But no matter how guilty, your assailant will never be held accountable to the people who matter most: student peers. Like all other colleges in the nation, Penn has been barred in the past from releasing the names of offenders to the public. But a law recently passed by Congress gives the University sweeping power to make public the names of violent offenders. The new law doesn't stop there. It also says Penn can notify your parents if you're cited for an alcohol infraction. These provisions, part of the federal higher education bill, impact every student in the University. And because Penn has the power to decide what information it will release, the University community should take an active role in setting the standards of information dissemination. Specifically, the law allows schools to release the name of students who are found to have committed violent crimes, the type of violation and the sanctions imposed. With regard to alcohol, the law states that parents may be notified when a student under 21 years old violates a school policy or the law. But the law itself does not mandate that Penn release any information. Instead, it is up to each institution to determine a policy within the range the law allows. Which is why students' opinions are so important. As a community, we have the responsibility to hold students accountable for their actions. Before deciding on a policy, the University should hold a campus-wide dialogue aimed at finding common ground on these key issues. Officials should start by sending a letter to all students explaining what the new law could mean to them. The Daily Pennsylvanian is also committed to participating in the dialogue. To that end, the DP has added a new Forum section to its Web site -- The Daily Pennsylvanian Interactive at http://dailypennsylvanian.com -- where you are encouraged to share your thoughts on the matter. We'll post your comments on the Internet and run some of them as Letters to the Editor. As students and administrators consider Penn's policies, we urge them to keep two words in mind: "accountability" and "responsibility." But when it comes to releasing the names of students cited with alcohol or other substance infractions, we urge officials to defer to students' individual responsibility. Under current law, Penn has long been able to notify most parents of alcohol infractions -- but has chosen not to. With the exception of life-threatening situations where students repeatedly end up in the hospital or incidents involving alcohol-related violence, officials should continue to acknowledge that students are mature enough to handle the repercussions of their actions -- without parents being notified. No matter how Penn decides to handle its options, we hope that officials make an informed decision -- a feat that can only be accomplished if students voice their views.
(10/07/98 9:00am)
As ridiculous as it sounds, Quakers fans can circle October 24 as the day on their calendar to find out. His chance appears legit because the 24th is the day that the Penn football team travels to Providence, RI to face Brown. In the preseason many experts placed Brown atop the Ivies. Now, the Bears' run defense is so decimated that even stopping a tackling dummy from sprouting legs and prancing into the endzone would show marked improvement. In three weeks of play, Brown has allowed 712 rushing yards, an average of 237.3 per week. Making matters worse, the yardage given up increased 33.6 percent last week -- just days after Brown defensive coordinator David Duggan wrote off weeks one and two as a fluke. This rate of increase looks proportionate to Brazilian inflation during the early 1980s. And like then, there's no sign of powerful Bears re-emerging. "We are always trying to stop the run, and it's our real weak point," Brown first-year coach Phil Estes said. "But we can't manufacture bigger and stronger players. We expect coaches, if they're smart, to try to run the ball against us." Opposing backs have averaged just 168.2 yards per game against other opponents, reducing any argument that Brown has faced an unusual sample set of talented backs. Asked last week if he was concerned by the Bears' defensive breakdown against Yale's Rashaad Bartholomew, Brown defensive coordinator Dave Duggan discounted the question. But after four rushing touchdowns by Rhode Island halfback James Jenkins during Brown's 44-16 loss to the Rams in Saturday's Governor's Cup, the Bears' coaching staff is now singing a different tune, and it sounds like a sob song. In Brown's season opener, Bartholomew stormed into Providence, running for 140-yards and a touchdown en route to the Elis' first Ivy win in almost two years. In the Bears' week two win, a trifecta of Lafayette backs combined for 214 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a Tom Williams' first-quarter, 49-yard TD run. Doesn't sound like the 'D' of a team picked for the Ivy crown. "We're just going back to fundamentals," Estes said. "We are going to need to know how to tackle and how to rap people up, being more aggressive." Making matters worse is that Estes' only first-team All-Ivy players, the combo of James Perry and Sean Morey, can't help because they are on the other side of the ball. Morey, who is a senior, sees his last chance at that Ivy title fading away. Maybe Morey's best bet is to pull a Jim Finn in reverse, and begin practicing as a defensive back. At this juncture, an All-Ivy receiver turned cornerback doesn't seem in the cards. Instead, Estes will go against better Ivy football judgment and try winning with his offense. "It all depends on the team," Estes said. "Our defense is struggling so our offense has to control the ballgames and keep the defense off the field." While this strategy may prove the best the Bears have to offer -- and they did manage a Week No. 2 win -- Brown has allowed 97 points in three games. At this pace, the Bears will give up 323 points this season. (This is without even readjusting to account for strength of schedule, as Brown's opponents are a combined 0-8 in their other contests). The last Ivy team to allow 300 points was the 1992 edition of the Bears. They went 0-10. Before that was Columbia in 1987, also 0-10 and in the midst of college football's then-longest losing streak. In fact, the best an Ivy team has ever done when giving up 300 points is 1-9. Brown already has its one win. So even though they are only 0-1 in the Ivies, a Brown championship is looking slim. Finn's chance of breaking Terrance Stokes' Ancient Eight record 272-yards rushing against Brown, however, is alive and well.
