News Briefs

The Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll brings merchants to University City that will offer deals for a dollar.

This year’s Strolls occur on Thursday, June 13, and Thursday, Sept. 12, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Vendors will line Baltimore Avenue from 42nd to 50th streets. Participants include Aksum, 4630 Baltimore Ave., the Baltimore Avenue Pet Shoppe, 4532 Baltimore Ave., Vientiane Café, 4728 Baltimore Ave., Milk & Honey, 4435 Baltimore Ave., and Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave., along with mobile food vendors.

For more information, call 215-243-0555 or visit www.universitycity.org.

Morris Arboretum

Each year, gardeners with a green thumb can add unusual or hard-to-find plants to their yards, window boxes, and flower beds at the Morris Arboretum’s annual plant sale. The sale runs on Friday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Horticulture Center at Bloomfield Farm, across the street from the Arboretum’s public garden.

Friday is for members only; all members will receive a 10 percent discount on their entire purchase, and receive a free dividend plant (which could include a Japanese Tassel Fern, Columnar Basil, Cheyenne early lilac, or a Tea of Commerce). Saturday is open to the public; Morris Arboretum members receive a 10 percent discount on purchases.

Plants for sale are grown by local nurseries familiar with the regional climate and soils. Items include a varied selection of annuals and perennials—from the eye-catching “Bonfire Scarlet” begonia and the heat-tolerant “Phenomenal” Lavender to Kleim’s Hardy Gardenia and a selection of roses that date back as early as 1513. The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society will also be on hand with a large selection of rhododendrons, many of which are not available elsewhere. For more information, go to www.morrisarboretum.org.

Philly nonprofits looking for support for innovative arts and culture projects can get a boost from a new grant program from the University City District. The Porch Partnership Programming Fund is a three-round, $150,000 grant-making effort for local organizations seeking to facilitate arts and culture projects at The Porch at 30th Street Station. The fund is supported by the William Penn Foundation.

The fund’s first round of grants will support projects executed between August and October 2013; proposals are due on Friday, May 31.

Information on The Porch at 30th Street Station can be found at http://universitycity.org/porch-events. Local nonprofits interested in the fund can learn more about the submission process at http://universitycity.org/request-proposals.

Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital has been designated by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care as one of nine Veterinary Trauma Centers in the country, and the only 24/7 center within a 100-mile radius of Philadelphia.

A goal of the trauma center network is to create a database of information related to animals that can be used for trauma research.

The Penn community is invited to celebrate the success of the Making History Campaign at a campus-wide party on Friday, April 19, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Penn Park, 31st Street between Walnut and South streets. The gala will feature Grammy Award-winning artists John Legend, C’99, and Train, entertainment by more than a dozen student groups, exhibition sports matches, food and beverages, and a fireworks finale.

The event is open to Penn students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and their families. Advance registration is required. All attendees must bring their event confirmation emails for admission; faculty, staff, and students must bring their PennCards, as well. Family members who are attending must be registered and all adults will need photo ID to gain entry.

For more information or to register, visit www.alumni.upenn.edu/timetoshine.

Maureen Rush, vice president of the Division of Public Safety, and Penn Police sergeants Michael Belisairo and Christian Vandervort recently completed a hearing before the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Conference in North Charleston, S.C. The Penn Police Department received its 5th CALEA Accreditation Award. They were honored with Accreditation with Excellence, the highest level an agency can receive.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies was created in 1979. The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by maintaining a body of standards—developed by public safety practitioners—covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.

Rush credits the CALEA accreditation team, which consists of Capt. Gerald Leddy, Belisairo, and Vandervort, for their hard work and dedication, as well as all members of the Division of Public Safety for the support provided to the accreditation team in preparing for the reaccreditation process.

