[UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Ross Bender]

I was just reading an article in the New York Review of Books titled "The
Women and the Gods", a review of "Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual
in Ancient Greece" when an ad for books on "Urban Studies from Penn Press"
caught my eye. First item on the list was a book by our own Judy Rodin
titled "The University and Urban Revival: Out of the Ivory Tower and Into
the Streets." I hurried to Amazon.com and found this "synopsis":

"In the last quarter of the twentieth century, urban colleges and
universities found themselves enveloped by the poverty, crime, and physical
decline that afflicted American cities. Some institutions turned inward,
trying to insulate themselves rather than address the problems in their own
backyards. Others attempted to develop better community relations, though
changes were hard to sustain. Spurred by an unprecedented crime wave in
1996, University of Pennsylvania President Judith Rodin knew that the time
for urgent action had arrived, and she set a new course of proactive
community engagement for her university. Her dedication to the
revitalization of West Philadelphia was guided by her role not only as
president but also as a woman and a mother with a deep affection for her
hometown. The goal was to build capacity back into a severely distressed
inner-city neighborhood - educational capacity, retail capacity,
quality-of-life capacity, and especially economic capacity - guided by the
belief that "town and gown" could unite as one richly diverse community.
Cities rely on their academic institutions as stable places of employment,
cultural centers, civic partners, and concentrated populations of consumers
for local business and services. And a competitive university demands a
vibrant neighborhood to meet the needs of its faculty, staff, and students.
In keeping with their mission, urban universities are uniquely positioned to
lead their communities in revitalization efforts, yet this effort requires
resolute persistence. During Rodin's administration (1994-2004), the
Chronicle of Higher Education referred to Penn's progress as a "national
model of constructive town-gown interaction and partnership." This book
narrates the challenges, frustrations, and successes of Penn's campaign, and
its prospects for long-term change."

Apart from the fact that Judy blatantly ripped off the slogan "Out of the
closet and into the streets", I was shocked and appalled that the myth of
Judy as the savior of West Philly has now been packaged in a 224 page,
cloth-bound book, only $34.95.

Anybody want to go in with me to buy the book so we can have a public
burning at the Turtle in Clark Park? If ten of us chip in, that'll only be
about 3 and a half bucks apiece. If twenty of us chip in, even less.

So now Judy is enshrined as a goddess, who rode the winged horse "Market
Forces" into our nasty ghetto hood and and "built capacity back into a
severely distressed inner-city neighborhood". Makes me wanna hurl chunks.

--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org/gentrification.html

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[SKnight]

No

Sande Knight
  - Original Message - 
  From: Ross Bender<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
  To: University City listserv<mailto:UnivCity@list.purple.com> ; [EMAIL 
PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
  Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2007 8:25 PM
  Subject: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets


  I was just reading an article in the New York Review of Books titled "The 
Women and the Gods", a review of "Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in 
Ancient Greece" when an ad for books on "Urban Studies from Penn Press" caught 
my eye. First item on the list was a book by our own Judy Rodin titled "The 
University and Urban Revival: Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets." I 
hurried to Amazon.com<http://amazon.com/> and found this "synopsis":

  "In the last quarter of the twentieth century, urban colleges and 
universities found themselves enveloped by the poverty, crime, and physical 
decline that afflicted American cities. Some institutions turned inward, trying 
to insulate themselves rather than address the problems in their own backyards. 
Others attempted to develop better community relations, though changes were 
hard to sustain. Spurred by an unprecedented crime wave in 1996, University of 
Pennsylvania President Judith Rodin knew that the time for urgent action had 
arrived, and she set a new course of proactive community engagement for her 
university. Her dedication to the revitalization of West Philadelphia was 
guided by her role not only as president but also as a woman and a mother with 
a deep affection for her hometown. The goal was to build capacity back into a 
severely distressed inner-city neighborhood - educational capacity, retail 
capacity, quality-of-life capacity, and especially economic capacity - guided 
by the belief that "town and gown" could unite as one richly diverse community. 
Cities rely on their academic institutions as stable places of employment, 
cultural centers, civic partners, and concentrated populations of consumers for 
local business and services. And a competitive university demands a vibrant 
neighborhood to meet the needs of its faculty, staff, and students. In keeping 
with their mission, urban universities are uniquely positioned to lead their 
communities in revitalization efforts, yet this effort requires resolute 
persistence. During Rodin's administration (1994-2004), the Chronicle of Higher 
Education referred to Penn's progress as a "national model of constructive 
town-gown interaction and partnership." This book narrates the challenges, 
frustrations, and successes of Penn's campaign, and its prospects for long-term 
change."

  Apart from the fact that Judy blatantly ripped off the slogan "Out of the 
closet and into the streets", I was shocked and appalled that the myth of Judy 
as the savior of West Philly has now been packaged in a 224 page, cloth-bound 
book, only $34.95. 

  Anybody want to go in with me to buy the book so we can have a public burning 
at the Turtle in Clark Park? If ten of us chip in, that'll only be about 3 and 
a half bucks apiece. If twenty of us chip in, even less. 

  So now Judy is enshrined as a goddess, who rode the winged horse "Market 
Forces" into our nasty ghetto hood and and "built capacity back into a severely 
distressed inner-city neighborhood". Makes me wanna hurl chunks. 

  -- 
  Ross Bender
  
http://rossbender.org/gentrification.html<http://rossbender.org/gentrification.html>
 

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN]

Ross Bender wrote:

So now Judy is enshrined as a goddess, who rode the winged horse "Market
Forces" into our nasty ghetto hood and and "built capacity back into a
severely distressed inner-city neighborhood". Makes me wanna hurl chunks.



this is kind of old news. the apotheosis of judy; the 
manifest destiny of universities as they rise from 
self-defined excellence to eminence to pre-eminence and 
beyond; their self-congratulatory legacy predicating even 
further expansion into and control of cities by universities 
(which behave more and more like governments and businesses 
without ever developing the concomitant mechanisms that 
ensure real public responsibility or accountability); the 
establishment of university institutes to legitimize, 
institutionalize, and program this self-defined relationship 
between the university and the city -- it's the Greatest 
Story Ever Told, and now it's on the road.


back in march 2004, just months before her departure in june 
2004, president judith rodin delivered an address, 'the 
university and the city'. this was the address in which she 
famously said clark park was drug-infested. in this address 
she also announced the formation of a penn urban research 
institute:


http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/v50/n27/rodin.html


excerpt:


Now, let me take you back to the real-world crisis, and
how we intervened. To make the neighborhood cleaner and
safer, we strengthened our Division of Public Safety by
hiring more police officers and investing in
state-of-the-art technology. We also opened a new police
station further west beyond campus, co-locating it with the
Philadelphia police precinct substation and the
special-services district that we took the lead in
launching. We did this to signal Penn's commitment to the
safety of our students and our neighbors.

At the same time, this newly created University City
special-services district, which you all know as the UCD,
employed both safety ambassadors who walked the streets and
supported campus and city police, and trash collectors who
supplemented city units and helped remove graffiti. These
were welfare-to-work participants, thus contributing to
another social action goal.

In addition, we partnered with neighborhood residents, the
electricians' union, and the local electric company to
install fixtures to uniformly light the sidewalks of 1,200
neighborhood properties. Not only did these efforts create a
brighter and cleaner neighborhood, which attracted more and
more foot traffic, but by requiring whole blocks, rather
than individual homeowners, to commit, we encouraged a
revival of community associations, block by block.

This, in turn, led to greening projects--such as the
planting of 450 trees and 10,000 spring bulbs and the
creation of four public and three children's gardens--which
set the stage for the dramatic transformation of Clark Park
from a dangerous drug-infested space into a thriving
recreational venue for children and the locale for a weekly
farmer's market.
 
Along with making University City cleaner and safer, Penn

had a huge initial impact on housing, which itself had
become a clean and safe issue.
 
We began by acquiring twenty abandoned properties in

strategic spots throughout the neighborhood, rehabbed them,
and sold them to the public. We weren't seeking a profit on
these homes. Rather, we were seeking to build capacity by
stabilizing blocks and promoting home ownership.

We also stepped up our efforts to encourage more Penn
affiliates to move into the neighborhood. But to make the
neighborhood more attractive to residents, students, and
visitors alike, we needed to provide retail and cultural
amenities and engineer radical improvements in the public
schools.
 