(07/02/98 9:00am)
I have known since practically my freshman year that this summer -- the summer of 1998, the summer before my senior year of college, my last summer before being kicked out into the world -- this summer I would be a proud paid intern of Random House. Or the New Yorker. Or MTV or Rolling Stone or at the very least some big New York law firm. What I did this summer was going to determine what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Well that all went to hell, didn't it? If I were to determine my future based on what I'm doing with my summer right now, I'd grow up to be a jobless leech, a virtual sloth with minimal social interaction and no source of income, not to mention a dental plan. Where did I go wrong? Is it me? Or should I not be worrying about how many reruns of The Cosby Show I've seen this week? A little of both, he says, loathe to give a concrete answer even in an opinion column. But it's the truth. I tried, really I did. I got my Random House dream job application in in plenty of time. I went to New York for the interview. I smiled all the time that moron in Human Resources asked me inane questions straight off my resume. She hadn't even heard of The Atlantic Monthly. Not that I'm bitter. The biggest lesson I've learned in my months of job searching is to cast a wide net. It's great to have a dream of a perfect job. You may very well get it. But if you pursue that job with single-minded ambition, you're probably going to miss out on something else, and that something could be very necessary if Random House's HR manager turns out to be an idiot. Of course, I'm not still bitter. So, no, I didn't have a back-up for Random House. It didn't help that Random House doesn't notify until late May, when most internships have already been filled for two months, but I think that if I had had another possibility lined up I could be of some use to society right now. But I did get a job, you'll be happy to know. Like I have done for the past two summers, I decided to make a deal with the devil and work for (gasp!) Barnes & Noble. I quit last Tuesday, and despite the fact that the highlight of each day since then has been Jeopardy!, I don't regret the decision -- with the possible exception of the fact that after paying my rent this week, my net worth is about $350. They had me peeling price stickers off the back of every book in the store, for gosh sakes. Every last stinkin' volume that the store has picked up since it opened. I'm sure that the work needed to be done, but to me, the misery of sore fingernails and an unoccupied mind was not worth the paycheck. On my third day of employment, a little bit of that summer-after-junior-year anxiety hit me. I couldn't respect myself for doing a brainless and repetitive job that a monkey could be trained to do. I should be analyzing mutual funds on Wall Street for $12 an hour. I should be clerking for the Chief Justice. I should be interning at the White House. Well, maybe that last option isn't really a job that a man like myself is particularly cut out for. But it's July now. I'm certainly not going to get that big summer-after-junior-year internship. I may not even be able to land a part-time job at this point without lying about my availability in the fall. My situation would almost be a little bit depressing if I hadn't come to a bit of a realization: an "important" internship really doesn't mean that much. At least not to me. The cynic in me (which, by the way, is a big part of me) wants to think that major international corporations dangle these "prestigious" internships as a way to get cheap labor to do their Xeroxing during the summer. Even the least cynical parts of me see corporate internships as a way of sucking unsuspecting youths into the big nasty corporate world. OK, so maybe I am a little bitter. But what, really, would one of these internships have gotten me, a liberal arts major with tentative law school plans? Not a whole hell of a lot. From what I gather, law school admission is pretty much by-the-numbers, and an internship would not have raised my GPA an iota. And once I've gotten through law school, would a college summer spent doing busywork in a New York skyscraper mean anything when placed next to my law school grades or a summer spent clerking for a judge? I doubt it. So if you're like me, a rising senior with no job prospects, or if you see yourself being in that position someday, don't despair. I'm certainly not crying myself to sleep. Your life will not be determined by a single summer. And in the end your Penn degree will mean so much more than whether you worked to end world hunger or waited tables instead that it's almost funny. So I think I'll take this "opportunity" (a euphemism for not having a job in July, of course) to go to bartending school. It's a respectable job. I'll make a little money. I'll be good at parties. I'll have a skill I can use my whole life, regardless of what profession I enter. And I won't mind listening to my friends who swung summer jobs as apprentice heart surgeons. But even as I tell myself that I can look a budding multinational real estate financier in the eye and think of myself as his or her equal, I feel my secret jealousy welling up. So, I'll end with a plea: if you're still reading this and you have the capacity to hire an English major with a respectable GPA, a love of writing and law school plans, give me a call. Please. I'm available immediately and I'm almost always home. I'll make you a killer martini for your trouble.
