Daily Pennsylvanian

Faculty tackles lack of diversity

sharf — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:48:25 -0500

When the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1740, its faculty consisted solely of white, Christian males.

Now, out of its standing faculty of 2,549 professors, Penn has 704 women and 411 minority faculty members — a category which includes black, Hispanic and Asian people — according to the most recent survey, taken in the fall of 2007.

The question, however, is not whether Penn has become more diverse over the past 270 years — it has. Rather, is it diverse enough?

Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Africana Studies Camille Charles has a simple answer to this question: the campus is “more diverse than it used to be, but not as diverse as it needs to be.”

This sentiment is echoed by a number of faculty members, including Vice Provost for Faculty Lynn Hollen Lees.

Having first come to Penn in 1974 as a history professor, she has been watching the growth and transformation of Penn’s faculty for more than 35 years.

“One wishes it would go faster, but there are an extraordinary number of difficulties in diversifying the faculty,” she said, although she acknowledged that Penn is more diverse than when she first began teaching.

Lees was the only female faculty member in the entire History Department at the time of her appointment.

“I remember my first committee meeting,” Lees said. “I was the only woman there, and the chair immediately asked me to make the coffee.”

Although the number of female and minority faculty has risen, they still experience insensitivity today, according to Charles.

“It’s unconscious bias,” she said. “That makes it all the more difficult to address.”

The qualitative survey included in the 2005 Minority Equity Report — a comprehensive analysis of the status of minority faculty across the University — contains evidence to support this claim.

The report states that the responses of ethnic minority faculty members, for the most part, described an academic environment where inequity persists.

“There is unquestionably a racial divide among faculty,” said Tukufu Zuberi, professor and chair of the Sociology Department, faculty associate director of the Center for Africana Studies and co-chair of the Minority Equity Committee that oversaw the report.

Aside from periodically updating the Gender and Minority Equity Reports, the Provost’s Office has begun initiatives to combat some of the inequity on campus.

One way in which Vice Provost for Research Steven Fluharty is tackling faculty racial inequity is by instating a new program for post-doctoral minority researchers.

The underlying issue with this initiative, however, is the lack of minority research students currently in graduate and professional schools.

Therefore in the new program, students will be brought into Penn and given the opportunity to do research on campus. They will gain exposure to research fields, which will hopefully increase interest in pursuing academia as a career.

The University is trying to address this issue at its core by bringing students from West Philadelphia onto campus during the summers for mentoring projects, so that they become interested in Penn and in higher education in general, according to Lees.

Minorities, however, are not the only group getting attention from the University. A similarly inequitable climate exists for women faculty, according to Lubna Mian, the associate director for faculty affairs in the Provost’s Office.

“There is still social discrimination,” Mian said, “though it may not be as dramatic or as obvious.”

More attention still needs to be paid to climate, according to Charles and Zuberi, who both noted the lack of intradepartmental camaraderie.

“The big issue that we have is the mindset of the faculty,” Zuberi said.

Despite these complaints, Zuberi acknowledged that Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price have made it clear that diversity is a priority on Penn’s campus.

“It’s one of the Provost’s main initiatives. It’s something that we’re all thinking about,” Lees agreed.

The biggest hardship female faculty members face is balancing work and family, especially because the age at which most women have children coincides with the age at which professors achieve tenure.

In order to retain professors with families, the Provost’s Office has introduced work-life initiatives that include extending the time necessary to gain tenure and temporarily reducing teaching duties after a professor has children.

Although the University’s progress has been tremendous, Zuberi said “the administration could do a lot more to make the minority presence in the faculty more equitable.”

After all, he said, the University’s faculty has to reflect the diverse spirit of the student body.

Penn Dems mum on Senate race

sharf — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:03:07 -0500

Jared Dubin

The similarities and differences between large-scale party politics and the debate closer to home are not always obvious — but sometimes they rise to the surface.

On Saturday, the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee voted to endorse incumbent Senator Arlen Specter over Congressman Joe Sestak in the Democratic primary for the 2010 U.S. Senate election.

More than two thirds of the committee voted for Specter over Sestak, who has represented the state’s seventh congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007. The vote came in spite of the fact that prior to April 2009, Specter served as a long-time Republican.

