There is one kind of diversity that is severely lacking at Penn.

In my two years here, I have never met a student in a wheelchair. And that makes me think, does Penn truly accommodate the needs of physically disabled students?

Take for example, the Penn Access Transportation service, which is supposed to provide free transportation to those students who require it. Students may only receive four one-way trips per day…and those can only be between campus and home.

How can this be considered sufficient? If I can’t make it from Leidy to DRL in ten minutes, how exactly is a disabled student supposed to?

Even more, the service only operates from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. on the weekends, so weekend happenings like meetings or review sessions are inaccessible in many cases.

I spoke to College junior Jon Kole, a member of the Civic House Advocacy Coalition as well as the Community Chair of the College Dean’s Advisory Board. He said that the issue of wheelchair access caught his attention in Hill dining hall one day.

A student in a wheelchair was unable to make it down the four stairs to join his friends for lunch.

“We [the Dean's Advisory Board] thought this would be something that concerns the entire college,” said Kole, “but because it affects such a small population of students, and there is such a big loophole in the policy, it’s not easy to gain leverage.”

That loophole he’s talking about is the requisite that the University need only accommodate disabled students up to the point that it will not “impose undue financial or administrative burden.” Hello bureaucracy. Fortunately, there’s a complete description of politically correct ways to “communicate” with disabled students, in case you were wondering. Thanks, Penn.

Kole sent an inquiry to the Office of Student Disabilities Service, but apparently “design limitations of the space prevented what would seem to be an easy solution,” according to the official response.

As anyone who has been to Hill knows, there are four small steps on either side of the large staircase. An insurmountable obstacle for a wheelchair, but seriously, design limitations? A small ramp would certainly suffice.

“We’ve got a record endowment. We’re expanding out to the postal lands when there are little things we could do to make the buildings we already have better,” said Kole.

The closest thing I’ve seen to a wheelchair ramp in many College Houses is a piece of unsteady plywood resting atop stairs.

We can do better. Kole pointed out the newly renovated Civic House as an example, which now has full wheelchair access.

If Penn truly wants to foster a true sense of diversity on campus, we need to make everyone feel welcome. Maybe the university will finally do something about the uneven bricks on Locust? We can only hope.

Common $ense

Who knows, you might end up getting to marry someone hot.

According to this article published in the New York Times magazine this weekend, the entire Penn undergraduate community needs to take a collective chill pill.

My favorite part: “…Their [recent alumni's] message to those coming up behind them…is pretty simple, too: chill out.”

Yeah right, I thought, not Penn graduates. Sure enough, when I looked at the poll’s results for the 473 Penn grads, the two highest rated “I wish I had done this in college” categories were “Taken more courses/diverse courses/internship experience” and “Studied more/taken classes more seriously.” We really do live up to our reputation after all. Our alums must have spent too much time at Smoke’s.

Or are we just the type of people who are never satisfied? Do we strive towards unattainable goals, settling for nothing less than perfection?

Of course we do. We’re not just your average bears. We spend more time in Rosengarten than watching TV. We get up at 9 a.m. and run to DRL for Math 104 recitation.

Naturally, college is a time to let loose - to do socially unacceptable things we’d rather not talk about with our parents or our prospective employers (cough cough block your Facebook now before it’s too late). Undoubtedly, we should have time to enjoy ourselves. A column that ran yesterday in the DP suggests that Penn students should stop encouraging the competitive academic atmosphere.

It’s easy to say, “Aw shucks, kids, get on out there and have some fun!” This is a line I’ve been getting my whole life - how many times have you been warned not to burn out too soon?

The fact that we don’t “chill out” is what gained us admission to an amazing school like Penn. It’s that determination that’s going to make us some of the world’s best doctors, lawyers, CEOs, politicians, musicians and writers. It’s just not in our blood to relax.

