February 26, 2015 by The Daily Pennsylvanian

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

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Group forms Penn’s first student PAC The PAC is born out of Penn for Hillary JONATHAN BAER Staff Reporter

Volunteering, donating and raising awareness for political candidates are common modes of student political activism. But

A look into the lives of student athletes JILLIAN MOELY Staff Reporter

Waking up at 6 a.m. to a blaring alarm clock on a dark, cold February morning and jumping into a jam-packed 16-hour day is just the beginning — for many Penn student athletes, balancing academics, sports, work and a social life is

a new group of Penn students are taking a different approach: forming a political action committee. On Feb. 10, the Federal Elections Committee officially approved Philadelphia Students for Progress, the recently created student PAC. “The reason why we want to do it is so we can fundraise and help support grassroots campaigns,” said

this is a great way for students to become more actively involved in politics.” A PAC is a committee that can raise and spend money for political purposes, usually to elect and defeat candidates. A student-formed PAC is rare, SEE PAC PAGE 5

BALANCING ACT more than a full-time job. Varsity athletes make up about 10 percent of the enrolled undergraduate population, but many students are not aware of just how demanding the typical student-athlete schedule is. Although daily routines vary by team, all athletes have learned to integrate early mornings, long practices and hours of focused study time into their lives. Engineering freshman and swimmer Carly Catella starts her

Four-year program to monitor mental health efforts

day at 5:45 a.m. four times a week and sometimes doesn’t finish with classes until 9 p.m. Her schedule takes her straight from practice, to class, to work and finally to bed. Catella’s workload is particularly intense, as she is one of the few members of the women’s varsity swim team studying engineering. “There have been a couple of weeks where I’ve been really overwhelmed at all of the work I have to do, usually around midterms,”

Catella said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people who aren’t athletes who’ve said things like ‘Oh yeah, I’ve studied like 12 hours for this exam,’ but I just didn’t have 12 hours to study for it.” In order to complete each day’s daunting agenda, athletes find it necessary to regiment their lives. “It forces me to use my daylight hours as much as possible; it takes SEE ATHLETES PAGE 3

ADMINISTRATION

U.-wide survey increases focus on students’ stress levels

Participation in the program is part of taskforce recommendations

Survey is administered to undergrads every four years

JODY FREINKEL Staff Reporter

Keeping in line with task force recommendations, Penn is turning to outside help to improve mental health on campus. Penn is participating in the Campus Program, a collaboration between the Jed and Clinton foundations with a four-year commitment that requires universities to complete self-assessments and establish an oversight committee to monitor progress on mental health efforts. According to the report released by the mental health task force last week, the program will “help Penn better align its efforts to support students’ emotional well-being with national standards.” Penn’s 2002 mental health task force also recommended a campus committee to oversee the implementation of its recommendations, but that committee was never formed. The Campus Program will help hold Penn accountable for monitoring changes, according to 2015 task force co-chairs Rebecca Bushnell and Tony Rostain. Penn is still in the preliminary stages of the program, according to Medical Director

College sophomore and Philadelphia Students for Progress co-chair Mitch McVeigh. “A lot of corporate and special interests can influence politics by creating their own super PACs and donating money to campaigns or to specific advertisements supporting candidates. However, students really haven’t been involved with that, and I think

COREY STERN Deputy News Editor

ISABELLA CUAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Does the Office of Institutional Research & Analysis keep sending you emails? Penn is currently administering the Enrolled Student Survey, first sent out on Feb. 10. The ESS is a voluntary survey sent to all undergraduates that is meant to help gauge the student experience at Penn.

The University is not exempt from the lessons of the Chapel Hill tragedy.”

Students are prompted to answer questions on their academic experiences, interactions with faculty members, extracurricular activities, health and wellbeing and more. Compared to the 2011 version of the survey, this year’s questionnaire has more questions regarding students’ stress and overall well-being. New questions ask whether students feel “Penn takes reports of sexual assault seriously,” “administrators at Penn are genuinely concerned about [their] welfare” and if in the past year they SEE SURVEY PAGE 2

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Penn Y-Prize winners put $5,000 in winnings to use Seniors form frackingfocused company RUIHONG LU Staff Reporter

Two Penn seniors are creating a startup to save the environment. Wharton and Engineering seniors Ashwin Amurthur and Teddy Guenin are in the process of launching a company that will help limit the environmental impact of frack ing. GF ET-Frack Technologies will help drilling companies detect trace amounts of harmful fracking fluids leaked into the groundwater. A mu r thu r a nd Guen in are the 2015 recipients of Y-Prize, a competition that encourages student teams to propose innovative commercia l appl ications for technology invented by Penn researchers. The pair was awarded $5,000 and the licensing rights to Graphene technology — which could help to detect chem ica l leakage — to launch their company. A mu r thu r a nd Guen in are developing a Graphene sensor to detect chemical compounds that are found in ver y trace concentrations and fracking f luids. The technology will both enable drilling companies to minimize contamination and enable municipalities to protect public groundwater reservoirs. Amurthur and Guenin emphasized that the company has a strong focus on environmental protection. “It’s really important for the environment and for its citizens to have clean water,” Amurthur

said. “Everyone wants to drink clean water.” The pair was inspired by the news coverage of the recent New York Fracking Ban, and they hope to bring reform to the existing fracking process. “We can actually be the people that help the New York officials decide whether fracking is safe and whether it’s not,” Amurthur said. A mu r thu r a nd Guen in believe that Penn’s recent investments in the STEM fields have significantly contributed to their success. They were also helped by the Penn Center for Innovation, the Mack Institute for Innovation Management and professors Luke Taylor and A.T. Charlie Johnson. “Over the past two years, Penn spent a lot of money and resources on startup things to help people like us out,” Guenin said. Before the competition, the pair talked to representatives from drilling companies such as Schlumberger, which does fracking operations. “We received feedback from them on what they do to solve the problems that we’ve identified,” Guenin said. “We’re innovating to apply the technology in a new industry.” The pair sees Y-Prize as the first step in developing their startup. “It takes a lot of effort to start a company, and we’re very happy that we were awarded the prize and the licensing rights,” Guenin said. “It’s a validation,” Amurthur added, “and we realized that we got to go on.” Amurthur and Guenin believe that their team spirit

contributes to the development of their ideas. “We tr ust each other. Whenever problems arise, we can always resolve it the next day,” Guenin said, adding that their work ethics are “virtually identical.” They described their partnership as “relaxed, hardworking and amusing.” Guenin and Amurthur believe teamwork is extremely important for new startups in general. “It’s hard to do in one person, and you should feel super comfortable with the co-founder,” Guenin said. As seniors, Amurthur and Guenin both plan to continue working closely on their project together after graduation. Ultimately, they see their project as a launching pad. “It starts the talk and the discussion with Penn about how we can work together to create a company and a successful product out of something that was previously only restricted to a laboratory,” Guenin said. The team is also actively reaching out to companies and institutions such as environmental journalism website StateImpact Pennsylvania, a division of National Public Radio, for additional support and developmental advice. “We sent out hundreds of ema ils this week only,” Guenin said. The team is also planning to test new samples to ensure the accuracy of its results. “We’re currently going forward creating the company and the contexts. We’re definitely going full step on this,” Amurthur said. “It’s the start of a real company and [we want] to make something out of it,” Guenin added.

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Student activist groups continue to face uphill battles on campus

EMMA HARTLEY | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Students performed stretches to release tension before discussing the heavy subject matter surrounding protests and student activism.