At Penn, however, the difference in support for the two candidates is less apparent.

Penn Democrats President and College sophomore Emma Ellman-Golan said regardless of the committee’s choice, the Penn Dems will still not endorse a candidate until after the primaries in May.

Ellman-Golan explained that both Specter and Sestak have strong movements of their own on campus, and the Penn Dems do not want to impair the efforts of either group.

In the past, the Penn Dems have not held back in endorsing candidates. Ellman-Golan said the 2008 endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton caused cracks in the group that are still being fixed today.

Such inter-party tensions are not restricted to the University’s Democrats. College senior Cameron Clark, the Penn campus coordinator for the Sestak campaign, said the committee’s choice of Specter is indicative of the Democratic party losing touch with its base.

Clark said he believes the endorsement was a mistake, but one they were destined to make from the beginning. He called it the “safe call.”

College freshman Graham White, campus coordinator for the Specter campaign, said the committee’s choice was in the best interest of the party. He said Specter has the best chance of beating a Republican candidate come election time.

Clark also said he was wary of the race against Republican frontrunner, Congressman Pat Toomey. However, he said this anxiety is more a result of the party losing touch with its constituency.

But he believes there is still hope for Democrats. “There’s still time to correct it, but right now [the party is] in shambles,” he said.

Bank of America set for March opening

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:31:51 -0500

Vanessa Martinez

The wait will soon be over for Bank of America customers in University City.

The bank — which will be located in the Radian between Capogiro and Kaplan Test Prep — is slated to open in early March, according to Bank of America spokeswoman Nicole Nastacie.

T.J. Crawford, another spokesman for the bank, added that “there’s been no delay from a construction standpoint.”

The new bank plans to offer a full range of consumer banking services.

“Customers can expect the full level of customer service both in the area and nationwide,” Crawford said.

Bank owners feel the new location is an opportunity to serve the larger Penn population, including “students, employees and the Medical School,” according to Crawford.

He also explained that it provides convenient access for many of the families living in the surrounding neighborhoods. It will be the first Bank of America to open in the West Philadelphia area, relieving many customers of ATM surcharges and trips to distant branches.

“Many of those families and individuals in surrounding neighborhoods are in low and moderate income,” Crawford said. “That’s certainly a population we’re always trying to reach and provide services to.”

The new bank will contribute to Penn’s redevelopment work in establishing retail and housing that extends from the west end of campus. That redevelopment has “gone a long way toward revitalizing the area,” Nastacie wrote in an e-mail.

College senior Johnathan Vaknin said until the Radian branch of the bank opens, he has to go “all the way downtown to the branch by 19th Street.”

“If I want to get cash fast, I don’t have to go get cash back at CVS or Fresh Grocer anymore,” College sophomore Michael Olivares said. “I can just go to the new Bank of America.”

'Blemishes' don't ruin apps to Wharton, other prestigious schools

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:25:10 -0500

Anandi Malik

When applying to competitive business schools, students often worry about how they will stack up compared to other applicants’ GPAs and records of academic integrity.

Experts, including those at the Wharton School, say that “blemishes” on an application do not necessarily prevent a student from gaining admission to a prestigious business school.

Applicants with “blemishes” such as low freshman year grades or incidents involving cases of plagiarism or cheating are not necessarily out of the running for addmission to top business schools.

Associate Director of Wharton MBA Admissions Kathryn Bezella said she advises applicants to address such issues head-on.

“The worst thing for a student to do is to ignore something they have noticed about their application that they regard as an issue or weakness and hope we won’t notice,” she said.

“A hundred percent of the time, we will notice — it’s our job to notice.”

Instead of leaving the weakness unexplained, Bezella said applicants should focus on what they took away from the experience — how it changed their habits, practices, leadership style and what they learned about themselves from it.

“It’s all about how you handle it and what evidence you have to back up your claims,” she said, explaining that the admissions committee looks for maturity in the way candidates address blemishes on their applications.

Chris Volk, one of the 70 graduate assistants that help the full time admissions committee, said if the imperfection was a catalyst for personal growth or a positive life change, it is “definitely not something that’s going to put them [the applicant] at a serious disadvantage.”

