Agree with '08 completely. If you want more than 50k a year, stop lecturing Portuguese.

[QUOTE id="4944d9c1-19d8-42a2-bacc-df20175adf0b"]The second letter is so poorly written that it justifies whatever low salary the writer receives. I don't know what's more embarrassing: the fact that the second letter in broken English was published by the DP, or the fact that it's written by an Ivy League "lecturer." Stick to Portuguese, Glauco! (As a side note, if you had one-tenth of the responsibility that the University President has, you would probably be earning a higher salary.)[/QUOTE] There are a few typos here and there from someone who probably doesn't speak English as his/her first language anyway, while the message can nonetheless be PERFECTLY understood. You know what's embarrassing? Dumb, crappy posts from people like you who don't understand that writing is meant for communication, not for you to powder your whig and live in a haughty land of silver, gold, and fine china. Why is it that people act so perfectionist and snotty when it comes to grammar and syntax (usually when they don't write perfectly themselves anyway) yet are obviously retarded imbeciles in so many other branches of life? Seriously, do you know how much egg is on your face?

A letter that is not written in "American" doesn't mean it was written in broken English. Your own letter can be said to have been written in poor English by British standards,08. I find there is a lot of truth in what Glauco wrote, and you are just being plain arrongant. Shame on you,08! [QUOTE id="4944d9c1-19d8-42a2-bacc-df20175adf0b"]The second letter is so poorly written that it justifies whatever low salary the writer receives. I don't know what's more embarrassing: the fact that the second letter in broken English was published by the DP, or the fact that it's written by an Ivy League "lecturer." Stick to Portuguese, Glauco! (As a side note, if you had one-tenth of the responsibility that the University President has, you would probably be earning a higher salary.)[/QUOTE]

Glauco is absolutely right. If Amy Gutmann deserves a 40% raise, then all faculty members deserve the same. Glauco is talking about percentage increases, not whole figures. The cost of living is going up equally for all of us. It's a matter of principles.

Equal raise for all!! The Daily Pennsylvanian should do a follow up story at the beggining of the next academic year and compare the salary raise Penn will give to lecturers to the one given to Gutmann. Glauco's letter was just PERFECT!!

Glauco Ortolano's letter was not "poorly written in broken English" as Alumnus 08 has stated in his/her letter. Ortolano writes very well in English as an International Language (EIL) which can be quite different from standard American English. Having been a lecturer in English for many years, I can certainly understand Ortolano's concerns for the deteriorating value of our salaries. Penn is not the only institution loosing faculty members to other industries. In order to be able to retain quality faculty, Penn must come up with a new salary structure.

The second letter is so poorly written that it justifies whatever low salary the writer receives. I don't know what's more embarrassing: the fact that the second letter in broken English was published by the DP, or the fact that it's written by an Ivy League "lecturer." Stick to Portuguese, Glauco! (As a side note, if you had one-tenth of the responsibility that the University President has, you would probably be earning a higher salary.)

Stop lambasting Penn for honoring its word to Ronald Perelman. The deal was he would get to name a building if he dontaed the money for the restoration of core buildings surrounding Houston Hall. This remarkable transformation of the old core is a visual delight. This is Penn, home of the Wharton School. Where a deal is a deal. It is the premise of all business transactions- mess with that and you are in lah-lah land. That his choice was somewhat emabarrassing and a little odd is not really a factor in this equation.

The word "wig" in this context is spelled without the h. "Perfectionist" is not an adverb. "Losing" is spelled with only one o. "Poorly written in broken English" implies that the passage is well written, unless a comma is inserted after the word "written." American standards for written English apply to American publications.

Clearly, the Penn "lecturers" are just as uninformed as some of the liberal students they teach. Individuals' wages, by economic necessity, reflect their contribution to the economy. If Penn truly underpaid its employees, they would seek employment elsewhere (after all, Philadelphia is home to numerous colleges/universities). People are shocked to hear that Amy got a huge raise, but let's face it: her capital campaign has brought millions of dollars to the University. A portion of those funds will be used to pay for faculty & staff. It's a simple fact that a Portuguese lecturer (who has a poor grasp of English, whether American or British) contributes SIGNIFICANTLY less to the University community than does the President.

When Glauco leads the largest capital campaign in Penn's history, serves as the chief executive for the largest private employer in Philadelphia, and oversees an Ivy League school with multiple hospitals, a full police force, and massive real estate holdings, then he can argue for a raise on par with that of Amy G.