UMC hosts event to discuss negative portrayal of protests JESSICA WASHINGTON Staff Reporter

Last semester, a surge of protests emerged on Penn’s campus following national attention on economic inequality and racial injustice. However, many students on campus were not accepting of the activism. On the night of Feb. 25, leaders from several student activist groups — including Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation, the Student Labor Action Project and the Race Dialogue Project — came under one roof to discuss the perception and future of activist movements at Penn and across the United States. The event, which was hosted by the United Minority Council, was titled “You Mad?: A Discussion on Protest.” The conversation focused

primarily on the negative portrayal of protests both on campus and throughout the country. College senior Chloe Sigal, a member of SLAP, described the outrage one member of her group faced during the die-in at Penn President Amy Gutmann’s holiday party last semester. The protest was co-hosted by SOUL and SLAP. “I remember at the Christmas party we disrupted, one of our members actually ended up crying,” Sigal said. “She was going around collecting signatures when a man actually knocked her clipboard out of her hand and called her a f**king bitch.” Sigal was shocked by the reaction of some partygoers. “The level of indignation that there can be at a holiday party, over people wanting turkey sliders or something is really surprising,” she said. UMC Chair Tanya Jain felt that a lot of what sparked outrage towards

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protesters was fear of change. “Everyone loves structure, they love routine,” Jain explained. “When you disrupt the established structure, people get angry.” While many people in the group agreed that a general fear of change had a lot to do with public opinion regarding protests, they also felt that much of the fear and anger was racially motivated. “If a bunch of black people are protesting, the public perception is, ‘Oh, black people, they must be angry,’” added one discussion member. The group also discussed the best ways in which to promote their various messages in light of protest criticism. College freshman Krisna Maddy pointed to the Ferguson Friday displays, which were conducted by SOUL, as good examples of effective visual protests. While the group members all supported visual protests, they disagreed on whether or not shock value was essential to a successful demonstration. “We have to keep up that shock value to get noticed,” Sigal said. LPS junior Christian Sanoguel disagreed with the idea that shock value was necessary to get noticed. “I think that the media already portrays African Americans as angry, so we’ll get noticed but not for the right reasons,” Sanoguel said. “I think that shock value is showing people the opposite of what they expect.” All event participants did agree that sustaining student interest in issues such as Payment in Lieu of Taxes and racial injustice is an uphill battle for activist groups on campus. “It is a constant struggle,” Sigal said, “to get and keep student attention.”

SURVEY >> PAGE 1

MARLTON PHILADELPHIA WAYNE

have “felt so depressed it was difficult to function.” Rob Nelson, the executive director for Education and Academic Planning, declined to comment on specifics of the survey in order to not interfere with incoming results. Nelson said that the ESS is one of a few regularly administered surveys that help administrators in their decision-making processes. “We administer a number of surveys — the senior survey, the enrolled student survey and the freshman survey are the standard ones,” Nelson said. “Administrators from across the University look at the results and use survey results in their planning.” In fact, when the Task Force on Student Psychological Health and Welfare released its report on Feb. 17, it referenced results from previous freshman, senior and ESS surveys. The ESS was first administered at Penn during the 2002-2003 academic year, and has been administered every four years since. As many of these topics are of major concern at most universities today, the bulk of the survey is actually a collaboration with a number of peer schools. “The survey is given at places like Harvard and Princeton and Cornell in addition to Penn,” Nelson said. Nelson added, however, that some questions are specific to Penn. The window to complete the survey closes on March 8. Results are expected by the summer.

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Sex trafficking’s aftermath

MI JIANG | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Donna Sabella spoke on Wednesday about the mental health of sex trafficking survivors.

Drexel prof. spoke on trauma survivors face NAMITA GOHIL Contributing Reporter

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Although the idea of reestablishing a life after physical, mental, verbal and psychiatric trauma seems inconceivable, this is the grim reality for victims of human sex trafficking. At an event organized by Students Against Sex Trafficking and Drexel’s Students Advocating Against Slavery on Wednesday, Drexel’s Office of Human Trafficking Director Donna Sabella spoke about the trauma faced by survivors of sex trafficking. Human trafficking includes forced labor and sex trafficking, and occurs in controlled settings such as apartments, massage parlors and brothels. Sabella, who is also a nursing professor and has founded both an outreach support program and a residential recovery program for sex trafficking victims in Philadelphia, discussed how sex trafficking affects the lives of survivors. From physical health consequences such as broken bones, stab wounds and cigarette burns, to emotional ordeals such as depression, anx34 3434 T STSand T fear of being judged in Siety the community, victims have to undergo rehabilitation so they

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

can reintegrate into society. For Sherry Jane Alindogan, a community scholar from Drexel University, attending Sabella’s talk was crucial in her advocacy for human trafficking in her native country, the Philippines. “Sex trafficking has been my passion because when I travel to the Philippines, I see a lot of girls being sold cheaply, and women were sacrificing female infants to foreigners,” she said. “Their entire lives were being destroyed. Seeing this is very painful, so I want to help save one soul at a time. By coming here, I can gain the knowledge to help educate others. If I can educate one family at a time that has damaged their children, they can educate another family”. Sabella said it is imperative to help all victims, regardless of their gender, age or cultural background. Whether survivors are from the United States or the Philippines, male or female, they are all oppressed, stigmatized and voiceless. The talk also resonated with Wharton junior Kahle Mandarino. Mandarino enjoyed the fact that Sabella provided an insight into human trafficking from the perspective of mental health. “Awareness is so important because a lot of people don’t

know about the issue,” she said. “Hundreds of people are affected in the USA, and we don’t even hear about it. There are more slaves in the 21st century than there were in medieval times”. Education on human trafficking is critical in order to help the public understand and feel compelled by the hardships victims face. However, it is also important for the public to take action. Serena Advani, president of Students Against Sex Trafficking at Penn, was inspired to start the organization after realizing the lack of education on human trafficking, especially since it occurs on the streets of Philadelphia. Advani said that awareness in the Penn and Philadelphia communities is essential to help victims, but she is also taking action through her organization. “We also do fundraising with the Polaris Project and help out at Dawn’s Place, a women’s victim shelter in Philadelphia,” Advani said. “We also have a documentary screening called ‘Not My Life,’ which is about trafficking, and we are trying to host an Ivy League conference in spring 2016 to help bring together people from different schools to talk about and implement solutions to help survivors.”

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CAMPUS PROGRAM >> PAGE 1

of the Jed Foundation Victor Schwartz, who acted as a consultant to the Task Force on Student Psychological Health and Welfare last year. The first steps will be to finalize the University’s campus-wide committee, and then to administer the first self-assessment. After those steps have been taken, representatives from the Campus Program will begin making visits to Penn. Additional surveys will be completed over the course of the next four years to help the school continue to identify areas for improvement and track progress. Marketing and communication about mental health resources, Schwartz said, is an example of something the

ATHLETES >> PAGE 1

a lot of discipline,” Nursing freshman Natalie Zeng, a member of the rowing team, said. “It’s intense, but I kind of like it that way. Having a sport gives me a reason to get up in the morning and adds a structure to my day that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It makes me use my time better; I can have a nice dinner with my friends, I can get sleep, I can have all of my work done,” Zeng said. “So it’s hard, but it’s worth it.” Despite their hectic schedules, most Penn athletes prove that it’s possible to work hard while playing hard. This, student athletes say, is encouraged and facilitated by University policy and culture. “I feel like academics here are much more important than your performance in the water, and I actually prefer it — four years from now I will be looking for a job, not a professional athletic career,” Catella said. A d d i t i o n a l l y, ma ny

program might focus on. T he C a mpus P r og r a m , launched in June 2014, focuses on specific factors that were first identified by the United States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program, including promoting “social connectedness” and the development of “life skills,” according to its website. It also tracks metrics like overall student retention, hospitalizations and other indicators of student safety, Schwartz said. In addition to mental health, the program aims to help its partner institutions reduce substance abuse. Counseling and Psychological Services leadership led the effort for Penn to affiliate with the Campus Program. It was one of the proposals that Rostain and Bushnell brought to President Amy Gutmann and Provost

Vincent Price before presenting the mental health task force’s final recommendations. The University’s HELP line was also established in advance of the final report. Cornell, Columbia and Princeton universities are also part of the inaugural class of participants in the program. Its goal is to have 150 campuses signed on by the end of 2015, and it is already more than halfway to reaching that goal, Schwartz said. The Jed Foundation, founded in 2000 by two parents whose son committed suicide, works toward improving emotional health for teenagers and young adults. The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation has a global health focus and partners with different businesses and governments.

