[UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Karen Allen]

Well, Al, looks like they're gettin' the band back together, and today's 
Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn puts yesterday's post into 
context.  

 

It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole that we need 
Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from; unannounced closed-door astroturf  
presentations in front of a handful of handpicked so-called community leaders 
ready to regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn shoves in 
front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine will kick into gear again to 
explain to us igoramuses why it's so important that Penn should be able to do 
whatever they want.

 

Regarding certain panelists, this just proves that there are some people who 
are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even Professor Marvel gave up the 
smoke and mirrors once his Wizard of Oz persona (Pay no attention to the man 
behind the curtain!) was exposed as a sham. 


See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved my No Hotel In 
the Hood posters!


From: krf...@aol.com
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400
Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, er, I lost count when it hit six 
digits
To: UnivCity@list.purple.com


From today's DP. Emphasis (color) and snide remarks (parentheses) added

 
You read it here, first, on the ever-popular Popu-List
Courtesy of Al Krigman
 



University seeks to build more bridges with community partnerships

Maanvi Singh

While Penn's relationship with the West Philadelphia community has been 
tumultuous in the past, last night a group of community leaders and educators 
discussed Penn's recent focus on interacting positively with its neighbor. 
(Recent focus? Maybe they mean dumping Lewis Wendell.)

The audience of community members, who filled a little over half the chairs 
(nobody I know was aware of this... so -- little wonder that only half the 
chairs were filled and I can only imagine who from the community was there) 
set up in the Arthur Ross Gallery, listened as the panel recounted Penn's 
historical interactions with West Philadelphia, as well as the University's 
current programs for community involvement.

Ira Harkavy, associate vice president of Penn's Netter Center for Community 
Partnerships, moderated the discussion on what he said was the single most 
important issue that the University is focusing on - helping to develop 
neighboring West Philadelphia. (This is the single most important issue that 
the University is focusing on ??? I would have thought that a world class 
research university would be focusing on less important things like education, 
research, bringing their endowment back up to the point where they don't have 
to fire people or raise fees to give it's president a big raise and otherwise 
stay afloat, etc.)

West Philadelphia has come a long way since the 1990s, when crime was on a 
major upspring, said panelist and member of the Spruce Hill Community Trust 
Board of Directors Barry Grossbach. (See. Someone still thinks Barry is a 
community leader. Maybe they don't know about the sad fall from grace and 
standing of the Spruce Hill Community Association.)

Penn faculty and students, as well as West Philadelphia community members, have 
many more opportunities today to help ameliorate their neighborhoods, he added, 
citing the recent success of tutoring endeavors in the community and the Penn 
Alexander Elementary School. (Well, we can give them that one, anyway -- 
ignoring the real reason for Penn's involvement with the school.)

According to Grossbach, these outreach programs have been so successful that 
outside organizations have started to follow Penn's footsteps. For instance, 
the Teacher's College of Columbia University wants to create a program similar 
to that of Alexander Elementary School. (Do you think they hired Omar Blaik as 
a consultant?)

I've seen the change, Leslie Rogers, a Penn doctoral candidate, said. As a 
Penn undergraduate and graduate student, she said, she felt that West 
Philadelphia community members were very skeptical of her intentions when she 
went to volunteer and later teach there. Now, Penn faculty and students are 
more warmly welcomed, she said.

Rogers said Penn undergraduates getting involved in West Philadelphia is a key 
to community-building. 

Thanks to an array of recently established programs, these students now get to 
actually problem-solve in the community, she said. (These students are like 
the bright-eyed busy-tailed types that get hired at UCD. They are enthusiastic 
and well meaning -- but naive as newborn lambs and haven't a clue about the 
problems faced by people from a side of the tracks other than where they, 
themselves, were born and raised.)

Still, attendee Glenwood Charles, a Penn graduate who now oversees the Netter 
Center's tutoring program and reading initiative, argued that there is still 
more to be done. (Yes, but how can they raise the probability of doing more 
good than harm? Is there 

RE: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Karen Allen]

One other thing: did you notice that they referred to the area as the 
neighboring West Philadelphia (my emphasis) and not University City???  

