April 24, 2017

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MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Flingin’ in the Rain Last call: Harvest closes for good

Strobe lights lit up Penn park on Friday night as students danced in heavy showers to Fling performers Tinashe and Zedd.

The announcement ends months of speculation following a fire in January SYDNEY SCHAEDEL Senior News Editor

Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar will not be reopening, a Facilities and Real Estate administrator said Friday. This confirmation comes after months of speculation about the popular restaurant’s future after its building on 40th and Walnut streets was damaged by a fire in January. The CEO of the Harvest restaurant line Dave Magrogan wrote in an email in February that “at first [the damage] appeared minor but the combination of the fire and the efforts of the fire department to extinguish the fire caused substantial damage.” By April, students told The Daily Pennsylvanian they missed the bar and restaurant, but were not hopeful that it would reopen. Ed Datz, the executive director for Real Estate at FRES, wrote in an emailed statement Friday that “Harvest Grill and Wine Bar (200 S 40th Street) has been closed since January 2017 and will not be reopening.” “The Real Estate Department of Penn’s Facilities & Real Estate Services is currently working with its retail broker to identify a new tenant for this restaurant space,” he wrote. “The goal is to find a tenant that will appeal to both the University and surrounding community — there is no timeline at this time for a new opening.” Harvest’s official closure comes in the midst of another real estate battle across the street. The University has announced that an Acme supermarket will replace Fresh Grocer at 40th and Walnut streets, but Fresh Grocer disputes Penn’s claim they did not renew their lease in time.

PHOTOS BY JULIO SOSA | ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

…true change will require students to be at the helm.”

Did Spring Fling measure up for transfer students?

- Cameron Dichter on the recent task force recommendations on campus culture PAGE 4

Their previous schools hosted musical acts such as 2 Chainz NATALIE KAHN Staff Reporter

M.LAX & W.LAX HAD BIG WEEKEND WINS BACK PAGE NATALIE KAHN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

College students Paul Greenough and Ryan Berlin come from schools where similar spring fling events were only one-day long.

For some transfer students at Penn, Spring Fling evoked memories of their old universities. College sophomore Paul Greenough spent his freshman year at George Mason University. He said Fling reminded him of Mason Day, a one-day annual event when the school sets up amusement park rides and holds a

concert on campus. Last year’s performer at Mason Day was rapper Juicy J. Greenough said the event starts at 2 p.m., the concert begins at 8 p.m. and everything finishes by 10 p.m. He called this “low-key and underwhelming” compared to Penn, where Fling events happen throughout the entire week. “Fling is part of the culture at Penn,” Greenough said. “Right when I got in, I started to hear, ‘you’re going to love Fling,’ and I just kept thinking, ‘what is SEE TRANSFER PAGE 3

Orthodox Jews hold ‘Fling Feast’ during Zedd concert Concert conflicted with the Friday night Jewish Sabbath JAMES MEADOWS Contributing Reporter

While many students attended the Spring Fling concert or other parties around West Philadelphia on Friday night, the Orthodox Community at

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Penn gathered in Houston Hall for their annual Fling Feast. Held every year on the Friday of Fling, the feast serves as a way for the Orthodox Jewish community to come together and celebrate while honoring Shabbat — a weekly holiday where Orthodox Jews traditionally abstain from work and using electricity. The holiday starts Friday

evening and ends Saturday evening. “It’s one of the few times of the year that our whole community comes together,” College sophomore and OCP Social Chair Jeremy Schechter said. “Eating is a huge part of our community, and as Sabbath observers, we wouldn’t want people to feel like they are missing out on the Fling experience or the

Shabbat dinner.” The feast brought Fling revelry to a traditional Shabbat dinner — this year’s feast was carnival-themed, with streamers and popcorn centerpieces. Since Shabbat involves abstaining from using electricity, people were SEE SABBATH PAGE 2

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