student-athletes agree that coaches get all the help you need.” prioritize academics over athletics. Director of Communications “Our coach is really understand- for Penn Athletics Mike Mahoney ing about being able to balance noted that many learning resources your life,” Wharton freshman and provided to student-athletes are swimmer Annie Tran said. “He available to all students on campus. says if you have class, that’s the “That said, we are proactive with first thing; don’t worry about prac- our coaches and their athletes in tice if you have too much work.” letting them know about these reAthletes who dip below a C av- sources,” he added. erage are barred from competition, The combined effort of Univerand those who find themselves sity measures and student-athlete struggling are afforded a wealth of discipline seems to be effective; in resources — tutors are available, the latest NCAA academic progand some athletes must log a speci- ress report, released in 2012, 17 of fied amount of “study hall” hours Penn’s 28 eligible athletic teams during their first year at Penn. finished in the top 10 percent for “It’s a great resource for athletes; academics among all Division I it helps you manage your time. programs. You’re forced to go somewhere Most of a varsity athlete’s and work on your homework, and academic success, however, is ulthere’s help there you can get,” Jack timately a product of the student’s Smallwood, a College freshman willingness and ability to work and member of the rowing team, hard — the academic support sersaid of the study-hours program. vices they are offered don’t differ “If you need extra help there are a much from those accessible to any bunch of resources, like the Wein- student. garten Learning Resources Center “You always have enough time,” and the Athletics Department. Smallwood said. “You just have to Your coaches will makeWISDOM sure you useTEETH it well.” RESEARCH DO YOUR TEETH NEED REMOVAL?

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OPINION

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 VOL. CXXXI, NO. 23 131st Year of Publication

MATT MANTICA President JILL CASTELLANO Editor-in-Chief SHAWN KELLEY Opinion Editor LUKE CHEN Director of Online Projects LAUREN FEINER City News Editor KRISTEN GRABARZ Campus News Editor CLAIRE COHEN Assignments Editor STEVEN TYDINGS Social Media Director PAOLA RUANO Copy Editor RILEY STEELE Senior Sports Editor HOLDEN MCGINNIS Sports Editor LAINE HIGGINS Sports Editor COLIN HENDERSON Sports Editor ANALYN DELOS SANTOS Creative Director EMILY CHENG News Design Editor KATE JEON News Design Editor JOYCE VARMA Sports Design Editor HENRY LIN Online Graphics Editor IRINA BIT-BABIK News Photo Editor ILANA WURMAN Sports Photo Editor TIFFANY PHAM Photo Manager CARTER COUDRIET Video Producer

Have your own opinion? Send your guest column to Opinion Editor Shawn Kelley at kelley@theDP.com.

Lessons from Chapel Hill

Caught in the craze

EDITORIAL

THE DANALYST | We shouldn’t let our summer plans dominate the

n Feb. 10, three students at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill were shot dead. While some believe the deaths of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad and Razan Mohammad AbuSalha were the result of a parking dispute, many see the killings as a hate crime. Around the world, people have called the events religiously-charged executions that exemplify the enormous stigma faced by Muslims in Western countries, especially the United States. Penn history professor Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, a Muslim Iranian-American who attended UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar, comments: “The murders, I believe, reflect a distrust of Muslims in certain quarters — a distrust that is at once reinforced by the heinous attacks of extremists speaking on behalf of the world’s Muslim community, but also a distrust perpetuated by the growing prejudice against Muslims in the West.” According to Federal Bureau of Investigation reports, since 2002 annual hate crimes against Muslims have been nearly five times higher than their pre-9/11 rate. While these figures are most likely an undercount due to voluntary participation, it does show a disturbing trend. Although one of the best estimates — a Pew report from 2011 — puts the United States’ Muslim population at just over 2.5 million, 0.8 percent of the total population, various institutions, including academic ones in the U.S., are reluctant to call Muslims a minority. Instead, the public often seems to

prefer to see an expanding monolith. But in America, and on elite college campuses, a group facing global stigma and bigotry needs to be recognized as facing challenging circumstances. This is particularly true when facing issues of faculty rep-

While we should recognize the intersection of nationality and Is l a m , we m u s t acknowledge their fundamental difference.” resentation and the visibility of upward mobility. The hesitance of national news organizations to report on the deaths of innocents from a community they frequently label as extremists and terrorists reflects the United States’ unease with Muslims and Muslim Americans. Moreover, there is a problem when being Arab and Muslim is wrongly perpetuated as being equivalent and as part of the false “Islam is Terrorism” trope. Arab and Muslim are different, and neither is synonymous with terrorism or extremism. These stereotypes fail to take into account the racial, ethnic and national diversity of the Muslim community, which extends from Kosovo to Nigeria to Indonesia. While we should recognize the intersection of nationality and Islam, we must acknowledge their fundamental difference. As students, we need to demand that religious diversity and tolerance become require-

ments in larger discussions of academic inclusion. Whenever a large group has come to America seeking opportunity, it has faced discrimination during its initial acclimation. It happened with the Irish Catholics in the 1800s and the Japanese Shinto/Buddhists in the 1900s, just to name a couple. In fact, no immigrant group in American history has escaped the eyes of racism. As global ideologies become more entrenched, issues arise with intricate overlaps, each deserving its unique indepth discussions. The University is not exempt from the lessons of the Chapel Hill tragedy. Penn, in many ways, resembles UNC. Muslim students are certainly present at Penn and have played an active role in West Philadelphia. The Penn Muslim Students Association founded the Masjid Al Jamia on 43rd and Walnut, the largest mosque in Philadelphia, according to junior Majid Mubeen and MSA’s website. And MSA continues to hold a large annual fair for the West Philadelphia community. But according to Kashani-Sabet, tensions exist at Penn regarding the degree of religiosity and what it means to be Muslim in the West. “There is a sense that you will be judged for being too Muslim, or not Muslim enough.” We must make it abundantly clear that all lives matter. We must not bypass conversation on race and religion on campus and within our own community.

rest of our semeseter

he blow came in the form of a dry-cleaning bag to the head. “Sorry,” said a junior in my writing seminar who lugged his suit to class. “I’m going through OCR right now.” He had applied to 55 jobs in the past two weeks, he explained — half of what his friends had submitted. For me, the blow was a manifestation of internship season: a phenomenon that has, for better or for worse, overshadowed my second semester. I understand why the upperclassmen obsess over the search — they view summers as building blocks for impending graduation. But as freshmen, it’s easy to get caught in the craze. We plough through career fairs and alumni dinners, but many of us aren’t sure of what we’re trying to find. We don’t search for experiences as much as for lines on our resumes, or answers to the question, “What are you doing this summer?” “It’s pathetic,” said Catherine, a freshman from Texas, who believes watching upperclassmen endure OCR makes our class “feel pressured to join in the frenzy.” “There’s a lot of price tag labels,” she added. “Like, ‘soand-so is going to work for this company and they’re making X amount of money. It’s very dogeat-dog.’” While she’s a student in the College, Catherine feels the pressure to go into the financial sector — even though a survey from Career Services found that only 7 percent of rising sophomores worked in finance the summer of 2013. “The competition is really intense for what everyone perceives as the right internship, which is investment banking,” she said. “You’re

never good enough, and you always feel second best. People are more concerned about the right career path than following their passions.” Even for those who try to follow their passions in the professional world, the search can be grating. But at an English major alumni panel, a recent grad said she wished she’d spent less time worrying about internships and more with friends she no longer lives near. An older alumnus asked me and a cluster of other freshmen why we were there. “You have so much time,” he said. “Are you just worried about this because it’s the next thing?” Hours spent scrolling through i-Net and PennLink remind me of the college admissions process. I spent high school working towards a concrete goal: college acceptance. It’s my first instinct to reach for another tangible target now that I’m here, and internship offers are a compelling source of validation. But the summer after freshman year is widely regarded as “the last summer you can be young,” as my upperclassmen friends tell me. According to a 2013 self-reported study from the Office of Career Services, roughly threefourths of undergraduate rising sophomores spent their summers working, either in paid or unpaid positions. The other quarter travelled, conducted independent research or (God forbid) relaxed — all of which are completely acceptable, according to Anne Marie Gercke, associate director of Career Services. “Internships are definitely one way you can spend a summer, and they’re great experiences,” she said. “But it’s also not the only thing you can do with your summer. The most

DANI BLUM important thing is to focus on what’s going to make you happy.” She urged that Penn students take advantage of the myriad resources Career Services offers. “We can help put your mind at ease. Students shouldn’t freak out by any means.” That freakout can be infectious, though. As much as I remind myself that this summer won’t define my career, it’s hard to escape the group mentality permeating out of Huntsman — which was why I was so impressed when my roommate announced she wasn’t looking for internships. Instead, she’s finding a job at a summer camp, partially because it meshes well with her environmental studies major, but mostly because it makes her happy. She loves being outside, she enjoys working with kids and she feels she shouldn’t stress about her career yet. “I think this is the summer where we discover ourselves,” she told me. “How you think the best way to do that is what you should do.” I nodded. I agree, I told her. I should embrace that mentality. But five minutes later, I was back on PennLink.