So stop telling us to! Applaud us for our accomplishments and challenge us to do even more. Success isn’t handed to us on a silver platter, even with a Penn degree.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

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Just try not to look at creepy as this guy.

When the time creeps up to 12:30, don’t frantically mass-text everyone in your phone book “meet me @ houston?”

Make a lunch date with yourself instead. You can do whatever you want! Eat your California roll with a fork, chomp on your Hemo’s as unflatteringly as you’d like. Except I personally would still stay away from that Indian “food”…ew.

No, you don’t have to pull out your DP and fail miserably at the New York Times crossword (if it’s after Wednesday) and you know you want to save that Sudoku for Physics class when you’ll really need it. Why not enjoy your own company? After all, if you can’t stand being around yourself how the hell is anyone else supposed to?

For most Penn students, doing much of anything alone is a source of great anxiety. You will say, “But Morgan, how are people supposed to know I am cool/likable/popular/normal if I eat lunch alone? What if I run into that cute [insert frat here] boy?? He’ll think I’m a pariah!”

People already know that you have friends, or at least I hope so. As evidenced by several fraternities on campus, the harder you try to prove that you’re cool the less cool you will actually look. It takes sophistication and self-satisfaction to sit happily alone. Audrey Hepburn never called a friend to eat breakfast with her at Tiffany’s.

Sidenote: this only works in public places - eating alone squirreled away in one’s room is lonely and reclusive.

There are times when you don’t want to be alone by any means…for example, when you’re walking home from 42nd and Baltimore at 3 a.m. Or when you’re trying to pick out what to wear before a party. That’s always hopeless without a friend around.

But lunch is just perfect.

This weekend I experienced it myself. Saturday was a beautiful day. I’d had a stressful week, so I headed downtown for a few hours of intensive retail therapy, and soon my tummy was rumbling.

I went to have a slice in this awesome brick-oven pizzeria…by myself.

I wasn’t armed with a DP, a book, or my physiology notes. I sat by the window and tried to look demure while scarfing down my food.

Passersby didn’t stare, no one pointed and laughed. However, I did make some serious eye contact with a cute guy. How bad could that be?

So next time your mass-text replies are nil, don’t panic and grab sushi on the run. Sit and enjoy your food with your own, fabulous self.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

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Looks terrifying, no?

Sometimes I wonder where this idea that all college students should be involved in volunteer activities came from.

Penn students are admittedly nuts. Trying to juggle an unfathomable amount of reading, problem sets, papers, meetings, clubs, sports teams, exam prep and, well, maybe some sort of a social life (if you’re lucky) is already nearly impossible. Now you want us to care about little kids’ addition skills? Yeah right.

I didn’t think my schedule would tolerate it, but like all pre-meds wanting to eventually be accepted to a choice medical school, I gave in. Last year, I donated three hours per week of my time to CHOP. After a background check and a stack of paperwork, they gave me a gigantic blue vest and an unlimited cafeteria debit card.

At first, I was psyched to interact with patients - it was almost like Grey’s Anatomy! But quickly my thoughts turned to disappointment. I wasn’t given much to do - most of the time I wandered through halls aimlessly, not wanting to wake sleeping patients or intrude on parents’ visiting hours. And believe me, there were no McDreamys.

Fellow pre-meds share my disillusionment with CHOP volunteering. HUP volunteers also felt as if their time was not used valuably. We all wished we could have just read our Organic Chemistry textbooks for three hours instead.

In general, access to volunteer opportunities is not what it should be at Penn. The Student Activities Fair is great for freshmen, but it’s only once a year and terribly overwhelming. There’s Civic House, of course, but does anyone actually go in there?

I went to find out. No one was available to talk to me, so I left my information with a receptionist. A week later, I called to follow up. Promised a phone call in 24 hours, I hung up satisfied. Yet I received no call-back. I guess they were too busy volunteering.

Several problems come to mind. First, information about volunteer organizations is not readily accessible. If you do find contact information, you’re lucky to get a call back. Larger organizations, like Kite and Key, are so diffuse that it’s easy to fall by the wayside.