Here is where we really rolled the dice. We resolved to

plan and build a public school, and we chose to undertake
two large-scale mixed-use retail development projects in
hopes that major anchors would bring other shops,
restaurants, theaters, private investment, and private
development to University City. [...]



All told, scores of new shops that run the gamut are opening
throughout the neighborhood. And a commercial corridor given
up for dead now bustles with art galleries, performance
spaces, and an international restaurant row that reflects
the dynamic cultural diversity of University City. Thousands
of people--from the Penn community, from the neighborhood,
from all over the region--are flocking to shops,
restaurants, and cultural venues that came into being as a
direct result of Penn's decision to redevelop a dying
commercial core into a thriving, productive asset.


- - - - - - -


..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
[aka laserbeam®]
[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
  "It is very clear on this listserve who
   these people are. Ray has admitted being
   connected to this forger."  -- Tony West








































You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
list named "UnivCity." To u

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[KAREN ALLEN]

Back when the John Fenton mess hit the fan, I had an offlist conversation 
with someone in which I said that I opposed UCD obtaining the power of 
taxation because it would make UCD an unelected government answerable only 
to the University of Pennsylvania.  The other person roundly criticised my 
opinion, stating that it wasn't true and that they could not see where I was 
getting that from.


This is where I'm getting that from:


back in march 2004, just months before her departure in june 2004, 
president judith rodin delivered an address, 'the university and the city'. 
this was the address in which she famously said clark park was 
drug-infested. in this address she also announced the formation of a penn 
urban research institute:


http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/v50/n27/rodin.html


excerpt:


Now, let me take you back to the real-world crisis, and
how we intervened. To make the neighborhood cleaner and
safer, we strengthened our Division of Public Safety by
hiring more police officers and investing in
state-of-the-art technology. We also opened a new police
station further west beyond campus, co-locating it with the
Philadelphia police precinct substation and the
special-services district that we took the lead in
launching. We did this to signal Penn's commitment to the
safety of our students and our neighbors.

At the same time, this newly created University City
special-services district, which you all know as the UCD,
employed both safety ambassadors who walked the streets and
supported campus and city police, and trash collectors who
supplemented city units and helped remove graffiti. These
were welfare-to-work participants, thus contributing to
another social action goal.

In addition, we partnered with neighborhood residents, the
electricians' union, and the local electric company to
install fixtures to uniformly light the sidewalks of 1,200
neighborhood properties. Not only did these efforts create a
brighter and cleaner neighborhood, which attracted more and
more foot traffic, but by requiring whole blocks, rather
than individual homeowners, to commit, we encouraged a
revival of community associations, block by block.

This, in turn, led to greening projects--such as the
planting of 450 trees and 10,000 spring bulbs and the
creation of four public and three children's gardens--which
set the stage for the dramatic transformation of Clark Park
from a dangerous drug-infested space into a thriving
recreational venue for children and the locale for a weekly
farmer's market.
 Along with making University City cleaner and safer, Penn
had a huge initial impact on housing, which itself had
become a clean and safe issue.
 We began by acquiring twenty abandoned properties in
strategic spots throughout the neighborhood, rehabbed them,
and sold them to the public. We weren't seeking a profit on
these homes. Rather, we were seeking to build capacity by
stabilizing blocks and promoting home ownership.

We also stepped up our efforts to encourage more Penn
affiliates to move into the neighborhood. But to make the
neighborhood more attractive to residents, students, and
visitors alike, we needed to provide retail and cultural
amenities and engineer radical improvements in the public
schools.
 Here is where we really rolled the dice. We resolved to
plan and build a public school, and we chose to undertake
two large-scale mixed-use retail development projects in
hopes that major anchors would bring other shops,
restaurants, theaters, private investment, and private
development to University City. [...]



All told, scores of new shops that run the gamut are opening
throughout the neighborhood. And a commercial corridor given
up for dead now bustles with art galleries, performance
spaces, and an international restaurant row that reflects
the dynamic cultural diversity of University City. Thousands
of people--from the Penn community, from the neighborhood,
from all over the region--are flocking to shops,
restaurants, and cultural venues that came into being as a
direct result of Penn's decision to redevelop a dying
commercial core into a thriving, productive asset.


- - - - - - -


..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
[aka laserbeam®]
[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
  "It is very clear on this listserve who
   these people are. Ray has admitted being
   connected to this forger."  -- Tony West








































You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see
.




You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see
.

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Ross Bender]

When I arrived in Ye Olde UC Village in 1985, there were SE Asian refugees
warehoused in buildings up and down 48th St. I taught English in Admiral
Court, which at the time was half abandoned. The other wing was full of some
Vietnamese but primarily Cambodians. A few years later, after I had moved on
to other things, the building was totally rehabbed, as were similar
buildings which had been refugee holding tanks, like the one at the NE
corner of 48th and Osage.

The story I heard, which may not be accurate, was that Willard Rouse had
purchased some of these properties and was responsible for the upgrading. I
can't remember when this was, but it was certainly long before Judy's advent
at Penn.

Do any of you old real estate heads remember the facts about this? To be
fair, I suppose one must admit that Penn and Judy made a difference in the
hood, but to give her all the credit seems a little unrealistic and mythic,
to say the least.

On 6/11/07, KAREN ALLEN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


Back when the John Fenton mess hit the fan, I had an offlist conversation
with someone in which I said that I opposed UCD obtaining the power of
taxation because it would make UCD an unelected government answerable only
to the University of Pennsylvania.  The other person roundly criticised my
opinion, stating that it wasn't true and that they could not see where I
was
getting that from.

This is where I'm getting that from:





--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[MLamond]

In a message dated 6/11/07 10:29:25 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> To be fair, I suppose one must admit that Penn and Judy made a difference 
> in the hood, but to give her all the credit seems a little unrealistic and 
> mythic, to say the least.
> 
Yes, there is a history in UC of groups / organizations claiming credit for 
things they didn't do.   The "best" thing Penn did under Judith Rodin was to 
stop BADMOUTHING the neighborhood.   That allowed University City to grow and 
prosper naturally.   It had always been a special place to live; it was great, 
once Judith Rodin took over, to see more people REALIZING this.   

Once those of us who were active back then, no longer had to convince 
potential newcomers, one at a time, that they were unlikely to get killed if 
they 
lived here; no longer had to persuade them that having a diverse neighborhood 
was 
an asset, not a liability, then the activists finally had time to move on to 
other projects.   Like park clean ups, graffiti removal, community fairs, 
block clean ups, etc.   

Melani Lamond




Melani Lamond, Associate Broker
Urban & Bye, Realtor
3529 Lancaster Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
cell phone 215-356-7266
office phone 215-222-4800, ext. 113
office fax 215-222-1101


**
 See what's free 
at http://www.aol.com.

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Elizabeth F Campion]

I am not into book burning, but if I were, I can think of a few texts to
torch that would hold precedence over the new JR work.

So, List neighbors if you were to burn your least favorite book, 

What Author?
What Book?
Is When part of the context?
(e.g. Hysterical romance or High School assignment)
Where would you burn it?
Why choose flame?

I'd probably start with a few of my appointment calenders, saved against
Tax Audits, but collecting dust and if examined, reading as an indictment
of the times that work has taken precedence over family, friends or even
self protection.  :-)


On Sun, 10 Jun 2007 20:25:11 -0400 "Ross Bender" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
writes:
...
Anybody want to go in with me to buy the book so we can have a public
burning at the Turtle in Clark Park? If ten of us chip in, that'll only
be about 3 and a half bucks apiece. If twenty of us chip in, even less. 
...
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org/gentrification.html 

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Elizabeth F Campion]

Melani,

This post may be your most twisted perspective on reality, yet.


IMHO, John Fry and Judy Rodin managed our neighborhood as if it were an 8
second Bull-ride.
Life was a Quid Pro Quo Caberet and rule by the aesthetically fussy (with
or without mitigating competence) was endorsed.
Flackettes and Flackers were paid to write unfavorable comparisons to the
'bad old days'.

