THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018 VOL. CXXXV
NO. 7
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
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IFC changes education policies Council aims to decrease no-shows at mandatory events for new members AMANPREET SINGH News Reporter
Under coach Leslie King, Penn softball has left several former players and parents in distress YOSEF WEITZMAN | Sports Editor
T
here were only two weeks left in the 2012 Penn softball season when thensophomore Mikenzie Voves decided to quit the team. Before she quit, Voves had been one of Penn’s strongest pitchers, winning 21 games and throwing 156 strikeouts for the Quakers. Despite that, Voves felt like she wasn’t wanted on the team. Voves announced her resignation to the team in an email that was forwarded to The Daily Pennsylvanian by Jim Metcalf, who is the parent of former Penn softball assistant coach Devon Metcalf and former Penn softball player Hayley Metcalf. In the email, Voves also included the message she shared with Penn softball coach Leslie King, who has coached at Penn since 2004.
“IF YOU HAVE NINE PLAYERS QUIT IN TWO YEARS, HOW DOES THAT NOT RAISE A HUGE RED FLAG?” - Peter Rowley
“Coach King, I am not unique on the team with regards to many of the feelings that have festered and grown inside of me for the last two years,” Voves wrote. “Girls are frightened of talking to you, many are depressed on some level, some have their parents come on a regular basis to keep them together and others feel lost and forgotten.” Voves’ departure came just two years after the DP reported that four Penn softball players quit the team before the 2010 season. At the time, King was adamant that the players’ decisions to quit were not part of a larger trend within the program. “If you’re looking to see if there is some kind of underlying problem in our program, you’re SEE SOFTBALL PAGE 9
The Interfraternity Council published the attendance rates of fraternities at various mandatory educational programs for the first time last September. The results indicated that only five of Penn’s 27 fraternities managed to meet the attendance mandate. This spring, the IFC is taking steps toward solving the attendance problem in its New Member Education program. Last year, fraternities were required to send three new members to a sexual health education course hosted by Student Health Service, 10 new members to the Vagina Monologues, and every new member to a presentation by Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault. This year, however, fraternities will choose three programs to attend from a list of nine. The options now include a masculinity workshop, the Men & Masculinity Summit, an I CARE mental health training from Counseling and Psychological Services, a SHS Wellness workshop, and an alcohol and drug presentation by First Step with the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Initiatives. IFC President and College junior Reginal Murphy said that while IFC “cannot make people go,” he hopes the new options will be “better” at engaging members. “If things are more interactive and fun, people will want to come,” Murphy said. “It’s just to give chapters a bit more options in terms of scheduling and content,” said Wharton junior Nico DeLuna, who formerly served as the vice president of New Member Education & Recruitment. “Giving more options will definitely make it easier and hopefully the chapter will get more value out of it also instead of it just being a checking [of] a box because they have to,” DeLuna said, adding that the 27 different chapters “each have their own different needs.” Murphy said that just as in previous years, fraternities can lose accreditation points if they don’t adhere to the new requirements. The more events fraterniSEE IFC PAGE 3
SAM HOLLAND | SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR & GILLIAN DIEBOLD | DESIGN EDITOR
Spring Fling concert to be condensed and held in Penn Park Fling will no longer be in the Quad and will only be one day MICHEL LIU News Editor
This year, Spring Fling will no longer take place in the Quad, Penn’s Social Planning and Events Committee announced on Jan. 28. This change marks a break from 45 years of Spring Fling history and shortens the festivities to a single day in Penn Park instead of two days spread across the Quad and a main stage. This shift especially affects students in performing arts groups, who traditionally perform during Fling festivities in the Quad. The news of Fling’s structure change prompted several student performing arts groups to raise the question of whether they will have a chance to perform during Fling at all. Mask and Wig Secretary-Treasurer and College senior Ethan Fein said playing during Fling was one of the club’s “favorite gigs.” “We also enjoy seeing other groups perform in the Quad in a sort of lowpressure but high-energy environment,” Fein said. While SPEC has not released details about student groups performing at Fling this year, Fein said he has concerns that “groups will have less time,
or not as many groups would get to perform.” Wharton sophomore Linda Ashmead, one of the SPEC Fling directors who helped make the decision to move festivities out of the Quad, told 34th Street Magazine that SPEC “hope[s] to increase turnout and promote a stronger collaboration between SPEC Spring Fling and SPEC Concerts.” Bloomers Musical Director and College junior Becca Lambright said that she is “a little apprehensive” because the previous two-day structure allowed groups to have twice as much time to schedule gigs in the Quad. College senior Karis Stephen, who performed at Fling last year with her musical project Eleven and is a member of Counterparts, said she thinks this change will benefit performing groups. “I think it will be a positive change in terms of the performance lineup,” Stephen said. “This new way will inevitably draw more attention for those who are performing, since Penn students can just spend one whole day in Penn Park and hop from performance to performance.” Lambright noted that the distance between Penn Park and the rest of campus may be a logistical challenge when transporting sound systems and equipment to the new venue. However, Lambright said she also
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looked forward to possibly performing in Penn Park. She said a setup similar to Skimmerfest, which also takes place in Penn Park, can accommodate more people. She also noted that this year’s Spring Fling may be less disruptive to freshmen who reside in the Quad. “I know for freshmen who lived in the Quad, it’s super obnoxious to have Fling there because they can’t take a nap or can’t do their work because it’s really loud,” Lambright said. Students noted that the new structure of Fling may affect the way students will schedule their activities. College sophomore Johnny Vitale, who has performed in the Quad during Spring Fling with his band and is a member of Mask and Wig, said that on the first day of Fling, students often chose between festivities in the Quad and conflicting events. “Maybe someone would rather go to a darty than go to QuadFest,” Vitale said. “Now that it’s all in one place, people can more easily schedule and then they have more time on other days to go to different parties and stuff.” Lambright, however, questioned whether concentrating events into one day will actually appeal to students. “When it’s all one day at Penn Park, it’s kind of a trek, so people probably won’t want to go home and come back,”
FILE PHOTO
Breaking generations of tradition, SPEC will move Spring Fling out of the historic venue of the Quad after 45 years in order to increase both interest and attendance.
she said. “They probably don’t want to be there the whole day, so I’m a little curious to see if [the changes] will actually help attendance.” When asked about the change, 2008 College graduate Alex Distell said performing in the Quad with Mask and Wig was a defining moment of his Penn ex-
NEWS Provost Pritchett fields questions
NEWS Wynn Commons defaced
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perience. “[Penn Park] is not going to evoke the same emotion as going into the Quad does,” Distell said. “A lot of people used to live in the Quad, they have a lot of emotional nostalgic attachment to it … that’s like part of the DNA of Spring Fling.”
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Political Science and Econ building to open The building should be completed by May 2018 DEENA ELUL Staff Reporter
The Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, a new building which will house the Political Science Department and Economics Department, will officially be completed this coming May, several months after the original January 2018 completion estimate. The building, located on the corner of 36th and Walnut streets, will contain a 120-seat auditorium, classrooms, faculty offices, undergraduate study spaces, and conference rooms. It has formerly housed the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Counseling and Psychological Services, and a number of administrative offices. The current renovation began in February 2016, and the project cost a total of $77.6 million. According to Michael Dausch, executive director of design and construction for Facilities and Real Estate Services, the building will be ready for occupancy in midApril and will be fully completed
in May. The two academic departments will move into the Perelman Center at the end of the current school year. Faculty members and students said that they hope the Perelman Center will centralize and unify the two departments. Political Science professor Marc Meredith said that his department is currently divided between two buildings — Stiteler Hall and an office building on 34th and Market streets. “I think it will make doing the governance of our department easier with us all being under the same roof,” Meredith said. He added that he hopes the building will bring the Economics Department and Political Science Department together. “I personally am very excited because I do some work in both fields,” Meredith said. “I think that being in the same building is really useful for building connections with people who you otherwise wouldn’t necessarily come into contact with on campus at all.” Economics Department Chair George Mailath also emphasized that the new building contains facilities that are ideal for collaboration.
“One of the things that we are particularly looking forward to is having more breakout spaces where faculty and graduate students can work together in small groups,” Mailath said, adding that, “It’s always nice to get new space.” College sophomore Aaron Askowitz, who is majoring in philosophy, politics, and economics, said that most buildings for departments in the College of Arts and Sciences are “a bit dated” compared to newer buildings such as Huntsman Hall and SteinbergDietrich Hall. “This new poli sci building I think will enhance the College experience for a lot of people,” Askowitz said, citing the building’s location and new amenities. “I’m looking forward to taking classes there.” College freshman Zachary Zamore, who is considering majoring in economics, said that he hopes the new building will centralize the two departments. “I think that this new building gives these two really important fields of study that a lot of people are interested in a unified home that will make the departments so much better,” Zamore said.
PAULINE COLAS | STAFF PHOTOGRAHER
According to the executive director of design and construction for Facilities and Real Estate Services, the Perelman Center will be ready for occupancy in mid-April and will be fully completed in May.
