What did The Vision Staff do this summer? We’ve decided to dedicate a short series to this very question! Why would we put any particular emphasis on our experiences? The Vision is proud to have an executive board whose interests are broad and span many different fields–and therefore, have resulted in a diverse array of summer experiences. Fair enough, you say–but what does this have to do with the black community at Penn? Our answer: Everything, we hope.
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Author Archives: thinkvisionary
“Staff Summers” Series
Letter From the Editor 2010
The "Love" Statue
Welcome back to Penn—especially to the incoming class of 2014 who is commencing one of the most important legs of their life journey; and the class of 2011, for whom the near future holds a different kind of commencement. Freshmen and seniors—take a moment to consider how similar your two years are. Both of you on the frontiers of entirely new realities; both of you doing your best to find ways to prepare yourselves for them; both of you approaching the gradual realization that no matter how much you prepare, there will be an element of the unexpected that you will have to confront, and the best way to prepare is to make yourself well-versed on the resources at your disposal that will be able to help you make decisions in these moments of the unexpected.
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Kwanzaa 2009
By Adriane Mc Cray
On the evening of December 3, 2009, students, faculty and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania gathered to celebrate a rich Black cultural tradition that holds great historical importance to the black community on campus: Kwanzaa. The annual Kwanzaa Karamu dinner is a routine part of UMOJA week, a week-long series of events hosted by UMOJA along with various Black student groups under its umbrella.
The Penn community filed into Houston Hall’s Bodek Lounge, occasionally chiming in on Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas”, the Jackson 5’s rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, and other soulful Christmas tunes. Everyone mingled and took their seats at the tables, decorated in black, white, and green African motif. The dinner opened up with a greeting by Makuu’s office coordinator, Constance Gordon, in the form of Kwanzaa’s Kukaribisha, or welcoming.
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UMOJA Networking Etiqutte Workshop
By Malcolm Evans
Networking is an amorphous, yet highly important pillar of all societal interactions. Webster’s online dictionary defines networking as “the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.” On the evening of December 7th, 2009, UMOJA, as a part of this year’s UMOJA Week, held a Networking Etiquette Workshop to help provide clarity around the concept of networking, while also sharing invaluable advice about appropriate networking behaviors. The workshop was hosted in Claudia-Cohen Hall’s Terrance room from 7:00-9:00pm.
The evening began with a presentation on attire and brand management lead by Whitney Dublin, college senior and president of ONYX Senior Honor Society. Whitney’s presentation covered topics such as examples of appropriate business attire for men and women as well the importance of maintaining a wholesome look in all professional settings. In addition to these topics, Ryan Jobson, a junior in the college and Correspondent for the UMOJA executive board, brought up the issue of African American hair in Corporate America. While there were various opinions surrounding acceptable corporate standards, the general consensus was that one’s hairstyle should be fairly “clean-cut” while also complimenting one’s personal appearance.
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Who Will Be Crowned Mr. & Mrs. Penn in 2009?
By Jared Barchus
On the evening of November 10th, 2009, the Penn Women’s Track & Field team and Coach Tony Tenisci hosted the 18th Annual Mr. & Mrs. Penn Bodybuilding Contest. The sold-out bodybuilding competition took place in Zellerbach Theater in the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and featured thirty-seven of Penn’s finest undergraduate and graduate students.
For 8 weeks, these thirty-seven student-athletes trained and dieted to chisel their bodies into a perfect form. “I worked out daily and I was on a diet beginning one month prior to the competition. This diet consisted of no sugar, no soda, no mayo, no dairy or cream based foods, no fried foods or oily foods,” junior Emanuel Bryant said.
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UA Election Reform: A “Black” Issue?
By Ryan Jobson, Guest Writer
On Sunday, the Undergraduate Assembly passed legislation to radically alter the Executive Board election process, notably recommending the direct election of future UA Presidents by the Penn student body. The bill, co-authored by current UA Chair Alec Webley and SAC Chair Natalie Vernon, must now be approved by a school-wide referendum, expected later this semester.
