Mara Wishingrad
Recent articles
Students encouraged to run for local office
Although student-government elections just ended, some students still plan to get a piece of political action in the municipal primary elections on May 19. Wharton sophomore Nick Greif is running for inspector of elections for the 11th district of the 27th ward.
Making internship 'Dreams' a reality
If you were guaranteed an internship in the industry of your choice, would you pay for it? At the University of Dreams, students do exactly that. After College senior Jackie Newman couldn't find an internship on her own last summer, she turned to University of Dreams and landed a job at Vidicom, a media and public-relations company in New York.
For student groups that help peers, privacy issues and awkward situations can arise
Remember when you threw up last Friday? So does the guy who responded to the 911 call, and he's in your math class. Groups designed to have students help their peers provide valuable services, but also raise privacy concerns and may create uncomfortable situations.
It's all Greek to me | Spotted: Online gossip creeps into rush
Hey, Beige Block - which sorority will have the hottest pledge class this year? Which frats should you avoid at all costs? No, it's not Gossip Girl, but gossip Web sites can offer freshmen going through the rush process a wealth of information. Although Greek leaders say students should make their own decisions about the organizations, sites like JuicyCampus and threads on College Confidential offer takes on everything from what to wear to what type of people fill each house.
Youth Commission works to give young people a voice in politics
Youth civic engagement in Philadelphia isn't just limited to voting on Election Day. Almost one year after it began, the Philadelphia Youth Commission - a group of city residents between the ages of 12 and 23 - has helped young people get more involved in politics and made plans to work with City Council on key issues.
Lawyers continue to debate ex-prof's sentencing for sexual assault
After six years of litigation, former Neurology professor Tracy McIntosh's sentence for sexual assault is still up in the air. The Philadelphia District Attorney's office and McIntosh's attorney both filed briefs earlier this month regarding McIntosh's appeal of his three-and-a-half to seven-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting his college roommate's niece in 2002.
News Brief | Obama transition team recruits prof
Legal Studies and Business Ethics professor Kevin Werbach is serving on President-elect Barack Obama's transition team. Werbach, who was a technology policy advisor to Obama during the campaign, is the co-leader of the Agency Review Team for the Federal Communications Commission.
Voting contest with Dartmouth ends in tie
On Nov. 4, most were happy to avoid a repeat of election night 2000 - the winner was clear. The outcome of Penn's voting competition with Dartmouth, however, is not as clear. Although Penn initially claimed a win, Penn and Dartmouth student government leaders decided to call a tie earlier this week, according to Undergraduate Assembly chairman and College and Wharton senior Wilson Tong.
Groups get some post-election relaxation
After last week's election, both Washington and Penn politicos are in a transition period. In Washington, President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to take office. At Penn, with the presidential campaign out of the way, on-campus political groups are focusing on their internal elections.
A midnight march to City Hall
As Arizona Sen. John McCain conceded the election to President-elect Barack Obama on national television, Penn students marched en masse toward City Hall. At about 11 p.m., students ran into the streets and congregated between Harrison and Harnwell College Houses.
Nearly 4,000 vote at on-campus polling stations
Penn led the vote yesterday, with almost 4,000 people voting on campus. At on-campus polling locations - David Rittenhouse Lab, Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Harrison College House, Harnwell College House, Houston Hall and the Penn Care and Rehabilitation Center - 3,833 people voted, according to Penn Leads the Vote.
Biden makes last campaign stop with South Phila. rally
About eight hours before polls open in Pennsylvania, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden addressed a large rally in South Philadelphia in his last stop on the campaign trail. "In less than 24 hours, we will know who the leader of the free world is," Biden said at the Marconi Plaza at South Broad and Bigler streets.
From the class to the war room
For 60 students, encouraging their peers to vote is more than civic engagement - it's homework. Introduction to American Politics, a Political Science course, is offering four special recitations this semester, in which students are required to participate in Penn Leads the Vote activities in addition to extra coursework.
On the presidential issues | Planning for health care, insurance
McCain The McCain plan is based on "Four Pillars of Reform:" Affordability, Access and Choice, Portability and Security, and Quality. The senator says he will make health care more affordable by ensuring competition between insurance companies, drug companies, hospitals and doctors.
On the presidential issues | Oil policy key in energy debate
McCain McCain wants to expand domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production by lifting restrictions on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf and building the necessary infrastructure required to transport the natural gas available there. To reduce our dependency on foreign oil, McCain wants to transform the transportation sector.
On the presidential issues | Financial aid and earmarks direct education proposals
McCain McCain wants to make the information higher-education institutions report to the government each year available to families to help students make more informed choices. He also wants to simplify higher-education tax credits and federal financial aid.
Palin at a frat party? You betcha
Living in a swing state, you might be used to seeing a lot of Sarah Palin. But what about seeing her at a frat party? Or seeing four of her at a frat party? With Halloween falling the weekend before the presidential election this year, girls across campus are pulling out their favorite suits and dressing up as the Alaskan governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee.
Absentee ballots sent from... Scotland?
The juniors who are abroad this semester might be missing out on campus election hype, but that doesn't mean they aren't voting. College junior George Donnelly, who is studying in Scotland this semester, got an absentee ballot because he "wanted to make sure Barack Obama lays the smack down in New Jersey.
Poll: 81 percent of Penn students prefer Obama | Interactive Feature
If Barack Obama were running against John McCain for the Undergraduate Assembly, Obama would win in a landslide. On Penn's campus, 81 percent of students said they support Obama, compared to 17 percent who said they support McCain, according to a CBS News/Chronicle of Higher Education/UWire poll released today.
Democratic voter registration rises in Pa. | Interactive Feature
With more people registered as Democrats than as Republicans in both Philadelphia and the state, Pennsylvania is looking a lot less like a swing state. But experts say more registered Democrats won't necessarily result in a victory for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