(06/11/98 9:00am)
This summer we're focusing on landscaping as a means to the same end: safer streets and a stronger sense of community. The new initiative, UC Green, is a comprehensive, collaborative approach to tackling several problems such as: · how to maintain University City's existing green spaces, · how to beautify existing empty spaces like vacant lots, sidewalks and those little plots of concrete or dirt that try to pass for front yards, · how to bring together different groups that do not often work together on common problems (i.e. residents, landlords, student tenants, local community groups and the University) and · how to create and maintain relationships between academic theory and practice in the local community which provide excellent learning opportunities for students. Penn courses that incorporate these goals already exist, such as those through the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning or Anne Spirn's West Philadelphia Landscape Project. In order to achieve this, we started by targeting a dozen public and semi-public spaces in distress. We then identified people who could be interested in the initiative and asked them what kind of help they may need to turn those eyesores into urban assets. And then we tried to get them what they need, usually by linking them to someone else in the community who is doing something similar or who has already done it. One of our priorities is addressing the problem of how to maintain a well-landscaped residential street where there are few or no homeowners (read: lots of transient student tenants). This summer we will be exploring how to use economies of scale to make tending a residential street worthwhile. Perhaps we can hire local high school students as urban gardeners as their after-school job. Like UC Brite, this would require a coordinated effort among residents, landlords and even student tenants. You might wonder what makes greening so important. How did we move from lights to plants? It's actually quite logical. After putting up the lights with UC Brite, we noticed that with some houses (namely the ones that students live in) all we did was illuminate an ugly street. Weeds were growing in front yards and between bricks and sidewalks were desolate concrete strips. But on some of the blocks further out into the community, where there are more permanent residents who take the time to care for their street, the lights illuminated beautiful shrubbery, flowers and community gardens. The nice feel of a street like the 4600 block of Osage Avenue should also exist at 39th and Baltimore. We've already seen the results of what some surface improvements can do -- just look at the Hamilton Village Shops or Beige Block. Imagine what this neighborhood -- our neighborhood -- would look like with some nice flowers, trees and even a bench or two. Further, experience has proven that a nice looking street can even be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Well-groomed streets attract less trash and less crime. UC Green has a lot of potential to make a visible impact in University City. The best part is that it is a work in progress, constantly open to new ideas, new projects and new partners. At this stage, UC Green is simply several sets of people who are all working on different projects in the community, whether it's landscaping a vacant lot by the Paul Robeson House at 50th and Walnut or installing flower boxes at 39th and Sansom. The UC Green network just provides the access to information and assistance. So what can you do as a student? Start off by taking care of your own space. Contact your landlord to see how to make your home --Eand your block -- more attractive. Even if you're only subletting for the summer, remember that this is your neighborhood, too. And UC Green is here to support you. Whether you need rakes and shovels or the names of other interested community members, all you have to do is contact us.