Sad (and bad) neighborhood news was cherry picked, exaggerated and than
the hyperbole highlighted until fear and false economies won PENN the
Civic Center Properties and Schuylkill Lands as values plummeted area
wide.  Once PENN had gathered all the land they could manage through
years of future development, PENN realized that the collateral damage to
the neighborhood was harming their admissions statistics and began a
drive to jump-start logical improvements.  By granting (only their own
employees) seed money they helped many long term neighbors leave.  The
investments totalled an average of 5% of the improvements while Buyers
(Penn only need apply) and Lenders carried responsibilities for the
balance.

Even though we (West Philly) started this century as the POSH side of
Schuylkill living, and still have the better built houses, more genteel
space, more convenient conveniences and the Lion's share of art,
cultural, educational and employment opportunities, we are still valued
beneath inferior CC properties.  I suspect the PENN spin, which is
cumulatively negative, has something to do with that.

The latest UCD fund Raising letter continues the theme.
I don't have it in front of me, but a paragraph about the slum we were
"just ten years ago" resonates in a rage inducing way.
Those of us who grew up at on blocks where Town meets Gown, get tired of
Gown's supercilious low points.

A counter reality is how many people truly love this neighborhood and
their homes.
Folks try hard to stay in their houses even after age or disability make
moving on a logical choice.
I do not see the churning of properties that is apparent down town.

Well enough rant,
Let other voices battle the merits of our wildly different opinions on
this matter,
TTFN

Liz



On Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:13:34 EDT [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

In a message dated 6/11/07 10:29:25 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

To be fair, I suppose one must admit that Penn and Judy made a difference
in the hood, but to give her all the credit seems a little unrealistic
and mythic, to say the least.


Yes, there is a history in UC of groups / organizations claiming credit
for things they didn't do.  The "best" thing Penn did under Judith Rodin
was to stop BADMOUTHING the neighborhood.  That allowed University City
to grow and prosper naturally.  It had always been a special place to
live; it was great, once Judith Rodin took over, to see more people
REALIZING this.  

Once those of us who were active back then, no longer had to convince
potential newcomers, one at a time, that they were unlikely to get killed
if they lived here; no longer had to persuade them that having a diverse
neighborhood was an asset, not a liability, then the activists finally
had time to move on to other projects.  Like park clean ups, graffiti
removal, community fairs, block clean ups, etc.  

Melani Lamond

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[MLamond]

In a message dated 6/11/07 2:19:57 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> This post may be your most twisted perspective on reality, yet.
> 

Not sure where we disagree here, Liz.   I agreed with Ross that people (in 
this case, Penn) claiming credit for things they hadn't done has always been a 
problem in UC, and then I said that the best thing Judith Rodin did was stop 
Penn from badmouthing the neighborhood in a way that had been making people 
afraid to live here.   What part of that do you disagree with?   Do you think 
she 
did something better?   

Melani



Melani Lamond, Associate Broker
Urban & Bye, Realtor
3529 Lancaster Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
cell phone 215-356-7266
office phone 215-222-4800, ext. 113
office fax 215-222-1101
2006 recipient of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors awards:
- Diamond award for over $8 million in sales, and
ALL SIX of the West Philadelphia awards:
- Top Lister
- Top Seller
- Top Overall Combined Volume
- Top Listing Units by Area
- Top Selling Units by Area
- Top Overall Combined Units by Area



**
 See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Elizabeth F Campion]

In a message dated 6/11/07 2:19:57 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

This post may be your most twisted perspective on reality, yet.



Not sure where we disagree here, Liz.  
Melani


Your statement,
"The "best" thing Penn did under Judith Rodin was to stop BADMOUTHING the
neighborhood. ...
 it was great, once Judith Rodin took over, to see more people REALIZING
this.",
runs totally counter to the my perception of the early years of Rodin's
rescue.

JR's 'successes' were based on the false recording of you, me and our
neighbors as a disproportionately dangerous collection of low-income,
criminal types.

Even when Penn was 'good' it were discouraging.
In the first year of the 'new' PENN housing initiatives, Penn made a big
deal out of defining 'low income' as a number just high enough (I think
it was $42 K or $60 K)  to make every one with less feel bad or
unqualified, and anyone with more prepared to run from the risk of being
labeled unsuccessful.

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Anthony West]

Which of course it was. Parents who used the playground during the 1990s 
often told of picking up crack vials from the playground in the mornings. 
One local artist even made sculptures out of recovered crack paraphernalia. 
On Town Watch patrols 1996-99, we did ample surveillance on the occupied 
vans that parked beside the park into the wee hours. There was coordinated 
activity between Town Watch, the 18th Police Dist. and UCD patrols for a 
long time to encourage them to move on.


I won't say there is no illegal drug activity in Clark Park now -- 0% rates 
of anything are an impossible goal -- but it's much, much better in 2007 
than it was 10 years ago. So Rodin, like it or not, was right.


-- Tony West

back in march 2004, just months before her departure in june 2004, 
president judith rodin delivered an address, 'the university and the 
city'. this was the address in which she famously said clark park was 
drug-infested. 




You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Ross Bender]

On 6/11/07, Anthony West <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


Which of course it was. Parents who used the playground during the 1990s
often told of picking up crack vials from the playground in the mornings.
One local artist even made sculptures out of recovered crack
paraphernalia.
On Town Watch patrols 1996-99, we did ample surveillance on the occupied
vans that parked beside the park into the wee hours. There was coordinated
activity between Town Watch, the 18th Police Dist. and UCD patrols for a
long time to encourage them to move on.



Judy's full florid quote re the park is below:


This, in turn, led to greening projects--such as the
planting of 450 trees and 10,000 spring bulbs and the
creation of four public and three children's gardens--which
set the stage for the dramatic transformation of Clark Park
from a dangerous drug-infested space into a thriving
recreational venue for children and the locale for a weekly
farmer's market.


Funny. Maybe my memory is giving out, but I'm almost positive that my son,
born in 1987, spent a good portion of his tender years in that dangerous
drug-infested space, and as I recall, really enjoyed it. Not the drugs, but
the old low-rent playground in the north park, which, while certainly not as
fancy as the new playgrounds they've got in the south park these days,
provided lots of fun for a wee toddler. There was a low wall which he
enjoyed learning to walk on, an old fashioned slide, a couple of crude
dinosaurs, and the turtle. I spent about a year with him as a stay-at-home
dad, and remember meeting lots of other (friendly) parents and their
toddlers in Clark Park. Don't remember running into any whores, but maybe I
was just too naive to recognize them.

I do recall the crack vials, with their multicolored lids, but basically I
remember finding them on the 4700 block of Cedar, which was almost as tony
then as it is now. Crack, if y'all can think back through that cocaine haze,
was not a peculiar affliction of nasty ghetto West Philly, but a national
urban curse. Of course at the same time, powder cocaine was extraordinarily
popular with the white upper classes (and future presidents), although they
never seemed to go to jail for it.

So Judy's claim to fame as the Good White Fairy or Goddess or whatever she
believes herself to have been, is quite overblown on the face of it. I'm not
saying she didn't do some good things in cooperation with Fast Eddie, but
puh-lease!! OK, she was the first lady Ivy League prexy, and of course she
was a Columbia Ph.D., which speaks volumes in her favor. But she was also
the first million dollar a year Ivy League president, and thus more of a
corporate CEO than an old-style academic. Her salary was umpteen bazillion
times that of the humblest Penn employee; if you think that's a good trend,
well, that's your opinion. IMHO it's part of the Banana Republicization of
the USA.

What really bugs me about her razzamatazz is the fact that while I've lived
here 22 years as of June 2, I didn't notice any sudden magical
transformation when she blew into town. As other long and longer-term
residents have been witnessing on this list, this has always been a pretty
fine place to live, and lots of people have made it that way. A
million-dollar flackette waving her wand and puffing herself apparently has
made a big impression on some gullible folks, but I just don't see it that
way.
--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Anthony West]

I can't speak to how "dangerous" Clark Park was during the '90s. The 
neighborhood as a whole saw more scary activity then than now, I'd say. I was 
never afraid in the park, although I knew others were afraid of it. But I was 
often cautious about crossing it at night, because the after-dark set seemed to 
be an elevated-risk set, even though my sole low-level hassle there in that era 
took place around 6:00 pm. And I seldom saw, for instance, women venturing 
across it after dusk, which suggests about half the citizenry wasn't really 
getting full use of their tax dollars.

