THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019 VOL. CXXXV
NO. 22
FOUNDED 1885
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Three cases of mumps confirmed on Penn’s campus The students are no longer contagious JULIE COLEMAN Senior Reporter
Two more Penn students have been diagnosed with mumps, just two weeks after the University announced the first case of mumps on campus. The cases follow an outbreak at nearby Temple University that has sickened at least 140 students. Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé confirmed the two new cases of mumps on April 9. Dubé said that unlike the situation at Temple, the three cases at Penn are not related to each other. Penn faculty, students, and staff were first informed in an email from administrators on March 27 that a Penn undergraduate who lives off-campus was diagnosed with mumps. Public health officials believe the case at Penn is unconnected to the Temple outbreak, the email read. None of the three students are in isolation or contagious now,
Dubé said. If a student is showing signs of mumps, they will be kept in isolation until lab testing can occur. Students in isolation are not allowed to share food or a bedroom with others. Isolated cases have also been reported at Drexel University, West Chester University, and Penn State University. Mumps is a contagious viral disease with symptoms including fevers, headaches, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and swollen salivary glands. The disease is typically spread through saliva, such as sharing food or drinks. Penn currently requires all full-time students and all students living in campus housing to have two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. A person with two doses of the vaccine is 88% less likely to get mumps than if they went without the vaccine, so it is still possible to contract mumps after having received the mumps vaccine. Dubé said the Penn community’s immunization compliance rate is high, at about 99%. Dubé
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Penn’s immunization compliance rate is about 99 percent. A person with two doses of the vaccine is 88 percent less likely to get mumps.
added that it is not necessary or recommended for Penn students to get additional mumps boosters. Because Penn students will likely be around crowds of peo-
ple during Spring Fling, he also advised students to act with caution over the weekend. “There is no on-campus transmission that we can tell, and that’s a very important
piece of information, but Spring Fling is at our door,” Dubé said. “So it’s really important to just go over the basics because we want to make sure that we protect ourselves.”
Penn will be putting up posters across campus with information about mumps and reminders not to share drinks or vape products with other people during Fling.
Penn Book Center will close in May after nearly 60 years on campus Store owners announced the bookstore’s closure on Apr. 8 GIOVANNA PAZ & AMY KAPLAN News Editor & Staff Reporter
ETHAN WU
The Penn Book Center will continue to host events in the store until the end of May. In recent years, the bookstore owners stopped selling course books to appeal to more people in University City.
After nearly 60 years of business, the Penn Book Center will shut its doors in May due to overwhelming competition from online giants such as Amazon. Store owners Ashley Montague and Michael Row announced the bookstore’s closure on April 8. Although they have taken steps to sustain the beloved store, which opened in 1962, the owners said these measures have not generated enough
President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes awarded Five teams of seniors received the awards
profit. Row said they plan to start listing products on sale at the end of April and throughout May. He added that customers will be able to make purchases through Memorial Day on May 27, and then they will begin shutting down the bookstore in the following weeks. In recent years, the bookstore owners decided to stop selling course textbooks in an attempt to appeal to the larger University City community. The owners have also increased in-store events, including public readings with authors. Two years ago, students and professors were frustrated with the
The changes come as demand rises for CIS classes GORDON HO Staff Reporter
Penn President Amy Gutmann announced the winning teams for the President’s Engagement Prize and President's Innovation Prize for the Class of 2019, providing funding for five teams of students to implement engagement-focused projects. The President’s Engagement Prize recognizes projects that promote community involvement on local, national, or global scales, while the President’s Innovation Prize is awarded to students who develop effective commercial ventures. Both prizes are
For students aiming to gain entrance into introductory Computer and Information Science courses, registering for classes has long been a struggle. In response to the recent spike in popularity of the major, the CIS Department has instituted changes to alleviate the surging student demand and overwhelming number of waitlisted students. This semester, the CIS Department expanded enrollment caps and offered additional introductory courses. The department is also offering more CIS courses over the summer and attempting to hire more faculty to offset the growing
PHOTOS FROM ERIC SUCAR, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
available to full-time graduating seniors. They award teams up to $100,000 to implement projects in the year after graduation, as well as provide $50,000 stipends for living
expenses for each student. The President’s Engagement Prize was awarded to six students across three teams. SEE AWARD PAGE 3
OPINION | SPEC responds to criticism
“We were disappointed to think that we let our peers down, but also found it important to still support all of those involved in the planning of this event.” PAGE 4
SPORTS | Men’s lax can clinch title with win
Still undefeated in conference play, the No. 6 Quakers will travel to Harvard on Saturday with a chance to clinch a share of the Ivy League title. BACKPAGE FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ONLINE AT THEDP.COM
NEWS 2020 Candidate John Delaney speaks at Penn PAGE 2
SEE PENN BOOK CENTER PAGE 3
CIS Department hires new faculty, increases enrollment
SIMONA VIGODNER Staff Reporter
The five winning teams will receive up to $100,000 to implement engagement-focused projects in the year after graduation.
removal of course books from the Penn Book Center’s shelves because of issues with Penn Bookstore’s ordering system. Row cited the Amazon@Penn store’s 2015 opening as a reason for plummeting book sales and as a major factor in the decision to stop selling textbooks. “We figured we would die if we stayed with course books,” Row said. “So we said ‘okay let’s try the shift to the trade [books], community center type of approach.’” The store is known for being host to public events with prominent authors such as Rebecca Traister,
BIRUK TIBEBE
Students have long struggled to enroll in popular CIS introductory courses, and now the department is offering more summer classes.
SEE CIS PAGE 9
NEWS Therapy pigs visit Locust Walk on Quaker Days PAGE 9 SEND NEWS TIPS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM CONTACT US: 215-422-4640