DANI BLUM is a College freshman from Ridgefield, Conn. Her email address is kblum@sas.upenn.edu. “The Danalyst” appears every Thursday.

CLAIRE HUANG Video Producer MEGAN YAN Business Manager TAYLOR YATES Finance Manager SAM RUDE Advertising Manager EMMA HARVEY Analytics Manager CAITLIN LOYD Circulation Manager

THIS ISSUE ANNA GARSON Associate Copy Editor AUGUSTA GREENBAUM Associate Copy Editor EVAN CERNEA Associate Copy Editor BECKY TAYLOR-ASHFIELD Associate Copy Editor NICK BUCHTA Associate Copy Editor

SEAN MCGEEHAN is a College junior from Philadelphia. His email address is seanmcgeehan@verizon.net.

JEN KOPP Associate Copy Editor THOMAS MUNSON Associate Sports Editor

Emoji and the evolution of language

ANNA DYER Associate Sports Editor CATHERINE SAID Social Media Producer SANNA WANI Social Media Producer JENNIFER WRIGHT Deputy News Editor REBECCA HEILWEIL Editorial Board SHUN SAKAI Editorial Board BROOKE EDWARDS Editorial Board

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.

ike many, I was skeptical of emoji when they first arrived on the texting scene. They seemed little more than a gimmick or distraction, and I was much more comfortable using my favorite emoticons, namely :) and :D. But as new technology is always met with skeptics and early adopters, I didn’t start using emoji until this year. I simply couldn’t get around the fact that it was faster to send a thumbs-up icon than to type out “sounds good!” or that I wasn’t restricted to the limited number of facial expressions I could create out of the English alphabet and punctuation. It is difficult to pinpoint the time at which the usage of emoji went mainstream in the U.S., but in late 2011 Apple released an official version of the emoji keyboard for its iOS devices. Previ-

TALL, SKINNY, MOCHA | The value of pictures in writing ously, iOS users would have to install a third-party application to use the pictographs. Most computers and smartphones can now render emoji well, so the barrier to entry is low. Emoji have recently appeared in the media due to their purported lack of diversity. A recent “Saturday Night Live” segment drew attention to the controversy when comedian Sasheer Zamata joked that she had to use the emoji for a new moon as none of the faces resembled her. While her observation is important, it is equally important to keep in mind that emoji were first invented for a Japanese audience, and thus catered to their needs. This indeed may say more about the Japanese and the stereotypes, both positive and negative, that they have developed about the rest of the world than it says about the creators of

the iconography. This past Monday, Apple announced that the emoji in an upcoming update for its operating systems would include faces with five skin tone options. Given that the company has invested heavily in the standardization of emoji in Unicode, it makes sense that it would respond to the demands of its quite diverse consumer base. However, the complete diversification of emoji to include other cultural images will of course take some time. Controversy over race representation in emoji aside, it is interesting to think about their impact on communication. Texting — as well as most modern forms of communication — which lacks the same nuances present in speech or body language, is always widely criticized for potentially leading to miscommunication. As an example, adding a period to

the end of a “thank you” text, or the usage of capital letters, can have a significant impact on the reception of a message. Emoji can alleviate some of the ambiguity by supplementing the expressions that can convey hidden meanings, like sarcasm or more complex emotions, that can’t be adequately represented by “lol.” It is clear to see that the interpretation of emoji is heavily dependent on context. However, like any vocabulary, people tend to grow into their style of incorporating emoji into their daily texting. Lisa Lebduska, a professor of English at Wheaton College, has studied the impact of emoji on language in great detail. Ideograms have always been a part of written language, and preservationists of language would balk at the incorporation of emoji into writing. After all ,shouldn’t we value those who can express their thoughts using

impressive lexicon and diction, as writers and poets want to remind us? The distinction between formal and informal English has never been sharper. Even though texting is written, it is colloquial and, like the spoken form of American English, evolves at a much faster rate than the formal written form. Due to this rapid divergence, it has become more difficult for children starting to talk, read and write — as well as for non-native English speakers — to learn it. We can’t predict how emoji will change writing, but we should not fear it inevitably creeping in over time. I certainly could never draw a monkey covering its mouth or a grinning cat, but sometimes I’d like to use them to make a point, to lighten a conversation or for no reason at all. As the adoption of technology progresses, thus making it

RAVI JAIN easier to include pictures in text, we should embrace its ability to facilitate and simplify interaction.

RAVI JAIN is a College sophomore from Syosset, N.Y., studying economics. His email address is jainravi@sas.upenn.edu. “Tall, Skinny, Mocha” usually appears every other Wednesday.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

Students launch YouTube series featuring alums

COURTESY OF ALUM TIME

Penn sophomore Aymen Saleem, host & chair of Alum Time with 2013 Penn graduate and co-founder of VenturePact.

Interviewed alums offer advice to students TINA CHOU Contributing Reporter

The next up and coming YouTube star isn’t a beauty blogger or mashup artist, but an array of Penn alumni. Alum Time is a new show produced by a team of Penn students, with each episode featuring a Penn alumnus who shares advice with current students. The show is uploaded to the team’s website and YouTube channel after the editing is complete. Show host and College and Wharton sophomore Aymen Saleem said that the Alum Time team captures the “crux” of a one-hour interview by consolidating it into a 10-minute episode. Each episode is divided into three segments, one of which brings current Penn students onto the show to ask the alumnus questions. The star of Alum Time’s first show was Wharton and Engineering 2013 graduate Randy Rayess, who is the cofounder of VenturePact, a firm that connects businesses with software providers. After appearing on Alum Time, Rayess said the show is “a new concept … and the concept is great.” Rayess occasionally returns to campus to give talks, but he had never appeared on a show like Alum Time. Saleem said the series of suicides that occurred on campus last year prompted her to encourage alumni to share their advice with her peers. She added that at home in Pakistan, suicides were never covered by the press, but being here she saw how the suicides affected the Penn community. Saleem said that many “complex”

factors are involved, but for the students who doubt themselves academically, Alum Time may help. “I felt that having something like Alum Time would help such students … just anyone who feels that they’re not good enough, they’re not doing well,” Saleem said. Alum Time looks for renowned and relevant alumni to interview, but it doesn’t conceal the challenges that the alumni may have faced as Penn students. “We want them to tell students that, you know what, even they didn’t have everything sorted from the day they entered Penn,” Saleem said. Alum Time partnered with Penn Alumni Relations to find and contact prospective interviewees, and the show is currently filmed in the Sweeten Alumni House. Executive Director of Alumni Relations Elise Betz supports the project because “it’s very powerful for students to hear from alumni… whether virtual or live.” Rayess has always enjoyed mentoring students, so he felt his appearance on Alum Time was the right thing for him to do. “It’s always good to share with people, because that helps people in college think about what matters to them, and where to direct their energy,” Rayess said. Saleem, who spent a year hosting shows in Pakistan before attending Penn, will be conducting another interview next Wednesday. The guest is a member of the Board of Trustees, but Saleem is keeping the exact identity of the alumnus under wraps for now — she doesn’t want to “ruin the suspense” until the next episode is posted in March.

DOCTORAL STUDENT FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center 2015 Russell Ackoff Doctoral Student Fellowships for Research on Human Decision Processes and Risk Management The Ackoff Doctoral Student Fellowship program of the Wharton Risk and Decision Processes Center provides grants to the University of Pennsylvania Ph.D. students who are pursuing research in decision making under risk and uncertainty. The fellowship awards range from $1,000 - $4,000 and funds may be used for data collection, travel, and other direct research expenses (not stipend support).