If you are unfamiliar with the current structure, scope, or procedure of the UA, you are not alone. In short, the UA Executive Board—consisting of the UA Chair, Vice Chair, Vice Chair of External Affairs, Treasurer, and Secretary—is currently internally appointed by UA representatives following elections each spring. The consequences of such a system are dire. Effectively, 10,000 undergraduates are rendered subservient to 33 elected members of the UA in selecting a representative of Penn students at-large. Penn remains the only Ivy League University that does not directly elect a student body President, accentuating its unfortunate inability to keep up with the curve.
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The Stimulus Package and Job Creation, Thus Far…
by Malcolm Evans
In November, it will have been 8 months since the 787 billion dollar recovery act was passed by Congress and signed into a law by President Obama. While 8 months is not an adequate amount of time to evaluate the largest recovery act in history, one can still inquire about the effects of the bill, the main question being: has the act created jobs? The answer depends who you ask and how they define a “job.” An article titled, Stimulus: Creating jobs or not attempts to provide clarity around this question. The article does a great job of summarizing the views of the White House, Republicans and state representatives. Essentially: the White House says yes, Republicans say no and state reps seem to be leaning toward the affirmative. Things aren’t so cut and dry of course, but in evaluating the effectiveness of the bailout in regards to job creation, it’s important to keep (at least) three things in mind. First, rather than concentrating on the absolute number of jobs that have been created, let us consider the rate of jobs losses and creations. In these regards, the Recovery Act has significantly slowed the rate of job losses. Specifically, the “number of jobs lost in the third quarter averaged 256,000 per month–two-thirds less than the country sustained at the beginning of the year.” Additionally, from a micro viewpoint, several state governments seem to believe that the stimulus is helping employ their residents. Confidence in the president and the long-term potential of his policies is a big driver of employment and the overall economy. Lastly, over half of the funds apportioned for the rescue plan haven’t been spent yet. More money spent = more jobs? Not exactly, but it will certainly help.
Ase Academy Presents…. The Butterfly Effect
by Juna Dawson-Murray, Guest Writer
When asked to describe Ase’s fundraising event, The Butterfly Effect, Tracee Thomas director of Ase and mentor to countless students at Penn and in the Greater Philadelphia community simply said, “The power of youth to effect change is amazing. Ase is a grass roots organization, the Butterfly effect was grass roots organizing.” Ase Academy is a nonprofit, academic and cultural enrichment program on Saturdays. Ase’s main focus is to help Philadelphia middle and high school students become leaders within their individual communities.
Recently, Facebook held a fundraising competition in which the group that received the most donations would receive an additional cash prize. In an effort to raise donations, Ase hosted The Butterfly Effect, which featured a variety of performing and visual arts from Penn students and artists from other universities and the Philadelphia community. The impressive list of artists included: Excelano Project, Lyrical Playground (a spoken word group based in Philadelphia), Freaks of the Beat, Destination Hip Hop, live painting by Ana Nunez, and music provided by DJ Huevos. Joshua Bennet, Vision Staff Writer and member of Excelano spoke highly of the arts saying, “The Butterfly Effect was a remarkable and perhaps unprecedented collision of hip-hop, personal narrative, the theater, and community activism. Featuring an ensemble of stage performers par excellence, there were moments where I felt as if my heart were going to abdicate its throne and frenetically run elsewhere.”
Though the Ase Saturday Academy did not win the overall competition, we did raise $15,000 on our own in only three weeks. Ase ranked third among all educational organizations participating in the competition. The competition itself and the Butterfly Event were both amazing experiences that participants are sure to remember for some time to come. ASE!
Ase is always excited to have new members in our family. If you are interested in getting involved with Ase Saturday Academy, please feel free to email our director Tracee Thomas at sankofachild@gmail.com , if you have an interest in urban education, or have a particular skill that you would like to teach to 6th-8th graders. Also, feel free to continue to support Ase by donating to us through Facebook causes.
“I’m Inspired!” The Inspiration’s 20th Anniversary Show
By Adriane Mc Cray
I don’t know about the tendencies of your parents, but my Pops introduces his musical selections during our car rides with prideful trash talk in favor of the soul and jazz tunes of his generation.
“See… you girls don’t know nothing ‘bout this here…Who’s the Marvin Gaye of your generation? Nobody! Nobody’s bad like Marvin. Marvin’s BAD!”
My cousin, a self proclaimed “90s baby”, shares a similar spirit for the crooning R&B male groups of her teen years in the ‘90s, including Bell Biv Devoe, Boyz II Men, and Dru Hill. Nurtured by the music of their time, my eager ears explore Neo-Soul radio stations for the sounds and styles that have evolved from the iconic ‘90’s R&B/soul vibe over the decades.
As the final harmonies of The Inspiration’s opening song—“Written all over your face”, a Rude Boys classic—triggered these nostalgic musical memories, I notified my neighbor to just tap me if I became too reckless. I politely informed her that by the sounds of things, it was clear I would be jamming to every single selection this co-ed a-capella group (dedicated to music written and/or performed by the artists of the African diaspora) was going to perform. The theme of the concert, Behind the Music: 20 years of The Inspiration, was a tribute to the twenty-year long legacy of The Inspiration and the unique, and often political, presence they’ve historically had on Penn’s campus.
Following a welcome by President of The Inspiration, alto, and senior in the college, Gabrielle Banks, the group filed onto the center stage as the awaiting crowd, which overflowed the seats of the Class of ’49 auditorium in Houston Hall, cheered excitedly in the anticipation of The Inspiration repertoire for the night, which is traditionally kept secret until the day of the show. Decked out in fresh baseball caps, denim overalls, acid-washed jeans, and colorful sneakers, the group successfully triggered themes of the late 80s—specifically 1989, when the student group was first formed. A short narrative of the group’s founding, read by Kevin Holmes (School of Engineering freshman, tenor, and “New Jack” in The Inspiration) and Jared Watson (Wharton senior and bass in The Inspiration) set the scene for the audience. They recalled the popular music artists and songs of the decade (like Milli Vanili and Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”) and shared the story of their group’s founders and accounts of the Inspiration in its beginnings. These narratives of the group’s history (read at the beginnings of each of the show’s three sets) and the strong presence of Inspiration alumni demonstrated the group’s strong affiliation with and commitment to its legacy.
Senior in the college, bass, and Director of The Inspiration, Malcolm Spaulding, led the group to the zesty and well-blended opener, to which Richard Cesar (senior in the College and Inspiration tenor) and Janeé Moses (sophomore in the College and Inspiration alto) sang the lead vocals. Playful shouts sounded through the auditorium: “I’m Inspired!” “You better sang the song!” Cue rhythmic handclaps, snaps, and cheers.
Impressive lead duets pieces were in abundant supply over the course of the night, and rang through my mind like a fresh new album for the remainder of the weekend—you know, the album you’d scratch from just playing the songs from intro to end on repeat. Freshman in the College and Inspiration “New Jack”, Adeline Epstein, and junior in the College, Gaby Esensten were a crowd pleasing team with their rendition of En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go”, while freshmen and “New Jacks” Nnesochi Ajukwu and Jordan Lowe delivered a flirty harmony to Damian Marley’s “There For You.”
Inspiration soloists also edged the crowd out of their seats with heartfelt renditions of several R&B/soul songs—from Jared Watson’s rendition of Maxwell’s “Fortunate” (executed in his impressively sprightly falsetto) to College freshman, Inspiration “New Jack”, and alto Marcel Salas’ pitch perfect rendition of Aaliyah’s “I Care For You”, which garnered a standing ovation from Inspiration alum. Our very own Vision writer, Petal Samuel, channeled Donell Jones, in a soprano rendition of his classic: “Where I Wanna Be”. College senior and Inspiration tenor, Jon Howard and director Malcolm Spaulding became the “croooners” of the evening, as I witnessed grown women, seated in the front row, shaking their bodies and holding their chests to keep themselves from jumping out of their seats.
