Jacob Schutz
Recent articles
Jacob Schutz | Checking the University's balances
I never much considered the way the health of my University was tied to the well-being of the financial markets. It is perhaps a naive state of mind, considering the presence of dear Wharton on our campus, but I always imagined that universities held a special position above the fray of economic cycles.
Jacob Schutz | Killing the concept of research
There are many things I don't understand about the past: powdered wigs, the Puritans, Richard Nixon, disco. The full list is more extensive (though a lot is related to disco and Nixon), but perhaps most baffling to my 21st-century mind is the concept of scholarship before the Internet.
Jacob Schutz | Beards we can believe in
Dear Reader: It's time to come clean with you. The picture in the upper right corner of this column, supposedly representing my shining face to the world, is a scam. A photographer took the picture during the first week of the semester when I still had a full beard.
Jacob Schutz | Creating a more useful calendar
This last week, I read about 30 e-mails about events occurring on campus, received a dozen or so Facebook messages and had countless awkward confrontations on Locust Walk. Then there was the PennPortal calendar of events, the Fisher-Hassenfeld (where I'm a Residential Adviser) Web site of House events and SPEC's combination of posters and e-mails.
Jacob Schutz | Ideas instead of ideology
Today marks the second day of the Muslim Student Association's Islam Awareness Week on campus. While I'm typically ambivalent toward awareness campaigns - there are so many that it seems difficult to focus energy on any one topic - I believe a campus dialogue about Islam is valuable.
Jacob Schutz | There'll always be student debt
In May, I was dumped by e-mail. I received an notice from Student Financial Services telling me I would need to select a new lender for my Federal Stafford Loan. My original lender - along with 136 other institutions - had stopped offering the loans. A couple months later, a friend at another school updated her Facebook status to say she "thinks student loan companies can suck it.
Jacob Schutz | Finding some balance at Penn
It's always about this time of year that I start to lose the middle ground between working hard and playing hard. At this point in the semester, I actually have to produce grade-able work and complete time-intensive reading assignments. From Sunday through Thursday I'm a human dynamo of nervous energy - constantly churning out papers and practice exams.
Jacob Schutz | Proud to be an intellectual
'A pragmatic love of knowledge." In case you haven't seen any of Penn's recent advertising material, this phrase is now linked to our University with such other buzzwords as "entrepreneurship," "invention" and "outreach." The phrase represents a nervousness about appearing too intellectual, too smart for our own good.
Jacob Schutz | Getting past 43rd Street
As the Class of 2012 arrives on campus, they will be thrust into a bewildering new environment with little to no operational knowledge. What food trucks to go to (Yue Kee and Magic Carpet), what classes to take (Creative Writing) and where - or more importantly where not - to go within West Philadelphia? As usual, the University has provided information on this last question to incoming freshmen through an imposing presentation of the Penn patrol zone.
Please don't tell mom and dad...
Parents sending their kids off to Penn undoubtedly hope to receive calls about their child's progress through college. They probably hope those calls are not notifying them that their children have been abusing drugs or alcohol. According to a Wall Street Journal article published last week, an increasing number of universities are contacting parents about their underage children's alcohol and drug violations, sometimes for the first offense.
New leadership for Asian Pacific students
On Wednesday night, the Asian Pacific Student Coalition elected a new board, with College junior Benjamin Alisuag serving as chairman. The APSC serves as an umbrella organization for 20 student groups on campus. The group acts as a liaison between the Asian Pacific community and the University administration.
Panhellenic Council elects new president
The Panhellenic Council has elected College junior Drew Tye as president for the upcoming year. Tye, who is currently the Panhellenic delegate for Sigma Delta Tau, ran against two current board members for the position. The Panhellenic president serves as the representative of the female Greek community for the University administration.
Face to face, funding gets personal
Grateful students and proud donors gathered last night in Wynn Commons, with financial-aid recipients interacting with the people who have made their education possible. The event also served as an opportunity for Penn President Amy Gutmann and other administration officials to call attention to Penn's ongoing capital campaign and encourage donations to Penn's financial aid programs.
TEP pres. to lead InterFraternity Council
Last night, Wharton and College junior David Ashkenazi defeated two other candidates to become the new president of the InterFraternity Council. The election was held after College junior Matt Dwyer resigned the post last week due to personal reasons. The president of the IFC serves as the liaison between the fraternity community and the administration as well as an adviser to chapter presidents Ashkenazi is currently the president of Tau Epsilon Phi.
New IFC president steps down
The InterFraternity Council will have to elect a new president after College junior Matt Dwyer resigned due to personal issues less than a week after being elected to the post. Dwyer, the current president of Alpha Tau Omega, would have assumed his post after the spring rush.
SAC chairman elected for next year
The executive committee of the Student Activities Council elected Wharton and Engineering junior Eric Van Nostrand as their new chairman earlier this month. SAC is responsible for dispersing funds to the over 200 student groups on campus and serves as a liaison between student groups and the University administration.
Alpha Tau Omega president to head IFC
Elected last night, College junior Matt Dwyer will take the helm of the InterFraternity Council for the group's next term. Dwyer, who ran unopposed and is currently the president of Alpha Tau Omega, will officially assume the post after spring rush in February.
Web site helps long-distance relationships
Ever wonder what an Ecuadorian Amazon witch doctor looks like? Or have you pondered the image of an elephant caravan winding its way through the jungles of Thailand? These days, Penn students don't have to look far for them - or travel beyond their computer.
Santorum's criticism of Muslims inspires dialogue
College senior Artina Sheikh, a Muslim who wears a head scarf, sat in the LGBT center Tuesday night fielding questions from students about Islam and homosexuality. Sheikh, along with other members of the Muslim Student Association, were invited by Queer People of Color, a branch of the LAMBDA Alliance, to discuss the interplay of religion and sexuality.
After two years away, Sigma Pi recolonizes
The Greek scene at Penn just became a little larger. Sigma Pi, a fraternity that left campus in 2005 due to dwindling membership, colonized last night with 13 new members. Colonization is the first step on the way to becoming a University-recognized chartered fraternity.
