WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Fifteen students struck by credit card fraud Some lost up to $1,600 from their accounts at SFCU
members an advisory from the Division of Public Safety, alerting them of an investigation into the fraud. Rush said that accounts were robbed of anywhere from LAUREN FEINER City News Editor $400 to $1,600, with most cases involving a $400 to $500 loss. Rush deferred Since early January, 15 members of comment to SFCU about whether vicPenn’s Student Federal Credit Union tims were reimbursed. SFCU deferred have fallen victim to credit card fraud, comment to DPS for all specific quesVice President of Public Safety Maureen tions, citing the active investigation. Rush said. “We have no idea how this is hapOn Tuesday, SFCU forwarded pening,” Rush said. The unauthorized
transactions were mostly made outside of the area, as far and varied as Las Vegas, Florida and Canada. Most victims still have their physical credit cards, Rush said, but it is unclear whether the information was stolen online and whether the cases are connected. Rush added that DPS is working with Penn Information Security Officer Josh Beeman and SFCU to better understand the credit union’s security system. DPS is also encouraging SFCU to have its
system checked out by their own platform vendors. “We don’t have a lot of answers,” Rush said. However, she offered tips for students to ensure that their money is secure. She suggested signing the back of new credit cards and putting “ask for ID” on the back. Rush said that in her personal experience, most merchants adhere to this provision. SEE FRAUD PAGE 6
ONE SMALL STEP FOR DIVESTMENT UA referendum calling for divestment from fossil fuels receives requisite number of votes to be valid
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Why … should [it] be legally harder to expel someone for rape than for moving newspapers, or cheating or assaulting a police officer?”
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ANOTHER SHOT AT IVY GLORY BACK PAGE
Only about 30 percent of applicants’ schools currently rank CAROLINE SIMON Staff Reporter
College applicants might have one less number to worry about on their applications. In recent years, the importance of class rank as a factor in admissions decisions has steadily declined, a phenomenon with meaningful implications for overstressed high school students. “We’ve noticed a pretty precipitous decline in the level of importance that colleges attribute to class rank,” said David Hawkins, the director of public policy and research at the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. Dean of Admissions Eric Furda confirmed that class rank is not an essential factor in Penn’s admissions process. “From a multidecade perspective, class rank has become less prevalent in secondary schools,” he said, adding that only about 30 percent of Penn’s applicant pool typically attends a school that ranks its students. “Class rank has become less prevalent in our pools, and therefore, less relevant,” Furda said. Hawkins cited two primary reasons for the decline in the importance of
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KATE JEON | NEWS DESIGN EDITOR
Law profs stand against sexual assault policy Issues include the standard of evidence in the new policy ANNA HESS Staff Reporter
On Feb. 18, nearly one-third of the Law School’s tenure or tenure-track faculty published an open letter criticizing the new sexual violence investigative procedures instituted by the University on Feb. 1. The letter argues that the new policy does not provide due process and leaves students accused of sexual misconduct at risk of being found wrongfully responsible. The new policy was adopted under pressure from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to institute stronger disciplinary and investigative procedures for sexual assault allegations. However, the 16 Penn Law signatories fear that the new procedures infringe upon the rights of the accused. One of the main issues the letter raises is the low standard of evidence the new investigative process allows. If a sexual assault is brought to a hearing after the investigation, the person hearing the case need only be over 50 percent sure that a respondent is guilty to punish him or her. This preponderance-of-the-evidence standard, or “more likely to be guilty than not,” is the lowest standard of evidence in our legal system and is typically seen in civil disputes, said
It takes time to be both funny and horrifying 7,500 hours of work, all for one Mask and Wig production JOHN BARTLETT Contributing Reporter
Do you need more witty humor, tap dancing numbers and knockoff Ghostbuster costumes in your life? You may want to check out The Mask and Wig Club’s first ever horror-comedy performance. “A Comedy of Terrors” centers on the efforts of two
brothers who try to win over more viewers for their paranormal investigation TV show against a rival show. Other than Mask and Wig’s traditional feature of men dressed in women’s clothing, this year’s show has a human-ghost romance. Though the material is light, preparation for such an event is a serious undertaking. Members of the club begin brainstorming for their spring show at the beginning of the previous summer, soon after
school lets out in May. In fact, the whole show is written over a few weeks in late August before the fall semester begins. The script is then tweaked and improved countless times until the cast begins its first day of rehearsal on Jan. 2. From there, practices can range anywhere from four to 14 hours per day until the production’s first show in mid-January. “Collectively, we put in about 7,500 hours to make this happen,” said Mask and Wig Chairman Rishi Simha,
a Wharton senior. “I’m really proud of my guys.” Part of putting on the show falls into the hands of the business staff, which is responsible for publicity and selling tickets, often using advertising tactics and bringing in campus groups to sell out shows. Groups, like the sprint football team recently, attend shows as a bonding activity, Simha said. After weeks of rehearsal leading up to the first show, actors and musicians must have their parts down cold because
rehearsals stop after the first performance. Of course, changes will be made. “Sometimes there will be a line that doesn’t land, so we tweak it to make it more punchy,” Cast Director Joe Miciak, a College senior, said. But otherwise, few differences typically arise from show to show. Membership in Mask and Wig is a serious commitment, but a rewarding one. In addition to their shows in their SEE MASK AND WIG PAGE 7
SEE LAW PAGE 7
SEE PENN LAW STUDENT RESPONSE ON PAGE 4
FREDA ZHAO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mask and Wig’s “A Comedy of Terrors” is playing at the Mask and Wig Clubhouse Fridays and Saturdays through April 10.
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