The Inspiration show was particularly committed to the breaking of generational barriers. This feeling was especially embodied in the performance of The Inspiration’s alumni songs, “Fantasy” (by Earth, Wind, and Fire) and “I Got Da Key”. These songs did not only connect Inspiration alumni to current Inspiration members, but also the audience to The Inspiration–as it’s a song that longtime Inspiration fans have come to know quite well and have a distinct connection with. The power and unity of their voices truly illustrated the universality and connective power of music.
As the night came to a close I felt as though I had tapped into the radios that both my father and my cousin had played at my age. In the words of my father: The Inspiration’s music…Bad.
Calabash 2009, Our Legends: Unmasked
By Marion Smallwood
The animate clatter of high heels, small talk and salsa steps, in company with the decor of red and gold balloons, face masks and cultural anecdotes, enveloped the unassuming atmosphere of the Bodek Lounge this Halloween– painting the setting of Calabash 2009, Our Legends: Unmasked.
The programs placed at each table shared the night’s line-up as well as a brief history of the origin of the event’s name: “‘Calabash’ is a bottle-shaped gourd, transformed by craftsmen into intricately decorated containers, aesthetic smoking pipes and unique musical instruments.” These items are created in both the Caribbean and Africa, and the link between the cultures has inspired a lasting Penn tradition.
Calabash has been the highlight of first semester at Penn for students celebrating the African diasporic culture for roughly ten years. Each year it is hosted by CASA, DHSA, Grupo Quisqueyano and PASA and is catered by Caribbean and African restaurants from the surrounding West Philadelphia community.
The scent of cultural foods incited eager, rumbling stomaches and tested the patience of many attendees—a nod to Calabash’s continued legacy of great food. Members of these organizations, other supporting groups like BSL and UMC, Calabash performers, and everyone in between, gave Beverly Sithole and Matthew Sylvester, presidents of PASA and CASA, their full attention as they began this year’s annual celebration.
Particularly evocative to DHSA members, although still meaningful for students of other cultures, was the first performance of the night. Carvens Lissaint, professional performance poet and Excelano Project representative, spit a poem entitled “Haiti”. Lissaint says the poem “is about the mental, emotional and painful struggles the [Haitian community goes through on a daily basis and how I relate and don’t relate to their struggles.” The first line, “Have you ever seen the apocalypse, in the eyes of a human,” was a poignant nod to the continued conflict in Haiti as well as an introspective way to jump-start the night.
Following Lissaint was dinner, which I for one, thoroughly enjoyed: jerk chicken, plantains, four different types of rice, lamb and macaroni and cheese (to name a few) made mouths water and legs skip. The food was indeed a tough act to follow, but African Rhythms left no one disappointed.
According to the website: “As a student-run African Drum and Dance Troupe at the University of Pennsylvania, African Rhythms, affectionately known as “AR”, represents the strength and beauty of African culture.” AR takes part in Calabash every year, joining the banquet each fall and last week, starting the night as the first cultural dance group.
Equally hype were dances by Onda Latina and Destination Hip Hop.
Onda Latina means “Latin Wave” and is the only dance group of its kind at Penn. Their presence at Calabash was fun and added a unique flavor to the nights events. Onda dancers Hallie Cope and Lori Le were dressed as a nurse and doctor, respectively, while doing the salsa, merging their reggaeton performance with the traditions of the day it fell on–Halloween.
The final performance of the night was by Penn’s only hip hop dance troupe, Destination Hip-hop, widely known as DH2. Dancers wore brightly colored t-shirts with flags hanging from their pockets to match, all the while performing difficult dance moves to the rhythms of reggae and soca. D’Andre Carr, last year’s Mr. Calabash and veteran DH2 dancer, joined the dance as dramatically as the steps, exploding from the closed doors of the Bodek Lounge with choreographed moves that led to the middle of the dance floor.
