Heather A. Davis

University City is rich in restaurants, and chances are, you work within a few blocks of one run by Penn. Spread around campus from 39th Street on the west end to 33rd Street on the east, Penn’s dozen dining eateries offer something for every palette—from strict kosher fare to make-your-own stir fry.

When it comes to hiring talented staff to work at Penn, Senior Staff Recruiters Heather Carson and Lesley Psaris are among the resident experts. They deftly handle questions from people at Penn who are confused about how to write a job description for an open position, what they can and can’t ask in an interview and sometimes, how they should simply start the process.

In March 2003, New York City did it. California had already done it. Boston soon jumped on the bandwagon, as did Ireland and Italy. Now, Dallas, Minneapolis and Delaware can add themselves to the list. New Jersey’s thinking about it. Will Philly be far behind?

As the 14th annual Philadelphia Film Festival prepares to take up residence downtown and in University City from April 7 through 20, Penn students enrolled in the new cinema studies program are getting ready to hit the theaters to catch films they would never normally see.

Anywhere there is violence —whether man-made or natural—people suffer. Women, however, typically suffer more. They are susceptible to rape and trafficking, and in danger zones, women lose their jobs faster and earlier. When parents or elders die, young girls—not men—step in as the caregivers

READING/Writers House Fellow reads from his latest masterpiece. “We’re a family of writers and readers,” said Al Filreis, director of the Kelly Writers House, as he welcomed an eager crowd on March 21 to a reading by celebrated novelist E. L. Doctorow.

Let's say youíve worked at Penn for a while and know the neighborhood pretty well. You know where to find ginger-pomegranate green tea, sea salt face scrub and gourmet chocolates, and you know where to go for an eco-friendly gift or a new suit. But do you know where to go for the basic necessities most of us need on a daily basis?

For the person who fears getting up on stage at all, performing without a script—with only your wits and your fellow actors to guide you—probably seems terrifying. For Stephanie Brown C’92, it only seems natural.

  Also in This Issue Making room for local artists

ARCHAEOLOGY/Penn Museum raises awareness of looted Iraqi artifacts that turned up in U.S. The eight Iraqi seals currently on display at the Penn Museum are small enough to fit easily in the palm of your hand—a fact that makes them easily transportable, highly collectable and extremely valuable as looted objects. And that’s just what they are.