(06/11/98 9:00am)
Fifty-thousand needy inner-city children across the country are suddenly extremely fortunate. Thanks to a $200 million fund set up by a few wealthy businessmen, these children will be given vouchers to attend private schools. On the surface, this appears to be a great deal. It certainly is for the children who will benefit; given the chance at a better education, many of them will probably go on to college and solid jobs. But while 50,000 students reap the rewards, the rest of America's poor children languish in resource-starved schools. Instead of focusing on private schools as the solution to the plight of public education, government and foundations should seek out ways to improve city schools and thereby benefit all of the students who attend them. The same $200 million that will be spent on vouchers could be dedicated as grants to fund innovative programs and teacher training that would help students for years and years. Or the money could be donated to a cash-strapped school system struggling to reform. Like Philadelphia. Desperately-needed school reform has consistently failed because, among other reasons, of a shortage of funds. In fact, the situation here became so desperate that Superintendent of Schools David Hornbeck threatened to close schools next March because he would rather shut down than further slash his already-depleted budget. And though the crisis appears to be temporarily over thanks to loans secured by two Philadelphia banks, the ultimate problem remains: Without more money and innovative reform, schools will be unable to prepare children for careers and life in an ever-changing world. So where's the money? Some of it is in Harrisburg, where voucher advocates sitting on budget surpluses are holding Philadelphia's poorest children hostage. Thanks to state spending formulas that favor non-urban areas, Philadelphia is forced to spend approximately $2,000 less per student each year than the surrounding suburbs. This despite the fact that cities face tremendous challenges in educating students who often enter schools unprepared and are burdened by a multitude of societal factors. Republican Governor Tom Ridge and state lawmakers from both parties appear to be waiting for Philadelphia's School District to run out of money so they can step in with a voucher program that would take children -- and money -- out of the public schools and send them into private and parochial education. Undoubtedly, a few students would benefit from vouchers, but the public school system and the children remaining in it would lose out. Public schools should not be the education of last resort, and they will not be able to do to their job unless they are treated as the vital houses of learning that they are. Of course, improving public schools means more than just increasing funds. Schools need to find a way of teaching the most difficult-to-reach students and improving parents' participation in their children's education. One way of working toward this goal is through partnerships with other key city institutions. In terms of funding, Philadelphia has been remarkably successful in receiving grants and corporate support. Urban universities are another crucial piece of the puzzle. Close ties between a college and public schools benefit everyone -- from the children who are exposed to new worlds of information and different types of people to the college students who gain incredible experiences and real-world education to professors and researchers who can expand their work into the communities. And just as inner-city schools need help from universities, universities seeking to exist in stable communities know that a good neighborhood requires quality schools. Universities and foundations also pioneer teaching methods. For example, Johns Hopkins University offers grants to city schools -- including some in Philadelphia -- and comes in with education experts to help with reform. Likewise, an enormous grant from the Annenberg Foundation has helped Philadelphia introduce new and different programs. The point is that we must not give up on public education. Through cooperation between states, cities, corporations, universities and foundations, America can work through its education crisis. We have to. Just consider the price of failure.
(06/01/98 9:00am)
As construction wrapped up on a number of Penn projects, facilities improvements began on others. Newton South High School '96 Newton, Mass. The reverberating rhythms of jackhammers and drills became a customary backdrop to the campus' daily sounds in 1997-98 as the University completed several construction projects, while beginning other additional renovations. Among some smaller renovations inside existing buildings and residences, construction was completed or renovations began on several of the University's most prominent buildings, including the Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, Logan Hall, Van Pelt Library, the Annenberg School for Communication and Houston Hall. The Vagelos Labs of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology were unveiled in November after two years of construction. The building, at 34th Street and Smith Walk, houses two interdisciplinary research centers -- the Institute for Medicine and Engineering and the Center for Excellence in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Funding for the project came from a $10 million donation by University Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos and his wife, Diana. Vagelos, a 1950 College graduate, is the former chairperson and chief executive officer of New Jersey-based Merck & Co., a large pharmaceutical company. Additional funding for the construction came from $27 million in grants from the U.S. Air Force. Another long-awaited project that was unveiled this year was the restored Logan Hall -- the second-oldest edifice on campus, built in 1880 -- which has been undergoing renovations for more than seven years. The building, at 249 S. 36th Street, reopened in mid-January after a lengthy external restoration process and $9.2 million worth of interior renovations. Logan Hall is the first completed step in the $69 million Perelman Quadrangle project, which is designed to create a student center linking Irvine Auditorium with Logan, Houston, Williams and College halls. The project is scheduled to be completed in about two years. The restored building includes a 330-seat auditorium, a terrace room, several classrooms and seminar rooms and a ground-floor art gallery. It now houses the College office along with the History and Sociology of Science, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Classical Studies departments. The Women's Studies program and the Benjamin Franklin Scholars and General Honors offices are also now located at Logan. Also in January, students accustomed to the spacious study areas of the Rosengarten Reserve and the first-floor reference area of the Van Pelt Library found these spaces closed off with plastic tape and temporary partition walls as the library entered the fourth phase of its massive rehabilitation project. Phase IV, the renovation of the facility's main entrance and circulation center, should be finished in August. Phase III of the project -- which saw the addition of new reference facilities and study areas on the library's first floor -- was completed in December, just in time for students to try out some of the new spaces during final exams. The heavy construction work going on in the library over students' heads and under their feet as they studied, however, sparked some concern toward the end of the school year. Several students, for example, said that they feared some of the drilling and demolition work may be releasing carcinogenic asbestos fibers -- dangerous above certain densities -- into the air. Indeed, some asbestos, but not enough to be hazardous, fell from the ceiling into an area in Rosengarten where more than a dozen students were studying January 21. At the time, environmental health officials said the construction posed no danger. Students also complained that the library's temporary early closing hours were leaving them without a place for all-night studying. The library returned to its normal hours in April. Further down Walnut Street at the Annenberg School, construction has been going on since October to renovate the older section of the building and replace the Annenberg School Theater with a teleconferencing center linked to the Annenberg Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Part of the two-year, $15 million renovation project will involve making the school's entrance on Walnut Street more visible. The Annenberg library and graduate students' offices have been temporarily relocated to 4025 Chestnut Street during the construction. Relocation was a big issue this year for many student government groups, campus organizations and performance art groups based in Houston Hall, as University officials prepared for the historic student union's shutdown in late May by slowly assigning individual groups to new sites. Houston Hall is undergoing renovations to link it to the future Perelman Quad and must remain empty while construction takes place.