The evening ended with the Mr. and Mrs. Calabash dance competition, dubbing Penn senior Sheri Abdel Rahman as Mrs. Calabash. The competition was significant of Calabash’s ability to gather people of all cultural backgrounds; this year’s Mrs. Calabash is neither of African nor Caribbean descent, but Palestinian—and her title was well-deserved, the girl can move!
The sound of salsa steps and Reggaeton sounded until the very end of the event, when I left the Bodek Lounge this Halloween. If you weren’t in attendance, you missed out; it was truly a night to celebrate our shared histories and commemorate our legends.
Groove Phi Groove S.F.I Presents…Open Mic Groove
By Darryll Oliver
Cortney Charleston '12
“Minds making excuses for broken glass hearts/Left in pieces on the streets of Roseland/Crystal shards of a sincere smile named Derrion Albert that/Never made it home from school”
Lines like these, performed by spoken-word artist Cortney Charleston, are what best embodied the mood of the evening. The Open Mic Groove, hosted by Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Incorporated, gave an opportunity to young, independent rising student artists to broadcast their talents. As an open mike event, it allows for many artistic expressions, whether poetry, song, comedy, or any other such piece. Those who attended the event were presented with all those art forms in the cool, intimate atmosphere of The Bubble Tea House.
Steven Allen, a talented, singer and songwriter, kicked off the evening with two of his originals “Never,” and “No, It Can’t Be True.” The songs took an introspective look into relationships and characterized the emotions that emanate from them. Freshman, Amber Scott delivered a poem, titled “This Is For You,” about her affection for her mom and dad, which wrapped up her unique family experiences and growth over the years. Another freshman and member of the Penn Track & Field team, Aderinola stepped up to the mike and performed a poem titled “Addicted”, surrounding the difficulty of trying to leave something to which you are addicted. The artist quoted earlier, Cortney Charleston, was able to re-package current events, such as the memory of the murder of Derrion Albert, and present it in a more personal, poetic form. The Young Broke Romantics, a duo of Dan Higgins (who plays the harmonica and guitar), and Alec Bleday (the emcee) animated the audience by writing ad-lib songs about a random topic of the audience’s choice. Bleday’s rhapsody about passion fruit bubble tea kept the audience off their seats with laughter, while Higgins was amazingly able to keep his composure, holding the beat without cracking a smile. The Open Mic Groove is one of many events which represent the community organization of the social fellowship, dedicated to celebrating the artist and his/her craft. The next show will be in the Dubois Multi-Purpose Room, on Friday, November 13th, and there are still many slots available for any artists who would like to perform.
Amber Scott '13
If you’re interested in being a part of the upcoming Groove Open Mic on November 13th, please contact Darryll Oliver at darryllo@sas.upenn.edu. For more information about Groove Phi Groove, please visit http://www.gphig.org/.
Darryll Oliver '11, President of Groove Phi Groove S.F.I Quaker Chapter
Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship was first started in 1962 at Morgan State College (now Morgan State University) by fourteen Black American men who felt the need to create an innovative organization to change the way we think about brotherhood. Driven by the monumental Civil Rights and Black Power movements, they felt it was necessary to provide brothers on and off campus with a fellowship that was proactive in taking action in the community. The aim is to push black males toward positive initiatives, and promoting unity, intelligence and effective leadership, to study and help alleviate the many social and economic problems concerning society in order to improve the status of mankind. Today, Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship Incorporated has over 30,000 members nationwide.
It Takes a Village
By Adriane Mc Cray
“It’s hot… it’s small…it’s home.”
Gerald Andah, sophomore in the College, sticks to simplicity in describing Ghana. It was apparent that words could do his homeland justice.
For some students like Andah, home is simple to explain. In a discussion with your fellow Black classmates, some students defined home as a location—where their permanent addresses, beds, and mothers currently reside. A New York native complicated the conversation with specifics of a burrow, proximity to sub lines, and cross streets. A southern sister recalled the warmth of children playing, big yards, and a social neighborhood. Upon further questioning, home clearly was understood as a culture made up of their family, friends, and customs for these students.