“It’s a holistic approach,” he said. “Applicants are judged on several aspects — academic performance, leadership potential, essays, goals and recommendations.”

Jennifer O’Neill, Wharton graduate student and co-chair of Wharton’s Volunteer Admissions Committee, said it is important that the applicant’s explanation not be a series of excuses.

Instead, she said, they should take responsibility and focus on what they have done to overcome that mistake.

Scott Shrum, co-director of Veritas Prep MBA Admissions Counseling, said admissions officers are generally open-minded about such weaknesses.

“What they really want to know is if it’s a blemish or a pattern of behavior,” he said.

President of AdmissionsConsultants, Inc. David Petersam said what is important is giving the school reason to believe you won’t make the same mistake again.

“There is no such thing as the perfect person,” he said.

Bezella confirmed that admissions committees are not looking for “supermen and superwomen.”

“We want people who have made mistakes but who have also shown us how they’ve learned and grown from them,” she said.

Programs bring up-and-coming West Phila. artists close to campus

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:16:39 -0500

Pamela Ellermann

Just a few blocks from campus, two programs link Penn with up-and-coming West Philadelphia artists.

The 40th Street Artist-in-Residence (AIR) and ArtsEdge programs aim to provide emerging West Philadelphia artists an opportunity to devote themselves to their art without distraction.

AIR, which offers local artists free work space, was founded in 2003 by artist Edward Epstein in collaboration with Facilities and Real Estate Services.

ArtsEdge, entering its second year, offers subsidized studio and living space for two artists per year — a writer and a visual artist — sponsored by the Kelly Writers House and the School of Design, respectively.

These programs provide artists a space where they can work independently, when emerging artists would otherwise experience geographic and financial constraints, said Ed Datz, executive director of real estate for the University.

AIR, having served almost 30 artists during its lifetime, has undergone several changes. Originally, the program supported four artists on a six-month residency, but has now added another artist, Epstein said. Residencies now run a full year.

The program has also modified its application system, allowing any artist from West Philadelphia to apply in an effort to make the program more inclusive. In previous years, applicants had to be nominated by previous artists or board members, said AIR manager Gina Renzi.

The program’s artists often hold workshops with local schools or contribute to public works, such as a mural at the Rotunda.

Epstein said some AIR artists have continued to work with the schools that they collaborated with during their residencies.

“Basically, we are interested in making the arts at Penn visible,” as well as making West Philadelphia artists visible to the University, Director of the Kelly Writers House Jessica Lowenthal said.

Previous ArtsEdge resident Greg Romero helped coordinate activities between the Philadelphia Dramatists Center and Penn by organizing shows at the Writers House.

This year, residents are working together to hold a panel about art that incorporates multiple genres to exemplify the “energy and creative impulses” that ArtsEdge supports, Lowenthal added.

The program helps foster a sense of community by enabling artists to live and work on the same block, according to Renzi. Previously, artists were housed together. ArtsEdge now offers separate apartments for its residents.

“Trying to imagine how two strangers live together made sense in the abstract,” Renzi said. Practically, it added a “strange wrinkle” to the project, prompting the need for separate quarters.

Before they were accepted to ArtsEdge, the artists in this cycle were worried about finding affordable housing in Philadelphia, Renzi said.

In addition to providing space for artists, Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services helps carry the operating costs, Datz said.

Belly-dancing class will celebrate women

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:12:15 -0500

Katherine Watkins

This week Penn women can bare their bellies and learn traditional Middle Eastern dancing.

As part of Women’s Week, Ya’lla, Sigma Psi Zeta and Women in Leadership Series are hosting a Belly Dancing workshop on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Penn Women’s Center.

Ya’lla is Penn’s only Middle Eastern dance and drum troupe. The group’s uniqueness lies in “showcas[ing] the intimate relationship between music and how the dancer interprets it,” said Ya’lla president and Sigma Psi Zeta sister Elaine Kwon, a College sophmore.

“The event is really about celebrating women,” Kwon explained.