 

When they're printing brochures and hosting websites promoting what a wonderful 
place it is to live, work, and play, it's University City. When they want to 
control the neighborhood by making it sound like it's bombed-out Beiruit 
desperately in need of their rescue, it's West Philadelphia.  

 

And how is it that their rescue always seems to entail something for 
University use, and not something for the community that they supposedly want 
to save? 

 

So, which is it, Penn,  University City or West Philadelphia???


From: kallena...@msn.com
To: univcity@list.purple.com
Subject: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 13:42:41 -0400



Well, Al, looks like they're gettin' the band back together, and today's 
Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn puts yesterday's post into 
context.  
 
It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole that we need 
Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from; unannounced closed-door astroturf  
presentations in front of a handful of handpicked so-called community leaders 
ready to regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn shoves in 
front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine will kick into gear again to 
explain to us igoramuses why it's so important that Penn should be able to do 
whatever they want.
 
Regarding certain panelists, this just proves that there are some people who 
are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even Professor Marvel gave up the 
smoke and mirrors once his Wizard of Oz persona (Pay no attention to the man 
behind the curtain!) was exposed as a sham. 

See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved my No Hotel In 
the Hood posters!


From: krf...@aol.com
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400
Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, er, I lost count when it hit six 
digits
To: UnivCity@list.purple.com


From today's DP. Emphasis (color) and snide remarks (parentheses) added

 
You read it here, first, on the ever-popular Popu-List
Courtesy of Al Krigman
 



University seeks to build more bridges with community partnerships

Maanvi Singh

While Penn's relationship with the West Philadelphia community has been 
tumultuous in the past, last night a group of community leaders and educators 
discussed Penn's recent focus on interacting positively with its neighbor. 
(Recent focus? Maybe they mean dumping Lewis Wendell.)

The audience of community members, who filled a little over half the chairs 
(nobody I know was aware of this... so -- little wonder that only half the 
chairs were filled and I can only imagine who from the community was there) 
set up in the Arthur Ross Gallery, listened as the panel recounted Penn's 
historical interactions with West Philadelphia, as well as the University's 
current programs for community involvement.

Ira Harkavy, associate vice president of Penn's Netter Center for Community 
Partnerships, moderated the discussion on what he said was the single most 
important issue that the University is focusing on - helping to develop 
neighboring West Philadelphia. (This is the single most important issue that 
the University is focusing on ??? I would have thought that a world class 
research university would be focusing on less important things like education, 
research, bringing their endowment back up to the point where they don't have 
to fire people or raise fees to give it's president a big raise and otherwise 
stay afloat, etc.)

West Philadelphia has come a long way since the 1990s, when crime was on a 
major upspring, said panelist and member of the Spruce Hill Community Trust 
Board of Directors Barry Grossbach. (See. Someone still thinks Barry is a 
community leader. Maybe they don't know about the sad fall from grace and 
standing of the Spruce Hill Community Association.)

Penn faculty and students, as well as West Philadelphia community members, have 
many more opportunities today to help ameliorate their neighborhoods, he added, 
citing the recent success of tutoring endeavors in the community and the Penn 
Alexander Elementary School. (Well, we can give them that one, anyway -- 
ignoring the real reason for Penn's involvement with the school.)

According to Grossbach, these outreach programs have been so successful that 
outside organizations have started to follow Penn's footsteps. For instance, 
the Teacher's College of Columbia University wants to create a program similar 
to that of Alexander Elementary School. (Do you think they hired Omar Blaik as 
a consultant?)

I've seen the change, Leslie Rogers, a Penn doctoral candidate, said. As a 
Penn undergraduate and graduate student, she said, she felt that West 
Philadelphia community members were very skeptical of her intentions when she 
went to volunteer and later teach there. Now, Penn faculty and students are 

Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Jim Cummings]

Karen,
I am glad that you have seen through how systematic this bullshit is.
Jim Cummings

On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 1:42 PM, Karen Allen kallena...@msn.com wrote:

  Well, Al, looks like they're gettin' the band back together, and today's
 Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn puts yesterday's post into
 context.