That the park was drug-infested didn't trouble me that much either, and I could 
hardly afford whores in that decade. Still, crack-vial litter isn't everybody's 
cup of tea and people have a right to find it disturbing, even if some of us 
found it merely outré.

I don't think Judith Rodin fixed it, not all by her thumpin' self. I will be 
otherwise engaged on the night of her book-signing. But a large part of success 
in life consists of being seen standing there when the rain happens to stop. 
People will assume you made the rain stop and you should be able to cash in on 
a book deal. I don't begrudge her that. And for sure, she did far more right by 
our neighborhood than her odious predecessor, who really went out of his way to 
hurt us all.

-- Tony West
  - Original Message - 
  From: Ross Bender 

  Judy's full florid quote re the park is below:

  >>This, in turn, led to greening projects--such as the 
  >>planting of 450 trees and 10,000 spring bulbs and the
  >>creation of four public and three children's gardens--which
  >>set the stage for the dramatic transformation of Clark Park
  >>from a dangerous drug-infested space into a thriving 
  >>recreational venue for children and the locale for a weekly
  >>farmer's market. 

  Funny. Maybe my memory is giving out, but I'm almost positive that my son, 
born in 1987, spent a good portion of his tender years in that dangerous 
drug-infested space, and as I recall, really enjoyed it. Not the drugs, but the 
old low-rent playground in the north park, which, while certainly not as fancy 
as the new playgrounds they've got in the south park these days, provided lots 
of fun for a wee toddler. There was a low wall which he enjoyed learning to 
walk on, an old fashioned slide, a couple of crude dinosaurs, and the turtle. I 
spent about a year with him as a stay-at-home dad, and remember meeting lots of 
other (friendly) parents and their toddlers in Clark Park. Don't remember 
running into any whores, but maybe I was just too naive to recognize them. 

  I do recall the crack vials, with their multicolored lids, but basically I 
remember finding them on the 4700 block of Cedar, which was almost as tony then 
as it is now. Crack, if y'all can think back through that cocaine haze, was not 
a peculiar affliction of nasty ghetto West Philly, but a national urban curse. 
Of course at the same time, powder cocaine was extraordinarily popular with the 
white upper classes (and future presidents), although they never seemed to go 
to jail for it. 

  So Judy's claim to fame as the Good White Fairy or Goddess or whatever she 
believes herself to have been, is quite overblown on the face of it. I'm not 
saying she didn't do some good things in cooperation with Fast Eddie, but 
puh-lease!! OK, she was the first lady Ivy League prexy, and of course she was 
a Columbia Ph.D., which speaks volumes in her favor. But she was also the first 
million dollar a year Ivy League president, and thus more of a corporate CEO 
than an old-style academic. Her salary was umpteen bazillion times that of the 
humblest Penn employee; if you think that's a good trend, well, that's your 
opinion. IMHO it's part of the Banana Republicization of the USA. 

  What really bugs me about her razzamatazz is the fact that while I've lived 
here 22 years as of June 2, I didn't notice any sudden magical transformation 
when she blew into town. As other long and longer-term residents have been 
witnessing on this list, this has always been a pretty fine place to live, and 
lots of people have made it that way. A million-dollar flackette waving her 
wand and puffing herself apparently has made a big impression on some gullible 
folks, but I just don't see it that way. 

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Glenn]

  We just need Penn to stop being a 
loud mouthed mean spirited neighbor, end its UCD marketing invasion, and treat 
Philadelphia as a city in which citizens live.

Glenn
  - Original Message - 
  From: Ross Bender 
  To: Anthony West 
  Cc: University City List 
  Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 10:16 PM
  Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets





  On 6/11/07, Anthony West <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Which of course it was. Parents who used the playground during the 1990s
often told of picking up crack vials from the playground in the mornings.
One local artist even made sculptures out of recovered crack paraphernalia. 
On Town Watch patrols 1996-99, we did ample surveillance on the occupied
vans that parked beside the park into the wee hours. There was coordinated
activity between Town Watch, the 18th Police Dist. and UCD patrols for a 
long time to encourage them to move on.

  Judy's full florid quote re the park is below:

  >>This, in turn, led to greening projects--such as the 
  >>planting of 450 trees and 10,000 spring bulbs and the
  >>creation of four public and three children's gardens--which
  >>set the stage for the dramatic transformation of Clark Park
  >>from a dangerous drug-infested space into a thriving 
  >>recreational venue for children and the locale for a weekly
  >>farmer's market. 



  Funny. Maybe my memory is giving out, but I'm almost positive that my son, 
born in 1987, spent a good portion of his tender years in that dangerous 
drug-infested space, and as I recall, really enjoyed it. Not the drugs, but the 
old low-rent playground in the north park, which, while certainly not as fancy 
as the new playgrounds they've got in the south park these days, provided lots 
of fun for a wee toddler. There was a low wall which he enjoyed learning to 
walk on, an old fashioned slide, a couple of crude dinosaurs, and the turtle. I 
spent about a year with him as a stay-at-home dad, and remember meeting lots of 
other (friendly) parents and their toddlers in Clark Park. Don't remember 
running into any whores, but maybe I was just too naive to recognize them. 

  I do recall the crack vials, with their multicolored lids, but basically I 
remember finding them on the 4700 block of Cedar, which was almost as tony then 
as it is now. Crack, if y'all can think back through that cocaine haze, was not 
a peculiar affliction of nasty ghetto West Philly, but a national urban curse. 
Of course at the same time, powder cocaine was extraordinarily popular with the 
white upper classes (and future presidents), although they never seemed to go 
to jail for it. 

  So Judy's claim to fame as the Good White Fairy or Goddess or whatever she 
believes herself to have been, is quite overblown on the face of it. I'm not 
saying she didn't do some good things in cooperation with Fast Eddie, but 
puh-lease!! OK, she was the first lady Ivy League prexy, and of course she was 
a Columbia Ph.D., which speaks volumes in her favor. But she was also the first 
million dollar a year Ivy League president, and thus more of a corporate CEO 
than an old-style academic. Her salary was umpteen bazillion times that of the 
humblest Penn employee; if you think that's a good trend, well, that's your 
opinion. IMHO it's part of the Banana Republicization of the USA. 

  What really bugs me about her razzamatazz is the fact that while I've lived 
here 22 years as of June 2, I didn't notice any sudden magical transformation 
when she blew into town. As other long and longer-term residents have been 
witnessing on this list, this has always been a pretty fine place to live, and 
lots of people have made it that way. A million-dollar flackette waving her 
wand and puffing herself apparently has made a big impression on some gullible 
folks, but I just don't see it that way. 
  -- 
  Ross Bender
  http://rossbender.org 


--


  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
  Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.13/843 - Release Date: 6/10/2007 
1:39 PM

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Ross Bender]

On 6/12/07, Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:




Ask Tony and Melani if I captured the basic idea.  Those are the types of
community leaders Penn looks to use because of their personality issues and
limited intelligence.  Penn would not deal with the real leaders among the
people but sought to replace these folks with the cranks.



Glenn, I was following you most of the way until you had to toss in the
gratuitous insults of Tony and Melani. Dude, there's really no need for it.
We all have our unique personality issues, including me, and "intelligence"
is a relative thing.

--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org

RE: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Kyle Cassidy]

Ross, I think the obvious way to settle this is a Cut-Throat Quizzo
Tournament at Abbraccio. Glenn, vs, Melani, vs, Tony West in a battle of
the minds. After that, there will be a "crank" contest that will allow
the spectators vote on who has the "most crank like" answers to a series
of questions from "Who killed JFK?" to "List the five most salient
down-sides of the building of the Panama Canal" -- at the end the person
with the highest quizzo score and lowest crank score will be voted off
the island. The winner (with the highest intelligence and least
crank-like) will be appointed "real community leader". 

A part of the profits from spectator food and drink sales could be
donated to a local charity; once we all agree on a worthy one.

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Bender
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:52 AM
To: Glenn
Cc: University City List
Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets



On 6/12/07, Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:



 
Ask Tony and Melani if I captured the basic idea.  Those are the
types of community leaders Penn looks to use because of their
personality issues and limited intelligence.  Penn would not deal with
the real leaders among the people but sought to replace these folks with
the cranks.
 

Glenn, I was following you most of the way until you had to toss in the
gratuitous insults of Tony and Melani. Dude, there's really no need for
it. We all have our unique personality issues, including me, and
"intelligence" is a relative thing. 

