We wondered how the forthcoming millennium might affect our New Year's resolutions - Swear that we'd go to church more frequently? Promise to call our mother every day? Promise to give up cursing, or drinking or dancing?
Nuh-uh. Not Penn students.
This is a group focused on the here and now, for the most part. Eat less. Pump iron. Earn more. Sleep right.
Our own resolutions are not so different, like never miss a single episode of "That 70's Show;" worry not at all about Y2K, and see every movie that's up for an Academy Award. We're waiting for the true millennium, 2001, to get serious - not.
James Blumenthal, College, Class of 1999 "My resolution is to take it easy next semester so I can get some rest before law school."
Nimita Shah, M & T, Class of 2001 "I need to study more next semester because it's a very important year for me."
Ranil DeSilva, College, Class of 2002 "I'm going to work out and lose weight next year so I look attractive to all the ladies out there."
Maryellen Keeney, College, Class of 2000 "For my New Year's resolution, I usually try to be more appreciative of the positive things in my life and make greater efforts to be a kinder individual. I usually focus on this because in the stresses of daily life, I often take things for granted."
Ramon Luciano, Wharton, Class of 1999 "I don't believe in those. Why? Because no one ever follows through on them."
Hai Ton, SEAS, Class of 2002 "I just have to make sure I get back on normal sleeping patterns next year. That's my number one goal. Up all night and sleep all day just does not work."
Lluwahn Henry, College, Class of 2001 "I guess my New Year's resolution is to get more hours at work so I can make more money so that I can buy my boyfriend lots of gifts [said as her boyfriend stands next to her]."
Rhonda Iona, Wharton, Class of 2002 "My New Year's resolution is always a long list of things. But I guess one of the more important things for me every year is to take a look at my life and decide what I'm doing right and just expand on those good things."
Monica Maccani, College, Class of 1999 "My resolution is to get 3.5 GPA. It's an achievable goal."
Vladimir Galiote, Wharton, Class of 2000 "New Year's Resolution? I don't know...To settle down and make little babies, of course."
- Nathaniel Glasser
Next issue - Our reporter on Locust Walk wants to know the best CD of 1998.
When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida’s historic flood
New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn’t a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk.
The Fed explained: What it does and why it matters
Former Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and financial historian Peter Conti-Brown, both Wharton professors, unpack the central bank’s origins, its unusual structure, and the quiet ways it shapes the economy
How population changes are impacting primary education worldwide
Research from Penn sociologist Emily Hannum and colleagues reveals regional trends in whether school-age populations are increasing, plateauing, or decreasing—and shows how different countries are responding.
A bioengineered bean gum from the lab of Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell is found to reduce the levels of three microbes associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer to almost zero, without affecting the beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth.
Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.
