News Archives

Out and About: A teacher for 90 minutes

There they were, 15 of the best and brightest America and the world had to offer, sitting around a table in Kings Court/English College House waiting for their discussion leader to give them their first taste of academic life at an elite Ivy League university. They had read the book sent to them in mid-summer with the expectation that it would lead to a shared intellectual experience that would stay with them all year. And I was the person who was supposed to give them that experience.

People's Choice: Campus eats

Here at the Current we know nothing can win over the heart quite like food can. So we hit the campus, asking Penn staff what the newcomer in campus dining services—Aramark— should do to win them over. The message to Aramark is clear—Penn staffers can never have too much of the leafy green stuff. Who knew we were so health oriented? SHELDON HACKNEY Professor of History, Department of History“Aramark should serve spinach and should insist that students eat it. For variety they should serve eggplant.”

At Work With...Lisa Harrell and Dan Dougherty

Literary starshine to light up the campus

Three literary legends are bringing a little of their starshine to campus as the 2003 Kelly Writers House Fellows. Performance artist Laurie Anderson, novelist and essayist Susan Sontag, and formerly blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein will each give a public reading and host a brunch followed by a one-hour conversation.

Staff Spotlight: The Inca challenge

Besides family and writing, two passions that have a place Sam Hughes’ life are Peru and fitness. In his office at The Pennsylvania Gazette, where he’s the senior editor, two walls lurk behind enormous Peruvian paintings, dating from a 1976 trip to Peru. And a Nordic Track ski machine takes up the space on one side of his desk.

Tree-free verse

“Fringing the Page: A Conference and Workshop on Beyond-the-Page Poetry in Philadelphia” looks at the broad spectrum of spoken-word, multimedia, object-based and other non-printed-page forms of poetic expression taking place in Philadelphia today. The event is free and takes place from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Kelly Writers House. Info: Laura Smith, ltsmith@sas.upenn .edu or 215-387-6749.

Resource centers can help with your life issues

Penn’s resource centers can’t wait to help you. Here are services and programs geared towards staff and faculty.

News briefs

Annenberg gift The Annenberg School for Communication will receive from the Annenberg Foundation a new, $100 million endowment gift that, in its first year, will support scholarships, faculty chairs and classroom refurbishing. The same amount was also given to the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California.

Campus Buzz

The locks are being changed Oct. 14: Which means that now is the time to register your PennKey so you won’t get locked out of Penn’s secure computing services after that day. There’s even a chance for you to win a Penn Bookstore gift certificate if you register your PennKey before midnight Oct. 9. For info about PennKey, visit www.upenn.edu/computing/pennkey on the Web.

Models wanted, excellence a must

Your blue-ribbon coworkers deserve recognition, not to mention one of the $500 and $250 cash awards. But it’s up to you to make it happen, by throwing their names, or your own, into the Models of Excellence nomination box. From now until Nov. 7, Human Resources’ Quality of Worklife Programs is seeking the names of staff members—individuals or teams, full or part-time—who inspire others with their hard work. Anyone may nominate candidates; staff may also recommend themselves.