Contrary to what many people assume, belly dancing started as a spiritual activity that was passed on from mother to daughter to celebrate woman, her body and her ability to give birth, according to Kwon. “It gives a sense of belonging to the female psyche,” said added.

“Because of what it looks like most people misconstrue its purpose. But it has nothing to do with men,” Kwon added.

The event will consist of two parts. During the first half, participants will be introduced to the origin and background of belly dancing in order to understand why it can be enriching. Participants will also learn basic dance moves.

The second half will include a performance by some of the members of Ya’lla to give participants an example of someone who enjoys belly dancing.

The performance will end with freestyle and the women attending the workshop will have the opportunity to join Ya’lla and dance.

Kwon explained that “You realize it’s about sisterhood — a close-knit group of sisters learning how to dance, who you are and how to express that.”

“A friend in Ya’lla taught me some moves this summer. I love the way belly-dancing makes me feel-empowered and sexy,” said College sophomore Joy McKenzie, who plans to attend the event.

The event is free and open to all Penn women.

UA discusses testing environments, NEC budget and text and e-mail communication

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:48:13 -0500

Nikki Seligman

At the Undergraduate Assembly’s weekly meeting on Sunday, the agenda included the passage of the Upgrading Academic Testing Environment Resolution, the acceptance of the Lunar New Year’s Contingency request, a discussion of the Nomination and Elections Committee’s budget and a project update for texting and e-mailing the UA.

The Upgrading Academic Testing Environment Resolution’s goal is to place students in the best circumstances for successful performance on exams and in the classroom, according to Academic Affairs Director and Nursing junior G.J. Melendez-Torres.

This resolution requests that test administrators supply adequate desk space for every student and enlist one “invigilator” for every 50 students so that the test will be moderated properly, according to Melendez-Torres.

The authors of this resolution will work with the Vice Provost for University Life and the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education in order to ensure its completion, according to Vice Chair of External Affairs and College junior Matt Amalfitano.

After a debate, the resolution was passed with 14 in favor, four against and four abstaining.

The general body also discussed the request for funding of the Lunar New Year’s Celebration, which is an important celebration in Asian traditions, according to UA College Representative and College sophomore Amanda Young.

This funding was requested as “an emergency cost” because the original source of funding backed out, Young said.

Twelve student groups are participating in the event, and Young is expecting a large turnout.

This budget request was passed unanimously.

During Budget Time, the UA discussed the Nominations and Electtions Committee’s budget, which was presented by NEC Vice Chair for Administration and Finance, Suze Morris, a College sophomore.

The NEC has no outside source of funding other than the UA, according to Morris.

In order to save money, the NEC has eliminated its newsletter and reduced print publicity. The NEC has cut back on spending by $600 for this year.

The UA also discussed its project to improve communication between the UA and the student body via texts and e-mails.

By marketing the communication options that the UA provides, the UA hopes student will become more aware of how they can share their problems and develop a stronger connection with the UA, according to College Representative and College freshman Chris Cruz.

New women's interfaith group forms

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:27:46 -0500

Karen Aquino

College junior Pavi Jaisankar never thought twice about the Penn Women’s Center and the Chaplain’s Office sharing a building. Once she did, however, the idea for an interfaith group specifically for women was born.

Jaisankar is the founder of a new group aimed to foster discussion among women of diverse faiths.

The group remains unnamed, Jaisankar said, because they’re still in the initial stages of “forming a group identity.”

Jaisankar first thought of forming the group last November, when she realized that “two spaces that represent a huge part of [her] identity” were in such close proximity.

She added that there hasn’t necessarily been a space for women’s interfaith dialogue in the past.

Program and Outreach Coordinator for the Women’s Center Shaina Adams-El Guabli wrote in an e-mail that Jaisankar approached her “with an interest in discussing ways in which the Chaplain’s Office and the Penn Women’s Center could be spaces for collaboration across intersecting identities.”

After meetings among Adams-El Guabli, Associate Chaplain Steve Kocher and various female religious leaders on campus, plans for the first meeting began forming.

The initial gathering took place Jan. 29. The meeting was attended by “women who identified as multi-religious, agnostic, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim,” Adams-El Guabli wrote.