[QUOTE id="7cf5eec7-dec5-4cf5-8855-5ed92f148879"]Clearly, the Penn "lecturers" are just as uninformed as some of the liberal students they teach. Individuals' wages, by economic necessity, reflect their contribution to the economy. If Penn truly underpaid its employees, they would seek employment elsewhere (after all, Philadelphia is home to numerous colleges/universities). People are shocked to hear that Amy got a huge raise, but let's face it: her capital campaign has brought millions of dollars to the University. A portion of those funds will be used to pay for faculty & staff. It's a simple fact that a Portuguese lecturer (who has a poor grasp of English, whether American or British) contributes SIGNIFICANTLY less to the University community than does the President.[/QUOTE] Clearly someone doesn't know what he's talking about, but instead just recites talking points from Milton Friedman. Because you know that the market always adjusts itself perfectly, of course. That's why there are no mixed economies in the first world, and even corporations don't like bailouts, because it hurts their purely capitalistic free market principles. And of course, no union has ever gotten better working conditions for anyone (that has only occurred by each individual employee working hard, and then being rewarded by his employer). Oh wait, reality does not agree with your dogmatic ignorance. Maybe you should learn how the real world works. I'll give you a hint: It isn't like a simple model thrown up on a powerpoint in your intro to microeconomics class.

Glauco Ortolano wrote an excellent letter. Maybe he doesn't write as a native speaker of English but his arguments were so strong they have prompted people to react. He has achieved his purpose and that's what good writing is all about.

[QUOTE id="d4442262-9464-4126-a5b7-6144af669948"]When Glauco leads the largest capital campaign in Penn's history, serves as the chief executive for the largest private employer in Philadelphia, and oversees an Ivy League school with multiple hospitals, a full police force, and massive real estate holdings, then he can argue for a raise on par with that of Amy G.[/QUOTE] Our instructors are not occupied in raising money for the university. They are occupied in educating us. A good education is the only asset we will take with us when we leave Penn. If better salaries are what we need to retain quality faculty, then that's where the money should go to. Glauco has a valid point.

Ben Franklin, the founder of our great university, only spoke very rudimentary French while serving as diplomat in France, but he was still able to persuade the French to become strong allies of the United States. Some people achieve great things with only rudimentary resources. Congratulations to Glauco Ortolano for standing up for his beliefs amidst so much bigotry against him.

[QUOTE id="10b84881-41ea-4d0d-acde-bee3a125b392"] Congratulations to Glauco Ortolano for standing up for his beliefs amidst so much bigotry against him.[/QUOTE] Typical left-wing response: pull the racism card! Noting that Glauco's letter is written in broken English is not a form of bigotry. It merely points out the irony (and absurdity) of an Ivy League professor demanding a salary increase when he does not even have a good grasp of the English language. Perhaps his "low" salary is the result of his inability to communicate clearly with students and other faculty.

Amy is paid what the trustees can justify in their minds. They may very well sit on the same board one day. There are many reasons for them to be generous. As for the poor lecturers, researchers, etc., the university will always pay what it can get away with.

[QUOTE id="10b84881-41ea-4d0d-acde-bee3a125b392"]Typical left-wing response: pull the racism card! Noting that Glauco's letter is written in broken English is not a form of bigotry. It merely points out the irony (and absurdity) of an Ivy League professor demanding a salary increase when he does not even have a good grasp of the English language. Perhaps his "low" salary is the result of his inability to communicate clearly with students and other faculty.[/QUOTE] You have no idea what the word bigotry means do you? It doesn't apply strictly to race. If a person were to reject a letter-writer's message because his English were noticeably non-idiomatically-American and he had a non-Portuguese but perhaps German or French name (around whom there may be jokes but not racism per se by white people in America) that would still be the categorizing of his worth or his message according to something inconsequential with specific regards to the content of his message. He didn't even write it in broken English, just with an air that makes it obvious he doesn't speak typical "American English." The point is that you and another poster (unless you're just the same guy, which is probable) are faulting him for being a FOREIGNER and no other reason. This isn't a matter of "left" or "right" politics at all, it's a matter of knee-jerk pretentious people who want to pretend their criticism of Glauco rests on something substantive versus people who are annoyed by such ignorance. That's not the race card, yet it is bigotry. Do you know the difference or do you need someone to buy you a dictionary?

