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(04/18/91 9:00am)
Ronald Spiers, the United Nations' undersecretary for political affairs, discussed how the U.N. has become a hub of "quiet-corridor" international diplomacy over the past ten years in a talk last night. During his 30-minute speech in front of 50 people at Vance Hall, Spiers gave a short history of the U.N. in order to emphasize the dissolution of of the U.N.'s traditional bipolarity in General Assembly votes. Furthermore, Spiers said, the U.N. has become more central in international diplomacy in contrast to the past where such diplomacy was handled by North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact. He cited the recent Persian Gulf resolutions as an example of the U.N. as a diplomatic hub. This increased use of the U.N., he explained, has produced a two-fold effect. First, it has put a financial strain on the U.N. "The more active the member nations become in the General Assembly, the higher the [U.N.'s] commitment needs to be," Spiers said. Spiers described the U.S. as standing "hypocritically" in the center of this issue. Its strong insistence on nations to use the U.N. stands in contrast to the fact that it owes $70 million in membership dues to the U.N., he said. The second effect that change has had on the U.N. is that "a new category of issues of global impact have come to the forefront." The General Assembly has also begun to work on more common issues, he said, reflecting new sense of "collaboration" among U.N. members. These issues include the environment, the drug trade and human rights. Spiers said the Kurdish crisis is a historic problem that could only be solved through "democratization" and not through independence. Kiera Reilly, secretary of the Penn Political Union, praised Spiers' ability to communicate his knowledge of U.N. history. "Spiers was fascinating," the College sophomore said. "His long and distinguished service was reflected tonight in the many experiences he communicated to us."
(04/18/91 9:00am)
Classes are winding down. The weather is getting warmer, and wetter. It could mean only one thing -- Spring Fling is here. This year's installment of the annual end-of-the-year campus bash, dubbed "The Wild Fling" by organizers, is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. in the Quadrangle. By the time it's all over Saturday night, organizers hope to attract nearly 10,000 party-goers to Fling events in the Quad and on Hill Field. The festivities will take place in the Quad both Friday and Saturday afternoons between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. When the sun sets, the action will move across campus to Hill Field for two nights of entertainment. The Grammy Award-winning duo the Indigo Girls, this year's headline act, will play at Hill Field Friday night at 9:00 p.m. Gates will open at 6:15 p.m., just after events come to a close in the Quad. Fling Director Rob Cohen, a College senior, said Tuesday that over 3700 tickets had been sold for the concert, adding he hoped for a turnout of about 5000. Tickets cost $6 with a valid PENNcard. Although the music will be audible from the streets surrounding Hill Field, Director Denise Rubin said students will have a better experience if they buy tickets instead. Rubin, a College senior, said "the festive picnic atmosphere" which organizers hope to create within the gates will make the cost of the tickets worthwhile. She attributed the lower than usual ticket price to the Social Planning and Events Committee, which is co-sponsoring the concert with the Spring Fling Committee. "If it wasn't for [SPEC's] help, this thing wouldn't be happening," she said. "We wouldn't be offering such a popular act at such a low ticket price." The site of the concert has also helped keep the ticket price down. Organizers can sell up to 5000 tickets for Hill Field, compared to only about 1800 for Irvine. Saturday evening's events include an hour and a half of music with the Power 99 Electric Boom Box, followed by an air band competition featuring between seven and 10 lipsynching student entrants. Fling concludes at 9:00 p.m. with a laser light show. In the Quad, Fling will feature the traditional combination of local food vendors and performing arts groups. Fifteen vendors, including Allegro Pizza, Lee's Hoagies House and Jack & Jill Ice Cream, will set up shop in the Lower Quad. Local bands and student groups, such as Mask and Wig and Off the Beat, will provide the entertainment. Despite the full schedule, organizers said they realize the kind of bad weather which put a damper on last year's Fling can lay waste to all their plans. Since almost all of Fling will be held outdoors this year, its success will largely depend on good weather. "Let's pray because this will be eight months of planning down the tubes if it rains," organizer Todd Fruchterman said. But although weather forecasters were calling for possible rain this weekend, Rubin remained philosophical. "Of course it's kind of disappointing that after all this work, it could be rained out," she said. "But that's the risk we take of being in Philadelphia in April." In the event of inclement weather Saturday night, Irvine Auditorium will be used as an alternate site for the laser show and students will be admitted on a first come first served basis. But if inclement weather develops Friday night, the concert may be canceled, depending on the severity of the weather. There is no alternate site and tickets are not refundable. Assuming the concert goes as planned, security will be tight, according to Rubin. She said Spectraguard, University Police and Fling's own security team will help maintain order. To discourage anyone from attempting to trespass by hurdling the fence around Hill Field, Rubin said there will be a 15-foot security barrier between the fence and spectators. She said anyone who jumps the fence would be easily spotted in the "no man's land." So, just how wild will "The Wild Fling" be? Rubin said "the point of the theme is to get people excited," but not to make Fling any wilder than usual. "We hope that people as always will think before they act," she said. "We want people to have a good time but we don't want to see any damage, nothing that could hurt Fling or any other students." "We wanted to choose a theme that wouldn't tie us down to a specified locale or setting," Cohen said. " 'The Wild Fling' was more indicative of a presence of mind. The whole idea was to convey an atmosphere."
(04/18/91 9:00am)
David Foreman, founder of the radical environmental group Earth First, had hundreds of people howling like wolves as he stressed the biological connection between people and animals in the wild. Foreman spoke yesterday to a packed Houston Hall Auditorium, making many pessimistic points but ending with the hope that people can regain their emotional connection with the planet. "We are living at a time when species are being made extinct faster than when the dinosaurs were wiped out," Foreman said. The group Foreman founded, Earth First, supports the idea of "no compromise in defense of mother earth." He has since left the group and is currently acting as an independent advisor to a number of less radical environmental groups, and his book, Confessions of an Eco-Warrior was published this year. Starting on a humorous note, Foreman commented that he had to give his talk in front of the podium, because behind it he felt "like Captain Kirk on the Starship Enterprise." He then moved on to more serious topics, apologizing for the downbeat nature of the talk, but explaining that the environmental situation was grave. Current environmental problems, he said, are due to the arrogant attitude people take that the rest of the world is just a resource to be "exploited." "The pilgrim fathers thought that the forests in New England were inexhaustable," he said. "Then people thought that the Pennsylvania forests were inexhaustable. Now they're logging on the Pacific coast, and only 4 percent of the Redwoods remain." He argued that each individual has a responsibility to protect the environment. "I've been arrested all I care to be," Foreman said. "But I still recommend it. Not everyone can do that. But you can write to your senator or congressman and protest against George Bush's energy policy." Foreman added that modern people have lost their love for the earth and the feeling that they are part of it. "We build walls in front of ourselves, and cut ourselves off from the foodchain," he said. "I'm not a machine. I'm an animal. Computers don't howl, but wolves howl, and free men and women howl." He ended the talk with a rousing wolf-howl which received a responding howl and a standing ovation. Engineering senior Andrea Ranger called Foreman's speech "empowering." "Often at Penn I feel that maybe my ideas are wrong because they're outside the mainstream," Ranger said "Foreman justified why we have to have these ideas about the environment." Graduate student Eddie Clift agreed, saying that the activist's charisma added to the talk. "Foreman was a real personality," he said. "He made an emotional connection with environmental issues."