Conrad Erb/University City District

In April, the University City District wants you to linger at The Porch, the reimagined public space adjacent to 30th Street Station, for a variety of events, including live music, fitness classes, and a beer garden. Every Monday and Friday, from noon to 1 p.m., performers will be regaling listeners with lunchtime accordion serenades, and each Wednesday at noon, WXPN will feature live music from up-and-coming local artists, including Dante Bucci on April 3 and The Fleeting Ends on April 10. The Give and Take Jugglers will return on April 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and The Little Circus will perform on April 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Backpack Gallery, which combines visual art and performance, will be in attendance on April 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Gourmet food trucks, including The Cow and the Curd, Cupcake Carnival, and Spot Burger, will also be parked at The Porch on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Bridgewater’s Pub will be hosting a beer garden on April 18 and 19 from 3 to 8 p.m. To work off all of those cupcakes and beer, opt for a bootcamp, Bokwa, or Zumba class hosted by BodyRock Bootcamp on Thursdays at 6 p.m. For more information on all events at The Porch, go to www.universitycity.org.

The Burrison Gallery is calling for artwork submittals to be considered for its third annual University Club Members Exhibit, a juried group show that will run from June 29 through Aug. 16. Any member of the University Club at Penn may submit their work for consideration. The purpose of this show is to highlight the creativity of University Club members and to provide them with a venue to share their work with the Penn community. In order to qualify for consideration, participants must be members of the University Club when submittal packages are received. To become a member, apply at www.upenn.edu/universityclub/onlinemembership.php.

Submittal packages will include a completed application form and up to three digital images of individual works of art on a CD or DVD. Works of art must be two-dimensional (paintings, drawings, photography, prints, fabric pieces, etc.). The deadline for submission of the package is Monday, April 1; selected artists will be notified by April 30. For more information, go to: www.business-services.upenn.edu/universityclub/burrison.shtml.

Penn commuters who use mass transit were already saving a bit more because of the recently approved American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Now, an amended section of the Act has increased the maximum monthly excludable amount for employer-provided transportation and transit-pass benefits. The amendment is effective retroactively, beginning on Jan. 1, 2012, and extending through Dec. 31, 2013. Transit benefits provided by an employer above $125 and up to $240 in 2012, and up to $245 in 2013, qualify for exemption from federal, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. The increase in exclusion amounts, however, was not received until after the University issued 2012 W-2 forms, which means Penn will issue a corrected wage and tax statement to take into account the change.

The increase affects both weekly and monthly payroll deductions and reflects the maximum pre-tax amount allowed to be taken out of paychecks for commuter expenses per calendar month for 2013. In addition to those who use SEPTA, the increase applies to those who use the Commuter Check Card Prepaid MasterCard, TransitChek, PATCO, DART and NJ Transit. For more information, visit the Penn Parking Services website or email the Parking Office at parking@exchange.upenn.edu.

Effective Feb. 25, Thomas H. Murphy will become Penn’s new vice president for information technology and University chief information officer. Murphy is currently chief information officer of DaVita HealthCare Partners, where he is responsible for all information technology supporting the company’s business and clinical operations. He was previously senior vice president and chief information officer of AmerisourceBergen, an $80 billion provider of pharmaceuticals and health-care services. He has been a leader in information technology across multiple industries as chief information officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Bristol Hotels & Resorts, the Cendant Corporation and Omni Hotels.

In 2010, he was elected to the CIO Hall of Fame and named one of the Best CIOs in America in by Business Trends Quarterly, and a Top CIO of 2011 by SmartCEO Magazine. He also was recognized as one of the Premier 100 IT Leaders of 2002 by ComputerWorld and one of the top 100 Innovators of 2001 by CIO Magazine.

Penn’s Office of Admissions offers a special service for faculty, staff, alumni, and their children approaching college age who have attended Penn Admissions Information Sessions and participated in campus tours, but have additional questions about the admissions process.

An admissions officer is available to address questions during drop-in hours held on the first Friday of every month from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Office of Admissions, 1 College Hall. Sessions are scheduled for March 1, April 5, May 3, and June 7.

Advance reservations are requested at info@admissions.upenn.edu. Sessions will not take place on first Fridays coinciding with University holidays, or if the Office of Admissions is closed.