Category Archives: Lisa V.

January 5, 2012 · 8:38 pm

A Resolution Revisited

Author: Lisa V. C’02, GEd’10

With the holiday season fading into the rear-view mirror, I find myself facing my annual conundrum: to resolve or not to resolve. There is certainly a part of me that appreciates the opportunity to commit myself to an area of self-improvement each year in the form of a New Years resolution. I suppose its the appeal of starting from scratch, of wiping the slate clean of abandoned past resolutions and giving myself another chance. But then I remember all those abandoned resolutions and find myself becoming discouraged before I even get started. So this year, I’m trying a new twist. Rather than focusing on a part of my life with which I’m less than satisfied, my resolution is to celebrate the part for which I am most appreciative: my incredible network of family and friends. And I’ll start today by recognizing the amazing – and totally crazy – group of people I work with here in the Sweeten Alumni House. As I come back to work after 3 months of maternity leave, I’m more grateful than ever for the support and inspiration I get from these folks every day!

So, what’s your New Years resolution?

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Lisa V.

December 5, 2011 · 7:00 am

The Frankly Pennies

Author: Leigh Ann P.

Surely you all read my previous post about party culture at the Sweeten House. If not, I’ll wait.

Finished? I’m sure you were wildly entertained! Did you leave a comment?

Last week our fearless Frankly Penn blog founder, Aimee LaBrie, hosted a fabulous soiree (can it be a soiree if it’s at 4 PM?) honoring all of us blog contributors – both of the frequent kind and of the once-in-a-lifetime kind. Aimee created awards for each and every blogger and presented them at the event along with personalized gifts. Everyone is so excited about their awards, and a few people around Sweeten have displayed them proudly in their workspaces.

Nicole is so excited about her award, she has it displayed right beneath her office nameplate!

Can you spot Lynn’s award among all of her daughter’s artwork?

Lisa V. doesn’t ever want to spin her chair around and NOT see her Frankly Penny.

Mine is covering up my William + Kate tea towel. Am I finally tired of them?

Jason’s only regret is that the certificate is too small for the frame he had picked out for it.

Hoopes’s award is displayed proudly on his credenza, along with his blogger pride pencil! No wonder he’s proud: who else has an award featuring a cat climbing a ladder?

This is the best award Cecilia has ever received!

Have you ever received an award for anything? Let us know in the comments! If you want to be awarded next year with a Frankly Penny, you could be! All you have to do is contribute to the Frankly Penn blog. Contact Aimee LaBrie at alabrie@upenn.edu for more information.

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Filed under Aimee L., Awards, Cecilia R., Hoopes W., Jason S., Leigh Ann P., Lisa Marie Patzer, Lisa V., Lynn Carroll, Mari M., Nicole M., Photos, The Sweeten Life

August 31, 2011 · 8:02 am

Campus Art

Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02

One of the great things about working on a vibrant university campus like Penn is the never-ending flow of exhibits, performances and cultural events. Yes, despite being one of the world’s most renowned research institutions, Penn also holds its own when it comes to the arts. I say all of this not as an art aficionado – or even an art history minor – but as someone who most frequently enters into cultural experiences by accident. And THIS is why Penn is so great – for those of us who might not seek out these experiences on our own, there is always a new exhibit or performance to stumble upon here on campus.

For example, last week, I navigated to the Penn homepage only to find the following photo:

Needless to say, this visual image was enough to distract me from whatever work-related online destination I was heading toward. I needed to learn more about this photo, which I quickly discovered is part of an upcoming exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art, entitled Blowing On A Hairy Shoulder: Grief Hunters. Grief – as in, my boyfriend just dumped me so why not go sit on the beach with an umbrella and wait for a thunderstorm? I told you – I’m no expert. According to the ICA’s website, this exhibition presents work by twenty artists from Israel, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Britain, and America that examines the relationships between originality and origin. Through video, photography, drawing, and sculpture these works take the challenges of “originality”—invention, innovation, novelty—to extremes, while making the term “origin” (genesis, precedent, historical debt, pre-historic territory) a subject.

This is all way over my head – but it’s intriguing enough to make me want to spend a lunch hour exploring the exhibit this fall. Plus, I’m dying to know what’s going on with this guy.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Homecoming Weekend featuring arts and culture, Lisa V., The Arts, The Arts at Penn

July 19, 2011 · 6:51 pm

Penn Alumni Webinar: What Do We Know About Autism?

As part of Penn Alumni Education’s commitment to bringing intellectual and academic programming to alumni, Office Hours gives you the chance to learn about and discuss relevant issues with Penn faculty from your own home or office.

Next week, hear from Dr. Jennifer Pinto-Martin, the Viola MacInnes/Independence Professor of Nursing, and Interim Chair in the Bio-behavioral and Health Sciences Division, as she discuss what current sciences can tell us about autism, reviewing what is known about the causes of ASD and ongoing studies, including her CDC funded Study to Explore Early Development (SEED).

Over the past 20 years, the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased markedly, spurring increased attention, speculation and research about the cause. Significant media attention has been given to recently published data on the disorder’s genetic heritability, non-genetic risk factors, and risks associated with SSRI’s, one group of commonly used antidepressant medications (see below for links to recent articles in Time and The New York Times), all of which confirms that both genes and environment matter.

The webinar will be held on Tuesday, July 26 from 1-2 PM EST. Registration and additional information available here . It’s easy to sign up and be part on this timely and important discussion.

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Filed under Academics, Alumni Programming, Lisa V.

Tagged as Webinar

May 18, 2011 · 1:48 pm

And Then They Were Gone…

Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02

The Tuesday following Alumni Weekend and Commencement is always an eerie day on campus. For an entire year, those of us in Alumni Relations – as well as students, faculty and staff across the University – work towards the second weekend in May when thousands of alumni, family and friends converge on Penn’s campus for a weekend full of reunion parties, parades and picnics. All of this culminates in Commencement, Penn’s extraordinary university-wide graduation ceremony which draws 25,000 to Franklin Field. The energy level on campus throughout the weekend is contagious – enough to keep even those of us working 72 hours straight smiling. And then, it’s all over.

Commencement Parade Down Locust Walk

Don’t get me wrong – there is a general sense of relief upon returning to the office on Tuesday. The deadlines have all been met, the programs executed and well-received. And now, finally, there is a chance to catch my breath and start working my way through my momentarily neglected email inbox. Yet while I marvel at how quickly the Starbucks line now moves, or the lack of traffic at the Houston Hall salad bar, I do feel as though something is missing.

Lucky for me, that something will be back come September. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy not having to fight for an outdoor table at lunch.

Congratulations to the Class of 2011! I look forward to seeing you back on campus for Alumni Weekend next year.

A Moment of Celebration

More photos from Alumni Weekend 2011 coming soon here. Photos from Commencement 2011 can be seen here.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Alumni Weekend, Alumnni Education, Commencement, Lisa V.

April 18, 2011 · 3:46 pm

Office Hours: The Royal Treatment

Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02

We all know that Penn is a globally renowned institution of research and higher education, home to the world’s greatest experts on everything from stem-cell research, neuroscience and genetics, to cultural anthropology, psychology, and nanotechnology. But what makes Penn really stand out among its peers, in my opinion, is its character. Rather than losing its distinct personality in the race to the top of that esteemed list of universities, my alma mater remains in touch with its fun, charismatic side.

One example: the Penn Alumni Office Hours series. While these online webinars often feature faculty speaking on highly intellectual, academic content – including evolutionary psychology, bioethics, and cutting edge robotic technology – they also feature scholarly perspectives on timely, cultural topics.

Join us on Wednesday, April 20 at 1 PM EST

Need another example? This Wednesday, April 20 at 1 pm EST, Office Hours will take a look at Royal Weddings: Past and Present. Rosalind Coward, visiting researcher at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication and a recognized expert on the Royal Family, will share her perspective on the pomp, circumstance and tradition surrounding Great Britain’s royal weddings, with a special focus on the pending nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Britain Royal, Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton

What better way to indulge that guilty pleasure for celebrity gossip than with an academic perspective from one of the world’s greatest institutions for higher learning?

For more information on this and other online webinars, visit www.alumni.upenn.edu/education/officehours.html.

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Filed under Alumnni Education, Lisa V.

Tagged as Penn Alumni Office Hours, Webinar

April 13, 2011 · 1:30 pm

Spring Fling is On Its Way

Author: Lisa V., C’02

With Penn’s annual Spring Fling weekend just days away, I find myself thinking about the origin of this famous (some might say infamous) Penn tradition.

Skimmer Day

According to University Archives, Spring Fling actually grew out of an earlier Penn tradition known as Skimmer. Beginning in 1949, Penn students would gather on a Saturday each spring on the banks of the Schuylkill River to encourage the Penn crew team. This tradition soon expanded to become a weekend of social, musical, and athletic events both along the river and on-campus. Soon thousands of students from up and down the East Coast flocked to Skimmer, enjoying not just the races, but also the jazz bands, the motorcades, the “co-ed” poster contest, the concerts, the dances, the fraternity parties, and the beer.

Unfortunately, the event turned out to be too popular for its own good. Large crowds, combined with youthful high spirits (and alcohol), eventually led to injuries, property damage, and arrests. Over time, the focus of Skimmer Day/Spring Weekend shifted more and more away from off-campus activities along the Schuylkill River to organized events on-campus.

Like all traditions, Spring Fling is one that has evolved over time. As per University Archives, “The first official Spring Fling was held the weekend of April 21, 1973. Almost all of the weekend’s activities – which included carnival booths, art exhibits, and five hours of square dancing – took place in the Quad, and the concert, then gratis, featured a no-name guitarist named Dave Weinburg, who played from a chair on the grass of the Quad in front of McClelland Hall.”

This year, Spring Fling activities will take place across campus – from the headliner concert at Franklin Field to the carnival in the Quad and everywhere in between – and will attract nearly ten thousand revelers. The headline concert in Franklin Field – featuring Lupe Fiasco, Ratatat and Flo Rida – has already sold out at over 8,000 seats. The campus may have changed over the years, but the spirit of celebration at the start of this new season has not waned. In fact, it grows stronger each year.

Spring Fling: Then

Spring Fling Now

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Filed under Historical, Lisa V., Memories of Penn, Traditions

Tagged as Spring Fling

March 30, 2011 · 6:39 pm

At Penn, Life Sometimes Imitates…Dr. Seuss?

Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02

We’ve all heard the old adage that “life imitates art.” But this Monday, it came to life right outside my office window (click on photo to see a larger view):