(04/15/91 9:00am)
Among the ten artists whose work is displayed in the show are University undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to local artists. The works are primarily of mixed media, and on Friday there was also a performance art piece. Most of the works in the show were created last Monday on Locust Walk as part of Amnesty International's "Art Day." According to Jason Soslow, a College senior and director of Art Day, the purpose of Art Day was to "publicize Amnesty's work to the Penn community, to show that human rights is an issue." Soslow said he hopes the public display made people realize that Americans have "the ability of expressing their conscience in ways which people in other countries do not." Soslow said that many of the works depict "the face which is faceless of people who 'go missing,' " meaning that they were "abducted by the government and hidden from public view." "These faces are struggling to be seen, and trying to resolve these faces and making them public is what Amnesty International is all about," Soslow said. The common theme is human rights and amnesty, and many of the pieces are very topical, focusing on Tiananmen Square, Tibet, Albania and the Middle East. Artist Rob Kirsch, a graduate student at the Annenberg School, created a piece in reaction to the Middle East situation. The work shows the word "peace" written in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. "My work is done not just with a theme, but as a piece of agitation, a way of provoking thought or discussion," Kirsch said. "Something political does no good if it's sitting on someone's walls," said Kirsch. "If my work can be of some use, use it." Kirsch is distributing his design idea across the country, and will be printing it on T-shirts. Each of the five exhibits by the Penn Student Gallery this year has had a different theme. Steve Gross, a College junior and Director of the Penn Student Gallery, said that the Gallery "is trying to reach out to the Penn community, and by having these different themes, it's a way of doing that." "While we exist as our own entity as a gallery, it has worked well collaborating with Amnesty International for such an important cause," Gross said. Alex Brubaker, a Wharton and Engineering Senior, was one of the approximately 50 people who attended the opening of the exhibit. He said that he appreciates the artwork because "there are many different places around the world where human rights are not observed." The last art show by the Penn Student Gallery this year, In the Spirit of Humankind is located in the Bowl Room of Houston Hall, and will be open Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. through April 26.
(04/12/91 9:00am)
The class of 1995 is the least selective admissions class in at least a decade and has the highest admittance rate of all Ivy League schools, according to figures released yesterday by Associate Dean for Admissions Christoph Guttentag. A drop in applications by 850 high school students and a 55-person increase in the number of students admitted yielded an admissions rate of nearly 47 percent, by far the highest in the Ivies. This is the fourth straight year the rate has increased. Despite the declining number of applications, Guttentag maintained yesterday that the quality of the class is the same, if not slightly better, than last year's class. Guttentag would not release the average SAT score of the class, saying only it is comparable with last year's. "[The SAT scores] appear to tell more than they do," Guttentag said. "There is absolutely no significant difference between this and last year's average SAT scores." The Admissions Department was "pleased" that such a small applicant pool could yield such a qualified class, Guttentag said. Guttentag blamed the change on a declining number of 18-year-olds nationwide. He said this caused the applicant pool to drop from 10,650 last year to about 9,800 this year. "To a certain extent it reflects the overall decline in the number of 18-year-olds," Guttentag said. The University accepted 4,580 students to the class of 1995 class and expects 2,250 to matriculate. Last year, the University admitted near 42 percent of the applicants compared with 40.6 percent in 1989 and 35 percent in 1988. Every Ivy League school has a significantly lower admittance rate than the University with Brown University admitting 23 percent, Columbia University 32 percent, Cornell University 31 percent, Dartmouth University 25 percent, Harvard University 17 percent, Princeton University 16 percent and Yale University 21 percent. In fact, the University's admittance rate was twice Brown's and almost three times higher than Princeton's. The University's size is one reason it has a higher admissions rate. With the exception of Cornell, the University is the largest and most comprehensive school in the Ivies. In order to maintain a low admittance percentage, it would need a far greater number of applicants than any of the other Ivies. "We have a smaller applicant pool, a class that is the same size, a matriculaiton yield that's the same, and a class that is the second largest of the Ivies," Guttentag said last night. In addition, the increase in total admissions failed to bolster the representation of minority students in the class. The University admitted 35 fewer black students and 20 fewer hispanics than last year. Guttentag stressed that despite the drop in the raw number of hispanic and black admits, the University accepted a higher percentage of the pool of black and hispanic applicants. "As long as I've been here we have made a consistent and concerted effort to get both as strong and as diverse an applicant pool as we can," Guttentag said. "We are always looking for ways to do more." A cause of the decrease in the applicant pool is the economic strain of a $24,000 school. Especially among less affluent minorities, the cost of an expensive university has scared off students who otherwise would have been qualified, according to adminssions officials. The cancellation of the New England Overlap Group meeting this year, in which several highly competitive schools including the University have met to discuss financial aid distribution, may have affected this year's pool, Guttentag admitted. "The chances of any given applicant who has applied to more than one overlap school. . . getting different financial aid awards increases," Guttentag said. "Will it affect matriculation rates?" Guttentag asked. "Maybe, but we don't have any history to go on." The University has kept the projected class size the same for the last two years despite the decline in college-age students, in part, for economic reasons. One reason for the stable class size is that the University needs the annual revenue a stable class size will provide. For a research institution of its size, the University has a small endowment and therefore depends heavily upon tuition payments for capital. Guttentag added last night that while students may be alarmed with the numbers, "quality is not a function of selectivity."