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
Responses to wellness site Students have mixed reactions to the initiative AMY LIU Staff Reporter
Each therapist sees
25-27 students per week
Penn’s new wellness website was unveiled last week, and so far students and wellness groups have had mixed reactions. The website — which aims to streamline all of the University’s mental health resources, events, and news — is one of the wellness initiatives announced after last October’s Campus Conversation by President Amy Gutmann on Jan. 23 in an email to the Penn community. Some student groups are fans of the website since they consistently are listed as resources for mental health on campus. Penn Benjamins peer counselor and College senior Elena Schiavone said this has not always been the case, especially in some emails the University sends out listing resources to the campus community. “Sometimes we are listed and sometimes we’re not. That’s frustrating because they should have an official list that is comprehensive,” Schiavone said. “It doesn’t hurt to have this cohesive website where everything is brought up front.” The website organizes the topic of wellness into eight categories: emotional, physical, mental, social, sexual, spiritual, financial, and occupational. Wharton freshman Alan Wang said the categories are helpful to students who would not otherwise know about certain resources. The website also has a section for students to submit ideas on how to improve both the site and general wellness at Penn. “I would not have thought about occupational wellness before,” Wang said. Still, some students take issue with the rigidness of the categories. Schiavone said it discourages overlap between categories since organizations
average wait time
15%
7-10 days
of students who visit are referred to an outside provider
ALANA ShUkOvSKY I DESIGN EDITOR
and clubs on campus are generally listed under one of the eight wellness categories only. Penn Benjamins, for example, moreonly students is listed undervisited “mental,” in SEPT 2017 compared while Schiavone said it should 2016 be under to theSEPT “emotional” wellness category as well. “People who don’t necessarily want to go through a mental issue that they feel is clinical, but still feel emotionally unwell, could get to us through there,” Schiavone said. College freshman Daniel Gordon, a member of the Student Committee of Undergraduate Education, said that more work should be done to promote the website. Currently, the website does not appear on the first page of a Google search for “Wellness at Penn,” which is the name of the website. “Besides that original email we haven’t heard much about it at all,” Gordon said. “RAs and GAs can also disseminate information, having that more personal connection from someone who knows you very well is much a much stronger way to achieve this.” Students have also said that the website is only a surfacelevel response to more deeprooted problems that affect mental health, particularly academic policies. “Weed out” courses and short breaks are just some of the issues students have
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cited in the past. “I don’t really think it’s getting to more the root of issue. These sessions resources have already been took place overall listedinforSEPT Penn2017 so essentially it’s than like an online brochure,” Schiain SEPT 2016 vone said. “There are some things that are going to take a lot of time and discussions with higher ups that are in charge of the systemic aspects of academics at Penn.” Still, Schiavone added that the website is a “step in the right direction.” “I don’t want to come across as pessimistic because if we react negatively to the changes they make and the money they provide to wellness, it’s going to stop encouraging them to continue to do so,” Schiavone said. Both students from Penn Wellness and Penn Benjamins said the effort made by the administration is worth noting and has the potential to drive dialogue. “I just hope students can realize how much administrators really do care and how much they’re trying to do what’s in their power to hear us out,” Penn Wellness co-chair and College junior Serena Vargulick said. “There’s only so much that can be presented to you and then to a certain point it’s on you to be the one to reach out and take advantage of what we do have available.”
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NEWS 3
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Provost Pritchett answers questions from Penn staff He discussed mental health and sexual violence at Penn KAITLYN BOYLE Staff Reporter
Roughly 50 members of Penn’s staff crowded into the Terrace Room of Claudia Cohen Hall at midday on Tuesday for a conversation with Provost Wendell Pritchett. The Penn Professional Staff Assembly sponsored a talk with the provost as one of its two large open meetings of the academic year for staff members to discuss various university initiatives. The PPSA is an organization that works to address the questions and concerns of the University’s paid monthly employees by providing them a forum for discussion. The board of the PPSA chose Pritchett as the January speaker for a variety of reasons. “We want to have a list of speakers who are going to appeal to a broad audience,” Heather KelleyThompson, PPSA chair and the deputy director at Future of Nursing Scholars Program at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said. “Provost Pritchett is, I think, really in the forefront of what Penn is thinking about right now.” Kelley added that Prittchet’s heavy involvement in the University’s upcoming teach-in were contributing factors to PPSA’s choice.
She said board members reached out to Pritchett shortly after he was appointed Provost, as many members were interested in hearing his story. “I haven’t had the opportunity to hear our new provost speak, so I’m interested to hear what he has to say about what’s most pressing on his agenda for the University,” Meredith Methlie, PPSA member and Administrative Director of the Organizational Dynamics program team, said. Although the event was tailored specifically to PPSA members, other Penn employees were also invited to attend. Associate Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Penn Engineering Yulanda Essoka said she came to the conversation to hear about topics related to her position. “I didn’t know if something might be discussed regarding diversity and inclusion initiatives or what he has in terms of a broader plan for his vision here at Penn,” Essoka said. Pritchett began the conversation with an overview of both his and the University’s goals over the coming years, naming topics such as innovation and involvement with the Philadelphia School District as high priorities. Recently, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney selected Pritchett to serve on a panel to nominate the the
city’s new school board. Pritchett has a personal connection with the Philadelphia school district — both of his parents taught in the schools, his wife currently teaches at a school, and both of his daughters attended schools in the district. “Penn’s success depends on the success of the city, so Penn has to be deeply invested in the schools,” Pritchett said. Pritchett ultimately opened up the floor for questions, which provided an opportunity for staff members to voice concerns or speak up with questions both specific to individual situations and more broadly related to the University. One staff member asked specifically about the progress in the search for the new Vice Provost and Director of Libraries. The current Vice Provost and Director, Carton Rogers, will be retiring at the end of June 2018 after working in Penn Libraries for over 42 years, since 1975. Penn recently announced the creation of a committee to help select the new vice provost and director of libraries. Another staff member asked if there are any more plans to support DACA students at Penn. Pritchett responded by saying that Penn always supports them, and if they want more information or help, they should go to the Transnational Law Firm. A separate staff member ques-
MONA LEE | NEWS PHOTO EDITOR
Pritchett cited the administration’s roll-out of additional resources within Counseling and Psychological Services and the Campaign for Wellness.
tioned whether there were any plans in the works to address sexual assault and the reporting of such incidents on campus. The staff member added that students often don’t feel comfortable going to the dean’s office in general, especially when reporting issues like sexual assault. Pritchett responded by saying that the University has been reassessing its procedures, stating, “I had conversations this week, today, with college deans and others about, ‘are we really doing as much as we can to support our students and faculty and stuff in this area?” Most recently, Pritchett said he sent out a video to faculty to update the professional staff of the policies
in place regarding sexual harassment, violence and how to respond in a situation where they become aware of its occurrence. He also noted the challenges that present themselves when operating in such a decentralized university. Currently, students looking to report sexual harassment and sexual violence can face different processes depending on the type of complaint and the person being reported. Students looking to report incidents of sexual violence, relationship violence or stalking against faculty or instructional staff can go directly to the Office of the Sexual Violence Investigative Officer, but those looking to report sexual ha-
rassment by faculty or instructional staff have to go through the chair of the department or dean of the school of the person being reported. Pritchett noted that this system might change in the future. “While we have a relatively clear structure right now, which, again, starts in the schools, that doesn’t that mean we are going to keep it exactly the way we have it right now,” he said, adding that they should “continue to push and make recommendations.” Another staff member asked about what the administration is doing to address mental health on campus. Pritchett responded by citing the administration’s roll-out of additional resources within Counseling and Psychological Services, the Campaign for Wellness, and the University’s new wellness website. He added that they are in the process of undergoing a review of efficiency and operations at CAPS and that the suggestions they’ve received from the staff at Penn Medicine have been helpful. “This is another area where it’s the Provost’s responsibility and the President’s responsibility to lead the University, but we all have to help,” Pritchett said. “Culture is not created by the top, culture is created by everyone.”
Wynn Commons defaced following sexual misconduct allegations Streaks of black paint were seen across the word “Wynn” REBECCA TAN Executive Editor
The signage for Wynn Commons, which is named after former Penn Trustee Steve Wynn, was defaced on Jan. 30. This comes just days after the Wall Street Journal published an investigative report in which dozens of people described a pattern of sexual misconduct by Wynn. Among other allegations, the 1963 College graduate is said to have forced various employees to perform sex acts for him. Wynn served on Penn’s Board of Trustees until 2004, and in 1995, donated $7.5 million to the University to finish the construction of Perelman Quad. Most, if not all, Penn students will recognize his last name, which is inscribed in boldfaced lettering below the Penn crest in the area just outside Houston Hall. This morning, streaks of black paint were seen across
the word “Wynn” on the structure in the Perelman Quad. Multiple passersby said they saw the results of the defacement around 9:00 a.m. Some also report seeing policemen and campus security personnel around the signage during that time. By 11 a.m., visible efforts had been made to clean up the black paint, but remnants of the defacement could still be seen. “As this is an on-going investigation, we do not have any additional information to share at this time. We will keep you posted,” Kathleen Shields Anderson, the director of operations and external affairs for the Division of Public Safety, wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Penn has yet to address what actions the University will be taking — if any — in light of the growing allegations against Wynn. Apart from serving as a Penn Trustee, Wynn has been a major donor to the University, and was granted an honorary Doctor of Laws by Penn in 2006. In an email to the DP last
week, University spokesperson Steve MacCarthy wrote, “These are very troubling allegations and we are monitoring the situation closely. But at this point we are unable to comment further.” On Jan. 27, Wynn resigned as the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, a position he was appointed to by the Trump administration. For years, Wynn and President Trump rivaled as major casino mogul billionaires, and while Trump was running for president, Wynn never endorsed his candidacy. Yet Wynn became an active member of Trump’s inauguration committee and has remained an avid supporter as the financial chair of the RNC, a position he held for a full year. In recent years, as well, the two have appeared friendly, and the Atlantic reported that there are no indications that Trump and Wynn will sever ties in the near future, despite his resignation from his post at the RNC and despite Wynn Resorts’ recent announcement of the formation of a committee to in-
ANNA CALLAHAN
By 11 a.m., visible efforts had been made to clean up the streaks of black paint, but remnants of the defacement could still be seen.
vestigate the allegations against Wynn. Wynn denied allegations of sexual misconduct in a written statement to the Wall Street Journal at the time the news first broke.
“The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous,” he wrote. “We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of the truth, and a person is left with the choice of weathering insult-
ing publicity or engaging in multi-year lawsuits. It is deplorable for anyone to find themselves in this situation.” Staff Reporters James Meadows and Claire Slinely contributed reporting to this article.
