THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Student on leave of absence dies at home
Aran Rana was a member of the Class of 2019 CAROLINE SIMON Senior Reporter
Aran Rana, a member of the Class of 2019 in the College of Arts and Sciences who was on a leave of absence from Penn, died on Monday at his home in Hong Kong.
Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum announced his death in an email to all undergraduates on Wednesday afternoon. Aran’s “friendliness, his kindness, and his vivaciousness is what stands out … that’s really what touched most people,” Aran’s parent, Aditya Rana, said in a statement included in
the email. Rana lived in Riepe College House as a freshman. “Every loss of a member of the Penn community is a loss to our entire community, and I urge you to comfort each other as you process this difficult news,” Cade said. “Talk, listen, and be there for your roommates and classmates. Check in
with friends and family.” Rana’s friends remembered him as a bubbly, friendly person who loved helping people. College sophomore Naome Elegant, who was on Rana’s freshman hall and lived in a house with him before he began his leave of absence SEE RANA PAGE 3
UA budget increases by 2.4% for next academic year UA BUDGET OVER THE YEARS: Budget increase is lower than the previous years’ increases of around 3.8%
2012-2013
$2,044,506
OLIVIA SYLVESTER Staff Reporter
$2,116,000
2013-2014
$2,197,000
The Undergraduate Assembly passed its budget for next year, and Class Board events like Hey Day will be cheaper and more accessible because of it. Two of the biggest changes this year in the UA’s 2017-2018 budget include a 22 percent increase in UA operations and administration funding and a $26,000 increase in Student Activities Council funding. College junior and UA Treasurer Michelle Xu said the 22 percent increase from $4,980 to $6,085 in the UA operations and administration grant occurred because Penn is hosting an upcoming conference for the
2014-2015
$2,282,000
2015-2016
$2,369,300
Philadelphia Big 5 — Penn, La Salle University, Saint Joseph’s University, Temple University and Villanova University. The conference is for members of student government to discuss issues, make suggestions for improvement and share general ideas. College senior and UA President Kat McKay said Penn has not hosted this conference during her tenure on the UA. According to Xu, the location rotates so that it only occurs at each school once every five years. “It was so helpful to meet these other student government leaders and get their perspective on issues that affect the student-city community,” McKay said. In addition to increased funding for the Big 5 conference, funding for junior and senior Class Boards increased by 3.17 percent and 2.79 SEE UA BUDGET PAGE 3
2016-2017
$2,425,643
2017-2018 Source: Penn Undergraduate Assembly
Some graduate students’ federal loans canceled
Only one student has an individualized major at Penn
SRFS notified students at the beginning of spring semester
Others say the process is too complicated to design their own major
REBECCA LIEBERMAN Staff Reporter
KELLY HEINZERLING Staff Reporter
Out of the 6,311 students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, only one is enrolled in a major that she designed herself. The individualized major is a program in the College that allows students to design their own curriculum and, essentially, create their own department. The College offers more than 50 majors and 80 minors, but some students have a unique vision for what they want to study. “There are students who find that the standard majors may not satisfy their interests or goals,” said Hocine Fetni, assistant dean for academic advising in the College. “Exceptional, creative, self-motivated students are encouraged to explore the individualized major so they can create a major that is based on various interdisciplinary fields of knowledge.” Fetni said he typically meets with students interested in the program about once a week. As of now, though, only one current Penn student has successfully created her own major. College junior Caroline Ohlson has created her own major called arts, entertainment and popular culture.
FILE PHOTO
Graduate students talked about their loans with officers from Student Registration and Financial Services in the Franklin Building on Walnut Street.
RISE OF HOUSING MKT PAGE 2
SEE MAJOR PAGE 2
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Imagine checking your email on the second day of classes and discovering that you would not receive the loan you had applied for — even though it had already been approved. Multiple graduate students in the School of Nursing were advised to apply for federal direct loans of up to $20,500 for the spring and summer semesters of 2017, and their applications were approved. But at the beginning of this spring semester, these students received emails
Surely this outage deserved more outrage — or at least more interest.”
from Student Registration and Financial Services saying they would need to apply for an alternative loan, as their direct loans would be discontinued for the spring semester. SRFS blames the abrupt shift in policy on the Department of Education, but some students suspect Penn’s financial aid officers made the mistake. In a Jan. 12 email, SRFS announced the policy change, which requires students who used an unsubsidized direct loan to fund their education in fall 2016 to now use an alternate source of funding, such as a direct PLUS loan. Though SRFS characterized the PLUS loan as a “solid” alternative, it SEE LOANS PAGE 2
WIN AND ADVANCE BACKPAGE
- Reid Jackson PAGE 4
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