News Archives

Early America as Indian country

Flip open any textbook on early American history and you’ll find tales of Europeans riding roughshod over Native Americans. The stories involve bloodshed and battle, with Indians usually playing the part of the losers. Now turn east, away from the West’s invasion-conquest model, and a more nuanced picture emerges. In “Facing East From Indian Country” (Harvard, 2001), Penn Professor of History Daniel K. Richter writes a new history on how Native Americans interacted with European settlers. This time Native Americans take center-stage as skilled adapters.

Staff Q&A: Everton Swaby

Last fall, we told you about Start on Success, a program that gets University City High School students with learning and developmental disabilities on track for success in the world of work (Current, Nov. 8, 2001). Now we’d like you to meet one of the program’s success stories.

Advice for homebuyers and tips for homeowners

Thinking of purchasing a home? Even if you don’t plan to take advantage of Penn’s guaranteed mortgage programs, the Office of Community Housing can help. The office’s brown-bag seminars cover all of the major issues involved in buying and maintaining a home. Except where noted, all of the upcoming seminars this spring are offered twice each day; choose either the noon to 1 p.m. session or the 1 to 2 p.m. session. The seminar topics are:

Annenberg pics ought-to-be Oscars

The Oscar nominations are out, and, as always, somebody’s favorite choice for Best Picture didn’t make it onto the list. We thought we’d find lots of oughta-be Best Picture pickers among the staff of the Annenberg Center and School, but to our surprise, many of the people we asked hadn’t seen a first-run movie in quite some time.

Campus Buzz

A night in “Olde Penn”: To celebrate its 100th anniversary, The Pennsylvania Gazette went back into its archives to pull out some literary gems. An audience of about 200 invited guests for the Gazette’s birthday party at the Inn at Penn Feb. 13 heard Editor John Prendergast (C’80), Senior Editor Sam Hughes, Associate Editor Susan Lonkevich, former editor Marshall Ledger and a host of Penn notables read selections from the mag’s past, all the way back to Vol. 1, No.

Whoa, Congress, courts can do it

The recent tanking, or near-tanking, of several of America’s large corporations—first the airlines, then Enron and Kmart—has sent Congress scurrying to clean up the mess, a move which Professor of Law David Skeel believes is not entirely necessary. Skeel, who penned a book on bankruptcy titled “Debt’s Dominion” (Princeton, 2001), said America’s bankruptcy system is well suited to preserving firms that are worth saving.

Student Spotlight: Egg donation ethics study wins award

“I saw your ad in the Cornell Daily Sun, and I’d like to become an egg donor.” No, Andrea Gurmankin wasn’t really interested in donating her eggs though she would have been the perfect recruit—a young college female attending an Ivy League school. What she was really interested in was the quality of risk information provided to prospective egg donors.

Ask Benny: About that Locust Walk bike-riding ban

Dear Benny, Is the ban on riding bicycles on Locust Walk during the hours of major pedestrian traffic ever enforced? I increasingly get the impression it is not. —Looking in All Directions

Crunch time

Penn-Assisted School Invites Submissions for New Name

PHILADELPHIA -- In keeping with the tradition of the School District of Philadelphia in naming new schools, the Penn-assisted school Home and School Association invites the community to help determine a name. Nominations must be submitted in writing by March 22 to the Penn-assisted School Planning Office, 4243 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, or by e-mail to kreidlea@gse.upenn.edu.Each suggestion should, to the extent possible: