April 1, 2019

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MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019 VOL. CXXXV

NO. 20

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

FOUNDED 1885

MEET THE CLASS OF 2023 Penn admits record-low 7.44 percent of applicants to the Class of 2023 There were 44,960 total applications this year GILLIAN DIEBOLD Senior Reporter

Penn admitted 3,345 out of 44,960 applicants for the Class of 2023 — the lowest acceptance rate to date at 7.44 percent. Acceptance rates have steadily declined over the past few years, with 8.39 percent of applicants admitted for the Class of 2022, 9.15 percent for the Class of 2021, and 9.41 percent for the Class of 2020. Penn received 44,960 applications for the Class of 2023, the largest applicant pool to date and a more than one percent increase from last year’s to-

tal of 44,482 applications. December’s early decision results yielded the lowest acceptance rate in history, with 18 percent of students admitted to the University. In 2017, the ED rate was 18.5 percent, dropping from 22 percent for the previous class. The ED applicant pool for the Class of 2023 plateaued after several years of steady growth. [As the process wraps up, prospective students reevaluate admissions at elite colleges] According to Dean of Admissions Eric Furda’s blog, 15 percent of students in the incoming class, around 500 individuals, identify as first-generation. For the Class of

2022, one in seven students self-identified as such. For others, Penn has been a part of their families for generations. 13 percent of students in the admitted class have a parent or grandparent who has attended Penn. In the Class of 2023, 51 percent of admitted U.S. students self-identify as students of color, with 53 percent the year prior. Members of the class hail from all 50 states as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. The states with the most representation in the incoming class include Pennsylvania, New York, California, New Jersey, Florida, and Texas. SEE ADMISSIONS PAGE 3

From Cairo to Vancouver: Meet Penn’s newest Baby Quakers Students are from more than 100 countries ASHLEY AHN & DANIEL WANG Staff Reporters

GILLIAN DIEBOLD

Penn broke another record this year with its lowest-ever overall acceptance rate of 7.44 percent. Fourteen percent of the admitted class are international students based on their citizenship, and the students hail from 100 different countries. Fifteen percent of admitted students to the Class of 2023 are the first in their families to attend college.

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke to some students who were admitted to the Class of 2023 on March 28. Here are their stories. Ryan Afreen matched with Penn through Questbridge but did not think she would be accepted. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Afreen came to the United States three years ago and now lives in Queens, New York. Afreen opened her decision at school with her best friend and her guidance counselor standing next to her recording her reaction.

It took Afreen a while to realize she had gotten in, but then screamed so loudly that she startled her counselor. Afreen and her friend both started crying, and she called her parents right after. She said that she was nervous when applying to colleges because she is new to the country and did not know if her speaking and academic skills are qualified enough for higher education or that her parents will be able to pay for her education. SEE REACTIONS PAGE 3

Interfraternity Council creates VP position for diversity Majesty Uwagerikpe is the new VP of diversity ASHLEY AHN Staff Reporter

Two years after the Interfraternity Council announced its search for a diversity chair, the IFC is finalizing a new Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion position to its executive board. The move comes after the IFC previously said they would no longer follow through with creating the position. Engineering sophomore Majesty Uwagerikpe, who was elected as Assistant Vice President of New Member Education and Recruitment of the IFC 2019 executive board, will now be VP of Diversity and Inclusion. He began working on projects under his new position in mid-February, although the position will be voted in officially on April 3 by the IFC executive board, presidents of all the IFC chapters, and

MAJESTY UWAGERIKPE

Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life representatives including IFC advisor Jon Bell. In spring 2018, former IFC President and College senior Reginald Murphy told The Daily Pennsylvanian that a diversity chair would not be the most efficient method for the IFC. Instead of one person focusing on diversity, Murphy said all members of the executive board should be responsible for implementing diversity within their roles. “Our goal was not to have a diversity chair just because people

asked us to have one,” Murphy told the DP. “We wanted to make sure that we had something concrete for that person to do.” The 2019 IFC President and College junior Brian Schmitt decided to move away from this stance. As president, Schmitt reviewed all positions on the board in the beginning of the year and found that the ambiguity of the Assistant VP of NME and Recruitment could be refocused into a diversity and inclusion role because of the need to bring diversity into recruitment. At the February 25 monthly forum where all fraternity chapter presidents and the IFC are in attendance, the student leaders passed Schmitt’s proposal to create the new diversity chair. The changes to the IFC constitution will be finalized at the next IFC forum on April 3. As VP of Diversity and Inclusion, Uwagerikpe plans to hold a diversity summit this semester where executive boards of fraternities learn

EDITORIAL | Remove Steinhardt name from Hillel “The administration’s silence on Steinhardt undermines its commitment to creating a campus free of sexual violence and harassment.” - DP Editorial Board PAGE 4

SPORTS | Men’s lacrosse upsets No. 2 Yale

Penn men’s lacrosse scored a last-second goal to force overtime before scoring in the third extra period to beat defending national champion Yale. PAGE 12 FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ONLINE AT THEDP.COM

approaches to ensure people of all races and religions can feel safe and included at parties. He added that he wants to collaborate with groups such as the Penn Anti-Violence Educators, the LGBT Center, and the Penn Women’s Center. Uwagerikpe also said he plans to host a panel in the fall for potential new members to showcase diverse groups within the IFC that freshmen and sophomores may be unfamiliar with, such as co-ed chapters. Schmitt said the VP of Diversity and Inclusion will also work to promote financial inclusion, as the IFC recently endowed their first scholarship to alleviate the financial stress of dues. The VP of Diversity and Inclusion will be responsible for reviewing applicants and granting the scholarship to more than 10 students. “[Uwagerikpe] now has funds that he can use to help bring financial inclusion to Greek life as well,” Schmitt said. “Especially as a student

on financial aid myself, I remember being very nervous about whether or not I’d be able to pay dues.” Engineering sophomore Archit Dhar, a member of Sigma Alpha Mu, said while he is happy with the new VP for diversity position, he said the position should have been created “way sooner.” “People in Greek Life are finally acknowledging and taking action on an issue that a lot of people weren’t really paying attention to which is the lack of diversity and inclusion within Greek Life in general but also specifically the IFC,” Dhar said. College junior George Russell, a member of Alpha Chi Rho, said he applauds the new position. “I think it’s kind of unfortunate that we do need a position just for diversity,” Russell said. “You would think it would be included in all things we did, but it’s nice to have a position to make sure we are adhering to a standard of diversity.” OFSL director Jazmyn Pulley

NEWS QPenn builds community among LGBTQ groups

NEWS Israeli politician shares vision for peace

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praises the current board for implementing the new chair. “It’s not an easy decision to make for an executive board a month after their transition to make major changes, so I think it really shows they’ve really thought this out and had conservations before making any major steps,” Pulley said. IFC’s VP for diversity comes two years after the Panhellenic Council created a VP of Diversity chair in spring 2017. Panhel VP of Diversity and Wharton sophomore Sahitya Mandalapu said she looks forward to working with her new counterpart on the IFC. “Being someone who is African American, being someone who comes from an immigrant background and having friends who are part of these other diverse groups, this has been a top priority of mine and I’m glad now I can start promoting these new efforts through this new role in the IFC,” Uwagerikpe said.

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