IFC
>> FRONT PAGE
ties miss, the more points they lose — potentially threatening their charter, ability to remain on campus, and ability to hold social events. The IFC also has the power to fine, which can make an impact, since much of fraternity activity “is predicated on money,” Murphy added. “The IFC takes a strong role in holding their peer organizations accountable and supports them to develop learning opportunities with the guidance of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life,” Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Hikaru Kozuma wrote in an email. “By using a tool, such as accreditation, IFC can partner with the individual chapters to meet the needs of their members and community.” However, DeLuna told The Daily Pennsylvanian last year that there wasn’t much that the IFC could do to force fraternities to attend the mandatory events, and that publishing the attendance rate was an effort to provide a social incentive. There are also certain rules governing which three events fraternities can select and the required attendance at each. One of the three programs must relate to interpersonal violence. The available options include presentations from MARS, Penn Anti-Violence Educators, Penn Association for Gender Equality, and a performance by the Vagina Monologues.
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IDIL DEMIRDAG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
New fraternity members must attend three of nine events addressing sexual assault, interpersonal violence, gender equality, and masculinity. The Vagina Monologues, pictured above, is one of the options.
Two of the events have unique attendance requirements. Ten new members would be required to attend the Vagina Monologues, whereas only five new members, because of the time commitment, would be required to attend the six-hour Men & Masculinity Summit on Feb. 3. All other events require all new members to be in attendance. “We think that [interpersonal violence is] important and that should be addressed no matter what other topics you’re trying to cover. That is one that needs to be covered,” DeLuna said. Each chapter must also send
three new members to a sex camp led by SHS, which will be held on Feb. 9. Fraternities would also be allowed to attend another event not on the list, as long as they get it approved. Like last year, IFC purchased bulk tickets again for the Vagina Monologues, offering 270 brothers the chance to attend. “Historically, Greek involvement has been a very big part of the Vagina Monologues,” Producer of the Vagina Monologues and College senior Ariana Martino said. “Particularly, they’ve often been some of our biggest
donors.” Vagina Monologues Finance Chair and College junior Nick Hunsicker said, “Every year the feedback they [the IFC] get is that the members enjoyed the production, they learned a lot, it was a great show, but they don’t enjoy feeling the need to attend.” While Martino doesn’t think requiring members to attend is ideal, she still thinks the experience is essential. “If they wouldn’t have gone, then they’re never going to learn from the things in it and maybe it’s the people that kind of needed that extra push,” Martino said.
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4
OPINION Reflecting on falling snow and passing time MERICAN IN AMERICA | Two more years at Penn
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2018 VOL. CXXXIV, NO. 7 134th Year of Publication DAVID AKST President REBECCA TAN Executive Editor CHRIS MURACCA Print Director JULIA SCHORR Digital Director HARRY TRUSTMAN Opinion Editor SARAH FORTINSKY Senior News Editor JONATHAN POLLACK Senior Sports Editor LUCY FERRY Senior Design Editor GILLIAN DIEBOLD Design Editor CHRISTINE LAM Design Editor
As the clock inched towards midnight and the new year, I watched little snow flurries falling outside the window, while my friends lay comfortably in their beds fast asleep. I was left alone with my thoughts. I thought about how precious time has become. In 2017, graduation felt like it would never come. This year, graduation feels imminent. Three years feel like a vague, ungraspable shape, but two years — the mind can somehow comprehend its length. As a sophomore, by the end of 2019, I’ll be a senior; a few months after, a college graduate. Shuffling between Philadelphia and my home country of Singapore, my life has suddenly become marked by flights, departures and arrivals, scheduled and printed in military time. When I am in Philadelphia, I feel an ominous countdown timer ticking in
the background. I live here in full knowledge that in two years, everything will come to a close, and there will be many farewells and goodbyes. Life here feels so rich and full, in all shades and colors, that it is so hard to comprehend that one day this will be the blackand-white reel of the “past.” One day, the density of friendships, social circles, and activities here, which often folds upon itself, overlapping and intertwining, will radically unravel on a fateful “Commencement Day.” One day not too far away, I will pack my life here into bursting suitcases and bulging boxes and ship them back home to Singapore; my room will stand empty, without a photograph stuck to its cold white walls, or a sock lying in a corner. One day not too far away, Locust Walk, which I trek up and down every day in mundane familiarity,
ALANA SHUKOVSKY Design Editor BEN ZHAO Design Editor KELLY HEINZERLING News Editor MADELEINE LAMON News Editor HALEY SUH News Editor MICHEL LIU Assignments Editor COLE JACOBSON Sports Editor THEODOROS PAPAZEKOS Sports Editor
FRANCESCA MARINI | DESIGN ASSOCIATE
will become a path of memories I can only trace in my mind. One day too, this column will be retired, no longer updated with new ramblings — just another blip in
flying the 22 hours back to Philadelphia. Each time I go home for break, there is also a piercing sadness, knowing that as I am growing up in Philadelphia, people at
… people at home are growing old too. Suddenly, you realize your grandmother is walking a little slower; your sister is also in college; there is a little more gray in your parents’ hair.” the digital abyss. Yet, when I am home in Singapore, I feel like there is no other place I would rather be. I indulge in its familiar sights and sounds. The humidity no longer feels like a curse, but a dear blanket wrapping its loving arms around me. The rain feels different, its pattering on the windows is a lullaby humming me to sleep. Home is where food “miraculously” appears on the table, and fresh clothes by my cupboard. The minute I arrive in Singapore, I understand that there is also a countdown timer lurking in the background. I know exactly how many days and weeks I have before saying goodbye again and
home are growing old too. Suddenly, you realize your grandmother is walking a little slower; your sister is also in college; there is a little more gray in your parents’ hair. Sometimes I get confused. When I am consumed by the opportunities and enjoying myself so much here in Philadelphia, I feel a tinge of guilt for being happy here alone and having all this fun away from my family. Likewise, sometimes when I get so comfortable back home in Singapore during the breaks and become reluctant to leave, I feel guilty. Is this reluctance to leave home and come back to Philadelphia a sign that I have perhaps not treasured my
SARA MERICAN education here enough? Upon that snowy New Year’s night, in the stillness and quiet of the room, I came to a certain peace with the rhythm of life now. Life before Penn, in Singapore, days felt like it would stretch into an amorphous future; months and years blended into each other with a blessed comfort and familiarity. However, beginnings and endings are now counted in weeks and months — graspable, always within sight, looming around the corner. Sixteen weeks in the fall semester. Three weeks of winter break. Sixteen weeks of classes in the spring. Summer. Time has become short and achingly precious everywhere. I learn to be thankful wherever I am, and try to hold on to each moment a little longer. SARA MERICAN is a College sophomore from Singapore, studying English and cinema studies. Her email address is smerican@sas.upenn.edu. “Merican in America” usually appears every other Thursday.
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CORRECTIONS In the Jan. 25 edition of the DP, a headline read that Penn will adopt the new financial aid calculator, MyinTuition, but in fact, the University is still considering the decision. The DP regrets the error. In the Jan. 29 edition of the DP, a map appeared on the front page which mislabeled the country of Ethiopia as Uganda. The DP regrets the error.
LETTERS Have your own opinion? Send your letter to the editor or guest column to letters@thedp.com. Unsigned editorials appearing on this page represent the opinion of The Daily Pennsylvanian as determined by the majority of the Editorial Board. All other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinion of their authors and are not necessarily representative of the DP’s position.
SARAH KHAN is a College freshman from Lynn Haven, Fla. Her email address is skhan100@sas.upenn.edu.
Letter to the Editor by Career Services Director Patricia Rose My staff and I were disappointed to read the article written by Gianna Ferrarin, “Firstgeneration low-income students say Penn’s job resources fall short” — disappointed that so little of the 30 minute conversation with Senior Associate Director Claire Klieger made it into the article; disappointed that one student alleged that we do not take FGLI student circumstances into account; and disappointed that our of-
fice was charged (by this same student) with a one-size-fitsall approach to working with students, even though Claire Klieger addressed this question during her interview. Here are the facts: We offer Penn students (both graduate and undergraduate) an incredible array of customized programs and services. Last year we offered 300 programs. About half were targeted to individual groups (for example, students
of color, international students, athletes, FGLI students), to individual majors or programs, to individual schools, or to individual career fields not typically covered by corporate recruiters. Student appointments frequently cover the unique questions and concerns of each student. There are no one-sizefits-all careers or career paths, and we try to communicate that in our work. We have been very active in
working with FGLI students. Last semester alone we saw 400 individual FGLI students for appointments, walk-ins and resume reviews. As the article mentions, we offered our Quaker Wardrobe to provide students with professional clothing for interviews. We offered five workshops for FGLI students, including one for Penn First and one for Collective Success. We did a podcast with a Penn First leader. This semester we will
Have your own opinion? Send your letter to the editor or guest column to:
once again be providing summer funding, with a preference for those who are high need. We have worked to support the 1vyG conference, and we will be launching other programs as the semester develops. We look forward to working with all Penn students to help them find meaningful and rewarding careers. PATRICIA ROSE is the director of Career Services.