(04/11/91 9:00am)
The crowd of about 100 people that gathered in the David Rittenhouse Laboratory Tuesday afternoon wasn't there for a calculus or physics class. The audience of students, professors and guests had assembled for a taste of literature at the poetry reading by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Wilbur. Following a brief introduction, Wilbur began reading his poems, for which he won the 1988 Los Angeles Times Book Award. In "The Ride", which Wilbur described as a "dream poem" because he dreamt the story and remembered it the next morning, he speaks of his riding the horse with "magic ease." Wilbur also read his lighter poems such as "The Catch" which, he said, pertains to his wife and himself or any married couple. The poem tells the story of a wife buying a dress which she considers a bargain and wanting her husband's opinion of it. Wilbur speaks of "the blindness of the male" when the wife is not satisfied by her husband's opinion. Wilbur said he is always happy when someone reminds him of a poem, adding that he even tends to like a poem more when this happens. Wilbur also read some of his "seasonal poems," including "Seedlings" which is dedicated to Robert Frost. The last few readings were from Opposites, which is a collection of short, humorous poems for "children and others." The reading was followed by questions addressed to Wilbur regarding his background, his inspirations and the other factors that contributed to his becoming a poet. The audience was appreciative of the reading. "I thought it was excellent," said College freshman Ethel Rackin. "He is a great reader and the selection of poems was very interesting
(04/11/91 9:00am)
Monk offered no explanation last night for the missed appointment, saying only, "It just didn't happen." Monk, who insisted he is "honestly trying to get the financing" to refund students who paid in advance for newspapers but did not receive every issue, said he plans to submit a letter to The Daily Pennsylvanian Monday to detail a refund plan. Friday's missed appointment marked the fourth time Monk has forced the postponement of such meetings since the attorney general's office launched an investigation of the news delivery service in February. The investigation was prompted by a complaint filed by Wharton senior Alyssa Rokito on behalf of about 120 other students seeking refunds because of poor newspaper delivery service. Rokito said the claims vary from about $50 to $150 each. Galloway, who is investigating the Penn News case for the office's Board of Consumer Protection, said "nothing is happening" with the investigation because Deputy Attorney General John Kelly will be out of the country until the end of the month. Galloway refused to speculate where the investigation might lead, but he did say his office could sue Monk unless a settlement is reached. But Rokito said yesterday that while Galloway has told her the attorney general's office will "definitely stay on the case," he has encouraged her and the others listed in the complaint to ask the University's Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman to help them resolve the dispute. Goodman could not be reached for comment last night. Rokito added that Galloway told her the decision on whether to sue Monk has developed into a political dispute between Kelly and Attorney General Ernie Preate. While Kelly may push for a lawsuit because Monk is not fully cooperating in the probe, Rokito said Preate has cautioned that suing a student may be politically damaging. But Galloway said even if the state takes Monk to court and a judge orders him to refund the students, there is no guarantee the refunds will ever be paid. The investigator explained that a judge could order Monk to repay students only if the Penn News owner has enough money to do so. Monk said last week he plans to borrow money from friends and maybe take legal action to repay students. He said any legal action would be against "other parties involved," including the University. Galloway said the judge could also prohibit Monk from ever operating a newspaper delivery company in Pennsylvania again, or possibly any company at all. Several students listed in the complaint said they intend to continue pursuing their refunds, regardless of the outcome of the attorney general's investigation. "He's still acting as if ignoring the problem will make it pass and it won't," said Wharton graduate Jonathan Eilian, who helped Rokito file the complaint. "We'll just keep pounding and pounding and pounding." Eilian said "there are many other options open to us," including filing a class-action suit and going to small claims court. Penn Student Agencies operated the campus newspaper delivery service until last summer, when University officials agreed to allow students the chance to run Penn News and earn extra money at the same time. Monk assumed control of the company in November, but by the end of the semester, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and USA Today had stopped providing Penn News with its newspapers. Monk currently owes the three newspaper companies over $24,000. According to Monk, the problem began when the University ruled Penn News could not bill students through the Bursar's Office. He claimed the University did not inform him of the change until just before Thanksgiving, but Deputy Vice Provost George Koval said last year that former Penn News owner Mark Stanley knew of the University's decision as early as September. Last week, Monk said he would still seek payment from those students who agreed to pay through their bursar bills for issues they had received, and then use that money to help refund disgruntled subscribers who paid in advance and are now demanding partial or total refunds.
(04/10/91 9:00am)
Estelle Brookhouse had two children and was pregnant with another child when she was homeless about three years ago. She moved in and out of friends' homes and occasionally stayed in temporary shelters. Now, Brookhouse is working to solve the homelessness problem as the "teen coordinator" at the People's Emergency Center in West Philadelphia. "Of the shelters I've been at, this one is the best," Brookhouse said. She now lives in a private apartment on the third floor of PEC. For her, one of the more valuable resources that the center provided was childcare education. PEC started as an all-volunteer program staffed primarily with University and Drexel University students. At its beginning, the Center functioned from the first floor of the Asbury Methodist Church on 33rd and Chestnut Streets. It was only open on weekends and had beds for less than 10 people. In 1983, the facility underwent major renovations which allowed 25 to 30 people to be housed each night. But as the number of homeless families in Philadelphia increased, so did the demand for services beyond the traditional bed and meal. While the PEC provides emergency services that other shelters typically offer such as food and temporary housing, its strength lies in the implementation of transitional services which work to solve the causes of homelessness rather than simply dealing with its results. These services include case management, a parent-child day program, housing counseling and follow-up services. PEC also offers drug and alcohol counseling, health care and educational workshops which range from self-esteem building to life skills, and GED classes. PEC's parent-child day program is one of the first of its kind in the country. Mothers receive training in life skills, parenting skills, pre-employment, and academic training. During the last year, the service reached 56 mothers, 103 children, and 65 teenage girls. And the parent day care program teaches the women ways to discipline children other than hitting them, and gives them the tools and self-esteem necessary to make good parents. Seeing a need for continued services for homeless families who have been placed into permanent housing, PEC started a "follow-up service" this year. Case managers maintain contact with the families through visits, phone calls, and client visits to PEC. Of the 37 families that receive follow-up service, all are still in their permanent homes. · Through the cooperative efforts of city and state agencies, private foundations and individuals, the PEC moved into a $2.5 million facility on the 3900 block of Spring Garden Street last November. The building was converted from a three story carriage factory which the city sold to the PEC for $1. The first floor features a laundry room, emergency housing, and a restaurant style kitchen. The second floor contains space for administrative offices, classrooms, lounges, and 10 transitional housing rooms. The remaining floor contains nine apartments