(03/19/98 10:00am)
Hiring both senior and junior faculty members is necessary to keep pace with peer institutions. The upcoming departures of Marissa Golden, the core of the department's American politics sector, and international relations specialist Dan Deudney make a bleak situation look even more desperate. At the end of the semester, Political Science will be down to approximately 20 faculty members -- ironically fewer than a year ago when plans were announced to hire three to four full-time senior faculty members in an effort to make the department more visible. The department has had difficulty holding its own for some time. Fifteen years ago, it had a poor reputation among peer institutions, and internally it was marked by turmoil and conflict. But in the late '80s, Poli Sci began to rebuild. Most recently, efforts have been focused on boosting the department's notably weak American politics component. The loss of Golden, however, will be a substantial setback to that goal. For the past few years, she has been the only professor to teach the department's introductory course in American politics. And she has been a major player in the development of new courses. The recent announcement of her departure has left the department struggling to fill the void. In its revitalization efforts, recruiting senior faculty members is key, as high-profile professors should strengthen the department and make it more attractive to prospective faculty members and students. But, especially in light of the recent blows, senior faculty recruitment is not going to be enough to lift the department out of its crippled state. Poli Sci needs to rebuild from the ground up. This means also looking to hire more junior faculty members, who will enable the department to offer the myriad courses that have been abandoned for lack of staff. There are no quick fixes that will revitalize the Political Science department. Even if four new faculty members are hired within the next year, the department will have succeeded only in making up for recent losses. The University cannot claim to offer a well-rounded education without Political Science. Courses on American political thought, Congress and the judiciary branch -- none of which have been taught in years -- should be mainstays of the School of Arts and Sciences curriculum.
(02/06/98 10:00am)
Clinton's new mentoring initiative is based on Penn and Philadelphia outreach programs. President Clinton unveiled an initiative Wednesday to give children from poor families a chance to pair up with mentors, tutors and counselors. The intent of the $140 million plan is to gear students toward college from as early as grade six. For Penn, such programs are old hat. The Kite and Key Society's Step-One tutoring project, which pairs University students with Philadelphia grade schoolers, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Penn students work with children at Lea Elementary School at 47th and Locust streets, meeting weekly to tutor them in math and reading, among other subjects. Ninety-two percent of Lea's 1,100 students are at or below the poverty level. They are able to look to their tutors as success stories. Additionally, the University's West Philadelphia Tutoring Project has been providing academic and social support for children in grades K-12 for the last 11 years. Involving over 370 University students, the program lends help to children often living in single family homes at or below the poverty line. Studies have shown that the average amount spent per pupil in Philadelphia is $2,000 less than the average spent in surrounding suburban districts. The city's schools simply don't have the money to provide students with an adequate education, and it is clear that they are in need of vast improvement. But in the interim, Penn volunteers are helping to make up the difference through their outreach efforts. We hope the president's plan meets with similar success.
(11/07/97 10:00am)
Our turbans must have been tied too tight when we universally picked Princeton to defeat Columbia last week at Wing Stadium. How could our perennial perfection be marred by such an unsightly blunder. This left us no choice but to get on our carpets and fly to our place of miscue, where we once again promptly found the university's sign, "Welcome to The College of New Jersey". Wasn't this Princeton's alias? But the students below weren't wearing vests and pocket protectors. Luckily, the swamis came upon The College of New Jersey athletic communications director Ann Bready, who set our genius at ease. "We are The College of New Jersey," Bready said. "Princeton took us to court. But that never was their name. They called themselves College of New Jersey." This explanation provided ample reason why the football team we scouted last week showed signs of talent. Had we correctly flown to College of New Jersey sans "The", we would have seen the kind of inept play characterizing the Princeton Tigers we remember. But rather than make a flight across Jersey, we decided to extend our visit, honoring Bready as a guest Swami. Our newest compatriot joined us in selecting the winner of four Ivy League football games, starting with the Dartmouth versus Columbia matchup. "Dartmouth is pretty good this year, aren't they?" queried Bready. " I'll pick Dartmouth 36, Columbia 14." Bready also selected Cornell and Harvard, and then boldly made her prediction for the game that the Swamis are most looking forward to this weekend. But before we could dismiss the Tigers' chances, we wanted Bready's opinion whether it was possible last weekend's rains caused the Tigers' flop. "We actually had a great game in the same exact weather," Bready said. "We had a 40-yard punt return and a 73-yard touchdown pass." That was enough to convince us that Princeton was indeed the crappy football team that lost to Columbia last weekend. We swamis loosened our turbans and flew away on our carpets, assured of a return to picking perfection to which we have become accustomed.
