THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
PENN MUSEUM: CROSSING BORDERS AND PROTECTING CULTURAL HERITAGE
Safety alerts not sent to students in summer Temple and Drexel send alerts to students even if they’re away from campus for the summer DAN SPINELLI News Editor
COURTESY OF ALI OTHMAN AND THE MA’ARRA MUSEUM
Gunfire damage to the collection of the Ma’arra Museum, Idlib Province, Syria.
Penn Museum leads efforts to protect historical landmarks threatened by violence in Syria LAVI BEN DOR Staff Reporter
The Syrian Civil War, which has devastated the nation since 2011, has not only exacted a heavy toll on the nation’s people, but also on the archives of its rich culture and history. Cultural heritage sites such as historic cities, museums and archeological excavations,
many of which are hundreds if not thousands of years old, have often been caught in the crossfire of the violence that has swept the nation or even been specifically targeted by various factions. Many have suffered significant damage, which is why the Penn Museum’s Penn Cultural Heritage Center has been leading efforts to protect and document these historic landmarks. The center has operated the Safeguarding the Heritage of Syria and Iraq Project since 2013, aiming to prevent future
destruction to cultural sites in the region and enable local communities to repair and preserve damaged historic buildings. “We really wanted to take some action, to do something that wasn’t just talking about the damage, it wasn’t just crying over spilled milk but rather was going and moving in the forward direction,” Penn Cultural Heritage Center fellow Katharyn Hanson said. “A lot of folks don’t think that action can take place on the ground while the conflict is going on, and much of the work going on
that the Penn Cultural Heritage Center is involved in is really proving that action can take place,” she said. “You can work with invested, brave local colleagues on the ground and get them the materials they need to move forward and make projects take place and make sure that heritage is protected and documented,” she added. Last summer, the center worked with the Smithsonian Institution to put together a
Though other Philadelphia universities send students safety alerts over the summer, Penn does not. After a shooting over the Fourth of July weekend near Kings Court English College House, various students reported not receiving a UPenn Alert about the incident, though some faculty and staff members did. The Division of Public Safety said the decision to not enroll students in the summer alert system stemmed from technological issues as well as concerns of bothering students away for the summer with late-night messages. Drexel University, whose policing patrol zone overlaps with Penn’s, does not allow students to opt out of receiving summer alerts, according to its Public Safety website. Temple University also sends safety alerts to at least some students during the summer months, including to those away from campus. “Communication via the DrexelALERT system is a critical component of Drexel’s emergency notification strategy,” the website states. “If you are a student, faculty or staff member, messages from DrexelALERT to your Drexel e-mail account and voice messages to all Drexel landline phones will be automatic.” Drexel, which operates under a quarter system for scheduling, sent out two safety alerts since the beginning of the summer. Penn also sent two alerts — one for the Fourth of July shooting, and another for a daytime snatch-andgrab. Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said she did not feel any pressure to adjust Penn’s alert system because of Drexel’s policy. “We’re not Drexel,” she said. “It’s an SEE ALERT PAGE 6
OFSL appoints Penn’s Larry Liu wins Oxford scholarship a new director
2015 College graduate will earn his Master’s at Oxford University through Cooke Foundation’s scholarship VAMSEE MUPPARAPU Staff Reporter
From the Community College of Philadelphia to Oxford University, Larry Liam Chiung Liu, 23, continues his remarkable scholastic journey after being named the Cooke Foundation’s first Oxford Scholar. 2015 College graduate Liu received the scholarship, which provides up to $85,000 to work towards a master’s degree in comparative social policy at Oxford University’s Lincoln College, after graduating with a degree in sociology in May. After a recent partnership between Lincoln College and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, a Virginia-based organization that provides scholarships to students with financial need,
the two introduced the Oxford Scholarship. The scholarship is the only one currently offered by the Cooke Foundation that allows students to pursue a master’s degree at Lincoln College at Oxford University. Liu is also a recipient of the Cooke Foundation’s Graduate Scholarship, an award for graduate students that gives annual scholarships of up to $50,000 for four years. Liu will use it to pursue a doctorate in sociology at Princeton University after he finishes his studies at Oxford. Liu first encountered the Cooke Foundation when transferring out of CCP. While applying as a transfer student to several universities in Philadelphia, Liu discovered another Cooke Foundation scholarship, the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. His academic advisor, Ralph M. Faris, who is a sociology professor at CCP and a co-coordinator of the college’s honors program, urged him to apply. Liu added that he got a “tremendous
NO BUDGET YET, BUT STATE FUNDS STEADY PAGE 2
Eddie Banks-Crosson will direct the Office of Fraternity and Sorority life beginning on Aug. 17 BRYN FERGUSON Staff Reporter
“Back in January of this year, it was my senior year at Penn and, of course, like thousands of other seniors, I was asking myself ‘what can I do for a
On Tuesday, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life announced the appointment of Eddie Banks-Crosson as director. Banks-Crosson will oversee Penn’s 51 recognized chapters and 3,500 members. He comes to Penn from the University of Syracuse, where he served as Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs for seven years. Banks-Crosson is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he received a Bachelor’s in Communication and Capella University, where he received a Master of Science in Higher Education.
SEE OXFORD PAGE 8
SEE OFSL PAGE 8
FIRST LAST/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
amount of help from Faris” when describing the application process of the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Ultimately, Liu secured both a transfer to Penn and the transfer scholarship to support his education.
DENTAL SCHOOL MAKEOVER PAGE 8
SEE PENN MUSEUM PAGE 6
They took the kind of path you can’t plan for, the kind you discover as you go along.”
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— Annika Neklason PAGE 4
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