designated as permanent low-income housing. Seventeen different public and private agencies provided the money needed for the conversion. Often cited by housing officials as a national role model, the center is unique in the fact that it offers three types of housing under one roof -- emergency, transitional, and permanent. All residents at the shelter sign a contract and work towards reaching the goal of becoming self sufficient. "The others don't interact with their clients, they just serve them their meals," said volunteer Brookhouse. "PEC gets really involved -- the staff knew my children." The typical woman entering PEC is young and unmarried with two children, usually one infant and another young child, according to PEC Director of Development Susan Daily. The shelter has also seen an increasing demand for beds for homeless youth. Officials attribute the rise to an increase in substance abuse, especially crack cocaine, among Philadelphia families. Half of the homeless teens required shelter to escape abusive, drug-addicted parents. Daily said one of the more daunting issues facing shelters across the state is that government agencies are failing to place those who need low-income housing into appropriate facilities. "The women are being forced to remain in shelters for longer periods of time," Daily said. The average stay for a woman in the shelter is 46 days, an increase of six days from last year. Typically, the homeless women will stay on the first floor emergency housing for two to eight weeks. If they have made progress and have been working to help themselves, they will move into transitional housing on the second floor which features private family rooms. The women pay rent, maintain the condition of their family room, and enroll in an educational or employment program. After living in transitional housing for two to 18 months, the women move into their own apartments in public housing, Daily said. Last year, the emergency shelter section of PEC provided temporary housing for 68 women, teen and children per night, according to PEC's annual report. The transitional housing served 581 individuals, which included 304 children. Besides providing housing, PEC served 74,000 meals to shelter residents while an additional 12,000 meals were served to other homeless and hungry individuals. · The center manages all these services despite receiving only $10.50 from the city to shelter and feed each resident for a day. "There is a real hardship in the type of services that are able to be provided because all of the government services are very stressed," Daily said. But PEC, as a private agency, does not exclusively depend on public funding, and works to build a funding base of corporations and individuals. PEC has a paid administrative staff of 33 which includes the seven on-site case managers. Case managers work with their clients and help them to form and implement realistic goals. This service was utilized by 185 women and teens last year. The case managers also work with a number of dependent teens, those minors whose legal guardian is the Department of Human Services. Twice each week, a teacher comes to the PEC from another shelter to teach GED, or high school equivlency, classes. After living at the center, teens can move into supervised independent living situations, job corps or even group homes. Several University students can be counted among the over 100 volunteers who work at the PEC each week, according to Lorraine Latham, PEC's volunteer coordinator. Lisa deMello, a second year Social Work graduate student, works at the center 24 hours each week as part of her practicum. She said that she seeks to dispel "myths" about homeless people, such as those which attribute their status to laziness. "There are many factors that can lead to homelessness, such as substance abuse and domestic violence," deMello said. Colleen McCauley, a Nursing senior, choose to volunteer at the PEC for her clinical, a program required by the Nursing School. To McCauley, though, this experience has provided more than just a connection between academia and the real world. "It's a great education in itself just learning some of these women's life histories," McCauley said. "PEC has been very receptive towards using new energy."
(04/10/91 9:00am)
Mixing praise for nurses with his characteristically humorous style, syndicated columnist Art Buchwald presented his perspective on the future of health care in the U.S. in a campus speech yesterday. Over 300 people filled Harrison Auditorium to hear the Pulitzer-Prize-winning writer's 30 minute speech, "Nursing is No Laughing Matter." Buchwald's speech was frequently punctuated by laughter and applause from the audience. Buchwald, who holds an honorary degree from the University, wistfully recalled that his first experience with nurses was when his sister decided to become one. "It took me until I was 25 years old before I realized that not all nurses steal your toys," he said. Between the many jokes about the high prices of medical care and the poor quality of hospital food, Buchwald did offer praise to the Nursing School and to the profession in general. Buchwald offered some serious advice to nursing students, saying that the most essential element of nursing is humor. He emphasized that laughter can make people feel better and said that he hoped that "we can see a whole new field with nurses and doctors majoring in humorology." Buchwald said that it is important to realize that patients are affected by the expressions of the people who care for them. "Even if you can't be funny, at least smile a lot," Buchwald suggested. Buchwald thanked nurses for the good work they do. "I really admire the people in this field," he said. After Buchwald's speech, a panel of four Nursing School professors asked him for ideas on how nurses could incorporate humor into their patient care. Students said that they found Buchwald very entertaining. College freshman Guy Raviv said he was very impressed with Buchwald's presentation. "It was remarkable how Art Buchwald could utilize humor to make everyone see his on-target views of nursing," Raviv said. But some students said that some of the panelists' questions were not appropriate for someone who is not a health care expert. Buchwald's speech was the 11th installment in the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series which is held annually by the Nursing School.
(04/08/91 9:00am)
Pirates is perhaps Gilbert and Sullivan's best known light opera. The show follows Frederic in his attempt to leave the apprenticeship with the world's most ineffectual pirates and start an honest life. This ambition is hampered by his overwhelming dedication to duty. For Frederic even marriage is a matter of duty. When his loyalty to his pirate comrades, his bride-to-be and his law-abiding conscience come into conflict, he is at a loss. The entire show is a blaze of action and music. The costumes are very good, and they are sufficiently gaudy to fit with the melodramatic tone of the play. The music, featuring tunes that can be recognized from countless advertisements, is always upbeat and brightly performed. The highlight of the show was the performance of David White as the Modern Major General. With just a few gestures, he effectively created the character as a weak and self-important buffoon. White's verbal dexterity was even more impressive, as he wrestled with the opera's most absurdly contrived rhymes and made every word fully intelligible. His grotesque attempt at ballet, although less than dextrous, was wildly applauded. Engineering junior David Quart was also impressive as Frederic. He was amiably geeky, trying to smile through life despite always tripping over his hypertrophied sense of duty. College senior Susan Poliniak's performance as Frederic's fiance Mabel was not so strong. One of Gilbert and Sullivan's most difficult parts, the role requires a highly skillful soprano. Although Poliniak easily handled the vocal gymnastics, her high-pitched warble obscured most of her words. Those in the female chorus were much better, perfectly portraying their roles as giggling, bitchy airheads as both irritating and sympathetic. Playing the soft-hearted pirates and cowardly policemen, the male chorus was equally good. They combined clear, skillful singing with over-the-top slapstick. The scene with a dozen Keystone Kop lookalikes with monstrous moustaches rendering A Policeman's Lot was very comical, although Wharton senior James Mendelsohn, playing the police sergeant, lacked the power for the lead part. The Pirates of Penzance continues tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Zellerbach Theatre in the Annenberg Center. Tickets cost $5 and are on sale on Locust Walk.
