11/15
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C. K. Williams
It was a homecoming of sorts. Here was C.K. Williams (C’58), the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, sipping coffee in a Starbucks on South Street, a street he remembers well from his 25 years of residence in Philadelphia. But today’s South Street is a far cry from the funky, artsy strip he remembers. “The word ‘tawdry’ came to mind as I was walking up, which is sad,” he said. It wasn’t the same Center City, either — all those tall skyscrapers, he said, “sort of tore the heart out of Center City.”
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New students get a map for campus life
This was not your father’s New Student Orientation (NSO). And the new students gobbled it up. Crazy and not-so-crazy classes gave them a taste of academic life. Music, dance, poetry and museum exhibits linked students to the campus’ rich cultural life. Tours of the neighborhood and Center City oriented the Class of 2004 to the world around them. These activities were part of seven action-packed orientation days, beginning Aug. 31.
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The multiple versions solution
Benjamin Pierce had a problem that besets almost everyone who works with files on more than one computer. He couldn’t keep track of the various versions of files on his laptop and workstation. Pierce, being an assistant professor of computer and information science, however, knew how to solve the problem. He could create new software. “I was pounding my hands and saying, Why can’t I figure this out?” he said. “So I said, Why don’t I take a weekend and write a little tool? “That was four years ago, and now I’m still writing my little tool.”
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Forward into the past
According to its advocates and critics, the spread of the Internet is ushering in an information revolution unprecedented in human history, with the power to transform our entire social structure, but with the equal potential to open a gulf between the haves and the have-nots of the Information Age. The only problem with this argument is that this revolution is not unprecedented. Actually, there are two very good earlier examples of information revolutions that produced similar transformations and similar problems.
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“I’m not necessarily creating music like I’m creating toothpaste or a soda drink.”
Andrew Chalfen (C’86) spends his days behind a desk at the Office of Student Conduct. But since graduating from Penn as an urban studies major in 1986, he’s been a fixture on the Philadelphia independent music scene, writing songs and playing in bands. Former bandmates and collaborators include Philadelphia Weekly columnist Joey Sweeney, Joe Genaro of the Dead Milkmen, and members of Philly rock-band-of-the-moment Marah.
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Built and building
The construction zone that swallowed the heart of campus is gone, and the oldest student union in the nation is now the newest student union in the nation. Houston Hall is open for business. It is part of the new center for student life on campus, Perelman Quadrangle, which provides places to eat, study, perform, play and meet. The complex also includes the new Penn Commons plaza and renovations in Logan Hall, Williams Hall and Irvine Auditorium. Nearing completion are two other construction projects that will affect the quality of student life.
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Interim PR chief
Phyllis Holtzman has been appointed interim director of university communications in the Office of University Relations. Holtzman, who was senior manager of university communications for two years, will serve as interim director until a search is completed for a permanent replacement for former Director of University Relations Ken Wildes. Prior to serving as senior manager, Holtzman served in various senior positions in communications and public affairs at the University for 10 years.
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In Ella’s footsteps
As a young girl in Memphis, Dee Dee Bridgewater used to sing along with her mother to Ella Fitzgerald records. Now, her reputation as one of the world’s leading jazz vocal stylists secure, she’s recorded a tribute to the legendary singer. Selections from that tribute, the double Grammy-winning “Dear Ella” (Verve), make up a large portion of the music Bridgewater will perform when she opens the 2000-2001 Penn Presents season Sept. 22.
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Penn data to help nabes
In neighboring community Spruce Hill, males outnumber females, blacks barely outnumber Asians, and the two combined still do not outnumber whites. Even though median annual household income is about $50,000, 921 of the 7,804 housing units in the neighborhood are vacant. These facts about several neighboring communities come from a Web site Penn is tailoring to give neighborhood organizations information they can use to improve their economic growth.
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Athletic feats of excellence
Women’s squash took their first ever Howe Cup title this year, finishing the season undefeated. Under the leadership of head coach Demer Holleran, who just ended her eighth season in Philadelphia, the team success rested on a solid overall lineup. Three players — Katie Patrick (W’00) and Runa Reta (C’03), and Rina Borromeo (C’01) — were named to the All-Ivy First Team and Reta was named All Ivy Rookie of the Year. Men’s wrestling and men’s basketball also prevailed in the Ivies.