5
Canada Goose: A symbol of status and animal cruelty CONVOS WITH CARLOS | We don’t need a jacket meant for the ‘Arctic’ climate Joking about Canada Goose jackets has been a staple throughout the various Ivy League meme pages. The popular black parka with the fur-lining on its hood has become a recent fad among Ivy League teens. My friends and I had a running joke of trying to count all the Canada Geese we’ve seen on Locust Walk. Owning one of these jackets can cost as much as $1,495 for men and $1,695 for women. They have become much more than a stylish piece of fashion — they are a symbol of status and wealth on campus. However, something that is not often talked about is the process
it takes to make one. The red, white, and blue logo displaying the “inverted North Pole” has become synonymous with animal cruelty. The warm hoods of these parkas are lined with fur of wild coyotes that have been trapped, killed, and skinned. Ultimately, students have the right to buy whatever clothes they please. I’m not saying to throw away or burn your jacket, but rather, I hope you will be more conscientious with your future purchases. Engineering junior Jake Welde, a board member of Penn Animal Advocacy, said that the fur
LULU WANG | DESIGN ASSOCIATE
hoods are “trophies” that serve little purpose. “No one you know walking around Penn’s campus needs a coat that can … insulate them in the Arctic conditions that Canada Goose has advertised that it’s designed for,” Welde said. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been vocal about protesting Canada Goose for a while now, especially when it came to the 2016 grand opening of one of the Canada Goose stores in the SoHo, N.Y. fashion district. PETA claims it is wrong to own one of these jackets because “Animals trapped for their fur can suffer for days and face blood loss, frostbite, gangrene, and attacks by predators. If they aren’t dead when the trapper returns, they may be shot, strangled, stomped on, or bludgeoned to death.” While most of the Penn student body was taking finals, PETA demonstrations were happening all over New York City in December 2017. In the subways, bodies of geese and coyotes hung from the hand railings while protesters spewed facts about the mistreatment of the animals and the lack of ethics surrounding the way they die. On the streets, PETA supporters approached visible Canada Goose wearers and asked them if they knew what they were wearing. Once they heard what PETA had to say
about the process behind obtaining the fur, some even took off the fur lining part of their jackets. “This seems like a particularly horrendous level of abuse … for a fashion statement,” Welde said. Welde said that the popularity of Canada Goose is surprising
claims and graphic video investigations, such as when PETA went undercover to expose how some geese were mishandled and crushed at one of Canada Goose’s down suppliers. Canada Goose released a statement to Global News saying that the farm is in-
CARLOS ARIAS VIVAS
This seems like a particularly horrendous level of abuse … for a fashion statement.” — Engineering junior Jake Welde since he felt that the public had moved away from buying fur. However, according to the Fur Information Council of America, fur sales have increased by 50 percent from 1991 to 2014. According to Canada Goose’s company policy, they “believe all animals are entitled to humane treatment in life and death, and are deeply committed to the responsible use and ethical sourcing of all animal materials in our products. We do not condone any willful mistreatment and neglect of animals or acts that maliciously cause undue pain, injury or suffering.” They deny PETA’s
deed on their suppliers, but those geese were not related to the supply chain of their company. Canada Goose justifies their killings of coyotes due to overpopulation in North American regions and how they can be seen as pests to “farmers, livestock, and sometimes people,” even though coyote attacks on humans are rare in numbers. Supporters of the company claim that the new “traps” that coyotes fall into are meant to be less painful. Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, wrote a Huffington Post article that refutes Canada Goose’s policy. Roberts writes, “Canada
Goose declares that it only uses ‘ethically sourced down and fur.’ I assume that means coyotes who have died of natural causes — because to trap, shoot, slaughter, and skin a coyote to line a coat is not remotely ethical.” At the end of the day, I am not telling you what or who you should believe. But there should be a clear understanding that these animals are suffering at the expense of an overpriced luxury coat. There are down-free and fur-free alternatives that will still keep you warm in the Northeast. The next time you pull your Canada Goose hood over your head, think about the animal that died to keep you warm. CARLOS ARIAS VIVAS is a College freshman from Stamford, Conn., studying communication. His email address is cariasv@ sas.upenn.edu. “Convos with Carlos” usually appears every other Wednesday.
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CLAUDIA LI is a College senior from Santa Clara, Calif. Her email is claudli@sas.upenn.edu.
Getting to know my professors as people SHAH SAYS | The importance of not being one in a sea of students As I filled out course evaluations last semester, praying that my finals saved my grades, I started to reminisce on the professors that I have had at Penn. It was interesting that I could not stop writing for some professors, while I was trying to force words for others. It was like I didn’t even know them. While ability to teach and passion for the subject were the most important factors, they were not what made the class or the professor memorable. It went a little beyond that. For classes that I found memorable, I not only had great professors but I also knew them personally. I relished hearing stories about their dog Bailey or their college years. This in turn made them quite friendly and approachable. I knew them and they knew me. I did not feel like a number. They did not seem like a human form of their curriculum vitae. All in all, they made Penn feel like a smaller and less daunting place. It’s surprising that I want to know the subject just as much as I want to know why my professors love that subject. What drives them to wake up every day? What was their college experience like? Did they struggle
in college or life? I want to have candid conversations with these accomplished professors. I want to know the humans behind the desks and professional attire. Knowing professors personally plays an immense role in creating a better educational experience. When they open up, we can start to see the similarities between us and they become more relatable. They become easier to approach and thus, it’s easier for us to ask them questions whether that is about the class or life advice. In fact, studies have found that student-faculty interactions enhance student achievement and motivation. A study in the College Student Journal found that knowing just one professor well made students more satisfied with their college experience and motivated them to pursue their careers further. For Wharton junior Daim Malik, the Take Your Professor to Lunch program provided him an avenue to get to know his professors better. “The program’s great because there aren’t any assumed roles once you sit down for lunch or dinner,” Malik said. “You both set the tone for the conversation and it really helps you realize
how much the professor and you are alike.” Malik went on to say how he bonded with his professor over Manchester United. Some might fear the disintegration of a professional relationship between a professor and student which would reduce the authority and respect of a profes-
their path was not a straight line and that they have still managed to accomplish so much. And just because a professor tells us about their college anatomy class does not mean that we are now on a first name basis. They will be still be addressed as Professor. But getting to know profes-
SAMMIE YOON | DESIGN ASSOCIATE
sor. I’ll be honest: My respect for a professor goes up exponentially if they can open up about their struggles because it shows perseverance and resilience. Furthermore, it’s inspiring to know that
sors can be very difficult in many classes. Many people have suggested that office hours are a great time to talk to professors. However, this simply doesn’t hold true for many classes at
Penn. How am I supposed to get to know my professor when there are 20 people in the room trying to get a better grasp on magnetism? What conversation can you have knowing that you are one of many on the queue with five to 10 minute designations? In many groups, including the Undergraduate Assembly, we’ve had conversations about improving the relationship between professors and their pupils. The revamped “Take Your Professor to Lunch” program certainly makes great strides in bridging the gap between faculty and students. I commend the administration for supporting this initiative and I highly encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity. At the very least, it’s free food! But that’s just the start. I think all of us should view this program as a start of a conversation rather than a one-time lunch. That is, a conversation between faculty and students. For professors, we really want to know who you are as people. We want life advice from you. So don’t be afraid to incorporate your dog Bailey into lectures or digress for a bit talking about your struggle in a particular class after giving back exams.
JAY SHAH And all this applies not only to faculty, but to administrators and staff as well. I was most comfortable giving suggestions on how we can better Penn after I got to know you personally through meetings. So I encourage you, if you have time and your schedule permits, to go out to campus events and meet students. These are seemingly small changes, but I can assure you, they will have a profound impact on a student’s experience in class and ultimately, their time at Penn. JAY SHAH is a College junior from New Hyde Park, N.Y. in the Behavioral Basis of Behavior Program. He is the vice president of the Undergraduate Assembly. His email is shahjay@sas.upenn. edu. “Shah Says” usually appears every other Thursday.
6 NEWS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
Fossil Free Penn targets coal and tar sands divestment After lack of policy change, FFP will narrow its focus AVNI KATARIA Staff Reporter
Fossil Free Penn, the group historically committed to Penn’s complete divestment from fossil fuel companies, has decided to narrow its focus for the semester and advocate for University divestment from the two most harmful fossil fuels: coal and tar sands. Last semester’s highly publicized protests, rallies, and outreach efforts ultimately ended with no policy changes from
Penn. Fossil Free Penn has returned this semester with new goals and strategies: targeting individual Penn Board of Trustees members and individual fossil fuels. The group plans to consolidate its divestment efforts by targeting coal and tar sands. FFP Campaign Co-Coordinator and College junior Zach Rissman said FFP was following the example set by other universities — Stanford University announced it would divest from coal producers in 2014 and Columbia University did the same in March 2017. “Our main goal is for Penn to
divest from all fossil fuel companies,” Rissman said. “But we believe that this semester, it will be really important for Penn to divest from coal and tar sands because they are the most dangerous fossil fuels.” The group will also engage in “more targeted action” against trustees, Student Outreach Coordinator and College sophomore Lucy Corlett said. Corlett said there are plans to approach trustees on an individual basis rather than only facing them during meetings, which the group have recently protested. “We’re really trying to build a rapport with the Board of Trust-
ees and use the student support gained last semester to help take student voices directly to the trustees,” Rissman said. Past attempts by the group to reach out individually to trustees resulted in a September 2017 emailed statement from Board of Trustees Chair David Cohen. “Your efforts moving forward will be best spent discussing additional steps short of divestment to make Penn a continued global leader on the critical issue of climate change and environmental sustainability,” Cohen wrote in the email. College sophomore Jacob Hershman, another student out-
CARSON KAHOE | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
FFP is following the example set by other universities — Stanford University and Columbia University have both divested from coal.
reach coordinator of FFP, said that the group will also continue to protest at Board of Trustees meetings this year — the first of which will take place on March 1. Until then, FFP will continue to direct energy toward growing last semester’s collaboration with alumni to create an incentive fund that will be donated to Penn if the University divests. “The language that Penn speaks more than any other is money,” Rissman said. “If we really want to communicate with Penn we might as well start speaking the same language.” Last semester, FFP organized
Divestfest on College Green and held silent protests at two Board of Trustees meetings. The group also established a desire to increase student body involvement and work within University policies. The administration has been pushing back from complete divestment since FFP’s inception in 2014. In September 2016, the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Divestment decided against divestment, a decision that prompted reactions including two sit-ins in March 2017 and November 2016 and a demonstration at a University Council Open Forum in February 2017.
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NEWS 7
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Penn community reacts to new immigration plan Policy experts, Dreamers, and student leaders respond GIOVANNA PAZ Deputy News Editor
The Trump administration announced a new framework for immigration policy at a press conference on Jan. 25. The proposed plan would include a $25 billion “trust fund” for increased border security and would end the current diversity visa lottery system. Additionally, it calls for a 10 to 12 year pathway to citizenship “for DACA recipients and other DACA-eligible illegal immigrants,” and only allows family sponsorships to be given to spouses and minor children. For many on campus, on both sides of the political spectrum, the new immigration plan is far from perfect, despite some apparent wins and concessions from both Democratic and Republican leadership. Last September, Trump announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which currently protects over 700,000 young people. The ending of the program, which is expected to expire March 5, led to multiple protests on Penn’s campus by various student groups. Sociology professor Amada Armenta, who focuses on federal deportation policy as well as local law enforcement practices in her research, said she feels the new proposed plan is “terrible” in nature. Armenta said the prospect of eliminating the diversity visa lottery system could lead to more unsafe practices.