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: MARCH 16, 2015 See website for application and proposal instructions: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/riskcenter For more information: email ccf@wharton.upenn.edu

Please join us on Sundays at 10:00 AM for Worship Meeting at: First District Plaza 3801 Market St. (3rd Floor) 215-279-8359 Grace Church is a Christ-centered church living out the gospel in University City, especially in the neighborhoods surrounding Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. We are long term residents and newcomers to the city who experience gospel unity in the midst of economic, education, racial, and age diversity.

SPORTS 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

PAC

>> PAGE 1

but not completely unprecedented. Earlier this year, for instance, a senior at Claremont McKenna College created a PAC named Millennials for Jeb, which is fundraising for Jeb Bush to run in 2016. However, Philadelphia Students for Progress is the first PAC started by Penn students. Philadelphia Students for Progress came to fruition when some of the members of Penn for Hillary — a student group focused on supporting Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid in 2016 — decided to take a new route in supporting Democratic causes

and political engagement on a wider level. “What we do for Penn for Hillary is more about getting support on campus,” said Philadelphia Students for Progress Co-Chair Emily Irani, a College sophomore. “But with this PAC, it broadens our horizons a bit with any sort of Philadelphia politics, whether it is with senators or congressional campaigns or the mayoral campaign.” McVeigh and Irani hope that the PAC will allow their advocacy to transcend campus. “The PAC is more of a professional way to do it,” Irani added. “The PAC is a way to make it easier to solicit money from people but with a wider goal.”

For a PAC to form, it must register with the FEC by providing a name, address, treasurer and affiliated organizations. The FEC regulates that, per election, a PAC can give up to $5,000 to a candidate committee, up to $15,000 annually to a national party committee and up to $5,000 to another PAC. “We’ve just started soliciting this week,” McVeigh said, adding that they have raised $70 and hope to raise somewhere between $500 and $1,000 by the end of the semester. “We are really trying to reach out to alumni, because they would probably be more receptive to it.” While the co-chairs declined

to name any candidates to whom they plan to donate, their focus will be on donating to Democrats and liberal organizations. “The goal is to support student political organizations devoted to building grassroots support for Democratic candidates,” McVeigh said. “If a lot of colleges started doing this … it would increase youth voter turnout and it would give them a more active voice in politics because students — although a lot of the time they volunteer on campaigns — often don’t turn out to vote. But if they were to have a more proactive voice, I think certain interests, like student loans, might be addressed more.”

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

Nominate today! theDP.com/pennten Nominations close Thursday, Feb. 26th at 11:59pm.

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SPORTS 7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

School district of Phila. and Federation of Teachers sued

Lawsuit complains of ‘ghost teachers’ DAN SPINELLI Staff Reporter

While teachers unions and school districts are often at odds, a recent lawsuit has put the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers on the same side. The lawsuit, filed the morning of Feb. 25, claims that Philadelphia’s school system has been haunted by “ghost teachers” due to a contract stipulation that lets teachers work for the union while remaining on the district’s payroll. The Fairness Center — a nonprofit, public interest legal firm — sued the PFT and School District in Common Pleas Court

Feb. 25 over the practice of stocking union positions with teachers funded by taxpayer dollars. These so-called “ghost teachers” leave vacancies in the classroom, according to the lawsuit. The Fairness Center sued on behalf of its client, Americans for Fair Treatment, a nonprofit membership organization that “empowers Americans to receive fair treatment from government unions,” according to its website. A stipulation in the contract between the teachers’ union and the district has allowed the union to grant district employees “release time” for years. PFT President Jerry Jordan was used as a prominent example of a union president whose salary is paid with taxpayer dollars. “Under the contract, up to 63 district employees can be elected

or handpicked by the PFT president to leave the district and fill full-time positions with the union,” said Nate Bohlander, assistant general counsel for the Fairness Center. “The contract also requires the district to provide full salary, benefits, insurance and pensions to these employees performing union work on school time,” Bohlander added. Though the contract allows for up to 63 employees, the Fairness Center was unable to specify the actual amount of teachers who were commandeered for union positions. “We’ve asked that question in our public records search. I want to say it’s in the low twenties,” General Counsel for the Fairness Center David Osborne said, adding that the contract is currently

being renegotiated. The Fairness Center cited $1 million in benefits directed toward these teachers since 1999. However, District spokesperson Fernando Gallard said, “We get reimbursed 100 percent of the costs,” by the PFT. These reimbursements covered the teachers’ salaries, health benefits and fringe benefits, Gallard added. For Osborne and Bohlander, the lawsuit does not hinge on whether or not the union actually reimbursed the School District. The legal issue at hand is the lack of a requirement in the contract that mandated these reimbursements in the first place. The Fairness Center did admit in a press briefing that “there is no explicit prohibition on sending District employees to work full-time for PFT,” but Bohlander

identified two areas for a legal case. Under the Pennsylvania Employee Relations Act, public employers, like the School District, and nonpublic employers, like the teachers’ union, cannot “bargain collectively for the terms of employees doing work for private entities.” “This runs afoul of the public policy of the Commonwealth,” Bohlander said, addressing his second point. Osborne identified a legal precedent for banning “release time” to work for unions: the Arizona Superior Court struck down a similar Phoenix statute in Jan. 2014. The contract does not mandate the union to reimburse the district for transferred teachers. Osborne and Bohlander said this makes

the fairly common practice of release time particularly “widespread and egregious” in Philadelphia. Americans for Fair Treatment, a group founded in 2014, has filed litigation against other unions before, specifically the state teachers’ union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Kristina Rasmussen, board member of Americans for Fair Treatment, said that a “strong plurality” of the group’s members are Philadelphians, but would not specify how many members are in the burgeoning group. One member, Philadelphia resident George Coates, decried the union’s release time practice. “Union workers should be doing union work,” he said, “and our teachers should be in the classroom.”

PennDesign professor helps save local historical church The church was on track to be demolished PAT ZANCOLLI Staff Reporter

Though St. Peter’s Church is much farther from campus than Fisher Fine Arts Library, the building has almost as many connections to Penn. Both the church, on 47th Street and Kingsessing Avenue, and the library were designed by architect Frank Furness. The church has received a lot of attention and support lately, as it came in danger of closing, and it was ultimately saved by Penn affiliates. Despite the great historical and architectural value of St. Peter’s, the church has been fighting a battle against demolition for the past couple of years. But after a long period of hard work by a number of different parties, the church will be going nowhere. According to PennDesign assistant professor Aaron Wunsch, Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections, more commonly known as L&I, lifted its demolition

order a few weeks ago. Wunsch was a key player in saving St. Peter’s Church. After driving and walking by the site a few times, he noticed the church’s decline and deterioration — and wanted to revive it. “The building itself really stands out in West Philadelphia’s fabric,” he said. The structure’s uniqueness and Wunsch’s admiration for Furness compelled him to get involved with the church. As an undergraduate at Haverford College, Wunsch met two art history professors, Michael Lewis and Jeff Cohen, who got their Ph.D.s from Penn, and they introduced Wunsch to Furness’ work. At the time of Wunsch’s initial involvement, St. Peter’s looked doomed for demolition. The church could not bring its congregation back due to money and sizing issues, and pieces of the building broke off of the facade. Wunsch was not frightened by this, however. “A building that looks like it is in poor repair is not the same thing as a building in imminent structural failure,” he said. In order to move forward, an

engineering report was required to prove that the building could be saved. “Aaron was very instrumental in getting engineers involved to say that it was salvageable,” current owner of St. Peter’s and Penn alum Guy Laren said. Engineers confirmed, according to Wunsch, that “there was not risk of structural failure.” Initially, Laren was worried about L&I refusing to lift its demolition order, despite the engineering report, so he leased St. Peter’s for a year in order to work on refurbishing the church to meet L&I standards. It took several months to stabilize the building, Laren said, and L&I came back a several times before finally giving up on demolition. The future of the building is in the works. It is zoned to be a church, which means that the building must continue to function as such. But Laren is looking to change the zoning. He has been working with two schools that plan to use 40 percent of the building and its outside space, something that Laren would like to see starting this summer. The function of the other

60 percent of the building has not yet been decided. “Repopulating is our next challenge,” Laren said, but “good things are going to happen. Almost everyone I bring there is impressed with the light and airiness.” University City District was just as instrumental in saving St. Peter’s as Wunsch was, according to Laren. UCD project manager Ryan Spaak played a big role in the project as well. Spaak is responsible for Project Rehab, a program designed to help owners with issues they may have regarding distressed real estate. Specifically for the St. Peter’s project, UCD was responsible for “assembling the team that we had already put together, along with bringing forward potential offerings for the church as a sale became more relevant,” Spaak said. “Both myself and the community are extremely pleased to see the church being renovated and rehabilitated.” “Not every historic building can and will be saved, but this can demonstrate that there is a reuse for them and we are proud to demonstrate that,” Laren said.