(11/05/97 10:00am)
The Harvard Crimson CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (U-WIRE) -- Harvard doesn't have a Homecoming. So it borrowed Dartmouth's to celebrate the Crimson's rise to sole possession of the Ivy league lead. Harvard (6-1, 4-0 Ivy) took Dartmouth (5-2, 3-1 Ivy) out behind thewoodshed for an old-fashioned whuppin', as its defense pitched a shutout and the offense jumped on Dartmouth for big plays early. The 24-0 final result means Harvard's first 4-0 start in the Ivy League since 1984 and also guarantees its first winning season in 10 full years. Sophomore wide receiver Terence Patterson provided the big-play offense for Harvard, scoring three touchdowns, one on a 62-yard reverse and another on a 45-yard bomb. He ended up with 11 receptions for 121 yards. The defense, which had let some leads slip away in the past, suffocated Dartmouth, allowing minus three yards rushing total. That statistic is even more impressive considering that the Crimson defense relaxed and allowed a 21-yard run on the last play of the game. Harvard also put Dartmouth quarterback Pete Sellers into his school's record books. The senior threw five interceptions, each to a different Harvard defender. Three of the interceptions were tipped then caught, which indicates how much pressure the Crimson defensive line was able to put on the quarterback. "Defensively we played about as well as we can play," said Harvard Coach Tim Murphy. "It really wouldn't have mattered today how many points we scored, we played so well. The offensive star early on for Harvard was Patterson, who got the ball in situations where he could showcase his athletic ability. His first touchdown was con ventional enough, a four-yard reception on a roll left by sophomore quarterback Rich Linden. Harvard then exploited the over-aggressive Dartmouth defense on its next possession, as sophomore running back Chris Menick swept right from the Harvard 35-yard line then handed off to Patterson. Patterson got great blocks by Linden and his offensive line, which was pancaking Dartmouth defenders 20 yards from the line. He put on a burst of speed and then dove into the end zone before he could be caught from behind. With the score still 14-0, Linden lobbed a ball up on the left side on a third-and-one. Patterson completely turned around cornerback Tom Ruesser and then ran away from him for a 45-yard score. Three plays afterward, senior defensive end Tim Fleiszer forced a fumble which was recovered at the Big Green 14-yard line. The Crimson could only muster a 22-yard field goal by sophomore Mike Giampaolo, but it turned out merely to be more cushion. Saturday reinforced the image that Harvard is a team of destiny. In four Ivy games this year, the defense has allowed just two touchdowns. Any questions which arose after earlier problems against Patriot League opponents Lehigh and Bucknell have been summarily dismissed. Beating Dartmouth, which had gone undefeated in its last15 league games, puts Harvard in the driver's seat for the league title. Therefore, the euphoria surrounding the win is understandable, even more so because the shutout was Harvard's first of Dartmouth since 1941. Three difficult games still lie between Harvard's first Ivy title since 1987. B
(09/18/97 9:00am)
Jordan Smith, Commentary And there is the ceremonial first freshman gazing at the sea of students surrounding him and saying, "How do they make any money letting us all in free?" The answer, of course, is that Penn makes no money at all from football. In fact, it loses about $800,000 every season on this most expensive of athletic programs, according to documents the Athletic Department had to file with the NCAA. With inflation and ever-rising costs, Penn football should cross the threshold of losing $1 million on its gridiron representatives early next century. These are big numbers in absolute and relative terms, but football -- and all the other financial black holes in the Penn Athletic Department -- are in no danger of disappearing. Basketball, with fewer coaches and less equipment, comes much closer to breaking even, but even it falls short. Sports are seen as part of the school's historic mission, and Penn is justifiably proud of its athletic tradition. Athletics add an element few often appreciate. Every time Penn is successful in either of the major collegiate sports, it means tons of free publicity. And while the connection is not strong, the rapid rise of Penn in the national rankings is not wholly unrelated to its total dominance of Ivy athletics between 1993 and 1995. Only the occasional athlete comes to Penn, or any other school, solely due to athletics. This publicity works more subtly, in the same way that croaking frogs work for Budweiser -- pure name recognition. The importance of this free publicity is not lost on Admissions Dean Lee Stetson. While they have "very little direct influence" in his view, Stetson credits sports for raising Penn's national profile. For example, in the 1994 NCAA men's basketball tournament, the Quakers defeated nationally ranked Nebraska, 90-80, in the first round. The defeat of the Cornhuskers loomed particularly large. Nebraska is in the heart of the sparsely populated region on which Penn has focused its admissions energy as part of its geographic diversity campaign. "In the Big 8 