“When you restrict immigration, when you cut down legal avenues for entry,” Armenta said, “it creates undocumented migration.” Penn for Immigrant Rights media liaison and College sophomore Erik Vargas echoed this sentiment. Vargas, who is an undocumented immigrant, said that while he feels the proposed pathway includes certain positives, he is “strictly against” it due to its focus on increased border enforcement. “It sounds good in the moment,” Vargas said, “but in 10 years I can see this completely turning into some other immigration crisis.” Michael Moroz, College and Wharton sophomore and co-director of the editorial board of College Republicans, expressed support for the proposal. “It’s a very effective approach that Trump took because he offered citizenship not only for DACA recipients but for anyone eligible. So he offered basically the maximum possible deal in terms of the citizenship he could offer,” Moroz said. “Unfortunately, the deal may not happen simply because the Democrats and pro-DACA groups are reacting with almost a hysterical approach. Of course the Democrats shut down the federal government on behalf of illegal immigrants who technically don’t have the right to be here,” Moroz said. “I think the deal is only hammered by the Democrats’ unwillingness to compromise with Trump because they see themselves in almost existential battle with him as president.”
JOY LEE | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
The proposed plan would increase border security, end the current diversity visa lottery system, and create a pathway to citizenship for all people who are eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Political science professor Michael Jones-Correa also analyzed some of the changes promoted by the Trump administration. He said under the current law eligible individuals may apply for citizenship after five years of living in the United States, but under the proposed plan that time frame is nearly doubled. Jones-Correa added he believes there is little support for the administration’s plan due to its “pairing of” conservative proposals and a pathway to legalization. Both Jones-Correa and Armenta argued that the administration is attempting to entice the Democratic party, which is heavily focused on protecting DACA individuals, so that
the Democratic legislators will concede to the more restrictive policies related to border security and the diversity visa lottery system. “The majority of Americans
support a pathway to citizenship for DACA-eligible youth,” Armenta said. “And the idea then that the White House wants to use this sort of legalization program in exchange
for their very draconian immigration policy is pretty outrageous.” Armenta also described the proposed allocation of $25 billion for the border wall as “remarkable.” She argued that the border is a political invention and that there is little basis for the plan to focus on increased border security in terms of national polls and migration research. According to National Public Radio , Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has stated that he will host a floor debate on immigration in the upcoming weeks. As politicians like Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have openly opposed the new proposal, it is clear that there will be more ongoing debate for the next few weeks and even months before the expiration of DACA. “The problem is that as a nation,” Armenta said, “these sort of debates that we’re having about who deserves to be here are as long as our nation’s history.”
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8 SPORTS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
CHAMPION >> BACKPAGE
Connor Mills were to achieve an NCAA title in his collegiate career, the narrative behind it would stretch beyond the notion that he simply walked in his cousin’s footsteps. The sophomore sabre captain is not the Quakers’ sole hope to capture the title. Among the other contenders to the fiveyear wait is junior epee Justin Yoo. The junior came the closest in recent memory to capturing an individual NCAA title, falling just short in last year’s title match to St. John’s then-junior Cooper Schumacher. “Last year, I was very sad I got second; I came all that way just for nothing, that’s what it felt like,” Yoo reflected. “This year, it’d be very cool to win; of course, you can’t have like a goal like ‘I’m going to win this competition’ or else you’ll get very anxious about it.” Instead, the junior epee fo-
cuses on tactical goals, hoping that improvements in his fencing can better prepare him for an NCAA title run. Specifically, Yoo noted how he needs to take more advantage of his physicality when facing opponents on the strip. As one of the fastest and strongest athletes in collegiate fencing, once Yoo unlocks his potential, an NCAA title would not be a surprise. To hone his game, Yoo enters senior world cup events to compete against some of the world’s best fencers. He hopes to utilize these world cups to learn the tactics that senior fencers use so that he can put it all together on the collegiate stage. When reflecting with coach Andy Ma, it becomes clear that there aren’t too many differences between Yoo’s story and that of Michael Mills. “Michael used to be on the Cadet national team, so he was very capable,” Ma recalled. “He had some injuries, and then the first couple years, he
felt he struggled. Finally, in 2013, he felt it and put everything together, academically, athletically, mentally and won.” A highly touted phenom slowly building and overcoming obstacles to achieve a career highlight in his junior year — the story sounds very familiar. All that’s missing is the ending. What makes the potential to have an NCAA individual champion even more exciting is the realization that rather than compartmentalizing team goals and individual goals, Yoo and his teammates can approach them as one in the same. “The goals for the team and the goals for myself are very similar: if I do well, then my team will do well,” the 2017 NCAA men’s epee runner-up said. “I think that that’s the mentality everyone should have, and they do. In 2013, I don’t think [the 2013 team] had a stronger team than us.” It was sixteen years be-
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Russell leaves it all on the court for women’s basketball Ashley Russell has reputation for fearless play JONATHAN POLLACK Senior Sports Editor
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In every Penn women’s basketball game, there are inevitably many instances of physical play. Players jostle for position, rebounds, and loose balls all game long. But regardless of who the Quakers play, there’s always one person right in the thick of the action: Ashley Russell. The junior guard is the textbook definition of a hustle and grit player. She gives 100 percent effort on every single play and isn’t afraid to sacrifice her body to get a teammate an extra look. In fact, she does it without hesitation several times each game. “It’s kind of been my style all along,” Russell said. “In high school I was a point guard, but I would still be a rebounding guard kind of. And I mean being a taller guard, it helps, but I always just find myself in the key trying to get any loose ball that I can, anything to get us an extra possession.” And it’s not like she falls to the ground lightly. Russell goes down hard each time, and you
can hear the smack regardless of where you are in the gym. But without fail, she pops back up and brushes it off like nothing happened But in her mind, there’s no other way to think about it. “Honestly, my teammates just come over and help me up and I kind of just move on,” Russell said. “I’ve never really thought, ‘I just fell, that’s gotta hurt.’ It’s always just, ‘gotta move on to the next one.’” It doesn’t matter how well the Braintree, Mass. native is playing either; she always approaches the game the same way. In last week’s 74-59 win over Temple, she established new career highs in points (19) and rebounds (nine), but she was still flying around the court, coming out of nowhere to contest what should have been easy rebounds for the Owls and forcing several turnovers. Russell has garnered a bit of a reputation on the team by now for her fearless play. Even at practice, they all note how willing she is to put her body in harm’s way to make a play. “I know in the [Villanova] game, she knocked down seven chairs, and everyone just stopped and stared at her the whole time,” senior guard Lauren Whitlatch said. “Things
like that we can always count on. She’ll be there. She’s going to give up her body to get the ball and help us in whatever way it is.” “The game at Temple the other night, she went into the crowd and came out with the ball three or four times,” coach Mike McLaughlin added. “That’s what separates her. She’s tough, she’s competitive, nothing is going to stop her. She’s not scared of anything, she’s a winner.” In the games, Russell is exactly the type of player who can provide a spark to a struggling team. By putting in the extra effort, the guard can swing the tide of a game with just one rebound, one steal, or one hustle play. But despite all the wear-andtear that comes with her playing style, Russell has never sustained any major injuries. Nor has she ever thought about adjusting the way she plays — the hard hits have done nothing to convince her to play more cautiously. “People tell me I fall I lot more than I think, but I find bruises all the time, I’m not really surprised,” Russell said. And why should she be? After all, that’s the way she likes to play.