(04/08/91 9:00am)
Two hundred years ago, the nation's founders amended the United States Constitution to prohibit government from passing laws which would abridge an individual's freedom of speech. Three years ago the University implemented a racial harassment policy similar to one that a Michigan state court has since found violates that fundamental freedom. Now, as President Sheldon Hackney struggles to develop the "right" harassment policy, he faces the same dilemma as numerous university administrators across the country -- should free expression be preserved at the cost of injury to some, or should individuals be protected from injury at the cost of abridged speech? · Since promising University Council last spring he would change the outdated policy, Hackney has released two proposed definitions of harassment. The first, released in October, radically changed the definition of harassment by narrowing its scope. The second proposed definition, which was presented to University Council last month, eases off the narrow definition, forming a bridge between the October proposal and the current policy. Hackney plans to present Council with a new proposal this week. Throughout the year-long debate, students and faculty have repeatedly focused on the specific wording of the policy, with many campus discussions centering on pure semantics rather than the effects of the code. One controversial inclusion in Hackney's two proposed definitions is the concept of "intent," which some faculty and students said puts an "unfair burden of proof" on the victim. The October definition said an action would constitute harassment only if it had "malicious intent." And the latest definition listed "intentional interference with academic or work status" or "intentional stigmatization and villification" among the six behaviors that would be considered harassment. Graduate student activist Wayne Glasker said during one of the debates that it is often difficult to prove the intentions of an act, making the harassment policy useless. "There can be instances when unintended harassment or abuse may occur," he said at last month's Council meeting. But others say inclusion of intent as a component of harassment is important to protecting free speech on campus. City Planning Professor Anthony Tomazinis said at last month's Council meeting that proving intent of an act protects alleged perpetrators from punishment for non-harassing behavior. Tomazinis said if the term "intent" is removed from Hackney's policy, people could become subject to unfounded accusations. Former PPU Speaker Debra Cermele said yesterday that after a session of debate on the University's racial harassment policy, most of the 65 PPU members voted in favor of a plan that would uphold Hackney's strict intent clause. She also said most of the five "parties" in PPU submitted plans that included the clause. "The biggest debate was about intent," Cermele said. "It is unusual that PPU would come to a consensus, but it was voted by a majority that intent must be part of the official definition." Many PPU members supported another controversial tenet of Hackney's October plan which said the harassment must be directed at the individual it offends. The third stipulation said the act must constitute "fighting words" or their non-verbal equivalents. Hackney said last week he has not yet settled the question of intent or decided if he will include the term in the definition he will present this week. Others on campus, while conceding that the campus debate is healthy, have speculated that the actual wording of the code will not effect behavior on campus in the long-run. "In the end everything will be done case by case," United Minorities Council Chairperson Nalini Samuel said. "The message to students is that they will be protected. That's what the policy needs to exude." But Assistant to the President Stephen Steinberg, who is working on the policy with Hackney, said clearer wording of the policy will help to outline accepted behavior on campus. "A clear policy will help all members of the University community behave in ways closer to the ideals of the University," Steinberg said. "It won't change people's behavior, but it's an important communications mechanism." Law School Dean Colin Diver, however, said the wording of the policy could define how students and faculty members behave on campus. "I think actions will change, not simply because of the wording of the policy, but because of the use of the policy to hear certain cases," Diver said last week. "The language of the policy becomes critical because it becomes the basis of whether students can be punished or not." · The debate over how far to restrict free speech continues around campus. To students, staff and faculty who are willing to risk insult and harm for the sake of open discussion, the First Amendment is the primary value in developing the policy. Hackney himself has said repeatedly that he feels open expression rights take precedence at the University. But for the many others who believe the University's role is to always shield its members from harm, the key issue is an individual's protection from possible injury. Steinberg said the administration has tried to come to terms with the two ideas. He said the new guidelines will attempt to "integrate" the concepts of free expression and non-harassment, rather than just form a compromise between them. Steinberg added that the seemingly contrasting ideas may not be as conflicting as people have argued, saying they both actually center on freedom of expression. He said the policy will make it easier for individuals to speak out without fear of being harassed. "An academic community rests on the notion of free and open debate in the marketplace of ideas," Steinberg explained. "It is not free and open if everyone who's a member of the community can't participate." Some University professors, however, have maintained that a harassment policy which in any way limits speech goes against the ideal of a University -- that academic institutions should at least uphold the freedoms of expression which are fundamental to the Constitution. "The University is a part of the United States of America where we have a Constitution that guarantees free speech," Physics Professor Michael Cohen said last week. "The University should be a place that has at least as much free speech as the country, if not more." Cohen, who instigated debate on the issue last year, and others hold that universities are established to allow for debate -- in any form -- in order to encourage the discovery of new ideas. They say broad harassment policies, such as the current one, prohibit that debate and thereby limit new intellectual discoveries. "The purpose [of a university] is not to create a 'civil environment' -- we try to insist on that, but it's not our reason for being," Diver said. "We have to have full and robust discussion and debate. We have to tolerate both ideas and language that a lot of people are going to find quite offensive." Diver, who has stood on the side of open expression throughout the entire University debate, said he supports the specific criteria set out by Hackney's October proposal. The narrowness, Diver said, may allow for some hateful speech, but will protect harmless language that would otherwise be cut out entirely. But the voices in favor of a narrow harassment policy are often drowned out by those who think the University does too little to protect minorities from insult and injury. They say racial harm should not be tolerated at a University, claiming "harassment" takes away their rights to freely express themselves. Gloria Gay, assistant director of the Penn Women's Center, said the administration is moving backwards in its efforts to find the best harassment policy for the University. She said narrowing the policy's scope further burdens the victim of harassment. "The point of it is that you don't victimize the victim, so you try to be inclusive and let people have due process," Gay said. "You don't narrow something so you exclude people from using the policy if they need it." "My interpretation is that nobody has the right to be saying negative things to other people," Gay said. UMC Chair Samuel said last week she also supports a broader scope for the harassment policy, pointing out that the University's Guidelines on Open Expression sufficiently protect people's First Amendment rights. "We have an Open Expression policy to protect free speech," College senior Samuel said. "This one should lean towards protecting minorities. It will balance out then." Samuel said the policy should make it easy for victims to bring perpetrators up on charges. She said many minority students are reluctant to claim they were harassed because of the difficulty in proving so. "The person being harassed should be able to say he or she was being harassed," Samuel said. Another faction throughout the year-long debate has questioned the need for a harassment policy at all, pointing out that most of the restrictions under the code are listed in other University policies or in state and federal laws. "[The parts of the policy that overlap with existing codes] merely dignify the policy and make it look like it's performing functions already performed," Cohen said. "The purpose of the policy is to prohibit free speech and to pretend it is to prevent illegal discrimination is a fraud." · But regardless of their side in the issue, most people agree that developing the right type of harassment policy is not the solution to racism on campus. Some faculty, staff and students say the emphasis should not be on guarding speech or punishing ignorance, but on bringing all members of the University into the realm of participation. "As hard as it is to set up rules to say you cannot act a certain way, it's easy compared to finding ways to increase the participation of blacks in the community," Communications Professor Carolyn Marvin, who teaches a class on free expression, said last week. "We shouldn't deceive ourselves into thinking that the appearance of politeness is the way to solve problems." Marvin, who made headlines last year for publicly burning an American flag to support her First Amendment freedom of expression, said more energy should be spent on finding ways to increase minorities among students, faculty and administrators, rather than on limiting speech. And Black Student League President Jessica Dixon said yesterday the University should make a greater attempt to educate students and faculty members about different races and cultures. She said education is the best way to prevent racial harassment. "A lot of times people are accused of being racist, but they're not racist, just ignorant," College junior Dixon said. "I think the University needs to make a bigger effort to educate everyone about racial diversity, cultures, different peoples' standards and norms."