--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org 


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list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see
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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[KAREN ALLEN]

Penn/UCD badmouths this neighborhood to this day.  Penn still markets itself 
by exaggerating how  they singlehandedly waived their magic wand and turned 
this "post industrial wasteland" of ten years ago into the heaven-on-earth 
we see now. And now, as Ross pointed out, they've even wrote a book about 
it.  UCD still implies that without them, all that we now see is a mere 
mirage that will disappear as if someone pulled the plug on the TV.


As if the neighborhood was a mere abandoned shell, or worse, were full of 
residents who were too lazy, or stupid, or both, to do anything about the 
"horrible" conditions without the all-knowing Penn there to ride in and 
rescue everyone. And as if the same economic changes were not happening in 
places that did not have Penn's beneficence bestowed upon them.



From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], UnivCity@list.purple.com
Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:34:00 EDT


In a message dated 6/11/07 2:19:57 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> This post may be your most twisted perspective on reality, yet.
>

Not sure where we disagree here, Liz.   I agreed with Ross that people (in
this case, Penn) claiming credit for things they hadn't done has always 
been a
problem in UC, and then I said that the best thing Judith Rodin did was 
stop

Penn from badmouthing the neighborhood in a way that had been making people
afraid to live here.   What part of that do you disagree with?   Do you 
think she

did something better?

Melani



Melani Lamond, Associate Broker
Urban & Bye, Realtor
3529 Lancaster Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
cell phone 215-356-7266
office phone 215-222-4800, ext. 113
office fax 215-222-1101
2006 recipient of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors awards:
- Diamond award for over $8 million in sales, and
ALL SIX of the West Philadelphia awards:
- Top Lister
- Top Seller
- Top Overall Combined Volume
- Top Listing Units by Area
- Top Selling Units by Area
- Top Overall Combined Units by Area



**
 See what's free at http://www.aol.com.




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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Ross Bender]

On 6/12/07, Kyle Cassidy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


Ross, I think the obvious way to settle this is a Cut-Throat Quizzo
Tournament at Abbraccio. Glenn, vs, Melani, vs, Tony West in a battle of
the minds. After that, there will be a "crank" contest that will allow
the spectators vote on who has the "most crank like" answers to a series
of questions from "Who killed JFK?" to "List the five most salient
down-sides of the building of the Panama Canal" -- at the end the person
with the highest quizzo score and lowest crank score will be voted off
the island. The winner (with the highest intelligence and least
crank-like) will be appointed "real community leader".

A part of the profits from spectator food and drink sales could be
donated to a local charity; once we all agree on a worthy one.



Well.OK. As long as the local charity is not one which is receiving
secret funding from Amy Gutmann's dark budget.

--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Glenn]

Let's up the stakes a wee bit and I'm in.  I'd also like a bottomless top 
shelf scotch glass.  Your treat.


All three participants take a pledge that if they lose they will never 
request leadership in a civic association for the remainder of their lives.


Let's give the proceeds to the whores, drug dealers and gang members at the 
drug infested Clark Park at the center of the West Philadelphia wasteland.


Wank, wank, wank...

Your pal,
Glenn

- Original Message - 
From: "Kyle Cassidy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

To: "University City List" 
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:18 AM
Subject: RE: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets



Ross, I think the obvious way to settle this is a Cut-Throat Quizzo
Tournament at Abbraccio. Glenn, vs, Melani, vs, Tony West in a battle of
the minds. After that, there will be a "crank" contest that will allow
the spectators vote on who has the "most crank like" answers to a series
of questions from "Who killed JFK?" to "List the five most salient
down-sides of the building of the Panama Canal" -- at the end the person
with the highest quizzo score and lowest crank score will be voted off
the island. The winner (with the highest intelligence and least
crank-like) will be appointed "real community leader".

A part of the profits from spectator food and drink sales could be
donated to a local charity; once we all agree on a worthy one.

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Bender
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:52 AM
To: Glenn
Cc: University City List
Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets



On 6/12/07, Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:




Ask Tony and Melani if I captured the basic idea.  Those are the
types of community leaders Penn looks to use because of their
personality issues and limited intelligence.  Penn would not deal with
the real leaders among the people but sought to replace these folks with
the cranks.


Glenn, I was following you most of the way until you had to toss in the
gratuitous insults of Tony and Melani. Dude, there's really no need for
it. We all have our unique personality issues, including me, and
"intelligence" is a relative thing.

--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org


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list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see
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--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.14/845 - Release Date: 6/12/2007 
6:39 AM






You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Ross Bender]

On 6/12/07, KAREN ALLEN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


Penn/UCD badmouths this neighborhood to this day.  Penn still markets
itself
by exaggerating how  they singlehandedly waived their magic wand and
turned
this "post industrial wasteland" of ten years ago into the heaven-on-earth
we see now. And now, as Ross pointed out, they've even wrote a book about
it.  UCD still implies that without them, all that we now see is a mere
mirage that will disappear as if someone pulled the plug on the TV.




Ahem. This gives me a chance to point out that in fact *I* wrote the book
about it several years before Judy. Or at least the movie treatment. It can
be found, free, at:

http://rossbender.org/gentrification.html

My lawyers are just waiting to get a look at Judy's book to see how much she
plagiarized, and what we can get in damages.



--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org

RE: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Kyle Cassidy]

DEAL! 

I will buy Glenn all the top shelf scotch he can drink during both the
Quizzo and Crank portions of the tournament.

Proceeds can be flung into the bowl, little kids will pick them up, but
the gang members will take it away.

 

-Original Message-
From: Glenn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:40 AM
To: Kyle Cassidy; University City List
Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

Let's up the stakes a wee bit and I'm in.  I'd also like a bottomless
top shelf scotch glass.  Your treat.

All three participants take a pledge that if they lose they will never
request leadership in a civic association for the remainder of their
lives.

Let's give the proceeds to the whores, drug dealers and gang members at
the drug infested Clark Park at the center of the West Philadelphia
wasteland.

Wank, wank, wank...

Your pal,
Glenn

- Original Message -
From: "Kyle Cassidy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "University City List" 
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:18 AM
Subject: RE: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets


> Ross, I think the obvious way to settle this is a Cut-Throat Quizzo
> Tournament at Abbraccio. Glenn, vs, Melani, vs, Tony West in a battle
of
> the minds. After that, there will be a "crank" contest that will allow
> the spectators vote on who has the "most crank like" answers to a
series
> of questions from "Who killed JFK?" to "List the five most salient
> down-sides of the building of the Panama Canal" -- at the end the
person
> with the highest quizzo score and lowest crank score will be voted off
> the island. The winner (with the highest intelligence and least
> crank-like) will be appointed "real community leader".
>
> A part of the profits from spectator food and drink sales could be
> donated to a local charity; once we all agree on a worthy one.
>
> -Original Message-
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Bender
> Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:52 AM
> To: Glenn
> Cc: University City List
> Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets
>
>
>
> On 6/12/07, Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Ask Tony and Melani if I captured the basic idea.  Those are the
> types of community leaders Penn looks to use because of their
> personality issues and limited intelligence.  Penn would not deal with
> the real leaders among the people but sought to replace these folks
with
> the cranks.
>
>
> Glenn, I was following you most of the way until you had to toss in
the
> gratuitous insults of Tony and Melani. Dude, there's really no need
for
> it. We all have our unique personality issues, including me, and
> "intelligence" is a relative thing.
>
> --
> Ross Bender
> http://rossbender.org
>
> 
> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see
> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.14/845 - Release Date:
6/12/2007 
> 6:39 AM
>
> 



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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Glenn]

Does Harmon have any decent scotch?  I hear that it's a hell hole up there 
around 47th St.  Could we do this at the Inn at Penn so I don't get shot?


Reyom Nnelg


- Original Message - 
From: "Kyle Cassidy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Glenn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "University City List" 


Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:48 AM
Subject: RE: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets



DEAL!

I will buy Glenn all the top shelf scotch he can drink during both the
Quizzo and Crank portions of the tournament.

Proceeds can be flung into the bowl, little kids will pick them up, but
the gang members will take it away.



-Original Message-
From: Glenn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:40 AM
To: Kyle Cassidy; University City List
Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

Let's up the stakes a wee bit and I'm in.  I'd also like a bottomless
top shelf scotch glass.  Your treat.