and parts of the Far West, it was very well received that Penn had such a good team -- and that we won so easily," said Stetson, referring to the now-defunct conference to which Nebraska belonged. That is an extreme example. But every Sunday in the fall, Penn's name pops up in The New York Times, the most important paper for the upper-class parents of its future students from greater New York City. The Times is probably a more important paper than even the hometown Philadelphia Inquirer. That publicity is care of the Penn football team, which, like all the other Ivy teams, is featured in brief stories every weekend. Those stories may seem minor, but only top 25 and local schools receive better treatment. And baseball teams other than the Yankees and Mets can hardly expect equal space. The proliferation of sports tickers at the bottom of the screen on several channels also lifts Penn's visibility. The Ivy League receives its share of coverage from the influential cable channel ESPN, which often updates scores on its halftime show as the league's race heats up. It may seem this publicity is irrelevant, since all the Ivy schools share it. But many schools who compete directly against the Ivy League, highly regarded institutions like the University of Chicago, Washington University at St. Louis, Emory, M.I.T. and Cal Tech, are known exclusively for academics. "It's certainly different -- it's certainly true that people don't know us from Division III," said Nanette Clift, Director of Recruitment at Washington University. "You're not going to see us on TV on Saturday."
(09/11/97 9:00am)
Plus, we have the added protection of separation of church and state. Based on these protections, can we assume that, as a culture, religious bigotry doesn't exist? Or, even if it does, Penn students are too enlightened? Unfortunately, we cannot. In the last several years persons in the Penn community have painted swastikas in the Quad on Hitler's birthday, phoned bomb threats to Hillel during Holocaust Remembrance Week and made bomb threats to the Muslim community and their friends during the Persian Gulf War. While I would hope most of the Penn community, regardless of religious affiliation, is appalled at such extreme behavior, religious bigotry usually takes a subtler turn on this campus. I define religious bigotry as any hurtful or potentially harmful behavior which imposes itself on "the other," whether an individual or a group, which has its basis in the belief of the innate superiority of one's own religion and the innate inferiority of the religion of the other. And, such behaviors and prejudicial attitudes are always condoned as being divinely justified. Christian bigotry usually takes the form of harassment. During the first semester it is usually a total stranger (or new acquaintance) telling you "I really like you but I fear for your soul if you don't come to Jesus." Translated this means "My religion is the only one with merit and your spiritual experience, religious belief, God, or lack thereof is dead wrong." Of course other Christians, whose religious experience or beliefs are different are not exempt from this kind of harassment either. Unfortunately, an arrogant presumption of being right can and is used for justify bashing sexual minorities, verbally and physically, imposing restraints on women's freedoms, allowing double standards for men and women, continuing idolatry of the male, not to mention bombing family planning clinics, and painting swastikas on the doors of a Jewish classmate. As a pastor, I am supportive of a strong commitment to one's God or obedience to one's religious moral code. But, if in our zeal and religious "commitment" we shut out the possibility of broadening our own understanding of God or if we condense the complexities of the spiritual journey into a simplistic, one line ideology, then our so-called "commitment" is not only self-righteousness but borders on bigotry. Of course it is satisfying to be right. It is indeed very comforting to be able to say, "And God agrees with me because the Bible says so and that makes you wrong." College years are a time to blow open the safe confines which kept our worlds small during childhood. It's a time to question and possibly to challenge some of the values and beliefs of our community and family. If we will apply the same intellectual quest to our faith and religion as we do to the other areas of academic life, contrary to losing our religious convictions, we may instead lose the naivete of a childhood belief system that life is predictable, and that mystery can be solved like a Sherlock Holmes novel. The wisdom from spiritual insights can rarely be condensed to a bumper sticker or a one sentence sound bit. By opening our minds we may discover that we gain a deeper faith, a greater appreciation for complexity, and an understanding that mystery is far greater than we had imagined. This may cause us to humble ourselves when we speak of God, our religion, our faith, or lack thereof. This shift in attitude is the antidote for religious bigotry. It opens the door to interfaith dialogue and prevents religiously inflicted wounds. This humility is what starts us on a mature, spiritual pilgrimage lasting throughout our lives. And humility is the beginning of wisdom. Have a great year and may we all become wise.