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barking up the wrong tree,” King told the DP in 2010. “It was just an isolated thing that some years it happens.” Eight years later, evidence suggests that King’s alleged insensitivity to the physical and mental well-being of her players was not an isolated problem, though not all the players feel this way. Penn Athletics declined to provide official data on the team’s retention rates, but the DP has found evidence to suggest that since 2010, 26 players have left the team before their senior seasons. While online rosters of the team are missing dozens of names, the DP reached this number after combing through archived stat sheets from each year. By comparison, according to an online list of Princeton softball’s letterwinners organized by year, only five players left Princeton softball over that same time period. And since former Penn assistant coach Lisa (Sweeney) Van Ackeren was hired as the Tigers’ head coach in the summer of 2012, every incom-
rience,” the statement read. “The coaches and staff members involved with Penn Athletics take pride in the efforts they make to enhance the quality of the student-athlete experience, and that process is ever-evolving as issues such as mental health continue to emerge.” Prior to coaching at Penn, King briefly coached at Lock Haven University and later George Washington University. Before those stints, she enjoyed a long and successful playing career in both softball and soccer. During her fourteen years as Penn’s head coach, King has enjoyed a winning record. Under King, Penn won the South Division title four years in a row from 2012 to 2015. In 2013, the Quakers made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament after defeating Dartmouth for the Ivy League title. King has also seen her players win Ivy League Player of the Year three times, including outfielder Leah Allen, who earned the honor last year in her senior season. According to Allen, King helped her reach her full potential. “There were times when the
“You know you’ve got a kid coming to you saying please help and you see her everyday. and you don’t help.” - Mikenzie voves
ing player in the graduating classes of 2016 through 2018 has stayed on the team for all four years. A representative from Princeton Athletics confirmed these numbers, but the DP did note five discrepancies between the list of letterwinners and Princeton’s archived stat sheets. After the DP requested an explanation for the discrepancies, Princeton Athletics responded that the discrepancies were “corrected where applicable,” but that the retention numbers still remained the same. The Ivy League did not respond to multiple requests for league-wide data. In all, five former players, one former assistant coach, and three parents of former players shared complaints about King’s coaching with the DP. Three of the former players asked to remain anonymous, while the other six sources spoke on the record. Some of the sources’ complaints were related to disagreements with King’s approach to practice and game management, but other allegations were more serious. These allegations raise questions about whether the pressure King imposed on her players crossed the line into mistreatment. King declined to be interviewed for this story. In response to multiple requests for comment in January, Penn Athletics referred the DP back to a written statement provided by King in December of 2017. “Students do leave the program,” King said in the statement. “Every student has their own unique experience and their unique reasons for leaving. Each time it happens, we take it to heart and reflect upon why they leave and what we can learn from it as coaches.” In a statement provided to the DP on Jan. 30, Penn Athletics discussed the relationship between coaches and athletes but did not address the specific accounts described by the athletes on the softball team. “When our student-athletes arrive on campus as freshmen, it is certainly our hope that all of them will leave four years later having had a positive intercollegiate expe-
coaches were tough on you, but that’s expected in any sport,” Allen said. “That’s how it is in sports, sometimes you need to ride people to get them to do well, so it wasn’t anything unexpected.” Katarina Pance, a current senior who quit the team in January 2015 due to an injury, also praised King. “I think Coach King was supportive while I was battling my injury,” Pance told the DP in an email. “I think she was disappointed when I informed her that I would be leaving the team, but since then I’ve run into her a couple times and she’s been supportive in those encounters.” Penn Athletics declined multiple requests to make any current Penn softball players available for comment, but according to senior and former Penn softball outfielder Sarah Rowley, dissatisfaction with King is prevalent even among players who have stayed on the team. “One girl who’s on the team currently told me that I was smart to quit,” Rowley said. Former assistant coach Devon Metcalf also sensed frustrations with King from players during her only year at Penn in 2013. While Metcalf reported that she got along personally with King, she felt that most of the team’s success that season could be attributed to the leadership of the team’s seniors, not King’s coaching. “I think [King has] almost outgrown the program, because she’s been there so long. I don’t know if she’s giving herself fully to it anymore,” Metcalf said. “They [the seniors] just had to keep everything set with the team and hope that they weren’t going to be coached out of games I guess.” The anonymous former player who played all four years on the team said she thought that King gave better treatment to her favorite players. “If you kissed her ass, that’s the way in,” the player said. But that player also thought that even King’s favorite players didn’t like her. “Everyone hates her. They’re
completely doing it for their own benefit,” the player said. It didn’t take long for Rowley to realize that Penn softball wasn’t exactly what she thought it would be. “I remember like halfway through my freshman fall feeling like I didn’t really belong on the team,” Rowley recalled about her first year at Penn in 2015. Rowley soon became closer with her teammates, but her relationship with King never improved. She described several incidents where she felt King had especially crossed the line. One of those incidents was in January 2016. Rowley was participating in her first practice since undergoing major knee surgery for an earlier injury. After nearly an hour of intense conditioning workouts, Rowley stopped before the rest of her teammates finished. It was her first day back and she did not want to risk further injury by pushing her body too hard too quickly, she said. According to Rowley, an assistant coach also agreed that she should have stopped, but King scolded Rowley for doing so. “Coach King yelled at me in front of everyone,” Rowley said. “I was so happy to be back, and then she yelled at me. And so I went home — practice ended at 11 — I think I cried until I had class at 4:00. I was miserable.” “It was awful,” Rowley’s mother, Toni Richards-Rowley, said. “That was what ultimately decided it for her.” Richards-Rowley, who is a pediatrician, added that she thought King “absolutely” placed pressure on her daughter to return prematurely from injury, putting her at risk for further harm. “There was no kind of understanding of the potential badness that could have happened.” Rowley was not the only former player who felt that King pressured players to return quickly from injuries. Right before the 2014 season, one former player, who did not respond to requests for an interview, wrote an email to the team announcing her decision to quit. In the email, which was also forwarded to the DP by Jim Metcalf, the former player explained that her decision to quit was based largely on her frustrations with King. Just a month before sending the email, the player had undergone surgery. According to the email, more than half of the players’ teammates “wished me good luck or checked in to see how my surgery went,” but none of the three coaches ever contacted her. This was not the first time the player had felt neglected by King after an injury. “Every injury I have endured, Coach [King] has ignored or mocked me for,” the player wrote. “After she didn’t ask about my surgery, I realized her respecting me as a player and person was hopeless.” Another former player, who played all four of her years at Penn with the team, also recalled feeling implicit pressure from King to rush back from injuries. “Sometimes I’d have to like sit on a bucket when I was catching because I was in the middle of physical therapy because I had like torn ligaments in my knee, and [King’s] like, ‘Why are you on a bucket?’” the player said. “And I’m like, ‘Go f**k yourself.”’ Voves, the player who quit at the end of the 2012 season, also recounted frustrations with the way King and the other coaches handled her injuries. “It was made very clear that advice from athletic trainers and doctors that was passed along was basically ignored by the coaching staff,” Voves said. “I know they’re doing their job, I know you can’t single out players and treat them differently, but if
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Softball coach Leslie King is entering her fifteenth season at the helm of the program later this year.
you’re hurt, you’re hurt.” Just days after the incident on her first day back at practice after knee surgery, Rowley officially resigned from the team. She ultimately cited family reasons for quitting, but Rowley said that another key reason was the impact that King had on her mental health. “It was definitely easy to see that the thing that was affecting my mental health so drastically before the stuff with my family happened was softball,” Rowley said. “And after [King] had me do all these exercises, it was clear that I really needed to get rid of that aspect of my life in order to move on and be happy.” “I was just thinking if nothing’s ever going to change, is it a good idea to keep doing this for the rest of my college career if I’m so miserable?” Other players also thought that their experiences on Penn softball intensified their challenges with mental health and were disappointed with the way King handled their struggles. In addition to Rowley, two other former players, who both asked to remain anonymous, sought counseling at CAPS during their careers with Penn softball. While traveling with the team for a tournament in 2009, one of those former players said that she committed self-harm. After the player returned to Penn and it was discovered that she had harmed herself, the player learned that she would be disciplined. “I came back and I was suspended for two weeks with no real explanation as to why. It was sort of like ‘go get some help’ — it was framed that way and it was a decision that was above coach King’s head,” she told the DP in a recent interview. While the player struggled to reunify with the team after the suspension, she said she does not blame King or Penn softball for the challenges she faced while on the team. “I don’t attribute my mental health challenges as caused by Penn softball, but they were exacerbated by the pressure to achieve and the culture of trying to stay tough no matter what. I think that can happen to any athlete in any sport,” the player said via email. That player quit the team before the start of the 2010 season. Voves also shared that her mental health suffered while playing on the team. After failing to form a positive relationship with King during her freshman year in 2011, Voves hoped that she would grow more comfortable on the team as she gained more experience. Instead, things got worse to the point that she left the team before the end of the next season. “Sophomore year was definitely … it was rough,” Voves reflected. “It was rough to even make it
through that one.” After quitting the team in April, Voves only spent a couple more weeks on Penn’s campus. The next fall, instead of returning to Penn for the start of her junior year, Voves enrolled as a transfer student at the University of Washington. She did not play on the Huskies’ softball team. Years after leaving Penn, Voves is still struggling to understand how her experience with the team could be so negative. “I was struggling on a personal level and went to my coaching staff and told them, ‘This is what’s going on,’ and I’ve reached [out] for help with them and with the University, and you know, I got no support. Not once in two months did my coaching staff even ask me if I was doing any better, if I was doing okay,” Voves said. “That’s what I guess I don’t understand. You know you’ve got a
email instead. Rowley had met with King a few months earlier in the fall of 2015, and according to Rowley, the meeting was “unproductive.” Rowley said she also thought of the experiences of other former teammates who had left the team before her. In the weeks after Rowley left the team, her parents said they sent an email to Penn Athletics in an effort to file complaints and prevent the renewal of King’s contract. Rowley’s parents also responded to a general anonymous survey about Penn Athletics titled “Enhancing Life Skills, Leadership, & Character Development in PENN Athletics.” The DP has not been able to confirm whether or not King’s contract was up for renewal at that time. Neither of Rowley’s parents reported receiving any responses from Penn Athletics administrators. In March 2016, however, Rowley’s father received an email from the
“Girls are frightened of talking to you, many are depressed on some level.” - Mikenzie voves
kid coming to you saying please help and you see her everyday.” Voves then paused before continuing. “And you don’t help.” All of the players interviewed for this story reported that no one from Penn Athletics ever initiated contact with them after they left the team, but at least one former player made an effort to voice her concerns more directly to King when quitting the team. That one player, who asked to remain anonymous, said she met with King on the first day of classes in the fall of 2016. The player brought a “cheat sheet” with a list of issues she wanted to discuss with King, and according to the player, King was initially receptive to the player’s complaints. That changed when King realized the player had no intentions of staying on the team. “Immediately when she found out I was quitting, it was like something shut off in her and she just didn’t want to hear me talk anymore,” the player recounted. “I think [King] said, ‘What you said doesn’t matter anymore now that you’re quitting.”’ When Rowley made her decision to quit the team in early 2016, she considered requesting a meeting with King to share her reasons in person. But the team’s first competitions were only days away, so Rowley opted to just notify King by
Josephson Institute of Ethics, which was the independent contractor that conducted the anonymous survey for Penn Athletics that he responded to. “I was forwarded a letter from the athletic department which included your reference to a comment you made in your survey response,” the email to Peter Rowley stated. “We zealously guard the anonymity of responses, but if you would like us to locate your written comments and forward them to PENN athletic department we will attempt to do so upon receiving your permission.” Rowley’s father reported that he granted permission for his comments to be shared with Penn Athletics, but that he still was never contacted by anyone from Penn Athletics. When asked for comment, the Josephson Institute responded that it was “not at liberty to discuss reports and related communications with our clients.” For Rowley, the lack of communication from Penn Athletics is hard to understand. “People have reached out to the athletic department — players and parents — and nothing has happened. I don’t even know if they’ve ever even brought it up with [King],” Rowley said. “If you have nine players quit in two years, how does that not raise a huge red flag?”
