34th Street Magazine's "Toast" is a semi-weekly newsletter with the latest on Penn's campus culture and arts scene. Delivered Monday-Wednesday-Friday.
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Disappointment over layoffs
To the Editor:
As a 2000 graduate in anthropology (archaeology concentration) and former employee of the museum, I was extremely disappointed and shocked when I heard about the 18 people fired from the museum a few weeks ago.
In light of the recent crossfire in the Gaza Strip, the University cancelled several study-abroad programs in Jersusalem - a relatively peaceful city miles from Gaza. But while the fighting seems far removed from Jerusalem, it's impossible to know that it will stay that way.
As the U.S. economy continues to spiral downwards, it's become more and more clear that even our impenetrable "Penn bubble" can't keep out a national recession. In December, President Gutmann issued an update on the university's plans for coping with the financial crisis, assuring that Penn will not be "implementing broad-scale layoffs, hiring freezes or across-the-board budget reductions.
Biologists work in biology. Physicists study physics. Meteorologists work in meteorology. Columnists . study columns?
One of these is definitely not like the others.
The first three study for years to become experts in their respective fields. There is a measured science behind their successes.
Today, the Penn student body has two fewer students than it did last time regular classes were held. College senior Kambili Mouwka and Engineering sophomore Ryan Smith both passed away unexpectedly in the last few weeks. Compounding the losses to the greater Penn community was the death of Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania trauma surgeon John Pryor, who was killed in Iraq.
Thanksgiving was weird.
Many of us were home, content amidst our families and a constant supply of food and celebration. But the weekend was also marked by tragedy. Last Thursday, we first heard about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Then on Black Friday, a temporary employee was trampled to death at a Wal-Mart in Long Island.
Explaining a matter of integrity
To the Editor:
The University Honor Council understands that the University's policies towards academic integrity may be unclear to students. In light of the Math 104-002 mandatory first midterm retake, we will explain the role of the University Honor Council as well as a student's options if charged with a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity.
As classes wrapped up before Thanksgiving, alert students still caught one final lesson: Unplug your appliances, even if they're not turned on.
The brothers of Pi Kappa Phi learned that better than anyone.
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush blamed last week's fire in the fraternity on a circuit overload caused by a large number of refrigerators and microwaves.