Second, there’s the problem of limited time. My schedule is insanely busy, as I can imagine are those of most of my fellow students. We all want to help, but logistically sometimes taking part is simply impossible. Many organizations require regular, several-hour-long commitments.

Lastly, when we do get involved, many times our experiences are wholly unsatisfying. I know this is not the case with every organization or every volunteer, but the fact is that Penn students are incredible resources for these organizations - we have a lot more to give than just a pair of hands. Let us use our unique skills, whatever they may be, for the greater good.

More large-scale, well-advertised opportunities to volunteer on the weekend without a huge commitment would allow a larger percentage of the Penn population to participate. Holding regular “volunteer fairs” for undergraduates would create a continuous stream of new members for volunteer organizations. Shorter time commitments for weekly activities would be better tailored to a college students’ busy lifestyle.

In a perfect world, we’d all volunteer and feel fulfilled while helping numerous children with diabetes and puppies with only three legs. I’m going to shamelessly advance the agenda of this blog post by publicizing a few volunteer opportunities, just because I can:

The One Time Service Council at Civic House - email Sara at sgbarcla@sas.upenn.edu

Philadelphia Cares Day - Volunteer-A-Thon - Saturday, October 20, 2007
To join the Penn Team, contact Sara at sgbarcla@pobox.upenn.edu

Alternate Spring Break - contact Alison Wyant at alalond@pobox.upenn.edu

Happy soul-searching.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

A Shot of Hennessy

Ben Harper rocking the stage at Saturday’s concert. (Photo by Morgan Hennessy)

I worship Ben Harper. He’s an incredible lyricist and composer - talented in ways not many recording artists these days can hope to be. And he puts on one hell of a show.

Saturday night at the Tower Theater, my fellow Ben enthusiasts and I paid homage at the alter. The energy of the crowd was overwhelming - and Ben acknowledged it, saying, “I wish I could take you guys to Boston with me,” at the end of the show. See how good it was in the video below (the pictures not that great, but the sound, as usual, is divine):

Some of my most treasured experiences have been concerts shared with close friends and family. Music occupies a central part of my life and I can’t imagine living without it. It’s my soundtrack, my stress relief and my work-out motivation. It wakes me up in the morning and puts me to sleep at night.

But I get the feeling not many Penn students feel the same way. Mostly I just hear complaints about the selections for SPEC events on campus.

Cultivating a taste in music takes work. Short of illegally downloading the new Soulja Boy single (though, wow, does it stir up some serious discussion) on LimeWire, most people our age don’t try hard enough to enrich their musical collections. Everyone needs to find music that stirs the soul. It’s just one of those things. And Britney probably can’t deliver that.

Like everyone else, I’m always trying to find music for free. There are legal ways - none of us want to be one of the 31 who got letters from the RIAA. Raid your parents’ CD collections, ask your foreign friends for mixes, check out the library’s collection. I swear I’ve found some of my favorite albums on library shelves.

Try something new, even if you haven’t heard of the artist - you might be surprised to find you love Miles Davis or Todd Rundgren. Love that song from the new iPod commercial? Listen to more Feist. There’s room on that 30GB iPod, no matter how many techno songs you have crammed onto it.

Check out XPN’s live archives. They also constantly stream music online - it’s a great way to mix up your studying in Van Pelt. Just make sure you keep a list of artists that have caught your…ear? You can also find a list of all the songs played each day online.

Earlier this year a fellow blogger wrote an account of all World Cafe Live has to offer - who could turn down a free live concert? I second his remarks, and after all, it’s not that far of a walk.

Not sure if you want to actually lay down the $9.99 for the album on iTunes? Test-drive it at Rhapsody. Also, Pandora (i.e., “the music genome project”) will offer you less predictable alternatives to Dave Matthews Band.