COURTESY OF JAKE DREYFUSS | CREATIVE COMMONS

PennDesign assistant professor Aaron Wunsch was instrumental in saving St. Peter’s Church from demolition.

This Week’s Rewards Events Penn Women’s Basketball vs. Brown Friday 7:00 PM @ The Palestra Penn Women’s Tennis vs. Richmond Saturday 1:00 PM @ Hecht Tennis Center Penn Women’s Basketball vs. Yale Saturday 7:00 PM @ The Palestra Penn Women’s Lacrosse Sunday 1:00 PM @ Franklin Field

@PennRewards

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8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Quakers head to Ivies M. SWIMMING | Red and

Blue aim for third place

ANNA DYER Associate Sports Editor

One week after the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team placed fourth in the Ivy League championships, Penn menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swimming is heading to Princeton for their own shot at the Ancient Eight crown. And the Quakers have certainly proved that they can swim their best on the biggest stage of the year. At the 2014 championships, the Red and Blue solidified their place as a toptier Ivy team after they shocked the competition and notched a third place victory, the best finish for the program in 42 years. But after the impressive showing last year, questions linger about whether the team can repeat its performance â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially with no male divers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, we are allowed to bring an extra swimmer [because we have no male divers],â&#x20AC;? coach Mike Schnur said.

AARON CAMPBELL | DP FILE PHOTO

Junior Captain Chris Swanson looks to lead Penn menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swimming this weekend as the team heads to the Ivy Championships at Princeton, aiming for a third-place finish.

W. HOOPS >> PAGE 10

scored in double digits seven times and put together four double-doubles against Ivy opponents. Over the course of that period, Nwokedi has averaged 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest, marks that â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if they were her season averages â&#x20AC;&#x201D; would make the forward Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading scorer and rebounder. As a result, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that the rookie has won four Ivy awards in five weeks and her success has kept the Red and Blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record nearly unblemished since late January. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The past few weeks have been fun,â&#x20AC;? Nwokedi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been having a lot of fun. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the confidence to play this well and get Ivy Rookie of the Week if

it werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for my coaches because I know I started the year off pretty rough, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve helped me improve.â&#x20AC;? The bulk of Nwokediâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production has stemmed from her increased minute total since the team entered Ivy play. After putting together consecutive 11-point games off the bench against Harvard and Cornell, McLaughlin rewarded the freshman with a spot in the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s starting lineup. Since then, neither Nwokedi nor McLaughlin have looked back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the point in the season where Michelle had the ability to score, and we needed her scoring,â&#x20AC;? McLaughlin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to do that, we needed to make a change, and she had to start.â&#x20AC;? The move has certainly paid off.

Despite a loss to the Big Red the night before Nwokediâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first start â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a game that knocked the Quakers two games behind undefeated Ancient Eight-leader Princeton â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Penn has been untouchable of late, going 5-0 with the Texan in the starting lineup, winning by an average of 14.4 points. But game action at the college level did not initially come easy to Nwokedi. Although McLaughlin intended to ease the freshman into her eventual role with the squad, her first few games with Penn were part of a difficult transition process. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was hard to make the transition from high school to here, but my coaches still encouraged me and believed in me,â&#x20AC;? Nwokedi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything that [the coaches] taught me in individual workouts and going

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want to] limit their paint touches and shut down their offensive threats.â&#x20AC;? Now the Quakers will be tasked with a lengthy roadtrip for a second consecutive weekend. For a team loaded with freshmen, this is the type of weekend that can take its toll â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially given that it is in the dead of winter in the middle of peak exam season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just trying to take care of our bodies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ice baths, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ice in general,â&#x20AC;? Woods said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been dramatic ups and downs this whole season,â&#x20AC;? Graham added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I think a lot of that is because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re inexperienced.â&#x20AC;? However, the Red and Blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshmen have often been more than up to the challenge, and rookies like Woods and forward Mike Auger have consistently proven themselves to be some of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top performers. What might be a more appropriate concern for the Red and Blue is whether or not the upperclassmen are able to hold up their end of the bargain. This question rings especially true for guard Tony Hicks â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who was suspended for last weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contests against Harvard and Dartmouth. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the first time Hicks faced issues superfluous to his game on the

court â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he notably was ejected from a game for throwing a punch last year. The junior â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who has been Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading-scorer and most dynamic offensive threat on the season â&#x20AC;&#x201D; desperately needs to bounce back this weekend to prove his maturity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ultimately, what we want from this team is the right approach every game, the right competitiveness every game,â&#x20AC;? Graham said in reference to Hicksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; return. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great kid, a part of our family, and ultimately all we want is for him to be a part of that family in a successful way on the court.â&#x20AC;? If he and the rest of the team want to bounce back, they would be best served to try and make it happen on Friday against Brown (12-15, 3-7). Despite having won three of their last five contests, the Bears have shown themselves to be a decidedly below-average Ivy squad. Things will get significantly more difficult for the Quakers on Saturday when they travel to New Haven to take on Yale (19-8, 8-2). The Bulldogs sit at second place in the league and clobbered Penn by 27 on Feb. 13. As Graham put it, ins and losses may be beside the point at this point in the season, but a strong performance this weekend would certainly do wonders for a team like Penn, searching for something off of which to grow.

FOR RENT

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M. HOOPS

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through film, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the mistakes Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made in games and tried to adjust.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think her confidence is amazing now,â&#x20AC;? McLaughlin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every one of these players had high school success, but now you get here, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a different environment, different coaching and different expectations. Now sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s settled in, and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s realized she has the chance to be really good.â&#x20AC;? Nwokediâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success is incredibly reminiscent of the rookie campaign put together by sophomore forward Sydney Stipanovich in 2013-14. Like Nwokedi, Stipanovich entered the starting lineup midway through the season, imposing her will on opponents before leading the team to the Ivy title and claiming both Ivy Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year awards at seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think on the defensive end, they both have the ability to change the game,â&#x20AC;? McLaughlin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re both very long and can disrupt defensively, and I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where Michelle and Sydney are most similar.â&#x20AC;? McLaughlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case is virtually undeniable. While Stipanovich â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who recorded a freshman Ivyrecord 99 blocks last season â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has blocked 64 shots this year, Nwokediâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 49 blocks are not far behind. Combined, the duo represents 75.3 percent of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blocked shots in 2014-15. Although Nwokediâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to shoot from distance on the offensive side of the ball differentiates her from Stipanovich, McLaughlin recognizes how talented his frontcourt will be for years to come. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be our two big players in the post and also allow us to develop some of the other players around them,â&#x20AC;? McLaughlin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good to know that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have them for a long time.â&#x20AC;? Yet, for all her impressive skills, stats and compilation of awards, it is Nwokediâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s willingness to buy into Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system that have her and those around her excited for the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is a very team-oriented kid, a wonderful girl and she comes here and she fit right in,â&#x20AC;? McLaughlin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to know where she is from or who she is, she just wants to be a part of the team.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I expect them to win six events,â&#x20AC;? Schnur said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I expect both of them to win every event they swim and be ready to be two of the best swimmers in the country.â&#x20AC;? So how do these swimmers stay focused when everyone expects so much out of them? â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is pretty much just believing and trusting in the coaches,â&#x20AC;? Schultz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They know what you need to do, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to feel the best throughout the whole week [before the meet], but once you get to the meet, you got to just trust that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to go fast.â&#x20AC;? Although the Quakers are 2-5 against Ivy League opponents this year, the Red and Blue know that the regular season means nothing when it comes down to this weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we can get third,â&#x20AC;? Schultz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe the Ivy League doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think so, but we think so.â&#x20AC;? And if Schultz and the rest of his team believe, really anything is possible.

TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

â&#x20AC;&#x153;What hurts us is that all the teams will have three divers or six divers, so that means we go in to the meet with two less or five less athletes.â&#x20AC;? With Penn in a close race for the third place, the lack of points from the divers could potentially play a key role in the outcome for the Quakers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a huge disadvantage,â&#x20AC;? Schnur said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It hurts us a lot especially against Columbia. Columbia is a very competitive team, and they are going to get around 80-90 diving points, and we have zero, so the guys got to make up for it by swimming even better.â&#x20AC;? One of the guys looking to â&#x20AC;&#x153;make up for itâ&#x20AC;? is superstar sprinter junior Eric Schultz, who was the first Penn swimmer since 1942 to win the 50 free at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meet with a time of 19.70. Schultzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fellow captain, junior Chris Swanson, also brings star power to the team. This season, Swanson set the Penn record in the 1650 free and qualified for the NCAA DI menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swimming championships with a time of 14:43.87. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our stars â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Schultz and Swanson

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ANALYN DELOS SANTOS | DP FILE PHOTO

Junior Thomas Awad has put up several impressive performances this indoor track season, building off of his past yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successes.

TRACK & FIELD >> PAGE 10

thinks that the team could create favorable odds with a few breakout performances. While both the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teams are going to face challenging competition over the weekend, there are a number of events in which Penn is confident that it will place highly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we have a really strong entry for the long sprints and middle distance area â&#x20AC;Ś Since weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had really strong marks in those events so far this season,â&#x20AC;? Dolan said. Additionally, junior distance runner Thomas Awad â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who

won the 1000-meter event at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heps â&#x20AC;&#x201D; returns for the Quakers. Coming into the meet, the Quakers also look very strong in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shot put, with junior Serena Graf and freshman Taylor Hojnacki consistently placing at previous events. Also, in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high jump, junior Thomas Pitt and freshman Mike Monroe have both performed well in meets thus far and look to continue their success this weekend. As the event draws nearer, Penn looks to capitalize on the hard work it has put in this season and focus on achieving victory against its Ivy League counterparts.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

SPORTS 9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

With season on horizon, Penn heads south BASEBALL | Red and Blue

to face Stetson in opener TOMMY ROTHMAN Associate Sports Editor

Stetson (5-4) FRIDAY 6:30 p.m.

DeLand, Fla.

SATURDAY 4 p.m. DeLand, Fla.

SUNDAY 1 p.m.

DeLand, Fla.

Penn baseball will escape the cold with a trip to Florida to open up the 2015 season against Stetson this weekend. The Quakers are coming off of a strong 2014 season. Under first-year coach John Yurkow, Penn went 24-17 (15-5 Ivy) before having its Ivy championship hopes dashed in a playoff loss to Columbia. Yurkow hasn’t forgotten about the sting of defeat and hopes his players haven’t either. “I thought we had the best team in the league last year,” the coach said.

“Our team really thought we were gonna win the Ivy League Championship. So I’m hoping that [the loss] motivated these guys all the way through the fall, the summer and the spring.” For the Red and Blue, the road to redemption will begin on Friday night in DeLand, Fla. Ronnie Glenn — coming off of a strong 2014 campaign that saw him earn Honorable Mention All-Ivy recognition — was confirmed as the opening day starter by Yurkow on Friday. “It’s a blessing and an opportunity to be able to get the opener,” the senior southpaw said. “I’m trying to establish the tone and go in there … and show the young guys, ‘This is how we’re gonna roll through the season.’” Stetson (5-4) will have one major advantage: Florida. The home of the Hatters is sunny yearround, and while this weekend will mark the first time Penn gets a chance to practice and play outdoors, the hosts already have nine games under their belt. “I’ve tried to program my guys and myself and the coaches as well to not let (the weather) seep in as an excuse,” Yurkow said, although he did voice concern that

the Quakers might not be fully prepared to deal with fly balls in the sun. Yurkow will call on another senior for Saturday’s game, as Connor Cuff will take the hill, before turning to sophomore Jake Cousins for the series finale on Sunday. The coach also expects sophomore Mike Reitcheck to appear at some point. While wins and losses are the obvious way to measure success (or lack thereof), Yurkow made it clear his hopes for this weekend do not end with the scoreboard. “We’ve really tried to stress playing great defense and throwing strikes. Because if you can do that early in the season, the games are gonna be close,” Yurkow said. “You might be behind a little bit from an offensive standpoint seeing live pitching for the first time outside, but hopefully by playing good defense and throwing strikes, it gets us close RILEY STEELE | DP FILE PHOTO — a timely hit here and there, and you’ve got a shot to win the game.” Senior left-handed hurler Ronnie Glenn looks to lead the Quakers to a three-game sweep of Stetson this Penn’s offense led the Ancient weekend in DeLand, Florida where they will kickstart their 2015 campaign. Glenn posted a 5-2 record in 2014. Eight last year in average, slugging and on-base percentage. in what his team can accomplish to work out whatever kinks may returning home on March 18 to The Quakers lost their best power with good pitching and fielding exist. Yurkow’s squad will spend face Villanova. The Ivy campaign hitter last May when Rick Breb- does not appear to be misplaced. the rest of the winter with games won’t kick off until the March 28 ner graduated, but Yurkow’s faith And Penn will have some time in Florida and Virginia before home matchup with Harvard.

THE BUZZ: ROUNDTABLE

GYMNASTICS >> PAGE 10

Which Red and Blue grappler is best?

thedp.com/sports

With the end of the season in sight for Penn wrestling, we discuss which grappler had the best season for the Quakers. Sports Reporter Oscar Rudenstam: Lorenzo Thomas, to say the least, came into the season with high expectations placed on him. As a returning NCAA AllAmerican who was selected as a team captain and pitted against some of the best in the 184-pound class throughout the season, he has seen his fair share of challenges. Thomas has not had a fairytale run: He was not able to overcome Cornell’s No. 1 Gabe Dean, he wound up losing the lion’s share of the bouts against other higher ranked wrestlers and he finished second at the Keystone Classic and Midlands championships. Even if he did not come to see the dream narrative this season he might have hoped for, it is clear that Thomas has been a pivotal force both on and off the mat for Penn, as both a confident wrestler and a passionate captain. In many matches, Thomas’ early dominant performances have paved the way for big Red and Blue victories. And no matter how disappointing the defeats at the hands of some of the higher ranked wrestlers or second-place finishes may be, we only need to look beyond that to see that his track record is testament to his preeminence within Penn wrestling on both the individual and team levels. Sports Reporter Steven Jacobson: Caleb Richardson has been a rock in the 133-pound weight class this season. After missing Penn’s

THOMAS MUNSON | ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

Sophomore 133-pounder Caleb Richardson is one of three exceptionally impressive wrestlers for the Red and Blue. All are now nationally ranked.

first dual meet against Clarion with an injury, the sophomore grappled 12 meets in a row for the Quakers, logging a 9-3 record. Richardson came up in the clutch particularly against Ivy League opponents against whom he finished a perfect 7-0 record. He also performed well against EIWA opponents, going 10-2 against them. No Penn wrestler had more

total victories combined between tournaments and dual meets than Richardson did with 23. Richardson put on some dominating performances during the season, such as his 12-4 victory against Brown freshman Zeke Salvo and his 16-5 win against Harvard senior Ryan Osleeb. His 35 total points scored for the team were second only to C.J. Cobb’s

39. He began the year unranked and, despite a loss last weekend to Drexel’s Kevin Devoy, ended the dual meet season within the top 20. Associate Sports Editor Thomas Munson: If C.J. Cobb did not have the most successful season, he certainly wins the award for best story. The comeback kid fought his way through injuries and adversity after a year away from the sport. More importantly though, Cobb possesses the marquee win of the season for the Quakers. He took down seventh-ranked Chris Villalonga of Cornell in January, 4-2, in overtime. That win, combined with an 18-3 record, has Cobb climbing into the national title picture heading into the EIWA and NCAA championships. It may be too early to say that the nation’s eighth-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds is the Quakers’ best shot at a title when Lorenzo Thomas is still on the roster. However, there is no doubt in my mind that, if Cobb keeps wrestling at the same level that Red and Blue fans have become accustomed to, he will be standing atop the podium on March 21 in St. Louis. He’s found his groove again and is wrestling at an even higher level than before his absence. What sets him apart from Penn’s other wrestlers on paper is his win against Villalonga, and come March he will separate himself from the pack because every match is a high profile match this type of year and no one does better under pressure than C.J.

