THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF PENNSYLVANIA
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014
College sophomore, 18, died yesterday Elvis Hatcher was a member of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity
unknown. Hatcher was the treasurer of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity and lived in Gregory College House last year. He worked in IT support at Wharton and loved math, the email said. “He was an avid musician and loved ja zz ,” t he ema i l quot ed Hatcher’s parents as saying. “He also loved his cat, Toki.” College sophomore Minji Kwak,
BY HARRY COOPERMAN City News Editor
Campus Resources
College sophomore Elvis Hatcher died yesterday, according to an email sent by the College to impacted students. He was 18. His cause of death is currently
Counseling and Psychological Services 215-898-7021 215-349-5490
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NUMBER OF FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES IN EACH COUNCIL
INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL
9
PANHELLENIC COUNCIL
BY SARAH SMITH Senior Writer
33
NUMBER OF BIDS ISSUED (SPRING 2014)
50*
530 464
MGC
IFC
PANHEL PANHEL
AVERAGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN NEW MEMBER CLASS
57
IFC
MGC
14.47
4.54*
*Numbers are approximations Source: Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life
Graphic by Analyn Delos Santos
MGC chapters have distinct approaches to recruitment that complement their smaller size BY MELISSA LAWFORD Staff Writer As pledges embark on their journey to brotherhood, the Multicultural Greeks are just gearing up for recruitment. However the MGCs operate within very different systems than the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council chapters. There are currently 11 active MGC fraternities and sororities with a total membership of 135 students. Each organization follows the individual recruitment processes of their national chapters. Wharton and College junior Peixin Mo, the president of the MGC, explained that the ways in which MGC groups find new members are incredibly diverse. Kenneth Jones, program coordinator at the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, said that for the majority of multicultural Greeks, the decision to recruit falls to the individual chapter. This is one aspect that makes the MGC unique, he explained. This is true of Delta Sigma Theta, for example, one of Penn’s black interest sororities. President and Wharton senior Mahu Attenoukon explained that the chapter will be voting on whether or not to recruit this spring. “It is all about what is
best for the chapter at the time,” she explained, outlining factors such as how many current members will be graduating. Alpha Phi Alpha, a city-wide black interest fraternity, is also considering recruitment this semester. Chapter president and College senior and master of public administration candidate Ike Onyeador explained that recruitment will begin this month, “if it happens.” This would consist of three weekends of workshops with Alpha Phi Alpha’s Philadelphia chapter, which draws from all class years, he said. He noted, however, that “if the interest level isn’t appropriate, it won’t happen.” One of the reasons that recruitment is not a given for the MGC is the relatively small size of their fraternities and sororities. While the IFC’s average new member class this spring was 14.5 students and Panhel’s was 57 — not including Alpha Delta Pi’s 150 new bids — Jones estimated that the average MGC spring new member class would be between five and 10. Onyeador, who is one of two Penn students and nine total students in Alpha Phi Alpha’s citywide chapter, said that joining
Law School Dean Michael Fitts was named the president of Tulane University on Tuesday afternoon, a position he will formally assume on July 1. Fitts, who has been a professor at Penn Law since 1985 after earning his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his law degree from Yale University, will leave behind a legacy of fundraising prowess and an emphasis on interdisciplinary education after a 14-year deanship. His move leaves Penn with five deanships and an Athletic Director slot to fill. There is no word yet on who may be named as interim dean, Penn Law spokesperson Steven Barnes said. Fitts could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. “This is a bittersweet moment for all of us at Penn,” Penn President Amy Gutmann said in a memo to the deans. “We are going to miss him greatly.” Fitts inherited Penn Law at a time when there were some divisions among the faculty, law professor Kermit Roosevelt said. Under Fitts’ leadership, the faculty became more cohesive and increased in number by 40 percent. Fitts led Penn Law’s Bold Ambitions fundraising campaign, exceeding the campaign goal and ultimately raising over $200 million. He oversaw major renovations of Penn Law’s buildings, which finished in January 2012 with
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Penn Law Dean Michael Fitts was appointed the next president of Tulane University on Tuesday afternoon, a position he will assume on July 1. Golkin Hall, a $33.5 million project. Ironically, Fitts’ fundraising talents weren’t obvious before he assumed the deanship. “I have not done a lot of fundraising,” he told The Daily Pennsylvanian following his appointment in 2000. “But I have a great product to sell — an excellent law school with a lot of opportunities.” When he was appointed, Fitts aimed to expand faculty, increase interdisciplinary education and raise Penn Law’s standing in the U.S. News and World Report. At the time, the school was ranked 12th; in 2013, it landed at number seven. SEE FITTS PAGE 7
Penn Vet funding level in governor’s budget BY SARAH SMITH Senior Writer Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett proposed keeping funding for Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine stable in fiscal year 2015. The embattled Republican governor proposed an appropriation of $28 million in his budget unveiled Tuesday morning, level with Penn Vet’s final
available budget this fiscal year, which ends on June 30. The funds are not set in stone: The budget will have to pass the Republican-held legislature before it is finalized. The final budgets are usually signed midsummer. In addition, the Vet School’s Center for Infectious Disease would receive $261,000 from the state government if SEE BUDGET PAGE 6
PENN VET FUNDING FROM THE STATE 39.45 37.36 38.11 39.25 37.27 30.00 29.75
2005
SEE MGC PAGE 2
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Michael Fitts will leave behind a legacy of fundraising and student engagement
DOLLARS (MILLIONS)
11
MULTICULTURAL GREEK COUNCIL
Student Health Service 215-746-3535
Law dean named Tulane president
Multicultural Greeks rush at their own speed MULTICULTURAL GREEK COUNCIL STATISTICS
who lived across the hall from Hatcher as a freshman, described him as “probably one of the most interesting people” she met at Penn. “He was … a brilliant person, and it’s terrible that he passed away,” Kwak said. Hatcher is the fourth Penn student to have died since the start of winter break. ■
2006
2007
26.50 27.89 28.00 28.00
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 FISCAL YEAR (ENDING JUNE 30)
2013
2014
2015*
*PROPOSED BUDGET
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