All three participants take a pledge that if they lose they will never
request leadership in a civic association for the remainder of their
lives.

Let's give the proceeds to the whores, drug dealers and gang members at
the drug infested Clark Park at the center of the West Philadelphia
wasteland.

Wank, wank, wank...

Your pal,
Glenn

- Original Message -
From: "Kyle Cassidy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "University City List" 
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:18 AM
Subject: RE: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets



Ross, I think the obvious way to settle this is a Cut-Throat Quizzo
Tournament at Abbraccio. Glenn, vs, Melani, vs, Tony West in a battle

of

the minds. After that, there will be a "crank" contest that will allow
the spectators vote on who has the "most crank like" answers to a

series

of questions from "Who killed JFK?" to "List the five most salient
down-sides of the building of the Panama Canal" -- at the end the

person

with the highest quizzo score and lowest crank score will be voted off
the island. The winner (with the highest intelligence and least
crank-like) will be appointed "real community leader".

A part of the profits from spectator food and drink sales could be
donated to a local charity; once we all agree on a worthy one.

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Bender
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:52 AM
To: Glenn
Cc: University City List
Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets



On 6/12/07, Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:




Ask Tony and Melani if I captured the basic idea.  Those are the
types of community leaders Penn looks to use because of their
personality issues and limited intelligence.  Penn would not deal with
the real leaders among the people but sought to replace these folks

with

the cranks.


Glenn, I was following you most of the way until you had to toss in

the

gratuitous insults of Tony and Melani. Dude, there's really no need

for

it. We all have our unique personality issues, including me, and
"intelligence" is a relative thing.

--
Ross Bender
http://rossbender.org


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Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.14/845 - Release Date:

6/12/2007

6:39 AM






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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Hilary Bonta]

That's funny, Ross, because a friend of mine was just telling me the 
complete opposite.


She's raising her kid here as well.  She babysat for me about a month ago 
and after taking my son to the tot lot was just amazed by the difference 
between now and 10 years ago.  She spoke at length about the great community 
of other families and caregivers here now.  When her son was little, she 
felt isolated and lonely as a stay-at-home Mom.  She hated taking her son to 
the turtle lot, where he eventually fell on the stone wall and had to get 
stitches, because she was alone for long stretches and there weren't many 
kids around for him to play with.


She said she might have had more kids if she were raising them in the 
current community.


Hilary Bonta



Funny. Maybe my memory is giving out, but I'm almost positive that my son,
born in 1987, spent a good portion of his tender years in that dangerous
drug-infested space, and as I recall, really enjoyed it. Not the drugs, but
the old low-rent playground in the north park, which, while certainly not 
as

fancy as the new playgrounds they've got in the south park these days,
provided lots of fun for a wee toddler. There was a low wall which he
enjoyed learning to walk on, an old fashioned slide, a couple of crude
dinosaurs, and the turtle. I spent about a year with him as a stay-at-home
dad, and remember meeting lots of other (friendly) parents and their
toddlers in Clark Park. Don't remember running into any whores, but maybe I
was just too naive to recognize them.





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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Elizabeth F Campion]

My daughter, born in 1986 and my son, born in 1991 spent much of their
free time in the park, in the "bad old days".
They seem well begun.
Katie is a rising Senior at PENN.
Michael is a rising junior at West Catholic.
Much is in perception.
In 1986 there seemed to be fewer 'white' toddlers.
But the toddlers we met weren't crack heads, and the parents who cared
enough to take their kids to the park didn't seem particularly
maladjusted.
If I think back 10 years, the Youth Soccer Program were already in full
Saturday swing, and many of my friends had toddlers using the park.

I've always considered it a socializing gift of the 'hood that my kids
had to learn early to respect and embrace class, income and social
differences.  I don't want us to become a more homogenized extension of
the PENN brand.  I believe you (HB) feel the same way.

Maybe your friend was new to mothering or new to the neighborhood, and
the way she is and the way we are is just more comfortable for her now. 
I can't speak for her perceptions.  

It may be that clean ups improve perception by eliminating cumulative
deposits of evidence.
For me, the biggest changes to Clark Park have been in the maintenance.
I am delighted that trash is removed more frequently.
I am grateful to all who've helped with these improvements, from the
youngest volunteers through to the major institutions and including UCD.

Best!
Liz


On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:14:27 -0400 "Hilary Bonta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
writes:
> That's funny, Ross, because a friend of mine was just telling me the 
> 
> complete opposite.
> 
> She's raising her kid here as well.  She babysat for me about a 
> month ago 
> and after taking my son to the tot lot was just amazed by the 
> difference 
> between now and 10 years ago.  She spoke at length about the great 
> community 
> of other families and caregivers here now.  When her son was little, 
> she 
> felt isolated and lonely as a stay-at-home Mom.  She hated taking 
> her son to 
> the turtle lot, where he eventually fell on the stone wall and had 
> to get 
> stitches, because she was alone for long stretches and there weren't 
> many 
> kids around for him to play with.
> 
> She said she might have had more kids if she were raising them in 
> the 
> current community.
> 
> Hilary Bonta
> 
> 
> >Funny. Maybe my memory is giving out, but I'm almost positive that 
> my son,
> >born in 1987, spent a good portion of his tender years in that 
> dangerous
> >drug-infested space, and as I recall, really enjoyed it. Not the 
> drugs, but
> >the old low-rent playground in the north park, which, while 
> certainly not 
> >as
> >fancy as the new playgrounds they've got in the south park these 
> days,
> >provided lots of fun for a wee toddler. There was a low wall which 
> he
> >enjoyed learning to walk on, an old fashioned slide, a couple of 
> crude
> >dinosaurs, and the turtle. I spent about a year with him as a 
> stay-at-home
> >dad, and remember meeting lots of other (friendly) parents and 
> their
> >toddlers in Clark Park. Don't remember running into any whores, but 
> maybe I
> >was just too naive to recognize them.

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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN]

Ross Bender wrote:
What really bugs me about her razzamatazz is the fact that while I've 
lived here 22 years as of June 2, I didn't notice any sudden magical 
transformation when she blew into town. As other long and longer-term 
residents have been witnessing on this list, this has always been a 
pretty fine place to live, and lots of people have made it that way. A 
million-dollar flackette waving her wand and puffing herself apparently 
has made a big impression on some gullible folks, but I just don't see 
it that way.



KAREN ALLEN wrote:
Penn/UCD badmouths this neighborhood to this day.  Penn still markets 
itself by exaggerating how  they singlehandedly waived their magic wand 
and turned this "post industrial wasteland" of ten years ago into the 
heaven-on-earth we see now. And now, as Ross pointed out, they've even 
wrote a book about it.  UCD still implies that without them, all that we 
now see is a mere mirage that will disappear as if someone pulled the 
plug on the TV.


As if the neighborhood was a mere abandoned shell, or worse, were full 
of residents who were too lazy, or stupid, or both, to do anything about 
the "horrible" conditions without the all-knowing Penn there to ride in 
and rescue everyone. And as if the same economic changes were not 
happening in places that did not have Penn's beneficence bestowed upon 
them.





amen and amen.

the whole premise of 'out of the ivory tower and into the 
streets' is that there's a 'crisis' on the streets. but it 
seems that those in the ivory tower who get to name and 
solve this 'crisis' don't really get out of the ivory tower:


http://www.upenn.edu/penniur/about_mission.shtml


btw the other week at clark park I spotted a used condom, 
right under a farmers market table. what those farmers must 
think of us!




..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
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[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
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   these people are. Ray has admitted being
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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Anthony West]

There's no question there are more tots on the ground today than there were 
10 years ago, when my son was 4. I was no parental expert when the venerable 
Ross was rearing up his Mennonling along the old stone wall in the North 
Park. But it seemed to my eye children were few and far between in my part 
of the 'hood in 87 and in '77. And census data I studied for 1990 and 2000 
suggested University City was below the national average in the proportion 
of children to its population.


We don't have detailed census estimates for 2007. But I can report one 
thing: Last year, Friends of Clark Park introduced a new Extra-Small t-shirt 
size (2-4). There had never been a demand for this size in the previous 30 
years. They were an experiment. They're flying, though! The Membership 
Committee can't keep them in stock.