“Tears of joy.” Finck, who hails from Saint James, N.Y., saw the win as a hallmark of the willpower and potential of the team. Among the performances that enabled the win were senior captain Wynne Levy’s 9.775 and junior Carissa Lim’s 9.725 on vault, earning Penn a win in that category with a total score of 48.800. Levy’s score in the vault category was not only the highest individual score for the Quakers, but for all teams present at the event. On bars, freshman Emily Shugan and junior Elyse Shenberger managed to lead the team with scores of 9.800 and 9.775, respectively. In this category, Brown picked up an impressive total of 48.900, while Penn came in at third with a score of 48.200. The Red and Blue again showed remarkable depth on beam by winning with a total score of 48.175, becoming the only team to pass the 48-point mark in the category. Senior Amanda Schlaefer picked up the second highest individual score with a 9.725. A galvanized Penn picked up first place on floor, as several strong performances across the board amounted to a total score of 48.950 — a season-high for the team in the category. Again, Shenberger and Lim impressed, as they both pulled off scores of 9.800. It was here Finck prominently made her mark on Sunday, as she scored 9.850, cementing a comfortable floor win for the team.

Finck had fallen short on the bars, which presented a mental burden as she was getting ready for floor. After posting a team-high of 9.850, the freshman knew she had made up for the earlier lapse. “All that hard work paid off,” Finck commented. The final total score of 193.725 meant a .300 edge over the Bears and, more importantly, a home-turf championship win. “Everyone gave it their all,” Finck continued — sentiments reflecting some of the depth the team showed on Sunday. On floor, roughly half of the top 10 individual scores came from the Red and Blue. “I don’t have any sisters, so my teammates here are like sisters to me,” she mentioned. “They help you stay calmed and focused.” Indeed, Finck managed to do just that on Sunday, as she led her team in the floor category. The win represents an important high point in her early college career, one which has only gotten started. A gymnast since preschool days, as well as an aspiring surgeon, Finck quickly realized that Penn was the place for her after matriculating last fall. To her, Penn represents the ideal place for pursuing success, whether it is in the classroom or in gymnastics. “I can go far with this school,” she said, smiling. Like any committed athlete, however, she is certain that her key role in the big win this past weekend will not lead to overconfidence moving forward. “Now it’s back to hard work.”

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SUNSHINE START

WHO DID IT BEST?

Penn baseball heads to Florida to kick off its 2015 campaign

As Penn wrestling wraps up its season, we debate the team’s best grappler >> SEE PAGE 9

>> SEE PAGE 9 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Penn looks to end losing skid

AND SHE NWON’T STOP

M. HOOPS | Quakers will travel to play Brown, Yale COLIN HENDERSON Sports Editor

W. HOOPS | Nwokedi

paces Penn on both sides

ILANA WURMAN | SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR

Junior guard Tony Hicks will make his return from suspension this weekend.

RILEY STEELE Senior Sports Editor

Death, taxes and Michelle Nwokedi winning Ivy League Rookie of the Week. There are certain events that are virtually guaranteed in life. For Penn women’s basketball, Nwokedi’s dominance against her peers over the past five weeks and the awards that followed are part of a phenomenon the Red and Blue actually embrace. A freshman from Missouri City, Texas, the 6-foot-3 rookie has left an indelible impression on coach Mike McLaughlin’s squad this season. Over the course of the past month alone, Nwokedi has been a brutal force for opposing teams to contain, leading the team in scoring five times in the past nine games while also pacing the team in rebounds in six contests over that stretch. Since a Jan. 24 matchup against NJIT — one in which her 14-point, seven-rebound and five-block effort led Penn to a 30-point win over the Highlanders —the freshman has SEE W.HOOPS PAGE 8

Five consecFRIDAY utive losses. A Brown combined scor(12-15, 3-7 Ivy) ing deficit of 98 points over 7 p.m. this five-game Providence, R.I. losing skid. A dismal rankSATURDAY ing of 303rd in Yale the most recent Pomeroy rank(19-8, 8-2 Ivy) ings. 7 p.m. Most imNew Haven, Conn. portantly, a league-worst 2-7 Ivy record thus far this season. These are just a few of the most blatant indicators of the recent misgivings that Penn basketball (7-16, 2-7 Ivy) will need to ignore this weekend on the road against Brown and Yale. Of course, leaving these sorts of statistics at the door and focusing solely on the game at hand is easier said than done, but they are hoping to do so by looking towards the future. “This year in so many ways was about more than wins and losses,” assistant coach Nat Graham said. “It’s ultimately about a culture change and a program change.” Making matters more difficult for the Red and Blue, Penn lost to both of its upcoming opponents at home only two weekends ago — and neither game was particularly close. “We watched the film, and our defensive effort wasn’t where we wanted it to be,” freshman guard Antionio Woods said. “[We

FRIDAY

Brown (10-14, 4-6 Ivy) 7 p.m.

The Palestra

SATURDAY

Yale (12-12, 6-4 Ivy) 7 p.m.

The Palestra

HOLDEN MCGINNIS | SPORTS EDITOR

Quakers prepare to take on rest of Ivies TRACK & FIELD | Penn

set for indoor Heps

ERIC BRAUNER Contributing Reporter

The winter season is a grind for Penn track and field — weeks of hard work and training with little fanfare culminating in a few significant team meets. This weekend, the men’s and women’s squads hope that their weeks of practice and preparation pay off as they head to the 2015 Heptagonal Indoor Track and Field Championship, the de facto Ivy League championship meet. The Quakers will head up to Harvard on Saturday to compete against the other seven Ivy League teams in what will be the final event of the indoor season before nationals. “We always build up to Heps,” coach Steve Dolan said. “When we get together with the other Ivy League schools, it is like the main event of our season from a team perspective.” The Red and Blue hope to utilize the momentum built up from last

week’s successful meet at Haverford, in which they were able to claim the top four spots in the men’s mile, among other accomplishments. Even with such successes, the Quakers need to make sure they are on top of their collective game coming into Heps. “The Ivy League is a very good track and field conference. All of the teams are among the best on the East Coast,” Dolan said. “There are no easy events and no teams you can assume you are going to be stronger than.” For freshmen like sprinter Candace Taylor, Heps are an exciting time. “[The upperclassmen] have told me that Heps are a lot of fun, and that it gives us a chance to see how we compare to the rest of the Ivy League,” Taylor said. For veterans who have been to the competition before, Heps are about putting together strong performances in the hopes of winning events. According to Dolan, while most would argue that Penn is not a favorite to finish first overall this weekend, he SEE TRACK & FIELD PAGE 8

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Finck shines during Ivy Classic GYMNASTICS | Frosh

key to Ivy Classic title

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Freshman Megan Finck was part of a strong core of freshmen for Penn that looks to build off its strong performance moving forward. The Quakers still have three meets before ECAC Championships. ONLINE AT THEDP.COM

Elation filled the Palestra on Sunday as Penn dethroned Brown in the world of Ivy League gymnastics by picking up the annual Ivy Classic title. The league championship meet — which saw the gymnasts of Brown, Cornell, Penn and Yale go head-tohead — ended with the Red and Blue emerging victorious with a final score of 193.725, besting the reigning champion from the past two years, Brown, which posted a score of 193.425. Yale and Cornell finished third and fourth with scores of 192.225 and 191.175, respectively. The win was a defining moment in the early college career of freshman Megan Finck, who only joined Penn gymnastics in the fall. “Hearing Brown be called second felt great,” she said. SEE GYMNASTICS PAGE 9 CONTACT US: 215-422-4640