Take my suggestions and you might find an artist who can change your life and make you think in ways you haven’t thought before - like Ben Harper does for me. We’re in college, after all - we’re supposed to do that kind of hippie crap. Rediscover The Grateful Dead and all that.

Then maybe next time someone asks you what kind of music you like, you’ll have something more interesting to say than “Oh, everything.” I look forward to it.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

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Look scary? Not as scary as CANCER.

By now, hopefully you have heard of Human Papillomavirus, the virus that causes 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of genital warts cases.

Maybe you have seen the barrage of “One Less” commercials advertising the new vaccine, Gardasil, which was approved by the FDA in June 2006.

What you may not know is how prohibitively expensive the vaccine is.

According to the Center for Disease Control’s website the market price is $120 per shot - and the vaccine requires 3 shots to be completely effective. Student Health Services charges $130 per shot.

But you’ll have to pay it on your own - Gardasil is not covered by the Penn Student Insurance Plan.

In a phone interview, director of Student Health Services Evelyn Weiner said, “The Penn Student Insurance Plan generally only covers those vaccines that are required for matriculation.”

But it does cover non-essential flu shots for students.

Cervical cancer, however, is much deadlier than the flu. Often called “the silent killer,” it affects 9,700 women every year - about 3,700 will die from the disease. This vaccine could nearly eliminate these deaths.

Gardasil is 100 percent effective against all forms of HPV that cause cervical cancer and genital warts. The fact is, it’s pretty likely you’ll contract a form of HPV at some point in your life - if you’re sexually active, the odds are one in two.

So who decides what the PSIP covers? The Student Health Insurance Advisory Committee, comprised of 12 graduate and 14 undergraduate students, does. Weiner said the committee decided not to cover Gardasil, “in anticipation of other vaccines becoming available soon.” They are not opposed to covering it - it’s just a matter of balancing options.

The university needs to at least partially subsidize this life-saving vaccine. Even more, students with private insurance that doesn’t cover the vaccine should also be eligible for a cost deduction.

Despite the stereotype, not all Penn students have the $390 for the vaccine - almost 55 percent of undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid. Ask our parents for the money, you say?

My parents don’t get to have a say in my sex life.

It can be done - Yale University students pushed for their student insurance plan to cover the vaccine and suceeded.

Princeton University and Dartmouth College also subsidize the vaccine.

So instead of making us decide whether a healthy cervix is worth $390, Penn needs to step up and provide this groundbreaking cancer cure (that’s right, a cure) at low or no cost.

Until then, I guess I’ll be taking donations.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

A Shot of Hennessy

What do you mean I can’t join Penn Masala?!

Being a white, non-Jewish, straight girl at Penn sucks.

I can’t take off class for high holidays, I can’t join half of our a capella or dance groups, and there is certainly no “cultural center” or special celebratory month/week dedicated to me.

I am so jealous.

Coming from a Catholic family with no particular devotion to our church or our mish-mosh European heritage, I often envy my peers who share common bonds of culture and religions.

The cultural communities here at Penn are well-developed enclaves - a veritable home away from home for students who join. They offer a social starting point for new students and a valuable networking resource for jobs, internships and, often, romance.

Hillel, especially, is a prime example. Probably due to the combination of the high density of Jewish students and the fact that the group shares both cultural and religious bonds, from the outside it looks rather appealing. Not to mention they have a bad-ass building to chill in.

The LGBT center is equally awesome - if I were a lesbian I would definitely hang out there all the time. Another of the most interesting buildings on campus, The ARCH, is home to Makuu, PAACH, and La Casa Latina.

So what am I to do?

I guess I could have joined a sorority, but it’s a little too late for that - anyway, it’s not really my scene. A gender-specific group might offer companionship, but how am I supposed to meet guys in Wharton Women?

The number of culture-, race- and religion-specific groups on campus is astounding. There are so many, in fact, that it leads to self-segregation and a narrowing of the diversity of our social circles.