(04/05/91 10:00am)
Pirates is perhaps Gilbert and Sullivan's best known light opera. The show follows the protagonist Frederic in his attempt to leave his apprenticeship with the world's most ineffectual pirates and start an honest life. This ambition is hampered by his overwhelming dedication to duty. For Frederic, even marriage is a matter of duty. When his loyalty to his pirate comrades, his bride-to-be, and his law-abiding conscience come into conflict, he is at a loss. The whole show is a blaze of action and music. The costumes are very good, and they are sufficiently gaudy to fit with the melodramatic tone of the play. The music, featuring tunes that can be recognized from countless advertisements, is always upbeat and brightly performed. The highlight of the show was the performance of David White as the Modern Major General. With just a few gestures, he perfected the weak and self-important buffoon. White's verbal dexterity was even more impressive, as he wrestled with the opera's most absurdly contrived rhymes and made every word fully intelligible. His grotesque attempt at ballet, although less than dextrous, was wildly applauded. Engineering junior David Quart was also impressive as Frederic. He was amiably geeky, trying to smile through life despite always tripping over his hypertrophied sense of duty. His fiance Mabel, played by College senior Susan Poliniak, was not so good. Mabel is one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most difficult parts, requiring a highly skillful soprano. Although Polniak easily handled the vocal gymnastics, her high pitched warble obscured most of her words. Her sisters, the female chorus, were much better. They perfectly portrayed their roles as giggling airheads, being both irritating and sympathetic. Playing the soft-hearted pirates and cowardly policemen, the male chorus were equally good. They combined clear, skillful singing with over-the-top slapstick. The scene with a dozen Keystone Kop lookalikes with monstrous moustaches rendering A Policeman's Lot was very comical, although Wharton senior James Mendelsohn, playing the police sergeant, lacked the power for the lead part. The Pirates of Penzance continues tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Zellerbach Theatre in the Annenberg Center. Tickets cost $5 and are on sale on Locust Walk.
(04/03/91 10:00am)
Playwright Wendy Wasserstein has come a long way since she wrote mother-daughter fashion shows in order to get out of gym. Yesterday afternoon over 200 people filled Meyerson Hall to hear Wasserstein describe the journey which led to her latest success -- the current Broadway hit The Heidi Chronicles. The play won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Wasserstein spent much of her hour-long speech encouraging the enthusiastic crowd not to be afraid to take chances if they want to realize their dreams. "It's worth it to take a risk to do what you really want in life," Wasserstein said. "It will either work out or it won't." She told of her first break in show business, when her script was given a reading by the newly-founded Playwrights Horizons in New York. She said she only submitted the script after the encouragement from the former secretary of the dance school where she had taken lessons when she was younger. She downplayed the idea that "to get a play produced you have to know someone who knows someone." Wasserstein's big success came with the opening of The Heidi Chronicles which opened on Broadway two years ago. Wasserstein joked that her next achievement will be to win the Heisman Trophy. She described in detail how she came to write the story of the women's movement as seen through the eyes of her protagonist, a feminist art historian. She said she saw a need for such a work when she was attending the Yale School for Drama and a fellow student critiqued a play she wrote by saying, "I can't get into it, it's only about girls." Wasserstein concluded her speech with an emotional reading from The Heidi Chronicles, which was followed by a question-and-answer session. Wasserstein has just completed the screenplay for The Heidi Chronicles, but she said she prefers to write for the theater rather than the big screen. Plays, she said, "allow more control" than movies, and screenplays have to be changed to reflect the ideas of the producers. The week after she won the Pulitzer, Wasserstein recalled, she was flown to Hollywood where movie producers told her, "We love your play; we just have trouble with the main character, the second act and the ending." Wasserstein is currently working on a new play which she described as a romance. Melissa Birnbaum, a College senior who attended the lecture, described the talk as "extremely inspiring," adding that Wasserstein "shows that you don't have to take a certain path in order to succeed." "I thought she was wonderful and she was very candid about what it takes to become a playwright," said second year MBA student Robert Cain. College sophomore Melissa Schiffman said she was impressed with Wasserstein's address. "She was very funny and it was nice to hear how a down-to-earth person actually broke into the business," she said.