 It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole that we need
 Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from; unannounced closed-door astroturf
 presentations in front of a handful of handpicked so-called community
 leaders ready to regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn
 shoves in front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine will kick into
 gear again to explain to us igoramuses why it's so important that Penn
 should be able to do whatever they want.

 Regarding certain panelists, this just proves that there are some people
 who are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even Professor Marvel gave up
 the smoke and mirrors once his Wizard of Oz persona (Pay no attention to
 the man behind the curtain!) was exposed as a sham.

 See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved my No Hotel
 In the Hood posters!
 --
 From: krf...@aol.com
 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400
 Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, er, I lost count when it hit
 six digits
 To: UnivCity@list.purple.com

 From today's DP. Emphasis (color) and snide remarks *(parentheses)* added

 You read it here, first, on the ever-popular *Popu-List*
 Courtesy of Al Krigman

  --
  *University seeks to build more bridges with community partnerships*

 Maanvi Singh

 While Penn's relationship with the West Philadelphia community has been
 tumultuous in the past, last night a group of community leaders and
 educators discussed Penn's recent focus on interacting positively with its
 neighbor. *(Recent focus? Maybe they mean dumping Lewis Wendell.)
 *
 The audience of community members, who filled a little over half the
 chairs* (nobody I know was aware of this... so -- little wonder that only
 half the chairs were filled and I can only imagine who from the community
 was there)* set up in the Arthur Ross Gallery, listened as the panel
 recounted Penn's historical interactions with West Philadelphia, as well as
 the University's current programs for community involvement.

 Ira Harkavy, associate vice president of Penn's Netter Center for Community
 Partnerships, moderated the discussion on what he said was the single
 most important issue that the University is focusing on - helping to
 develop neighboring West Philadelphia. *(This is the single most
 important issue that the University is focusing on ??? I would have
 thought that a world class research university would be focusing on less
 important things like education, research, bringing their endowment back up
 to the point where they don't have to fire people or raise fees to give it's
 president a big raise and otherwise stay afloat, etc.)

 *West Philadelphia has come a long way since the 1990s, when crime was on
 a major upspring, said panelist and member of the Spruce Hill Community
 Trust Board of Directors Barry Grossbach. *(See. Someone still thinks
 Barry is a community leader. Maybe they don't know about the sad fall from
 grace and standing of the Spruce Hill Community Association.)
 *
 Penn faculty and students, as well as West Philadelphia community members,
 have many more opportunities today to help ameliorate their neighborhoods,
 he added, citing the recent success of tutoring endeavors in the community
 and the Penn Alexander Elementary School. *(Well, we can give them that
 one, anyway -- ignoring the real reason for Penn's involvement with the
 school.)
 *
 According to Grossbach, these outreach programs have been so successful
 that outside organizations have started to follow Penn's footsteps. For
 instance, the Teacher's College of Columbia University wants to create a
 program similar to that of Alexander Elementary School. *(Do you think
 they hired Omar Blaik as a consultant?)
 *
 I've seen the change, Leslie Rogers, a Penn doctoral candidate, said. As
 a Penn undergraduate and graduate student, she said, she felt that West
 Philadelphia community members were very skeptical of her intentions when
 she went to volunteer and later teach there. Now, Penn faculty and students
 are more warmly welcomed, she said.

 Rogers said Penn undergraduates getting involved in West Philadelphia is a
 key to community-building.

 Thanks to an array of recently established programs, these students now
 get to actually problem-solve in the community, she said. *(These
 students are like the bright-eyed busy-tailed types that get hired at UCD.
 They are enthusiastic and well meaning -- but naive as newborn lambs and
 haven't a clue about the problems faced by people from a side of the
 tracks other than where they, themselves, were born and raised.)
 *
 Still, 

Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Wilma de Soto]

Karen,

I love your filling in the spaces with relevant community commentary.