I don't know what's more embarrassing: the fact that the second letter in broken English was published by the DP, or the fact that it's written by an Ivy League "lecturer." The most embarrassing is to come across a Penn graduate like you that can't read between the lines. The deficiency lies in your reading, not in his writing.

[QUOTE id="10b84881-41ea-4d0d-acde-bee3a125b392"] Broken English?!? C'mon!! You probably don't even know what broken English means. I read Glauco's letter several times and I found nothing wrong with his English. His grammar and spelling are just perfect, and he made his point very clear to me. "Bigotry" is the precise word to qualify the attitude of people like you and Alumnus 08.[/QUOTE] The previous post questioning the other man's knowledge of the meaning of the word bigotry was addressed to the guy who wrote in saying leftists were pulling the race card. It wasn't addressed to the author originally writing under the name Ben Franklin. The DP should make their thread and reply technology a little more elaborate so confused and unintended arguments don't erupt.

While we're complaining about the abilities of the people who work at Penn, here's a quote from Dr. Guttmann reprinted in an airline puff-piece about Philadelphia: "Philadelphia has just blossomed in terms of arts and culture. People love the location between New York and Boston. And it may very well be the last affordable city in the northeast." Hopefully our wonderful president never finds herself trying to get home from one of these cities. Otherwise we may never see her again.

[QUOTE id="7cf5eec7-dec5-4cf5-8855-5ed92f148879"]Clearly, the Penn "lecturers" are just as uninformed as some of the liberal students they teach. Individuals' wages, by economic necessity, reflect their contribution to the economy. If Penn truly underpaid its employees, they would seek employment elsewhere (after all, Philadelphia is home to numerous colleges/universities). People are shocked to hear that Amy got a huge raise, but let's face it: her capital campaign has brought millions of dollars to the University. A portion of those funds will be used to pay for faculty & staff. It's a simple fact that a Portuguese lecturer (who has a poor grasp of English, whether American or British) contributes SIGNIFICANTLY less to the University community than does the President.[/QUOTE] It is my understanding that Glauco has since resigned from Penn. He was obviously not satisfied with his meager 2% annual salary increase. That's really too bad. I've heard some great things about his classes. This is what one of his former students wrote about him: "Glauco's passion for his work as a professor of culture, language, and literature is palpable from the moment one steps into his classroom. He is not only able to foster dialogue and incite debate, but also to offer insights and new ideas. My experience at the University of Pennsylvania would not have been the same without Glauco's lively classes, which I left with fond memories and a new friend."

[QUOTE id="10b84881-41ea-4d0d-acde-bee3a125b392"]Ben Franklin, the founder of our great university, only spoke very rudimentary French while serving as diplomat in France, but he was still able to persuade the French to become strong allies of the United States. Some people achieve great things with only rudimentary resources. Congratulations to Glauco Ortolano for standing up for his beliefs amidst so much bigotry against him.[/QUOTE] Broken English?!? C'mon!! You probably don't even know what broken English means. I read Glauco's letter several times and I found nothing wrong with his English. His grammar and spelling are just perfect, and he made his point very clear to me. "Bigotry" is the precise word to qualify the attitude of people like you and Alumnus 08.

[QUOTE id="23919881-d920-474d-bddc-257d3669f0b2"]Amy is paid what the trustees can justify in their minds. They may very well sit on the same board one day. There are many reasons for them to be generous. As for the poor lecturers, researchers, etc., the university will always pay what it can get away with.[/QUOTE] I agree with you. Amy and the trustees are only interested in their own personal gain. Lecturers and researchers are just the pawns of Penn, but I had no idea their salaries were so low. That's outrageous.

[QUOTE id="2a97c883-214d-486e-8410-c6832d77dcee"]While we're complaining about the abilities of the people who work at Penn, here's a quote from Dr. Guttmann reprinted in an airline puff-piece about Philadelphia: "Philadelphia has just blossomed in terms of arts and culture. People love the location between New York and Boston. And it may very well be the last affordable city in the northeast." Hopefully our wonderful president never finds herself trying to get home from one of these cities. Otherwise we may never see her again.[/QUOTE] I'm sure Amy doesn't want to end up in Boston. Even at Harvard her salary would be drastically reduced. Philadelphia is the last affordable city in the Northeast but she still needs a 41% salary raise?!? How about the lecturers that are making less than 50K and probably bringing home around $2,400/month? How much is their salary being increased per year? 2%?? That's less than inflation. What a shame! It seems that Amy needs a refresher course not only in geography but also in finances.