(04/03/91 10:00am)
Monk, a Wharton junior, said he will probably meet the timetable and announce plans next week on how he will reimburse pre-paying customers for newspapers they did not receive. But he also stressed that in order to help pay for the refunds, he will continue to seek payment from students who never paid for subscriptions but received at least some of their newspapers. "I want to be fair with students, but the students have to be fair with me," he said. Monk, who is personally liable for all of Penn News' debts since the company is not incorporated, said he does not have enough money to make the payments and therefore needs those subscribers to pay. Monk added that in addition to borrowing money from friends, he may take legal action against "other parties involved," including the University, to help recoup his personal losses. The attorney general's office subpoenaed Monk earlier this year to appear at its Philadelphia office with Penn News records after a group of University students filed a complaint with the office's Board of Consumer Protection. At the time, Wharton graduate student Jonathan Eilian, who helped file the complaint on behalf of over 120 other students, said he only wanted his money back. Leonard Galloway, the state's agent investigating Penn News, said yesterday that Monk has not cooperated fully with the investigation, which his office launched shortly after the complaint was filed. After forcing the postponement of the first meeting by asking for a continuance and then failing to bring the documents to the second meeting, Monk did not show up for his latest appointment Monday, Galloway said. Galloway refused to speculate what action his office might now take, but he did say Deputy Attorney General John Kelly is "not too happy" with Monk. Monk defended his absence, insisting he thought the meeting had been scheduled for Friday. Although Monk is the primary subject of the investigation, Galloway said his office is also examining the involvement of others, including former Penn News owner Mark Stanley. "There are other people involved," he said. "We're looking into the aspects of the previous owner." "We're not sure who the real culprit is, if there is more than one culprit, or how involved the culprit or culprits may be," Galloway said. According to Galloway, the confusion over exactly who is responsible has complicated the probe. "This is not Bloomingdales where we know everybody involved," he said. "It's just not your everyday consumer complaint." While the attorney general's office continues its investigation, the University taken its own action. Student Life administrator Thomas Hauber said the University has informed Monk the agreement giving Penn News exclusive delivery rights on campus has been terminated because of the company's bad service. "We're considering the contract null and void," he said. "[Penn News was not] complying with the terms of that contract." The contract was set to expire June 30. Hauber also said Penn News currently owes the University an undisclosed amount of money for services which Penn Student Agencies provided to the newspaper delivery service. PSA, which had operated the delivery service until Stanley took over last year, will resume control of the operation this summer, Hauber said. Hauber added he will probably not know for a month or two whether PSA will deliver to students' doors or use the drop-box system.
(04/01/91 10:00am)
Two student government leaders met with Budget Director Stephen Golding for over an hour yesterday to discuss tuition increases and to press for a long-term plan to continue decreasing the rate of tuition increases. David Kaufman, chairperson of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, and Allison Bieber, the secretary of the Undergraduate Assembly, both met with Golding in the hour-long meeting. Bieber agreed, saying student participation in the UA's financial aid letter drive proves students are committed to the issue. UA leaders gathered about 4,000 signatures last month on letters asking federal officials to increase aid to the University. And Kaufman cautioned against expecting students to be able to afford all tuition increases. "They can't consider undergraduates as just pure revenue generators that they have to provide services for," he said. Golding told the undergraduates the administration is aware of student concerns and is also committed to keeping tuition down, but said a definitive long-term committment may not be appropriate. "Building a budget requires a trade-off" of costs and services, Golding explained yesterday. "It would be wrong not to debate it every single year. Every year we will have to revisit that question." Golding told the students the University is facing a new economic climate, in which it will no longer be able to rely on "one income stream" like tuition or state funding. It will also be forced to choose among the services it provides, in order to "maintain accessibility and financial viability." Golding said that, like the current five-year plans which the University has asked each school to make, his office is preparing a three- to five-year resource and budget plan, which "will allow people to understand where the [University's] resources go." But Bieber said the UA wants a stronger committment to reduce increases, saying that "there shouldn't be a five-year plan, it should be a ten-year project." Kaufman explained that students are solely responsible for fighting tuition increases and cannot expect support from other members of the University. "I think this is the one area where we're all alone on this issue," he said. "You don't see the faculty or administration decrying the high tuition rate." Golding told the representatives he is not overly optimistic about improvements in the University's finances in the coming years. "The pressure on our revenue streams are going to grow rather than shrink in the next couple of years," he said, adding that the University will have to prepare to pay "a higher portion or share of being a citizen in Philadelphia." But Golding did have one positive note about the University's finances, referring to the economic crisis facing Philadelphia. "The bright side is we don't have Mayor Goode's problems," he said.
(04/01/91 10:00am)
The Office of Academic Programs is now accepting applications for the Castle's community service living-learning program, which will begin next fall. Academic Programs Director Christopher Dennis said yesterday the program's advisory board will begin reviewing undergraduate and graduate applications for the 26 spots in the house next week. Applications, which can be picked up at the Office of Academic Programs in High Rise North, are due on April 3. Dennis, who heads the advisory board which is establishing guidelines for the living-learning program and which will select next year's residents, said approximately 100 students have picked up applications this week. He said the selection process will be similar to that of choosing resident advisors and graduate fellows. It will include applications, essays and an interview with the members of the advisory board. The house's new residents will be a part of the community service living-learning program which administrators decided to establish in the vacant Castle fraternity house, located at 36th Street and Locust Walk. The center-campus house has been vacant since the University's chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternity was kicked off campus last May for the January kidnapping of a Delta Psi fraternity brother. Administrators said they hope to keep the program in the house until the fraternity petitions for re-recognition in three years. College sophomore Christopher Caruso, who plans to apply for the program, said last night he is most attracted by the "common ground" that the Castle will provide for community service groups on campus. He said the living-learning program will allow different organizations that are working towards the same end to come together in one unified group. "I think the reason it's such a good program is they're letting people in by what they do and not who they are," Caruso said. "But the biggest focus should still be diversity, both in background and in how [people] perceive community service." According to the program's application, prospective residents should show evidence of involvement in community service, a willingness to explore the significance of community service from an academic perspective and a commitment to a "cooperative and supportive house environment." Dennis said he does not think applicants need to have been very involved with community service programs in the past as long as they show a sincere interest in the Castle's living-learning program. He said committee members will have selected the program's participants by the end of April. Dennis said his committee is also reviewing the physical space of the Castle and trying to establish a program outline and an administrative system.