On 10/9/09 1:42 PM, Karen Allen kallena...@msn.com wrote:

 Well, Al, looks like they're gettin' the band back together, and today's
 Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn puts yesterday's post into
 context.  
  
 It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole that we need
 Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from; unannounced closed-door astroturf
 presentations in front of a handful of handpicked so-called community
 leaders ready to regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn
 shoves in front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine will kick into
 gear again to explain to us igoramuses why it's so important that Penn should
 be able to do whatever they want.
  
 Regarding certain panelists, this just proves that there are some people who
 are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even Professor Marvel gave up the
 smoke and mirrors once his Wizard of Oz persona (Pay no attention to the
 man behind the curtain!) was exposed as a sham.
 
 See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved my No Hotel In
 the Hood posters!
 
 From: krf...@aol.com
 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400
 Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, er, I lost count when it hit six
 digits
 To: UnivCity@list.purple.com
 
 From today's DP. Emphasis (color) and snide remarks (parentheses) added
  
 You read it here, first, on the ever-popular Popu-List
 Courtesy of Al Krigman
  
 
 University seeks to build more bridges with community partnerships
 
 Maanvi Singh
 
 While Penn's relationship with the West Philadelphia community has been
 tumultuous in the past, last night a group of community leaders and educators
 discussed Penn's recent focus on interacting positively with its neighbor.
 (Recent focus? Maybe they mean dumping Lewis Wendell.)
 
 The audience of community members, who filled a little over half the chairs
 (nobody I know was aware of this... so -- little wonder that only half the
 chairs were filled and I can only imagine who from the community was there)
 set up in the Arthur Ross Gallery, listened as the panel recounted Penn's
 historical interactions with West Philadelphia, as well as the University's
 current programs for community involvement.
 
 Ira Harkavy, associate vice president of Penn's Netter Center for Community
 Partnerships, moderated the discussion on what he said was the single most
 important issue that the University is focusing on - helping to develop
 neighboring West Philadelphia. (This is the single most important issue that
 the University is focusing on ??? I would have thought that a world class
 research university would be focusing on less important things like education,
 research, bringing their endowment back up to the point where they don't have
 to fire people or raise fees to give it's president a big raise and otherwise
 stay afloat, etc.)
 
 West Philadelphia has come a long way since the 1990s, when crime was on a
 major upspring, said panelist and member of the Spruce Hill Community Trust
 Board of Directors Barry Grossbach. (See. Someone still thinks Barry is a
 community leader. Maybe they don't know about the sad fall from grace and
 standing of the Spruce Hill Community Association.)
 
 Penn faculty and students, as well as West Philadelphia community members,
 have many more opportunities today to help ameliorate their neighborhoods, he
 added, citing the recent success of tutoring endeavors in the community and
 the Penn Alexander Elementary School. (Well, we can give them that one, anyway
 -- ignoring the real reason for Penn's involvement with the school.)
 
 According to Grossbach, these outreach programs have been so successful that
 outside organizations have started to follow Penn's footsteps. For instance,
 the Teacher's College of Columbia University wants to create a program similar
 to that of Alexander Elementary School. (Do you think they hired Omar Blaik as
 a consultant?)
 
 I've seen the change, Leslie Rogers, a Penn doctoral candidate, said. As a
 Penn undergraduate and graduate student, she said, she felt that West
 Philadelphia community members were very skeptical of her intentions when she
 went to volunteer and later teach there. Now, Penn faculty and students are
 more warmly welcomed, she said.
 
 Rogers said Penn undergraduates getting involved in West Philadelphia is a key
 to community-building.
 
 Thanks to an array of recently established programs, these students now get
 to actually problem-solve in the community, she said. (These students are
 like the bright-eyed busy-tailed types that get hired at UCD. They are
 enthusiastic and well meaning -- but naive as newborn lambs and haven't a clue
 about the problems faced by people from a side of the tracks other than
 where they, themselves, were born and raised.)
 