-- Tony West


- Original Message - 
From: "Hilary Bonta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
That's funny, Ross, because a friend of mine was just telling me the 
complete opposite.


She's raising her kid here as well.  She babysat for me about a month ago 
and after taking my son to the tot lot was just amazed by the difference 
between now and 10 years ago.  She spoke at length about the great 
community of other families and caregivers here now.  When her son was 
little, she felt isolated and lonely as a stay-at-home Mom.  She hated 
taking her son to the turtle lot, where he eventually fell on the stone 
wall and had to get stitches, because she was alone for long stretches and 
there weren't many kids around for him to play with.


She said she might have had more kids if she were raising them in the 
current community.




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Fwd: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[pmuyehara]

 I have a better suggestion:? losers can run for any office they choose, but 
they can't post to the list for 7 years.


 


 

-Original Message-
From: Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Kyle Cassidy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; University City List 

Sent: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:39 am
Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets









Let's up the stakes a wee bit and I'm in.  I'd also like a bottomless top 
shelf scotch glass.  Your treat.?
?

All three participants take a pledge that if they lose they will never 
request leadership in a civic association for the remainder of their lives.?
?

Let's give the proceeds to the whores, drug dealers and gang members at the 
drug infested Clark Park at the center of the West Philadelphia wasteland.?
?

Wank, wank, wank...?
?

Your pal,?

Glenn?
?

- Original Message - 
From: "Kyle Cassidy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>?

To: "University City List" ?

Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 11:18 AM?

Subject: RE: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets?
?


> Ross, I think the obvious way to settle this is a Cut-Throat Quizzo?

> Tournament at Abbraccio. Glenn, vs, Melani, vs, Tony West in a battle of?

> the minds. After that, there will be a "crank" contest that will allow?

> the spectators vote on who has the "most crank like" answers to a series?

> of questions from "Who killed JFK?" to "List the five most salient?

> down-sides of the building of the Panama Canal" -- at the end the person?

> with the highest quizzo score and lowest crank score will be voted off?

> the island. The winner (with the highest intelligence and least?

> crank-like) will be appointed "real community leader".?

>?

> A part of the profits from spectator food and drink sales could be?

> donated to a local charity; once we all agree on a worthy one.?

>?

> -Original Message-?

> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross Bender?

> Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:52 AM?

> To: Glenn?

> Cc: University City List?

> Subject: Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets?

>?

>?

>?

> On 6/12/07, Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:?

>?

>?

>?

>?

> Ask Tony and Melani if I captured the basic idea.  Those are the?

> types of community leaders Penn looks to use because of their?

> personality issues and limited intelligence.  Penn would not deal with?

> the real leaders among the people but sought to replace these folks with?

> the cranks.?

>?

>?

> Glenn, I was following you most of the way until you had to toss in the?

> gratuitous insults of Tony and Melani. Dude, there's really no need for?

> it. We all have our unique personality issues, including me, and?

> "intelligence" is a relative thing.?

>?

> --?

> Ross Bender?

> http://rossbender.org?

>?

> ?

> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the?

> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see?

> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.?

>?

>?

> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.?

> Checked by AVG Free Edition.?

> Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.14/845 - Release Date: 6/12/2007 
> 6:39 AM?

>?

> ?

?

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<http://www.purple.com/list.html>.?



 



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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN]

Elizabeth F Campion wrote:

My daughter, born in 1986 and my son, born in 1991 spent much of their
free time in the park, in the "bad old days".



Hilary Bonta wrote:
That's funny, Ross, because a friend of mine was just telling me the 
complete opposite. She's raising her kid here as well.



Ross Bender wrote:

Funny. Maybe my memory is giving out, but I'm almost positive that my son,
born in 1987, spent a good portion of his tender years in that dangerous
drug-infested space, and as I recall, really enjoyed it.





well, here's another data point to consider...

back in september 2006 g.w. miller iii wrote an article for 
the daily news called 'west of eden'. it was all about our 
neighborhood, and he gives us a vivid idea of the kids we 
had in the hood, back in the 90s:




"Never did we have private development interest like we have
now," says the UCD's Brennan.

Barry Grossbach, a 36-year resident and three-time president
of the Spruce Hill Community Association, says the community
is indebted to Vladimir Sled for the changes that have
happened here since he was slain.

A Russian native known to his friends as Volodya and his
Swedish fiancee Cecilia Hägerhäll were walking home together
from their Penn research lab around 11 on Halloween night
As biochemists, they regularly worked long hours and often
checked on their experiments in the middle of the night.
Afterward they'd walk back to their home at 4405 Osage Ave.
Warned it could be dangerous, they chose to live there
anyway because it was close to work. It appealed to their
European sensibilities.

They were just around the corner from their home, standing
where thousands of costumed, candy-loving children had
scampered about only hours before, when a man jumped out of
nowhere and tried to steal Hägerhäll's purse.



http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/12923




..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
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[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
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   these people are. Ray has admitted being
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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN]

Ross Bender wrote:
I was just reading an article in the New York Review of Books titled 
"The Women and the Gods", a review of "Portrait of a Priestess: Women 
and Ritual in Ancient Greece" when an ad for books on "Urban Studies 
from Penn Press" caught my eye. First item on the list was a book by our 
own Judy Rodin titled "The University and Urban Revival: Out of the 
Ivory Tower and Into the Streets." I hurried to Amazon.com 
 and found this "synopsis":


"In the last quarter of the twentieth century, urban colleges and 
universities found themselves enveloped by the poverty, crime, and 
physical decline that afflicted American cities. Some institutions 
turned inward, trying to insulate themselves rather than address the 
problems in their own backyards. Others attempted to develop better 
community relations, though changes were hard to sustain. Spurred by an 
unprecedented crime wave in 1996, University of Pennsylvania President 
Judith Rodin knew that the time for urgent action had arrived, and she 
set a new course of proactive community engagement for her university. 
Her dedication to the revitalization of West Philadelphia was guided by 
her role not only as president but also as a woman and a mother with a 
deep affection for her hometown. The goal was to build capacity back 
into a severely distressed inner-city neighborhood - educational 
capacity, retail capacity, quality-of-life capacity, and especially 
economic capacity - guided by the belief that "town and gown" could 
unite as one richly diverse community. Cities rely on their academic 
institutions as stable places of employment, cultural centers, civic 
partners, and concentrated populations of consumers for local business 
and services. And a competitive university demands a vibrant 
neighborhood to meet the needs of its faculty, staff, and students. In 
keeping with their mission, urban universities are uniquely positioned 
to lead their communities in revitalization efforts, yet this effort 
requires resolute persistence. During Rodin's administration 
(1994-2004), the Chronicle of Higher Education referred to Penn's 
progress as a "national model of constructive town-gown interaction and 
partnership." This book narrates the challenges, frustrations, and 
successes of Penn's campaign, and its prospects for long-term change."


Apart from the fact that Judy blatantly ripped off the slogan "Out of 
the closet and into the streets", I was shocked and appalled that the 
myth of Judy as the savior of West Philly has now been packaged in a 224 
page, cloth-bound book, only $34.95.


Anybody want to go in with me to buy the book so we can have a public 
burning at the Turtle in Clark Park? If ten of us chip in, that'll only 
be about 3 and a half bucks apiece. If twenty of us chip in, even less.


So now Judy is enshrined as a goddess, who rode the winged horse "Market 
Forces" into our nasty ghetto hood and and "built capacity back into a 
severely distressed inner-city neighborhood". Makes me wanna hurl chunks.




some articles have just appeared that relate to all this:


http://gothamist.com/2007/08/01/columbia_may_ta.php

> Columbia May Take Some Expansion Cues From Penn



http://www.observer.com/2007/can-t-we-all-just-get-along?page=0%2C1

> Can't We All Just Get Along?
>
> Judith Rodin transformed the relationship between the
> University of Pennsylvania and its Philadelphia
> neighborhood. What can she teach Lee Bollinger about
> Columbia and Harlem?