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THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
Assistant coach Slana Danilov brings elite pedigree FENCING | Quakers’ assistant full of experience DANNY CHIARODIT Associate Sports Editor
Part of every good coaching staff is a group of assistant coaches that can help push the team to higher levels. Penn fencing knows all about this, as Slava Danilov, assistant coach for the men’s and women’s fencing teams, provides a unique spark to the program. Danilov, now in his fourth year with the Quakers, is part of an excellent staff that includes head coach Andy Ma and assistant coaches Adi Nott and Randall LeMaster. Men’s senior epee and captain Zsombor Garzo described Danilov in one phrase.
“Extremely competitive.� Much of the competitive spirit that Danilov has brought to Penn is a result of his unique life story. Originally from the Soviet Union, Danilov was an extremely successful fencer prior to his coaching days, fencing with the Kharkov Regional Ukrainian and Soviet Union National Teams. In 1996, he was a World Cup bronze medalist and a gold medalist in the International World Championships Competition in Brussels. After this great fencing career, Danilov decided to continue with his passion by transitioning to coaching. This is how he ultimately made his way to the United States. “I was invited to work at a fencing club in Houston, so I got a visa for that opportunity because I had some good results in
fencing,� Danilov said. Coming into the new role of coaching at a club was relatively seamless, given Danilov’s already extraordinary background. He cites his past coaches as personal inspirations, and he also prepared himself well for coaching by acquiring a particularly helpful degree in college. “My second degree is as a fencing coach,� Danilov said. “So I was taught to do it.� What Danilov is referring to is the fact that he holds a BA in Physical Education along with a Master’s in Sport Psychology. Most impressively, the Penn assistant coach is also a Master of Sports International Class in fencing, which was the highest classification in sports in the USSR. For the Red and Blue, Danilov
has brought to the table a particular style of coaching that challenges the fencers to be on point during practice. “He represents the Russian school when it comes to lessons, so it’s a really good and strict school,� Garzo said. “It’s a lot more technical [than United States fencing], so there’s a lot of technique involved in his lessons.� Danilov has taken on nearly every role within fencing in his 41-year career. Currently, as an assistant coach, Danilov also brings the experience of running a program as the leader, most recently serving as head coach of Ridge High School and Morris Fencing Club in New Jersey. Since becoming an assistant for the Quakers in the 2014-15 season, the Penn men’s team has
won two Ivy League titles. The women’s team, for its part, has also had success in the past three seasons, earning second place in the Ivy League in 2015 and a third place finish last year. As is always important in a coaching relationship, head coach Andy Ma and Danilov appear to gel side-by-side. “They are both [particular] weapon coaches, so they each put in work into their own squad,� Garzo said. “But they also work well together, like when we’re doing warm-ups and stretching together.� As fencing season approaches its most competitive time, with the Ivy Championships in less than two weeks, all hands will need to be on deck for the Quakers in order to bring home a couple of conference titles. Fortunately for
COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
A former Soviet Union fencer, assistant coach Slana Danilov brings a unique take on the sport to the program.
Penn, Coach Danilov knows what it takes to win a championship, and he’s more than willing to help the Red and Blue get to the top.
Quakers look to continue hot Ivy start against Brown, Yale M. HOOPS | Quakers off to best Ivy start since 2012
JACOB ADLER Associate Sports Editor
After dominating Philadelphia, it’s time for Penn women’s basketball to hit the road once again. The Quakers (11-5, 2-1 Ivy) are in the midst of their finest stretch of play this season, winning their CARSON KAHOE | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER past five games after a loss to arch rival Princeton on their home floor Sophomore guard Ryan Betley is playing as well as any player in in early January. Over that stretch, the Ivy League, scoring 20+ points in two of three Ivy games. the Red and Blue have defeated Cornell, Columbia, and Gwynedd for each other. Mehta might be the both ends of the floor.â€? Mercy on their home court, and best guard in our league‌.We’re To the casual observer, it may they toppled in-city foes Villanova going to have our hands full, but seem odd that the Quakers are and Temple as well. we’ve worked hard this week, es- playing games on consecutive Now, the Quakers must extend pecially with conditioning and put- nights, but such a practice is actualthose winning ways to New Eng- ting ourselves in situations to take ly typical of conference play. Still, land, where they play Brown in away some of their strengths, so the format does present a unique Providence on Friday and then we’re up for the challenge.â€? set of challenges, as McLaughlin Yale in New Haven on Saturday. As for the Elis (9-8, 2-2), they and his staff must design a practice Brown (13-4, 1-3) had an im- are led by senior Tamara Simpson schedule that accommodates both pressive start to the year, winning in the backcourt, while senior Jen games sufficiently. 12 of its first 13 games. But since Berkowitz operates as a forward. “We try to prep primarily for the beginning of Ivy League play, Both players average over 15 Friday’s game. That’s the immethe Bears have struggled, losing points per game, and Berkowitz is diate one,â€? McLaughlin said. “We three of four, including a tightly equally outstanding on the glass, never want to jump past a team. We contested contest against Harvard garnering 8.3 rebounds per game. want to deal with the one in front last weekend. “[Yale and Brown] are similar of us.â€? Despite the struggles, Brown in some ways,â€? McLaughlin said. The way the Quakers combat is still an explosive group on of- “Both teams play an up-tempo the challenge of back-to-backs is fense, where the team boasts two style‌.but with Yale, they have a with depth. No matter what Brown bonafide backcourt scorers in Jus- back-to-the-basket, post player in and Yale throw at them, the Quaktine Gaziano and Shayna Mehta. Berkowitz, so they have an added ers have firepower of their own in Gaziano, a sophomore, averages threat, and Simpson might be the freshman Eleah Parker, senior Mi18.7 points-per-game on the sea- best guard defender that we have in chelle Nwokedi, and senior Anna son, while junior guard Mehta our league, so they present a differ- Ross among others. In fact, Penn’s maintains a 19.6 points-per-game ent challenge.â€? balance has been one of its defining average thanks in part to her ability Although the two teams have characteristics so far this season. to knock down three-pointers. differences in styles of play, for “Our strength comes from our For the Quakers to defeat the Penn, it will all come down to one overall team play‌.Our players are Bears, they’ll need to contend with specific aspect of basketball that phenomenal,â€? McLaughlin said. that dynamic backcourt. should carry over to both games. “Not one person wants the credit. “Brown plays a high tempo “The key to the weekend is our They just want the team success, so game with a lot of offense and a transition defense,â€? McLaughlin that’s a really good sign.â€? The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation lot of possessions,â€? coach Mike 620said. “We’re goingNew to have to work Avenue, York, N.Y.Corporation 10018And if they continue to put The NewEighth York Times Syndication Sales McLaughlin said. “Both [Gaziano 620hard to keep both teams in front of the team first, the rest of the Ivy For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 Tuesday, January and Mehta] can score and create For us toInformation win the transition battle30, on2018 League should watch out. ForRelease Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, February 1, 2018
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SPORTS 11
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Red and Blue enter doubleheader on five-game win
W. HOOPS | Quakers get rolling at the right time BREVIN FLEISCHER Associate Sports Editor
After dominating Philadelphia, it’s time for Penn women’s basketball to hit the road once again. The Quakers (11-5, 2-1 Ivy) are in the midst of their finest stretch of play this season, winning their past five games after a loss to arch rival Princeton on their home floor in early January. Over that stretch, the Red and Blue have defeated Cornell, Columbia, and Gwynedd Mercy on their home court, and they toppled in-city foes Villanova and Temple as well. Now, the Quakers must extend those winning ways to New England, where they play Brown in Providence on Friday and then Yale in New Haven on Saturday. Brown (13-4, 1-3) had an impressive start to the year, winning 12 of its first 13 games. But since the
IVY TITLE
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and multiple Penn fencers have come down with the flu in recent weeks.
beginning of Ivy League play, the Bears have struggled, losing three of four, including a tightly contested contest against Harvard last weekend. Despite the struggles, Brown is still an explosive group on offense, where the team boasts two bonafide backcourt scorers in Justine Gaziano and Shayna Mehta. Gaziano, a sophomore, averages 18.7 pointsper-game on the season, while junior guard Mehta maintains a 19.6 points-per-game average thanks in part to her ability to knock down three-pointers. For the Quakers to defeat the Bears, they’ll need to contend with that dynamic backcourt. “Brown plays a high tempo game with a lot of offense and a lot of possessions,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “Both [Gaziano and Mehta] can score and create for each other. Mehta might be the best guard in our league….We’re going to have our hands full, but we’ve worked hard this week, especially with conditioning and putting ourselves in
situations to take away some of their strengths, so we’re up for the challenge.” As for the Elis (9-8, 2-2), they are led by senior Tamara Simpson in the backcourt, while senior Jen Berkowitz operates as a forward. Both players average over 15 points per game, and Berkowitz is equally outstanding on the glass, garnering 8.3 rebounds per game. “[Yale and Brown] are similar in some ways,” McLaughlin said. “Both teams play an up-tempo style….but with Yale, they have a back-to-the-basket, post player in Berkowitz, so they have an added threat, and Simpson might be the best guard defender that we have in our league, so they present a different challenge.” Although the two teams have differences in styles of play, for Penn, it will all come down to one specific aspect of basketball that should carry over to both games. “The key to the weekend is our transition defense,” McLaughlin said. “We’re going to have to work
hard to keep both teams in front of us to win the transition battle on both ends of the floor.” To the casual observer, it may seem odd that the Quakers are playing games on consecutive nights, but such a practice is actually typical of conference play. Still, the format does present a unique set of challenges, as McLaughlin and his staff must design a practice schedule that accommodates both games sufficiently. “We try to prep primarily for Friday’s game. That’s the immediate one,” McLaughlin said. “We never want to jump past a team. We want to deal with the one in front of us.” The way the Quakers combat the challenge of back-to-backs is with depth. No matter what Brown and Yale throw at them, the Quakers have firepower of their own in freshman Eleah Parker, senior Michelle Nwokedi, and senior Anna Ross among others. In fact, Penn’s balance has been one of its defining characteristics so far this season. “Our strength comes from our
overall team play….Our players are phenomenal,” McLaughlin said. “Not one person wants the credit. They just want the team success, so
that’s a really good sign.” And if they continue to put the team first, the rest of the Ivy League should watch out.
