January 15, 2014

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF PENNSYLVANIA DP

online at thedp.com

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2014

Winter break sees two undergraduate deaths Engineering and Wharton senior Kevin Zhao died in China BY HARRY COOPERMAN City News Editor-elect Engineering and Wharton senior Kevin Zhao died over winter break while traveling with his family in China, according to an email sent to Wharton undergraduates. He was 21. Zhao died peacefully in his sleep due to cardiac arrest, said family friend Charles Fisher, speaking on behalf of the Zhao family. A memorial service will be held for Zhao on Jan. 18 at 3:00 p.m. in Bodek Lounge in Houston Hall, Fish-

er said in an email. Zhao’s parents, Jay and Lin Zhao, recalled their son as a “remarkable and gifted young man” who had an “inspiring sense of curiosity, especially when it came to science.” At Penn, Zhao was on the board of the Wharton China Business Society. According to his LinkedIn account, he was also a research assistant at Wharton and a teaching assistant for CIS 120 in fall 2011. It was “always important to him to not only help his parents and family, but also to do good things for others,” Jay and Lin Zhao said in a statement provided by Fisher. Zhao’s parents said that their

Engineering and Wharton junior Pulkit Singh died Sunday

Campus Resources

KEVIN ZHAO

The Engineering and Wharton senior was from Stony Brook, New York

Counseling and Psychological Services 215-898-7021 215-349-5490 (Nights and weekends) University Chaplain’s Office 215-898-8456 Student Health Service 215-746-3535 Office of the Vice Provost for University Life 215-898-6081

SEE ZHAO PAGE 5

BY JILL CASTELLANO Staff Writer

PULKIT SINGH

The Engineering and Wharton junior was from Long Island, New York

Pulkit Singh, an Engineering and Wharton junior, died Sunday. He was 20 years old. Singh’s cause of death is being investigated, Philadelphia Health Department spokesperson Jeff Moran confirmed in an email on Monday. Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said that Penn Police became aware of Singh’s death after 1 p.m. on Sunday. Rush added that Singh was found in his bedroom in his off-campus

house. Singh, known to friends as Josh, was a dual-degree student majoring in computer science. He was from Long Island, New York and attended Bethpage High School. “He was the star of our family, and he had a brain that could think at least 10 or 12 years ahead of his time,” said Joginder Singh, his uncle. Singh has been living with his aunt and uncle, Joginder Singh, since his parents died in 2007. He and his younger brother, Ankur Singh, found their parents shot and killed inside their home in Long Island after they came home from school. The case was

SEE SINGH PAGE 5

ARCHing over campus, a cultural hub reopens BY JENNY LU Staff Writer

Cultural Centers

C

onstruction on the ARCH, located at the intersection of 36th Street and Locust Walk, is finally complete. The building opened to the public on Monday, Jan. 13, and classes will be held in the ARCH starting today. The new ARCH preserved its old physical exterior as well as most of the previous floor plan. The building, built in the 1920s, now boasts more lounge and study places as well as renovated spaces for the three cultural centers that the ARCH houses. “It’s a dramatic upgrade in quality and shared space,” University Architect David Hollenberg said. The $24.5 million restoration was sponsored in part by a $15 million anonymous gift the University received in April 2011 as part of the Making History campaign. Construction began in the summer of 2012. As part of the University’s commitment to sustainability, the ARCH building is aiming for LEED silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. “The new ARCH celebrates the best of the building’s remarkable history while embracing technology and design to create a stateof-the art hub for campus life,” President Amy Gutmann said in a written statement. “I’m pleased that this renovated building will support the diverse intellectual and social student experience that distinguishes Penn and adds to our eminence,” she added. The ARCH will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. No PennCard access will be required to enter the building during the hours it is open. The building is run by the Vice Provost for University Life, and students can book room space in the ARCH on the Perelman Quadrangle’s website.

Editorial (215) 898-6585 • Business (215) 898-6581

The ground floor, located beneath the main 36th Street entrance, has been transformed into a hub for the three cultural centers: La Casa Latina, Makuu: The Black Cultural Center and the Pan-Asian American Community House. Each center has its own lounge and offices. In front of the offices is more lounge and study space with booth seating. One new addition is a staircase leading directly from 36th Street down to an entrance on the ground floor for easier access to the cultural centers.

Spaces for Students

ARCH HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 8A.M. to Midnight SATURDAY 10A.M. to 1A.M. SUNDAY 10A.M. to 10P.M. LOCATED IN ARCH: LA CASA LATINA MAKUU: THE BLACK CULTURAL CENTER PAN-ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY HOUSE (PAACH) CENTER FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND FELLOWSHIPS (CURF)

The first floor is home to a large multipurpose room that can be used for seminars or speaker events, or as a lounge if there are no planned events. There are three additional conference rooms with up-to-date technology and video-conferencing capabilities. The second floor contains an auditorium that functions as a classroom. The lecture hall-type seating is mounted on wheels and a track that can be pushed back into storage units in the back of the auditorium to clear space for dance or theater rehearsal, or to fit in tables and chairs for other events. The auditorium has also been outfitted with new lighting and acoustics. The third floor also has a room specifically designed for dance and theater rehearsals, with hardwood floors and a mirrored wall. There are men’s and women’s restrooms on every floor in the ARCH except for the first floor. The ground floor also has a gender neutral bathroom, an option that Facilities and Real Estate Services is trying to include in every new project, according to Hollenberg.

SEE ARCH PAGE 3

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January 15, 2014 by The Daily Pennsylvanian - Issuu