 Still, attendee Glenwood Charles, a Penn graduate who now oversees the Netter
 Center's tutoring 

Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Glenn moyer]

Title: Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community




















Like Al mentioned, no one knew abouta panel discussion with this sneaky"community" for an audience..I was on campus a good part of the day and saw no announcements for the Penn community.(I went to the well publisized panel discussion on Romanticismwhich introducedanew anthology--much better than a room full of the anointed!) 

Community panelist, Barry, explained these types of community/universitygatherings during the push for the hotel. The meetingsare "open and public," but theyaren't announced. It makes perfect sence to the anointed!Butothers might think of the body functions of the male bovine.


The bit about the half empty seats was nice propaganda reinforcing what Karen noticed. The U. business geniuses portray Philadelphiansas helpless cretins always asking for Penn's charity. By claiming that the audience was made ofcommunity members, who didn't bother to show up, we are also portrayed as ungrateful, uncaring, helpless cretins!

DP readers have no way to know that the panel discussion was never announced to the community. (The Arthur Ross gallerywould have had apacked roomfull of our neighbors willing to expose the truth about Penn/community partnerships!) Today's, propaganda nicely dovetailedwith the image of ungrateful cretins. (We pigswon't let the families of sick children into the neighorhood while Tom and Ed are too sweet to comment.) This was a nice one two propaganda punch! These "journalists" have been shamlessly used, and they should be ashamed of their "articles." But I believe there is more than the hotel on the horizon.



When you look at Ira Harkavy's work and hear him speak, he lays out the correct methods for creating good community partnerships. At a talk about the time of the first master plan steering committee for Clark Park, 2002,I explained to him that the Penn neo-colonialists unleashed on West Philly did the opposite of the methods he eloquenly described! In the answer to the question I posed he also gave agreat answer. (Using secrecy andtrickery while excluding community stakeholders will lead to bad plans and community divisiveness. By keeping an open discussion table for stakeholders and being honest, inclusive,and transparent; youcan get good plans and partnerships. Even those stakeholders, who do not prevailon points duringthe discussions, will approve a plan they know was arrived at fairly and democraticallywith their participation.)

I want to see what Harkavy will say publicly when presented with thereal stories from the real community! I'm sure the panel discussion with Barry, Harkavy,and this hidden community was inspiring and uplifting! (They used a tutoring program between students and school kids as the example of Penn's charititable partnerships.) I think this is only the beginning of a new rampage by the Penn spin machine. There is something bigger than the 10 story hotel coming our way. As Harkavy alluded, these Penn parnerships over top of West Philly are very important to the university!

Glenn
PS: For years I went into the Philadelphia community as a representativefrom Penn. Like the grad student said, the population and professionals were suspicious of Penn people, often for good reason. But those barriers came down easily for me. People have good instincts, and the students need to consider what baggage they bring with them from the elite campusinstead of attributingthe suspicionsall toprejudice.




-Original Message- From: Wilma de Soto Sent: Oct 9, 2009 6:28 PM To: Karen Allen , UnivCity listserv Subject: Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community Karen,I love your filling in the spaces with relevant community commentary.On 10/9/09 1:42 PM, "Karen Allen" kallena...@msn.com wrote:
Well, Al, looks like they're "gettin' the band back together", and today's Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn puts yesterday's post into context. It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole that we need Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from; unannounced closed-door astroturf presentations in front of a handful of handpicked so-called "community leaders" ready to regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn shoves in front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine will kick into gear again to explain to us igoramuses why it's so important that Penn should be able to do whatever they want.Regarding certain "panelists", this just proves that there are some people who are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even Professor Marvel gave up the smoke and mirrors once his "Wizard of Oz" persona ("Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!") was exposed as a sham. See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved my "No Hotel In the Hood" posters!

From: krf...@aol.comDate: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, 

Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Kimm Tynan]

I had a feeling that wasn¹t really over.
Kimm


On 10/9/09 1:42 PM, KAREN ALLEN kallena...@msn.com wrote:

 Well, Al, looks like they're gettin' the band back together, and today's
 Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn puts yesterday's post into
 context.  
  
