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LETTERS: Friday, April 28, 2000

(04/28/00 9:00am)

To the Editor: Readers of these articles are accurately informed that Penn Political Science is understaffed and that it is engaged in a vigorous, long-term building effort. But readers will not understand that this kind of effort is a challenge that can only succeed in a time span longer than that during which any Penn undergraduate is actually here on campus. In the meantime, colleagues in the department are offering a first-class education to more Penn students than ever before. Enrollments are extraordinarily high in our courses. The number of Political Science majors is very high and rapidly rising. Our honors program produced 15 successful theses. Five of our graduating majors this year are Phi Beta Kappa -- an unprecedented achievement. Our professors and graduate students regularly win teaching awards. Our graduate students are so successful in national competition for fellowship support that one of the main problems I have as chair is to ensure that we will be able to staff our large courses. Professors in the department are publishing excellent books and articles, receiving prestigious research grants, presenting papers at scholarly conferences, etc. -- all the while immersed in the extremely difficult task of making a very good department truly excellent in all subfields of the discipline. The truth is that we have hired five new colleagues in the last three years and we will continue to expand at this rate. It is true, of course, that colleagues have left Penn for other institutions. The rate of turnover at the best institutions in the country is actually quite high these days, making efforts to build strength, especially at the senior level, a real challenge. And if the overall size of the department remains lower than it needs to be, and that it will be, that is due also to the natural result of a large cohort of senior colleagues who reached retirement age at roughly the same time. But this development is an opportunity, a tremendous opportunity, if also a short-term problem. Ian Lustick Chairman Political Science Department To the Editor: Thank you for your coverage ("Residents stumped by fallen trees," DP, 4/26/00) and the editorial ("Time to show a little respect," DP, 4/27/00) on the axing of two young trees on the 3900 block of Baltimore Avenue. Both speak eloquently to the importance of supporting the efforts of the University and the community. As you so effectively argue, this act of vandalism is an unfortunate counterforce to the sustained efforts from Penn's students and administration to join the local residential and business communities in building a better environment for us all. On greening project after greening project -- from reclaiming vacant lots and underused public spaces, planting trees to greening area schools -- we have been enriched and empowered by the energy, dedication and joy the Penn community has brought to these efforts. They have both advanced the vision of transforming University City into a "garden village" and demonstrated the power of gardening as a catalyst for community building. While the recent setback of irresponsible rogue behavior on Baltimore Avenue is infuriating and unnerving, it was the powerful response of the larger majorities of responsible students, landlords, staff and residents that has sent the more important message -- that we care -- and that by working together, can continue the momentum to construct that better environment. The immediate task is to see that the two trees are replaced. We have made arrangements for this, to be paid for by the landlord at 3953-55 Baltimore Avenue. Active in the replanting will be Gene Dempsey, the steward of the other tree, whose quick actions triggered the police and community response. We invite the larger community that support these projects to join in the replanting and in other, equally rewarding greening projects planned for the days ahead. Thank you for drawing the lesson and for resetting the agenda for us all. Esaul Sanchez Dir., Neighborhood Initiatives Office of the Executive Vice Pres.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2000/04/letters_friday_april_28_2000

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.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2000/03/guest_columnists_queer_student_alliance_is_here

GUEST COLUMNIST: One year after the alcohol-related death of Michael Tobin, campus leaders reflect.

(03/21/00 10:00am)

Alcohol at Penn: Change for the better Alcohol at Penn: Change for the betterStudents involved in creating alcohol policy In practice, not that much has changed, at least not in a way that would take away our right to make our own choices. The changes have been subtle, and appear to be for the better. Penn administrators haven't forced an incredibly strict policy on us. Rather, they have tried to give us guidelines to help make drinking safer at Penn -- regardless of whether one chooses to drink or not. At the start of this year, I was selected to act as the chairwoman of the Undergraduate Assembly's Alcohol and Other Drug Committee. When I began, I thought I would serve as a watchdog, guarding student interests in the face of this new University policy. Much like most of the student body, the UA thought that the rules were going to forever change the face of Penn's social scene. We felt it was our duty, as the voice of the students, to form a committee dedicated to the rights of the entire student population involving alcohol -- and we did so. We held a forum, we met regularly with the task force and with Stephanie Ives, the alcohol policy coordinator. We were going to make sure students didn't have to worry about undue restrictions on their social lives. Surprisingly, we ended up not having all that much work to do because it turned out that the changes were reasonable and not overbearing. It also turns out that Penn students' view of our drinking habits might be inaccurate. You may have recognized the "Once a week or less" posters around campus and the ads in the DP about the amount of drinking that goes on at Penn. I saw those numbers over winter break and was at first a little shocked. My first reaction was to think, "Maybe not everyone at Penn drinks, but most everyone I know does." After a while of thinking about it, I realized that wasn't true. I know plenty of people who don't drink. I know plenty of people who drink in moderation and I know plenty of people who do this and still have a blast at all of the same parties I attend. The posters just made me think a little harder about how much drinking I was doing when I went out for the night. These ads and posters make me think about what the alcohol policy has done to affect our lives in the past year. Much like Michael Tobin's death, the policy has served as a wake-up call. Working on alcohol-related issues, I have been ready to relate students' major concerns about the new policy to the administration. Not too many have appeared. From my point of view, this means that the administration has done a good job of working with the students to formulate a decent policy. So, we can still have fun -- and isn't that what we were worried about anyway?

https://www.thedp.com/article/2000/03/guest-columnist-one-year-after-the-alcoholrelated-death-of-michael-tobin-campus-leaders-reflect

Sports Briefs: Friday, February 25, 2000

(02/25/00 10:00am)

Sixers sign former Penn star Bowman Bowman, 26, has appeared and started in 40 games this season for the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association. The 6'5", 195-pound guard averaged 12.4 points, 5.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Pride. He was in training camp with the Portland Trailblazers and Dallas Mavericks before the start of the season before signing with the Pride. Bowman, a native of Newark, N.J., was co-captain of the 1996 Penn squad. -- The Associated Press Caramanico receives academic accolades Wednesday, however, Caramanico was heralded for her achievements away from the hardwood. The Wharton junior was named a District Two GTE Academic All-American. In the classroom, Caramanico majors in Management and boasts a 3.24 grade point average, and the District Two honors make the Blue Bell, Pa., native eligible for national GTE Academic All-America status. Caramanico has been excellent on the hardwood this season, leading the Ivy League and Big 5 in both scoring and rebounding. A week ago today, at Cornell, she became Penn's all-time leading scorer. -- Jesse Spector

https://www.thedp.com/article/2000/02/sports_briefs_friday_february_25_2000

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