“Other teams, we cannot control. The referee, we cannot control. The other side, the fencers, the cheering, their coaches, we cannot control. We can only do our part,” Ma said.
Ma tabbed Yoo, Mills, and fellow captain senior foil John Vaiani as all having good chances for an individual championship if they perform at their best in the moment.
That was a recurring refrain from Ma. With the national rankings as tight as they are in the Ivy League, the title rests on how each team performs on that day. Unlike last year however, Penn won’t have the advantage of a home crowd; the round-robin tournament will be hosted by rival Princeton. The women face a bit more of an uphill battle after placing third last season. The team suffered a tight loss to Princeton that would have forced a three-way tie had they won. Like the for the men’s team, the women’s rankings feature the same four Ivies in the national top ten: Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, and Penn – in that order. Ma admitted that there is a bit more of a gap on the women’s side, but the parity within the top four is small enough for any – or all – of them to come out on top. “In a five-touch bout, you never know,” Ma said. “On paper, it could be the other three
teams – both men and women – better than us, but last year we shared the title and the women beat Harvard and almost beat Princeton … So both the men and the women have a chance but we have to do right at that day, at that moment.” “We can only do our part. If the other team do super, we cannot control [that]. So we try to [have a] high performance on that day, and hopefully the other teams have a bad day. We all have a chance,” Ma said. With the margin of error so low and parity at the top so high, the only thing on Ma’s mind are the results. After all, ‘you play to win the game.’ Our Prediction: With a 19-6 overall record, the women’s squad has been bolstered by strong overall performances from both the team’s veterans and younger members. Specifically look for the women’s epee squad to play a key role for
the Quakers, balanced by veteran leadership from senior Stephanie Wolf, and strong showings from the freshmen Jenny Ko and Emma Harris. The men’s squad, two-time defending Ivy champions, is looking as strong as in their past two seasons. This year, the goal is for the squad to claim sole ownership of the Ivy title. The Quakers will look to strong leadership from sophomore saber captain Connor Mills to go along with the stellar expectations set for 2017 NCAA individual top-10 finishers, Justin Yoo and John Vaiani. With an already talented group bonded by one another’s passion to do well for the Red and Blue, Penn fencing is primed to bring in one of the best seasons of all the sports in Penn’s athletic program. And come Feb. 11, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they need to bring out the brooms.
STATS MAR 22-25
Men return 5 of 6 All-Ivy selections from 2017, women return 3 of 5
MAR 10
Men are currently ranked No. 7 in nation, women are No. 9 Penn combined men and women
FEB 10-11
took 8th place at last year's NCAA Championships
Men are 20-5 this season women are 19-6 Men have won 2 straight Ivy championships
FEB 3
NCAA Championships
NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals
Ivy League Chamionships
Northwestern Duals at Notre Dame, the defending NCAA Champion
Key upcoming competitions ALANA SHUKOVSKY | DESIGN EDITOR
ZACH SHELDON | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior forward Michelle Nwokedi, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, and the Quakers have hit their stride recently with several consecutive Ivy League and Big 5 victories.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018 VOL. CXXXV
NO. 7
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
FOUNDED 1885
Double win realistic for Penn Both men’s and women’s squads are on quests for Ivy League championships THEODOROS PAPAZEKOS Sports Editor
Penn fencing coach Andy Ma has a bit of Herm Edwards in him. Like the legendary coach of the New York Jets, Ma’s emphasis is on the results. “Our goal is to try to win both [Ivy Championships],” Ma said. This year, that goal is very much in reach. With only a week and a half until championship weekend, both the men and the women fencers are confident they can pull off the double. “I think the kids are more confident than the coaches,” Ma said, laughing. “Everything could happen, so we have to be ready for that day – that moment. So we prepare everything we know, about our experience, about our knowledge, about our best shot, so we are prepared.” While Ma acknowledges that the Ivy League has improved overall, there are plenty of indications that the gaps between the top four teams in the conference have shrunk even further. On the men’s side, the gap was already small to begin with: Penn, Columbia, and Princeton have split the title in thirds for two straight years. This year, Harvard joins the other three in the national rankings, with all four teams ranked in the top ten. Penn has already lost to Columbia once this season, dropping a narrow 1413 decision with a single touch making the difference. Penn’s men return all but one of the fencers that competed in last year’s championship and have gained valuable reinforcements from the freshman class. The roster has no obvious weaknesses – that is, if they can stay healthy. Both junior epee Justin Yoo and sophomore saber Connor Mills have missed time, SEE IVY TITLE PAGE 10
Individual NCAA title drought up to nearly five years for Penn fencing MOSES NSEREKO Sports Reporter
F
ive years. That’s how long it has been since Penn fencing laid claim to a holder of an individual NCAA fencing title. Specifically, it has been five years since 2014 graduate Michael Mills won the men’s sabre competition at the NCAA Fencing Championships. And, five years later, the next chance to carry out Mills’ legacy may be his own cousin. “He was always a big inspiration,” sophomore sabre Connor Mills said. “He won states, so it was my goal to chase that. He won NCAAs and that’s currently my goal as well.” Suffice to say, Mills has drawn a lot of inspira-
tion from his cousin. The sophomore not only shares a surname with the 2013 NCAA Fencing men’s sabre champion, they also share the same weapon class. The two grew up training in the same club and shared a coach. If you ask the younger Mills, he’ll even go as far as to suggest that both cousins had body types better suited for football. While Mills was not present for his cousin’s NCAA title, he vividly remembers watching the final bout. “I wasn’t there in person, but I was definitely watching it online,” the younger Mills reflected. “There was all of us around the TV screen, watch-
ing him fence. Honestly it was really anticlimactic because he was ahead pretty much the entire time.” Rather than just his connection to his cousin, it is the sophomore captain’s own work ethic that has defined his success and his potential. He is currently in the NROTC program, which often times can coincide with practices. Still, he has exhibited enough leadership off the strips to be elected men’s sabre captain during his sophomore season. And while success runs in the Mills family, if SEE CHAMPION PAGE 8
Despite different fighting styles, fencing Quakers still a cohesive unit
Red and Blue competitive at each type of weapon MARC MARGOLIS Associate Sports Editor
Three-for-one deals are never bad. That is what fencing fans get whenever they watch a match. Though a first-time spectator or casual fan may have trouble noticing the differences, fencing’s three forms — sabre, epee, and foil — are all very nuanced. Both Penn men’s and women’s fencing compete at a high level in all three categories. However, most fencers succeed in each form at some point in their careers. At a young age, most fencers start off in foil. Fencers will then either continue with foil or switch to sabre or epee depending on their coaches’ recommendations. A foil sword weighs less than a pound and valid targets include the torso: from shoulders to groin in the front, and shoulders to waist in the back. An epee sword is heavier, weighing 27 ounces, but the whole body is a valid target. Lastly, sabre is the lightest sword and points can be registered from all parts of the blade. Additionally, the target area is the entire body above the
LIZZY MACHIELSE | ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
Like the other squad captains, junior foil Simone Unwalla, a second-team All-Ivy selection last year, is responsible for leading and setting an example for her weapon type on and off the strip.
waist, including the head. “Sabre I would say requires more athleticism, epee focuses more on very precise point control, and foil is between the two,” coach Andy Ma says. “Every weapon has a different charac-
teristic, like long jumping versus high jumping in track.” Adding on, junior sabre Raphael Van Hoffelen classified epee as enduring, sabre as explosive, and foil as very technical. Given the different styles,
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Penn has a coach that specifically focuses on each fencing style. Ma focuses on sabre, while assistant coaches Slava Danilov and Adi Nott focus on epee and foil, respectively. On the recruiting trail, Ma is involved in recruiting
all three types of fencers. However, in epee and foil, he sends tape to his assistants for further evaluation. When it comes to epee and foil, he will collaborate more with his assistants when deciding who to recruit. As a team in practice, all three forms warm up and do conditioning together in addition to post-practice stretching. In between, for most of each practice, each weapon group breaks off to focus on its own form and technique. In fact, all three men’s and women’s weapon types have a squad captain. On the women’s side, the captains are juniorSimone Unwalla on foil, junior Kathryn Khaw on sabre, and senior Stephanie Wolf at epee. Conversely, on the men’s side, senior John Vaiani, sophomore Connor Mills, and junior Justin Yoo captain foil, sabre, and epee, respectively. “Our captains usually have us do social stuff together just to get closer,” sophomore foil Danielle Ferdon said. “Our captain makes an effort to make sure the foils are all close with each other.” Despite the amount of time each weapon spends with each other, all three fencing forms are close on and off the strip. Van Hoffelen, a sabre, says he spends most of his out of practice time with his best friend in epee. Still,
it is only natural the different weapons spend more time with each other. “They are very different, completely different sports,” Van Hoffelen said. “It’s really rare someone does all the weapons, and it never happens at these high levels. That’s why our training is so different.” Van Hoffelen, like Ma brought in track as an analogy. Given how quick and explosive sabre fencers need to be, he likened the training to that of a 100-meter sprint. Sabre is constantly fast-forward. During matches, there are three strips for each weapon where fencers stay more focused on their weapon group. Still, that does not mean there is not time to watch other weapons. “Often, one weapon will finish before the others, so then it’s like the last weapon fencing,” Van Hoffelen said of match day. “Sometimes when it’s close, it’s those matches who decide who wins or loses so everyone goes around and watches. It’s pretty intense.” Fencing is unique because it is an individual sport with three completely different techniques and a team element. Penn fencing may compete as individuals across different disciplines, but make no mistake, it is one united program.
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