(03/29/91 10:00am)
Two student government leaders met with Budget Director Stephen Golding for over an hour yesterday to discuss tuition increases and to press for a long-term plan to continue decreasing the rate of tuition increases. David Kaufman, chairperson of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, and Allison Bieber, the secretary of the Undergraduate Assembly, both met with Golding in the hour-long meeting. Bieber agreed, saying student participation in the UA's financial aid letter drive proves students are committed to the issue. UA leaders gathered about 4,000 signatures last month on letters asking federal officials to increase aid to the University. And Kaufman cautioned against expecting students to be able to afford all tuition increases. "They can't consider undergraduates as just pure revenue generators that they have to provide services for," he said. Golding told the undergraduates the administration is aware of student concerns and is also committed to keeping tuition down, but said a definitive long-term committment may not be appropriate. "Building a budget requires a trade-off" of costs and services, Golding explained yesterday. "It would be wrong not to debate it every single year. Every year we will have to revisit that question." Golding told the students the University is facing a new economic climate, in which it will no longer be able to rely on "one income stream" like tuition or state funding. It will also be forced to choose among the services it provides, in order to "maintain accessibility and financial viability." Golding said that, like the current five-year plans which the University has asked each school to make, his office is preparing a three- to five-year resource and budget plan, which "will allow people to understand where the [University's] resources go." But Bieber said the UA wants a stronger committment to reduce increases, saying that "there shouldn't be a five-year plan, it should be a ten-year project." Kaufman explained that students are solely responsible for fighting tuition increases and cannot expect support from other members of the University. "I think this is the one area where we're all alone on this issue," he said. "You don't see the faculty or administration decrying the high tuition rate." Golding told the representatives he is not overly optimistic about improvements in the University's finances in the coming years. "The pressure on our revenue streams are going to grow rather than shrink in the next couple of years," he said, adding that the University will have to prepare to pay "a higher portion or share of being a citizen in Philadelphia." But Golding did have one positive note about the University's finances, referring to the economic crisis facing Philadelphia. "The bright side is we don't have Mayor Goode's problems," he said.
(03/28/91 10:00am)
Their upcoming performance will celebrate the season with a thematically and stylistically wide range of musically interpretive dance motifs. According to group members, the performance is will be composed of a repertoire of seven interelated pieces. Different combinations of company members will perform in each piece, but all will be part of the finale. These pieces have been choreographed by Assistant Director Vaughnda Hilton-Lyn, College senior Julie Choderker, and guest choreographers Norman Taylor and Peter McCoy. Music will range from jazz to pop. The dancers, whose last performance was Affinity in November, have been rehearsing three to four hours a night at the Gwendolyn Bye Dance and Fitness Center since January to prepare for Spring. College freshman Robin Pulis said that Penn Dance is currently "polishing" the performance. Members described their upcoming performance as both diverse and experimental, and the most challenging to date. Dancers also said that they are happy they have not been slowed by injuries or other obstacles. The dance company's performances have been consistently changing in style and theme over the years. Company member and College sophomore Allison Powell attributed this largely to the annual influx of new choreographers and directors, most recently, McCoy and Taylor. Current Assistant Director Hilton-Lyn said she is very pleased with the progress she has seen in Penn Dance. "I have seen them go from high school level to amateur-professional in the three years I have been here," Hilton-Lyn said. Penn Dance, founded in 1976, is an eclectic group whose dances cover the whole spectrum from lyrical modern dance to jazz. Spring, which will be presented Thursday April 4 through the Saturday April 6, each night at 8 p.m. at the Annenberg School Theater, is the second of Penn Dance's major performances of this academic year. Additionally, Penn Dance will make a guest performance at Villanova University later this year. Members said they are optimistic that the show will draw large crowds. "Not only are they going to see great dance, but they are going to have a great time," said College junior and Penn Dance member Jen Clagett.
(03/27/91 10:00am)
React, a collection of social and political works of art by students, opened last week in Houston Hall. Most of the work portrays the artists' reactions to the Persian Gulf War. "Artists tend to react to the upheaval people are feeling," said Evan Bernstein, a College junior and curator for the exhibition. "Even though the war is over these issues are still pertinent in everyday life," Winegar said. Eun Han, whose works Midnight Caller and Desert Storm are on display at the exhibition, said everything she felt about the war is expressed in her work. "I felt a great anger against what [Iraqi President Saddam] Hussein was doing," Han said. Artist Lawrence Gleeson, a Fine Arts graduate student, said he found the war "mind boggling" and could not easily relate to it. He said he created his art for the exhibit because he wanted to do something so people would never forget the war. "It is in the forefront of my mind, and as long as I could, I didn't want people to forget it," Gleeson said. Gleeson also said the war can never actually be over since "the undercurrents that caused the war are still there." Brad Choyt's These Aren't Fish Falling from the Sky portrays an American flag in the shape of a mushroom cloud targeted at oil wells. Choyt said he wanted to convey how the world was misusing technology. Choyt's works Creation and Destruction and Creation and Destruction II are also on display. There were mixed reactions from those who attended the exhibit's opening on Friday. While some felt they did not quite understand the works, others enjoyed the exhibition. "I really enjoyed it, especially the different styles," said College sophomore Adele Moore. Barbara Verwoed, a College freshman, said she particularly liked Han's work. "It was very subtle and strong," Verwoed said. "The message was executed very well." The exhibition is being organized by the Penn Student Gallery. College junior Steve Gross, co-founder and director of the Gallery, said the idea behind the exhibition was to share thoughts through art. "For a school that's hurting so much socially, this is a great avenue to bring us together," Gross said. The exhibition will run through April 22 in the Bowl Room of Houston Hall.
(03/25/91 10:00am)
The University finally made it back to the NCAA basketball tournament. Thursday night at the Palestra, site of the NCAA women's basketball East Regional, the Penn Band played and cheered the Clemson Tigers to a 57-55 victory over James Madison University. The Penn Band was hired by Clemson University, and its musical mercenaries became the Clemson Band for both Thursday night's victory and Saturday night's loss to the Connecticut Huskies, according to Penn Band Secretary Howard Berkenblit. "Early in the week, Clemson University contacted our band and said it was too expensive for them to send their band [to the games]," the College junior said. "We worked together with the cheerleaders to cheer for Clemson, so to speak, with music and cheers," Berkenblit said. "Everyone got really into it and we were cheering for the Clemson Tigers . . . which is strange since we're not used to cheering for the Tigers [Princeton University's mascot]." The band was armed with "neat Clemson stuff," such as Clemson T-shirts, megaphones, pom-poms -- the Clemson version of Quaker Shakers -- and giant tiger claws. In fact, the band looked so authentic that most people at the games believed that they were the real Clemson thing. "Most people in the stadium didn't know we were the Penn Band," said Wharton senior Brian Stifel. "The other bands certainly [did not know]." Aside from minor problems coordinating with the cheerleaders, one small mistake may have given away the band's little charade, he said. "We played a song that ended up being their rival team's fight song," said Stifel. "That was very funny. We didn't know any better." Now seasoned veterans of the NCAA tournament, the Penn Band is ready and willing to make a return appearance. If only the team's colors could be red and blue . . .