Andah says it best, “It’s what we know.”
While some students have ease in identifying this place called home, other students grapple with defining a single entity. Claiming their African or Caribbean societies where their larger families have roots, first generation Americans have views of home separate from the neighborhoods surrounding their permanent U.S address.
“[Home] is a hairdresser in the kitchen, a view from the 18th floor…and [Jamaican] patois,” a Bronx native shares, while hinting at her Caribbean roots.
Many students admit that Penn is even considered home. A prideful Prince George’s county native expressed that home is something he struggles to define because he spends more time at Penn than in “PG” county. The amount of time spent over the course of four years almost requires us to acknowledge some type of connection to Penn beyond academics. So how does Penn fare as a home?
Although some consider Penn to be different from home in the sense of family and childhood familiarity, Penn is our hub during our prime years of intellectual growth. Penn houses an alternative sense of family with cultural communities and social groups on campus. For Black students in particular, our culture is strengthened by the support of our cultural center, Makuu, and the student groups under the UMOJA umbrella.
Class of 2012 Onyx Society Freshman Honor Roll Recipients
Our performing arts groups dedicate their time to share performances rooted with black culture, preserving their own place in history of black arts and our political and purpose groups work to protect our place in respective academic fields. Our sub-cultural groups nurture the diversity within our black student body and our historically black fraternities and sororities bring century-old traditions of service and high achievement of our forefathers to campus. Our publications and social fellowship groups make efforts to spread ideas for the betterment of the Black Penn students and the greater black community and our faith groups exchange positivity and hope to keep us grounded in our own beliefs.
Many Black students claim that the nurturing and close-knit aspect of the Black community on campus is reminiscent of our respective homes. Students attributed openness, social forwardness, and spirited support for successful classmates to be characteristics the Black community that make students feel more at home.
Interestingly, when asked if anyone was excluded from the Black Penn community, the consensus was that while the Black community is indeed comprised of Black students, it seemed to include “the wise,” or any student that was interested or found relevance in Black issues and people. One student suggested that the only ones that are excluded are those that exclude themselves. That is to say, the Black Penn community is welcoming and readily available for any student who chooses to use is resources.
To: The villages that raised the children
From: The Black Penn community that nurtures them today
“Your children are in good hands.”
4A Presents…”Soul of the Entertainer”
By Petal Samuel
With two round tables, a full bar, impressive live instrumentation (piano, drums, and trumpet, by Austin Woodlin, Olu Oladapo, and Cornelius Range respectively), and the cool glow of the “Lenox Lounge” sign glowing in the background of the set, the audience was immersed into the world of 1930’s New York City, at the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, as soon as the lights rose on the set. 
When the emcee of the show, Daddy Lenox (played by Colin Williams), walked onstage and performed his first lines into a microphone facing the audience, we were re-situated not only temporally, but as patrons of Lenox Lounge, there to enjoy the show on two levels, both as observers and as participants/performers in a sense.
This duality, observer and participant, is only one of several that characterized 4A’s fall production, “Soul of the Entertainer”, a show that ventured upon the-road-less-traveled for 4A productions—a variety show. Directed, composed, and compiled by juniors in the College, Barbara Shaibu and Jeffrey Amoakohene, and produced by fellow junior in the College, Faridah Gbadamosi, the show was introduced to the audience as an attempt to capture the internal struggles of not only the traditional performer, but of the everyday performer—each one of us, perpetually cast as performers in an unending societal production. The show, structured in two acts that take place in different eras (Harlem Renaissance and present-day Harlem), show the fall and rebirth of the fictional Lenox Lounge and the continuities that linger in spite of the temporal difference.