Of course like will want to be around like, and I’m not suggesting that we dissemble any groups, but one of the things I most looked forward to when coming to college was meeting people who are unlike me - who have different perspectives on the world.

We need to mix it up. If these groups truly want to spread awareness of their cultures, issues and ideas, they should take a more active role in creating opportunities for people of all sorts to come together, rather than excluding them.

Maybe Birthright will even let me have a free trip to Israel - because God knows, no Catholic in their right mind would hand out free visits to the Vatican City for liberal college students.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

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Sure it looks harmless…

Moving in freshman year, my parents were relieved to find that there was a grocery store of apparently high quality nearby. Little did they know that the fancy facade was merely a cover-up.

Sure, there’s the fact that it’s close to campus. I’ll admit, when I need mixers at the last minute, it’s nice to know Fro-Gro will probably be out of Sprite Zero, but they will have cranberry juice. And it’ll only take 25 minutes to purchase said juice, as you wait in line for the cashier to decide to stop having a conversation and start ringing up your items.

I’ve had better service at the DMV.

The love affair is over. After two years of grossly long lines, poorly stocked shelves, terrible produce and tiny aisles, I’m sorry Fro-Gro, but you are out of my life. What little hope I had left vanished with my last trip, as I walked out with two measly bags of groceries that set me back 40 bucks.

If you’re as fed up as I am with Fro-No, let’s force them out of business by giving our cash to other, worthier establishments - none further than a quick SEPTA bus ride away.

Trader Joe’s, located at 2121 Market Street, is a favorite among those who love cheap, yummy and healthy food. With a wide selection of delicious prepared food as well as great quick frozen dinner options, TJ’s is perfect for the college student on a budget (and a diet). I’m hooked on their Trader Jose’s Salsa ($1.99!).

How to get there? Just take the 42 bus from 40th and Spruce and hop off at 22nd and Walnut. If you’re feeling adventurous - or just cheap - walk (duh).

Supreme Foodmarket, located at 43rd and Walnut, might seem too far west for some, but with what Philadelphia Weekly calls a “staggering array of international foods,” Supreme may soon win over the foreign students here at Penn who prefer their homeland cuisine. A sweet deal - they’ll also deliver groceries to your door for free.

Whole Foods also has a location downtown, at 929 South Street. A bit more upscale and with many more organic choices than The Fresh Grocer, Whole Foods has something for even the pickiest college student.

Offering cheaper items like the “365 Everyday Value” products which provide an inexpensive way to buy organic, Whole Foods also carries many higher-end products you won’t find many other places, like grass-fed meats and high quality cheeses.

The 40 bus will take you right there from 40th and Market streets,
or University City Station.

So don’t lose hope, fellow Quakers. Leave the Penn bubble and you’ll be pleasantly surprised–grocery shopping doesn’t have to be this painfully mediocre. I promise.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

A Shot of Hennessy

Maybe Dawkins will make things interesting and throw something back.

In light of my fellow blogger’s post about inappropriate Phillies fans, I felt the need to comment on the Eagles season, which kicked off yesterday, and my sad existence as an Eagles fan here in University City.

I watched the game alone, as I usually do because I can’t convince any of my friends that the game is as important as lounging on College Green or getting a head start on that bulk pack they just paid $80 for at Wharton Reprographics.

I’ve lived in the suburbs of Philly all my life, and when the Eagles are playing, the world stops. You can’t go anywhere on game day without seeing jerseys and hearing the ubiquitous Eagles fight song.

It’s old news that Eagles fans have long been regarded as the most intense and raucous fans in the NFL. In case you are unfamiliar with our illustrious past, Eagles fans have thrown batteries at games, booed Donovan McNabb when he was selected in the 1999 draft, and one time, in ‘68, Eagles fans snowballed and booed Santa Claus (a controversial incident used widely to incriminate supposedly vicious Eagles fans).