(09/03/97 9:00am)
Guest Columnist: Judith Rodin Guest Columnist: Judith RodinI hope you had a wonderful summer. Now that you are on campus -- some of you for the first time -- you may be speculating about the upcoming year. In fact, some of the speculation began early. Over the summer, I was asked on several occasions what "the plan" is for the year ahead. Each time I gave the same basic response: "The plan is to follow the plan." Because Penn is large and disparate, it may appear at any given time that a range of distinct and unrelated activities is taking place around campus. New technology here, new programs there, construction and reconstruction: "What does this have to do with that?" is a frequently heard question. The answer, much of the time, is that seemingly disconnected endeavors and developments are, in fact, essential and interwoven parts of our institutional agenda. They relate to each other like the working parts of a body and, as Penn drives ahead toward comprehensive excellence, each has its own vital role. Penn needs and has a blueprint, an Agenda for Excellence, because more than ever before, students need a superb education and the world needs the growth in knowledge produced by the best research universities. Moreover, the world of higher education is growing ever more competitive and, unless Penn strives to be among the best, we will end up -- certainly not among the worst -- but among the many. That is simply unacceptable for the university founded by Benjamin Franklin. With this as background, I offer an account of our recent progress on a number of fronts. Each is an area of emphasis in the Agenda for Excellence; our progress is not happenstance. Exciting new academic programs We have launched vigorous new programs in a number of Penn's schools in a campus-wide spirit of innovation. To highlight just a few, the School of Arts and Sciences has instituted a rigorous quantitative skills requirement that will help prepare its graduates for life and careers in the 21st century. SAS and the School of Engineering and Applied Science have also established a small battery of competitive new master's programs. The School of Medicine is moving forward with Curriculum 2000, perhaps the most significant curricular development in medicine this century. The Law School is developing strategic cross-school programs with Wharton, SAS and other schools as it takes broad advantage of Penn's multi-disciplinary opportunities. And significant advances in distance learning are being made across the University. A leader among universities in the wise use of technology Penn continues to be recognized nationally for its innovative leadership in the use of information technology. Undergraduates who live in first-year and college houses will see a real breakthrough this month in our support for their computing needs -- through a support-in-residence program that integrates computing support with academic support in math, English and the use of library resources. The rest of the campus is settling in to the first full year of computing service delivered under a new decentralized-support model that puts users more directly in touch with technical resources. Penn's groundbreaking Resnet project is finished. And we're beginning to link up with new high-speed networking that goes beyond what the conventional Internet can do. An urban campus of great beauty and function Penn's academic programs have been enhanced and enriched by our peerless campus. A unique gem in the middle of a major city, it remains home to each of our twelve schools and is being wisely, strategically developed. This year we will see: * Completion of the world-class Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and Logan Hall for the College and several SAS departments * Construction on our new student center, the Perelman Quad; a revitalized Sansom Street running west to the new Sansom Common; and new laboratories and research space in Biomedical Research Building II * Planning for new and renovated SAS and SEAS facilities and a new Wharton building that will help solve the School's dire space needs. A neighborhood that is clean and safe Cleanliness and safety are the two main goals of the University City District that was inaugurated in August. Supported by Penn and other area institutions, UCD will complement city services with cleaning, security and other services specially tailored to our West Philadelphia community. UCD will augment the University's commitment to the safety of our community. Over the past year we added more than twenty new police officers to our force and contracted with a leading firm to bring state-of-the-art electronic security systems to our buildings and residences. Because of our continuing efforts, the number of reported robberies in our area has dropped significantly from a year ago. When crime does occur, our police are now able to make more and quicker apprehensions. Our students are equally impressive. I know our upperclassmen join me in welcoming Penn's Class of 2001 -- our "millennial class." The road that led these bright young people to Penn was documented in a marvelous April cover story in U.S. News and World Report. And our student "accept rate" is even higher than last year's record. Our newest students bring great promise to Penn, the excitement of the new millennium, and the hope of many good things to come. So, too, does all of our strategic planning, implementation, and progress. Together we are advancing the University to a position of preeminence in the approaching century. I look forward to continuing the journey with you.