..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
[aka laserbeam®]
[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
  "It is very clear on this listserve who
   these people are. Ray has admitted being
   connected to this forger."  -- Tony West

























































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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Frank]

and this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/nyregion/thecity/22manh.html? 
ex=1342756800&en=8b256b2e1d8e1c13&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss


Frank

On Aug 2, 2007, at 05:17 PM, UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN wrote:


Ross Bender wrote:
I was just reading an article in the New York Review of Books  
titled "The Women and the Gods", a review of "Portrait of a  
Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece" when an ad for  
books on "Urban Studies from Penn Press" caught my eye. First item  
on the list was a book by our own Judy Rodin titled "The  
University and Urban Revival: Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the  
Streets." I hurried to Amazon.com  and found  
this "synopsis":
"In the last quarter of the twentieth century, urban colleges and  
universities found themselves enveloped by the poverty, crime, and  
physical decline that afflicted American cities. Some institutions  
turned inward, trying to insulate themselves rather than address  
the problems in their own backyards. Others attempted to develop  
better community relations, though changes were hard to sustain.  
Spurred by an unprecedented crime wave in 1996, University of  
Pennsylvania President Judith Rodin knew that the time for urgent  
action had arrived, and she set a new course of proactive  
community engagement for her university. Her dedication to the  
revitalization of West Philadelphia was guided by her role not  
only as president but also as a woman and a mother with a deep  
affection for her hometown. The goal was to build capacity back  
into a severely distressed inner-city neighborhood - educational  
capacity, retail capacity, quality-of-life capacity, and  
especially economic capacity - guided by the belief that "town and  
gown" could unite as one richly diverse community. Cities rely on  
their academic institutions as stable places of employment,  
cultural centers, civic partners, and concentrated populations of  
consumers for local business and services. And a competitive  
university demands a vibrant neighborhood to meet the needs of its  
faculty, staff, and students. In keeping with their mission, urban  
universities are uniquely positioned to lead their communities in  
revitalization efforts, yet this effort requires resolute  
persistence. During Rodin's administration (1994-2004), the  
Chronicle of Higher Education referred to Penn's progress as a  
"national model of constructive town-gown interaction and  
partnership." This book narrates the challenges, frustrations, and  
successes of Penn's campaign, and its prospects for long-term  
change."
Apart from the fact that Judy blatantly ripped off the slogan "Out  
of the closet and into the streets", I was shocked and appalled  
that the myth of Judy as the savior of West Philly has now been  
packaged in a 224 page, cloth-bound book, only $34.95.
Anybody want to go in with me to buy the book so we can have a  
public burning at the Turtle in Clark Park? If ten of us chip in,  
that'll only be about 3 and a half bucks apiece. If twenty of us  
chip in, even less.
So now Judy is enshrined as a goddess, who rode the winged horse  
"Market Forces" into our nasty ghetto hood and and "built capacity  
back into a severely distressed inner-city neighborhood". Makes me  
wanna hurl chunks.




some articles have just appeared that relate to all this:


http://gothamist.com/2007/08/01/columbia_may_ta.php

> Columbia May Take Some Expansion Cues From Penn



http://www.observer.com/2007/can-t-we-all-just-get-along?page=0%2C1

> Can't We All Just Get Along?
>
> Judith Rodin transformed the relationship between the
> University of Pennsylvania and its Philadelphia
> neighborhood. What can she teach Lee Bollinger about
> Columbia and Harlem?



..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
[aka laserbeam®]
[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
  "It is very clear on this listserve who
   these people are. Ray has admitted being
   connected to this forger."  -- Tony West

























































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Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[Anthony West]

   /The Mennonites: Photographs by Larry Towell/ just opened at 
Arthur Ross Gallery on Penn campus, at 220 S. 34^th St. This 
black-and-white collection represents 10 years of work with a specific 
community that spans two nations. It combines an artistic effort with 
skill at ethnography and a concern for communities being buffeted by 
contemporary global economic pressures. It is at once lush and spare, 
honest and moving.
   The Towell exhibit was organized in part by Magnum, a 
business agency for fine-arts photographers. It is on tour now; its last 
stop was Paris.
   One of half a dozen different galleries on Penn campus, 
Arthur Ross is in the Fine Arts Library building. Although small, it is 
the only exhibition space with license to range across every artform at 
will.
   It is entirely owned by the University of Pennsylvania but 
independent of any department, explained Associate Director Dejáy B. 
Duckett. Its bedrock funding consists of a dedicated endowment by a 
single large donor around 30 years ago. This pays for organizational 
functions, carried out by a salaried staff of three together with 
contract work like UC-list's own Ray Rorke, who prepares vinyl exhibit 
signage for AG on demand, for pay. "He's very talented," said Sara 
Stewart, gallery coordinator.
   However, the cost of ARG's exhibits (which number in 2007) 
is entirely borne by large and mid-sized private grantors. This money 
comes from in part from a stable of sources; most are other branches of 
Penn but many are independent donors. During any one year, a half-dozen 
different ones may be tapped.
   ARG draws heavily from a support group, Friends of Arthur 
Ross Gallery. Long headed by the famed Broadway actress Kitty Carlisle 
Hart, who recently died, FoARG covers an essential component of ARG's 
ongoing program of exhibits. It has no internet page, no public meetings 
and can only be contacted through personal reference.
   Exact fiscal numbers are not available. Because ARG is a 
branch of Penn, all of its budget details are confidential, as are 
minutes of all its organizational meetings. Its 2007 activity ranges 
between $100,000 and $1 million, Duckett suggested.
   ARG is committed to carrying out the agenda of all its 
grantors, Duckett affirmed. If a grantor comes with an exhibit in mind 
that fits ARG criteria and needs, ARG will gladly consider it. ARG has 
never rejected a grant for political or other reasons, Duckett said.
   Some of the time, though, grantwork flows the other way. 
Exhibits seek out the Gallery, which then seeks out familiar sources to 
cover the expenses.
   The ultimate grantor for ARG is the University of 
Pennsylvania, which directly salaries all its employees. It is Penn's 
agenda that rules. Every exhibit must be hooked into an educational and 
artistic mission that involves and enhances some other branch of Penn.
   There is no corresponding commitment for ARG to represent 
the University City or West Philadelphia community. The Gallery holds no 
public meetings and provides no internet services to facilitate 
community feedback or input into its shows, at this time. It is about to 
launch a listserve, however.
That does not mean the Gallery is closed to community contacts. "The 
best way for anyone to explore anything like that," said Duckett, "is to 
contact me and arrange a personal meeting with me."
   Marketing and publicity is crucial to ARG's mission. It 
pushes out press releases through Penn News, the university's PR 
department, but has no further resources beyond its own staff time.
   The current exhibit is a good example. A Penn intern, Liz 
Frasco, contacted a wide array of Pennsylvania Mennonite churches, 
schools and cultural institutions to publicize the Towell show. One of 
her contacts was the University City Mennonite congregation. "Their 
administrative assistant did express concern that the title of the 
exhibit was misleading," Duckett related. Most Mennonites, in particular 
the Mennonites of University City, live a very different life from that 
portrayed in Towell's photography. They are multi-ethnic, with churches 
in Chinese and Spanish as well as English. German is little spoken in 
this city. Philadelphia Mennonites seek to function conventionally in 
the urban environment where they live.
   Towell's work, however, is devoted to one branch of 
Mennonism labeled the 'Old Colony Mennonites'. This community settled in 
Russia 300 years ago, leaving behind a German-speaking homeland. 
Whenever times turned tough for this group, from 1890 to 1990, most 
emigrated, first to Canada, then to Mexico, then back to Canada, always 
looking for viable agricultural land. The carefully curated exhibit 
makes clear the complex and shifting social boundaries of the particular 
group Towell worked with.
   Towell will be present at a reception at the Ga

Re: [UC] Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets

[UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN]

Frank wrote:

and this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/nyregion/thecity/22manh.html?ex=1342756800&en=8b256b2e1d8e1c13&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss 




thanks. articles like that are good, but maybe a little 
frustrating -- seems they get more to the heartstrings than 
to the heart of the issue (the changing relationship between 
universities and cities). still a good read, though.


I thought it was interesting how in the new york observer 
article they were already equating penn's ucd with a bid:


   "Penn, for example, donated land for a public school and
helped plan and run it. The university set up a
business-improvement district that picked up litter and
brightened street lights."

http://www.observer.com/2007/can-t-we-all-just-get-along?page=0%2C0



..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
[aka laserbeam®]
[aka ray]
SERIAL LIAR. CALL FOR RATES.
  "It is very clear on this listserve who
   these people are. Ray has admitted being
   connected to this forger."  -- Tony West









































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