THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF PENNSYLVANIA
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
ARCHitecture for active learning The ARCH auditorium now can transform from a lecture hall into a space for student collaboration BY JENNY LU Staff Writer Imag ine if for three days a week, instead of sitting silently in your math lecture, you could use that class time to work with other students on problems, with the professor and TAs right there to answer any questions. Welcome to an “active learning” class at Penn. New teaching initiative Through Penn’s new active learning initiative, known as Structured, Active, In-Class Learning, or SAIL, students actively
apply concepts to problems rather than passively learn the material in a lecture. Vice Provost for Education Andrew Binns explained that this active learning is supposed to make students “feel comfortable with the material in a different context.” W h i le t h is ide a has floated around in higher education for some time, an initiative was not established at Penn until last year. In September 2013, Penn received a
SEE ARCH PAGE 7 DP File Photo/Luke Chen
Cab driver alleges assault by Penn Police Saharo Sacko is asking for more than $150,000 in damages from Penn BY JILL CASTELLANO Staff Writer A Philadelphia cab driver filed a lawsuit against the University of Pennsylvania Police Department on Friday, claiming that four Penn Police officers physically assaulted him after he was pulled over for careless driving. Saharo Sacko is asking for more than $150,000 in damages, as well as legal costs, in his lawsuit against the University, the Penn Police Department and four unnamed police officers. The alleged assault occurred when Sacko — who had a passenger in his car — was pulled over for “alleged careless driving” near the 4200 block of Walnut Street on Feb. 12, 2012 , according to the complaint that Sacko filed in federal court. Sacko claims that one of the Penn Police officers physically assaulted him without any warning, pulling him out of his vehicle by his shoulder and violently throwing him against SEE LAWSUIT PAGE 7
Courtesy of John MacDermott
Minority leaders discuss financial aid issues
Minority students often face extenuating financial circumstances BY LAURA ANTHONY Staff Writer
Penn provides need-blind, noloan, full financial aid to students in need. However, some minority students say they are slipping through the cracks. Student leaders of minority organizations on campus discussed these issues with President Amy Gutmann, who they meet with each semester, in the fall. The students were concerned that while the standard financial aid formula works well in the majority of cases, for students who have individual extenuating circumstances — especially minority students — those resources may not be sufficient. The students met with University Director of Financial Aid Joel Carstens, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs for Student Registration and Financial
STUDENT GROUPS WORKING FOR FINANCIAL AID REFORMS UMOJA Umbrella student organization for student groups of the African diaspora LATINO COALITION Promotes and advances the agenda of Latino students at Penn LAMBDA ALLIANCE Umbrella advocacy group for queer students at Penn Services Michelle Brown-Nevers and Deputy University Registrar Janet Ansert, at Gutmann’s suggestion to come up with a plan to address their concerns. “The sensitivity process and
SEE FINANCIAL PAGE 2
World Bank envoy talks equality
SENDING LOVE
The United Nations will set new goals for global development after 2015 BY JOE LI Contributing Writer
Yolanda Chen/News Photo Editor
College sophomore Emily Cutler spreads the love by making love letters at an event in William’s Cafe, organized by Tzedek Social Justice at Penn. The love letters will be collected and sent to adults in the Philadelphia area.
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working with our frontline staff, that is [a topic] that we knew would be coming out of this and something that has already started to change,” Carstens said. According to College sopho-
more Diana Cabrera, chair of the Latino Coalition, the student leaders and Student Financial Services discussed options such as forming a student advisory board or designating a liaison in SFS to work with minority students. Carstens said the creation of a student advisory board for SFS would likely occur closer to the end of the semester, and they will have to consider how a liaison might be integrated into that plan. SFS already provides individual meetings for students who want to go over their personal cases, but Carstens said he intends to “escalate the discussion to make sure that we’re responding in the time frame that the students need the response.” “It’s something that’s happening as we speak, so we’re just opening the door,” Gutmann said. Dawn Androphy, College junior and president of Lambda Alliance, said that some of the
After 2015, the world can expect fresh goals for global development. On Monday, the World Bank President’s Envoy and former Managing Director of the World Bank Group Mahmoud Mohieldin presented his vision for the post-2015 development agenda to students in Huntsman Hall. Currently, the United Nations is striving to implement eight Millenium Development Goals by 2015. The MDGs are objectives introduced by the UN in the 1990s to raise global standards of living. After 2015, the UN and the World Bank are looking to set new goals.
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At the global level there has been significant progress on the MDGs, Mohieldin said. Much of the progress can be attributed to a few large countries, while others are lagging behind. The emerging vision for the post-2015 framework envisages “transformative shifts” to ensure no individual is left without food, education and medical treatment. The initiatives also include sustainable development, peace and good governance and forging a new global partnerships between developing and developed countries. Mohieldin emphasized that fighting corruption is important, but that aid to developing countries should not be stopped because some of the aid will not reach the most needy. Mohieldin used Korea — a country that depended on aid at first but became independent later on — to illustrate
that recipient countries should not rely on aid, but should use it as a catalyst for future growth. “It’s exciting and encouraging to know that institutions like the World Bank are looking for ideas f rom college students,” Wharton and Engineering sophomore Matt Schulman said after the event. “Young people are more willing to take risks, and Penn is an especially relevant place to discuss these issues.” Engineering sophomore Ray Lei had a more neutral reaction. He said that the content of the presentation was very general and free of controversies. Currently, very few collaborative programs exist between Penn and the World Bank. Legal Studies lecturer Djordjija Petkoski, who helped organize the event, said that the University has been trying to build up ■ the connection.
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