As college students, we Quakers love free stuff.
Free Nalgene bottles at a career fair despite no interest in the company? We're there. Free 'A's in "Ideas in Math" or "Sociology of Media and Pop Culture?" Welcome to two of the most popular courses at Penn. Free admission to an in internationally renowned museum of archaeology and anthropology? Er . not so much.
That's right. Despite its convenient location on campus, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology is woefully underused by the undergraduate community at Penn and that's a sad commentary on the intellectual curiosity (or lack thereof) of Penn students.
Founded in 1887, the Penn Museum is a leading educational and research institution dedicated to the continuing understanding of cultural diversity throughout human history. Since its inception, the Museum has conducted approximately 400 research expeditions and has collected almost one million objects and artifacts, many of which are housed in the Museum's thirty-some galleries. Currently home to a 13-ton 12th century B.C.E. Egyptian sphinx, to name just one example, the Museum is undoubtedly a pretty interesting place.
Yet, clad in togas and in varying degrees of intoxication, most Penn students go to the museum during their NSO and then never set foot in the place again.
That contradicts the idea, as it has been told to me, that we comprise an elite set of young, knowledge-thirsty, inquisitive minds handpicked yearly with the utmost care and consideration to attend this elite institution. For the most part, we live up to that reputation. But when it comes to learning for learning's sake, at least as measured by student attendance of the Museum, we utterly fail.
At first glance, the number of Penn students (graduate and undergraduate) the Museum records as having been admitted to the museum last year - 6,500 - seems substantial. But that figure is almost certainly ratcheted up by archaeology and anthropology majors and Ph.D.'s who use the Museum on a regular basis.
"That number is definitely inflated," said Rachel Adler, a senior Anthropology major. "I practically live there. I probably go at least 100 times a year."
To be sure, the Museum is well-used by students of anthropology and archaeology, as well as professors who schedule class trips or assign visiting an exhibit as homework.
As for walk-ins, however, Gloria Collins, a pleasant woman who works the Museum's front desk, paints a gloomier picture.
"A lot do come in to do research, but walk-ins only occur about two or three times a week," Collins reluctantly admitted. "Seniors come in saying 'I've been at Penn for four years, and I wanted to see this place before I leave.'"
If Collins' number is accurate, some simple math indicates that only about 100 Penn students every year make the perilous trek to 33nd and South streets out of pure interest. What's worse is Collins's assertion that the Museum gets far more non-Penn students from the surrounding community.
"I would love to see more Penn students come in. We get a lot of outside students from the University of Delaware, Temple, and Drexel, and I'm like 'Hello?! Where are the Penn students?'"
Amy Ellsworth, web and promotions developer in the Public Information Office at the Museum, echoed those sentiments.
"There are a lot of undergrad school groups from schools like Temple and Drexel that come in. The other day even some fashion design students from Drexel came by and wanted to look at the Greek jewelry."
With all due respect to our fire-breathing peers to the East, if the idea of Drexel fashion students one-upping us isn't enough to jolt Quakers out of their intellectual apathy, then I'm not sure what is.
That said, the Penn Museum doesn't really need us. Our admission is free and even if Penn students showed a greater interest in the Museum, we would still only form a small percentage of the Museum's visitors (most are unaffiliated adults, students, and children). The Museum is an asset and a resource unique to our university - a privilege of attending Penn. So what does it say about our student body when most of us can't find any time or simply don't care enough to ever visit it? Nothing good.
Let's change that this semester. Find a few free hours, take a friend, and check out the Amarna ancient Egypt exhibit.
After all, it's free.
Adam Goodman is a College sophomore from La Jolla, Calif. His e-mail address is
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