 It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole that we need
 Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from; unannounced closed-door astroturf
 presentations in front of a handful of handpicked so-called community
 leaders ready to regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn
 shoves in front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine will kick into
 gear again to explain to us igoramuses why it's so important that Penn should
 be able to do whatever they want.
  
 Regarding certain panelists, this just proves that there are some people who
 are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even Professor Marvel gave up the
 smoke and mirrors once his Wizard of Oz persona (Pay no attention to the
 man behind the curtain!) was exposed as a sham.
 
 See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved my No Hotel In
 the Hood posters!
 
 From: krf...@aol.com
 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400
 Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, er, I lost count when it hit six
 digits
 To: UnivCity@list.purple.com
 
 From today's DP. Emphasis (color) and snide remarks (parentheses) added
  
 You read it here, first, on the ever-popular Popu-List
 Courtesy of Al Krigman
  
 
 University seeks to build more bridges with community partnerships
 
 Maanvi Singh
 
 While Penn's relationship with the West Philadelphia community has been
 tumultuous in the past, last night a group of community leaders and educators
 discussed Penn's recent focus on interacting positively with its neighbor.
 (Recent focus? Maybe they mean dumping Lewis Wendell.)
 
 The audience of community members, who filled a little over half the chairs
 (nobody I know was aware of this... so -- little wonder that only half the
 chairs were filled and I can only imagine who from the community was there)
 set up in the Arthur Ross Gallery, listened as the panel recounted Penn's
 historical interactions with West Philadelphia, as well as the University's
 current programs for community involvement.
 
 Ira Harkavy, associate vice president of Penn's Netter Center for Community
 Partnerships, moderated the discussion on what he said was the single most
 important issue that the University is focusing on - helping to develop
 neighboring West Philadelphia. (This is the single most important issue that
 the University is focusing on ??? I would have thought that a world class
 research university would be focusing on less important things like education,
 research, bringing their endowment back up to the point where they don't have
 to fire people or raise fees to give it's president a big raise and otherwise
 stay afloat, etc.)
 
 West Philadelphia has come a long way since the 1990s, when crime was on a
 major upspring, said panelist and member of the Spruce Hill Community Trust
 Board of Directors Barry Grossbach. (See. Someone still thinks Barry is a
 community leader. Maybe they don't know about the sad fall from grace and
 standing of the Spruce Hill Community Association.)
 
 Penn faculty and students, as well as West Philadelphia community members,
 have many more opportunities today to help ameliorate their neighborhoods, he
 added, citing the recent success of tutoring endeavors in the community and
 the Penn Alexander Elementary School. (Well, we can give them that one, anyway
 -- ignoring the real reason for Penn's involvement with the school.)
 
 According to Grossbach, these outreach programs have been so successful that
 outside organizations have started to follow Penn's footsteps. For instance,
 the Teacher's College of Columbia University wants to create a program similar
 to that of Alexander Elementary School. (Do you think they hired Omar Blaik as
 a consultant?)
 
 I've seen the change, Leslie Rogers, a Penn doctoral candidate, said. As a
 Penn undergraduate and graduate student, she said, she felt that West
 Philadelphia community members were very skeptical of her intentions when she
 went to volunteer and later teach there. Now, Penn faculty and students are
 more warmly welcomed, she said.
 
 Rogers said Penn undergraduates getting involved in West Philadelphia is a key
 to community-building.
 
 Thanks to an array of recently established programs, these students now get
 to actually problem-solve in the community, she said. (These students are
 like the bright-eyed busy-tailed types that get hired at UCD. They are
 enthusiastic and well meaning -- but naive as newborn lambs and haven't a clue
 about the problems faced by people from a side of the tracks other than
 where they, themselves, were born and raised.)
 
