Spring Cheers and Jeers

CHEERS:

* To School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston for his decision to retain the South Asia Regional Studies Department.

* To the University, for cobbling together a feasible plan to keep the high rises habitable for the forseeable future. The renovation is long overdue.

* To Yale University, for its courageous decision to reimburse financial aid lost by students convicted of minor drug offenses. We urge Penn to take a similar stand against an unjust law.

* To Vice President for Budget and Management Analysis Michael Masch for his vote against the overzealous and foolish plan to privatize 42 Philadelphia public schools. It is comforting to have a reasonable voice on the School Reform Commission.

* To Executive Vice President John Fry, Law Professor Colin Diver, Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing James O'Donnell and Vice President for Development and Alumni affairs Virginia Clark on their new positions and on a job well done.

* To the University and Facilities Services for the plan to convert several small campus parking lots into several small campus green spaces.

* To the men's basketball, women's tennis and wrestling teams on their Ivy League championship seasons.

JEERS:

* To the University and Campus Dining Services, for the stealthy combination of reduced meal plans and "Dining Dollar$" to attract more contracts without actually lowering the price.

* To the University and Campus Dining Services, for a major overhaul of Penn Dining that still fails to address Dining's biggest problems -- poor food quality and bad service.

* To the University for the new mandatory "recreation fee." The $200 charge is not fair to students who will not use the new Pottruck Center and is an additional slap in the face following this year's tuition hike.

* To the University, for postponing the renovation of the high rises until now. The residences have been falling apart for years without action.

* To Executive Vice President John Fry and the University, for failing to complete a theater deal until last week. It's about time.

* To the School Reform Commission, Mayor John Street and Gov. Mark Schweiker for making an even bigger mess of the Philadelphia School District than was there before. That is quite an accomplishment.

* To the Undergraduate Assembly for forgetting that internal changes and self-assessment are not why we have a student government.

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