Summer vacation is almost here, and boy do I have a lot of plans. But let's be honest, who cares what I have planned over the summer? It has very little effect on the lives of Penn students. Others on campus, however, would be wise to spend their summer working to make the University a better place.
So instead of boring you with my own plans for summer vacation, here is some advice as to what some other people at Penn ought to do this summer.
Let's start with Amy Gutmann.
Our University president has made some pretty hefty promises in her Penn Compact, many of which she has not really followed through on. But I'll give Gutmann the benefit of the doubt that she's working on her three-pronged approach to making our school better.
Yet while Gutmann is plotting how to take Penn from "excellence to eminence," she'll have to take a break on June 30 to meet with the other Ivy League presidents. The Council of Ivy Group Presidents meets several times a year to debate, most importantly, athletic policy.
While the Ivy schools have very different academic policies, the group has made a commitment to having uniform athletic protocol across all eight schools. And while this will be her first summer meeting, Gutmann should make her presence felt and force the other presidents to debate some of the outdated regulations that lead to a lack of excitement about Ivy League athletics.
Most importantly, Gutmann should spend her summer lobbying the other presidents to end the ban on football postseason play. Currently, the Ivy League is the only Division I conference with such a ban.
When I have asked administrators why such a ban exists, I get two answers: It conflicts with finals and, as Ivy League Executive Director Jeff Orleans once told me, "There is just a general sense that this is not necessary." These rationales do not make sense. Why can every other sport participate in postseason tournaments that also conflict with exams? Why is the NCAA Tournament necessary for every other sport?
Gutmann has clearly shown her support for Penn athletics this year with her near-perfect attendance at the Palestra. She obviously enjoys the excitement associated with Penn sports, an excitement that has certainly been lacking with Franklin Field's embarrassingly low attendance. The time is ripe for her to ensure that one of our school's greatest traditions, the storied football team, returns from irrelevance.
I also have summer plans for a group that is currently entangled in a public-relations fiasco. SPEC Concerts, after its horribly attended Sonic Youth experiment this past weekend, needs to prove to Penn students that it is not incompetent. The group needs to show that it can put on a great campus concert.
It goes without saying that the group needs to work extra hard for next year's Spring Fling performance, but SPEC needs to go further. The group should spend its summer planning a great concert for the fall, proving that it can do more than plan one crappy concert per year.
What better way to fall back into favor with a disgruntled student body than to welcome them back to campus with a great concert? The concert should be early in the semester so that it will still be warm out and students do not have too much schoolwork.
Oh, and SPEC, if you're going to get another band from the early '90s, try the Spin Doctors or Live. People have actually heard of them, and they're available -- I checked with their booking agents.
Finally, I have plans for my friends at Facilities and Real Estate Services. I can't be overly critical of them these days. After all, not only did the sign a deal with Taco Bell, but they then went on to give us two more delectable establishments -- Quiznos and KFC. I will certainly be a happier/fatter man when these eateries open in the Moravian Cafes this fall.
Facilities should make sure Moravian is open by the time students return to campus in the fall, and it should also work to keep the food court open much later. Our campus is sufficiently lacking places to eat late at night. And with the University announcing plans to redo the 3900 block of Walnut Street, we will be losing two of those rare late-night eateries -- the Philly Diner and College Pizza.
Penn should turn Moravian into a late-night hangout, with wireless Internet and TVs to complement the new delicious restaurants.
If Gutmann, SPEC and Facilities do their part this summer, campus will be a far better place for all students when they return in the fall.
David Burrick is a junior urban studies major from Short Hills, N.J., and executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. Camp David appears on alternate Thursdays.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.