MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2015
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Cost of attendance rises 3.9 percent Financial aid budget also reaches new high of $206 million for 2015-2016 JACK CAHN Staff Reporter
Penn announced on Thursday that total cost of attendance for undergraduates will increase to $63,526
in the 2015-2016 academic year, the highest in University history. Total undergraduate charges will increase by 3.9 percent, though the all-time high $206 million authorized toward the University’s financial aid budget should keep attendance relatively affordable. Tuition rates will increase to
$43,838 from $42,176, while room and board costs will increase to $13,990 from $13,464. Fees will increase to $5,698 from $5,492. These numbers represent a cost increase of approximately two times the predicted rate of inflation for 2015, which the International Monetary Fund predicts will reach 2.1 percent.
This year’s changes do not deviate from historical norms — this is the sixth consecutive year Penn has raised its cost by 3.9 percent and the seventh year running that Penn has kept its tuition increase below 4 percent. Since 2011 and for the past 40 SEE TUITION PAGE 3
Fossil fuel divestment referendum passes
Referendum draws larger voter turnout than midterm elections ELLIE SCHROEDER Staff Reporter
Last week, more Penn students voted for fossil fuel divestment than voted in the midterm elections. The referendum to divest from fossil fuels passed on Friday with more than double the amount of votes needed. Thirty-three percent of undergraduate students voted in total, with 87.8 percent favoring divestment. In order for the referendum to be valid, 15 percent of the student body had to vote and 50 percent had to favor divestment. However, students who enrolled in fewer than four classes, an option popular with seniors, had trouble voting because of the way the computer voting system works. The Nominations and Elections Committee, which runs all student government elections on campus, uses a University computer system to keep track of votes. NEC Chair Devin Grossman said they used the University voting system because it is highly secure, but the system prevents certain students from voting. The NEC was able to override the system and count these students’ votes if they reached out directly to the NEC by email. Grossman said that every vote submitted by email was counted. “Every student that reached out was able to vote,” he said. He said the problem is ongoing in every student government election because of the nature of the voting system, which is used in every UA and Class Board election. However, in the confusion of the process,
Taking
SHOTS ON PENN’S DIME How Penn funds alcohol for students JACK CAHN Staff Reporter
Alcohol is everywhere. Fraternities store enough of it to serve hundreds per night. It is sold illegally to minors, exchanged in dorm rooms and was even served at the Penn Museum during one recent exhibit. It may even be in a classroom nearby. “Culture and Taste of Wine” is a free Spring 2015
preceptorial for seniors led by Engineering professors Sung Youn Gwak, David Pope and Talid Sinno, in which students learn about and taste a variety of wines from different cultures. This wine tasting mini-course is fully funded by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, which spends $2,000 annually on the preceptorial. However, Penn directly funding alcohol consumption is the exception, not the norm. Penn’s funding organizations,
Boozy brunch, $5 drinks open on 39th Street
FEW PENN GRADS STILL SEEKING EMPLOYMENT PAGE 2
William Street Common opened over the weekend
SOURCES - CAREER SERVICES SURVEY REPORTS - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND EMPLOYERS SURVEY REPORT
TINA CHOU Contributing Reporter
15 12
10.6
9 6
11.3
13.7
5.9
3 0
Penn
Columbia
Princeton
National
EMILY CHENG | NEWS DESIGN EDITOR
TIFFANY PHAM | PHOTO MANAGER
William Street Common’s brunch special features bottomless coffee and donuts, three drinks and an entree for $22.33.
[N]o task force, report or recommendations, no matter how immediate or in-delpth, will be able to holistically address the issues students face in regard to mental health.” - The Daily Pennsylvanian
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SEE ALCOHOL PAGE 7
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY IRINA BIT-BABIK
SEE REFERENDUM PAGE 7
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS SEEKING EMPLOYMENT OR GRADUATE PROGRAMS
such as the Student Activities Council, are typically not permitted to grant funds for alcohol consumption. “Definitely none of [the funding] is going to BYOs if it’s coming from us,” SAC Chair Renata O’Donnell said. “Basically when you have money that’s granted through SAC, you have a financial advisor who is an adult that is going to help you spend your money. It’s not like students go around with a [credit] card
Philly’s hottest new eatery is on a mission to change how students enjoy beers, brunch and conversations — with tip included. William Street Common is nestled in the corner of 39th and Chestnut streets, occupying the former space of Drinker’s West. According to owner Avram Hornik, 39th Street was formerly known as William Street, which was the inspiration for the new restaurant’s name. Hornik is the mastermind of William Street Common, and he also owns Drinker’s,
Morgan’s Pier and Union Transfer. In addition to a menu featuring comfort foods, William Street Common features a threedrink brunch menu on the weekends for less than $23. With a service charge added to all items, there’s no need to calculate or leave tips. “We want you to just concentrate on enjoying yourself, and not [on] if the server is being taken care of. This is a prototype, this is like a hypothesis — we’re giving it a shot, and we could be wrong,” Hornik said. The restaurant’s brunch special features bottomless coffee and donuts, three drinks and an entree for $22.33. All cocktails, beer and wine are sold at a flat rate of $5. Snacks on the menu include pork belly fries and SEE WILLIAM ST COMMON PAGE 7
Jessica Williams talks comedy, equality and Jon Stewart Williams spoke as a part of Penn Women’s Week LILY ZANDI Contributing Reporter
As part of Women’s Week, comedian, writer and actress Jessica Williams headlined a sold-out performance on Feb. 28. Williams is a news anchor on “The Daily Show” and is most famous for her skits relating to the rights of minorities, youth, women and those who identify as LGBTQ.
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Growing up, Williams said she always believed in equality between all sexes, races and demographics. For this reason, starting in elementary school, Williams tenaciously challenged gender stereotypes. “What I felt was society conditioning me to not be equal to boys … I always thought equality was a nobrainer,” Williams said. While Williams’ fervor was influenced by her upbringing, her sense of humor was shaped by her eccentric grandmother, who taught her to question social norms and describe the world around her in a comedic way.
“The woman that swore and cursed a lot was the person that I most identified with as a kid,” Williams said. “[My Grandmother] told really harsh, sort of cutting, but really funny jokes.” As a black child living in a predominately white neighborhood, Williams said she perpetually experienced a sense of “otherness,” leaving her feeling out of place in her community. “There was nothing super tangible that I could fit into,” she said. Upon reaching adolescence, Williams began to conceive of her
world as a place where people are constantly forced to pick a side, identify with a particular group and incessantly protect themselves from danger. For Williams, comedy became a means through which she could cope with this general uneasiness, promote social change and make everyone laugh in the process. While still in college, a casting director for a Will Ferrell movie suggested that she send in her tapes to “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” After viewing the tapes, Stewart SEE WILLIAMS PAGE 7
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