At the first meeting, College junior Sarah Matsui felt that attendees’ “honesty led to a meaningful discussion. People felt safe to express their personal beliefs and even their doubts.”

Meetings take place every Friday at the Women’s Center and are discussion-based.

There is currently no official board strucure in place for the group. In future meetings, different women will take turns leading the discussion, according to Matsui.

“I think it’s refreshing … when you’re sitting around at a table with friends and talking to them about God, there is no board structure,” Jaisankar said.

Adams-El Guabli feels that the group’s set-up “allows students to ask questions, to share opinions and struggles, but in a non-judgmental way.”

Wharton professors' book explains how to 'learn from catastrophes'

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:03:26 -0500

Anandi Malik

In the wake of the disaster in Haiti, academic leaders are contemplating preventative and responsive measures for dealing with catastrophes.

Two such academics are Wharton professors Mike Useem and Howard Kunreuther, who released a book about the subject in November.

Following the meeting of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Mitigation of Natural Disasters last year, Useem and Kunreuther decided to put together Learning from Catastrophes — a book they hoped would address the many issues surrounding natural disasters.

According to Useem, it occurred to him and Kunreuther that they had a “brain trust of really smart people in the room who knew about hurricanes, floods, other pandemics and systemic financial risk.”

“All the intelligence and experience in the room was only as good as the vehicle to get it to people,” Useem added. “Hence, the book.”

Geared towards the World Economic Forum recently held in Davos, Switzerland, the book consists of fifteen chapters. They deal with a wide variety of topics ranging from risk management to financial crisis and malignancy, and they are each written by a member of a different Global Agenda Council.

According to Kunreuther, these varied topics are unified by seven guiding principles outlined early in the work.

The main topics the book tries to address, he said, are how to assess risks and develop appropriate risk management strategies for low-probability but high-consequence events.

“People think very myopically,” he said, referring to the “not in my term of office” analogy that he uses to describe this way of thinking.

“It’s about getting people to think long term rather than worrying about the short run.”

The common theme of the methods described in the book, according to Useem, is an underlying belief in the optimism of human reasoning and the power of leadership to make a difference.

“As the authors speak, they’re doing it in a fashion intended to influence people in business and politics, who with these ideas can prevent what we’ve seen in such devastating fashion in Haiti from happening if an earthquake of that scale hits again,” Useem said.

In his own chapter, he explores the collapse of AIG, focusing on the lack of “active listening” and governance failures that led to its demise.

Useem said he hopes that having such examples in mind of the catastrophic failures brought on in the absence of active listening will help people stay vigilant and better prepare for catastrophes.

Women's Week kicks off with Coffeehouse

gormisky — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:38:41 -0500

Jonathan Krasner-Macleod

Last night marked the start of this year’s Women’s Week — a seven-day celebration dedicated to highlighting the various issues facing women at Penn and the world.

Women’s week got underway Monday night at the Women’s Week Kick-off Coffeehouse, in Houston Hall, hosted by the Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women and the Panhellenic Council. The Coffeehouse featured a variety of speakers and performers, as well as coffee, tea and pasteries.

This year the theme was “What does a feminist look like,” as PCUW, along with the various other groups supporting this year’s Women’s Week, are attempting to debunk offensive and outdated views of feminism.

The aim of the event was to explore different views of feminism while touching on the intersectionality between race, gender, faith and sexuality, according to College senior and event organizer Tori Searl.

“We hoped that those attending would be able to form their own definition of what a feminist looks like through inspiration from the readings and performances at the event,” Searl wrote in an e-mail.

Despite the sizable turnout, the focus of the event remained on the performances and speakers.

The performances included students who presented their own material on an open mic, a cappella groups — including Penny Loafers and Off the Beat — the Excelano project, which performed a variety of poems on the topic of women, and members of the Bloomers band.

“We all felt that this event was a huge success …This event was able to bring together male and female students from a variety of different groups on campus to address the theme of creating one’s own definition of feminism,” Searl wrote.

Women’s Week will be ongoing throughout the week with a host of events including films, talks, seminars and the Vagina Monologues. The highlight of the week comes on Thursday when leading modern feminist Rebecca Walker gives a keynote speech in Cohen Hall.