 Still, attendee Glenwood Charles, a Penn graduate who now oversees the Netter
 Center's tutoring program and reading initiative, 

Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Kimm Tynan]

P.S.  Thanks to you and Al for putting 2+2 together for us.
Kimm


On 10/9/09 10:10 PM, Kimm Tynan kimm.ty...@verizon.net wrote:

 I had a feeling that wasn¹t really over.
 Kimm
 
 
 On 10/9/09 1:42 PM, KAREN ALLEN kallena...@msn.com wrote:
 
 Well, Al, looks like they're gettin' the band back together, and today's
 Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn puts yesterday's post into
 context.  
  
 It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole that we need
 Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from; unannounced closed-door astroturf
 presentations in front of a handful of handpicked so-called community
 leaders ready to regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn
 shoves in front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine will kick into
 gear again to explain to us igoramuses why it's so important that Penn should
 be able to do whatever they want.
  
 Regarding certain panelists, this just proves that there are some people
 who are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even Professor Marvel gave up
 the smoke and mirrors once his Wizard of Oz persona (Pay no attention to
 the man behind the curtain!) was exposed as a sham.
 
 See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved my No Hotel In
 the Hood posters!
 
 From: krf...@aol.com
 Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400
 Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, er, I lost count when it hit
 six digits
 To: UnivCity@list.purple.com
 
 From today's DP. Emphasis (color) and snide remarks (parentheses) added
  
 You read it here, first, on the ever-popular Popu-List
 Courtesy of Al Krigman
  
 
 University seeks to build more bridges with community partnerships
 
 Maanvi Singh
 
 While Penn's relationship with the West Philadelphia community has been
 tumultuous in the past, last night a group of community leaders and educators
 discussed Penn's recent focus on interacting positively with its neighbor.
 (Recent focus? Maybe they mean dumping Lewis Wendell.)
 
 The audience of community members, who filled a little over half the chairs
 (nobody I know was aware of this... so -- little wonder that only half the
 chairs were filled and I can only imagine who from the community was there)
 set up in the Arthur Ross Gallery, listened as the panel recounted Penn's
 historical interactions with West Philadelphia, as well as the University's
 current programs for community involvement.
 
 Ira Harkavy, associate vice president of Penn's Netter Center for Community
 Partnerships, moderated the discussion on what he said was the single most
 important issue that the University is focusing on - helping to develop
 neighboring West Philadelphia. (This is the single most important issue that
 the University is focusing on ??? I would have thought that a world class
 research university would be focusing on less important things like
 education, research, bringing their endowment back up to the point where they
 don't have to fire people or raise fees to give it's president a big raise
 and otherwise stay afloat, etc.)
 
 West Philadelphia has come a long way since the 1990s, when crime was on a
 major upspring, said panelist and member of the Spruce Hill Community Trust
 Board of Directors Barry Grossbach. (See. Someone still thinks Barry is a
 community leader. Maybe they don't know about the sad fall from grace and
 standing of the Spruce Hill Community Association.)
 
 Penn faculty and students, as well as West Philadelphia community members,
 have many more opportunities today to help ameliorate their neighborhoods, he
 added, citing the recent success of tutoring endeavors in the community and
 the Penn Alexander Elementary School. (Well, we can give them that one,
 anyway -- ignoring the real reason for Penn's involvement with the school.)
 
 According to Grossbach, these outreach programs have been so successful that
 outside organizations have started to follow Penn's footsteps. For instance,
 the Teacher's College of Columbia University wants to create a program
 similar to that of Alexander Elementary School. (Do you think they hired Omar
 Blaik as a consultant?)
 
 I've seen the change, Leslie Rogers, a Penn doctoral candidate, said. As a
 Penn undergraduate and graduate student, she said, she felt that West
 Philadelphia community members were very skeptical of her intentions when she
 went to volunteer and later teach there. Now, Penn faculty and students are
 more warmly welcomed, she said.
 
 Rogers said Penn undergraduates getting involved in West Philadelphia is a
 key to community-building.
 