The diverse, multi-talented cast of the production presented a milieu of performances: from a ‘30’s tap dancing king, Ben (played by College sophomore Adam Hamilton) to a retired pianist, Willie (played by Wharton junior and fellow Vision staff writer Malcolm Evans) to a struggling modern-day R&B songstress, Jenna (played by College sophomore and theater arts major DeAnna Supplee). A mélange of monologues and performances, the show thoughtfully engaged the underemphasized angst behind the notion of making a living off of performing an identity and simultaneously having to cope with the reality of another. A character of the Harlem Renaissance world of the production, sultry jazz vocalist Elaine (played by College sophomore Samantha Osbourne), sang a rendition of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Fever” and subsequently performed a monologue about the fact that she’s never been in love, though she’s sung countless songs about it. Talented, heartfelt performances followed by reflective monologues illustrated the production’s commitment to showing the audience both sides of the story, and problematizing the gaze of the observant.
Aside from singing the praises of the brilliant cast and crew, I want to return for a moment to the question of dualities that the article opened with. “Soul of the Entertainer” not only featured fictional characters who were both performers and real people with real problems—it featured student performers who not only performed for the show, but who also are well known around campus as performers. In the second set, performers such as College sophomore Steven Allen (a rising alternative singer-songwriter with a Thom Yorke-esque lyrical articulation and the voice of a raspless Chad Kroeger), College senior Joya Jones (R&B, soul, gospel vocalist extraordinaire and proud member of the New Spirit of Penn Gospel Choir), and College senior David Warner (spoken word artist and veteran member of Penn’s premier spoken word collective, The Excelano Project) graced the stage with performances that were consistent with the brilliant work they regularly do on campus. This intentional linking of reality and fiction, of past and present, of performance and observance does much to blur the line between these aforementioned binaries. In other words, 4A’s “Soul of the Entertainer” seems to be resisting suggestions that the everyday person and the entertainer are mutually exclusive concepts. Perhaps, instead, the production is suggesting something more along the lines of a continuum of performance and simply “being yourself” (if such a thing exists). That maybe performing is a rendition of being oneself, and “being oneself” is yet another leg of the same concept. The ways we choose to perform or to observe or to “stay true to ourselves” are still choices and are still done in ways specific to us thus, still containing something characteristic of us.
Currently 4A is recovering from their performance and is in the planning stages of its next production (and there are whispers around campus that it’s going to be something fairly magnanimous). So, keep your eyes and ears open for word of 4A’s next production—but if you simply can’t wait, feel free to contact 4A president, Alyssa Lane at lanean@sas.upenn.edu.
Under the Influenza
By 
Joshua Bennett
As I write this, some mysterious strain of the flu virus is kickboxing my immune system into submission. To be honest, I’m not quite sure where it came from. I’m inclined to believe it arrived earlier this week when I shook the hand of a young man (who will remain unnamed, lest this tale of his germiness make his sickly week even more unbearable) after he received his own flu shot earlier that morning. Foolish choice, I know. Nevertheless, in an effort to communicate male solidarity and an air of situational command I deployed the age-old farewell as I took my leave. What happened after would drastically alter the course of young life. Sort of.
Over the next two hours or so, my insides began to resemble the womb of a volcano. I’m talking muscle aches, astronomical fever; coughs that sounded more like the wails of a dying porpoise. Though several of my close friends (shout out to fellow Vision staff member, Marion Smallwood) went to exceptional lengths to repair my ailing body through the use of TheraFlu, chicken noodle soup, and purple love-joy aura energy, nothing seemed to work. My body had become a car running on empty, Bert Without Ernie, a spoon in a drawer full of forks. Now, while few if any of the previous sentence’s metaphors may make sense upon first glance, you’ve got to understand where I’m coming from here. It’s influenza! Granted, it may not be the Spanish influenza, or even that of the swine persuasion that has relegated much of the Western Hemisphere to the farthest reaches of personal and collective trepidation as of late, but it’s definitely an unpleasant biological experience to say the least.