The Santa incident actually happened at Franklin Field. Didn’t you know? Franklin Field was home to the Eagles from 1958-1970, before Veteran’s Stadium was built.

Penn students just don’t seem to care about the Eagles like the rest of Philadelphia. I thought because Penn is closer to The Linc than Bucks County, I wouldn’t have a problem finding Eagles fans to commiserate with. Or at least students willing to take some interest in local sports, even if they aren’t from Philly and have their own favorite teams.

If anything, Penn students only misunderstand Eagles fans, and Philly fans in general. Why denounce passion? Violence is a part of almost all sporting teams’ fans’ histories . For shame, Penn, for shame.

Yesterday, I ran into a Packers fan and College sophomore Adam Delelegn watching the game with friends. He acknowledges the lack of Eagles spirit on campus.

He pointed out an incident last year when he yelled “Eagles suck!” out his dorm window during a game and no one even looked up.

“I wouldn’t go downtown and say that, though,” said Delelegn. Wise choice.

I had to walk all the way from the high-rises to Van Pelt along Locust Walk before I saw someone in Eagles gear.

Engineering freshman Mike Harker was dutifully sporting his Brian Westbrook jersey. Hailing from Jersey, and used to the same type of game day attitude that I am, he was disappointed by the lack of goings-on for the game.

“Kids are just hanging around, acting like nothing’s happening,” said Harker.

I agree - where’s the tailgating? Where are the Eagles parties? No one wants to go to Chickie’s and Pete’s?

All one has to do to get in on the fun is collect friends, beer, hot wings and a TV. Who could be opposed to that?

Now entering its 75th season, the team and its fans have inspired movies, books and countless acts of ridiculousness. If you still can’t understand Eagles passion, or just don’t care, I guess I only have one thing left to say.

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday.

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Mean girls at work

Rarely does one see such raw bitchiness exhibited so plainly as on the premiere of The Real World: Sydney. The battle lines were drawn: the hot girls vs. the not-so-hot girls, creating a perfectly explosive situation for the show. I’m sure the producers were all high-fiving as it unfolded.

I wasn’t the least bit surprised when the girls immediately pitted themselves against each other - after all, as women, we’ve been taught to function this way all our lives. Be sweet to her face, trash her to your friends, but claim not to be “fake” and beg others to be “real” with you. What does it even mean to be real?

I only feel bad for the guys on the show - they are clueless. When guys have arguments, they punch each other then go for cheesesteaks. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really work for us.

With girls, passive aggression is the name of the game. Just look at Mean Girls. Lindsay Lohan doesn’t confront The Plastics - she manipulates them. It would have been hard to make a movie otherwise, of course - but sadly Lohan’s depiction is not far from the truth.

Penn girls are smart, savvy, and sophisticated - we don’t have to resort to such ridiculous antics as The Real World’s notorious cat-fighters - or do we?

I’ve seen it firsthand, and you probably have too. Last year, I walked into a crowded party with a friend who knew the hostesses. I was surprised when one of them accosted me and asked me to leave - I had no idea who she was.

Later she apologized, claiming that she thought I was someone else, but how can you ever be sure? And I feel bad for the person I was mistaken for - this girl meant business. But I can’t blame her. We all do it, regardless of our GPA or how many Management classes we take.

Maybe The Real World is a true microcosm of human life. After all, some experts assert that “girlfighting” is a natural phenomenon. One even claims it’s re-directed aggression due to our subordination by men.

Why can’t we get it together? We attend one of the most prestigious universities in the world - we take classes that the girls on The Real World couldn’t even pronounce.

Yet we still act the same. We’re logical when it comes to solving calculus problems, but completely irrational during roommate disputes over low-fat granola bars. Think of what we could accomplish if we all just got along - maybe we could even elect a real woman to the presidency. Because, just between you and me, Hillary is such a slut.

A Shot of Hennessy appears every Monday and Wednesday