 Thanks to an array of recently established programs, these students now get
 to actually problem-solve in the community, she said. (These students are
 like the bright-eyed busy-tailed types that get hired at UCD. They are
 enthusiastic and well meaning -- but naive as newborn lambs and haven't a
 clue about the problems faced by people from a side of the tracks other
 than where they, themselves, were born and 

Re: [UC] They're B-a-a-c-k [Was] Penn and the community

[Anthony West]

No reasonable person denies that affordable hotels are in short supply 
around Penn's massive eds--meds complex. This appears to be an industry 
with a longterm growth curve ahead of it, so it makes sense to build 
hotels for it. Somewhere.


Meanwhile, Penn is still stuck with a historic dog of a property that 
might just pay for itself, if tacked onto a hotel; otherwise, it's 
nothing but a drain. The economic downturn places more pressure than 
ever on Eds  Meds RE departments to monetize their dogs one way or another.


I think you're quite correct, Kimm, it ain't over till it's over. 
Real-estate, by its nature, can lie around on hold for years -- the 
more so when owned by a non-taxpayer. But since land, by its nature, 
cannot go away, real-estate problems too never go away until some sort 
of development occurs.


-- Tony West



P.S. Thanks to you and Al for putting 2+2 together for us.
Kimm


On 10/9/09 10:10 PM, Kimm Tynan kimm.ty...@verizon.net wrote:

I had a feeling that wasn’t really over.
Kimm


On 10/9/09 1:42 PM, KAREN ALLEN kallena...@msn.com wrote:

Well, Al, looks like they're gettin' the band back together,
and today's Daily Pennsylvanian report about the Campus Inn
puts yesterday's post into context.

It's the same old bullshit: West Philadelphia is a hellhole
that we need Penn/UCD/Tom Lussenhop to rescue us from;
unannounced closed-door astroturf presentations in front of a
handful of handpicked so-called community leaders ready to
regurgitate Penn's lies and to rubberstamp whatever Penn
shoves in front of them. I guess next the propaganda machine
will kick into gear again to explain to us igoramuses why it's
so important that Penn should be able to do whatever they want.

Regarding certain panelists, this just proves that there are
some people who are incapable of embarassment or shame...Even
Professor Marvel gave up the smoke and mirrors once his
Wizard of Oz persona (Pay no attention to the man behind
the curtain!) was exposed as a sham.

See ya at the Zoning Board hearings, folks... luckily I saved
my No Hotel In the Hood posters!

From: krf...@aol.com
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:55:59 -0400
Subject: [UC] Penn and the community -- take, er, I lost count
when it hit six digits
To: UnivCity@list.purple.com

From today's DP. Emphasis (color) and snide remarks
/(parentheses)/ added

You read it here, first, on the ever-popular */Popu-List
/*Courtesy of Al Krigman


*University seeks to build more bridges with community
partnerships
**
Maanvi Singh

While Penn's relationship with the West Philadelphia community
has been tumultuous in the past, last night a group of
community leaders and educators discussed Penn's recent focus
on interacting positively with its neighbor. /(Recent focus?
Maybe they mean dumping Lewis Wendell.)
/
The audience of community members, who filled a little over
half the chairs/ (nobody I know was aware of this... so --
little wonder that only half the chairs were filled and I can
only imagine who from the community was there)/ set up in
the Arthur Ross Gallery, listened as the panel recounted
Penn's historical interactions with West Philadelphia, as well
as the University's current programs for community involvement.

Ira Harkavy, associate vice president of Penn's Netter Center
for Community Partnerships, moderated the discussion on what
he said was the single most important issue that the
University is focusing on - helping to develop neighboring
West Philadelphia. /(This is the single most important issue
that the University is focusing on ??? I would have thought
that a world class research university would be focusing on
less important things like education, research, bringing their
endowment back up to the point where they don't have to fire
people or raise fees to give it's president a big raise and
otherwise stay afloat, etc.)

/West Philadelphia has come a long way since the 1990s, when
crime was on a major upspring, said panelist and member of the
Spruce Hill Community Trust Board of Directors Barry
Grossbach. /(See. Someone still thinks Barry is a community
leader. Maybe they don't know about the sad fall from grace
and standing of the Spruce Hill Community Association.)
/
Penn faculty and students, as well as West Philadelphia
community members, have many more opportunities today