In many ways, my current bout with the flu has urged to me to rethink what it means to be human, to challenge the traditional lens through which I think about what the human body should look like, feel like, do. Now inhabiting a far more limited range of physical motion and verbal dexterity (anyone who has recently had the flu can attests to its debilitating affects on rapid-fire brain function, e.g. one’s ability to viciously clown people), I have been forced to appreciate the beauty of being still, of laying under a trio of warm, cotton comforters and taking in the music of a New York City street four hours before dawn. I’m a firm believer that sometimes our moments of unexpected physical weakness or illness are reminders from our bodies to slow down and rest more. Surely I can speak for any number of students at Penn when I say that more often than not our weeks are little more than a blur of textbook pages, parties, and PowerPoint slides, a seemingly interminable cycle of sensory overload that drives us to our physical and mental limits without ever offering the possibility of rest and rejuvenation.
So, if nothing else, take this brief recounting of my war with influenza as a mix between cautionary tale and Bildungsroman. May it remind you to be both selective with your handshakes and more generous to your bed sheets, to rest long enough in the middle of the rat race to appreciate the fact that you can run at all. We only get to rent these bodies for a couple decades or so, why not take care of them the best we can?
UConn Football Star Murdered During Homecoming Party
By Jared Barchus
On October 17th, the UConn Huskies football team triumphed over division rival Louisville in a 38-25 Homecoming victory. Campus was soon filled with parties celebrating Homecoming weekend and the football team’s win. However, joy soon turned to sorrow when tragedy struck the Storrs, Connecticut campus.
Jasper Howard (6)
At approximately 12:30am on Sunday, October 18th, UConn junior defensive back Jasper Howard was stabbed outside of a party at the campus student center. Just hours after having an impact performance against the Louisville Cardinals, Howard was stabbed on the street after a fire alarm was pulled and more than 300 students came spilling out of the building. A fight broke out and Howard was stabbed in the abdomen during an altercation. University police broke up the melee, but it was too late for the football star.
Howard, 20, was a native of Miami, Florida and aspired to play in the NFL. Despite his 5’10”, 180-pound stature, he made a huge impact on the Huskies football team as a cornerback and a punt return specialist. His coaches and teammates described Howard as “a brother, a mentor, and somebody that you loved to be around.” Howard, affectionately called “Jazz” by his friends and teammates, was a father-to-be and the first member of his family to attend college.
Jasper Howard was considered a very motivated student-athlete. He grew up in Dade County in Miami, Florida and was determined to make it out of the rough neighborhood where he grew up. Jasper’s mother, Joangila, supported him and his two younger sisters by herself. He was an all-state player in football and team captain at Miami Edison High School. Howard’s high school teammate and current Clemson University football star Chris Chancellor will wear Jasper’s jersey number 6 to commemorate his life. Howard’s UConn teammates will also wear his number as a decal on their helmet for the remainder of the season. The team will also carry Jasper’s jersey and helmet to each game with them to keep their slain teammate’s memory close.
Three men have been charged in association with the fight outside of the student center that led to Howard’s death. John William Lomax III, 21, was arrested and charged with murder on Tuesday, October 20th. His bail was set at $2 million. Lomax and two of his friends, who are all residents of Bloomfield, all face criminal charges and are set to appear in court in early November. None of the men are students at UConn. Police are still uncertain of the reason why the fight broke out and whether Howard’s stabbing was intentional.
High School friends of Jasper Howard speak during his funeral Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 in Miami. Howard was fatally stabbed outside a dance on Connecticut's campus. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Jasper Howard’s funeral was held in Miami on Monday, October 26th where 1,700 people, including members of Howard’s biological family and his UConn family, came together to celebrate his life.
The challenge for head coach Randy Edsall and the rest of the UConn football team will be to manage the rest of their season successfully. Since Jasper’s death, UConn lost a close game against West Virginia 28-24 and are set to play Rutgers University on Halloween. The Huskies football team is just trying to get back to normal. “We all have to move on with our everyday lives and understand what we have to get done,” Coach Edsall said. “I am not going to interfere with anybody’s individual way of handling this situation with Jazz, but everyone knows it is time to move forward and go on.”
